Stacy wasn't convinced by Clark's promises to behave until the very end of Friday night. He'd spent hours explain every way in which letting him go to the party was a good idea, only to be rejected time and again. Finally she cracked and waved him off. He knew that he was almost old enough to drink, but in his current situation, his parents needed to know where he was at all times. Sneaking out was out of the question.

The following day was spent preparing for the party. If he was going to let Haley mumble under her breath about him, he wanted to look good. Nakota wordlessly followed the pair around The Grove as they shopped, blending in with the crowd at all the right times. He didn't even object when Clark bought him a latte. It was nearly five when the three of them returned to the St. Murphy residence.

"Kind of glad I didn't wear heels today," Ruby sighed when she reached Clark's bed. "My feet already kind of hurt."

"You're still wearing heels to the party, though?" he asked her skeptically. If her feet hurt, it might have been a better idea to wear flats.

"Of course. Beauty is pain, baby." Ruby kicked off her sneakers and opened her black shoe box. She'd found the perfect pair of heels at Barneys and her heart swelled by simply looking at them. Clark wanted to look nice but also stylish, and had settled for a cashmere sweater and a pair of black jeans. The two took turns bathing, singing along to the music playing from Clark's laptop.

He took a seat on the bed after he'd washed up and ran the towel through his hair again. For the most part, he was looking forward to arriving at the party. Because he wasn't a rude guest, he'd purchased a bag for Haley, but had made it just out of the price range of it being socially acceptable. Maybe it was petty, but it had made him and Ruby laugh to think of her face when she looked up how much it cost and saw she'd only be able to afford it if she asked her parents for the money.

They moved around each other in his room, running back and forth to the bathroom mirror to make sure they looked as put together as possible. Clark was putting on lip balm when Ruby said, "You know what'd be funny?"

"Hm?"

"Imagine if you invited her to your birthday party after this one and it was ten times better."

"God, I'm not looking to cause as much drama as possible," he laughed. Clark capped his lip balm and double-checked his teeth in the mirror. He looked nice. The gray sweater was just baggy enough to look comfortable while still being stylish, and his boots looked kind of bad ass. He smiled at his reflection and stuffed his phone and keys into his pocket.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Ruby said. She added a bit more red to her lips and glanced in his direction.

"I'm good to go."

"Cool." Ruby stood up and brushed off her emerald pencil skirt. "Let's go." They both headed downstairs and Clark called out to Nakota. The man was ready as well, hopping up with his car keys in hand. He paused when he caught sight of the two of them – Ruby especially. She winked at him and said,

"The titties are out today, yes." Nakota pulled his eyes away from the low cut black crop top and walked past them. Once they were all in their respective cars, Ruby started the engine. Clark played with the radio before settling on the hip hop station. After a thirty minute drive, Haley's mansion came into view. There were already cars parked all over, and it was a hassle trying to find a decent place to put his. As they walked to the door, Ruby hooked her arm in Clark's and whipped her curls out of her face.

"Ruby!" Haley exclaimed when she spotted the two of them. She jumped up from her sofa and hurried over, pulling the girl into a hug. Over Ruby's shoulder, Haley smiled lazily at Clark. "Hey, Clark."

"Happy birthday, Haley," he said, forcing cheerfulness into his voice. He handed her the unmarked bag and she kept that same fake smile plastered on her face.

"This is so sweet of you! I'll put it on the table with the others." She began walking towards said table. "Feel free to help yourself to snacks, drinks, all of that. If you're drinking, make sure you hand over your keys because I definitely don't want you all driving." Clark kept his keys, but promised he wouldn't drink. When Haley was out of earshot, Ruby whispered,

"You liar."

"Whatever, I'm not letting her have my car keys. Knowing her, she'd intentionally fuck it up or something."

Ruby shrugged and dragged him through the rest of the house. Streamers hung from every banister and balloons hovered along the walls, both various shades of blue. Her theme had been 'Under the Sea' but thankfully she didn't have an enforced dress code.

Sitting on various surfaces, Clark recognized a few familiar faces from high school. He avoided those like the plague. Parties were always difficult because so many people knew each other around town. Talking about what they were all doing after graduation wasn't the kind of chatter he wanted to spend his night making. He and Ruby stepped out into the backyard and into an entirely different world. Her backyard was almost unrecognizable.

