Noah and I enter the club hand in hand, Syd and Jackson trailing not far along behind us. Music is blasting at an ear-piercing volume, and multi-colored strobe lights flashing all around the room make the fish painted on the walls change colors, appearing as if they're swimming on the concrete.

We push through the crowd of sweaty bodies on the dance floor, up four little steps that lead us to the bar. Our IDs were checked at the entrance by security, and people who are eighteen or older got a red stamp on the back of their hands, indicating that they're the only ones allowed to buy alcohol. Since Syd and I are both still seventeen, Jackson and Noah take care of buying drinks for the four of us, and either the bartender doesn't find it suspicious that they each bought two drinks, or he doesn't care, which is the most likely option. Honestly, the whole system seems very easy to rig, and it appears the organizers know, but they seem to be fine with that knowledge as long as no one gets caught.

Though the clubs are reserved only for people traveling with Dream Travel Co. this place is packed. The dance floor, the DJ booth, and the bar are inside, but there's a small area outside which is currently occupied by smokers and people who seek a little more privacy.

"What are y'all waiting for? Let's go dance!" Syd shouts over the music as she takes Jackson's hand and drags him to the dance floor, disappearing from sight. Noah offers me his hand with a raised eyebrow and I down my drink before taking it, following him into the mass of dancers.

Dancing. Shots. More dancing. More shots. Noah and I keep up with this looping cycle for a while until we can no longer differentiate whether it's us or the room that's swaying to the beat. With my back to his front, he places his hands on my hips as we dance, pressed tightly against each other. I reach my hands back to tangle my fingers in his hair, tilting my head back as his mouth latches onto my neck. With eyes closed and lips parted I keep grinding against him, no longer sure if the heat I feel on my skin is because of the temperature inside the club or because of Noah's body pressed against mine.

He grabs my hand, spinning me around to face him, and I run my fingers down his chest before he grabs a fistful of my hair at the back of my neck, bringing me in for a sloppy and drunken kiss. My hands travel south of his abdomen and I pull him closer, hooking my fingers on the loops meant for his belt.

"You're making it very hard for me to keep my cool right now," he says, his speech slurred and his lips brushing against my ear.

"Who says I want you to?" I tease, my head thrown back as he trails kisses along my jaw, and I feel his devilish grin against my skin.

"MADDIE!" I hear someone shout, but I'm too lost in the moment to care.

"MADDISON!" I hear again, this time a little louder.

"Oh for fucks sake, what?" I turn to face Syd who keeps calling my name like a maniac. Noah stays behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, resting his hands over my chest, waiting for Syd to leave so we can get back to our little bubble.

"Sorry for interrupting," Syd says giggling with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Just tell me," I sigh, rolling my eyes.

"I need you to come with me." She states.

"What, like, now?" I ask, gesturing to Noah with my head.

"Yeah, right now," she says, bouncing up and down anxiously like she's trying her hardest not to pee her pants.

I sigh deeply, turning to Noah, "Do you mind?" I ask.

"Of course not! You girls go have fun, I'll be right. Here." he says with a goofy smile, pointing at the ground and having trouble staying still.

"Are you sure? You seem a little out of it." I point out.

"I'm fine! I'm having the time of my life!" he says, raising his arms and dancing in place by himself.

"Here," Syd says, pulling Jackson out of the crowd and pushing him towards Noah, "You two take care of each other, we'll be right back."

Jackson stumbles as he backs into Noah, who catches him in his arms, making them both break out into a giggling fit. Good thing they're happy drunks. "They'll be fine," Syd assures me, "Now come on," she grabs me by the wrist and starts dragging me away from the dance floor.

"Okay, be quiet," She says, as we hide behind a pillar.

"I didn't even say-"

"SHHHHH," she cuts me off, placing a hand over my mouth. I lick her palm and she immediately recoils.

"Ugh, why is that salty?" I ask, scraping my teeth against my tongue to get the strange taste off it.

"Shut up, you're going to blow our cover!" she insists, wiping my saliva off her palm against her skirt, completely ignoring the fact that the only way my voice could be heard over the music is if I was screaming at the top of my lungs. "Look," Syd points to the area outside and I follow the course her finger marks to find whatever it is she dragged me here to see.

