Anne frowned and looked at the dent. "Angela, what am I supposed to tell Kent? He's already mentioned that Nick was snotty to him. I don't want to multiply those feelings."
"I don't know, Ann. I mean, can't you make something up?" She looked at Ann with her best angelic expression and Ann melted, as she always did. Sighing, she said, "I guess I'll think of something. I'm just not very happy about it."
Angela smiled and suggested, "You could yell at Nick."
Ann rolled her eyes. "Dear God, Angela, I couldn't yell at that boy if my life depended on it. He's too cute."
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" Angela agreed.
"Oh, and by the way," Ann said, switching gears. "Professor Hodgkins called from the university, something about a computer?"
Angela's eyes brightened. "YES! What did he say?!"
"Well...." Ann said pausing intentionally, knowing the added information would crush Angela. "It was something along the lines that the university wouldn't allow him to give it to you."
"What?!?" Angela replied in disbelief. "He promised it to me! He said if I built their web page, he'd make sure I got the computer!" She walked away from Ann, obviously upset. "Are you sure?"
It was Anne's turn to look at the ground. "Yes, sweetie. I'm sure." She moved to Angela and touched her hair softly. "I'm sorry, Angie. I'm sorry."
Angela looked away with tears in her eyes. "He used me. The fuckin' bastard used me. I spent HOURS...." Her voice broke from emotion and she stopped to regain her composure before finishing. "I spent hours building that site, Ann."
"I'm sure you did, baby, but try not to worry about it right now." Ann looked over at the others, who were now watching with concern, wondering what was upsetting Angela so much. "You've got a blond hunk over there just waiting to kiss your tears away."
Angela grinned amidst her tears, as she was jogged back to her current life....the one away from her normal, boring one. "He's hot, isn't he?"
Ann laughed loudly and touched Angela's hair affectionately one more time. "Yes, dear, he is, for a young one. How old is he?"
"Nineteen," Angela replied, giggling.
"My goodness, I didn't think he was THAT young." She looked over at Nick and waved when she realized he'd caught her. She murmured to Angela, "They didn't make 'em like that when I was nineteen."
"Me either, Ann. Me either," Angela replied as they headed back to the group.
Once reunited, they all headed for the house. Nick slipped his arm around Angela and purposely walked slower than the others to set them apart. Once out of earshot, he asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, Nick, everything's okay." Angela responded.
"Is she mad about the car? Cos if it's about the car, I don't mind 'fessing up." He looked at her seriously and it made her want to laugh, for some reason.
"No, Nick, it's not about the car," she reassured. "It was about some Professor at school, that's all."
"But everything's okay, right?" Nick asked again.
"Yes! Everything's all right!" Angela didn't want to discuss the issue, and she hoped her firmness would deter him, which it did.
"Okay!" Nick said defensively. "You try to show a little concern for your fellow human beings, and THIS is the respect you get."
"The question isn't whether I respect you or not," Angela said, fishing for information. "It's whether or not YOU respect ME. That's what's important."
"Hey, I'm not the one who threw myself at you in the car," he replied, playfully. "I was being all respectful, minding my own business, and you're like, Let's make out!"
"I, did, NOT say that!" Angela said, slugging him. "You exaggerate greatly, Nick Carter."
Nick looked at her slyly and smiled sexily. "Ah, but let's see what happens when the lights go down tonight. THEN we'll see who's bullshitting who."
"Don't get any ideas, Nick," Angela replied, unsure if she really meant to say that. She hadn't even thought about what would happen later on in the heat of the night.
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Once everyone was in the house, Ann clapped her hands loudly to get their attention. "Listen up, kids," she said, looking at Kevin and winking. "I have some good news."
Ann waited for the mulling around and goofing off to stop before continuing. "I talked to Kent today, and got him to agree that all work and no play makes the Backstreet Boys dull boys."
As she prepared to continue, AJ raised his hand and asked. "Did you say DOUGH boys? Cos Nick's been a dough boy for quite some time now."
Unbelievably, Kevin was the first to break out laughing at AJ's crack on Nick, but everyone else joined in soon after. Nick looked away, trying not to laugh himself, while maintaining a pissed-off look. He couldn't believe AJ'd actually lasted THIS long before cracking at him again anyway.
Ann smiled, but didn't laugh. "Dull, AJ, Dull." She cleared her throat.
"ANYWAY, before I was so rudely interrupted, I made a few calls from work today and managed to get the Alley to let you guys hang out there tonight, if you want to. Gary said that he would let you in and leave you the keys to lock up when you leave. But I have one condition: I need promises from all of you that you won't damage the place."
"What's 'the Alley'?" asked Brian.
Kim Ann let out a whoop and said, "It's a bowling alley, and it ROCKS!"
"Kim Ann, don't get any wild ideas," Ann chided. "I'm expecting you to all act like the adults that you are." She glanced at Nick and added, "Or are trying to be."
Nick threw his arms in the air in mock anger. "You know, I don't know WHAT I did to deserve this, but who the heck made this pick-on-Nick day? Huh?"
"Oh, chill out, Nick, I was just joking." Ann replied, smiling at him warmly. "If I really wanted to pick on you, I'd tell Kent what you did to his car."
Nick's eyes widened and he looked at Angela as if she'd stabbed him in the back. "You really ARE a traitor."
Ann interrupted his accusation. "Angie doesn't lie to me. We have an understanding. If something happens that's going to tick Kent off, then it's better to have me on her side." She looked away despondently and added, "I just don't know what the hell I'm going to TELL Kent on this one."
Abruptly, Ann turned to leave. "I'd better go. I forgot about some business I need to attend to before 6," she said looking at her watch.
"That's right!" Kim Ann blurted out. "The one-hour photo closes at 7, doesn't it?"
As much as she tried, Ann couldn't help but smile guiltily. She could feel her face turning warm from the embarrassment. "Why yes. Yes, it does." As she headed out with all the good-bye's echoing behind her, she stopped and yelled back. "He said he'd have the place ready at 9, okay? That's closing time on Monday's. Everyone should be gone by then."
Angela watched out the window as Ann paused to look at the dent before getting into her car, smiling. She couldn't believe how easily she'd gotten out of trouble over the dent. Would the fairy tale never end?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Five
Story Index
