The grass was slippery outside the glass sliding door, as a girl slid across it on her knees. Jet black hair hung, as though carved, around her shoulders and breasts and falling to her waist. Her eyes were the colour of the sky overhead; like the blackest ink and speckled with stars, only her stars were a hazed product of the drugs, the alcohol and anything else she could consume, and lead her far from the real world. Her jeans were now caked with mud and her arms were coated in a layer of goosbumps as the unusually cool, late August air hit her in a breeze. She seemed indifferent to the party that was happening around her, her mind was elsewhere, in a place of its own drugged creation. Loud music pulsated through the air around her and, even though she didn't appear to be conscious of it, her body swayed in time with its beat.

"Go on Trish!" screamed a voice, muffled by the music and the sliding doors. It was then obvious that the girl writhing in the mud was this "Trish"; as each time someone called that name she danced more and more vigorously, it was spurring her on. They, the two girls who had been calling her and about a dozen guys, crowded around her shouting and laughing, smiling and drinking, so much so that it became sickening to witness. Self-exploitation and Self-exhibition.

A girl watched this scene from behind the glass sliding doors, in some sort of conservatory that housed a television, couches and a stereo. Her face was washed with apathy and she held a glass of Vodka on the rocks in her lap. Her eyes watched the writhing girl and every few minutes, she'd raise the glass to her lips and take a gulp, re-wetting the same lipstick smear over and over. Golden blonde hair hung each side of her face, nearly down to her waist, illuminated by the ever-changing light emitted from the TV screen. Some people sat in the surrounding chairs, kept occupied either by whatever the TV was showing or whoever they'd managed to attain for the night. The smell of alcohol was carried in the forming clouds of tobacco smoke, mixed with other fumes of other unknown substances, all of which coated everything. The girl watching the events outside smiled slightly as her eyes no longer acknowledged what they saw, but had seemingly joined the writhing girls' mind in oblivion.

Loud music pounded in from the room that the conservatory led into. It was hard to tell, because ofthe excessive volume that caused the speakers to vibrate heavily, but Nirvana, the Manic Street Preachers and Placebo were the main elements of the nights' soundtrack. The house was huge and yet crammed full. The owners, obviously in denial, had left their darling Vicky, at the age of fifteen, for an entire weekend while they enjoyed a break in Scotland. She was currently upstairs enjoying some bleach blonde guitarists' DNA.

A boy looked across the living room, which had been cleared of furniture to create large amounts of floor space.

"Where the hell is he?!" he thought, his verdant murky eyes puzzled and cloudy. Sweat glistened on the shoulders and collarbones of those he passed and all he could see was black material, bare skin and the glint of metal piercing skin throughout the crowd as they moved as one; together and apart, back and forth. Candles were lit all around the house creating the only light to guide his search. He felt the earlier consumed substances tweaking with body but he tried to focus his mind and moved diffidently through the sea of black and skin; wading through those who all seemed so analogous to him that it almost made it hard to distinguish where he ended and the crowd began. And suddenly he was free from it as he stumbled one last step forward and sucked in a deep breath, as though recovering from a near drowning. He shook his head.

"Matt, you ok?" a voice asked, as someone appeared before him suddenly. Matt caught the speakers' gaze and the recognition was remarkably immediate.

"Adam?!" Matt said hoarsely, finding his voice. Adam reached forward and touched Matt's shoulder with concern, his electric blue eyes focused on Matt's face and matching his electric blue hair.

"Bit too much to drink, Yeah? " Adam asked. Matt blinked hard.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. I, eh... Where the hell is Jonathan?" Matt breathed heavily, his eyes battling the haze.

"Jonathan?!" Adam mumbled, slightly puzzled. "Eh, he's upstairs with Abigail, I think. Why? What's wrong?... What did he do now?!"

