Summer flew by in a blur of sunny days and moonlit parties. Almost all the students at Brakebills stayed at school for break, though not after discovering the mundane world they came from was too torturous to return to. The people they were before magic were strangers now, and it wasn't like her mother was around for Lilly to visit. Last time they spoke, Evelyn was working on a Smithsonian exhibit and wouldn't be back in New York anytime soon. She'd promised to take time to visit between this and her next job, but Lilly learned long ago not to put too much stock in her mother's promises.

Lilly spent some time with Cara and her now fiancé, Jiada, and even attended their elegant engagement party. Other than that, she stayed with her Brakebills friends. She split her time between Dani and Alex, who still hadn't settled their argument. Lilly and Ava stayed true to their agreement of tolerance, and the clear joy on Alex's face made it worth it. Quentin, Margo, and Eliot were thankfully pretty drama-free as of late, so she hung out with them the most. Thomas managed to graduate a semester early and landed a job as a Muggle Management Official. Regrettably, this meant he had little free time. Her classes may have ended, but her Shifter lessons with Eliza were still very regular and grueling. She'd shown considerable progress however and received praise from her tutor on more than one occasion.

Lilly lounged in one of the Physical Cottage's cushy lawn chairs that afternoon, watching through her sunglasses as Margo and Eliot made their classic fire creations out of the flames from the grill. Quentin sat beside her, his nose buried in a Fillory book as he sipped a strawberry daiquiri contently. This had become a regular occurrence, and Lilly frequently attended the raging parties they threw at the cottage. She was thoroughly taking advantage of the break and had as much fun as she could before she had to buckle down and study again.

She took a long drought from her pina colada and turned her attention to her book. She only had a few pages left and hoped to finish it up that day. Before she could turn the page, her phone went off. Lilly huffed in annoyance and spared a glance at the screen to see if it was even worth the effort of answering. The sight of Cara's name had her hurriedly swiping and holding the device up to her ear.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, where are you? Are you coming?" Cara's confused voice filled the speaker, and Lilly's brows knit together.

"Uh, coming to what?"

"My engagement party!"

"Cara, you already had your engagement party."

"You got the invitation, didn't you?" Lilly had received no such thing.

"What invitation?"

"We're having a friend's engagement party, so we can get a little crazy. We did our family party. Of course, you were invited to both," Lilly's eyes widened in panic, she had no idea.

"Crap, Cara! I'm so sorry. The school's mail system is total shit. When is it?"

"Um, right now."

"Fuck! I'll be there in an hour!"

"Bring a sexy bikini!" Lilly hung up, dropped her book on the cushion, and jumped up from her seat.

"Margo! I need to borrow an outfit, like, now." Margo smiled and pulled her into the cottage. Lilly found herself shoved into Margo's endless pit of a closet, and after explaining the situation, Margo handed her the perfect outfit. The bikini was much more revealing than she was used to, but it definitely fit the definition of hot. The bottoms showed off a good amount of cheek, just enough to enhance her long legs. The strapless classy bustier was in a light yellow that made her soft tan glow.

Her dress was off the shoulder, collarbones pronounced with the elegant cut. Her curves were hugged tightly by the white fabric and her left leg showed through the slight slit. Margo had done well as always. Giving her friend a quick hug and thank you, Lilly ran out the door. Luckily she had her phone and wallet with her, and Margo gave her some light makeup before she left.

She walked down one of the many sidewalks that lead towards one of the two exit portals. Her outfit drew a few curious glances as she passed. One of the upperclassmen catcalled her, and she didn't hesitate to knock him off his feet with a spell. Lilly glanced at the flowing fountain as she walked by, recalling Quentin's story of fighting Charlie's Niffin form there. The Suicide Fountain they called it. Lilly usually avoided it or at least kept walking if she passed by, but the familiar figure draped across the lip of the fountain stilled her walk. Penny lay across the edge of the fountain, a half-empty bottle of beer clutched in his hand.

