They Say Love is the Key

Zach frowned and shook his head. "That's all fake," he said simply, "And believing in it is what's hurting you. If you'd just stop believing in it, you wouldn't be hurt anymore." He didn't understand why she was being so defiant to this. Why couldn't she just see what he did - that believing in such an obvious lie only got you hurt in the end, like it was doing her right now?

Lily frowned deeply at his words and shook her head, feeling tears rise to her eyes. "Well, I'm sorry that I have to waste your precious day," she said quietly, "Just leave now. Go do whatever it is that you do to have fun." She didn't bother to wait for a response or even to see if he left before she turned and left to go up the stairs. Slamming her door once she was in her bedroom, she locked it, not wanting to argue with him anymore.

Addy shook her head, knowing he wasn't going to let her win this one, and it killed her. Why didn't he get it?! "Fine," she argued. "Teach me your ways then, Zach!" She said angrily. If she couldn't have him in the way that she wanted, at least she could try to forget him... It was the last thing she wanted to do, but maybe trying it would make him open his eyes for once.

Josh groaned. "No," he called to her as she walked away. "Lily, that's not what I meant!" He felt like punching a wall... Why didn't she get it?! She just didn't understand that she would feel much better if she didn't let love hold her back. Finally he turned and stormed out of the place. He needed to get his mind off of her... It was really bothering him.

Zach blinked a few times, unsure of if she meant his way of just ignoring the very thought that love could ever exist or if she meant his actual behavior. "What do you mean?" he asked, frowning deeply. If it came to his behavior, there was no way that he would let her learn such a thing; that lifestyle was solely for him. There was no need to bring Addy into that kind of stuff, especially since it could get dangerous - especially for a girl.

Lily leaned back against her door, soon slumping down to the floor as she placed her head in her hands. She took deep breaths, trying to force the tears away. She wouldn't cry over him. Not anymore. At least, that was what she told herself. She only hoped that she could keep that promise to herself.

Addy crossed her arms and looked at him defiantly. "Come on," she yelled, "you know what I mean!" She stepped towards him and raised an eyebrow at him. "Take me to a party! I want you to show me what it's like to not care about love then!" It's not like he would care... If she was a slut, at least she could feel loved, even of it was just for a little...

Josh called all of his friends - all of them except for Lily of course. He needed to get his mind off of the way that Lily was trying to fight with him so much about this... He needed to get laid or something - hell, anything that would keep his min away from her for a little.

"That's not happening, Addy," Zach said with a deep frown, "Girls get drugged at parties. You're my best friend and I'm not going to let something like that happen to you." There was no way he would allow such a thing; even if he didn't believe in love, Addy was the only person besides his mother that he had. He wasn't going to lose her because of that.

Lily brought her legs to herself, wrapping her arms around them as she rested her head on her knees. She wanted to disappear. It was the first time that she and Josh had ever argued so badly that she felt this miserable. She didn't see why she had to care so much. Why did she have to love somebody who didn't believe in it?

Addy crossed her arms and gritted her teeth. "I don't care!" She cried out. "I don't care anymore - being drugged would be much better than living in this hell with someone that could never love me back!" She was his best friend and nothing more... He had to get used to that now too, or she would just move on.

It wasn't long before some of the buddies came over - and they brought friends, who brought their friends, who brought their friends... Now these were the parties he liked! He was out on the prowl for a pretty girl... One who he could spend the night with and it happened to be a girl who looked like Lily. He needed to take his anger out on her!

Zach frowned deeply at her words, confused with them. "What are you even talking about?" he asked, shaking his head quickly, "I do care if you get drugged or something worse. Even if you don't, I do. You're the only best friend that I have and I don't want you in the environment that I'm always in. Just because it's normal for me doesn't mean that it will be any good at all for you."

(Do you want me to play that girl?)

Lily bit down on her lower lip before she climbed onto her bed. She curled up under the blankets, deciding that she would just forget her feelings. Maybe if she just distanced herself from him, she could forget. She knew the thoughts were hopeless - she loved him more than she could explain, - but, at least, they could help her relax and possibly sleep.

Addy narrowed her eyes at him and just rolled her eyes. "Why?!" She asked. "It's not like it would even affect you anyways. If getting drugged and having sex would get rid of this pit in my stomach, then maybe that's just what I need. You can't say it's a good thing for you if I'm never allowed to be there!"

[if you want, would make things interesting ;)]
Josh kept his arms right around her waist as they hung out together. She was a lot like Claire, though certainly missing all of her beat features, and it really infuriated him all the more. This was why he was allowing Claire around the party scene. Things bad like this could happen.

"I can say it's a good thing for me," Zach reasoned with a frown, "Guys don't get drugged as much as girls do. It's far more dangerous for girls - especially girls like you that have never been to parties before. You don't need that, Addy." He wished she could just understand what he was trying to explain - there was no reason for her to get caught up in that life!

(Okay. xD)
Julia smirked slightly to herself at the attention she was getting from Zach. He was a rather attractive guy, so she saw no reason why she should ignore his presence. Besides, the only reason she went to parties was to meet hot guys.

Addy rolled her eyes and just shook her head at him. Look at him now...trying to defend her. What a good friend he was at these stupid, weak times. "Have you not been listening to me?" She asked angrily. "I don't care! Just let it happen anyways!"

