From today onward, I am free. No longer bound by the rigorous schedule of school, no longer forced to attend to Adam's every whim, and in less than twenty-four hours, I would be on a plane to Florida and could wear a dress without being called a transvestite. I was in my own private paradise, until Adam broke into the office and said over the intercom, "Hello, everybody. The girls from Saint Catherine's will be here shortly. Please go to the gymnasium for the Seniors graduation party."

"Come on, Ethan." Neil said, when I was protesting his decision to go.

"No way." I clung onto the door frame, just in case he tried to force me. "It sounds suspicious."

"I swear, it's nothing but a graduation party. They have one every year."

"If it's just a regular party, why are you bringing your guitar?"

Neil looked at his back, where the case for his Gibson was slung over his shoulder. "I never said it was a usual party. Now come on."

"Dude!" A familiar voice said from down the hall.

"Xoi!" I exclaimed. "Are you here for the party?"

"Yeah. It sound great."

"Neil and I were just going. Right, Neil?" I said, and had to punch him in the side for laughing.

Xoi laughed, and then realized that there was an amazingly hot guy in her presence. She leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "His hotness is practically blinding. How can you live with it?"

"It takes serious skill." I told her, and the three of us went to the gym together.

"Welcome, welcome." Adam was saying as we entered. He stood on the stage where several trap sets, guitar amps, microphones, and keyboards were set up.

"Oh, no." I said, but no one heard me above the yammering of the students.

Adam spoke again. "This year's party is a battle of the bands. It works like this. A single band will start out playing and anyone from the audience can challenge them by bringing up their own instrument and playing better than the member of the band. If there is no one who plays your instrument, feel free to just jump in." He smiled and I'm pretty sure that Xoi was trying really hard to to melt into a puddle of happiness. "Everyone," Adam called. "Let's rock."

There were screams as several seniors took the stage and began to play a jam session.  It was pretty good, for high schoolers, but soon someone jumped onto the stage, grabbed drum sticks and challenged the drummer. It became a sort of one-on-one, but with the other band members providing a sort of melody for the two drummers. The first drummer lost when he screwed up when the other drummer was banging out a solo. I couldn't help thinking that if this was all this party was going to be, I'd be better off in my room reading, but then I noticed that Neil had left my side and was standing on the edge of the stage, waiting for a chance to jump into the musical battle.

It's hard to explain what happened next, but for thirty or so minutes, it was pandemonium. Eventually, Butterfly ended up playing the drums, Neil had the guitar position along with an unknown--but insanely good-looking--Senior, Alex was playing the keyboard, and Adam strummed a bass guitar.

"O my God." Xoi said. "He's a left handed bass."

"What?"

"A lefty and a bass player. I think I'm in love."

"Hang on." I checked the stage. "Are you talking about Adam?"

"You mean the glorious left handed bass player up there, wearing sunglasses?" Xoi took a big bite out of her hunk of bread. "Of course, it's Adam."

"Are you kidding me?" I took her by the shoulders. "You can't like Adam. Sure, he's so hot he makes you practically wet your pants, but behind that beautiful face is a monster, a capricious, semi-sadistic monster! As a friend, I could never allow you to date him."

"That's alright." Xoi said, gazing raptly at Adam and eating her bread. "We can skip those unimportant steps and just get married."

"I'm going to get food." I told her. I had just found the punch table when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"How are we this fine evening?" The Second Violin said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I do go to school here."

"Are you graduating?"

"No, not this year." The Second Violin adjusted his mask, and this time is was a black satin party mask.  He pointed to the stage, where The unknown senior was doing a guitar solo.  "Do you want to go up there?"  He asked me.

"I don't want to kick Alex off the keyboard."  I replied.

"I think you're forgetting a key instrument."

"The flute?"

"No, the violin, silly girl."

I grabbed his tie and pulled his head down so I could whisper in his ear, "Don't call me that.  Ever."  Then I realized how close his face was to mine and how totally awkward the position was, and I let go of his tie quickly and took two steps forward so he couldn't see how red my face was.

"Alright." The Second Violin straightened his tie.  "If you're so upset, I guess I won't be able to offer you one of my electric violins."

"Electric violins?"  I repeated.  "Really?"

"Of course.  Didn't you know that you can add a violin solo into just about any song?"

And that was how I ended up on the stage with the Second Violin and the rest of the band.  

((THERE WILL BE MORE LATER, PROBABLY AT LEAST TWO MORE POSTS.))