Show up to Showdown.

"Mr Edwards and Miss Hunt, surely you are both well aware that you are not supposed to be here, the school formal is being held upstairs." I tried to pull away, but Jay's hands held firm to my waist. I pinched his neck, extracting my breathless form from his treacherous one. Feeling like slapping myself for the reluctance I felt when I did. Because his back was to Ms. Fenn, as indicated by the voice, he grinned roguishly down at me, his face half in shadow. I glared up at him, wondering what the hell had gotten into him or me for that matter.

"Sorry, Ms. Fenn." I pulled away successfully this time, moving around him to look our English teacher in the eye. She looked pretty, well for an old lady. Not old, I mean, mature. As in un-hag-like, well I always liked her. She's straight up, perhaps not as fruity as the Kemp, but in her own way she was cool. Maybe I'm saying this in my head, in the hopes that it will carry over to her and she'll let us go up to the ball without a hitch.

"I always thought there was something going on between the two of you." She said matter-of-factly, I tried not to gasp. I take back everything I said, Ms. Fenn thought there was 'something' in between is? "Teenagers, always bickering like children when they like each other." She went on, her eyes regarding us critically.

"I..." my voice box failed me.

"Well, surely someone of your insight would have seen something we teenagers would never have picked up on, after all if it weren't for The Great Gatsby, we would have never hooked up." What?

"Now I'm intrigued, do explain how a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the reason you two are together." I wanted to slink back into the wall and die.

"F. Scott Fitzgerald died thinking himself a failure." I spoke, before Jay could 'enlighten' our English teacher. No doubt he would have fabricated a story about Gatsby's unfailing hope leading to his demise, and that he and I were like the green lights at the end of the dock. Or something equally full of shit.

"We're all aware of the author's shortcomings, he was human after all." I nodded, glad to have distracted Ms. Fenn. "Go upstairs now, I want perfect marks for the midterm mocks next week from you two."

I almost fainted, if I was capable of fainting this would have been the most opportune time to do so. How could I forget about midyear exams? They started right after the ball. Which aren't even mid years because they scheduled them late due to teaching schedules, they weren't worth anything either, they were indeed just 'mocks' but they meant everything to me.

"Of course Ms. Fenn, Excellences are all I ever get." Jay, the ass kisser, said charmingly. He's never this charming in class, and Ms Fenn noticed.

I gave a smug look when she looked at Jay with a flat expression on her face, "Get upstairs." Before she walked away, I could have sworn I heard, "I need a smoke."

Just as she disappeared outside, to tend to her needs.

I sagged against the wall when she was gone, however when I noticed that we were once again alone, I stood up straighter. With the heels I found that I was at eyelevel with Jay's mouth. I slouched again.

"Um, thanks." I said, hoping he didn't need an elaboration, hoping he'd gather I meant for saving me earlier.

I didn't want a recollection of earlier, especially by him.

"We better get up there," I murmured, making to pass him. He grabbed my hand, I didn't stop, but tried to keep walking, trying to take himwith me.

"What's the rush?" He asked but I didn't turn around, what was wrong with him?

"The Central Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s constituted New Zealand's biggest gold strike." I said into the hall, trying to walk and not going anywhere. I was walking on the spot, pretty much.

"Not what I wanted." He tugged on my arm, I tried a different tactic.

"Ow!" I turned around this time, "with the right amount of force you could pull the ulna and radius of my forearm from the humerus in my upper arm!" Anything to stave off Jay from whatever weird thing he had going on in his weird head. "Fenn should be done smoking by now we can't be caught here again." Jay's fingers around my forearm slackened, but the warmth from them was just as distracting as the grip from earlier.

"Then let's just leave, this is lame anyway. You didn't want to come to the ball, we'll just go." I stopped, this time snatching my arm out of his grasp.

"I haven't wasted the last month of my life for nothing." I said determinedly, "C'mon."

I turned, walking towards the stairs, before deciding myself too laze and took the elevator. Jay, caught up to me while I waited for the elevator to open.

His green eyes were hooded, and his mood significantly 'off'. Mischievousness no longer radiated off of him, and I got the distinct feeling he was angry. When the elevator opened we stepped inside, the function room was six flights up, and so obviously walking up the stairs would have taken forever for me.

We stood on the opposite ends of the elevator; however his cinnamon smell was still overwhelming.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye; he really was a good looking person. I had been staring at his chest, before moving up only to find his eyes on me. Mother of God! My attention snapped back up at the digital display. What? We've only just passed the second floor?

I blocked out Jay from my mind, trying to pretend that he wasn't in the elevator, knowing that as soon as we got up there we'd have to pretend to- pretence?

It was pretence, right? My eyes slid over to glance at Jay again, to find that he was right beside me.

