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𝐆𝐖𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐒 of rosy pinks, the Dior sunglasses upon her nose bridge doing nothing to actually block her eyes from the sun. But she looked cute and that was the important part. The pool behind Sam's house was lined with party guests, each of them excited to have something to do on their last day of summer vacation.

The four girls were clustered together, as they always were, sipping fruity drinks from red plastic cups and taking in the inherent chaos of the party around them. They watched as Rory front-flipped into the pool, earning entertained giggles from each of them.

"Okay, you were totally right. This is so much fun," Sam grinned at Yasmine. The pool party had been her idea, after all. With Sam's parents out of the house for work, it had been the perfect venue.

"Told you. Always better to be the one throwing the party," Yasmine reiterated, swirling her drink around in her hand. "And Kyler has been eye-banging you all day." The blonde's eyebrows arched as the group turned to see what she was referring to. Sure enough, Kyler, with his unexplained black eye, was giving Sam a toothy smile that spoke volumes.

However, it was the sight of Rory over his shoulder that caught Gwen's eye and then caused her to swiftly avert it. He was just talking to his group of friends under one of the shady spots in Sam's backyard, but she didn't want to do anything that might give him the bright idea to come over and talk to her.

"And don't think we didn't notice you doing the same to Rory," Yasmine giggled, nudging Gwen with a very pointy elbow. Gwen's face automatically twisted in disgust, suddenly very glad that Rory hadn't met her eye across the pool if that's how her stare came across. Instead of answering, she brought her drink to her lips and tilted it skyhigh, then shook the plastic red cup in front of her, signaling its completion to her friends.

"Gonna go get a refill. Be right back," she announced, swinging her legs out of the pool and standing up. She could feel several pairs of eyes on her as she walked inside, but she kept her own stare straight ahead, ensuring that she seemed cool and aloof. Still, she walked with an intentional sway in her step that she knew would make them want to look at her again later.

Once she was in the kitchen, Gwen began snooping through the fridge, searching for the specific type of juice she was craving. Distantly, she registered the sound of someone else entering the room, but she was so intent on sifting through the LaRussos' drink selection that she didn't even bother to look up.

Finally, her fingers landed on the strawberry lemonade and she carefully slid it out, desperately trying not to send anything flying to the floor. When she popped back out of the refrigerator, she was totally unprepared to be face-to-face with Rory, who seemed to be waiting patiently for his turn to refill his drink.

Swiftly masking the surprised look on her face, Gwen made a point to slam the refrigerator door shut, just so Rory would have to open it again if he needed anything.

Perhaps this would give her the split second she needed to slip past him and back out to the safety of her friend group. After all, she had no desire to chat it up with Rory of all people.

She then tried to make herself look very busy as she poured the sugary pink drink into her cup. But then again, she truly would have preferred to watch paint dry than hold even a second of eye contact with the boy behind her.

"Nice swimsuit."

Gwen stiffened at the sound of his slimy voice over her shoulder. Her dark eyes darted around the countertop in front of her, feeling trapped. He hadn't even touched the refrigerator door yet and she was pretty sure he had no intention to. Really, if she had to guess, he probably didn't even have a drink to refill, choosing instead to shamelessly follow her indoors for a moment alone.