All I've Never Wanted(7)

"Uh…not really. They're super picky about which parties they get seen at, remember? They're probably not even going to be there, sadly."

Ok, so truthfully, it's not just about the Scions. I just don't like parties. Don't get me wrong, I'm not morally opposed to them or anything, but I've been to a few last year and they just seemed to consist of people getting drunk and hooking up with each other so others will gossip about them the next day. Not exactly my idea of a good time.


"Pleeeease?" Venice begged.

I shook my head stubbornly.

"Pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

When I steadfastly refused to reply, she let out an exaggerated sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Fine. But then I'd have to go alone, and if I end up getting so drunk I have sex with some random guy and get knocked up you better become the godmother."

"Venice France!" I nearly shouted, the use of her full name not nearly as intimidating as I might like it to sound thanks to the sheer silliness of it. "Don't even joke about stuff like that! Haven't you ever seen 16 & Pregnant?"

She shrugged. "Technically, I'm 17. Besides, who knows? Things like this happen…"

"How about if you don't go instead?" I gave it one last shot.

"Do I really have to answer that?"

I scowled. Even though I knew the chances of Venice drunkenly hooking up with a stranger were slim to none—the girl couldn't even stand the smell of beer, much less drink it—I still didn't want her going to Stan's party alone. The football player was a renowned womanizer, second only after Parker, and his parties seemed more like giant orgies than actual parties. "You should be glad I'm such a good friend," I groused.

Venice smiled cheekily. "Oh, cheer up, Grumpy," she said cheerfully. "It'll be fun. I promise."

* * *

Carlo deftly dribbled the ball around Zack and passed it quickly to Roman, who managed to break through Parker's formidable defense to slam-dunk the ball into the net, breaking the 80-80 tie.

"Whoo!" Carlo gave his partner a high-five, grinning as they continued their consecutive winning streak.

"Man, you guys always win," Zack complained good-naturedly, pulling up the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and revealing a chiseled six-pack that bore no hint of the thousands of calories he shoveled into his mouth every day.

"Sorry, man, we can't help being better than you," Carlo joked, draping a friendly arm around Zack's shoulders.

"Uh, you are not better than us."

"I think our record more than speaks for itself."

"Hmm…yeah, you're right," Zack said thoughtfully. "Or not!" Abruptly turning, he grabbed Carlo in a head lock, laughing as his friend let out a surprised grunt.

However, it took Carlo only two seconds to recover, and he managed to extract himself from Zack's grip and pin him to the ground, wrestling-style, in even less time.

Parker burst out laughing at the look on Zack's face. "Come on, Perry, you know he's not a black belt for nothing."

"Yeah, yeah," Zack huffed, even though he was smiling. "Let's take it to the stage and see how you fare then."

"Hey, I never said music was my thing." Carlo shrugged. "Bit too sappy for me."

"Are you calling me sappy?" Zack asked suspiciously.

"You guys are ridiculous," Roman said, taking a swig of his Gatorade. "Why do I still hang out with you?"

"Because your life would be a boring wasteland without us?" Zack guessed.

"Because you would have to face all the people you offend without anyone to back you up," Carlo added.

"Aaand…" Parker paused dramatically. "Because you would just sit in your grand old mansion every day and not interact with the rest of society if we're not here to force you to do so."

Roman looked slightly affronted. "I would not," he snapped. "I'm a very sociable person."

His statement hung in the air for a moment, before Zack, Carlo, and Parker collapsed into fits of laughter.

"Haha…sociable person…that's a good one," Zack gasped.

Roman scowled. "I don't see what's so funny."

"Oh, I think he's serious," Carlo said, attempting a straight face and failing miserably.

"For someone who barely talks in school you sure have a lot to say when it's just us," Roman muttered. He glared at his friends.

"STOP LAUGHING!"

The other three Scions quieted down, but their mouths still twitched with amusement.

"Oh, come on, Rome," Parker cajoled. "You're not exactly the most social person on the planet and you know it. The only people you talk to is us."

"I talk to Adri," Roman pointed out.

"She doesn't count," Carlo countered. "She's practically one of us."

"Yeah, if Zack gets on our nerves too much, we can just sub her in," Parker suggested, earning himself a punch in the arm. "Ow! Watch it, these biceps are precious."

"Only to your ego." Zack stood up and brushed himself off. "Speaking of Adri, how're you feeling about that little…conversation between you guys earlier?" he asked Roman.