I tried not to jump. The anger radiated off him in waves, why was he angry?

It was nearly done, he should be happy!

I am.

Right. Yeah?

The elevator gave a ding, alerting us that it was Showtime.

I expected the smirks, the smug looks and even the looks of pity, what I didn't expect were double takes.

Or the hushed, "That's not Kara."

"Hunt? No way?!"

This was unnerving, so when Jay chose a table, I sat down and tried to hide myself behind the helium balloons, that, had I been in higher spirits, I would have taken down and inhaled to crack dry jokes at myself.

"There you are!" I heard Jess's voice even above the music playing, there was no one on the dance floor, much too early I guess.

There was no escape I guess, I turned in my seat to face her, and Jay sitting beside me refused to look at, let along speak to me. Why was he being so moody?

"I need to speak to you, it's urgent." I looked at Jay, but he refused to look at me, so I stood up and followed her.

Jess's fingers dug into my arm, she looked beautiful, as always. Her dress was the same shade of blue as her eyes, the plunging neckline of the halter quite provocative.

"Analysis of past events is very important to the human race." I murmured,

"Before I say what I have to say, you look very pretty tonight Kara." I offered a wry smile, she didn't have to say that. "And I know you've been avoiding me, but I'm not going to push you. I know when to back off K, I thought you knew I was a good enough friend to know this." I looked up,

"Course I do, you're one of the best people I know." Not a lie.

"But I'm not going to sit back and let some guy" I'm guessing she means Jay, "humiliate you tonight. I, know you might not want to believe me... I don't know how to say this, I've been trying to tell you for the past few weeks when I first found out." I squeezed my eyes shut, forget the Law of Attraction, and let's attend to Murphy 's Law, setback number one.

"Kara, Jay's using you for a bet." I heard so much concern in her voice, so much care for me that I couldn't lie again.

I couldn't make a huge fuss that would drive a bigger wedge between me and my friends, I'd lied enough.

"I know." I murmured, looking down at my fingers.

I waited for an eruption, but the reaction I got was far from larva. Jessica laughed, I raised my gaze to meet hers, people past by us not paying much attention as we stood just outside the entrance to the ball.

I eyed the exit where teachers stood; the problem with the Ball was that no one was allowed to leave the room before midnight. Unless you were being sent home, because you're inebriated, or sick, but otherwise there was no leaving the ball until the clock truck midnight.

There was no escape.

But focussing back on the laughing Jess I frowned, inclining my head to the side. If this was the reaction I'd known I was going to get, I would have told her ages ago.

"I'm sorry, it sounded, and this is going to sound fucked up, but it sounded like you just said you knew that your boyfriend, if that's what he is, was planning on humiliating you tonight in some lame Carrie recreation, minus the blood." Oh that's why she laughed, she thought I was kidding.

I almost wished I was.

"No, Jess. You heard right," I looked around, before pulling her closer so that only she could hear me, on the off-chance that someone was eavesdropping. "I know, because I'm in on it, well, half of it, anyway." Jessica pulled back, staring me down. She did a fairly good impression of Burr's griffin-like stare.

"You're not lying." I shook my head, "But-"

I chose truth, mainly because she hadn't yelled at me yet. "It began when I found out there was an actual bet. I could have been a loser and let it annoy me, knowing I'd never fall for such crap, or I could use it to my advantage. Essentially I was motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain, refer to the Geneva Convention of August 1949."

"You used the opportunity for a moneymaking scheme." Jess said hollowly,

"Yes. We struck a deal at one of your parties, I would go along and pretend to be enamoured with him, and be humiliated tonight, and when the money rolled in, I got a cut. You know I don't humiliate easily, it would be a cinch."

"But how did you know you'd get your money? Or that you wouldn't end up liking him?" I stopped short,

"We drew up and signed a contract." I didn't answer the second question.

"He could have still double-crossed you," Jess seemingly forgot her own question, phew.

I surprised myself with my own answer, "Nah, I trust him."

"Kara, mud sticks, you know that." Jess grabbed my arm,

"And I'm muddy from head to toe; my reputation right now is not likely to be any more ruined by tonight's fiasco. Hell, I don't give a shit. It's college, next year we'll be at University, do you think anything that happened to me here, unless it's got a bearing on my marks, will matter at Auckland? It won't Jess, none of this bullshit does. So when an opportunity like this arises, I take it. My family is not rich like yours, we're a working family and I'll do what it takes to get some easy money." I took a breath, moving back and shrugging. Jessica's blue eyes shone slightly, and I hoped it was from the lights, I would hate to think I made her cry. "I just have one thing to ask of you." Her eyebrow raised slightly,

"Let me go through with it, I know what I'm doing." I don't think she would have tried to stop me now, even if I wanted her to.

