Danny Willis had not been outside in the past hour, so he didn’t know that no one paid any attention to his rule about parking away from the house. He, Mike, Ben and Clint were drinking beer and playing a drinking game at the kitchen table behind drawn blinds, blissfully unaware that they were fooling no one. All the lights in the Willis house were blazing and cars were lining the street. Teenagers in various stages of intoxication were coming in and out of the front door, despite Danny’s repeated warning to keep the door shut.

Someone flipped over a Van Halen cassette, pressed play and started it again.

"I get up, and nothin’ gets me down," David Lee Roth soon told the assembly for the third time that evening.

Mike groaned. "Jesus, do we have to hear that again?" He yelled out of the kitchen door as he shuffled a deck of cards.

"Just this one song!" said a girl’s voice.

"That’s what you said the last time!" Mike shook his head and began to deal.

"Jump! Go ahead and jump!" instructed David Lee.

"Hey, quit it!" yelled Danny after several people did.

Walking up to the house, Brian and Richard recognized the song, looked at each other and groaned. Danny and his friends played that tape over and over again in the weight room. Heavy metal crap.

Diana and Pat followed them up the walk. Diana was looking back and forth between Brian and Richard, nudging Pat every time they spoke or looked at each other.

"Mission accomplished," she said with a grin as Brian and Richard laughed about something together. Pat checked a sigh. Diana was convinced that she had single-handedly got Brian and Richard together after some fight the Fab Four supposedly had. She decided having Diana mad at Maria was more of a pain than Diana trying to Maria’s best friend. If one person got anyone together it was Richard bringing together Brian and Pat. Their agreement from the team picture fight was still going strong; they had not spoken at home or school in the weeks since.

Then Brian got his driver’s license and Richard convinced him to go the regionals party. He knew Pat needed a ride, so he worked on getting her in the car with them.

"Look, your parents are gone, no one even has to know. It doesn’t get easier than this!" Richard told the two Coppenhagens one afternoon after school. He had to bodily drag Brian and Pat over to the little benches around the big cement canon out in front of the school and force them to sit together.

"Face it you guys, you need each other. It’d be a hell of lot easier to just tell Heather and George you’ve got everything under control and then go do what you want then to try to get out of babysitting and make up your own stories," Richard said. He sat on the bench across from them and looked back and forth.

The Coppenhagens had to admit he had a point. Pat had reached a dead-end trying to get out of helping Brian watch the kids, even just to hang out with Diana. Now that she had brought up the party their parents would just assume Brian was trying to go to it if he asked to get out of babysitting. So they were stuck. Unless...

Pat looked over at Brian. She knew he wouldn’t say anything until she did because she brought on the silent treatment. "What would we tell Melissa and the twins?"

Brian shrugged. "They’re always bitching that they are old enough to stay home alone. We’ll just tell them they’re in charge when we’re not there. Only thing is what if Mom and Dad call?"

"Oh," Pat said with unconcern, "when would they get through? Yolanda will be on the phone to her little boyfriend for at least two hours."

"Okay then, it’s settled," said Richard, as the Coppenhagens nodded cautiously at each other. "All aboard the party wagon!"

In a way it was fun to plot with Brian again. During dinner, they told their parents with innocent faces that they were happy to babysit, then exchanged a lightening quick glance when no one was looking. They had a quick secret meeting about what they were going to tell the twins and Julia, since she would be checking up on them.

Soon after everything was settled, Maria ditched Diana on the ride. Sherri’s car was going to be too full, she told Diana in Algebra the Friday before the party. Pat knew she couldn’t have turned Diana down when she came to them, but was sorry they made the decision almost as soon as Diana arrived the Saturday evening of the party.

First, Pat heard all about Maria’s betrayal and Diana’s views on the fight the Fab Four had had that afternoon.

"And they say freshmen are supposed to be immature, you wouldn’t believe all the stuff that has been going on," Diana said as she applied eyeliner in the Coppenhagen’s downstairs bathroom. Maria showed her once when they went to the bathroom during math class. Pat didn’t know how to use it. She sat on the toilet and filed her own nails so she would have something to do besides watch Diana.

"Well, what do you have to do with it? Why do you even care?" Pat asked.

