I tuck the large bottle of Colt45 under my arm and make my way to the party. It's stopped snowing and it's dark but everything around me is covered in a blanket of white, the snow glittering underneath the streetlights.

I smile to myself, enjoying the walk and feeling much happier than I've felt in a long, long time. I've made new friends, and I'm off to a party where I'll probably meet some more nice people and have a blast. I think about Joe and hope he's having an equally great time in Utah. He sent me an email this morning, attaching some amazing photos of the freestyle park taking shape. I couldn't even imagine launching myself off any of the kickers in his pictures – they were all the size of small buildings. I wonder if I'll be that good by the time I go back home in May.

I see a row of identical-looking houses and find the right number. There's a repetitive beat coming from behind the house and someone's put some fairy lights on the front door so this must be the place. Walking up to the porch area, I immediately trip over some battered trainers and dusty work-boots, narrowly avoid a variety of skis and snowboards, as well as helmets, kneepads and two battered-looking skateboards.There is a smell of melted wax, wood shavings and weed all mingled together.

I poke my head through the front door and my eyes are immediately assaulted by a room that looks like something out of a bad Seventies porn film. There is some seriously kitsch green wallpaper on the walls, which clashes horribly with the brown carpet and the floral orange three-piece suite. I know people that would pay serious wonga for this retro decor back in London.

'English Lexie!'

There's a yell from somewhere and I'm suddenly engulfed in a group hug with Dan and Tim.

'Oof!' I'm thrilled to get such a warm welcome. I don't know what aftershave Dan wears, but it smells expensive.

'Hi fellas!' I grin. 'Nice place you've got here.'

'I know, right?' Dan's eyes are shining with excitement. 'It's a sweet, sweet pad.'

'Mate, you've gotta see the hot-tub!' Tim cries, hopping from foot to foot excitedly.

'Beautiful wallpaper and a hot-tub? You guys have got the best deal in Fraser! I'm totally jealous!' I joke. Having seen the state of the porch I'm still glad I turned them down on the housemate offer.

Dan grabs my hand and leads me through to the kitchen, which is full of people and noise. No sign of Taz but I say a few hellos to the few that I recognise. Dan opens the back door for me.

'Mind the steps.' He says, grabbing my arm as we walk out into the cold. There are even more people gathered in the backyard and I can smell food cooking. Ben is stationed by a large gas grill, flipping burgers whilst wearing board shorts, a massive hoodie and a pair of snowboard boots. Some would say that's a fashion statement in itself...

'Wow – you guys are doing a barbie in this weather? Impressive.' I say, as we walk through the throng. Rob hands me a cold beer. The temperature is probably a few degrees below freezing, so not exactly ideal grilling conditions.

'What, no Colt45?' I ask, looking at the bottle of Kokanee he's given me.

'Have you even tried it?'

'Is it really that bad?'

He smiles knowingly. 'Have a few of these first. Do you want some food? It took us ages to light the bloody grill but it's working now.'

I take a sip of my beer, looking over at Dan. 'Maybe later... So are you going to show me this legendary hot-tub then. No wonder you wanted some more ladies to come.'

Dan wiggles his eyebrows at me. 'Why the hell do you think we spent $50 on getting that hot-tub up and running again. We're not complete fruit loops.'

There's a gap in the crowd and I see a whole lot of steam rising from the side of the house. There's a wooden deck area with some more ramshackle fairy-lights strung up, lighting the legendary hot-tub.

'That is pretty cool.' I say, a sliver of envy in my voice. 'You've even installed your own cooler box?' I ask, pointing at a large pile of snow in one corner with a few cans sticking out of it. 'That is proper brilliant. I know where I'll be for the next few months.'

'Lex! Over here, mate!'

I scan the faces through the steam and see that Taz and Travis are already taking advantage of the tub and waving at me, spraying water everywhere.

'Isn't this awesome?' Taz says, all smiles as I come and perch on the edge where they're sitting. I dip a tentative hand in the water.

'It's so warm! Like a bath! Damn, I wish I'd brought my bikini with me.'

Tim looks crestfallen. 'You didn't?'

I shake my head, but then again I'm not sure if I want to bare my milky-white, English skin yet - particularly as it's not exactly balmy out here. 'You didn't tell me this was a hot-tub party.'

'Naked hot-tub party.' Travis adds, and then laughs at the expression on my face. I nearly topple into the water as I quickly look down to see he's joking. Now that I've got to know Travis a little better, I'm beginning to see he's got a cheeky sense of humour. Dan puts an arm around my shoulders, gesturing up at the clear night with his beer.