A few people are standing in the open air, some just chatting, looking for a place to get away from all the noise, others coupled up on the couches engaging on grand public displays of affection, to put it nicely, and then there's Tyler, who sits in a corner looking tired and lazily smoking a cigarette. In front of him stands Ashley, looking beautiful as ever, wearing a skintight, lime green Bodysuit, paired with black high-waisted shorts, her long blonde hair falling in soft ringlets all around her. She chats animatedly with Tyler, but he doesn't seem too interested in whatever conversation she's trying to maintain with him, as his eyes stay glued to the ground, his only focus being the source of his nicotine fix.

"This has been going on for like twenty minutes," Syd says, "And the little fucker won't even look at her." She scoffs.

You'd have to be blind in order to ignore Ashley's flirtations. Any guy in their right mind would be ecstatic to be the focus of her attention, but Tyler isn't like any other guys. He seems more interested in examining the flooring than the gorgeous girl standing in front of him. Ash reaches out to lightly tap his shoulder, making him look up at her as she gestures inside. I assume she's asking if he wants to dance, and I watch the scene attentively, waiting for his reaction, but he simply shakes his head and looks back down.

"Fucking idiot," Syd says under her breath as Ashley's shoulders visibly slump in defeat, and she starts walking away from Tyler, headed in our direction. "Shit! Act normal," Syd says, just as Ashley walks by. The blonde bombshell turns to us with a puzzled look, but Syd and I avert our eyes feigning innocence, though we've very obviously been caught red-handed. Ashley just brushes us off, walking towards the dancefloor on her own.

"That was very inconspicuous, 007," I say, sarcastically.

"I've had a lot of tequila!" Syd says in her defense, "I'm sorry if my spying abilities are not at their finest right now."

"I feel bad for him," I say, ignoring Sydney's blabbering and looking at Ty, who tries to smooth his hair down but only succeeds in making it an even bigger mess.

"For him?" Syd repeats for confirmation, outraged, "Oh yeah. Poor Tyler, beautiful girls are dying to fuck him. Boo fucking hoo."

"Yeah, but look at him!" I say, "He looks miserable,"

"That's because he's a dumbass," She sighs, "Fuck this, I'll deal with him," she says, storming off in his direction before I can stop her. I try my best to go unnoticed as I move in closer, hiding behind a wall to be within earshot of their conversation, and peeking my head out just a little so I can see them.

"What are you doing?" Syd asks Tyler, infuriated.

"Smoking?" he replies with the obvious, eyebrows raised in confusion. "Why, do you want one?" he offers and Syd slaps the lit cigarette off his hand.

"What the fuck, dude?" Tyler says, thrown by Sydney's outburst."What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?" she replies with his own question, "We're in a different country, with very minimal adult supervision, and free-range to do practically whatever we want, and you look like you just found out someone massacred your entire family. Knock on wood," she says tapping her fist three times on the bench Tyler is sitting on. "That girl that just left had been very obviously begging for your attention all night, and you wouldn't even entertain a conversation with her. Come on man, you're supposed to be having the time of your life!"

"Well, excuse me if a trip with the girl I'm in love with and her boyfriend isn't my definition of a good time," Ty replies, lighting up another cigarette.

"Oh my god," Syd sighs exasperated and I wince, knowing one of her lectures is incoming. "Look man I know it hurts, a lot, and I'm not saying you're not entitled to feel that pain. But Maddison made her choice, and it's been months. You need to get over it." She waits for Tyler's response but he doesn't give one. "You always knew this was going to happen, if she didn't fall in love with Noah, surely there would've been somebody else. I know you love her, but he loves her too, maybe just as much as you. You need to accept that."

"I have accepted that," he replies with his head down.

"No, you haven't. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, wallowing in your self-pity. You're not mourning your relationship with her, Tyler, and you're not moving on either. You're moping. Maddie is not the only girl in the world Ty."

"You don't get it," he sighs deeply, burying his head in his hands.