The entire pool lit up with various sea colors, greens blending into blues and purples. The chairs and tables were all decked out with thin, circular fish tanks atop. Caterers bore shimmery pants that emulated mermaids, and all of the snacks on their trays were appropriately themed. Off to the corner of the backyard, a bed had been set up to resemble a giant purple clam. Some of her friends were already lounging and giggling amongst themselves. Haley had even convinced the DJ to dress up. He wore a long white wig and beard and danced around shirtless. Who knew King Triton had a thing for tattoos.

"Can we give credit where it's due?" Ruby asked.

"Fine," he said reluctantly. She did a nice job setting up for parties. This entire thing must have taken at least a month to organize, and that guess was probably off by a few weeks. It wouldn't have surprised him if she'd been making plans since her last birthday.

They both snagged a drink from one of the caterers and clinked glasses. They toasted to twenty-first birthdays.

By ten o'clock, Ruby and Clark were pleasantly buzzed, floating on a cloud made of liquor. He knew that if he drank any more, he'd end up stumbling around, and decided to cut himself off. Ruby, on the other hand, happily took another shot of whatever everyone else was drinking.

"Damn, girl," one of the boys beside her said. He swiped a long black hair from his face and sat back in his chair.

"Tell me about it," she said. Ruby looked at him again, a devilish grin on her face. "Stud," she added. The boy's eyebrow cocked and he made a noise.

"Are you here alone?" he asked her. She opened her mouth to speak when someone's hand appeared on the boy's shoulder. He turned to look at the person behind him. "What's up?"

"She's not here alone," the guy said. He shot a glare at Clark and Ruby.

"Dex, I thought you said you weren't coming," she said, standing up. There was a bit of wobble in her step, but she managed to make it over to him. "I'm glad you're here."

"You're lucky I'm here, or else this asshole would have tried to mess around with you."

"Hey dude, I didn't know she had a boyfriend," the party-goer explained. His hands were up and he scooted away from them.

"Better not let it happen again. Let's go." Ruby began walking with Dex.

"Uh, Ruby," Clark exclaimed. She was supposed to spend the night with him, not ditch him for her prick of a boyfriend. She stopped and looked back at him. Dex's grip around her waist tightened, and he narrowed his eyes.

"She's coming with me."

"Dex, I kind of promised him..." she started. He began walking again, dragging her along. Clark watched in disbelief as she moved with him, leaving him behind. They disappeared inside the house and he shook his head.

"Fucking asshole," he said.

"You said it," the boy beside him laughed. Clark stood up and pushed past the people in his way, determined to find Ruby and bring her back. He stumbled in through the sliding glass door and almost fell, just barely maintaining his balance. He pulled Haley aside, much to her disapproval.

"Have you seen Ruby and Dex?"

"They literally just left. He's taking her home, I think." Haley pulled her arm free of his grip and turned back to her friends. He ignored the daggers they all shot at him and walked to the front door. Dex's taillights shone across the lawn, and Clark stood watching them disappear around the corner.

"Great," he almost yelled. He grabbed one of the red cups on the porch and downed it. He didn't care what it was or where it came from, just as long as it got him drunk. If he was going to do this whole party alone, he didn't want to remember it in the morning. He took a step off the porch and rolled his ankle, the earth suddenly tilting. Clark smacked his face against the cement and groaned. For a minute, he lie there, thinking about why he was even here in the first place. He wanted to rub his success in Haley's face. He wanted to, as Ruby had put it, stunt on everyone.

This had been a mistake.

Clark wasn't a vengeful person, and coming to someone's twenty-first birthday party to make them feel angry wasn't something he would have normally done. It was out of character, and it made him uncomfortable knowing he'd been so gung-ho about showing off. A swell of emotions came over him and he sniffed hard. This was stupid. He was stupid. Clark sat up and moved his ankle, wincing in pain. Footsteps approached and he turned to look up.

"You look like an idiot," Nakota said.

"I feel like one. Help me up." Nakota bent over and pulled Clark to his feet, dusting off his back. Something told him that sweater was expensive. Clark could feel eyes on him, and he could hear snickers. His eyes stung and his cheeks burned from embarrassment.