'Just think, Lex... a cold drink in one hand, lying back under the stars, letting the jets do their work on your aching bits and pieces... it's gonna be awesome.' he says, smiling. The stars seem to twinkle back in agreement.

'Hang on, I'm gonna get out.' Taz says. 'Can you hand me that towel? The green one.' I grab it and hand it over to her as she stands up and gets out of the tub, putting an arm on Travis' shoulder to steady herself. Travis looks a little put-out that she's leaving their little party, which makes me smile. I wonder if they're going to get together.

'Fucking hell, it's cold!' Her teeth start chattering almost instantly and she wraps the towel around herself. 'Heaven getting in... Hell getting out.'

'C'mon.' I say. 'Let's go inside and you can warm up.'

The party seems to be getting busier and noisier as Taz and I curl up on one of the hideous orange couches and catch up on each other's news.

'So...' I pause, a little twinkle in my eye. 'You and Travis seem to be getting on well.'

She rolls her eyes at me. 'Subtle, Lex. Real subtle.'

I grin. 'I'm only stating the bleeding obvious. He seems really into you. How's the house working out?'

Taz fiddles with her eyebrow piercing. 'I've gotta be honest, mate. I really like living there. Nice bunch of people and all that...'

There seems to be a 'but' coming when she pauses.

'But...'

'But I don't want to ruin anything. What if Trav and I get together and it goes up shit creek? What'll happen then?It'll be all weird and I don't want to cause any problems for the others.'

'Er... okay. I see your point. But what if you guys are meant to be together? It seems a bit selfless to worry about what other people might think about something that might never happen. It's your life.'

She buries her face in one of the cushions. 'Aaarrrrgh! I know. I really like him, Lex. He's exactly the same as me, but with.... y'know... a donger.'

Now I really have to laugh. 'So, what you're saying is, you're in love with yourself?'

'Fuck off!' she says, throwing the cushion at me. She's smiling, so I know I haven't hurt her feelings. That's another thing about Taz – she totally gets my humour.

'Look,' I say, 'Maybe it's a question of timing. I'm not saying you should wait until the end of the winter to make a move, but maybe you should concentrate on getting to know each other as friend's first. That way, it's more likely to work out. And if some other bird comes along and wants to jump his bones, then stake your claim.'

She clasps her two hands together and makes a bowing gesture at me. 'Oh, wise Lexie. What would we do without you?'

'OK, now you can piss off.' I say, throwing the cushion back.

'I'm serious!' she exclaims. 'Thank God for you. It's like having my mum, my sis and my bezzie mate all rolled into one.'

'Aw... you say the sweetest things. Shall we go mingle?'

I spot Wade in a corner of the kitchen. 'Hey guys!' he shouts above the noise and points to the tall brunette standing next to him. 'This is Kendra, my girlfriend.'

I try not to seem surprised when I take in the very tall, very tanned and gorgeous girl standing next to him with her arm around his waist. Wade has done seriously well for himself. We make our way over and I'm almost dazzled by her amazingly white teeth when she speaks.

'Hi! Wade told me he had the best hot-chocolate, like, ever, today. You must be Lexie.'

'Hello!' I say, trying not to open my mouth too wide and show off my grubby, British, tea-stained gnashers. 'Great to meet you!' I have to lean in towards her to make myself heard above the din. 'And I'd be happy to make you a hot-chocolate anytime. It's a fantastic little café – pop in sometime. You'd be really welcome.'

'Yeah, for sure. My buddy Candy said that the coffee was, like, seriously lame. But I'll come by. That'd be nice.'

I laugh. 'The coffee is about a hundred times better since we got the machine fixed. I promise. If you think it sucks, I'll give you a freebie.'

She laughs and flicks her hair back. I can't get over how white her teeth are. Then again, everyone in North America seems to have benefited from amazing dentistry. I suddenly remember my manners and introduce Taz, but it turns out they already know each other. Taz seems to know everyone in town, but she did get here a few weeks earlier. I wonder how she kept herself busy before I arrived, seeing as we spend most of our time together. That'll probably change when she starts working, I think.

'Do you have a lot of girlfriends here in Fraser, Kendra?' I ask. 'Wade was supposed to bring some ladies to the party. I think the boys are keen to meet more girls.'