Kady never returned from Mayakovsky's, and Penny hadn't taken it well. He'd been moping all summer so far, and everyone had avoided confrontations with him because of his tendency to take his anger out on others. Lilly wished she could have kept walking, but her legs begrudgingly moved in the direction of the day drinking traveler.

"You're not thinking of jumping in, are you?" She asked, her body cast a shadow across his face. He didn't react to her arrival, and instead, he raised the bottle to his lips and took a long, drawn-out swig.

"You going to the debutante ball, Barbie?" He appraised her attire with an arched brow.

"No, I'm going to a party." She had no idea where her next words came from nor why she let them leave her mouth. "You wanna come? You look like you could use a distraction."

"Why would I go to a party with you?"

"Because there'll be booze and girls and weed and maybe it'll help you get your shit together if you get away for a little while. Your pity party is really starting to piss everyone off. I'm doing you, and everyone else a favor."

"I'm good," he grunted, drinking his beer again and turning his eyes to the sky.

"Suit yourself," Lilly shrugged. She made it about ten steps before she heard the exasperated sigh.

"Wait," Lilly stopped in her tracks, facing away from him, "I'll come." She let a smile poke through while he couldn't see, but schooled her features into one of cool indifference the moment he caught up to her, "where to?"

➺➺➺➺

Ten minutes later, they arrived before the address Cara had sent. The portal deposited them about a block down the street. The location was classifiable as a mansion, and Lilly gawked as they made their way towards the booming bass. Lilly followed the instructions she was given and let herself and Penny in through the back gate. The party was in full swing. A giant, luxury pool with a cascading waterfall took up about a quarter of the space. People swam and tossed beach balls to and fro happily, whilst a DJ blasted upbeat pop and rap songs synced to the tempo of flashing neon lights. The full bar and buffet were swarmed with people, and the decorations were plastered with Jiada and Cara's names and cute engagement things.

Lilly and Cara spotted each other at the same time, and both broke out in giant grins. Cara shrieked and barreled towards the two as fast as she could in her sky-high heels. A bright pink feather boa was draped over her floral cocktail dress and intricately braided dark hair. Penny's head snapped towards Lilly in shock.

"What kind of party did you say this was?" He shouted over the music.

"I didn't," if looks could kill, she'd be six feet under. Cara clumsily threw her arms around Lilly's neck in greeting.

"I'm so glad you came, and don't you look like a snack in that dress!" Cara looked her up and down approvingly before traveling over to Penny, who stood awkwardly beside her.

"Don't get too excited," a familiar voice shouted over the bass, "you're still taken." Jiada, Cara's fiance, wrapped an arm around her soon to be wife, smiling broadly. Cara lit up in a way only a woman in love could.

"How could I forget the old ball and chain?" Cara teased, feigning disappointment.

"So I'm the ball and chain now, huh?" Jiada's tan skin revealed a tiny dimple in her left cheek as she giggled.

"Mhm..." they leaned in, sharing a sweet kiss, smiling into each other's lips. It was as if they were in their own world. That is until Penny cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him, Lilly had almost forgotten he was with her.

"Oh! I almost forgot, this is--"she began to introduce him, but Cara had already jumped ahead.

"You brought us a stripper!" She yelled in excitement. Penny's eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"N-No, no, no-- woman, if you touch me, I swear--" Lilly knew that when Cara made up her mind, nothing could stop her. Penny learned this the hard way as he was dragged over to a clump of couches, where a group of girls was waiting.

"And that's my cue to leave," Jiada chuckled, "gotta make the rounds and be a good host." Lilly smiled, looking over to find Penny being mauled by the girls, each one sporting a very revealing bikini. Penny should've been having the time of his life, but his expression said otherwise. Lilly tried to hide her giggle as she made her way over to them. Hannah and Blythe had pulled Penny down onto one of the fancy outdoor sofas by the pool. He looked like a mouse caught between two hungry cats.

"So, who is he? I mean, he's obviously not a stripper, though he's hot enough." Cara stood beside Lilly, gazing bemusedly at Penny being tortured.

