“Nick! I’m dying in here, can we go home?” I yell, fanning myself from the heat. He tugs on his shirt collar and wipes the sweat from his brow.
“Absolutely,” he grabs my hand and we exit the building. He opens the door from me and I slide in while he walks around to his side. “So, where now? The night’s still young,” he smiles cheekily, and I look at the clock. It was about 12:45, and I knew of a small dollar-theatre that would still be open.
“Let’s go to the movie place, you know the one over on Lamar and 27th street?” He nods, and revs up the engine, only to find it failing. “Nick, come on. Start the car,” I glance nervously around the vehicle.
We had driven all the way to downtown Tampa to check out this new club, and I’m terrified of this neighbourhood. I’m sure I can deal with it, having lived in Brooklyn all my life, but I know what can happen in places like this.
“I… can’t,” he says simply, turning the key in the ignition. After several more tries, he bites his lip and turns to me. “Uh-oh.”
“What is it? No gas, or something?”
He shakes his head violently, “No, I put gas in this damn thing this morning!”
“But… didn’t you have Brian’s car this morning?”
He closes his eyes and throws his head back against the seat, “Damnit!” I giggle hysterically and he looks at me. “You think this is funny?” he asks, then breaks into a smile.
“Now, what are we supposed to do?” I ask him, and he shrugs.
“McDonalds?” he asks, pointing down the street. I nod and we climb out of the truck.
“Ugh, my feet hurt,” I complain as I hop down from the truck and trip on my high heels. “Oww!” I yell, grabbing my foot in pain. “Fuck!” I mumble, taking my heel off.
“Aww, you okay baby?” he asks laughing, and picks me up off the ground. I glare up at him. “Want a ride?” he asks me and, before giving me time to respond, throws me over his shoulder.
“Nick! Stop being an ass and put me down! I can still walk! Nick!” I yell his name at exactly the same time as someone else. Looking around we spot a small crowd of girls gathered near the club’s entrance.
Nick groans and sets me down. Grabbing my hand, we run off towards the McDonalds.
Spotting a patch of bushes, Nick pulls Ali into them as they run for cover.
”Oww!” Alicia screams as he covers her mouth.
He holds up a finger to his lip and looks through the bushes for the girls. She holds up her arm in front of his face showing a small gash which is now producing blood. It was a thorn bush, and Nick had a small cut on the side of his face.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” he says, kissing her arm, hoping to make it feel better.
“Nick, you’re bleeding!” she whispers loudly, wiping his temple, and completely forgetting about herself.
“It doesn’t matter. Are you alright?” he asks, as usual, putting Ali before himself.
Ali smiles and kisses the cut. “Feel better?” she asks.
He looks into her eyes and leans in to kiss her. “Of course,” he mumbles against her lips.
“Ahh!” Ali screams, backing away from him.
“What? What?!” Nick asks, his eyes wide.
“I felt something on my leg!” she shrieks, and Nick chuckles.
“Relax, babe. That was my hand.”
She blushes and slaps his chest. “Idiot! You scared me! I thought a spider was crawling up my skirt!”
“I heard something over there! I’m telling you they are over there!” yells one girl.
“No! They are over there! I saw them go over there!” argues another.
“Uh-oh, what do we do? Wait, how about you hide behind that big dumpster, and I’ll tell the girls you went towards the club again, okay?” Ali suggests.
Nick nods and gives her a quick kiss before shuffling over to the dumpster. Ali stands up and brushes off some twigs.
“There she is! Where’s Nick?” they demand, and she shrugs.
“That way, I think,” she points to the club and they rush off to the same way they came, all too dense to realise they would have seen him.
Nick crawls back to Ali and thanks her, “Now, why don’t we go to McDonalds? I’m freezing and horny as hell from seeing you in that little ‘outfit’ of yours.” She giggles and he continues. “We can go in the bathroom or whatever and fool around a little bit. I’ve never had sex in Micky D’s before,” he whispers in her ear.
“I have,” she giggles, and he pulls away.
“But… you told me you were a virgin.”
Her eyes widen and she pulls him closer. “You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say, ‘I have had a fantasy about it once.’ Remember that time you took me there and we played in the little playground like four-year-olds?” He smiles and nods. “I wanted you so bad right then,” she grins, and he smirks.
“All you had to do was ask,” he wraps his arms around her and nibbles on her neck. She lets her hands travel down his stomach then down his legs, feeling something in both pockets.
“I’m hoping ONE of these is what I think it is,” she giggles and pulled it out of his pocket. “I was right! Nick, you have a cell phone!” she exclaims.
“Oh yeah. My bad. Lemme call Jade. She can come pick us up.”
The phone rings and Brian groans. He looks at me and kisses me again.
“Ignore it.”
