Dani glanced at her reflection in the foyer mirror. She felt as if she mimicked the house, still and quiet. If only she could stay that way. 

But alas, people were not meant to be stationary. They had friends, made plans, and worked jobs. So, Dani pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked the time: 7:58 p.m. Shit. She needed to leave soon. 

Technically, the party started at eight, but Dani needed to ensure she arrived at a particular point in time. This time was set in place by a special magic 8-ball or a specific tarot card, and it determined whether she would have a good or bad night. 

Dani really hated leaving things up to chance. She really hated kook parties. 

The girl sighed, put her phone back in her pocket, and directed her eyes to the mirror again. This time, she stared pointedly at herself, her slight frown deepening. 

"Damn it." 

Dani pushed her hair behind her ears and grabbed her keys from the little bowl on the sideboard. Her actions were aggressive, but she was pissed. She didn't want to go to the stupid fucking kook party. 

The girl took a deep breath and brought her eyes forward once more, forcing her face to contort from frown to smile—well, grimace. 

It would have to do. She was wasting time. 

Dani entered a large, beautiful house at approximately 8:44 p.m. She didn't know who owned it, but she figured having a party here was wise because it was rather separated from the rest of Kook Boulevard. It took her longer to drive over than expected, and the house was flooded with colored lights and music blaring. 

Even from halfway down the block, she could see the definite signs of a full-blown party. So Dani parked on the street, hoping that in the event she needed to make a quick getaway, she wouldn't be blocked in.  

The air was warm and sticky inside. Hordes of teens were everywhere, and Dani had to be extra careful when slipping past. It was like a laser maze, the way she avoided sweaty hands and piles of gross, strange liquids on the ground. 

It didn't help that all the while trying to find a singular spot of breathability, Dani was also desperately looking to catch a glimpse of Sarah, Rafe, or even Topper as she moved through the large rooms; honestly, the small girl would even take Kelce.

Alas, no such thing happened inside the house. 

Dani stepped into the night air, finally through the rowdy inside crowd. Sadly, people were still idling by in every direction, but at least it didn't feel like she was stuck inside a suffocating piñata. She tiptoed by the pool, glad to at least have elbow room, and curiously followed the gazes of her fellow teens up toward the roof.

Topper stood proudly on the black, shingle roof. He wore blueish-turquoise swim trunks and held a beverage in hand. 

Dani watched hesitantly as Sarah peaked her head through a window. The girl was obviously confused, but she still let go and joined her boyfriend in absurdity.

"Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" 

Oh, this wasn't going to end well. 

The small brunette scrunched her eyebrows together, disappointed and scared as Sarah and Topper twirled about the small rooftop, egging on the partygoers below. The crowd outside grew, leaving Dani to grow conscious of the space around her. She even had to tuck her arms by her side again. And as the crowd grew, their chants did too, quickly evolving from just Sarah's name to a clear "jump." 

It was clear to see that Topper was enjoying the show. His demeanor changed, and he quickly pulled Sarah into his arms, holding her bridal style as he crept them toward the edge. Dani could tell that the blonde girl had tensed up. She couldn't hear the words, but there was a definite plea on Sarah's lips. It was one thing to mess about on the roof, closer to the window than the edge, but Topper was playing dirty, acting as if he was going to throw or drop the girl right off the edge. 

Dani's breath caught right at the base of her throat. She was mesmerized, her eyes frozen on the couple as they flew off the roof. But as suddenly as they were falling, they hit the water, and then Sarah was gasping for air, tuning her expression to an unmistakable smile. 

The crowd went wild. 

Topper grabbed Sarah's waist in the water and gently twirled her. They gazed upon each other, utterly oblivious to the rest of the party. 

Didn't know near-death experiences had that kind of power, but okay... 

Dani didn't want to take the moment away from her friends, so she moved slowly, stalking away from the crowd and hoping she would instead stumble upon Rafe soon. 

(Now, the facts concerning why Dani was dating Rafe are unclear. The two barely hung out together, and neither cared. In fact, Dani 100% knew Rafe was a cokehead. That's why he was constantly disappearing, running off to God-knows-where at the most random times. However, the two ignored each other enough that it didn't matter. If he wanted to run his trust fund to the ground, that was his prerogative. In the rare moments Rafe was sober, however, Dani could see that all the boy wanted was approval. She was happy to be able to give him something that was his, to provide something his parents could be proud of, but a real relationship was simply nonexistent. The two barely kissed, let alone held hands or looked at each other for more than 2 seconds. Sex? Out of the question. It didn't matter, though; Dani would always listen. She was Rafe's rock when he was stupid enough to piss everyone else off. She wouldn't get mad or abandon the kicked puppy when he was down... she didn't care enough to.)