"C'mon," Nakota said lightly, guiding him away from the house. Soon all he could hear was the bass of whatever song was playing inside. Nakota helped him into the car and buckled him in. "There you go." Clark watched him walk around to the other side and climb inside as well.

"Thank you," he finally said after they were away from the party. "I don't know why I came to this stupid thing in the first place."

"What happened between you and Ruby? I thought you were taking her home later tonight."

"Apparently Dex is so much more important." His words dripped with venom.

"Dex is... her boyfriend?"

"Dex is a huge fucking prick, that's what he is. His breath always smells like onions and he looks like a fucking Lego block." Despite Clark's anger, Nakota couldn't help but snort. He put on his lighthearted voice again.

"He wasn't drinking was he?"

"Dex doesn't drink," Clark said, "but he sure as hell shoots up. He literally brags about using growth hormones, too. Like, you're not cool just because you and your Spongebob-shaped skull cheated your way to the top, you fucking—"

"Clark, calm down," Nakota grinned, placing his hand on the other's shoulder. Clark stopped himself and took a breath.

"I'm sorry. It's just, Ruby picked him over me. Have fun kissing that Tetris block, I guess." He rolled his eyes and slumped down in his seat, his arms crossed. There was nothing more he hated than being ditched, and for Dex Corrigan, certified douchebag? It made his blood boil.

"I'm sorry your night didn't go the way you wanted it to."

"Yeah, well, I just want to get home and put on something more comfortable. I can't believe I spent so much money to fall on my face." He glared out the window. A silence filled the car for a moment, and Nakota wondered if his passenger had fallen asleep. "Can we get burgers?" he asked suddenly.

"Uh – I guess."

The place Clark wanted to stop at was still open, and he ordered a few burgers and some fries. He knew this was the perfect combination to cure a shitty night and sober up a little. They returned home by midnight to find a note from Stacy. She had to work early in the morning, so Clark had to keep it down. She'd also left water and pills in the kitchen for his hangover in the morning.

They set up shop in the living room, tearing into the bag of food and dividing it evenly. Clark brought a handful of fries to his mouth and chewed on them while he flipped through the channels on TV. They settled on an infomercial for some portable oven. They laughed at how amazed the audience seemed that the host was able to cook a whole five pound chicken so quickly.

"Would you actually eat that?" Clark asked.

"Only if you paid me. That doesn't look all the way done, honestly."

"Exactly," he said. Clark stirred his French fry around in his ketchup for a moment, his eyes on Nakota. The man stared straight ahead, enthralled by all the different foods that small little oven was able to cook.

"What's on your mind?" Nakota asked.

"Oh – uh, I was just thinking. You don't really seem like the kind of guy I'd expect to be a bodyguard. You're not... I don't know, you just don't seem like the ones on TV. You're not an asshole, you don't act like I'm some huge brat. I was honestly expecting a Kevin Costner-type guy."

"Well, you've only just met me. There's plenty of time for me to show you my—"

"Your asshole?"

"Don't be gross," Nakota laughed. Clark grinned at his joke. "There's plenty of time for you to annoy me. All I ask is that you listen to me and be honest. I'm here to do a job, and it's much easier when you cooperate."

"I guess I could do that." Clark took a bite of his burger and thought about the man. "How long have you been doing this?"

"About a year now. Ever since I got out of jail."

Hearing it said so casually was surprising to him. All of the people he'd ever met that had been in the pen had been much more rough around the edges. His father worked with a few people like that, and they never really liked Clark.

"Can I ask about that? If not, tell me to shut up and I'll mind my business."

"It's really nothing," Nakota shrugged. He reached for his drink and shook the ice up, taking a long drink before he continued. "I broke into a car because I needed some money. Figured I'd be able to flip the radio somehow. And wouldn't you know it, the car belonged to the daughter of police officer. They found my ass so quick, you wouldn't believe it." Clark made a noise and looked down at his food. He couldn't imagine being in jail. He really wasn't made for that type of environment.

"That sucks," he mumbled. The look on Nakota's face told him there might be more to the story, but he figured it'd be best to save that for another day. Right now, all he wanted to do was eat and pass out. Once their trash had been cleaned up, Clark grabbed two blankets from the hall closet and tossed one towards the man.

He curled up into a ball on the sofa, and before he could even say goodnight, Clark was asleep.