I DO NOT OWN 39 CLUES!

So...I guess it took me a long, long time to update this, huh? Um, well, we went on a short and very tiring trip to Baguio (I just love the weather there!), which involved lots of climbing up and down stairs. Ugh. So I couldn't update. And my mind's been blank for so long I couldn't come up with anything to write :/ That sucks!

Amy was used to being the boring one when she hung out with people. And people probably pitied her so much that they'd just say, "You're just not the life of the party, you know what I mean?". It was just a kinder way of saying "You're boring." And she was always fine with that. She never gave in to peer pressure...until now.

"So...um, Amy," One of Ian's friends said. He was obviously trying to start a conversation with her, but was having a hard time thinking of a subject. She was just so...quiet. She didn't drink, she rarely spoke to any of them, and when she was asked anything, she always gave a brief answer (like 'Yes', 'No', or 'I'm not sure'). "Uh, do you like...koalas?"

Koalas? Amy felt bad for him. He was trying so hard to think of something to say to her, and all he could come up with was a question asking if she liked koalas. Poor, poor guy. And after remembering the time she had corrected Isabel Kabra (who probably hated her even more now) when she commented on Amy's pajamas*, she probably didn't like koalas now. "Er, I don't know. Do you?"

"I...I guess so, yeah," He replied.

Silence followed. All she could do was watch as the others laughed and talked and mingled. She was so left out. Ian noticed the look on her face and whispered to her, "What's with the long face?"

"Nothing," Amy mumbled back.

"It can't be nothing." He took a sip from his vodka.

"It's just that I feel left out. They tell me to drink this and that, and you know I don't drink."

"That's pretty obvious."

Amy rolled her eyes. "I just can't bring myself to do so."

Ian was silent for a few moments before he handed her his glass. Yes, he did like to see other people suffer or feel bad about themselves, and watching Amy feel bad was sort of enjoyable, but at the same time he pitied her.

"Take a sip," He told her. Amy stared at Ian for a long time then tentatively brought the glass closer to her lips. The smell of alcohol was unpleasant to Amy, so she pinched her nose, closed her eyes, and took a quick sip. Ian and his peers watched her intently.

Amy opened her eyes and let herself breathe. It was like drinking really crisp and clean ice water but with a burn on the way down. It was almost tasteless, really. It was kind of good. "It's actually not that bad once you try it," Amy remarked with a grin. Ian smirked. Operation 'Make Amy Less Boring' was a success...until she started tasting the others' drinks too.

Ian and his friends exchanged puzzled looks as Amy took a sip from their drinks. "Um, Amy," Ian said slowly, "What are you doing?"

"Mm," She hummed as she took a sip of vodka mixed with juice. "This is pretty good."

And soon before long, she found herself drinking just about anything she could lay her hands on: wine, champagne, gin, rum, whiskey, tequila, brandy, cocktails, etc. She learned that tequila that were longer aged tasted much better. Or that rum had a 'bite' to it. And she didn't really like scotch, which had an earthy flavor to it.

And one thing was for certain:

She was so drunk she could barely even stand up straight.

Dancing with random people she didn't know, drinking like crazy...it all was just so much! Ian tried to stop her from drinking, but she got away from him and now he didn't know where on earth that crazy woman was. "You were the one who started it anyway!" Amy said almost incoherently when he asked her to stop then walked away.

Well, she had a point there. He was the one who encouraged her to drink. It probably was nice to see her having fun, but not like this. Ian knew one thing: He would never, ever, EVER let her drink anything ever again. Talk about a cheap date, He thought in disdain as he searched all over for Amy Cahill.

XXX

Hamilton couldn't believe what he was seeing. Amy Cahill, the sweet and shy girl he knew, wasn't so sweet and shy. Oh no, not tonight. She was going wild---red hair a mess, dancing with guys she didn't know, and going on a drinking spree. He watched as she climbed up the bar counter and let it all out. A couple of girls joined her.

"What the hell?" He muttered. Now people were going just as nuts as Amy was.

He pushed past the other kids and walked up to Amy. Oh, God. This chick was drunk!! He could only hope that she wouldn't fall---which did happen. He rushed to her aid. "Hey, Amy!" Hamilton said, helping Amy up, "You okay? And what the heck is wrong with you tonight, huh?" Amy blinked a couple of times and rubbed some sore parts of her body. "Oh!" Amy slurred after realizing it was Hamilton who helped her up, "Hamilton! This party is so much fun!"

