(Have this lil chapter after like a whole year of hiatus. My bad, dudes.)

"What do you mean, you're throwing a massive party?"

Roxy grinned and wrapped her arm around Dirk, adding great difficultly to the task of walking.

"I mean, I'm throwing a massive party! I'm hoping this'll cheer Jane up a bit." She stage-whispered cheerfully.

"How is that supposed to cheer her up? And why is she upset in the first place?" He asked as they walked slowly towards the exit of the school.

The spunky blonde removed her arm dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"She's just a little down in the dumps- I'm not at liberty to say. And I think a party could bring us and the new kids together! Nothing crazy, just a kind of meet and greet with music and grub."

Dirk raised an eyebrow. Sure, some of them were pretty cool- he had even planned to meet up with one, but they had only just met today. He expressed this concern to her but she smirked and pressed her index finger on his mouth- although the timing was a bit off and she smacked his teeth by accident.

"Sorry! What I meant is it could be like a welcome party!"

"Isn't that a little patronizing?"

"Well," She began in a load voice as they turned around the corner and headed towards the road, "Let's just say it's a normal party then."

They crossed the road; traffic was surprisingly non-existent that day.

"So...?"

"So what?" He inquired.

A gleeful chuckle followed from the girl.

"So, are you going to help me or not?"

With a raise of his shoulders, Dirk looked towards her.

"Sure, I guess. But only because I want Jane to feel better." He responded as they reached his house.

"Great!" She yelped happily and patted him on the arm quite forcefully, "We'll talk about the details tonight, I'll message you!"

"See you, Roxy."

"Hi! I'm Roxy! Wanna come to my party?"

"Nah," Dirk shook his head, "Too casual, I think."

"Ok..." She said, her voice crackling through the phone, "How about: Hi! I'm throwing a party on Friday and was wondering if you wanted to come?"

"Better. I think you should still introduce yourself though."

"What's up fuckers, I'm the Ro- to the -xy. Come to my party shitlords"

Dirk coughed out a laugh as he shuffled on his bed.

"You sound like my fucking brother."

"Hmph... We'll deal with this later. Let's talk about time." Roxy smiled and switched her phone to the other ear.

"You said Friday, right?"

Roxy nodded, only realizing a second later that he couldn't see anything.

"Yeah. But at what time, is what I'm asking. I was thinking, around 8?"

"Sounds good." He replied, "Hang on, is this party is just for the 10th grade?"

"I don't know," She murmured, "Would I be a pedophile if I invited the other set of trolls?"

"I don't think so. Plus, if its at your house I'm sure Rose would join in anyway."

"Then its settled! I'll let people know tomorrow."

"Hey, Dave!"

The sunglasses wearing blonde snapped his head to the side to see Egbert chasing after him again. He thought today he could walk home in peace. Guess not.

"Sup bro." Dave said with his usual tone.

"Are you going to the party at Rose's house tomorrow?"

He kept walking with a tiny grin.

"Sure, only if I get to leave after declaring the party a fiasco and embarrassing the Lalonde's for years to come."

John snorted with laughter and hit Dave's non-injured arm.

"No, but really, don't make me go alone."

"Why?" Dave responded, "It's not like you've got no one to go with. It's not that you're tripping over all the women who offer their virginity to you on a silver platter or anything-"

"Gross!" A squeaky voice from behind them chirped.

Their other bespectacled friend had caught up with them.

"Jade, tell Dave to stop being a douchepants-"

"Douchepants? Is the singular version of that a douchepant? Or am I a pair of douchepants?" Dave interrupted.

"-and tell him that he should go to Roxy's party with me." John continued, ignoring Dave's comment, "As bros, I mean."

"Gee John, really reaching that 'no homo' point in this bro-ship."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Rose joined them from behind.

"What is this about my sister's party?"

"What the fuck, Rose." Dave choked out, trying his best not to seem startled.

The girl smirked and walked next to Jade, only a few steps behind the boys.

"John, I'll go with you to that stupid party." He hissed, "But only because it would suck if I wasn't there."

The others chuckled lightly before Jade and John turned down the opposite street home.

"So, Lalonde, who's going?"

"Lots of people." She replied as they walked down the street, "Pretty much everyone in our class who knows my sister."

"What about the new kids?"

Rose nodded after hesitating a moment.

"Well, this is where I leave you." She added as they stopped in front of her house.

Dave always thought the Lalonde's house was a bit strange. A bright pink door, three different catflaps and a hand knitted mailbox cosy.

"See you, Lalonde." He yelled after her.

"Au revoir, Strider."

"You two creep me out." A voice added behind him.

Dirk was standing only inches away from Dave's person as he, like Rose, crept out of nowhere.

"Jesus christ! Why is everyone on their spy game today?"

Rose just shrugged before disappearing behind her door.

"Freaky." Dirk mumbled before heading down the road, "You comin'?"

"I guess. Wait up!"

"Hey."

Over the loud music and the crowd of the party, Karkat stared up at a grinning, shades wearing blond. Karkat had curled up on the stairs, away from the noise after his friends had ditched him. Although the older kids were more into the general party tones of scandal and romance, some younger trolls fell into the atmosphere as well. Alas, not Karkat. The noise gave him a thinkpan ache and the need to try and stick your tongue down some random strangers throat seemed unappealing to him.

"What do you want, Dave?"

"You're sat here all alone." Dave shouted over the noise, "I don't want you to be lonely."

"Fuck off, condescending prick!" He yelled back, "You're alone as well."

That was true. John was busy mingling, Jade went home early and Rose locked herself in her room with one of the troll girls. His brother had gone home with his boyfriend, so there was no use in trying to third wheel any longer. Therefore, Dave had gone to his last resort- the troll cutie sat by himself on the stairs.

"Alright, well at least humor me. How's earth?"

Karkat scoffed.

"Okay. I mean, it beats where we used to live."

"Oh yeah?" The human asked casually, "I mean, alien planet seems pretty rad to me."

"It was pretty shit most of the time."

"Hm."

"Things seem less fucked up here." Karkat added to fill the silence, "Like, a lot."

"And that's saying something. Well, enough of this dark stuff. Do you wanna get out of here? Like, not 'get out of here' get out of here, like in movies and such I mean like... uh... actually just leaving. This sucks."

Surveying the whole war zone, Karkat decided it was better outside than anywhere in there. He nodded after a few seconds hesitation.

"Let's go."