"That ass!"
"That creep!"
"That jerk!"
"I don't believe him! The nerve!"
"He should be drawn and quartered! Why if he were here I'd, well I'd-"
"I'd slice ‘em, and dice ‘em! He'd have to beg for mercy!"
A dark laugh came from the speakers, startling the girls. Mariama jumped. "What was that?"
"Ursula!" Lara nodded to the T.V. screen. Ursula of "The Little Mermaid" was laughing hideously.
"I wish she had killed Eric, that loser!" Cora sighed, laying back on her bed. She sat up abruptly. "Where's Grace? Why isn't Victoria back with her yet?"
Elisa shrugged, munching on a bag of Regular Lays Deli. "Maybe Grace didn't want to come," she suggested.
On the bed beside Cora, Kristen lay quietly. Melissa was smoothing her hair over her back. "You okay, hun?" She whispered. Kristen nodded silently.
"C'mon!" Beki cried, jumping to her feet. Her golden locks swirled around her. "You can't let yourself get all hemmed up because of a dumb ass!" Kristen sat up, and sighed. Beki jumped up and down angrily. "He's just a dumb boy! And you escaped him! You should be proud!" Beki pounced on Kristen's bed. "C'mon! Have a laugh!" Beki turned her head sideways and stuck her tongue out.
"Best to simply do what she wants," Melissa advised. "Or else you'll never hear the end of it!"
"Quite right!" Beki giggled. A small smile began to curve Kristen's lips. Her pale, green eyes glanced at Beki. "There now!" Beki cried. "Give us a hug!"
"Oh the nerve!" Alison started again, angrily. "How could he be so presumptuous? If he were here I'd, oh! I don't know!" She flopped back down in her chair, thinking.
Grace lay quiet and content in Howie's strong arms. The hot water relaxed her mind, and her thoughts drifted into dreams. As she rested, she felt Howie playing with her hair, and dripping warm water over her face. For fun, Grace decided to play sleeping.
"Grace?" Howie whispered. She stayed silent, and though he could not see it, something near a smile played across her lips. Howie lifted his girlfriend out of the water, and slid around her side, so he could look at her face. He brushed his fingers over her mouth, and her cheeks and her eyes. He let his fingers linger, running them under the water and tracing lines down her side.
"I love you," He told her softly. "I don't think you know how I missed you, and how I prayed for you. You know, I think you're right. It would have been different, if we had met under other circumstances. I probably wouldn't have fallen for you so fast, but I think that, somehow, we still would have ended up like this." Howie swallowed on his words. "You overwhelm me, Grace. I look you. I just, I can't stop looking at you, and touching you, and feeling you close to me. I still can't believe you're really here, I just . . . The first time I almost lost you, it was different. We had just met, and I was more traumatized, than concerned with our future together. But, when you decided to go, and I thought I'd never see you again, it was as if I really had lost you."
Howie stared at her face. He leaned down slowly, and kissed her forehead. "You are so beautiful. . ." He murmured, touching her soft skin. "And you scare me. You have a power over me . . . and I know, there was no way I could have told you to leave tonight. You belong in my life . . ."
Grace lay beneath Howie, too stunned to move. His words sent chills through her body. She felt his lips descend upon her flesh, her lips, her forehead, her neck. His hands lost themselves in her hair, as his mouth traveled further and further down her body, and under the warm water. Grace drew a quick breath, as sensations spread through her. Howie's hands massaged her breasts, as they began to work their way down. Then, suddenly, he stopped. Howie sat up and pulled Grace into his strong embrace. "Why are you crying?" he whispered.
Grace was racked with sobs, as she wrapped her arms around him. "I don't know," She whispered truthfully, tears spilling out of her eyes. "Just hold me," She told him.
Victoria's fist paused just before it hit Grace's door. She's not here, Victoria realized, suddenly pleased with her natural abilities. Victoria closed her eyes. She's with Howie. A wide smile spread across Victoria's face. Yes! . . . I guess I better not disturb them!
Brian blocked Kevin as he tried to pass to Andrew. Andrew grabbed the ball and took a shot. The ball swivelled, circled, danced around the rim. Brian caught the rebound and made a break away. Kevin followed in pursuit. Brian made a lay-up.