"Oh... Nothing..." Matt murmured, as everything suddenly came into focus. Kurt's coarse voice crept from the speakers into Matt's ears, soothing all thoughts Jonathan. And so he headed towards the door out to the conservatory and garden. He found it full of people kissing and groping while some cult classic played as background noise and no one noticed him as he entered the room. Everyone was either too busy or too ignorant, but that didn't matter as his eyes suddenly fell on something out of place; a lonely flaxen haired girl seated on one of the far couches, vodka in hand while staring out into the separate raging party in the garden as though her seemingly lifeless eyes of translucent metal watched enclosed creatures at a zoo. It felt so strange to him that he was so instantly attracted; something about her. He let himself be purely testosterone for a moment and eyed her up and down, observing the short, black pleated skirt and purple Docmarten boots, the lacy black corset and grey cardigan accompanied by a few dozen multicoloured jelly bracelets which lined her right wrist. Her perfect blonde hair and misty eyes completed the picture. And suddenly it felt like he had to know her.

"Hi" Matt said smiling, as he reached her side. The girl seemed slightly startled as he seemed to materialise before her. But her eyes then flickered as registered Matt and fixed themselves upon his in a way that made him slightly nervous. She smiled and cleared her throat before venturing a word.

"Hi".

Matt felt like everything in the house had been muted momentarily as he stared into her eyes, and then in a rush the noise flooded back as though he'd resurfaced in water and he found his tongue.

"So, you having a good time?!"

The girls' expression changed to humoured and her eyes, although a little spritzed with alcohol, grinned cheekily.

"Who is this guy?" she thought to herself.

"Yeah. I suppose.." she mumbled, "This always helps ofcourse" and she indicated toward her glass. "How about you?", her questioning gaze made him nervous again.

"Well I've been ditched by all my friends but I have a feeling that things are starting to look up" and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"What are you suggesting!?" the girl giggled, forgetting how lost she'd felt just five minute previous. Matt smiled cutely. The girls' eyes lit up and she stuck her tongue out at him, playing. Her silver tongue bar caught the light in the mere moment that she let it be seen and then it was hidden inside her mouth again.

"Sexy" Matt smiled to himself. "Can I sit down?" he asked, nodding towards the empty spot beside her on the couch. She glanced at the space beside her, before looking back up at him.

"Sure".

A few less awkward moments later, as the conservatory began to clear; people crowding into the sitting room where Metallica blared, they both wanted to discover more about one another without seeming weird. They began with the basics.

"So, what's your name?" Matt asked, turning his body to face her; trying to indicate that she had his full attention. The girl hesitated before answering, as though slightly embarrassed.

"Eh.. Quartz"

"You mean like a crystal or something?!"

Quartz nodded smiling and only barely holding in a squeak of laughter.

"Hmm... interesting name. Was there any reason for it or anything?" Matt continued.

"My mam was crazy" Quartz giggled, feeling more and more comfortable with him every second. His eyes were magnetic, just so hard to stray from, and she couldn't understand why he was here with her; away from the party and the rest of his friends.

"Ah no" Matt grinned, "You know what? It's different and I like it! Quartz. Nice."

"Thanks" Quartz said smiling while she shifted on the couch, placing one foot underneath her; causing her hair to fall across her face. "And what's yours?"

"Kinda boring. Just Matt. Nowhere near as interesting, but then again you do look like a more interesting person than me."

" Hah, I doubt that. At a party like this I can't help feeling that I blend in to point of invisibility ha."

"No. Well okay, the whole rock-goth thing is definitely becoming at this party, but no, i think you look way too distinguished and unique to blend in"

"That's a blatant lie"

"No, I'm serious"

Quartz's eyes looked confused for a moment as she allowed herself to digest his compliment. "He thought she looked unique!!?" Her smile reappeared.

"I wish I could see what you see"

Matt glanced over her again and memorised her eyes before grinning guiltily; guilty from the glances he kept stealing without her knowledge.

"It's very hard for a person to see their own good qualities."

Quartz smiled, "So what music you into? Nirvana I'm guessing by the T" she nodded at the Kurt Cobain he wore. And Matt nodded.

"Yeah. Kurt's voice. I love it. It's just so..."

"Sexy?!" Matt cut in.