Didn't I say I could be a persuasive speaker?

Today: Jessica. Tomorrow: the world.

She nodded stiffly, almost unwillingly, but I knew she'd let me be. "Jess?" I looked around her to see Will, I grinned. "Kara." William greeted me cautiously.

"You can tell him," I said to Jess, "But I expect no one to get in my way." With that I brushed past Jess, punching Will in the arm as a 'go get 'em kid' expression of encouragement.

I wasn't completely out of earshot when I heard Jessica go, "I should have known."

I cleared my throat when I made it back to our table; there were three leeches around Jay when I got back. One on my seat, another on the other side of him and one who didn't bother to sit down but stood behind his chair whispering into his ear.

"An earache can be a sharp, dull or burning pain, being either temporary or constant." I said with a wide smile, unsure of why their presence was annoying me more than usual. Or the strange thud in my chest when Edwards looked up at me, an eyebrow rose in silent challenge. I inwardly shrugged; he could play with them all he wanted after tonight.

I didn't notice they'd been doing most of the talking anyhow, whilst Jay watched me. I rolled my eyes,

"The Whore of Babylon is one of several Christian allegorical figures of supreme evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible, associated with the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation by connection with an equally allegorical kingdom." I motioned for the girl in my seat to vacate,

"Whatever, Jay you know where our table is. You should join us, Danny's already there." She pointed at the table across the dance floor; Danny sat with other girls of equal class.

I withheld a sneer.

"Run along now, before you contaminate my seat." I made a fluttering gesture with my fingers, before sitting down in the now empty seat.

I chose not to tell Jay that Jessica, and probably now Will, knew. I just wanted to focus on getting it over and done with.

We just needed to wait for them to announce the King and Queen of the Ball, whoever the winner, it would be quiet enough for the scene to be staged. I'm not one for sweaty palms, but my hands do get cold. I clasped them in my lap.

I glanced at Jay; his eyes were hooded as he stared straight ahead. I pushed my pride aside for a second, "Edwards, you look like you have the Fate of Rome on your shoulders. One would think you've got my job." He had the easier bit, I reckon. He didn't answer, just gave me a slightly hard look and went back to looking at the scattered dancing.

"Prolonged silence can often affect a person's state of mind, causing them to hear things and talk to themselves to break the silence. Most people find silence uncomfortable, and to the extreme, unbearable." I blurted.

People came and went, not including Burr and Erin who sat at our table along with an uncomfortable looking Jess and Will, of course a number of things could be attributed to why Will looked slightly uncomfortable. One being the fact that he'd hooked up with three out of the four girls at this table, myself included. I smiled at Erica who draped herself all over Deacon who didn't mind being used as a tool. It was obvious Erica wasn't over Will, and I was glad for the comedic relief from Jacob (stick up his ass) Edwards.

I wrinkled my nose over at Erin who's kohl lined eyes sparkled at me, her black dress was so eloquent and it shimmered with every move she made.

I wasn't the only person whose eyes were mesmerised by the shimmering dress, although it was more the 'person' as opposed to the dress that kept Burr occupied.

I was surprised at the table, there was no Danny or Peter, and I thought I'd have to suffer through Danny's lame insinuations and Peter's guilty looks.

Nope, I just had to suffer through the awkwardness that was the dinner.

It didn't help that Jay refused to talk to anyone, he ignored Burr, grunted at Will and just shot Deacon unimpressed looks.

Erin must have sensed that the table was not at all in high spirits so stayed quiet, for once not making up for how quiet her boyfriend was. Jessica and William talked amongst each other, before standing up to leave for 'prefect ball duty' which meant the announcements were nearing. They both shot me looks that told me they weren't going to interfere, but wished they could. I smiled weakly at them as they left, before watching Burr and Erin, on the insistence of Erin, get up and disappear into the now crowded dance floor. It wouldn't be very long now.

"Fuck when's this night going to end? I just want to get to the after ball and get fucking wasted." Deacon tapped his fingers on the now cleared table. I wanted this night over and done with too, for other obvious reasons however.

A slow song began to play, and the feeling that everything was winding down to a close began to permeate through the facade that was my calm. I don't know what it was that was itching to smack me over the head, but it was like what I needed to know was just out of reach and therefore driving me insane.

I tugged on my hair, trying to calm the nerves I didn't know I'd get, until a warm hand on my elbow snapped me out of my nerve-bag. "Jebus!" I exclaimed quietly, turning to meet the troubled gaze of the (mentally) troubled Jay.

"Dance with me." He didn't ask, he didn't suggest, he just commanded.

