Puppy Charming 101 [Isabelle x citizenanon]

Sophie held the cloth there with one hand, applying a little pressure as she leaned back into it. More water dripped down. Her free hand came to his shoulder and steadied. Him she looked down onto his peaceful face, her cheek flourishing. Would it be okay? If she... If she... Well why not! She and James were close right? And she had helped another boy just a minute ago. Her thumb started rubbing circles along his shoulder, looking for a knot as they slowly massaged. Once she found one though, she began her soothing treatment.

James closed his eyes and simply let the siren call of the massage have its way with him. He was not vocal like Vincent. Nor did he direct her or compliment her work out right, but there was a look of contentment laced with pleasure on his face as Sophie worked. Every so often a soft sigh would escape his lips as more proof of his contented bliss.

Upon the bleachers near midfield, a pair of eyes watched the couple. The very same pair of eyes that had seen them before at the pool. This young woman brought her phone to bear and snapped several pictures of the incident before disappearing off the stands. She had not gotten any proof the day before because her phone was in her locker, but not today! A part of her knew that James would not do what she was preparing to accuse him of, but that part was loudly drowned out by her ego. What did this little two bit, long haired tart have that she could draw James' attention away from Erica? How was Sophie succeeding where she had failed before?

Completely unaware of the plot around him, James was lost to Sophie's touch.

Once either shoulder were free of knots, Sophie used the wet cloth to give his back a wipe down. As she lowered herself on her knees to get his lower part of his back, her breath would tingle the skin. It was like fire on ice! Sophie was used to being the centre of bully's attention, when they confronted her, but recently it had been quite quiet—which made her believe James was doing a great job of being her friend. Finishing up, Sophie stood up and wet the facecloth down again with bottled water. Holding it out to him, she smiled, "Here, if you want to wash up your face! I'm going to finish up with the rest of the chores. Do you think I could get a ride to Erica's? She said she needed help to prep for the party tonight!"

James clenched his teeth as he felt her breath on his back. It was all he could do not to jump off the bench and away from her. He had not been expecting it and for some reason it was both alarming and very exciting all at once. For some reason, feeling her breath on his skin was much more intimate and crossed the boundaries of the simple massage that he had just thoroughly enjoyed. He could feel goose-flesh rising on his arms as just as she finished the wipe down.

It was a somewhat relieved James that accepted the newly wet towel from her. Part of him was thankful that she had only done his back. The other part wanted her to try the front. Not trusting his tongue at the moment, James wiped himself down before turning towards his unknowing seductress.

"Of course. How about I pick you up at 6:30 tonight? That'll give us plenty of time to get there and help her set up for everything?" James questioned.

Sophie nodded, "Okay! See you then!" She ran off to finished her water boy chores, then off to the girls change room! Switching into her day cloths, Sophie head for home. Her mother had spent the better half of the afternoon baking brownies for Erica and her family. She smiled to Sophie as she walked through the door, "Hello sweetie! How was school today? Did you have fun helping the football team?" she beamed.

Sophie nodded, "School was great! And they've really improved. Championships will be a cinch!" With a wink, Sophie picked up an orange, before heading up to her room. She needed to work on some assignments and get ready for six thirty!

****
Bag packed, plastic container in hand, five dollars to pitch-in for pizza in her back pocket, Sophie was all set! She waited patiently in the living room as her father paced about, lecturing her. Seeing James' pick up truck, she excused herself, kissed her father and mother good bye, and told them she would call them before bed. Then bam! Out the door she went, giggling as she hopped up into James' truck. She smiled to him, "I'm so excited!!! This'll be my first ever sleep over!"

The activities of Sophie's were quite different from James' own after school work. Unlike the young woman in question, he had already completed his homework well in advance, post dated it, and had it ready to turn in, but when he returned home, it was to a quiet, but not empty house. His mother was home from her day job and fluttered about the house talking to somebody on the phone. By the sounds of the screech on the other end, it was Clarice from down the road. As he walked by her, she barely spared him a glance and continued to chatter about on the phone.