"Whatever you're into.. hah" Quartz smiled again, raising her eyebrows. Matt laughed and sat back further into the chair, slightly closer to Quartz.

"No, that's just what every girl I know says about his voice"

"Sure..."

"Shut up" smiled Matt playfully, "You're very rude"

"I'm one rude little girl alright"

"So, Quartz. Why is a nice, maybe a tad rude, girl like you sitting all alone at a party like this?"

And as Matt said these words, Quartz's feelings of hollow loneliness flooded back through. She frowned suddenly, without meaning to. Matt noticed.

"Hey, sorry. You don't have to tell me anything personal or whatever if you don't want to. Just making conversation-"

"No, no." Quartz cut in, realising how obvious had been amidst the giddy, playful and somewhat drunken atmosphere surrounding their encounter, "I just... well.. I, I don't really even know why I came to be honest. It's fine though. I suppose I'm all alone at a party like this because I choose to be"

"Why would you choose that!?"

"Well, I thought that no one here was worth being with. Plus, it's not like anyone here even looked at me.... until you"

Matt smiled as Quartz looked at him, eyes full of sincerity. He almost felt flattered for a moment.

"Yeah, well I wouldn't trust anything I do. I mean, I am fairly drunk..."

She smiled. "Drunk is good." She downed her remaining vodka and leaned a little closer to him.

"D'ya want to get out of here? Head out to that madness in the garden.. or go for a walk?" Matt asked, somehow knowing that the rest of his night would be spent with her.

"Let's go for a walk" Quartz smiled, getting to her feet. She grabbed his hand and all he saw was the clock before she pulled him out the door. It was quarter to Two.

Quartz had no idea where she was going, she only knew Vicky vaguely, let alone her estate. She didn't let any of that stop her though; she just dragged Matt in the first direction that took her fancy.

"You're going to get us lost" Matt laughed, his eyes glancing at her hand in his as she led him.

"Well at least neither of us will be alone" she giggled, stumbling a little; vodka taking advantage of an empty stomach. The night was beautiful and Matt twirled Quartz along the path, under the moon so that she looked like a ballerina in her skirt.

"So why would you leave a party that you looked so at home at to walk around aimlessly with a girl like me?!" Quartz asked slowly, the words leaving her lips as rhythmically as he twirled her in the moonlight, his hand in hers. Matt could only focus on the crevices of her palm brushing over as she came to a stop in front of him, awaiting an answer.

"We both blended into the drunken theme too much. If we're going to be drunk and stupid, we should be apart from everyone else. Everyone will see that we're different." Matt finished his sentence and watched Quartz's intoxicated features change from humorous to bemused.

"What do you mean by different?! Hah" she asked.

"Special?!" Matt answered, his eyes hopeful. Quartz turned her back to him and crouched down on her hunkers, hiding her curious expression and touching a rose petal that'd fallen onto the wet tarmac, before asking

"You've known me ten minutes and already I'm special?!"

"Maybe It's just the drink talking.." Matt nervously replied, knowing he'd revealed too much too soon, while watching how gently her fingertips brushed against the soaked velvet of the petal; even when drunk she still maintained this wonderful sense of compassion within herself.

"Hah" Quartz exclaimed and returned to her upright position, "At least now it'll all make sense if you end up not even remembering me in the morning, not remembering the 'special' girl you met tonight. Beer goggles etc..." she then winked at him. She turned away from him again and walked a little ahead. Just as her mind resigned to the fact that this could be a one-off, chance meeting with the most intriguing guy she'd met in forever, thus she'd better make the most of it while she still could. She turned back to Matt.

"Could I be even ruder and demand a piggyback ride?"

"Of course" Matt smiled.

And with her arms wrapped around his shoulders and neck and her legs clinging onto his middle, he carried her for an hour under the stars. And she fell asleep entangled in this manner, with the guy she'd only just met; it clearly meant something. And as Matt felt her sleepy breaths on his neck and those fingertips grace his shoulders, as she instinctively held him tight even while asleep, he immediately knew,

"The drink had nothing to do with it. She's special"

and he worried would Quartz remember him in the morning?