"I can't believe we are actually going to this party." I moan as I collapse onto my bed.

"Well you are the one who just won't burn his jacket. Something about it 'not being right to harm my knight in shining armour's belongings after he saved me, blah blah blah.'"

"He did not save me nor is he a knight of any kind, let alone for me!" I yell as I throw a pillow at Kate which narrowly misses her head.

"Aww, look, you throw like a girl too! Bet you want to kiss him all day long and be one of his groupies too. Hang on to every word he says- and wait for him to wink at you in the halls- aww, you're blushing!" Kate mockingly coos.

"Shut up will you, I'm not gay! Now let's just go and get this over with so you can buy me dinner as you promised!" I say huffing whilst walking out of my room. It was nice for a change to have a house I wasn't embarrassed to invite over a friend to and thinking about it, it was also nice to have a friend to invite.

My new home was a modern two bed condo, in a decent part of town. It resembled nothing like the shabby mess we used to call a home in Tennessee. We were only living here as part of an employment bundle my dad received with his new job. But no one needed to know that. Instead Kate, like everyone else, would think I came from the average middle class background.

We sat in Kate's car, a cute red hatchback, with the windows rolled down whilst screaming along to Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson- don't judge me! As the houses and streets whipped by us, I noticed we were going further and further away from town. I didn't recognise this part, but I hadn't really gotten to know much about my new town yet. We started to head down a road surrounded with trees. If I didn't know Kate any better, I would have thought that she was kidnapping me, and now was taking me somewhere deserted to murder me...

Then I saw it, looming behind the trees, a mansion - sky high. Large columns were framing the porch that had stairs leading down to a dual carriage driveway, which was already preoccupied with cars. The entire house was lit up, a multi-storey mansion. Then Kate's words loomed in my head "he lives alone". God, what I would do to live alone here with staff catering on me. I know, I know, he lost his dad and all - but there hasn't been a day which I can remember where I haven't wanted my dad to just go walk off a cliff.

Kate stops the car by the gate entrance making sure we have easy access to leave. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

This is really happening. I gulp, "yes please." So we climb out of the car and head up towards the main door, which swings open at our arrival.

The entire house is swarming with teenagers. So many faces I don't recognise. "Who are all these people?" I ask Kate nervously- they can't be all from our a school surely ?

"Our school, Teyton Hill and Mullsberry High all come to Damian's party too. Those are two of the neighbouring high schools by the way. Sometimes kids from out of town, or anyone really passing through, show up too. I hate these events though - so I never come."

"Hey Kate!" People cheer and say as we struggle through the crowds. Kate, as always, pleasantly smiles and waves in response. We walk through the first floor of the house, which is filled with students in room after room. The house and the people are all just never ending. I feel squashed and violated by the time I hear a familiar voice.

"You came!" Silver shouts from behind me. I turn to see the blonde haired boy smile joyfully at me. He seems a little too amused by my obvious discomfort being pushed around.

"Well, you wouldn't take your jacket back if I didn't!" I spat- irritated- like I always did around him.

"Now here have it!" I say tossing it to him. He catches it with ease even though it was way off and just smiles.

"Why, don't like the reminder of me?" He mocks.

"I don't like having things that don't belong to me. They make me feel as if I owe people something, I don't like that feeling."

"Ahh, a self sufficient man - I see," he laughs.

"Okay, well I gave you back your varsity jacket- now you can be proud of your team and I can go," I say as I try to manoeuvre my way through the crowd.

Then I feel a sharp pang run through my arm, I look down to see a hand wrapped around my arm, not any hand: Damian's.

"Aww, don't go! The party's just getting started!"

"Started? A chaotic jumble is your idea of started?"

"Yeah, my parties can get a bit wild!" He says proudly. I just roll my eyes at this. Of course all he cares about are parties, getting drunk and girls. Oh, how different we are. There goes the whole being friends thing.

"Well I'm still out of here," I say pulling my arm away from him.

"I want you to keep it," he says solemnly.

"Keep what?" I ask, I can't help letting the curiosity ooze out of my voice.

"My jacket- it looks cute on you anyway.."

I ask in disbelief, "cute?-" but I'm cut off by some sort of commotion coming from the garden.

