Sandra and Kim Ann started setting out the plates and silverware while Angela finished up in the kitchen. "This sucks," Kim Ann grumbled as she plopped a plate down. "I just remembered why I hated living at home all those years."
Sandra laughed. It WAS pretty amusing to see Kim Ann, the reluctant homemaker. "Bad flashback, eh?" she commented.
"WAY bad," Kim Ann mumbled as another plate dropped onto the table. "And I'm NOT doing dishes when this whole ordeal is over with, either. Just so you know."
"Don't sweat it, Kymmi," Sandra assured her. "There's a dishwasher."
"There is?" Kim Ann eyed Sandra suspiciously. "I didn't SEE one. And believe me, that's the first thing I looked for when Becky Homecky out there started cooking."
Sandra giggled and nodded to the kitchen toward Angela. "Becky Homecky’s the dishwasher, ‘cause I ain’t doin’ dishes, either!”
"Well, you know she's gonna want us to help," Kim Ann pointed out.
"Personally, I think ol' Nicky should be nominated for that. I'll bet he's never washed a dish in his life. Can you IMAGINE?"
Both Sandra and Kim Ann glanced out into the other room at Nick and laughed. He squinted his eyes at them suspiciously and yelled, "Ya'll better not be talking 'bout me out there!" They ignored him and continued whispering back and forth until he shook his finger at them in warning.
Kim Ann backed away from his view and spoke in a low tone so only Sandra could hear. "SOMEbody's awful paranoid out there, dontcha think?"
Sandra tensed up noticeably and shrugged. "Not any more than usual, I guess."
"Bullllll shit," Kim Ann countered. "Did they do it last night or what?"
"Do what?" Sandra asked, innocently.
"IT," Kim Ann repeated. "I'm not stupid. I KNOW you know, so give it up."
Sandra smiled guiltily but shook her head. "I'm pleading the fifth on that one. If you want to know, you can ask Ange about it."
Kim Ann pouted a bit before slinking toward the kitchen. "Fine!" she called out loudly. "Angela will tell me. SHE's my friend…unlike you, you evil imposter."
Angela took a deep breath as she heard Kim Ann's entrance. She’d known she would have to play fifty questions with her sooner or later, but dammit, she was right in the middle of cooking! She leaned toward the oven as she pulled out the macaroni and cheese dish and pretended she didn't notice her standing beside her.
"Angela," Kim Ann said urgently, when she could take the silent treatment no longer. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
Angela shot her an irritated look and continued with her duties in further silence.
"I mean, I realize you're busy and everything," Kim Ann continued in a more apologetic tone, "but I can't take it anymore."
Angela sighed loudly and nodded toward the hotplate on the counter. "Uh, you COULD at least push that over here, you know."
Kim Ann moved for the hotplate enthusiastically and pushed it in front of Angela. Any response was a good thing at this point. Angela could be quite the bitch when she wanted to be.
Angela sat the dish down carefully and turned to face Kim Ann. "Well?"
"So……” Kim Ann said slowly, unsure of exactly how to word it. One wrong word and she would be finished before she could get the question out. "Did you boink Nick last night, or what?"
"WHAT?!?" Angela asked, trying to suppress a laugh. "Did you say ‘Boink’?!? What the hell is THAT?"
Kim Ann smiled coyly. The direct yet humorous approach had worked and Angela had fallen for it. "I'm sorry," she corrected. "I meant, make l-o-o-o-ove." Angela smirked a little, but didn't admit or deny. She knew the silence would kill Kim Ann worse than a response. "Oh, come ON, Angela!" Kim Ann begged finally. "This was your big night and you're not going to tell me ANYTHING? I tell you everything and THIS is what I get in return?"
She was right. She did tell her everything. But it wasn't as if any of the information was ever solicitated. It was always given freely. "Kim, that stuff's private to me. Just because you'll call up a DJ and discuss your sex life over the radio doesn't mean that I'm going to tell you about mine." Angela was surprised at the hurt statement her words invoked. She hadn't meant to belittle Kymmi, just to deter her.
"You know, you don't have to be such a smug little bitch about this," Kim Ann snapped back. "I never claimed to be Ms. Virtuosity. But YOU have no right to judge ME just because you ARE, either…..” Her anger left momentarily as she finished her sentence off with a hopeful addition…”or were….”
Angela looked at the floor, her body language showing defeat before her words confirmed it. "Nothing happened, Kymmi."
"Oh….My….GOD!" Kim Ann gasped loudly, slapping Angela on the shoulder. "You weathered the STORM!"
Angela laughed in embarrassed frustration and protested feebly. "There wasn't a STORM, Kim Ann."
"What?" Kim Ann asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"He…" God, she didn't want to tell Kim Ann, but she would sooner or later, so why not now? “He backed out.”
"He WHAT?!?" Kim Ann looked almost angry. "He BACKED OUT?"
Angela cringed at the volume of her voice and pleaded. "Will you shut the FUCK up? He's gonna hear you."
"Sorry," Kim Ann whispered back as she tapped her chin in thought until a devious smile swam across her face. "Oh, I get it. You mean he PULLED out, right? That’s the correct terminology, dear." Angela shifted her eyes to the living room for a quick check before repeating herself. "No, you ASS, I meant just what I said. He BACKED OUT.”
