By the time that they had arrived at Cassandra's house, Nick's eye had turned a bluish color.
"Here. Lay down on the couch and I'll get you and ice pack and some aspirin," said Cassandra, and she and Brian went into the kitchen. She went into the freezer and got a small ice pack for Nick's eye, and into the cupboard for some aspirin and a glass for water. "Thanks Brian. For helping me get him home, and helping me with Bobby and his ego clan."
"It's nothing," said Brian. Cassandra went over to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. They looked into each other's eyes for a second, when Cassandra looked down and said,
"I better get this to him."
"Yeah," said Brian. They both went down into the living room where Nick was and she placed the ice pack gently on his eye, and gave him the aspirin with a glass of water.
"Thanks. Hey, Brian, why don't you two go back to the movies. I'll be fine," said Nick.
"No Nick. I'm not going to leave you here," said Cassandra, "but Brian can go back if he wants to."
"Yeah, I think that I will head back, and tell everyone that you guys are fine."
"Are you sure? Will you be okay?" said Cassandra.
"Yeah, you take good care of Nick," said Brian and left to go back to the movies. "She'll be fine now," thought Brian to himself.
Back inside, Nick had fallen asleep when the phone rang, and it woke him up. Cassandra went over to answer it.
"Who was that?" asked Nick.
"Oh, wrong number," she said.
"Oh." She kneeled down next to the couch.
"How's your eye and leg?"
"They're feeling better."
"That's good," she said.
**Back at the movies**
Brian had arrived and sat down next to Mercedes. He looked down the row, and saw Isabella with her head on A.J.'s shoulder, Coreene holding Howie's hand, and Jonathan with his arm around Nicole.
"How is he?" said Merdedes.
"He's better. Hey, were are Emalia and Kevin?"
"Oh, up there." She pointed to the front of the theatre. Kevin had his arm around Emalia.
"Whoa!" said Jonathan.
"What?" said Coreene who had heard him.
"Look!" Kevin was kissing Emalia. When he pulled away, Brian's row started cheering.
"Oh shut up you guys!" Emalia said turning around to them. She turned back around, and placed her head on Kevin's shoulder. A.J. and Isabella were still cheering. Mercedes was looking at Isabella and trying to get her to stop. When she wasn't looking, Brian looked at her hand, and took it. Mercedes looked at him, and then at the hand he was holding, then back to him again.
"I thought that you liked Cassandra?"
"Yeah she's nice, but, well I guess there are some things that you don't know about me," said Brian, and Mercedes smiled.
**Back at the house**
"I can't say how sorry I am about that jerk hurting you." She took the ice pack off of his eye to see how it was. She lightly touched it with the tip of her fingers and he drew back a little bit. "Sorry. I'll get you a colder ice pack." She got up from beside the couch, and back into the kitchen to get the other ice pack in the freezer. She placed the other one back in the freezer and took the new one to Nick. "Here can you get up for a second?" she asked him.
"Why?"
"I'll unfold the couch, so you can be more comfortable." He got up, and watched her unfold the couch. He took his position back on the couch, that was now a bed.
"Thanks," he said and laid down. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and placed the ice pack back on his eye. He lay there for a minute with his eyes closed, and Cassandra watched him every second. He took the ice pack off and looked at her. They said nothing to each other. She put her hand on his face, and rubbed it trying not to touch his eye. He put the ice pack down by his side, and put his hand over hers.
"Man your hand is cold!" she said.
"Well this hand isn't," he said and put his other hand on her face. With that hand he pulled her head down to his. He placed his lips on hers. He opened her mouth with his tongue, pressing his tongue hard against her teeth until she opened her mouth. She still continued to rub his face, and put her tongue in his mouth. She was a little shocked, but she had to admit, that she really liked it.
They pulled apart when the door opened, and the whole group came in.
"Were we interrupting anything?" said Jonathan, almost laughing.
"No," said Cassandra and put the ice pack back on Nick's eye.
"Sure," said Andrew. "Guys, I think that we should get going."
"Why where are you guys going all together?" asked Isabella.
"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you guys," said Andrew. "These guys are staying with us until they get settled into their own house."
"Oh," said Mercedes who was still holding Brian's hand. "Well, why don't all of you guys come over tomorrow night for dinner, and to swim."
"That sounds like a good idea," said Andrew.
"Yeah Emalia would love to see you in a bathing suit, Andrew!" said Cassandra.
"Oh yeah. Gag me!" said Emalia.
"Hey!" Andrew said to her.
