Cross School

31 - The Party: Part One - Tyler & Samantha

The plan had changed slightly before everyone left. Lucas's flight had landed earlier than expected, so Bella rushed off, leaving Tyler, Alicia, and Charlie in need of another ride. Thankfully, Tyler's mom offered to do the honors, so they were dropped off without a hitch, Stephanie following in her own car behind them with the other group.

Isabelle Chen's party was in full swing by the time the two groups from Priscilla Girl's Academy arrived. Tyler strolled up through the Chen family's front garden, nervously making his way to the mansion that lay before him. He expected a large house from Layla's description, but not the actual reality.

It rested at the end of cul-de-sac of one of the richest neighborhood's in the city. The rest of the street was filled with large manors but the Chen's estate was something else. It looked like it belonged in Beverly Hills. A palace fit for celebrities. The entire front of the house was filled with people. It was hard for the group to nudge themselves inside. They were greeted by a tall Asian boy standing guard at the door.

He let them in without a word, though Tyler did catch him glancing at Sam's legs. Tyler couldn't believe what his friend looked like. Sam was the most reserved of the group, barely spoke, barely dressed up, and kept to himself mostly. He always had an outwardly feminine appearance, but it was doubled as soon as he put his new dress on. His entire outfit formed Sam into a being that was no longer male. It was like looking at an entirely new person, and Sam appeared to love it.

The group split as soon as they entered. They headed to the backyard, where the party was really kicking off. It was a large grass field, not enclosed by a fence, leaving open entry to the forest just beyond. A large, high-end pool lay in the center. A girl emerged from the water, waving her wet hair around her face. She was wearing a skimpy bikini, receiving woos from boys (and even a few girls) all around her. She had striking straight black hair, devilish brown eyes and a smile that gave off an oddly villainous vibe.

Tyler guessed this was Isabelle Chen. She slid on a pair of sandal high heels before walking over to the group, which now was just Tyler, Sam, Rose, Spencer, and Cory. Isabelle eyed all of them, settling her judgmental gaze on Tyler, lightly smirking as she stared at his outfit.

'Happy Birthday,' Cory said.

Isabelle gave him a strange look. 'It's not my birthday. This is just a house party.' She returned her gaze to Tyler, who despite not dressing up much, still held the appearance of a teenage girl. 'You must be Taylor. I'm Isabelle. I've heard a lot about you from Layla.'

'You know Layla?' Tyler asked.

Isabelle swept aside her long wet hair again. 'Of course. She's one of my best friends.' This was news to Tyler. He knew they were in the same grade, but Layla hadn't mentioned that she was close to Isabelle Chen. 'She talks about you non-stop. These are your friends from Priscilla's?'

Tyler introduced the others. Isabelle lingered the most on Sam, she too noticing the sparkle his presence now emanated. She led them over to a huddle of girls, all dressed way over their actual age. The only respectably dressed girl was Layla who Tyler was shocked to see in the huddle. She looked at home talking to the other girls. This was a side of her Tyler never thought she had. She wasn't a social outcast, nervous to even talk, she was part of the in-crowd. Her face lit up when she saw Taylor. She ran from the pack of girls and gave Taylor a big, long hug. She was wearing a white tube top with some black jeans but wore a black jacket over top that looked incredible on her.

'This is Taylor, everyone,' Layla said, introducing her to the group of girls who all waved back, some more enthusiastically than others. Layla then introduced her friends one by one, most of the names barely lingering in Tyler's mind. The only one he remembered was a girl named Constance, because (a, it's not a name you hear every day, and (b, her bright curled orange hair reminded Tyler of the main heroine from the Disney movie Brave. He didn't like the movie, and from his experience so far, he didn't like Constance.