Like his outward appearance, James' room was immaculately clean. Everything seemed to have its place and there was nothing loosely scattered about. Even as he stripped out of his uniform to shower, everything went into the proper bin for cleaning. Of course, he would take care of that himself. Probably saturday when he returned from Erica's. As he left his room, he stopped to look at the rows of awards and trophies that he had on display in the hallway. Grades, honor roll, state trophies for various sports. All of them gold. Anything silver or bronze had been pitched long ago. Perhaps in a bit of spiteful teenage rebelion, he adjusted one of the trophies so that it was not perfectly centered and displayed. The old man would have a fit.

Soon, James was on his way and out the door. Again he received nothing from his Mom and simply left a note on the table explaining his absense. If they needed him, they would text. Maybe call if it was an emergency. By the time he had picked Sophie up, he had erased his homelife from his mind for the time being and greeted her as he always did. Just as always, he looked up to the house and could see her father looking out at him with barely constrained disapproval. James simply nodded to him and waved at her mother. He was making progress! He was sure of it! Just to be safe, he waited until Sophie was buckled in before pulling slowly and safely away.

"I can tell. I think you'll have a lot of fun tonight, Sophie." James smiled at they drove, "I know Erica has been looking forward to it for weeks!"

****

Erica's family was not rich per-se, but they were on the upper middle class part of the chart and she was an only child. There was very little that she wanted for. The house was two stories tall, four bedrooms (He had only seen one so far... hers), and quite spacious. Perfect for a party! James pulled into his normal spot beside Erica's car and cut the engine.

"Let's get in there and see what she needs!" James with a bit of excitement in his voice. There were very few parties that he attended and he always enjoyed the ones that he did bother to go to.

When it came to going for rides in his car, Sophie was very much like the puppy people seemed to nick name her these days. Despite the security belt across her hips and chest, Sophie always sat attentively at the front of her seat. Her face either turned to stare out the passenger's window, or forward, scanning the moving scenery. She would smile to him, laughing about some sort of silly thing she saw and explaining exactly what she had seen. It was on these drives that they were able to really get to know each other, one on one. Without anyone to bother them. As usual, Sophie's eyes gapped wide in awe of Erica's home. It was rather nice! A warm yellow colour with white trim and grey roofing. The entire place had been decorated to the nines for this party!

Sophie followed James up the path to Erica's house. It was such a beautiful autumn day out. Sophie was all bundled up in a large brown coat with a white scarf wrapped about her neck a few dozen times to keep her warm. Both hands securely held onto the straps of her bag. She felt her stomach twisting itself into knots—it was her first time sleeping over, and it was her first time at a high school party! She pursed her lips, 'Will they have games like they do at my church? It would be fun to have a potato sack race!!'

But her thought process came to an abrupt end! Not even a second after James rose his hand to ring the door bell, the door in question swung open. Erica enthusiastically leaped out at her beloved boyfriend, wrapping her arms about his neck, and pulling him in for a deep, hot kiss! Erica had been dying for this night—finally no excuse for James NOT to spend the night in her bed! Her tongue lightly licked at his lips before she pulled away. She settled onto her feet, looking up to him becomingly, "I'm so happy you could make it James..."


"Hic!" Gasped the little Sophie. Her face a bright red. No matter how many times she had seen Erica and James being--intimate--she would always turn as bright as a beet! She trembled, loosing focus for a moment. Her mind completely flooded with the desire to be as forward as Erica! But alas, she could simply never do that... Sophie squeaked a little, covering her mouth with a mitt'd hand. "I-I brought brownies..~"

Erica smiled, stepping back from James, "Thanks Sophie! Why don't you bring them into the kitchen after I take your coat?"

Sophie nodded nervously. The two had a awkward friendship. Erica was certainly gifted with patience to be dealing so sweetly with one so dense as Sophie. Erica lead her guests in, taking their coats and hanging them up. She had help from the girls on the volley ball team to tidy up, and hide anything too valuable.

****
They spent the next few hours finishing up with the decorations, testing jelloshots, and icing the beer. More people began to show up, and soon James was being kept company by Jarold while the girls were getting ready. He sat on the coach, sipping on a red plastic cup of beer. He was dressed as an all mighty viking! Complete with a beard he was growing out. He definitely looked older with that thing~ He grinned to himself from his cup, before chuckling a bit,
"Oh man, tonight is going to be great."
He leaned back, giving a charming smile to James,
"So what are you and your girl suppose to be, again?"

