“Yeah, but only to those who don’t know you any better.” Lara laughed at him as she approached the two boys. “Once they take their time to get to know you, they realize how rotten you’re behind your pretty smile.” She pinched his nose, resulting in a harrumphing Gabriel.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just jealous, you’re not that popular. But don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s really hard to compete with that beauty.” Gabriel grinned at her.

“That’s precisely what I’m talking about. You’re probably in love with your own reflection.” Lara snorted and crossed her arms before her chest. 

“Who wouldn’t be?” Gabriel chuckled and brushed the complaints off. “But either way: I’m glad you’re all enjoying the party.” He gestured to the others and lead them right into the building, where everyone had gathered already. 

“Of course we do.” Mike handed a drink to each of them and took a look around. “After all, you don’t get to party in a damn mansion every day. Alone, the living room with the home cinema is impressive!”

“Yeah, that’s true.” It had been easy to invite a lot of his fellow students. You only needed enough to drink and some food, and everyone would come to the party like a moth to the flame. After this event, the title of the best party host of this school year would definitely go to him. Allison Simpson could give up right away. Even Lara was sure to loosen up after a few drinks.

“Did you explore the house yet?” Mike asked. “I’m sure it’s cool to look around here with the thunderstorm and everything. Oh, I know. We should watch a horror movie before turning it into a dare.”

Gabriel pondered upon this suggestion, nodding in the end. “Yeah, that seems like a nice idea. Let’s do that. I’m sure some idiots will pee themselves just from unexpected noises.”

There were no ghosts in this house, this world or anywhere. Gabriel was sure of it. He had already taken his time to look around the house with his father. Not voluntary, to be frank. His father was a stingy man and even though he wanted to sell this thing and get a high brokerage, he didn’t invest into a single cleaning company. 

Gabriel still hated him for forcing him to crawl into the dust and cleaning this shithole. Luckily, he didn’t insist on cleaning all the old furniture beneath the blankets. So, most rooms that weren’t modernized by the actual owner and craftsman yet, still owned the old untouched furnishing. 

Some old floorboards and stairs creaked upon walking, so that alone was sure to send a few people screaming. Maybe he’d get his chance to play the protector to a few cuties? Yeah, he might just ask Mike to scare some of them off deliberately. Of course, he’d be kind enough to return the favor – sometime at least. 

They watched the prepared movies with some popcorn, enjoying the surround-sound-system of the house. It was incredible how real it made all the screams and surprises. Real enough to frighten some chicks – and boys – to his amusement. 

“You should have seen your faces! Adorable!” Gabriel wasn’t nice enough to let the opportunity slid. Many people's scared faces were recorded by his smartphone. You never knew when you might need to blackmail someone with it. Parties like these always offered plenty of opportunities to get some more marionettes on his strings.