She sticks a finger in her mouth, pouting slightly. 'Hmmm, let me think. I do know a few girls, but they all have boyfriends. Oh, shoot me down and call my Shirley, I tell a lie. I have a friend called Emily and I think she's single?'

'Posh Emily?' Taz and I ask in unison.

'Yeah! Like, totally. You know her too?'

'We do.' I say. 'Is she here?'

Wade looks around the room. 'I haven't seen her here. Maybe she's still at work?'

'Wade.' I say, raising my eyebrows at him in mock anger. 'Where are all these single women you promised? Frankly, I'm disappointed.'

Kendra puts a protective hand on her boyfriend's chest. 'Oh, Lexie! Don't be angry with him. Please?'

'Oh...no, no, no!!' I say hurriedly. She obviously doesn't understand that I'm taking the piss. 'I'm sorry – British humour. I was just trying to be funny. I'm not angry at all.'

'You're from England? O.M.G! I love England!'

'Oh, great!' I smile, slightly bemused. 'Have you been there?'

She puts a hand on her hip. 'Like, no. But I would so want to go to that place... you know, honey...' she looks up at Wade and he looks puzzled. 'Oh, you know, silly! I'm always talking about it...Got it!' she exclaims. 'I really want to go to that place where the Pope lives.'

'Er... the Vatican?' I ask. She's taken me completely by surprise with that one.

'Yes! The Vatican. That's in England, right?'

I don't really know what to say, but Wades' ability to punch above his weight in the girlfriend stakes is now a bit clearer. She's very attractive, but not blessed with much intellect. Taz, being Taz, is her usual blunt self.

'Dur! The Vatican's in Rome.'

'Really near England.' I add quickly, but she doesn't seem too worried, dazzling us with more of her amazing teeth. We excuse ourselves to get more drinks.

'Really nice girl, that Kendra.' I say, when we're out of earshot.

Taz snorts and looks at me like I'm barking mad.

'Don't be mean!' I chide. 'Not everyone has great Geography skills.'

I check my watch, amazed to see it's a couple of minutes past midnight. I thought it was much earlier. This is definitely the new me. I'm feeling a bit fuzzy from the booze, but nothing I can't handle and I haven't turned into a pumpkin yet. I'm slowly learning that the social life of a season worker in Fraser seems to revolve around house parties. Most of the people at this shindig didn't even arrive until after 11pm. I'm more likely to be tucked up in my bed at that time of night.

I used to party quite hard in my early twenties. I mean, doesn't everyone? But I can't remember the last time I went clubbing or drinking until the small hours. I guess I'm just going to have to learn to let my hair down again, remembering the mantra about being a new, kick-ass version of myself. Then again, I'm definitely steering clear of the Colt45. I took one sniff and almost gagged. It smells exactly like Special Brew, reminding me of the tramps outside my local Tube station.

Taz seems equally mellow, but that's probably down to the massive spliff she's just finished smoking. I had a few tokes but it's a too strong for me. The last time I smoked weed was back at University and I pulled a serious whitey, so I've been avoiding it ever since. I find Emily on the way to the bathroom and now the three of us are cackling like witches as we gossip about new friends.

'So, I heard you left a boyfriend back in London.' Emily says, flicking her blonde hair back and giving me a challenging look.

'Wow... news travels fast around here.' I reply, taking a swig of my beer. 'Do we really have to talk about it?'

'Course not.' She smiles, and it seems genuine. 'Anyone caught your eye yet?'

I grin. 'There'd be some serious cradle-snatching going on. Most of the lads I've met are at least five years younger than me.'

'But you could be the sexy older woman!' she exclaims, picking up one of the cushions and putting it up to her face, giving me her best smoulder. 'These boys need someone with more experience.'

I have to laugh. If only she knew the boring history of my sexual prowess – or lack of it. But if they all want to think of me as the Lady Chatterley type, then who am I to correct them. The nice thing about moving to another country where nobody knows anything about you, is that you can be anyone you want to be. I can be the new, improved version of Lexie McGinty. Then again, I'm not about to make up for lost time and shag anything that moves. And there's the fact that Henry's little dalliance with Emma cost me a lot of confidence, not that I'd ever admit it to someone like Emily.

'We met Wade's bird. She's ... fun.' Taz says.

Emily grins wickedly. 'Ah. The lovely Kendra. Face like a supermodel. Brain like a sieve... So, speaking of boys, where are the Australian mafia?'