"Sweet!" He cried, grabbing the ball and tossing it to Kevin. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Nice shot," Kevin muttered, dribbling the ball a few times before trying to throw it to Andrew. Unfortunately, while Andrew was quite the dancer, basket-ball had never been his forte. Nick snatched the ball, and dodged around Kevin to take a shot. The ball hit the backboard, and Brian, getting the rebound, made his second basket in a row.
"Shit," Kevin grumbled, running a hand threw his sweat dampened hair. The streetlights cast an odd glow over the court. Kevin scratched his neck.
"C'mon, let's play!" Nick yelled. Kevin passed to Andrew, who immediately fumbled the ball. Kevin rolled his eyes, as he watched Nick guard Andrew.
"Dammit!" Kevin muttered, as Nick got the ball and passed to Brian.
Brian took a shot, and missed. Grabbing the rebound, Kevin took off down the court. Nick tried to guard him, but to the Train, Nick was nothing more than a smear on the tracks. And unlike most Trains, this Train was a great shot.
"Finally," Kevin grumbled, after making a nice, juicy lay-up. He shoved the ball in Brian's face.
"Whoa! What is with you tonight, man?" Brian asked, caught off guard.
Kevin barely thought for a moment. "Women! I fucking don't understand them!"
Brian gave him an exasperated look. "Something wrong in Paradise?" He raised his eyebrows.
Kevin scowled. "I made a comment about her so-called psychic ability and she went awol on me."
Brian shrugged, "Are you gonna-"
"Play some ball?" Nick yelled. "C'mon guys!"
"- Apologize," Brian finished.
"No," Kevin said firmly. "It's her own fault. Two can play this game, if that's what she wants."
"Yeah," Nick interrupted. "And so can four! It's called Bask-et-ball-ll!" Nick shot Andrew a sideways glance. Andrew shrugged and stared at the sky. Under the glare of the streetlights, he couldn't even make out the stars.
"What game?" Brian asked, holding the ball under one arm.
Kevin sighed. "She pretends like she's psychic, and does the whole fall from grace thing, just so she can - fuck, I don't know! Maybe she frigging wants attention!" He ran a hand through his hair. "But she makes a really big deal out of it, and actually expects me to buy it. Then she gets upset when I don't!"
"You really think she's faking it?" Brian inquired. "Why? And why would she do that anyway?"
"Don't you think she's faking it?" Kevin snapped. "I think she does it for attention, for shock value . . . Screw it! I don't know!"
"So you have no good reason to believe she's faking it?" Brian responded, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Kevin insisted. "I don't believe in psychics! Like anyone can really see the future . . . or whatever it is she does! It's crap, and you know it!"
"No, to be honest, I don't know it," Brian replied. "Personally, I would need greater proof. But what makes you think that she's in control of what's happening to her anyway? I mean, maybe she isn't psychic, maybe she is. Maybe it's something entirely different all together! But she doesn't seem like the kind of person to play games with you for kicks. You should know her better than that Kev!"
Kevin gave Brian a doubtful look, and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know . . ." Kevin grumbled.
"I don't know much!" Nick sang on the top of his lungs, "but I know that I wanna play some ball! And that maybe the only thing we're not doing!"
Kevin ignored Nick. "She acts like she's being fucking traumatized or something . . ."
Brian dribbled the ball back and forth, from right hand to left hand. "Maybe she is . . ." Brian mumbled to himself. He looked up at his cousin. "Look, all I'm saying is that I don't think she would play you like this. If she's really going through some shit, you've gotta stand by her or she's not gonna trust you anymore." He made a sound like a toilet flushing. "There goes your relationship . . ."
Nick did a handspring, and bounced up the court. "Yo! Freud! Cough up the rok!" Nick cried, exasperated. He turned back to Andrew. "This is like the fucking Anti-Waltons!" Andrew shrugged again.
Kevin stared at his cousin. Brian shuddered. "Cut it out freakazoid! I fucking hope you don't stare at her like that!"
Kevin shook his head, to clear his thoughts. "Let's play some ball!" he muttered to his friends.
Nick gave Kevin the evil eye. "Thank you!" He yelled, sarcastically. "It's about fucking time. . ."
"She couldn't make it," Victoria explained to Cora, the moment she walked in the door. "She and Howie are currently . . . undercover . . . so to speak."
Cat calls filled the room. Beki jumped from the bed to do a little dance. "My God," Mariama sighed, flicking through the channels, "it's about bloody time I should say!"