Diana paused with a look of surprise, eyeliner pencil in her hand. "Well, they’re our friends, Patella. Well," Diana faced the mirror again, "mine at least. But I mean let’s face it, without them you wouldn’t be even going to this party. They’re useful to you, even if you don’t like them."

"Danny asked me himself, remember?" Pat said. Diana didn’t answer. "Anyway, I didn’t say I don’t like them. But they get on my nerves sometimes. You don’t see them as much as I do."

Diana stepped back and viewed her eyes in the mirror. "What?" she said, as if she didn’t hear Pat.

After that, Diana mostly focused on talking to Brian and Richard, who ignored her attempts to try and get them to sit down and "talk about the situation." When Pat pointed out that she was being ignored, Diana waved her off.

Brian and Pat told the twins that they were in charge, only while they were at a friend’s house. They didn’t tell them that they were going to a party, but figured at least half the truth was easier than making up a whole story. As Brian predicted, the twins jumped at the chance for responsibility. Pat felt a little sorry for Melissa, being bossed around by the two of them, but Brian said it wasn’t much different than having two parents, and Melissa would tell them off eventually.

As they walked to the car, Pat asked about Diana paying so much attention to Richard.

"So do you like him now or what?"

Diana shrugged. "So what? You guys make too much of a big deal of things."

"It’s not that," Pat said, "you wanted to go to this party so bad because of Danny."

"Danny’s fine for you, but what about me?"

"Oh," Pat said, "he’s a senior, there’s no point in me liking him for real."

"Then why should I? Why should both of us? I mean, do we have like the same guys too?" Diana said. The boys were almost to the car, and Diana got in before Pat could answer. So she got the last word, as usual. Pat wondered as she opened the door if it was possible to be anymore sick of a person than she was of Diana at that moment. They walked into the house, and Maria spotted them. She walked right up to Richard and started talking. If Brian asked question or made a statement, she paused politely, then continued talking to Richard. Diana immediately latched onto her as soon as Maria walked up. Brian caught Pat’s eye and they exchanged an exasperated look. It was the first time they agreed about anything since the team picture, Brian thought.

"Oh God, here come the drunk twins, Anne and Suz," Maria said.

"What?" asked Richard.

"You’ll see," Maria said with a pointed look at Diana, who raised her eyebrows.

"You guys! You made it!" Anne squealed. Suddenly she was upon them, hands held out. Maria and Diana stood still. Richard looked at her with amusement. When Brian automatically responded by holding out his arms, she collapsed into them, saying, "Well, somebody’s glad to see me."

"Wo!" Brian said on impact, "you guys been doin’ a little partying?" His smile included Suz.

"We’re just having fun, right Suz?" Anne beckoned to Suz who came and stood on Brian’s other side. He slung an arm across her shoulders.

"Hey," Suz said, "I met your parents at the last game. Your dad is so funny!"

"Oh God, what did he do?" said Brian.

Suz came out from under Brian’s arm to look directly at him. "Well, we had those varsity buttons for the parents, right?"

"Oh yeah, I meant to tell you, those are cool."

Suz smiled. "Thanks. So I go to put on your dad’s and I swear I lifted up a little part of his shirt to put the pin through, like this." Suz demonstrated with Brian’s shirt. "But as soon as I put the pin in he starts yelling like, ‘Oh, she got me, agony! Agony!’" Suz clutched her chest in a fairly good imitation of George in his prankster mode. Brian saw Pat smile.

"Oh God," Brian shook his head, covering his face, "would it help if I told you I think they stole me from my real parents?"

"Nice try, Brian," giggled Suz, "too bad you look exactly like him."

"Don’t they have that same grin?" Anne said, reaching up and cradling Brian’s chin in one hand.

"Mmm-hmm," Suz agreed,looking at him. "Oh!" she said suddenly, "And I met your little sister, too. I made her a little sister button; she loved it and said she was going to come to all your games."

"Yolanda said that? Well, that wont last, I think she has a little boyfriend now," Brian said, with a questioning look at Pat.

"I think so," Pat said.

Suz looked at them. "No way, the little one with the long braid and glasses?"

"Oh, Melissa!" Brian and Pat said together, each feeling a little guilty that they hadn’t thought to ask which little sister.

"Wait a minute, Melissa’s talked about you before. Didn’t you tell her you liked the name Susan better than Suz?"