“I aim to,” I smile and pull him down onto my body again. The phone keeps ringing. It’s kinda hard to ignore. I kiss Brian and then reach for the handset, cursing the guy who had invented its annoyingly shrill ring. “This better be good.”
“Hi Jady.” It’s Nick and he’s giggling a bit.
“Nick,” I look over at Brian and he buries his head in the pillow with a groan. “Is this good? It’s like 1am.”
“I know. We kinda got stranded…”
“Stranded?” I repeat.
“Yeah, I forgot to fuel my car up and we’re stuck in downtown Tampa.”
“Aww, shame,” I say sarcastically.
“Will ya come get us?”
“Nup.”
“Oh, c’mon!” he whines.
I laugh. “You’re the doofus who forgot to put gas in!”
“I put it in Brian’s car instead!”
I laugh harder. “That’s even dumber!”
“Gee thanks. I’m gonna sulk now.”
“Yeah, work that pout Nicky. I can’t see ya so doesn’t affect me…”
“Oh you’re a hard woman Jade. Brian’d come pick me up…” he starts wheedling.
“Brian’s here. Why don’t you ask him?” I hand the phone to Brian.
“Nick… What do ya want?” Brian asks, still under the pillow.
“You got a cold?”
“Naw.”
“But you sound muffled.”
“That’s cos I am.”
“Ah, say no more,” Nick laughs dirtily.
“Shut up Nicky. What do ya want? I’m tryin’ to get a little time with my girl here.”
“Sorry Bri. We got stranded in downtown Tampa.”
“Why?”
“I filled up your car instead of mine.”
Brian laughs. “Hey thanks bro!”
“Come get us.”
“Hey, why would I wanna do that?”
“Cos I’m your best friend…” Nick whines. “And I’m cold and we’re in a bush and there’s these mad girls hunting me down.”
Brian chuckles. “Yeah well, I’m warm and in bed and with Jade and naked.”
“Ew, thanks for that image Bri.”
Brian laughs. “What do I get?”
“Uh… A full tank of petrol?”
“I already got that.”
“Oh man! Ok, I’ll give ya a 20 point start next time we play b-ball.”
“Ok,” Brian sits up. “Gimme twenty minutes. Where are ya?”
“Outside the Star club.”
“Ok. I’ll be there.”
“In the bushes opposite the McDonalds sign,” Nick adds, making Brian burst out laughing as he hangs up.
“Nick and Ali are hiding in some bushes,” Brian chuckles and moves on top of me for a long kiss. “I guess I better go rescue ‘em.”
“Yeah!” I laugh, thinking of Ali in a clump of bushes. The girl is about as scared of creepy crawlies as I am. And that’s saying something.
“Keep me company?” he climbs out of bed and starts getting dressed.
“Oh sure!” I giggle. “I’m not passing up on the chance to see Ali and Nick doin’ their SAS thing.”
About half an hour later, we pull up outside the Star club and climb out. Brian checks around cautiously for the girls Nick had told him about but there’s no sign of them. I spot the McDonalds sign and point towards the bushes opposite it with a smothered giggle. Brian grins wickedly and we both creep round opposite sides.
“FREEZE!” we yell simultaneously.
“ARGHHH!” yells Nick.
“SHIT!” yells Ali, as they both leap up and face us.
I take in their faces and have to double over for laughing so much. Ali’s mascara has smeared down her face from sweating in the heat of the club and her hair is full of twigs and leaves. Nick’s hair looks like he got dragged through a bush backwards or, for any BSBer, like he was going to the Billboard Awards. Brian is laughing hard on the other side of them and Nick scowls at him.
“Ya took your time!” he accuses.
“S…S…Sorry!” Brian manages to choke out.
Brian tries to creep out of my room quietly the next morning but he kinda ruins it by tripping over his bag in the hallway. I open my eyes and groan quietly. He had told me last night that he has an interview scheduled for 11am today. I roll over in my bed and glance at the clock. It reads 10am and I smile to myself as I pick up the phone. Time for me to get a little revenge on AJ. I dial his number and he answers after a while, sounding sleepy and grumpy.
“What?”
“Hey AJ, good morning!” I say in an irritatingly bright voice. He groans. “See? The phone isn’t that great first thing in the morning.”
“Ok, ok,” he mutters. “Point taken. Now did ya want somethin’ or are you just bugging the hell outta me?”
I laugh. “Jeez, AJ you sure are friendly in the mornings. I’d hate to wake up beside ya.” The minute I said that I mentally kicked myself. “So, uh…” I rush on. “I was wondering if you wanted to do somethin’ today?”
“With you?”
“Well, duh.”
“I mean, JUST you?” he adds suspiciously.
“Yeah. Just me.”
“Ok.”
“Cool. What do you feel like?”