Victoria giggled, and swooped down to snatch the chocolate chip cookie dough from Elisa. "Hey!" Elisa cried.
"Mmm!" was the only response she received.
"This was a grand idea, loves," Melissa commented, munching on a hand full of Miss Vicky's salt and malt. "And these are just fantastic!"
On the bed, Lara snored loudly. Alison kicked her, hard. "What?" Lara groaned. "I'm not having any problems with guys! Leave me out of this!"
"Who says we're here to talk about guys?" Alison frowned. "Kristen's the only one with-"
"Not anymore I'm not," Kristen smiled, sitting up. "Andrew can take himself and shove it. I am threw with his sorry ass. Fuck, I can't believe him!"
"Me neither," Cora agreed. "He always seemed so nice . . ."
"He did have a couple drinks after the show tonight, or actually," Kristen glanced at the clock. "Last night . . ."
"That's no excuse!" Beki cut in. Kristen nodded her head in agreement.
"And Kristen is not the only one with guy problems," Victoria added. "But I don't want to talk about Kevin, so let's just . . . have some fun . . ." Alison raised her eyebrows in question, but Tori simply ignored her.
Mariama flicked to MTV, and blared the volume as Jewel's video HANDS ended. Suddenly, an N'Sync tune blasted through the room. "Yay!" Mariama cried, "I even know the dance to this one!"
"You do?" Alison asked incredulously. "You perverted-"
"Shhhh!" All the girls of Solid H hushed her. Nova exchanged a glance.
"He's so dreamy!" Beki giggled.
"I think I'm in love!" Mariama gasped.
"I dove you cuddle-bunnies!" Melissa added in a squished up voice. She was staring at the television, while grooving with her friends.
"What did she just say?" Lara whispered to Victoria. Kristen and Cora shared a worried glance.
"I know!"Elisa cried, about to mock her European band-mates. "And check out that fine ass!" Immediately the gals of Solid, collapsed on the floor, in a pile of giggling bodies. Beki sat up suddenly.
"I've got an idea!" She announced, a crazy smile plastered on her face. "Let's go streaking!"
The girls of Nova looked back and forth at one another. They put their heads in their hands.
"This is weird," Grace laughed softly, twirling Howie's hair around her index finger. The warm glow of candlelight reflected on their faces. Their legs were tangled in the white sheets, and each other.
"I'll say," Howie murmured, catching her fingers in his. "Were you afraid . . . to come back tonight?"
"No," Grace replied. Howie raised his eyebrows. Grace bit her lip. "Alright, a little bit," She admitted. "I was . . . apprehensive, not just about you. I still haven't talked to the Girls or the team . . ." She sighed. "But I'm sure I can work everything out." She smiled at him.
"Why were you crying?" Howie whispered. He traced Grace's cheek with his baby finger.
Grace lay back in bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I guess I was relieved," She told him. "I am relieved . . ." She paused and turned her head to look at him. "I missed you. I missed all the little things about you . . . the way you listen, and pause before you speak, to see if I'm done talking. The way your face kind of lights up when you see me. The way you run your hands through my hair, and how you always kiss this," she pointed to a place on her just above her collar bone, "little spot on my neck." Grace sighed softly. "I love how you look at me . . . it's like every moment between us has . . . has meaning. I like that you're open to new things . . ." She laughed lightly, and smiled, but then her eyes clouded. "But I know we still have things to work through . . . and right now, it's scaring me." She looked into his eyes.
Howie's face filled with concern. "Like what?" He wondered.
Grace swallowed. "Well, I'm not going to give up my career for you . . ." She told him honestly. "I don't think you expect me to, but you don't exactly swing by the Thames Valley area often. Thames Valley is only about two hours away from Toronto, where many of my friends are, and three hours away from Niagara, where most of my family lives. When the tour is over, when am I going to see you?" She looked at Howie blankly. Grace continued. "There's the religious difference, of course. It may never be a problem, or it could become a big one. Then there's your career . . ." Grace let her voice trail off. Howie nodded.
"We can talk about this later," he suggested softly.
"I know," Grace replied. She pulled herself closer, and lay her head by his. She kissed his forehead softly, and her thoughts began to drift. Sleep soon descended.
"What has been up your ass all night?" Nick finally demanded of Andrew. "I know B-Ball ain't your thing, but even you aren't this bad."