Both Damian and I run out to see a circle of people crowding around something. This only only could mean that a fight was taking place outside. I watched as Silver pushed his way to the front, then decided to follow behind him. What? I was curious to see what two drunken bastards would do to each other.

"Not the potted plants!" Silver cried out in dismay. Which was only followed by another crash. It was almost hilarious and stupefying watching two almost grown men getting at each other like kids in the sandbox. Then one, who I couldn't see the face of, took control. He pummelled the man to the ground repeatedly then climbed onto him. Straddling him as he rammed the other man's face, chest and ribs over and over again as if they were a set of drums and he was putting in a show for an adoring audience. The man held to the floor, bleeding all over. But for some odd fascination - I couldn't peel my eyes away. This morbid image had the best of me and all the other bystanders. The circle began to chant repeatedly, "Ash! Ash! Ash!" and I found myself joining in.

I didn't know how long this was going to go on for, but then I heard the shrill cry: "Ash get off of him! You're going to kill him! I don't care what he did! He doesn't deserve to die for it!" Kate then emerged into the circle yanking, at who I assumed was Ash's collar, and she pulled him away from the unconscious man underneath him. She then looked him straight in the eye and said, "That's it I'm taking you home!" I nervously watched as my ride home and only friend at this party walked away with a blood smeared Ash in tow. I turn away to find Damian busily trying to clean up the mess of his wrecked plants. Feeling too awkward to ask him for a lift home, I decide to just follow Kate. I hope she doesn't mind that she has me to take care of me too.

I then head in the general direction, of where they went. I find Ash pushed up against a wall with his head bowed. Kate is leaning her forehand against his and asking him to breathe in and out with her. As she counts their joint breaths, I can see the anger slowly fade away from Ash and his face contorts to normal. This all seems too intimate for me to go interfere. I instinctively stand back waiting until they're done. In this light I can't make out much about Ash except that he is tall, with jet black hair. Suddenly Ash pulls away from Kate.

"We can't keep doing this. You can't keep doing this." He says almost deflated.

"Doing what?" Kate asks innocently.

"You, always coming to save me. You can't keep doing that - saving me. I don't need saving! I don't need your help. I can manage on my own!" He silently pleads with her to understand, but Kate's not hearing any of this. She only sees her affection. Being rejected again- and I don't want to think how many times he said those words to her.

"Why? Why not? I'm not trying to be your hero - I'm just trying to be here for you and Annie and Aaron - all of you." She now sobs "why can't you see that! I'm here! I'm not leaving- I'm going to stay here and be here! I love you, yes you, Ash Ryder!"

"You can't love me, you don't know me!" He replies solemnly and suddenly I'm back in the car with Silver. I said such similar words to him. Ash and I know that our secrets prohibit us from those that could care. Maybe I can empathize a little with this guy. "I'm sorry Kate, but I don't love you. I can't love you. If you knew the real me or just let yourself see the real me - you would be disgusted by the sight - you wouldn't be able to love me. You couldn't! You have always been attracted to the broken things in life, taking them under your wing. But Kate you are a beautiful, smart girl - you could do with so much better than a piece of shit like me." He says as brushes away a stray tear from her cheek. He looks at her lovingly: like a mother hen to her child. Not like a lover.

She bats his hand away from her and screams at him. "Fine, be like that! I could be everything you need, everything you want! But no, just throw me to the curb - act as if I'm a nothing to you! Just go! Leave me! I won't save you anymore- next time beat that guy to death and see what good it does when you spend the rest of your life in a prison cell! You're right! I can do better than you! I will do better than you!" She shoves Ash back in into the wall. "Go!" He looks at her, then takes a defeated step away. He slowly walks away into the darkness leaving a broken Kate crumbling to the ground.

I go sit beside Kate in the floor and wrap my arms around her. She looks up at me, then melts into my arms. Sobbing unattractive sobs into my shirt, but I don't care, my friend needs me. I let her run her run. Then finally when she's done she blows her nose in my shirt and wipes away the tears with its hem.

"Sorry" she mumbles.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here for you." I say into her hair. Then she turns to look at me and although her eyeliner is smudged she is as pretty as ever.

"Thank you - you're a great friend!" I smile back at her as I take her hand and lead her to the car. A chill night at her place, with takeout pizzas and movies it is then.