The house party was in full swing, with loud music, flashing lights, and laughter filling every corner of the room. Seth Cohen navigated his way through the crowd, a red Solo cup in hand, looking for his friends. He had come with Ryan, Summer, and a few others, but everyone had dispersed as soon as they arrived. You were supposed to meet up with them later, having been tied up with something earlier in the evening.

As he made his way to the kitchen to grab another drink, Seth overheard a conversation that made him pause. A group of guys from school, including a few he knew from his classes, were gathered around, their voices carrying over the noise.

“Yeah, I don’t get what Cohen sees in her,” one of them said with a laugh. “She’s way too uptight, always acting like she’s better than everyone.”

“Totally,” another agreed. “She thinks just because she’s valedictorian, she can look down on us.”

Seth’s grip tightened on his cup, and he felt a surge of anger. He stepped forward, pushing through the crowd to confront the group. “Hey, what’s going on here?” he demanded, his voice louder than usual to be heard over the music.

The guys turned to look at him, surprised by his sudden appearance. “Oh, hey, Cohen. We were just talking.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Seth replied, his eyes narrowing. “And it sounds like you were talking about my girlfriend.”