"Thanks Nick," Andrew replied, rolling his eyes.
"So?" Nick continued to press.
"Can we just play?" Andrew requested.
Nick passed the ball to Andrew. He fumbled it, then dropped it. "Well, obviously you can't!" Nick told him.
"Nick," Brian chided, "Will you lay off the guy?"
"No," Nick replied. "I want to know what's up with him!"
"Kristen and I had a fight," Andrew admitted. "Now can we play?"
Nick sighed dramatically. "Girls! You people are so screwed up!"
"Like you're one to talk," Kevin snapped, jumping into the conversation. "‘Mr. My-girlfriend- dumped-me-after-the-first-time-we-had-sex'!"
"Shut up," Nick growled.
"Maybe we should just go in," Brian suggested. "You guys are obviously getting tired, and we have a long day tomorrow. We should at least get some sleep." He reasoned.
"Fine by me," Andrew grumbled. He picked up the ball and whipped it at Brian's head.
Brian's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What is with you?"
"Nothing," Andrew shouted, stalking off the court. Brian ran after him. The streetlights cast dreary, yellow pools along the battered sidewalk. The glow reflected off Brian's sweat drenched face. He grabbed Andrew's shoulder.
"Wait a sec," Brian started, turning Andrew to face him, "What's with you stomping off like that? What's wrong?"
Andrew shook his head, "I don't know, man," he ran a hand threw his hair. "I did something I shouldn't have, and I don't think I can fix it."
"With Kristen?" Brian automatically assumed.
Andrew nodded. "Yeah . . . I don't . . ." He sighed, and kicked the ground. "I'm so stupid!"
Brian rolled his eyes. "Don't be too hard on yourself; what happened?"
"I kissed her," Andrew confessed, looking away.
Brian shrugged. "Yeah, so what?"
"So, I shouldn't have," Andrew replied, staring down at his feet, "or I should have stopped kissing her when she started trying to get away from me . . ." Andrew sighed. Brian's eyes widened. "I just thought," Andrew continued, "I just thought that if I kissed her, she would stop making everything so difficult, and just, I don't know, kiss me back! But instead, she fought me, and tried to get away from me . . . and I . . . I didn't let go."
Brian watched Andrew's strained face under the yellow light. Brian sighed. He didn't know what to say. "I don't," Brian started. "I mean, why - How bad was it?" He finally asked.
"Bad . . ." Andrew groaned. "I really hurt her . . . I didn't mean to . . . it just happened."
"Nothing just happens," Brian snapped. "I guess you kind of deserve what you get, man. I mean, if you really hurt-"
Brian was cut off, by the sound of a gunshot shattering the quiet darkness of the city streets.
Victoria surveyed her room quietly. Beki, Melissa, Mariama, Elisa, Alison and Lara, had fallen asleep in various piles on both beds. Cora and Kristen were talking in hushed tones, over two french vanilla cappuccinos, by the window. A warm, summer breeze was circulating the room. On the television set, muted lovers had choreographed sex under a full moon. Victoria sighed, and flicked off the set. The movie had been Beki's idea.
"Where should we sleep?" Victoria asked quietly, walking over to her friends.
Kristen ran a hand through her long hair. "I don't know, I might just go back to my room."
"Oh, don't do that," Cora objected with a smile, "We should all stay here . . ."
Just then, Victoria's head began to swim, and Cora's words began to dim. Colours painted themselves over her eyes, and her head began to ache. Victoria slid unto the floor slowly, as dizziness consumed her. It seemed a hand had coiled around her neck. Then suddenly, a vision clarified on the screen of her mind. She saw Kevin. He looked so afraid. He was reaching out to her and -
"Victoria!" Cora shook her friend violently. "Stop it, you're scaring me!"
Tori opened her eyes to see Cora's frantic face. "I'm alright." She quickly assured her friend, sitting up. She shook her head, then jumped to her feet. "We've got to hurry." She told Kristen and Cora. "Kevin's in trouble."
"What?" Cora gasped, "What are you-"
"Just trust me," Victoria begged, her blue eyes pleading. "Just come with me!"
"I-" Cora stopped, and glanced at Kristen. Her face was clouded with concern. She nodded to Cora. "Okay . . .we'll-"
Victoria had already thrown on her shoes, and dashed for the door.
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