James was still thinking on the kiss that he had received when they arrived at the house. All through the pregaming and icing of drinks and cleaning, it was not far from his mind. The last few weeks had played heavily on his mind as the dirty thoughts with Sophie had begun to permeate and grow more frequent. Still, he chalked it up to being a teenager. Sophie seemed to be fitting in well with the rest of the group too. She had several people she spoke with and one or two that might even warm up to a friendship status at some point. Who knew that she was capable of it? Well, he had thought it of course, but who else?

Jarold had to repeat his question for James to really focus on it, "Oh... I'm going as a lumberjack." James held up a small bag that he had brought with him that had a few changes in wardrobe for him to put on. Mostly flannel. "I'm not supposed to say what Erica will be dressed as. Hell, I haven't even seen it yet. Just know that we are matching and have an idea of what to look out for when she comes in." Come to think on it, he also knew what Sophie was going to be as she had blogged it. He wouldn't mention it either as he did not want to come across as that big of a stalker.

While Jarold drank, James helped himself to some of the punch. He did not plan on drinking that night as he was responsible for Sophie and still would not let that wall to the wayside. "You got a girl meeting you here, Jarold? Or are you going to be the great viking stag?" The time was passing. Soon more guests would arrive, so James opened the bag and began to pull bits out. Fake axe? Yup. Flannel (red and black). Yup. Suspenders to go on over it? Yep. James was already wearing the boots and jeans. Just needed to change the shirt he had for the flannel. He was mid change when the first early guest that had not been invited to the pre-party showed up.

"Nah, man, nah. I'm just gonna have to make do with who ever your girl invited and since she invited all the girls... well... I figured its best to keep an open mind." Jarold left James as he adjusted the flannel and made his way to the door.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~!" Squealed Rebecca Thomas, the student body president and honour roll student. She was about five foot eight, with smooth dark skin, her usually long wavy hair was tied up into a bun—to show off her long neck. She was dressed up as a sexy first lady, complete with short pencil skirt to accentuate her long legs, and pumps boosting her height up to six foot three.
She held out an offering of a few bags of chips, as she made her inquiry, eyeing up James' feet, "So, like, shoes on right?"
Smiling, she walked in, giving the place a good look over. "You guys did a great job~"

Just then, Erica came running down the stairs from her bedroom—her breasts jiggling from the speed she moved at. Her hair tied into two pigtails, giving her a youthful sort of look! She had drawn on freckles, with rosy cheeks and long false lashes! "Becky!" Exclaimed Rebbecca before she gave her a hug, "The girls are just about done, but if you want you can wait upstairs with them! I'll stay down here to welcome people,"

Rebecca laughed, "No, no, I'll help!" She looked over to James, taking her chips back, "I'll go set these out..." And with that she exaunted, leaving the couple to see each other for the first time—in their costumes that is. But it was easy to see why they made the bride and groom wait to see each other on the day of their wedding, because their partner became that much more attractive.

Erica minced her way up to him, holding her hands behind her back, pushing her bust forward. She was dressed like a lumberjack-ette! Or a presentation of one. Her red and black flannel was tied between her chest, revealing her cleavage and her flat stomach. The details of her abs were lightly-highlighted. Who ever said muscular girls weren't attractive clearly did not look at Erica for an example. Her skirt was so low-rising that her hip bones became very predominant. Her skirt was green, with a frilly frock underneath to make it puff out a bit. Her legs even seemed to glimmer! She wore a pair of healed boots which had been tied up. "Well... waddya think? Matching, but not too cheesy, right?"
Erica leaned up to him and gave him yet another hot kiss.

Over the next hour, the girls steadily came down the stairs, all in delightfully revealing clothing, and beautiful make up. They were all singing Sophie's praise! Saying how pretty they felt, and how unbelievable she was with the right kind of products. The music was blaring, and the house was pretty much packed. Unfortunately for James and Sophie, the punch was being spiked by the dubious Kyle! Who was dressed up as a sexy vampire. The entire football team was there, drinking and chatting away when Erica began to coral them together. Over the sound of the music squeaked an oh-so-familiar voice.

It was Sophie!