"No offence Andrew, but I'd rather kiss a moving train! But seriously, I'd much rather see Kevin in one."
"Oooh," said Mercedes.
"Shut up you guys!" said Emalia.
"Anyway," said Nicole, "see you guys tomorrow, huh Jon?"
"Yeah. Be over about six tomorrow. That okay?"
"Yeah it's fine," said Coreene. Brian went over to Nick who was still on the couch and helped him up.
"Come on buddy. Time to go home. Is your leg okay to walk on?"
"Yeah it is. What'd I miss?" said Nick kind of groggy.
"Um, we're coming back tomorrow for dinner and to swim."
"Oh, okay. Where am I?"
"You're at Cassandra's house," said Brian.
"Oh yeah, der, I knew that. Okay then let's go." As they all said their goodbyes, Nick and Cassandra met eyes, and they both knew. They didn't know what, but they knew something.
"Wow you guys. I really like Brian, and I think that he likes me! What about you guys?" said Mercedes.
"I think that they're okay, but I still like Jonathan," said Nicole.
"Yeah Nicole, you don't count. We already knew that!" said Isabella.
"Okay then, what about you Isabella?"
"I think I'm in love with A.J.!" she squealed.
"You would be," said Emalia.
"Oh yeah, like you weren't locking it with Kevin!" said Mercedes.
"I will admit that I do like Kevin, and he's not a bad kisser," said Emalia.
"So Cass, how is Nick, as a kisser I mean?" asked Coreene.
"What are you talking about?" said Cassandra acting like nothing happened, because she thought that they didn't see anything.
"You guys were pretty into each other, atleast when I walked in."
"Yeah he's not bad. Hey Nicole, come here."
"What?" asked Nicole.
"Burke called."
"What?"
"He said that he wanted to meet you tomorrow night at five, down the street. He said for you to come alone."
"Alright then. Where?"
"Down the street. I want you to be extremely careful. I go with you if you want."
"No, I have to do this."
"I don't trust him," said Cassandra.
"I know Cass. I know."
At Andrew and Jonathan's house, they were all watching television, when Brian whispered to Nick.
"You like Cassandra I take it," whispered Brian.
"Yeah she's okay. Why who are you after?" said Nick.
"What do you mean, who am I after?"
"You only ask me that when you have something to divulge."
"Well, Mercedes, I guess."
"Oh yeah, she's cool."
"What are you guys whispering about?" asked Jonathan.
"Oh nothing. Brian was just asking me if I was okay," said Nick.
"Sure he was," said Jonathan.
Back at the girls' house, they were all busy getting the chicken and hamburgers to grill for their dinner party. Mercedes and Cassandra were busy making their famous cheesecake.
"We definitely have to be the most perfect of the group," said Merdeces.
"Especially when it comes to cooking!" added Cassandra.
"Yeah well you guys, your big test will be tonight to see if they even like your cheescake," said Emalia.
"Oh, they will," said Mercedes.
"Yeah, we're making it special tonight," said Cassandra.
"Oh you are, are you?" asked Isabella. "Any particular reason for that Cass?"
"No, not really. I mean maybe, or maybe not."
"Sure Cassie," said Coreene. "I know why," she quietly said.
"Coreene, shut up!" said Cassandra.
"What?" asked Isabella.
"Nothing," said Coreene and Cassandra together.
"Whatever you guys," said Nicole, and she walked out of the door. Cassandra looked at the clock. It was four fifty-five.
"She's going to meet Burke," thought Cassandra. "She'll be fine. I hope."
"Hey where'd Nicole go?" asked Emalia.
"I don't know. I think that she just went out to get some fresh air," said Cassandra.
"Oh," said Emalia.
Nicole walked down the street, rehearsing over and over in her mind what she was going to say to Burke.
"This is definitely it," she thought, "it has to be." Just then, she saw him. Standing alone, leaning against a tree. "Oh, he's so hot," she thought.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey. What's going on with you?"
"I might ask you the same thing," said Burke.
"You have no right to say that there's something wrong with me. What happened to us? To our friendship? Remember when we used to play basketball all of the time? Or when we would play Nintendo together?" A tear ran down her eye. "Or the time when you told me that I couldn't play skins with you and the guys? Or the time when we were playing ping-pong, and I hit you, and you said that I couldn't hurt you because you were wearing a cup?" They both laughed a little.
"What about those times? Those are old times."
"So? Why can't we still be friends?"
"You just want to be friends?" asked Burke, "but I want so much more from you." Nicole stood there for a second, another tear rolling from her eye at those words. The words that she so longed to hear from him, but now, she wanted to hear them from another.
