I smiled when Emily said yes to coming to the party tonight. I was nervous as all hell about it too. I was an ass before, and I hated being that way. She was pretty cool and I felt like a bad guy not helping out a fellow musician in the scene. Besides, she has an incredible voice. She and I hit harmonies that Vic and I couldn't pull off when we first recorded the song.

I was freaking out, trying to find the right shirt to wear for tonight. I was making a huge mess of my luggage in the back. I was pulled out of my search by a shirt being thrown onto my head. I grabbed and turned around to find Jack standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"What," I asked him as I finally found my skate4cancer tank top and my black and red flannel shirt.

"Sometimes I swear you're a girl sometimes," Jack chuckled, "But someone has a crush on a certain rhythm guitarist that's on tour with us."

"Shut up Jack," I practically yelled at him, "You are such a gossip-monger."

"I want to make sure my Lexy-bear doesn't get by some stinky girl," Jack joked as he crushed me in a bear hug.

"Damn it Jack," I groaned and pried him off me, "You are unbelievable."

---

The party was in high gear, and I was very sober still. It sucked to watch everyone else getting shitfaced, but I promised Emily I'd be sober for her this time around. I caved to temptation and got me a bottle of Stella. As I sipped on my beer, Emily finally showed up. But I noticed for the first time that she was always covered up.

"Hey Emily," I greeted her, "Can I get you anything?"

"A beer would be nice," she smiled lightly to me as she walked up, tugging at the ends of her sleeves.

I got her a beer and returned to her. I then led her over to a quiet area of the party so we could talk and hear each other without having to deal Zack and Jack being drunk morons.

"So," I took a sip of my beer, "Why are you all bundled up all the time?"

"Oh uh," Emily staled for a second, "I have this condition that makes it hard for me to keep my body temperature up. I have to stay bundled up, or I risk getting really sick. I'm basically cold-blooded. It's a strange mutation in my genes. I've been poked and prodded most of my life, being here on tour is the healthiest I've felt in a long time."

"It's nice to have you out on tour," I smiled to her, "And I'm sorry for the way I've acted. I promise to be nice from now on. If I break it, you have my permission to bust my balls."

"Don't worry, Alex," Emily smirked, "You were trying to be helpful. I just exploded on you. I've had other people try to help me all my life because of my issue with staying warm. Sorry I dumped that on you."

"And I'm really sorry of the ice queen comment I made at the last party," I apologized, "That was harsh."

"You didn't know," she replied, "It's okay. Just promise me to not treat me different because of it."

---

I woke up the next morning in the back lounge. I rubbed my eyes and I noticed that there was a body curled up into my side. I noticed it was Emily. She was in just a t-shirt and her jeans. Then I noticed she was shivering. Crap. I had to keep her warm until she woke up, making sure she didn't get sick.

Notes