... As a football! She wore an inflatable suit that covered well above her head, down to her hips. Her legs and arms poked out! Covered by black latex, with big comdic white gloves and shoes! There was a hole just big enough for her smiling face.
"G-guys! C... could we take a picture? I-I've never really been apart of a group before, and you're all like a bunch of brothers to me!"

Everyone burst into laughter at the little water girl. It was too funny how much she got into the game just from helping out! Darren grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the group, "Hell yeah! Anything for you Soph,"
A few others laughed, "if it makes you that happy! But you gotta play beer pong with us!"

Sophie felt so happy she began to cry a bit! "Guys~ I'm so happy!" Jarold dried her eyes on his animal fur, "Let's pose?" With that, Jarold grabbed James and stood him right beside Sophie, giving him a wink. The gang quickly got into formation, as Erica snapped pictures for Sophie. Even dressed as a football, Sophie's beauty shone through. She laughed with her friends, posing as ridiculously as she could. Eventually the photos ended, and Sophie was left with James and Jarold.

The night, early though it was, was really turning out well for James. Not only was everyone getting together for a good time and he could finally let himself relax a little, but Sophie and Erica, the two most important young women in his life, were getting along and having fun. James greeted Rebecca as she came in and even wiggled his toes as she noticed his bare feet. He quickly pulled on his boots though and glanced up just in time to see Erica on her way down the stairs as a matching lumber jack. His eyes, as much as he tried not to be, were drawn to her swaying and jiggling breasts like most any other guy would. when she hit the bottom of the stairs, he gave his head a shake and refocused as she greeted REbecca. He was sure that he had been seen though.

"Looks great! Fun and sexy." James admitted before she drew him into another breath taking kiss.

Jarold, who had been near the door let out a whistle as Erica had her way with poor, poor James.

When she had finally released him, James was more than a little bewildered and a lot distracted.

As the party got going, James was sipping his punch and looked around for Sophie. He was sure she was upstairs still getting ready so he did not worry about her, but he was more than a little curious about what was taking her so very long. His answer was shortly answered as she showed up and very, very soon he was posing for a picture with the young football.

When all was said and done, he smiled and gave her a hug as Jarold held out a cup of punch to her. "That's a wonderful costume, Sophie. Looks great and everyone loved it!" James took the punch from Jarold and pressed it into Sophie's hands. "So what do you think of the party? Quite a bit of fun isn't it?"

Jarold joined in, "This your first big party, Sophie?" He questioned, "It's a good start, I mean... look at all the people!"

At that moment, Erica passed by and James' eyes were immediately drawn to her figure as she passed them.

Erica was definitely giving James a lot more attention. Slipping a finger into his jeans when they walked together, pressing herself up against his side, and smelling of that sweet vanilla perfume he loved so much. Occasionally she'd kiss at his neck. Was tonight going to be the night? Would they finally do IT?! To be honest, Erica had been getting a little jealous of James' relationship with Sophie, but she didn't want to seem like a bitch. Her girlfriends all advised to make the move and just distract him, so he could focus on her for a change. So when Sophie approached Erica, she acted like a toxic friend, and advised her to dress like a football. Erica hated to think of Sophie as competition, but it just wasn't right! James was always doing something with her, and why should he? He should be using that time to make out with Erica at school, or taking her out on romantic dates!

Sexually, she was frustrated too.

She gave a wink to James as she passed by, keeping up that allure. Tempt away~ Tease him. Make him beg for it. But wait.

***

Sophie attention was bouncing between James and Jarold, and by now she was pretty good at keeping up with the conversation! She had progressed pretty well for the few weeks she had been befriended by James. She nodded enthusiastically, "Yea! Well, a teens-only party... I've been to plenty at my church! And birthday parties of course for family members..." Sophie looked over the crowd of people. She began trembling slightly. There were A LOT of people. A lot of different, unfamiliar people. Scary, new people. What if they don't like her? She took a deep breath, and thought of her friend James. He was so good to her. With his patience and kindness, he has really made her life a brighter place. Literally, he was her saviour. Sophie reached for his hand, looking up to him, "I couldn't have done this if it wasn't---" Her eyes met the back of his head, as her finger tips barely skimmed his skin, "--for you..." Sophie's smile fell faster than Icarus. Her eyes followed to see James staring down Erica.

Sophie dropped her hand.