"N- yeah ok." I tried saying no, but when you're dragged up out of your seat and already on the dance floor, there's no point in fighting. My conceding had nothing to do with the fact that I didn't want his hold to loosen when he got me on the dance floor.

I never really understood the concept of slow dancing, in fact I ruled it to be one of the most useless things ever to be coined by stupid slow dancing people.

"Insulin was discovered in 1922 by researcher John Macleod and chemist James Collip, who won the Nobel Prize for it in 1923." I murmured against Jay's shoulder, his body was rather tense and I guessed he was readying himself for the inevitable.

Too bad he didn't give me time to ready myself for what happened next.

He pulled back, looking down at me as though trying to decide whether he wanted a Kiwi Burger or a Big Mac. In other words, he looked torn.

I gave a small encouraging smile, "We're nearly done, Edwards." I said, in what I intended to be comrade-like, because surely we'd have fooled them all.

I had no idea that in my case it was true in the rawest sense, I really had fooled them all, even myself.

Jay stopped dancing, my eyes widened, he was going to go a little ahead of schedule but by no means did I mind. The clenching in my chest was nerves, all nerves.

Because I may be able to act, but attention was not something I sought after.

"Um..." I must channel my inner love struck teenager.

"Kara..." He was hesitant; my eyes told him to speak up, as it was nearing the end of the song. Maybe he had perfect timing after all. "Fuck, I- I'm not doing it."

For a second I thought he was joking, and I made to give a little laugh, but his eyes- something I like to remember as the most unnerving pair of eyes I'd ever had the displeasure of being glared at with- told me he was being serious.

What? "What? Why?" Why? "What?!" I hissed, getting my bearings together, his hold slid down to my waist again, tightening.

He leaned forward and despite being surrounded by an array of smells, perfumes, colognes, food, the scent of cinnamon mixed with his musky scent engulfed me. His hair brushed against my cheek as his lips grazed my ear, the fluttering in the pit of my stomach was squelched by what he murmured. His voice strained, as though he were forcing himself to admit something he would have never admitted to before in a million years.

"Because I fucking like you, ok?" You know how they say that when you encounter something you may not have been expecting you tend to act without thinking?

Well a conniption fit is a sudden, violent emotional outburst generally triggered by shocking news or an unexpected turn of events. I pulled away from him, only far enough so that I was not pressed up against his solid frame. "That's not a good reason!" I snapped, rather harshly.

This couldn't be happening.

"Kara-" Jay's voice, seemed to whoosh out of him and for the first time ever, I felt close to tears.

"Why, why do you have to go kill it? You can't pull out of this, not now. Humiliate me! You're bound by contract." I glared up at him, and (tonight really was a night for firsts) his gaze softened, my anger tripled. He had no right to breach the contract in such a way.

"I won't- you know that contract is a joke." Or make a mockery of me through the mockery of the contract.

"I can't believe you, you're double crossing me." I gritted out, "Jessica said you would!" Jay's hand gripped my chin, firmly, but gently.

"Believe me; I had no intention of this ever happening this way." He said it so calmly, so surely, like it was a sickness that he had somehow contracted. "I've tried, Kara, I've spent this past week trying to figure out what was wrong with me and this whole fucking night trying to remind myself of why I'm supposed to go through with the bet, our contract... "

"Hunt, you call me Hunt." I seethed, trying to pull away, but I only succeed in pulling my chin out of his hold. When I tried to pull back, his arm stayed put around my waist.

"Let go." I growled, the song had stopped, and so had the dancing. The crowd was the least of my worries, even if the people directly around us stopped looking up at the stage where the Jessica and William stood with the envelopes with the gift vouchers for those to win prizes. Those immediately around us had fixed their attentions on us.

It would have been so perfect.

Jay wasn't even trying to disguise his anger, or quiet his voice. "I can't believe you. You like me. Somewhere in that fucked up person you are, you like me. You just don't want to admit it." I couldn't bear to look around; no doubt this is not what the bettors were anticipating let along wanting. This wasn't the eerie silence of anticipation; this was the silence of actual shock.

"Section 5 of the Interpretation act requires you to take the meaning of a word in light of its context when interpreting a statute." I chanced a glance around, seeing Burr made me inwardly cringe. He had a half smile on his face that fell when he noticed my feral look. This was not... this was not supposed to happen.

"Interpret this, I fucking like you too much to-" I didn't let him finish, I shoved him back. It was all too much, this wasn't in the contract. He wasn't supposed to act this way, I wasn't supposed to feel this way, this relief, this excitement, not about him ruining everything.

"I don't freaking like you!" I finally sputtered, before breaking away from his hold. "Fuck this, just- fuck!" I turned and shoved my way through the crowd, still not really believing that my perfect showdown just blew up in my face.

Talk about a turn around, oh well.