"AJ! Phone" Brian called, throwing AJ's ringing cell phone at him as he came rushing out of the bathroom, quickly trying to zip up his pants. "Gross.."
"You really wanna see my underwear Bri" AJ snapped sarcastically, as he grabbed the phone from Brian. "Yeah it's me."
AJ looked slightly apologetic. "Oh hi mom."
Brian continued to sit in front of the TV flicking through the channels, trying hard to not listen in on AJ's conversation. AJ began to pace up and down the living room, making small noises sporadically in the conversation. He was contracting his face into a thoughtful expression, nodding his head continuously as he talked.
"Yeah alright, I don't know. I can't promise...yeah I'll see. Talk to you later mom." AJ clicked his phone off and flopped down onto the armchair next to him, raising his eyebrow at Brian. "Bri?"
"Yeah" Brian said, pretending to be engrossed in the television programme he was watching.
"Since when have you been interested in the mating habits of badgers?"
"Since always. I'm a big badgers fan" Brian stammered, trying to answer AJ without giving himself away.
"So you wanna know what my mom said or not?" AJ said with a smile as he rolled his eyes at Brian.
"Only if you wanna tell me" Brian responded nonchalantly.
AJ opened his mouth to speak when he heard Howie and Kevin come in, carrying a bag of groceries each. "Hey you're back!"
"We live here. You don't though" Howie said, teasing AJ.
AJ ignored the comment and kept talking. "Finally! I am so hungry. Brian here tried to cook macaroni and cheese but it stuck to the pan and when he couldn't get it out he suggested we actually eat it from there. And as I was telling him he has totally misplaced his brain somewhere along the line and I would not eat burnt macaroni from a pan while fully conscious."
"Uh yeah" Howie and Kevin both glanced at their bright haired friend in bewilderment, as he followed them into the kitchen, rummaging through the bags excitedly. AJ unearthed a chocolate bar and quickly consumed it, while his friends stood gaping at him. "What the..."
"You may want to chew AJ. Doctors highly recommend it for some reason" Kevin finally said, as Howie began to quickly unpack the groceries before they totally disappeared into AJ's mouth.
AJ dismissed Kevin with a hand and tried to peer over Howie's shoulder to see what else they had bought. He reached over Howie for a big box of cookies when Howie slapped him on the wrist. "Don't you have your own apartment?"
"Oh that reminds me" AJ exclaimed, slapping his head up to his forehead. "BRIAN!"
"Right here Bone" Brian said, rubbing his ear from his position next to AJ, which he obviously hadn't noticed, in all his excitement over the food.
"When did you...? Oh never mind. Anyway I have something to ask you guys, and you can say no but I'd like you to think it over first" AJ quickly declared, noticing Brian, Kevin and Howie were all giving him dubious looks. "Don't worry, it's perfectly legal."
"That's a first" Brian muttered, forcing Kevin and Howie to let out their stifled laughter.
"Okay, here it goes..."
**************
"Absolutely not" Kevin announced immediately after AJ had finished talking. He shook his head at his friend, who was in turn flashing him a pleading look. "No way AJ."
"D? Bri?" AJ asked, turning hopefully to the other two.
"No" Brian and Howie both firmly responded.
"Why not? Come on, as a favour to my mom?"
"AJ I know you're a bit stupid. But you can't be that stupid" Kevin said giving AJ a look of disbelief. "It's not gonna work."
"Why not?" AJ said, almost whining.
"Several reasons" Kevin replied, as he began counting them off on his fingers. "One we don't have room, two why can't you do it and three are those goggles on too tight cause it will never work."
"It's for a couple of months tops" AJ countered, flashing Kevin a begging look which he hoped would work.
"No" Kevin stated stubbornly.
"Look she's mom's best friend's daughter so I can't just throw her onto the street. She's coming from another state, and she needs some place to stay while she starts college. I don't have room in my apartment for another person, and you have that little room thingy out the back anyway..."
"AJ count with me" Brian said. "Brian, Kevin and Howie. How many does that make?"
"Three" AJ responded, slightly puzzled.
"Okay hence three people, three bedrooms no room."
"But what about that extension part out the back. That doesn't get used." AJ suggested hopefully.
"That's not a room AJ, that's the walk-in closet attached to Howie's room" Brian replied witheringly.
"She can sleep on your couch?" AJ persisted.
"AJ!" The three exclaimed at once.
"Okay, okay. But that poor girl is not going to have anywhere to live her first semester of college. Now what am I suppose to say?"
"Unless..." Brian trailed off.
"What?" AJ said, as he went in search of his cell phone to call his mother to tell her the bad news.
"Hang on" Brian remarked, snatching the phone from AJ. "Are you sure you can't do it? Your apartment does have that extra bedroom and all..."
"I'd like to but I can't. An old friend of mine moving down to Florida's gonna be staying there until his house is being built" AJ answered with a regretful shrug of his shoulders. "Thanks anyway guys."
"Wait, there's till a certain young member of our group, who recently got his own house with an extra room who hasn't been asked yet" Brian grinned, after realising he could possibly help AJ and this girl out.
"You mean..." AJ began knowingly.
There was a sudden knock at the door, while Howie got up to answer it. They could all hear Nick's unmistakable voice make its way through the house, as AJ gave Brian and Kevin a hopeful grin. Nick suddenly stepped into the kitchen, calling out a general greeting to everyone before heading for the fridge to raid it.
All four looked at each other, then over at Nick who was leaning into the fridge trying hard to find something to eat. Howie, Brian and Kevin motioned for AJ to ask Nick what he had asked them, while AJ looked a bit hesitant.
"Hey guys....whoa, what AJ?" Nick said as he looked up from the fridge and found AJ's hopeful face barely a few inches from his.
"Take a seat Nick. I got a proposition for you."
Chapter Two
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