"You want to battle Neil?"  Adam laughed.  "You're a hundred years too early, kid."

"I'm not a kid."  Evan snapped.  "I'm going to beat his sorry little ass and send him home crying to his mother."

"I don't think that's possible."  Neil said lightly.  "My mother's been dead for eight years."

There was an awkward moment of silence, followed by another moment of silence.  "OK."  Adam broke it.  "Reining champ, C. Blake, battling E. Hart of Amethyst Drive."  

And then it began.  Watching from a back corner of the stage, I noticed that Neil's abilities were just as good, if not better, the Evan's.  The problem was that neither one was screwing up or doing something much better.  If Evan added a complex rhythm, Neil matched it and did a cool slide.  Or something.  It was intense, like camping intense.  Just watching it made you glad that it wasn't you under those bright lights facing someone you could neither lose to or beat.

After a while, Adam called a halt and brought Damien out from behind the stage.  He finished buttoning his pants and did a little guitar solo before returning to the girl.  

"Hey Neil."  I said.  "Let's go get some food."

"I'm not hungry."  He said, not looking at me but glaring at Evan.  

"Alright, then."  I said and crossed the gym, hid behind several groups to avoid Caroline, and was holding a glass of punch when men in suits began clearing the stage of the band stuff.  "What's going on?"  I asked Adam, who was closest.

"What's your favorite song, little Ethan?"  He asked, ignoring my question.  

"Vienna, by Billy Joel."  I replied automatically.  "Why do you ask?"

Adam smiled and winked.  "You needn't worry about things like that."  He put a hand on my hair and ruffled it.  

"Hey."  I knocked his arm out of the way and attempted to flatten my hair.  "Leave me alone, will you?"  

Adam smiled again and climbed onto the stage, where a grand piano now stood.  There was no introduction.  He just sat down and played like a master.  And the song he played was no other that Billy Joel's Vienna.  And then Adam sang along, and his god-like voice rand out across the now silent gym. 

"I am in love."  Xoi whispered to my left, staring at Adam with her big green eyes.  

"I'm leaving." I said.  "I'll see you this summer."

In the hallway, I ran into my least favorite person in the world.  "Evan."  I said with disdain.  "What are you doing here?"

"What's he to you?"  Evan said.  Was it just something about me that made people ignore what I say?  

"What's who to me?"  I asked.  

"That bastard Neil."  Evan shouted, grabbing my by the shoulders.  "Nathi, what's he to you?"

"My roommate?"  I answered cautiously.  "My good friend."

"Does he know?  He does, doesn't he?"

"I'm sure he doesn't know."  I said soothingly.  Evan seemed really agitated.   Then I realized that I didn't care whether he was agitated or not, because I hated him with a passion that fuels my soul.  Well, maybe not that much.  

"Good."  He release my shoulders.  "I'm leaving."

"Fine with me."  I said, and he walked away moodily.

"I came to rescue you."  The Second Violin said, coming from around the bend.  "But you really didn't need it.  So your real name is Nathi."

"Nathalie."  I corrected.  "And I thought I told you to stop talking about it."

"I think I missed that."  The Second Violin said.  "Did that occur when our faces were about an inch apart, because I was thinking about other things at that time?"

"Are you a pervert and a mask wearing lunatic?"  I asked and dashed away before he could answer.  

One year down.  I repeated to myself on the way back to my dorm.  One year down.  Three to go.