"See? I told you I'm an awesome bartender," Jackson said as he looked over at Danny, holding up a recently finished old fashioned and winking. Of course, Danny was well aware of Danny's bartending skills, which was why Jackson was laughing as he spoke; he and Danny had been making drinks together and with Lydia for years now.
Looking up as Lydia called out, Jackson set his recently completed cocktail down and rounded the table, holding out a hand to Lydia so he could help her spin and take in the full effect of her outfit.
"Babe, you look gorgeous. Stunning. Is this the new dress you just got?" He asked, taking in the style, cut, and material. He always tried to keep an eye out for what Lydia liked, so he could remember and get her things she would enjoy just as much as presents. "You're the most beautiful girl in the whole world, have I told you that recently?" He asked, leaning in to give her a kiss.
Wrapping an arm around Lydia and giving her another kiss, Jackson smiled at the girl she was standing with. She was tall, with dark, curly hair and a bright smile; he could easily see why Lydia was so instantly taken with her.
"You must be Allison," He said, holding a hand out to shake. "We've heard a lot about you; Lydia can't stop talking about her awesome new roommate. It's nice to meet you. I'm Jackson, and this is my best friend, Danny."
"Ooh," Danny said obediently. "Ahh." When Lydia shot a thankful wink at him, he grinned in return. For all that the two of them bickered, he really did find her to be stunning and brilliant. She never failed to impress, regardless of where she went or what she did. Not even their playful bantering dynamic would stop him from throwing flowers at her feet when he needed to.
While she and Jackson murmured sweet nothings to each other, Danny looked at Allison. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting of Lydia's supposed Hot Roommate; Lydia hadn't given them much to go on. But the thing was that Lydia had always had a type.
Despite how much she and Jackson boasted and flaunted themselves as the superior beings, they gravitated towards people who tended to keep their feet on the ground. Danny didn't have the same vanity that they did—though he had his rare moments, as a result of years in their presence—and he fit with them because of it. Ivy had always been closer to Brian than to them, but for a very long time, she'd been Lydia's only girl friend, and she was much the same: level-headed, gentle, wise, and sweet. Jackson and Lydia had never much liked the people who approached them with the personalities that they thought the couple would like. At best, they were poor attempts at pandering for popularity; at worst, they were offensive attempts at mimicking what they thought Jackson and Lydia themselves were like and what they stood for. Those people were always disingenuous and horrible to be around, and Jackson and Lydia never gave them the time of day.
Danny couldn't tell what Allison was like, just by looking at her. But her presence itself was comforting; her smile was kind and the way she carried herself didn't speak towards false confidence or crippling shyness.
She just seemed sweet. Not at all like the kind of girl who wanted to use Lydia for her popularity or money or, most frustratingly, to get closer to Jackson. While Danny trusted Lydia's judgement on who she brought into her life, it wouldn't be the first time someone had fooled her just to hurt her in the end. Danny would be damned if anyone else did it.
Softening his smile, Danny waved at Allison. "It's really nice to meet you. I've never heard Lydia speak so fondly about someone she just met. Thank you for taking care of her—as much as any person takes care of their roommate, you know."
"Hi," Allison smiled at Jackson, taking the hand he outstretched to shake, then waving back at Danny before holding her hand out to him to shake, too. "It's so nice to meet you both. I've heard a lot about you, too; Lydia has nothing but amazing things to say about you both," She said, smiling as she looked back and forth between them. She couldn't help but smile at the adorable interaction between Jackson and Lydia; she could see how someone else might see it as over the top, but coming from Jackson, it seemed absolutely sincere. It was easy to see her absolutely adored Lydia; he looked at her like she had hung all of the stars in the sky that night, and kept looking at her like she was an angel walking among them even when she looked away. Allison wasn't sure she'd ever seen two people seem so in love before.
"Lydia's the one who has been taking care of me," She laughed, taking a step closer to Danny to speak to him over the noise of the party. "She's been so incredibly nice to me. I'm so lucky she's my roommate," She smiled over at Lydia again.
She felt incredibly lucky. Lydia was so sweet, and Jackson and Danny seemed like the nicest guys. Allison felt a wave of gratitude wash over her; she couldn't believe she was really here; she couldn't believe how lucky she was.
Laying another kiss on Jackson's cheek, Lydia leaned into his embrace and surveyed the party. Brian was no Jackson, but he threw a good party. There were a lot of people around, all full of alcohol and energy. She didn't recognize most of them, but that was bound to happen now that they were on a college campus, rather than surrounded by the same people from high school.
"What's the drink situation looking like?" she asked the boys, peering over at the bar. Danny offered the drink in his hand, and she accepted it with a hum, taking a few sips of it. Then she blinked. "This is definitely a Jackson drink," she guessed. No one could make a drink taste good quite like her boyfriend could. "Ugh, one day, Brian is going to learn to just let us handle the planning. This tastes so much better than anything else here, I already know it does."
Handing the drink back to Danny, she reached for Allison's hand. "Come on! I'll introduce you to Bri and Ivy, we'll dance a bit, then we can get some fresh air before the scent of alcohol and sweat suffocates us." She makes a disgusted noise and starts leading the others around the party, Jackson in her arms, Allison's hand in hers, Danny right behind them.
She didn't make it far. Not long after she set her eyes on Brian—doing a keg stand, as he was wont to do—her stomach clenched viciously and she came to a stop, her hand pressing against the source of the pain. She choked back a whimper, eyes closing against the uncomfortable twisting. "I'm fine," she promised when Danny's hand brushed her arm in concern. "Just a stomachache. It's been on and off all day, it'll go away."
"Lyds!" The cry was all the warning she got, giving her just enough time to unwrap her arms from her friends, before Brian crashed forward, picking her up and spinning her around in his happy embrace. "Long time, no see! Wow, you look awesome! Slay, girl."
Despite her stomach turning a bit more viciously in response, Lydia couldn't help but smile. "Hi, sweetheart." She patted his cheek as he set her back on her own two feet. "Bri, this is Allison. Ally, this is Brian Cappelletti, party host and lacrosse player."
"Nice to meet you, Allison! Welcome to Beacon Hills," Brian said, after greeting Jackson and Danny. He beamed at Allison, eyes twinkling with genuine happiness at seeing a new face. "You guys doin' okay, you need anything?" Danny said something to him, too quiet for Lydia to hear over the music, and Brian's expression fell a bit as he looked at Lydia again. "Oh. Here, I think you're closer to the back door than the front. You guys can head out that way, and I'll see if Ivy can bring you some painkillers. Get some air, 'kay, and you guys can steal my room when you come back in." That said, Brian grinned again. "Just call me if you need anything, okay! Oh, shit, I gotta go make sure Stiles and Scott didn't get lost. Man, they do not know how to follow directions." He shook his head fondly before disappearing into the crowd again.
Lydia took Allison's hand again and squeezed lightly. "You don't have to come outside with me," she said. "I can wait for Ivy in the back and come find you afterwards if you want to enjoy the party a bit."