"His name's Penny," she explained, and Cara gestured for the two girls to leave him alone. Much to Penny's relief, he was able to stomp back over to Lilly and the bride to be. "He's a friend from school."

"We're not friends," he clarified, shooting daggers at them both. His hair was disheveled and his shirt unbuttoned a bit at the top.

"Oh, so you're fuck buddies then," Cara looked between them suggestively.

"No!" He responded much too quickly.

"Right," Cara sipped her martini glass and winked, "you get that ass girl." Lilly's cheeks stained red at the insinuation, and Penny shook his head in frustration.

"We're not--ugh, I need a drink," he mumbled, turning towards the bar to order a drink. Cara laughed loudly as soon as he was gone.

"He's fun to play with," Lilly rolled her eyes at her old friend, enjoying her presence. She hadn't had much contact with the mortal world since starting at Brakebills. There wasn't much of an appeal after seeing the other side. Something about the atmosphere was much duller away from the grounds of their magic school. It was as if the air they'd been breathing in these past few months was some sort of magical drug. Now that they returned to the world they came from, it was hard to understand how they survived so long without magic. Being with Cara reminded her of how amazing the friends she had before were. Her best friend never failed to make her laugh.

It was nice to have a reminder that there's a life without magic. A life, just as vibrant as one with it, just in different ways. Lilly had watched Cara and Jiada together and realized that for them, they had the world in their hands. Lilly prayed that someday she would have a love like that. Cara pulled Lilly over to the sitting area, plopping down exaggeratedly and splashing a bit of her drink on the ground.

"So," she propped her elbow on the back of the seat and rested her head in her hand. "How's that prissy grad school treating you? It must be pretty great if you ignore everyone that tries to contact you."

"I'm sorry about that Car. Things have been pretty crazy recently, and I guess I got a bit distracted."

"Yeah, those literature majors are so overworked, it's a wonder they even make it through," Cara smirked, mocking Lilly with her sarcastic tone. Lilly pushed her playfully.

"Seriously though, I am sorry."

"I know, it's okay. I just missed you, that's all," Cara pouted, taking a sip from her drink. "You probably have a bunch of new friends to replace me," she threw a hand to her forehead in mock distress.

"Yeah, I mean, people were just lining up the block to take your spot." Cara gasped theatrically, lightly smacking Lilly's arm. "I'm kidding! No one could ever replace you."

"And don't you forget it," Cara hopped up, lifting Lilly with her. "now, let's get this party started!" She dragged Lilly into the crowd of sweaty bodies moving to the beat, and almost the entire party followed. The bright blue spotlights reflected off Cara's dark skin as they danced. The energy was electric, and Lilly found herself letting loose and dancing with the strangers and old friends around her.

Her eyes would occasionally drift over to check on Penny, who sat alone, moping in one of the chairs and nursing his drink. Lilly felt torn between having a good time and making sure he was okay, but if he wanted to talk, he would have to come to her. She did her part. At least she was able to get him out and about for a little while. Her thoughts were interrupted by an excited shout and a giant splash from the pool. One of Jiada's friends had jumped into the pool, fully clothed. Four more people followed with whoops and squeals of their own. Cara tugged Lilly towards the edge with a mischievous grin.

"No, Cara! Let me take my clothes off first!" Lilly tugged her arm back from her grip, receiving an exaggerated pout from her best friend.

"You're no fun," she complained, though she didn't make a move to pull her again. Lilly took this opportunity to run over to her things and pull the zipper on her dress down. Lilly slid the fabric from her shoulders to reveal the strapless bikini underneath. The suit was truly gorgeous, and it looked stunning on her toned body. Her eyes flicked over to where Penny sat and found his dark eyes staring back at her. His gaze slid across her body with an unreadable expression. Lilly had to shove away the urge to cover herself. Instead, she plastered a smirk on her face and sent him a wink before running and jumping in the pool.

The cool water was a welcomed relief after dancing in the hot summer air. She dove under the surface, letting the water run through her blonde locks, and thanked God that Margo thought to give her waterproof makeup. Cara splashed her, and Lilly retaliated twice as hard.