“Sleeping,” he mutters.
“Ok, I’ll hang up now then…”
“No, no, I’m awake now. Uh, maybe watch a video?”
“Sure. Sounds great. I’m feelin’ lazy today. Your place or mine?”
“Mine I guess. Just come on over later.”
“Ok, about 5?”
“Sure. Bye Jade.” He hangs up and I stare at the phone. He hadn’t sounded very talkative. What HAVE I let myself in for?
An hour or so later, there’s a knock on the door and I open it to Jay.
“Jay! You’re back already!” I throw myself into his arms and he chuckles.
“Hey, some welcome. I should come back more often.”
I laugh and lead him into the lounge. “You should STAY.” He grins and sits down as I remember what Ali had told me.
“Maybe I’ll do that Jady.” He looks around, “Ali around?”
“Nup,” I stand looking at him as he closes his eyes wearily.
I just don’t know what to do about this whole Ali/Jay/Nick situation. I mean, yeah it has fuck all to do with me… But Jay’s my brother. Don’t I owe him the truth? But then again, Ali’s my best friend. Don’t I owe her a little loyalty? And what about Nick? He has already become one of my best friends. I owe him something too. Staring down at my brother, I make my decision. I sit next to him.
“Uh, Jay… What’s goin’ on between you and Ali?”
“Huh?” The question takes him by surprise.
“She told me, Jay,” I tell him.
“She did?” he faces me. “Why you asking then?”
I sigh. “I just want to know Jay. Are you SERIOUSLY going to move down here?”
He shrugs. “Maybe.”
“But you can’t!” I burst out passionately.
He looks surprised. “Why not?”
“You just can’t!”
“I thought you’d like to have me around.”
“I would!”
He folds his arms. “Doesn’t sound like it to me.”
“Jay, you’re my brother and I miss you a lot. But I know how important your job in Atlanta is to you.”
“Maybe Ali is just as important.”
“Oh, don’t say that!” I groan.
“Why not?”
“You just can’t.”
“Why the fuck not?!” he yells. “Are you jealous or somethin’? Would I cramp your style?”
“No!”
“Then why?!”
“Because Ali’s already got a BOYFRIEND!” I yell at him. He jumps back like I just slapped him across the face and I immediately wish I could take those words back. I put a hand on his arm but he pushes me away. “I’m sorry Jay.”
“Who is he?” he asks in a dangerously low voice.
“Nick,” I almost whisper.
“That blonde dumbass?!”
“He’s not a dumbass,” I defend.
“Whatever.” He starts pacing the room angrily. “Well, ain’t that fucking GREAT. When the hell was she gonna tell me?! When I friggin’ MOVED?!”
“No… She didn’t know what to do. I think she might love you both.”
“You can’t love two people. And how long has it been going on?”
“Four months.”
“Four MONTHS?!” he spits out at me. “And you knew! Why the fuck didn’t you TELL me?!”
“She’s my BEST friend Jay…”
“I’m your BROTHER!”
“What could I have said?”
“How about… Jay, this is Ali’s boyfriend Nick?”
“I know,” I hang my head. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, so am I,” he throws me one last angry look and stalks out of the room.
I hear the front door slam a few seconds later and rest my head against the couch with a heavy sigh. I had handled that well. Way to go, Jade. Before I can close my eyes, I hear the door open and shut, and Ali comes into the room.
“Whoa, what’s up with Jay? He just drove outta here like his butt was on fire and we ran outta water!” Any other time I would’ve laughed at Ali’s description but I just feel so guilty. She notices my face and sits down. “Jady?”
“Uh, I told him Ali. I’m sorry.”
“Told him what?”
“About Nick,” I wince, waiting for the explosion. She doesn’t disappoint.
“You did WHAT?!” she jumps up and glares at me. “It wasn’t fucking yours to tell!”
“He’s my brother Ali, and he needed to know.”
“Oh and I’m just your best friend, the girl who covered your ass with AJ God knows how many times! Jeez, THANKS for your loyalty Jade.” She paces the room, “Fuck Jade, I was gonna tell him myself.”
“When?! He was seriously goin’ to move here.”
“I would’ve told him… When I decided what to do.”
“Ali… You love Nick. You really do. You just got confused when Jay turned up. And that’s ok, but don’t lose sight of what you have with Nick.”
“When I tell Nick about my past I won’t have ANYTHING with him.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“You can’t pick Jay for that reason. He deserves to be more than just second best. You deserve more than that too.”
A few tears roll down her face. “Maybe I don’t,” she sniffs and then heads towards the door. “You still shouldn’t have told him Jade,” she leaves and a few seconds later I hear her car speeding away.
I sit in silence for a while and then reach for the phone. I really need to hear Brian’s voice.