fameless → ZACH HERRON ✓

f i f t y - o n e

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
( PARTY )

     CARMEN STEPS FROM the bathroom. Zach smiles at his girlfriend, his eyes lighting up at a mere glance. Carmen glances over to him, sending him a brief wink before Aurora tackles her.

"Awww! Jonah, look at the little Minnie Mouse!" Aurora exclaims, pinching Carmen's cheeks as she jumps. "Isn't she so adorable?"

Jonah doesn't reply, seemingly not in the room. Aurora stops in her place, glancing to the other bathroom down the hall as the door opens. "There's my McDreamy!"

The boy's costume consisted of navy blue scrubs that matched those on Aurora. They had chosen to go with the Grey's Anatomy theme, which reflected Aurora's addiction to the television show. Aurora furrows her eyebrows, "But I think you're missing something."

With the Halloween party in less than an hour, the crew had run themselves ragged to get everything in place. Daniel currently works at the fog machine, artificial smoke filling the air around him as he finishes his assigned job.

"Nope," Jonah replies to his girlfriend. "It took too long to fix my hair to your liking. I am not letting you put that hat on me."

"It's not a hat," Carmen corrects him, stepping forward as she readjusts her Minnie Mouse ears. "It's a cap."

"It's Derek Shepherd's ferry boat cap! You have to wear it!" Aurora argues, stomping her foot as she sniffles. "Blondie, tell him he has to we-"

The doorbell rings from behind them, cutting the girl off. Daniel plugs in the orange and black lights hung on the hallway walls, their surroundings decorated with silky cobwebs and fake spiders. Aurora and Daniel share a look, both of them sprinting to the door. But Aurora made it first, having tripped the boy on the way there.

"You cheated!" Daniel protests, picking his Goofy ears up off the floor. Aurora sticks her tongue out, throwing the door open dramatically. Carmen moves after her, quickly taking her side to see who was so early to arrive.

"Holy Cheese-it's," Aurora gasps, staring at the jaw-dropping boy in front of them. "You're Thomas Sangster."

"Yeah," The blonde actor chuckles, his British accent evident. "And you're-"

"Currently single, as far as you're concerned," She informs, cutting him off immediately. Carmen giggles, Thomas catching her eye as she does so.

"No she is not!" Jonah chimes in, jumping over Daniel to get to her side. "She has a boyfriend."

"Really?" Aurora raises an eyebrow, leading Thomas to the living room as Carmen shuts the door behind him. "Because if I did, he'd be wearing the ferry boat cap."

---

Music blares through the speakers behind Carmen, strobe lights flashing everywhere around her. She currently resides with Zach, Dylan O'Brian, and Logan Lerman. Zach keeps a close arm around the girl, hesitant to let go as one of the two actors ramble about his part on a television show about werewolves.

" . . . and then Holland tripped, and she landed on top of Tyler. She had accidentally bit him, because of the sole fact that she kept her mouth open while she fell," Dylan finishes, sloshing around the punch in his orange solo cup.

"She bit him?" Carmen chuckles. "I have a best friend who bites randomly, so I wouldn't be worried about accidentally biting someone."

"Are you talking about Aurora?" Logan questions, pulling his Michael Jackson glove farther onto his hand. "I met her earlier, when she challenged John Cena to a wrestling match."

"How did it end?" Carmen groans, not surprised.

"She tackled him, hit him with a plastic chair, tied him up in duct tape, blindfolded him, and proceeded to say "you can't see me". Then she ran off," Logan informs her. "I was kinda scared, though. I didn't expect that from someone so small. She's dangerous, you need to lock her up somewhere."

"We keep her as a house pet. I wanted to name her Fluffy, but Carmen said no." Zach says. "You should see how she reacts when you tell her you don't want to watch Barbie."

"I think I know who you're talking about," Dylan snaps his fingers, trying to recall the previous twenty minutes. "Oh yeah! She was the brunette dancing on the roof earlier, who started throwing full-sized Skittles at everyone. She was yelling "taste the rainbow", before her boyfriend got her down."

"Where is she now?" Carmen questions. "I'm worried, she might start hurting people."

"Last time I checked, she was with Theo James," Logan replies. "I didn't see her boyfriend, though."

"Oh, good lord," Zach mumbles, running his hands down his face. "You know what? I'm surprised she hasn't smashed a car through the side of the house yet."

All of a sudden, the crowd to the left of the four parts, creating a pathway for a small toy Ferrari, of which Aurora is driving. Her knees are pulled to her chest as she pushes the gas pedal for the battery-charged vehicle, laughing maniacally as she speeds past everyone. She then proceeds to crash into the living room wall, sending the girl lurching forward.

She jumps out, looks around speedily, then sprints from the room without a word.

"Found her," Dylan speaks up, laughing as she's out of sight. "I may not know her, but she's my spirit animal."

"She didn't break the wall, did she?" Zach whines. "I am not gonna be held responsible for it if she did. It's Jonah's fault."

"I don't even see a scratch," Carmen assures him. "I'm sure everything is fine. Jonah will find her soon enough. Let's just let her have fun for now."

"She'll be arrested before the night is over." Zach states, wrapping his arm around her waist. "But oh well, let's let her have fun."

"Is that . . . ?" Carmen trails off, stepping forward as her eyes meet those of a familiar someone. "No, there's no way . . . Aurora didn't invite them. She wouldn't have . . . would she?"

"Hey," The familiar boy steps forward, recognizing the girl from the Los Angeles streets. "You're Carmen, right? I'm from Road Trip. We ran into each other about a week ago."

"I remember," Carmen murmers, studying his Spiderman costume. "Did Aurora invite you?"

"Yeah, we're on good terms now," He assures her. "I'm Rye, by the way."

"I know, you told me the last time we met," She says. "And I don't recall her speaking with you . . . When did you end up on good terms?"

"We were her ride back from Minnesota because of the 'no flight' list," Rye shrugs, running his fingers through his brown hair. "We ended up talking to the two of them, and they invited us. Oh, and by the way, she kinda just left with Aaron Carpenter."

"She what?"

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