"Of course I do," Syd kneels in front of him, grabbing Tyler's chin and forcing him to look at her, "Of all the people on planet earth, I understand why you love her, better than anybody else. It's the same reason why I love her. But you'll find those amazing qualities she has in someone else, in someone who loves you the same way you love them, the way you deserve to be loved. And I'm sorry Ty, but that's not Maddison. If you don't let her go, life is going to keep passing you by and trust me, you're going to regret all the things you missed out on," she stops and Tyler holds her gaze, "Snap out of it Ty."

"I'm done with this conversation, Syd," Tyler says, flicking his cigarette bud onto the ground and stepping on it as he stands up. I flatten myself out against the wall to avoid being seen as Tyler walks right by me on his way inside the club.

"Well, that didn't work," I say as Syd comes to stand beside me and we watch Tyler head for the entrance, probably with the intention of getting on the next bus back to the hotel.

"Trust me, it did," She says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't you think you went a little bit overboard, though?"

"Maybe. Tequila makes me angry," She shrugs.

"We need to find a way to hook him up with someone," I propose, "Sometimes the best way to get over someone is to get under somebody else. Or on top? I guess it depends on your preferences." I ramble.

"Do you even know what you're trying to say?" Syd asks, "Because it doesn't sound like you do."

"My point is, the faster Ty gets over me, the sooner we can go back to being friends. We just need him to focus on someone else, at least for a little bit."

"We're going to need a plan then, because that boy is really stubborn and still very much in love with you," Syd states.

"I know," I lament, dragging my hands on my face.

"Leave the plotting up to me, I'll figure something out."

"Great, that's so reassuring! Your plans are always so successful!" I taunt and she punches me near the shoulder.

"Come on, our boys are probably drowning in their own drool by now," she says, starting to walk towards the dancefloor as I stand in place rubbing my sore arm.

We split up to look for the guys, and it takes me less than a minute to spot Noah. Granted, he's pretty hard to miss. He stands on the ledge next to the steps that lead up to the bar, which puts him a few feet above the rest of the dancers. He has his hands in the air, his shirt off, and a smile on his face as he dances in sync with a girl dressed head to toe in green, who looks ready to pounce on him at any second. She grabs his hand and makes him do a little spin, all while he laughs like a little boy. He loses his balance and almost falls off the ledge, which makes him stiffen for a second before regaining his footing, noticing me in the crowd in the process.

"THERE SHE IS!" Noah yells, eyes open wide and a huge smile on his face as he points to me. "MADDIE! MADS, COME HERE," he waves me over enthusiastically. I approach him, a little confused, and he offers me his hand to help me get up on the ledge. "Kourtney, this is my girlfriend Maddie." Noah points to me vigorously with both hands as I stand with my feet between his legs, holding onto his shoulders so as not to fall back. I give the girl a small wave and an awkward smile.

"She's pretty," Kourtney says.

"Right? I know," Noah replies, catching me by surprise as he pulls me in for a kiss, hugging me close with all his strength and tilting forward so forcefully that I almost lose my balance and fall on my back. He straightens up, and gives me one more little kiss, before helping me find stable ground between him and Kourtney. He goes back to dancing carelessly and I laugh as Kourtney taps my shoulder.

"I'm going, to be honest with you girl," she says to me, practically screaming in my ear so I can hear her over the music, "I was trying to flirt with your man because, one he's the most attractive guy here, and two because he's obliterated and seemed approachable." My eyebrows furrow and I wonder what would be the point in telling a girl you were flirting with a guy you know is her boyfriend. Luckily I don't have to ask for her to clear up my doubts. "But Oh. My. God!" she exclaims "He would not shut up about his girl. He's been waiting for you for a while. He even made me help him look for you. Just so we're clear I wasn't the only one who approached him, but he just pointed at his red shorts, shaking his head no and brushing the girls off. So rest assured, he's a hundred percent loyal. He seems like a really cool dude though, you're a lucky girl," she says and jumps off, disappearing into the mass of bodies.

I turn to see Noah in a world of his own, pumping his fists in the air and moving his hips to the beat with the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face, and I can't help but think she's right. I am lucky.