A water war ensued and promptly escalated into a full-blown war of chicken. Cara on her fiancé's shoulders and Lilly on Cara's friend James's. In the end, Lilly was shoved from her perch and thrown into the pool.

"Ha! Victory is ours!" Cara let out a battle cry, receiving the middle finger from Lilly. Swimming beneath the water, she surfaced at the edge of the pool. She placed her arms on the concrete, resting her head on them. Lilly looked up at Penny, whose chair she'd ended up in front of.

"How many drinks have you had?" She asked, eyeing the glass in his right hand and the smoking joint in his left. He took another sip, looking down at her blankly.

"Lost count an hour ago," Lilly simply nodded, she wasn't going to be the one to tell him to slow down. Lord have mercy on whoever tried. Instead, she held out a glistening arm to him. Penny eyed her gesture for a moment but silently passed the joint to her. He watched as she took a few drags from it before taking it back from her outstretched hand and popping it back between his lips.

Lilly hoisted herself out of the water and onto the ledge, the pool water dripped down her half-naked body and glistened in the late afternoon sun. Grabbing a nearby bottle of sunblock, she planted herself in the seat beside Penny. She didn't want to look like a lobster the next day, and her fair skin made that a very real possibility. She envied the young women at the party whose skin was dark enough to protect them from burning. Penny watched her with one eyebrow raised as she slathered her back with sunscreen.

"Need some help with that, Barbie?"

"Nope, I'm good. I'm very flexible," her cheeks bloomed red as she realized how that might have sounded, and his amused smirk made it worse. "Shut up," she glared, and Penny actually laughed, much Lilly's surprise. She let her own chuckle through, directing a smile towards her frenemy.

"Guys, you have to come dance!" Jiada stopped in front of the pair, her curly mane soaked from their fight in the pool earlier. She grabbed ahold of their arms, hoisting them both up from their seats with one determined tug. Penny pulled in protest, but Jiada was quite the strong woman, and she was having none of that. Penny was pulled with them and thrown into the fray of the dance floor. Lilly gave in almost immediately, moving her body to the beat. Penny was another story.

He stood stiffly in the middle of the dance floor as people swayed and jumped around him. Lilly couldn't contain her laugh at the sight of him. Without thinking, Lilly reached out, gripped his hand, and pulled him towards her. His eyes widened at her touch, but he didn't pull away as she guided him into dance. It took a few moments to get him to relax, but soon his hands were moving on their own. He rested his warm palms on the bare skin of her waist, moving their bodies in sync.

Lilly must've been more buzzed than she thought as her arms had drifted to wrap around his neck. Neither pulled away, and it wasn't until the sun dipped beneath the trees that Lilly came to her senses and stepped back with red cheeks.

"Um, I need some water," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Her hoarse voice supported her claim, though she knew that wasn't the reason it was so hard to speak. Lilly darted through the crowd to grab an ice-cold bottle of water from one of the coolers.

"Just a friend, huh?" Cara smirked as Lilly sat beside her and Jiada cuddling on the couches.

"I call bullshit on that one," Jiada added with a matching amused expression.

"Just because you're getting married doesn't mean you can gang up on me now," Lilly glared at the couple, her body still warm from her encounter.

"Hun, that's exactly what it means." They relaxed for a while, taking the time to catch up with each other and their old friends who'd come to the party. Lilly kept her eyes away from her fellow Magician, though she could sense his gaze following wherever she went. Cara and Jiada didn't shy away from teasing her about him, much to her dismay. Lilly stayed until only the core group of friends remained before taking her leave.

"Unfortunately, I think I'm gonna have to head out," she sighed in resignation before the love birds.

"Nooo!" Cara whined, standing up to embrace the blonde, "you sure? You'll be missing out."

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired, and I have to get back to school." Cara pouted and pulled Lilly into a tight hug. Lilly gave Jiada and a few old friends quick hugs as well.

"I guess we'll see you when we see you then," Lilly nodded with a smile, "love you."