She laughed a bit, "Yeah, um, is it hot for you guys? I-I think I'm going to go freshen up..."

With that, Sophie took her leave.

James was enjoying his time mingling with the guests and talking with Sophie. He could not say why, but he really felt himself starting to relax and truly unwind at the party! He sipped his punch as Sophie spoke. He was trying his best to divid his attention between Sophie and Erica, but was probably not doing Sophie the due she deserved as everytime that Erica walked by, his attention was drawn to her regardless of what everyone else was saying or thinking.

"You're welcome!" James said and gave Sophie a hug. When she excused herself, Jarold elbowed James hard in the ribs, "What you doing, man? Cant keep your eyes off Erica tonight, can you?" Jarold grinned, "You got something planned?"

JAmes shrugged and finished his drink, "I don't even know, man. She's got me so on edge I don't know what's going on."

Erica carefully observed the scenario from the corner of her eye. Bingo! Just for that, she had a little skip in her step, sending the already short skirt to flip up just a touch to show off her white nickers hugging her plush rear. She wants the D. But after her little show, Erica kept her composure, talking to another guest, as she sipped at her beer.

Wait.

Be patient.

Just a little more...

Again, she started to move, and again she struck up another conversation. Her abdomen sparkled with glitter she had applied. She really was somethin'!

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed before she finally rounded on James. She held her cup to her chest, walking up to him slowly, her hips rolling rather exaggeratedly. "Have you been enjoying yourself, bae?" She asked in a sultry voice, before leaning into him. Tilting her head, she began to kiss along his neck. "... because you will be tonight" Her hand began to glide down his abdomen.

But during that time, the disgraced Sophie was being the proverbial phoenix, and rising from her ashes. She pushed past all the people occupying the hall way in a mad dash for Erica's bedroom. (Luckily no one had taken over it yet). Sophie was quick to strip out of her first costume, and soon pulled on her second one. She touched up her make up, then headed down the stairs.

Sophie had written about being a fairy tale character, but wasn't revealing it until 10pm! The clock chimed, and as part of the magical work, an older song started on her descend. Her recognizable golden curls spewed out from her red hood, framing her sweet little porcelain white face. The ringlets bounced as she carefully walked down, along with her bright red cape. The cape in question flowed down to just to her calfs, and had a beautiful intricate floral design she had stitched in white along the hem. But this wasn't the centre piece, oh no. Sophie was a vision of purity, wearing a simple white dress. The scoop neck made her lush teats almost pop out from behind her white bra—push up or not, they looked very supple. They jiggled softly behind the simple white fabric that clung to her skin as if it were wet. It fit her figure perfectly, and came to a short skirt before it trailed behind her in a long train. Depend on how the frills and the pleats fell, you could see her white garters holding up her white stockings that lead down her her pristine red "dolly" heels. Oh! How she moved with such grace. When her eyes met with James', her face lit up like a thousand stars in the night sky, and there was something special about that. No?

Sophie moved towards James. However, she was quickly intervened.

James was concentrating quite thoroughly on Erica's hand as it trailed it's way down his abdomen. It felt as though he were on fire wherever she touched him and he was left wanting more, more, more. With her whispered declaration of her intentions he nearly moaned outloud. Only the large group of people kept him from doing so. Still. His reaction to her teasing and touch was rather obvious to the young woman.

That was until he heard a slight hush in the crowd as Sophie returned in a new costume. Gone was the fun but silly football. It had been replaced by a white gown of amazing quality that poured itself over her and accentuated her figure perfectly. James mouth ran dry as he watched her approach. Erica was all but forgotten as Sophie appeared. He watched on, mesmerized by her beauty until he saw something that caused a visible reaction. His shoulders tensed as he drew up straighter. Somebody. He could not tell who from the wolf costume that they were wearing had grabbed Sophie by the arm and began to pull her towards him.

James stepped past Erica, gently brushing her aside as he went after Sophie. His Sophie sense was going off an he could not let anything happen to her. Unconsciously recreating the tale around Sophie's costume, he swept in and wrapped an arm around her waist. His grip was firm and his strong well muscled arms pressed against her soft body.

"Sophie will be coming with me." James recognized the wolf now. "Go on and find someone else to manhandle, Ian."

Ian glowered, but let Sophie go before turning and stalking off.

