"Hey, you, " Sandra replied, blushing a little. It made her a little paranoid that everyone might see that she liked Brian, so she quickly changed and focused on everyone. "You know," she added, "Now that I've got you all in one room, I just have to say that you guys are really short. What's up with that?"
"I'm not short," said Nick climbing down the ladder and hopping onto the floor beside her.
"Okay," said Sandra. "That statement was a little general, but....you three..." she pointed to Howie, AJ, and Brian, "…are pretty short."
"And your point is?" asked Brian.
"I dunno, no point, except that you're short." Sandra shrugged and then added, "But I guess not everyone can be tall, dark and handsome, like Kevin, eh?"
"Whatever...." said AJ, laughing. "I may be short, but I got it where it counts." He gave her a long stare, straight on in the eyes until she looked away.
"AJ!" said Nick, looking a little disconcerted, since he didn't know Kim Ann and Sandra yet. "Be nice!"
"You see, Sandra?" continued AJ. "YOUR friend's a little backwards, MY friend's a little backwards. I don't know if Nick has a COMPLEX or anything, but he's definitely a little backwards." AJ just couldn't resist baiting Sandra, even at Angela's expense, after she'd made a big deal about his height.
"I'm not backwards," argued Nick. "I'm just polite, AJ." He had no idea of what AJ's comment had actually entailed, but whatever it was, it wasn't flattering.
It was too easy to pick on Nick, but someone had to do it, figured AJ. Against his better judgment, he just HAD to add the crushing blow. "Ahhhhh, so that's it. Nick is polite. I can just hear all the 'Please' and 'Thank You's' going on tonight."
Kim Ann giggled softly and looked at Sandra. She could tell that Sandra wanted to laugh herself, but for Angela's sake was holding it in. "AJ, you are such a dick sometimes," replied Nick, as he dipped the paintbrush in the paint bucket casually. There was no way that AJ was going to make him look like a fool in a room of women. "I should kick your ass. No, I guess not -- I've already done that once today. I forgot." He pulled the brush out, thick with paint and flicked it at AJ. "I'll just cover you with paint this time."
AJ stood there momentarily with paint dripping down his hair, face, and clothes. "You are so dead, NickAY!" he yelled, lunging at Nick.
Nick quickly ran behind Kevin and used him as protection from AJ. "Kevin!"
"Will you let go of me, Nick?!?" said Kevin, breaking away. By then, AJ had grabbed another paint brush and thrusted it into the paint can. "AJ! STOP RIGHT NOW! I will NOT have you messing this room up by starting a PAINT fight!"
"ME? Starting a paint fight! How about NICK starting a paint fight?" argued AJ.
"I don't care WHO started it," answered Kevin, "It ain't goin' any further. Understood?"
Nick was standing behind him the entire time pointing his finger at AJ, mocking Kevin, and AJ started laughing and walked away. Kevin turned around just in time to catch the last of Nick's impression of him. "You know, Nick, I'm not gonna save your ass anymore if you don't knock off YOUR crap, either."
"Why Kevin, I didn't know that you were saving me. I just thought you were tryin' to be a stud for the chicks," said Nick, wide-eyed.
Kevin laughed reluctantly and shoved Nick. "Get away from me, dip shit."
Howie smiled at Kim Ann. "You see what I have to deal with on a daily basis?" He pointed at Nick. "Nick is THE instigator of the group."
"Uh, Howie," replied Nick. "I'd love to be THE instigator of the group, but you must have me confused with AJ, perhaps?"
"Nick, I call it like I see it. You started it all in the Durango this morning. Remember?" asked Howie.
"Whatever," answered Nick, looking suspiciously guilty.
Brian, ignoring the current conversation entirely, addressed Kim Ann. "So, you're the wild and crazy redhead that Angela's been telling me about."
"It's all true, too," said Kim Ann.
"Well, she didn't go into great detail," replied Brian, then adding, "Just enough to scare me."
"Well, don't you worry, Brian," Kim Ann retorted. "You're safe."
Brian tilted his head, half-smiling. "Well, I'm sort of relieved to hear that."
"From me," Kim Ann added quickly, looking at Sandra as she said it to emphasize that he wasn't entirely safe.
"Kim ANN!" Sandra protested, not minding it TOO much. "You are OUR instigator. You see what WE have to put up with, Howie? Right, Angela?" She was hoping to lighten up the prior situation between Angela and Kim Ann, but it didn't have quite the impact she was looking for.
"No comment," said Angela matter of factly, not budging on her discontent towards Kim Ann. She continued speaking, as if she hadn't even addressed Sandra in the first place. "Hey, AJ, if you get to the bathroom pretty fast, you can get that paint off with water. If it dries, it'll be a lot harder to get out of your hair."
For some reason, her simple instructions for paint removal made AJ feel guilty. He decided he would pull her from the group and apologize in privacy. "Yeah, well, can you help out? I'll need someone to tell me if I got it all."
"Sure." Angela went to leave the room with AJ when she heard Nick "cough" out the word "Traitor." She turned and smiled at him as she left. "Instigator."
Chapter
Twenty-One
Chapter Nineteen
Story Index
