Chapter Two

**TWO DAYS LATER**

"Are we gonna go? I’m starvin’,” Brian complained.

"Yeah, we’ll go ahead if everybody else is ready.” Kevin was met with nods.

"Let me call Leigh an see if she’s gonna go,” Brian said as the other four headed outside. Picking up the phone he dialed the number and waited for an answer. After three rings, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"J? You wanna come to lunch with me?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, I--"

"Please?" he tried hard to sound as pathetic as possible.

"Okay," he heard her giggle.

After telling her where to meet him, they said goodbye and he left for the waiting van.

**15 MINUTES LATER**

Jade walked into the restaurant and pushed her shades on top of her head. She glanced around for Brian and immediately turned to leave when she found him.

Feeling his hand on her shoulder, Jade tried to shrug him away. "What the hell is your problem Brian?"

"Jade, you should be here," he said turning her to face him.

"Why? Why should I Brian? So I can embarrass myself even more? Tell me Brian," she retorted, glaring at him. "What’s the big deal about my being here?"

"Dammit Jade! Stop being so self-righteous!" Brian’s outburst surprised her. "Why shouldn’t you be here? You have as much right to be here as he does. I want you here!"

Her eyes watered over and she took a deep breath. "I really don’t want to be around him. Not yet."

"J, you’ve avoided him long enough. Just act normal," Brian reassured her. "So? Will you come have lunch with us?"

"I guess," she sighed reluctantly, knowing he was determined. "But I don’t know if I can act completely normal or not."

Walking back to the table, she felt everyone staring. Saying hello, she could feel his gaze on her. Glancing up, she couldn’t take her eyes away. She was finally able to break their gaze when Brian pulled a chair out for her. Everyone else resumed their conversations as Jade looked over a menu.

"So, Jade, what’s new?" AJ asked offering her a cigarette.

"Not a lot. I just decided to take a vacation from work and just relax. I realized how exhausted I was." She took a cigarette from the pack. Laughing she replied, "I think I was about to have a nervous breakdown."

Lighting the cigarette, she was able to sneak a glance at Kevin. He was talking to Howie and waiting for his food.

Brian looked at Jade with disapproval and asked, "When did you start smoking?"

"I’ve smoked on and off since I was 15, Brian," she shrugged. "You’re not gonna lecture me are you? I don’t want to sit through another one like with Daddy and Kevin." She immediately regretted bringing him into the conversation.

Kevin glanced toward her and smiled slightly. Jade didn’t see his smile though. She was too worried about who was headed in their direction.

"Hey, baby," Alexia, Kevin’s current on again, off again girlfriend who Jade oh-so-affectionately deemed ‘Kevin’s Current Trophy/Slut’, came up and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry I’m late."

Alexia was a typical model type. Tall with almost all legs, long dark hair, big green eyes ‘to match her Kevvy’s!’. She had about as much brain power as a stuffed animal, so Jade thought. But she had the body and the looks...no wonder the guys deemed her "Sexy Lexi." Jade wanted to throw up at just the sight of her.

Jade looked at Brian and whispered, "I should go. You know we don’t get along."

"No."

"Brian, I-"

"No," he repeated. "You’re gonna sit right there and have lunch. And dammit, you will enjoy it!"

**AFTER LUNCH**

Jade offered to drive Brian and Nick back to their apartment. "Do you know how much she hates me? For some reason she has always been threatened by me...she’s crazy!" Stopping only long enough to take a breath, she started talking again. "I have always been overly nice to her, but she has always been such a bitch to me! And why? Because I’m-was, I was so close to Kevin. That’s it!"

When she pulled into their driveway, Brian looked at her and asked, "You wanna come in for a while? To talk?"

Not really hearing his question, Jade turned to him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. "You know what’s even worse?" Without giving him time to respond she answered, "He told me they had broken up. That’s the only reason I told him how I felt. He lied to me."

Next Chapter

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