James pulled Sophie tight against his chest as the crowd went back to normal. "Are you okay, my Sophie? Did he hurt you?"

Ian circled the group towards Erica. "Look at that. All your work tonight and he throws it away. Just like that. You don't deserve that, Erica. You deserve someone that could've dedicated to you just as they should be and you deserve."

The crowed easily parted as James made his way to Ellie, a few people pointing out that he was the lumberjack from the story. By the time he finally got little red riding hood into his arms, people were laughing and cheering him on. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the lumberjackette. She stood with her arms crossed, staring down the competition. She nearly hissed at Ian when he approached her, "Oh yeah, because you know SO much about dedication. Just go fuck yourself, ok?" Clearly pissed off, Erica trudged away.

That Sophie made her so sick!

Sophie was very surprised to be greeted so kindly by so many of the other students from their school—it was a very big improvement! But then, things got a little bit awkward. As she tried to pass, she felt a large, cold hand take her arm, and pull her back. Sophie tried her darndest to resist, jerking her arm away, but she was no match for the strength. She looked onto her poacher's face, and cringed in fear. There was something in his eyes that she had never seen before, and it frightened her.

But the ever-valliant James came to rescue her in record time. And there they stood, in the middle of the group, with his arm about her. Sophie was trembling. She had never been touched intimately by someone she did not know. It was scary. Her eyes had weld up with tears from sensations she did not quite understand. A lump grew in her throat as she looked up to James. He was so warm, and the flannel was so soft. Her little hands couldn't help but feel up his abdomen as he held her so close. Her voice was so small as she hid her face in his chest,
"... I-I'm just so happy you're here right now, James!"

Sophie clung to him, she hated being apart from James. Bad things always happened. Sophie swallowed back the tears.

Jarold, as tall as he was, had seen pretty much everything and his gaze fell away from Sophie and James as he searched out Erica. He spotted the slimeball Ian near her and watched as Erica put the little shit in his place before storming off to who knew where. He followed her with his gaze until he lost track of her in the crowd before turning to look back at the happy 'couple' in the middle of the crowd.

James gave her a warm smile and led her away from the group of people and towards a couch that was mostly unoccupied. He could feel her hands on his stomach, but ignored it as he was much more concerned at her well being. That Erica had been doing the same exact thing just moments before did not seem to cross his mind. Nor did he seem worried that he did not know where she was.

Jarol wanted to role his eyes at the by play between the three. It was going to hell fast, but nothing he could say or do would stop it right now and... he had other people that needed his attention and he was not going to pull a James and go on a rescue mission. He turned back to the girl he had been talking with, she was wearing a European style peasant dress and had red curls that seemed to draw everyone's attention at some point. "What say you and I find a palce for this viking to do some raiding?" He suggested and smiled at her before nodding towards the hallway.

"I'm happy I'm here too, Sophie." James said. He sat down on the couch and drew Sophie down with him. He had her sit next to him where he could keep contact with her as that had always seemed to calm her down before. "Hey, it's okay, Sophie, you're safe and no one's going to hurt you." He smiled, "And everyone loved your costume! You saw that."

And like that very first day they had met, Sophie followed James to a place to sit. However, this time, her face was streaming with tears. No. Well, just a few! But no where near the same as the ones of anguish he had seen. Sophie looked up to him with her large blue eyes, and that's when he did it. James embraced her from the side, placing his hand on her forearm and rubbed it gently. Sophie's lip trembled, before she gave a small smile,

"You are too good to me, James,"

Sophie forgot about everyone else, and leaned in, resting against him.

James felt her lean into him and his heart melted a little bit. The anger that he had for Ian began to bleed away slowly as Sophie worked her own brand of magic on him. James leaned his head down towards hers and gently placed a soft kiss on her forehead as a way to try and give her comfort and let her know that he was there for her. It was a level of intimacy that he had not even allowed himself to have with Erica or anyone else, but Sophie was able to come in and simply wiggle her way into his heart. James leaned back and simply rubbed her arm slowly. He enjoyed the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. "You deserve everything I have to give to you, Sophie." James disagreed with her assessment that he was too good to her. The party around them went on and James settled back with Sophie to people watch for a bit. The crowds began to disperse a bit as people fell into their own natural cliques and groups to mingle about and talk. He looked for Jarold, but could not find him anywhere in viewing range. He knew he was probably off with some girl. that had been his plan after all.