Dani pushed her way inside, not purposefully using her talent to will things into existence but doing so anyway. In the crowd, she caught a glimpse of Rafe's bright orange and white striped shirt and directed herself toward him, mainly to avoid socializing with others whom she didn't know as well. 

The signs were adding up quickly, though; Dani realized two steps in that Rafe's mind was elsewhere, set on his fix. Even if she straddled his lap and stared her way into his soul, he wouldn't care enough to remember she was there.

Dani sighed, throwing a hand to her face. At least one of her friends needed to see her... to know that she wasn't lame or boring, that she at least followed through on her kook duties, that she made an appearance.

It took 20 minutes of searching, to no avail. 

It was time to give up and get out.

Dani sent Sarah a quick text, knowing it was futile until either had internet... the damn island needed its full power restored.

The girl weaved in and out of cars parked haphazardly in the drive, letting her mind wander. She thought about the pogues, wondering what they were up to. Regardless of the fact they didn't consider her a friend and arguably didn't even like her, Dani knew she would prefer being ignored amidst pogue shenanigans than staying at a miserable, loud, drug-filled party, completely and utterly alone. 

The small brunette found her car easily on the street, and fortunately, she was not blocked in. Of course, even with an excellent escape option right in front of her, Dani felt like the night was taunting her. The clock on her dash read 9:31, and she wasn't tired. She felt unaccomplished, like she had failed at some super top-secret mission. So she pulled away from the curb and started to drive. It was only when she pulled into the parking lot of the Wreck that Dani came to her senses.

 Apparently, restless Dani wanted to work... it was 9:49. The Wreck closed at 10. 

The girl parked in her usual spot at the restaurant, and just like that, she was on autopilot, utterly oblivious to the rustic van hidden in the shadows. She pulled her hair into a simple ponytail and ran inside, ready to wash dishes or organize spices alphabetically. Chef Torr would be done in the kitchen. 

"Hey, Mr. Carrera, I know I'm technically not scheduled, and it's 10 minutes to close, but I was hoping I could just..." The sight of Kiara and her dad whispering quietly stopped Dani in her tracks. She had gotten too comfortable, and now she was interrupting, making a complete fool of herself. "Oh, hey. Sorry. I just came to... uh... I'm gonna go."

Kiara broke out of whatever tense conversation she was having with her dad, turning to Dani with a smile. "Hey, Dani! Don't go! I brought the leeches for some food." She gestured behind herself with a jab of her thumb. "You should join us." 

Dani nodded her head, unconvinced.

"Well, I gotta throw it out. Might as well take it." Mike Carrera sighed in defeat, clearly not in the mood to continue arguing. 

Kiara hugged her dad tightly. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome. I'll bring it out."

Dani's heart tightened at the sight of the father-daughter duo, a twinge of jealousy coursing through her. 

Kiara moved towards her friends, gesturing for the boys to sit down, while Dani followed Mr. Carrera into the kitchen. Regardless of Kie's offer for her to join, she just didn't feel comfortable. Spending an evening with the pogues was better in theory, but now that it was in practice... 

"Please, Mr. Carrera, I can bring it out. No need to make you do work you don't have to." 

"Dani, I thought I told you to call me Mike." Mr. Carrera shook his head. "Besides, I don't mind. It would be a great help if you didn't mind getting the drinks, though. There's some homemade lemonade in the pitcher over there."  

"Of course."

Dani grabbed four cups, filled them with lemonade, and took them directly to the pogue's table. A few years ago, when Kie started to really hang out with the boys, the pogues had claimed a table in the corner of the Wreck, and every time they had come in since, they found the table with ease. 

Dani didn't make eye contact with any of the teens as she set the glasses of lemonade in front of them, and before they could respond, she had disappeared into the kitchen. Honestly, she was part ninja. Her size and demeanor made her the perfect candidate. Plus, she had always been fast. 

Dani stood quietly in the kitchen, grabbing a spare cup and pouring herself the rest of the night's lemonade. She closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She had made a mistake in showing up here, but at least in the peace of the kitchen, she could pretend it was okay. In the kitchen, she didn't have to interact with the pogues. 

