Cross School

32 - The Party: Part Two - Zach & Spencer

Mission accomplished, Zach Chang thought to himself as he successfully infiltrated Isabelle Chen's big blowout party. The kid at the front door high fived him as he entered. This was his zone, the mood he belonged in. He didn't see any of his schoolmates inside at first glance. The Chen's mansion was huge, so he wondered if he'd even meet any of them at all during the night. Zach did a double take when he thought he saw Sam, but the girl he saw was holding hands with a guy Zach didn't recognize, so it couldn't possibly have been his friend.

He headed to the backyard, where the party was really taking off. Luckily, he was wearing bathing trunks underneath his jeans. He was always prepared when it came to parties. A group of guys and incredibly hot girls were playing volleyball in the pool, well, loosely. There was no net and it was mostly for fun, not sport.

'Mind if I join in?' Zach announced. The girls giggled.

'Of course!' one of the boys yelled. They were friendlier than he had anticipated. Before long, Zach was playing volleyball in a rich girl's pool with a bunch of kids whose names he didn't even know. At one point he found himself kissing one of the girls while the others cheered him on. This was his zone.

Volleyball and kissing random girls became the last thing on his mind when he spotted Tyler in a group near the outdoor pool table. Zach knew he came to the party dressed as a girl, so somehow, Tyler had managed to make a good excuse, take off his dress and makeup, and return to his male clothes, all while making it the least suspicious thing in existence. Props where props was due, Zach thought. Tyler was currently surrounded by hot girls, his arm planted firmly across a blonde girl's shoulders.

Zach leapt out of the pool, quickly dried himself off, and headed to the group, intentionally leaving his shirt off. He was quite muscular for a kid his age, every girl he got with loved it. He spotted a pretty Chinese girl in the group as well. She stood out from the rest in a pink bikini, matching sandal heels and straight black hair. It had to be Isabelle Chen.

'Tyler, my man,' Zach yelled, like he was an old friend. Tyler panicked when he saw Zach, though he did his best to hide it. He slid his arm off of his girlfriend and gave Zach a fist bump. 'I never thought you'd be man enough to handle a harem of your own.'

'Hardly,' Layla said. 'I'm the only girl for this doofus.' From what Tyler had told, Zach expected Layla to be less comfortable in a social setting, be she seemed fine. More than fine. He hadn't expected her to be so playful.

'You must be Zach,' the girl who was probably Isabelle said, a sneer etched across her face. 'Ty's been telling us all about the boys at the academy. I've heard a lot about you.'

'Nothing but the best, I hope,' Zach said, giving Tyler a punch. The group went silent.

'I hear you're quite the sex obsessed pest,' Isabelle said, sizing Zach up. 'I'm unsure whether that's a good thing nor not.'

'Most girls I meet always leave satisfied if that's any indication,' Zach replied smoothly. Isabelle smirked.

Tyler gave a chuckle. 'What girls?' he said. 'I've never heard any names, only stories. I was beginning to think you'd made them up.'

'Everybody has a right to privacy,' Isabelle said, though her tone made it clear she didn't believe Zach. 'After all, there's nothing more pitiful than someone who only dates imaginary girls.'

Zach's face grew red. He had dated a few girls in his life, none lasting more than a week, but they counted, right? Zach knew what it was to love someone. At least, he thought he did.

'Or pillows,' Tyler added. The whole group laughed. Tyler had drawn the line.

'At least I don't dress up like my fake sis-' A body flew into Zach's before he could finish, leaving him sprawled all over the pool table.