An old song that James recognized from a movie he had seen years ago as a kid began to play over the stereo system. It was slower than anything else that had played that night and while he could not remember the words to it, he did remember that it was a slower song. James gave Sophie a squeeze and stood from the couch. With his arm still around her more slender frame, she had no choice but to follow him to his feet. "Come on, Sophie. Let's dance." He pulled her close to him and moved her arms to his shoulders. He knew she was a capable dancer, but gave her a moment to get accustomed to the idea before he began to sway and lead her further from the comfort zone of the couch.

All eyes in the room had turned towards them, but James was too caught up in the moment to even care. Maybe it was the alcohol in his system or maybe it was the feelings for the girl in his arms come to life, it mattered little to him. He just wanted this dance.

Maybe Sophie should have been an inchworm instead of red riding hood? She snuggled a little closer to him, growing cozier on the couch. The kiss he planted on her forehead made her to grow bright red. He never did that before! No one really had... Except maybe an uncle or aunt... but definitely not someone the same age as herself. She was easily lead from the couch onto the 'dance floor' i.e., the middle of the living room.

Oh, Sophie was a completely capable dancer... by herself. Dancing with a partner—a male one at that—went against so many rules! But this was JAMES who was offering to dance with her. Sophie grew nervous. Again, she began trembling. Her hands gripped his flannel shirt, her nails lightly scratching the skin of his neck. Then one foot after another, they began to sway from side to side. His hands felt hot on her waist. James' hands naturally lowered a bit, pulling her hips towards him. As they got into the grove, he could feel the natural swing of her hips he loved to watch in her videos.

Sophie's cheeks were pink with her youthful blush. But once the song came to a finish, so did their contact. Sophie immediately stepped back, away from James. Her hands occupied themselves by playing with her hair. She mumbled a bit, "So... I'm going to get some punch, kay? I'll grab you a cup too!" She spun around and headed off to the kitchen.

However, Erica had watched the entire thing. From cuddling on the couch, to the sluggish slow dance. A sneer smudged itself on her pretty face, her brows narrowed. "How fuckin' dare he! That jerk!" Hissed Erica into her drink. She downed her beer, 'If that's the way he wants to play... Fine." Erica crossed the room, approaching the black haired latino. She grabbed onto Kyle's hip before pulling herself to him, and platting a kiss on his lips.

Kyle, while surprised, was not rejecting the action. Vampires always get the bitches! He opened his lips, taking her bottom lip into her mouth to suckle at it. They blatantly made out in the hall before she broke away,
"Why don't we go to my room, hm?"

James enjoyed the dance while it lasted, even if Sophie seemed to be more nervous than he had seen her in a while. Still, she seemed to be enjoying it on some level as she danced with him towards the end and did not pull away until after the song ended. When she did, it was as cute as could be and soon she was off to the punch bowl.

Even the ever vigilant James did not notice Erica pulling Kyle up the stairs towards her bedroom. Nor did he notice when the door slammed above him. If he had, he would have just written it off as someone else. He glanced around the room and made sure Sophie was doing well at the punch bowl before looking for Erica. She had been in and out all night minding her guests and spending time with him, so it did not bother him in the slightest that she seemed to have disappeared. Before he could muse too much further, Sophie was back with a cup of punch for him.

"Thanks, Sophie." He smiled down at her and motioned back towards the couch they had come from. It was a little fuller now, but they could still squeeze in on the end if Sophie didn't mind sitting near to him. "Let's have a seat. You doing okay?"

Sophie came over to him practically skipping. In her tiny hands were two large red cups filled to the brim with punch. She handed a cup to James and nodded, "A-ah, sure... but... actually," Her eyes trailed off to the side as she contemplated how to exactly word this, "A couple guys from the football team, Reid and Bryan I think, asked me to play beer pong with them... They said they would swap my drinks out for punch, maybe you can ask to be forth?" She smiled excitedly, before taking a big gulp of punch. She was suuuuper thirsty after rushing around decorating, helping everyone with make up, and changing into two different costumes!