Suz paused to think. "Oh yeah! When I gave her the button we were talking about nicknames or something and I was saying how I didn’t start the Suz thing myself, people started calling me that in the sixth grade because there were like three Susans in our class."

"Oh man, so she was right," Brian said to Pat. He turned back to Anne and Susan, noticing that not much sound was coming from the Maria/Richard/Diana corner. "Get this," Brian said. Suz nodded, waiting. "At the dinner table once Melissa was talking about how she talks to cheerleaders at my games. And my sister, not that one," he pointed to Pat and Anne waved at her, " goes ‘What cheerleaders do you know Melissa?’ like in this bitchy tone right?"

"Awww..." cooed Anne and Suz with bleary sympathy. "She knows us!" cried Anne.

Brian nodded. "Yeah, she said, ‘I know Anne and her friend.’ And I said, ‘Suz?’ and Melissa’s all serious and she goes, ‘Actually Brian, she prefers to be called Susan.’ Like she’s some big expert on you or something."

Anne and Suz looked at each other and burst into laughter. Diana and Maria jumped as if startled and Richard put a finger to his ear with a quick shake of his head.

"Omigod that is soooo cute; I can’t believe she remembered that!" Suz said.

"I think they broke the sound barrier on that last one," Brian heard Richard mumble.

"Aww..." Maria and Diana suddenly squealed with pretend laughter, "that is sooo cute Richard," Maria said.

Anne glared at her then turned back to Brian and Suz. "Meow," she said under her breath.

Suz held up her cup. "Who needs a refill?"

"Me, definitely," Anne said. "These guys need a fill," she said, pointing to the group.

"Keg’s on the patio, coming?"

"Anne, don’t you have to go to your dad’s tonight?" Maria asked.

"Yes Ma’am," Anne said in a prim schoolgirl voice without turning around. She make a face that Brian, Pat and Suz could see.

"Well, I just hope you’re not driving," Maria said.

"No Ma’am," Anne said. She turned to Maria, "can I be excused now?"

"Well, excuse me for caring about your life," Maria said.

Brian waited for Anne to crumple and apologize, as she usually did when Maria made such a comment. But the alcohol seemed to have brought out another side of their usually upbeat friend.

"You’re concerned about me? Is that what this is supposed to be?" Anne said.

Brian watched, impressed as Anne matched Maria’s level disapproving stare, then walked off. Suz started off after her.

"We’ll be out back Brian," she said.

Brian decided he wasn’t in the mood to hang around for the aftermath of that little scene. He nudged Pat. "You okay?" he asked. She nodded and he followed Anne and Suz towards the Willis back porch.

"Do you believe that? What is her problem?" Diana said.

"Alcohol," Maria said flatly.

"Did you see her?" Diana said to Pat. "Briiiian!" Diana flung her arms around Richard in imitation of Anne. To Pat it seemed like an obvious excuse for her to touch Richard. The expression on his face when it happened made her laugh.

Diana thought it was for her benefit. "Like Brian doesn’t have a big enough ego!" she said.

Abruptly Pat stopped laughing. Whether or not she herself thought Brian was an egotistical jock, she was getting tired of people thinking they could talk behind his back right in front of her.

"But Diana, Suz thinks he’s soooo cute," Maria said.

Pat stiffened. "Suz said that Melissa was cute," she said.

"Oh yes, you all have your father’s face." Maria place her hand under Diana’s chin the way Anne did Brian’s.

"Cut it out, you guys, they were drunk."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Diana asked.

"In health class they said alcohol changes people. They don’t always act like that," Pat said.

"Well, the real world ain’t like health class, honey," Maria answered.

"Well, they really are nice to Melissa," Pat said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Oh yeah, so nice that Susan can’t even remember her name," Maria said.

"Whatever," Pat gave up, she wasn’t going to win this one without getting really pissed off, which was exactly what Maria, and probably Diana, wanted.

Pat looked up at Richard. He was Brian’s best friend and he liked Anne and Suz as well. Wasn’t he going to say anything?

"Man, you girls are harsh," was his only comment.

"Na-uh, we’re sooo cute," Diana said. She and Maria laughed again as Richard shook his head, amused.

In that moment Pat could hardly believe that these were the people that she and Brian let come between them so many years ago when they were close. She was so disgusted she might have even said so, if Brian was there.