"Dani, there's enough food out there for a small army. Torr went overboard, considering the heat today. Go, eat with Kiara."

Dani jumped, startled by Mike's voice. She opened her eyes quickly, turning toward her boss in a hurry. The words tumbled from her mouth before she even had a chance to think about them, "Honestly, Mr. Carrera, I didn't even know Kie would be here tonight. I think it would be more beneficial if you just put me to work. I don't need overtime or anything, really; it's just a distraction. I can just wash some dishes and go...." The girl glanced around her, noticing in the moment that the kitchen was spotless.

Mr. Carrera's eyes met Dani's, raising his eyebrows at her. He looked concerned. "You want a distraction? Go sit with Kie and those rugrats. Keeping them out of trouble is a whole job."

"Um..."

"Go."

The boys were chowing down on their food as Dani approached. They ate so ferociously that if not for the possibility that one of them might choke, the girl would be laughing. "Um, Kie. Do you mind if I join you? Your dad doesn't really have anything for me to do, and I'm not quite ready to go home yet." She laughed nervously. She was on edge and watching the group closely; notably, she caught the rolling shadow of displeasure cross JJ's brow. 

"Of course not. I would literally die to have another girl to talk to for once. Here, I'll move, and you can sit here." Kie smiled brightly and scooted over into the empty seat by John B, leaving Dani to sit down by JJ. 

Dani obeyed, sitting quietly beside the blond boy. She made herself tiny, saying nothing and simply sipping her lemonade. If she pretended not to be there, maybe JJ would stop boring holes into the side of her head. It was as if he could see inside, and how great would that be...

For the most part, the table was oblivious to Dani's rampant anxiety. John B and Kiara continued with whatever crazy story they were recanting as if the girl had been there the whole time. It wasn't a big deal to them, and that felt weird. She wasn't a part of their crew, and not to mention, the last time she had seen John B, he was practically throwing himself into a fire. But if they were talking, she was not, and that she preferred. 

When the clock struck 10:35, Mike Carrera approached their table with strict closing instructions for his daughter. And when the man was officially outside, Kiara stood and started dancing to the soft, lingering music, beckoning for John B to join her. He was hesitant at first but eventually caved. It was hard to decline an invitation to slum it with the hot hippie chick. If Kie wanted to dance, she'd make everyone dance. 

Kie led John B, forcing him to spin her around. However, that idea was quickly forgone, and the two settled on some old, 70s-like moves instead. They were happy, with grand smiles plastered on their faces. 

As the pair danced, Dani's eyes drifted to Pope. She noticed the boy intently watching Kiara and John B, a shimmer of desire crossing his eyes. It was clear from the way his eyes followed her every move that Pope liked Kie in a like-like way, but the brunette had told Dani once about a very important rule: no pogue-on-pogue macking. It would be hard, but Dani sent out a wish at that very moment that Pope would escape his situation without heartbreak. She didn't think Kie would ever willingly break that rule. The girl was too loyal for that.  

John B moved around the table, drawing Dani's attention. He stopped before JJ, grabbing him by the wrists and pulling until the blond caved and stood up. Even still, JJ tried to keep his face completely neutral, but it wasn't long before he was dancing some rather horrible hip-hop moves to a reggae song. It was quite a confusing scene, and everyone laughed in response.

As one reggae song faded into another, Kie approached Dani with a dangerous glint in her eye. Her intentions were perfectly clear, and Dani didn't see a way out, so she didn't meet much resistance. She grabbed Dani's hands softly and guided the small girl to the dance circle. The two spun around, offering the crowd some very middle-school dance moves. Neither claimed they could dance. 

Dani felt herself loosen up as she danced, cracking a genuine smile. She looked like a fool, but that was okay. They had all looked like fools. 

Besides, even if the room was still icy, it had thawed enough. It didn't matter if she barely said five words; they made her feel wanted. They included her when no one else that night had made the effort. And even though, in the back of her mind, Dani fought the words telling her it was a mistake, unintentional, the pogues made her feel like she didn't have to bite her tongue, hold her shoulders high, and keep her hair slicked back.

--

Aww. All Dani wants is to be like the pogues :( Hopefully, she'll gain JJ's acceptance soon enough, she's due for some new friends.

<3 Lillian