James smiled and accepted the drink before sipping at it. Unlike Sophie, he had been drinking all night and did not feel the need to guzzle it down quite so quickly. He sipped at the fruity drink before nodding along, "Sure, we can play." James looked towards where the table was being set up and nodded to Reid and Bryan to show that they would be over in a moment to play. "Have you ever played before? It's pretty simple..." James explained the rules as they walked towards the table. There were ten cups set up on each side of the table. Half were punch and half were beer. James set up with Sophie on the fruity side.

***

The game had run down quickly. James was not bad at the game due to his natural athletic ability, but neither were Reid or Bryan. Sophie was pretty good too and they were able to keep up with the other two without any real trouble! Soon though it was their turn to shoot again and James moved with Sophie to the edge of the table and took aim. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Sophie doing the same, but she had her tongue squeezed between her lips as she tried to concentrate on making the shot. As if on cue, the two took their shots and let the balls fly.

Down the first cup, then two, then three, then bam! Down: two-two. The dining room had been filled with cheers, gasps, and OOOOOHHHHHs! From the crowd, mixed with Sophie's adorable laugh. Maybe it was the sugar, but Sophie was feeling a little more giddy than usual. Doing victory dances, and grand jumps to try to catch rebound ping-pong balls! The music pumped, and the mentality was very fun!

Finally the two let took aim and fired! Gooooone were the inhibitions! Sophie was letting loose and loving it. The two balls soared in the air, swift as it reached a beautiful arch, then---DUNKING INTO THE CUPS!

The spectators roared loudly in disbelief! Sophie turned to James laughing so hard! She swept in for a side hug, "WE WOOOON!"

Reid and Bryan finished their drink, hollering loudly, before coming in for high-fives! Sophie let go of James and joined them. Reid picked up Sophie, "You were great! Maybe next time you won't have so much beginners luck?"

Sophie was giggling loudly, "Naaaah!" He settled her back on her feet. She reached over and drank her punch, "So... what do we do next? Like, are there any other games?"

Bryan flashed the crowd a smile and produced an empty beer bottle from near by. It had been stripped of its label and cleaned. He waved it around, "As a matter of fact, Miss Sophie, we do have another game that some of us can play, but we'll need an equal amount of boys and girls." James, who had been celebrating with friends nearby turned and looked at it all. before shrugging and nodding along, "Okay, Bryan. You go find some people and we'll play." James agreed, speaking for both himself and Sophie.

James picked up the last cup of punch and sipped at it. He was starting to like the fruity drink. The more he drank, the more he enjoyed everything, "Sophie!" James called, "We won!" Perhaps a bit late, but still so much exuberance. He set his drink down and swooped her up into his arms once more and rotated on the spot once before setting her back down.

Sophie giggled into his embrace, her arms wrapping about him. She couldn't help but squeal as he spun around with her in his arms. However, all that spinning was not very good for her head. She felt a little dizzy, and considering how warm and soft the flannel felt against her skin, Sophie did not want to move. Not yet. Her little face nuzzled closer as she fully embraced him. He could feel ALL of her body pressing to his as she vertically snuggled him. "Yay~ Team Japhie for the wiiiiiin<3" she happily squeaked out.

Bryan summoned them to a group of twelve people, and with that, Sophie unstuck herself from James, bringing with her another cup of punch. Boy, she was really thirsty eh? Sophie was greeted by a pretty little brunette who was dressed up as Snow White, "Hey Sophie! Come sit by me~!"

Sophie took her seat by the girl, while James was seated to the other side of Bryan; the devide between him and Sophie. Bryan put his arm around Sophie and grinned, "Have you ever played spin the bottle?"

Sophie shook her head innocently, causing him and a few others to laugh, "It's pretty easy. All you have to do, is spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on, you kiss!"

Instantly, Sophie's eyes went wide, as her cheeks turned a bright red. Patty and Lisa, who were dressed up as 20s flapper girls, oo'd especially loud in reaction to Sophie's utter bashfulness. Vinci rubbed Sophie's back, "It's okay! You can just watch for now, isn't that right Bryan?"

Bryan nodded, "Sure. When you're ready, just spin the bottle on your turn, kay?"

Sophie gripped her cape, feeling a little nervous, but still very happy. "O-ok" she squeaked.

And thus, the game started.