Zach smirked as he pulled her out onto the dance floor. This was why he would never take Lily to a party... Pretty girls always got taken advantage of... His hands fell to her waist as they started to dance together.

"Don't say things like that!" Zach yelled, annoyed with how she refused to listen to him, "You don't understand what could happen at parties! Bad things happen to good people. You're a good person and you don't deserve all that bad stuff around you. That's why I've never even asked you to go to parties!"

Julia wrapped her arms around his neck as she moved closer to him, letting her body move to the rhythm of the music. Every now and then, she would move even closer to him, occasionally rubbing up against him. She couldn't help it; she wasn't as innocent as she looked.

Addy rolled her eyes again - which seemed to be a new habit now as she stood here - and she shook her head. "No Zach, you've never invited me to any of your parties because I'd hold you back. I know you just don't want me to meet any of your sluts that you have!" She argued. "And that's your problem. You don't want to believe in love because you love this reckless lifestyle, and I'm about done with dealing with it!"

Josh groaned every time she stepped closer to him. May have looked like Lily, but she certainly wasn't as pure as Lily was. "Better be careful," he teased in her ear. "Don't tempt me to get you alone!" He chuckled, continuing to dance against her.

"I didn't ask you to deal with it in the first place!" Zach said, unable to respond in any other way. It wasn't like he had ever openly talked about all the girls that he had sex with - not around her, anyways, because he didn't want such a thing to disrupt their friendship. Nor had he talked about partying until she brought it up herself. It wasn't like he forced his explanations on her.

Julia smirked to his words before she shrugged a bit. "Maybe that's the point," she mused in a sing-song voice as she arched an eyebrow in amusement. Normally, guys wouldn't hesitate to understand such an invitation of sorts and would go right for it; she wondered if it would work on him as well as it did everybody else.

Addy felt like crying again, but she swallowed back her tears. "No, you didn't have to ask!" She argued. "I didn't need an invitation to deal with it - I just had to deal with it by being friends with you, and I'm done." She couldn't do it anymore... It killed her everytime he partied... She just couldn't let it all get to her anymore. Maybe he really wasn't worth it.

Josh chuckled and nodded his head. "I see," he said thoughtfully, "so I've got a feisty one in you, don't I?" He asked with a smirk. He liked that... It made things much more interesting. He liked a girl that would take it upon herself like that... So much fun.

Zach blinked a few times at her words, his frown deepening. "What do you mean by you're done?" he asked. Did she mean that she was done with being his friend? With him in general? Or just that she was done worrying about what he did? He wasn't sure and it bothered him all the more.

Julia grinned before she shrugged. "You could say that," she mused as she continued dancing with him, letting her hands roam every now and then. She had to admit, from what she could tell when her hands pressed up against his shirt, he had a nice body.

Addy bit her lip to hold back the tears and just fell to her knees on the ground. "I'm just done," she said weakly again, not sure herself what she had meant... She didn't want to lose him. He was like her reason for existence... "I just can't do this anymore." Love him and be unloved... That's what it was... She wished she could just unlove him, but she couldn't.

Josh chuckled and nodded his head. "That's what I like," he said with a wink, slowly dancing her away from the crowd and closer to an exit. He needed to be alone with her now too. Man, she was almost succeeding at making him forget for a little... Almost. He guessed he would just have to see what happened when he got her alone...

Zach frowned deeply when he saw her fall to her knees. He didn't waste much time before he made his way to her, crouching down beside her. "Addy, you're worrying me," he told her softly. It wasn't like her to behave like this and he wasn't used to her saying anything that she had been saying. It made him fear that he was losing his best friend.

Julia smirked slightly to his words and shrugged slightly. "Must be a good thing, then," she mused, taking notice of what he was doing. "If you want to leave, just say so, rather than moving so slow. It's not much fun to wait!"

Addy turned her face from him and wiped the tears that managed to escape her eyes. "Don't worry about me," she said softly. She wanted to tell him worrying was like love, but she couldn't even voice it now. "Just go on... Go do whatever you want as usual and don't worry about me!"

Josh chuckled and shrugged slightly with a wink. "Maybe I think waiting and teasing you is just as much fun!" He said, leaning down to nibble on her neck slightly. "But I do say so, so shall we go?!" He asked, mostly excitedly. This was always what he looked forward to.

Zach blinked at her words before frowning deeply. "So you want me to leave you alone, then?" he asked, knowing that it would be the only reason that she would want him to just leave and do whatever he wanted. If she really just didn't want him to worry about her, then it would only make him worry all the more.

Julia smirked up at him before rolling her eyes. Instead of answering his question, she grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the room quickly. "Do you need a better answer than that?" she asked, smirking as she looked up at him.

Addy glanced up at him before casting her eyes back downwards at the floor. She shook her head and wiped her eyes quickly, making sure not to sob. "Just..." She started softly. "Just go and do whatever you want!" She said, then she stood and turned to go upstairs.

Josh chuckled and squeezed her hand as she grabbed his. "No, I like your answer!" He said with a wink. "Well, do you want to get out of here?" He teased. "We could just find a bedroom upstairs if you wanted..."