“I’ll see ya.”
“Yeah bye.”
I threw my keys on the kitchen table and checked my caller ID. Someone from the guys’ house had called 6 times and I had a feeling it was AJ. As I was browsing through my calls, the phone began to ring and I jumped. I looked on the ID screen and saw the guys’ number, so I didn’t pick it up.
~*~*~THE NEXT DAY~*~*~
I woke up the next morning at 11:00 so I just threw on my bathing suit and headphones. I spread a towel out in the sand behind my condo and laid down on my back. Usually, I would put Millennium in my CD player, but when I was sifting through my CDs, I skipped right over it to Britney Spears. I laughed to myself as I stuck ...Baby One More Time in my CD player.
I closed my eyes and accidentally fell asleep in the noon sun. When I woke up, it was almost 1:30. I looked down at my cherry red arms.
“Oh, great,” I said outloud. Then a tall shadow appeared over me.
“Umm did you see yourself?”
“Hey Kevin. I know, I’m bright red.”
“No, come here.” He took my arm and led me into my condo. He positioned me in front of a full-length mirror and I looked at myself.
“Oh god,” I whined as I stared at the words imprinted on my stomach: ‘We really need to talk-AJ.’ “What the hell is this?” I asked Kevin.
“He must have written it in sunscreen.”
“Great...”
“He’s right though, you need to talk to him...and Nick...and Mary. Actually Brian needs to talk to Mary too. He’s really pissed at her.”
~*~*~AT THE SAME TIME~*~*~
“Hello?” Brian answered his cell phone as he drove down the highway.
“Hey sweetie,” Mary said.
“Oh..hi.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he lied. “What?”
“Do you wanna do somethin?”
“Can’t.”
“Oh...why not?”
“I made plans yesterday, while you were with Justin, to go shopping with my old friend Jason today.”
“But I really wanna see you....it’s been so long.”
“Well where was that thought yesterday?” he said rudely before hanging up and turning off his phone so she couldn’t call back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Howie’s leaving to visit family so I’m gonna drive him to the airport. I’ll see ya later,” Kevin said to me.
“Kay. Later.”
“I’m gonna have ‘em all over tomorrow night and they’re gonna sit there and listen to every word I have to say to them,” Kevin explained to Howie on their way to the airport.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“Yep!”
When Kevin got home from the airport later that night, he picked up the phone and called Mary’s house. “Hey Mary.”
“Hi Kev.”
“I’m gonna have a BBQ tomorrow night. Wanna come?”
“Sure...if Brian isn’t there.”
“Come please. Just..ignore him.”
“I guess. What time?”
“About 8.”
“Ok. See ya then.”
“Uhuh. Bye.” Kevin hung up the phone then picked it up again and dialed my number. “Hey Lins!”
“Hi Kevin, what’s up?”
“Well, I’m gonna have a BBQ tomorrow night and I want you to come.”
“Ok I guess. But I won’t talk to AJ OR Nick.”
“That’s fine...bye.”
“Wait! What time?”
“Oh yeah...8.”
“Ok. Bye.”
Kevin, AJ, and Nick were watching Friends, when Brian came home. “Ok good. Now that you’re all here, I have to tell you something,” Kevin said as Brian set his coat on a chair. “I invited Mary and Lindsey over tomorrow night for dinner.”
“What?” the three of them chorused.
“No way man, I don’t wanna talk to Lindsey, she fucking lied to me!” Nick said.
“Yeah, she’s a little brat,” AJ added.
“Brat? Mary’s the brat!” Brian yelled. “Man Kevin, how could you do this without asking?”
“Really dude,” AJ agreed.
“Oh well, I just won’t be here,” Nick said carelessly.
“Oh yes..you will be...all of you!” Kevin stated firmly.
“Ugh!” they all said in disgust before exiting the room in anger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I walked into the guys’ condo and saw AJ, Brian, and Nick in the couch with pissed expressions on their faces. Kevin smiled as he emerged from the kitchen. “Hi Brian!” I smiled to him before following Kevin into the kitchen.
“I’m glad you actually came,” Kevin said just as the doorbell rang.
“Kevin...who’s that?” I asked slowly.
“Come in!” Kevin called loudly. Mary walked passed the living room and into the kitchen.
“Kevin!” I yelled. “You didn’t say anything about HER coming!”
“So?”
“God, that’s it! I’m outta here.”
“No,” he grabbed my arm with one hand and Mary’s arm with the other and pulled us into the living room. I sat down in a chair and Mary sat on the floor. Kevin stood in front of the five of us. “Ok, I want you all to listen to me. First, we’re gonna get this thing with Brian and Mary out of the way. Mary, you DO know why Brian’s mad at you...don’t you?”
Everyone looked at Mary, “No! He’s being stupid!”
“ME? What about you?” Brian yelled back.
“Stop it right now!” Kevin shouted over Brian. “Mary you haven’t seen Brian...your BOYFRIEND...for over a year and the day he comes back, you blow him off for two guys from ‘N Sync...you know that was wrong right?”
“I know,” she said softly. “I’m sorry...but Brian wouldn’t see me yesterday!”
“That’s because I was mad at you,” he said calmly.
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Good! Hey that’s 2 down only 4 more to go!” Kevin announced. “Now Lindsey, what’s your problem?” I didn’t respond. Instead I crossed my arms and sat back in the chair. “Lindsey don’t be a freaking baby. Talk to Mary, she’s one of your best friends.”
“WAS!” Mary corrected him. “Before HE came along,” she shot AJ an evil glance.
“It’s not my fault I’m a better friend than you,” he shot back.
“OK that’s enough. This is between Mary and Lindsey so everyone else shut up and let them talk.”
“You’ll always be one of my best friends, Mary. Even if AJ is my very best friend.”
“I know.”
“But when I needed you the most, you left me..just like what you did with Brian.”
“I know. I already apologized for that. I know it was wrong. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s ok. Just don’t do it again.”
She smiled, “I won’t, I promise.”
As Brian and Mary left the house, I stared at AJ and said, “Speaking of promises..”
“Ok, I was able to help fix the whole thing with Mary, Lindsey, and Brian, but I don’t think I can help you three...” Kevin trailed off as he stared at AJ, Nick, and me.