Hamilton scowled. "You're drunk like hell, Amy."

Amy laughed and swung an arm around Hamilton's neck, making him blush just a little. "Oh, loosen up, Hammy!"

"Hammy?" Hamilton exclaimed. "Okay, that's it. I'm taking you out of here." He dragged her past the other kids, ignoring her complaints. He never really did imagine to be in a situation like this. He never thought he'd be the helping a totally drunk friend. Well, at least it gave him a sense of achievement. Kind of.

Amy didn't want to leave. She was having the time of her life! "C'mon! Let's stay! Even just for a while...."

"No."

"I won't drink!"

"No."

Amy continued to think of ways to get him to let her stay, but the more she argued with him, the more tired she got. And her head was aching all of a sudden, and she felt like hurling. She didn't have anymore energy to try escaping from Hamilton. She was just too tired.

As they neared the exit, he caught sight of that jerk Ian Kabra. Ian looked shocked to see Amy trying to break free from Hamilton. Hamilton looked irritated when he saw Ian. Amy looked...well, she looked drunk and crazy. Ian walked towards them. "I can take it from here," He told Hamilton with an indescribable look on his handsome face. "Nah, I can handle this," Hamilton retorted.

"I insist," Ian hissed.

Hamilton was hesitant, but gave Amy to Ian. He couldn't trust this guy. Ian was, in his opinion, evil. But he thought that maybe he could give him a chance. Just this once.

Ian nodded at Hamilton, and Amy held on tight to Ian's arm, feeling the muscles through his shirt. She could barely stand up, and she gave up on trying to stay much longer. She felt so sick. As they walked out, or more precisely, as Ian walked out with Amy stumbling alongside him, her throat was burning. Her head was throbbing. And her sight was getting blurry. Ugh. She felt so sick.

Ian saw how Amy's skin turned green. "Amy, hey, are you okay---"

All of a sudden, Amy barfed. Ian looked away from the disgusting sight, and just smiled awkwardly at some by-passers who were staring at her with puzzled looks. After vomiting, Amy just blacked out. Ian sighed. The girl had fallen asleep right after embarrassing herself severely in front of lots of people.

"Oh dear God," Ian muttered as he carried a sleeping Amy on his back.

XXX

It was easy finding her dorm room since he happened to bump into her roommate, Jacqueline. Jacqueline had ebony-colored hair, a doe-eyed look, and was of average height. She looked genuinely surprised to see him carrying Amy, making Jacqueline's already wide-open eyes look even bigger. "What happened to her?" She asked Ian as she opened the door for him, and all he said was "You don't want to know."

Ian lay Amy down on her bed and sat down at the edge. Ouch, his back ached after carrying the surprisingly heavy girl back to her dorm. He caught Jacqueline cautiously looking at him. He was used to girls staring at him like that. Can't blame him for being good-looking. He gave her a small smile and she, blushing, stammered, "I'll...uh..go for a walk."

After a while, he decided to go back to his own room. But just as he was about to stand up, Amy suddenly grasped his hands. It caught him off guard, but it gave him this warm feeling inside. He blushed and was glad that Amy was fast asleep. He suddenly remembered what his mother used to tell him: "You're just a softy." Maybe she was right....but he wasn't going to admit it. Maybe he did have a soft spot for some things...and people...like Amy.

Ian sighed. He knew that she wanted him to stay. And he had no choice. At least he could see the look on her face when she wakes up just to find him there. That would be pretty funny. And he couldn't wait to just tell her what happened to her, and laugh at her reaction.

He yawned.

Yeah, he'd do that. Tomorrow. But for now, he would just rest. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

So.......ahem. I guess this was much shorter than Chapter 4, but I might edit it. When I think of some other stuff to add. :)

So tired...

* If I can remember correctly, the whole kaola pajama thing was mentioned in Book 6, during a flashback of Amy's. I don't remember it too clearly....It's like I forgot tons of stuff now...Ha ha

Oh, and sorry if they seem/are out of character. -.-

And the only alcoholic beverage I've ever tasted/drunk is wine. The first time, it was only a sip. Then during Christmas Eve, I gulped down half a glass of wine. I nearly spit it out, but I forced myself to drink it. After that I just chewed gum to get rid of the weird taste. So now I suddenly feel like tasting vodka and tequila....but I'm too young to. Hehe