"Oh, Burke. We can never fix it now. It's too bad."
"One last kiss then?" asked Burke.
"Only a little one because if I kiss you like we used to, I don't think that I could handle it." He agreed. He stood up straighter and they timidly approached one another. They leaned in very slowly and touched lips ever so gently. She pulled away and whispered, "Goodbye." She turned and walked away toward her house. "It's for the best," she thought.
It was rounding six o'clock that night, and outside the table was perfectly set, the food was ready to be grilled, and the dessert in the fridge.
Emalia was starting to pace again, when Nicole walked in. The others didn't really give her another thought.
"Come on Emalia, stop pacing," said Isabella. They were all outside on the back porch, when the doorbell rang. Cassandra went to go answer it.
"Hey guys, come on in!" Cassandra and the seven guys walked through the house and on to the porch. Howie and Kevin offered to grill for the group.
"Thanks Kevin, that's nice of you," said Emalia.
"And you too, Howie," said Mercedes giving Emalia a look.
After the food was grilled, and they had all eaten, it was about seven o'clock, and dark out. Cassandra first went and turned on the inside pool light, then went into the house and turned off the porch light. The light from the pool gave it a peaceful, halogenic look, until A.J. yelled and jumped into the in ground pool.
"Jeranemo!" he yelled. He did a cannon ball into the pool, and splashed everyone who was standing around the side. Brian snuck up behind Mercedes. She was laughing at A.J., but was surprised when she felt two hands push her into the pool.
"Ah!" she said, and stuck her head out of the water to see who did that. "Brian!" she yelled. Then she started to laugh hard. He was wondering why she was laughing, but soon knew when he too hit the water. "Good job, Cassie!" said Mercedes.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled Nick, and wrapped his arms around Cassandra's waist and jumped in with her.
"Hey!" she said. Nicole, Emalia and Coreene were still sitting at the table watching and laughing at them.
"I guess that putting on bathing suits was out of the question for them!" said Nicole. "They all had their bathing suits on underneath their clothes, but I guess they couldn't wait!" The three of them who had their bathing suits on also, went over to the pool and jumped in. Isabella, Kevin, Howie, Jonathan, and Andrew then decided to join them too. They swam around for awhile, then A.J. spoke up.
"I say that we have a relay race."
"Teams of two!" suggested Isabella. They all got out of the pool. A.J. and Isabella, Brian and Mercedes, Howie and Coreene, Jonathan and Nicole, and Nick and Cassandra branched off into groups. Kevin and Emalia went inside to watch television, and Andrew decided to judge.
"Ready, go!" said Andrew. They were off. The guys went first, then tagged the girls. Sitting at the finish line, was Andrew, ready to call the winners.
Then it was over. "The winners are, Brian and Mercedes!" Mercedes jumped up and clapped. She pecked Brian on the lips. "Second place, is Nick and Cassandra. Third place is Coreene and Howie. Fourth place is Nicole and Jonathan. And fifth place is A.J. and Isabella!"
"Hey, what'd we win?" asked Brian.
"Well," said Andrew. Let me call in Emalia and Kevin. He walked inside and saw Emalia with her head on Kevin's shoulder and he decided not to interrupt them. "I don't want to interrupt them. Anyway, you won the first piece of cheesecake!"
They all sat down, and Andrew handed Brian and Mercedes one plate with one piece of cheescake with strawberries, and one fork. Andrew and Cassandra had the biggest smirks on their faces. Brian picked up the fork, cut a piece off, and fed it to Mercedes.
"It's pretty good. Me and Cass are awesome. Here," she said. She took the fork, cut a piece off and fed it to Brian.
"My compliments to the chefs!" he said, and looked at Mercedes and smiled his smile that melted her heart.
"Okay! Now that that's done," said Andrew breaking the silence, "it's time for the rest of us!" He cut slices for everyone.
"Nick, you have something-" said Cassandra and pointed to his mouth. "Here let me get it," she said and kissed him, then licked her lips. "All gone."
"Thanks," he said, and smiled at her.
"What about Emalia and Kevin?" asked Nicole.
"Well, you can't just go in and interrupt them," said Andrew.
"Yes you can. I'll go," said Coreene. She got up and walked inside. "Hey, you guys, do you want any cheesecake?"
"No thanks," said Kevin.
"What about Emalia?"
"Well, she's kinda, asleep."
"Oh," said Coreene and walked back out.
"What'd they say?" asked Howie.
"He said no thanks and that Emalia's kinda asleep."
"Aww," said Isabella.