Remember, if you made it with your shoes off, you didn't pass out. Now if you woke up in a cornfield with your wallet and clothes stolen, you may have a bit of a problem... In all seriousness. Just give her money. $25-$40 maximum, nothing under so you don't feel like a cheap-ass and nothing over like you're trying to impress her to go out with you. Have a good time, talk to people about school, life, whats popular these days and you'll be all set. Have a good time my good man Usually at parties I spend my time with my friends and we just talk on and on. Maybe play a game of craps and thats it.
This thread is pure gold. Dance. Girls love guys that aren't too busy trying to look tough to dance. Didn't know this at your age and squandered many opportunities. Ask girls questions about themselves and look REALLY interested in what they say. Ask followup questions. Remain interested-looking. They will be attracted without knowing why. I hate to bring this up again, but I really don't think I would have had sex until I was 28 if it wasn't for alcohol. Remember: you aren't going to this party to get this one girl that you know as a friend to pay attention to you. She has a whole party of people paying attention to her. Give the gift card, say a few nice words and move on. You're there because all the other girls at the party are feeling jealous and insecure because they aren't the ones everyone is paying attention to. Dance with them and show them that yes, there is someone in the world who gives a crap that Daddy is making them drive a toyota rather than the Lexus they had their heart set on (by this I mean fake interest). They become attracted to you and don't quite know why. Let nature take it's course (return to the above comment on alcohol).
If that happens then you just look around at what other people are doing, think for a minute and look deep inside yourself, then run shrieking from the ballroom in absolute terror, flailing your arms from side to side like some manner of gibbon. I mean, are you going to bring a blackberry and constantly ask the thread what to do during the party, like some kind of information age John Hughes meets Cyrano de Bergerac? Because if so, the next piece of advice you can get from this thread is don't do that.
Dress like an upscale hitman, but not a Mafia-type. Those guys always go for business-wear and it's just too formal. Think "Yakuza" or "Russian mob". See? In the middle, there. Girls like swarms of things, right? Some chick having self-esteem issues. See above. Drink a little before you go, loosen up. One forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. - Coeloptera
Yep, thats the best advice I would say as well. You never know if something is their to set you up to be laughed at in front of all those people.
I third this option. Since you seem to think she invited you to be nice, than she probably won't care if you come or not. Sounds mean, but it is the truth. Maybe if she had singled you out by asking you to come to the party, it would be differrent since she clearly wants YOU specifically to be there. But since you said she invited everybody, don't go.
