"Who's this?" Alison asks Damien dully.
"This is Baxter Priestly, baby," Damien says. "He wants to say hi and, um, wish you well."
"Yeah, yeah, you look really familiar," Alison says, totally bored, waving down the bartender, mouthing Another.
"He's in the new Darren Star show," I say. "And he's in the band Hey That's My Shoe."
"Who are you in the Darren Star show?" Alison asks, perking up.
"He's the Wacky Guy," Lauren says, staring at the bartender.
"Right, he's the Wacky Guy," I tell Alison as Damien pulls me away and uses my body as a barrier to push through the crowd and up the first flight of stairs to the deserted second floor, where he guides me toward a railing overlooking the party. We immediately light cigarettes. On this floor twenty tables have been set up for the dinner and really handsome busboys are lighting candles. On all the TV monitors: fashionable static.
"What in the f**k?" Damien inhales deeply on the cigarette.
"They're just, um, lighting the candles for dinner," I say, gesturing innocently at the busboys.
Damien smacks me lightly on the side of the head.
"Why in the f**k is Chloe's dress exactly like Alison's?"
"Damien, I know they look alike but in actuality-"
He pushes me toward the railing and points down. "What are you telling me, Victor?"
"It's a-it's supposedly a, um, very popular dress this... y'know..." I trail off.
Damien waits, wide-eyed. "Yes?"
"... season?" I squeak out.
Damien runs a hand over his face and stares over the railing to make sure Alison and Chloe haven't seen each other yet, but Alison's flirting with Baxter and Chloe's answering questions about how high the fabulous factor is tonight while a line of TV crews jostle for the perfect angle and Damien's muttering "Why isn't she wearing that hat you picked up?" and I'm making excuses ("Oribe said it was a no-no") and he keeps asking "Why isn't she wearing the goddamn hat you picked up?" and Lauren's talking to f**king Chris O'Donnell and Damien guzzles down a large glass of Scotch then sets it on the railing with a shaky hand and I'm kind of like infused with panic and so tired.