"Love you too," Lilly waved goodbye to the rest of the party-goers and made her way towards the exit. She sighed as the door slammed behind her. There were only a few people on the streets at this hour, the mansion was in a quiet neighborhood. She meandered down the street. She wasn't in a rush to get anywhere, and the alcohol was slowing her down considerably.

"Yo, Barbie!" Lilly's head snapped up at Penny's voice from behind her, "wait up!" She paused long enough for him to catch up to her. He slowed to her pace once he reached her, and they headed back towards Brakebills together.

"You didn't want to stay?"

"Nah, I forgot how much I hated parties, and you're the only person I know."

"Fair enough," Lilly's feet were killing her from dancing in heels all night, so she stopped to pull the wretched things off. She looked around to make sure no one was watching before casting a spell to clear the path, just in case there was any broken glass. "So, did you manage to drown your sorrows?"

"What sorrows?"

"Oh, so you're still in the denial stage?" She questioned as she walked barefoot down the sidewalk beside him.

"I'm not in denial, she made her choice," he muttered the last bit, but Lilly caught it. They turned down an empty alleyway, stopping just before the graffiti-filled brick wall at the end. Lilly raised her hands and cast the spell to unlock the portal to Brakebills. The bricks rippled, making way for an image of green grass and a starry sky. The two stepped forward and Lilly's bare feet were suddenly cushioned beneath fresh-cut grass. They moved further into the Brakebills campus and Lilly made sure to close the portal behind them.

"What happened between you two? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she added. She didn't want to deal with an angry Penny.

"I don't need you to be my therapist, Barbie," his voice portrayed no ire, but he certainly wasn't happy with her line of questioning.

"Well," she began, her voice soft, "what do you need then?" Penny sighed deeply, turning his gaze to the sky. There were never any stars in the city, there was too much light from the buildings. But here it was a sea of light.

"What I need right now is a good fuck!" he yelled to the sky, his voice reverberated across the empty quad. Lilly elicited a startled laugh, and he returned his focus to the woman beside him.

"Well, you turned down every girl at the party, so good luck with that." She shook her head, patting his shoulder sarcastically before looking down at her bare feet.

"They were too easy. I like a challenge, and I didn't turn down every girl," He watched her provocatively, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to be your rebound, Penny," Lilly scoffed, but a second later, she felt his hand grip hers, and she was pulled around to face him. Her chest slammed against his, just as it had on the dance floor earlier. She gasped, placing both palms flat against his chest, not daring to look up at him as she was enveloped in warmth.

"You sure about that?" He whispered, his fingers brushed against her waist, sending an electric current up her spine.

No.

Her body whined, pulled towards him like a magnet. She took a shaky breath-- something she was sure he noticed-- to pull herself together enough to make a rational decision. Her thoughts were fuzzy from the alcohol, and she craved to let her body take control and shove her mind in the back seat for once in her life. His hands held her so gently that she knew if she said no, he'd listen. But she didn't want to say no.

His dark eyes gazed into hers, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his perfect lips. She wanted nothing more than to smash hers onto them and let loose for a night. Her bare toes stepped up onto his shoes.

Their bodies were pressed completely against each other now. She could feel the heat radiating off him, smell the cologne that pulled her in like a drug. She inclined her head, nose brushing softly against his chin. His smirk was gone now, replaced by an intense look of lust. Lilly leaned into him, bringing her soft lips to this ear. He sucked in a breath at the intimate contact.

"Positive," she managed to breathe. The warm air tickled his neck, and she watched as a trail of goosebumps appeared. Without another word, she turned on her heel, leaving him stunned. How she mustered up the strength to walk away from him was beyond her. She tried to calm herself down during her walk to the castle to no avail. As soon as Lilly made it back to her bedroom, she took a very, very, cold shower.

Hope you enjoyed this extra-long chapter. Things definitely got a little steamy! Let me know what you guys think in the comments and don't forget to vote! Things are gonna start to speed up once The Beast shows up again and there are gonna be more than a few twists and turns. So buckle up kids! - Vi