We look around the room but they're nowhere to be seen in the throng of people. The party just seems to be getting busier, rather than winding down, but that might be down to the Colt45 being consumed.

'I saw Tim in the kitchen about half-an-hour ago, and he was chatting to someone with boobs, so that's a good sign.' I say.

'And Robbo was in the hot-tub with us.' Taz volunteers.

Emily squeaks. 'Hot-tub? What hot-tub?' We explain.

'Not sure about Dan, though. Maybe we should go and find him?'

'And the bloody hot-tub!' Emily adds.

We saunter outside to find Ben still manning the barbecue like a pro. I manage to steal a sausage, which turns lukewarm in the cold air so I wolf it down quickly.

'I think he's in the tub, mate.' Ben answers when we ask about Dan. 'Sure you don't want a burger?'

I take a look at the almost-raw pieces of meat sizzling in a rather pathetic way on the grill. 'Think I'll give it a miss, Ben. But thanks anyway.' I reply, before I'm dragged away by the girls. We find Dan and Stevie sitting in the hot tub, passing a fat roll-up between them.

'Setting the world to rights?' I ask, perching on the edge.

'Lexieeeeeeee!' Dan slurs, looking very stoned. 'Awight Lexie! How's your father!' He attempts a truly terrible English accent, earning a withering look from me.

'Tazzie!' he continues. 'And Posh Emily! Look fellas, we've got the best girls in the place with us. Jump in, ladies.'

Taz looks even less impressed than I do. 'Have you seen Travis?' she asks stonily.

Stevie sounds slightly more sober than Dan when he replies. 'I think he left about half-an-hour ago, mate. He said he was looking for you.'

'Come on in, the water's lovely.' Dan giggles, giving us a little splash.

I can hardly see through the steam, but I'm definitely not about to jump in with no costume.

'Hell, yes!' Emily exclaims, unzipping her top and shrugging it off. Taz and I both stare as she quickly unbuckles her belt, drops her jeans and yanks her t-shirt over her head, revealing bright turquoise underwear that looks expensive and doesn't leave much to the imagination.

'Move over, boys!' she laughs, launching herself into the water as Stevie whoops with leery appreciation.

'Blimey', I murmur to Taz. 'She's not shy.'

'I know... talk about over-confident.' she mutters back. 'Then again, the coke probably helps.'

'I wish Pepsi had the same affect on me.'

It suddenly dawns on me that Taz might not mean the black fizzy stuff that comes in cans. I grab her arm and turn her around.

'Coke, as in drugs?' I ask, putting my head close to hers. And there was me thinking that Fraser was full of healthy, outdoorsy types. 'I didn't know Emily was into that?'

'You'd be surprised, mate. You can get anything you want in this town. Seriously.'

'Bloody hell. I thought the strongest thing around here was a bit of weed.'

'Why, you interested?'

'No!' I exclaim, firmly shaking my head. 'I'm not into that.'

'I think she does pills too. But she's not a smackie or anything.'

'How do you know all this? I thought she was a bit merry but her eyes aren't all weird and bug-like?'

'Danno told me earlier. Apparently, she's already got a bit of a reputation.'

And there was me thinking my new life in Fraser would be nice and uncomplicated.

'Is Dan doing drugs too?' I ask, feeling slightly uneasy.

'You mean apart from the weed, right? No. He doesn't touch the hard stuff.'

I don't want Taz to think I'm a total geek, but I really feel uncomfortable around Class A substances. I know: I'd be a brilliant children's TV presenter, right? (Then again, maybe not...)Henry and I had a group of mates from Uni who all went off to work in PR. It sounds like a total cliché, but they used to pass plates of cocaine around for desert whenever they had a dinner party and we both felt like a right pair of twats when we mumbled 'no thanks', getting annoyed looks from the hosts. I just don't like being out of control like that. And I don't like to think that something is going to make me feel so good that I'll always want to do it. I don't have an addictive personality, but you always see these people who had a perfectly nice life until they smoke a crack-pipe and then BAM! They're stealing handbags from old ladies to get their next fix. So I might sound a bit Daily Mail about this, but it's the way I feel.

'I don't mind the hippy stuff, Taz...' I explain. 'I just get a bit freaked out by all those chemicals. And then there's the scumbags that deal those kind of drugs, and the other things they're involved in and...' I shudder. '...I guess I just didn't expect it here.'

Taz gives me a reassuring hug, sensing my unease. 'Aw, mate. Don't crack the