The longer Kim Ann thought about it, the wider her smile got until she started laughing. "He backed OUT? What is up with THAT?" Angela shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know why. He just got cold feet and took off. I was asleep before he got back. I fell ASLEEP Kim Ann. How romantic is that?"
Kim Ann scoffed. "You're worried that you fell asleep? Girlfriend, he's the one who should be worried. You tell ANY ONE of those guys out there that he pussed out on you and he's humiliated for life."
"So why would he do it then?" Angela asked. "If he would be humiliated by it?"
Kim Ann suspected it had to do with Angela's virginity, but she wasn't about to say that. "I do not know why," she said matter of factly. She had no explanations at this point – she would need to watch and study for any realistic conclusion. "But I'll watch your interaction and let you know what I think. He didn’t get, like, mean about it or anything, right? I mean, he does like you, right?”
"I don't know," Angela sighed. "I go back and forth on that one. I mean, sometimes he acts like he REALLY likes me, and then sometimes he acts distant and like he wants me to go away. It's confusing."
"Well," Kim Ann replied. "THAT, my dear, is men in a nutshell. Welcome to life."
"Gee, thanks," Angela smirked.
Kim Ann smiled at her and pulled her into an awkward and unusual hug. "Don't you worry, Angela. I'm really rooting for you on this one. I won't do anything to screw it up. I'll be cool about watching you, okay?" She pulled back and searched her friend's eyes for trust.
Angela stared back almost in disbelief. She couldn't believe how Kim Ann was treating her. She'd expected humiliation and instead got a hug and reassurance. "I'll be cool, too."
"Just act naturally," Kim Ann added. "And don't come on to him intentionally or anything. Let me see how he treats YOU in a neutral environment."
Angela giggled. "Okay, I won't sit on his lap or anything."
When Angela said that, Kim Ann considered asking her if she'd ever made a grab for his package, but the timing just wasn't right. She would have to ask her later. Definitely. "Come on, let's get this shit on the table," she said instead, eager to do a love analysis.
As soon as the food was in place, Sandra ushered everyone in from the living room. It was obvious there weren't enough seats for everyone, but the girls had already agreed previously to sit in the living room. Nick sat down immediately in front of the macaroni dish and looked over at Angela, thankfully. He winked when he caught her eye and she smiled shyly back at him before looking at the floor, embarrassed. When she looked back up he was still looking at her and he held his gaze until AJ pulled up a chair beside him, distracting him.
In the process of shuffling around the table to find her own seat, Tori noticed Nick eyeing Angela. In fact, she'd waited for it, wondering what Nick would think of Angela preparing the dish he'd asked for. As it happened, she nudged Kevin and whispered, "Did you see that?"
Kevin smiled. "Yeah, I saw it." He didn't look directly at her, not wanting to draw attention to their discussion.
Tori sat down and thanked the girls loudly. "This looks DELICIOUS, Angela.
You young ladies really know how to treat your guests." As thank yous erupted from the others, she leaned toward Kevin, who'd sat down beside her, and said softly, "I think he really likes that girl."
Kevin smiled and looked at Tori out of the corner of his eye. "He does," he replied. He then pulled his glass of water up to his mouth and whispered from behind it. "I'll fill you in later."
When everyone was seated, Nick reached immediately for the serving spoon to "his" dish. Brian noticed and cleared his throat loudly in warning. Nick sighed, gave Brian an annoyed look, and slouched back in his seat, bowing his head obediently. Following suit, the others bowed their heads, too. Tori cleared her throat and held her open hands above the table and out to her sides. Brian always forgot that when Tori was with the group, she wanted everyone to hold hands for the blessing. Though she wasn't overly religious, the symbol of the circle was strong in her culture and she wanted that strength amongst them when they prayed together. Brian smiled thoughtfully at Tori and then at Nick as he grabbed his hand, waited for everyone else to join hands, and then said his prayer.
"Thank you, Lord, for this food we are about to receive, Amen." He said it quickly, yet sincerely. He'd learned a long time ago to keep grace short or have it rudely interrupted by Nick's fake snores or over-exaggerated yawns. As good of friends as they were, Nick had never grasped the true depth and meaning of his religious beliefs and what they meant to him.
When they'd first met, Brian had gotten Nick to attend church services with him, but it soon became apparent that Nick would much rather sleep in on Sundays than sit through "a boring church service." Brian never pushed the issue, but instead, tried to lead by example. Many nights, though – and last night included – as he would run through his prayers for his loved ones, Brian would pray that Nick would see the good in him and throw away his first impression from the early years. He always felt like he'd lost his credibility as a Christian in Nick's eyes forever by succumbing to the partying and onslaught of females just like everyone else had. Even HE had been guilty of encouraging the older girls to hit on little Nicky just to laugh at his shy reactions. If he'd have behaved like he should have, maybe Nick wouldn't be so confused about life and women right now. He should've put his foot down when AJ teased him about his sexual inexperience, challenging him into episodes of intimacy with girls when he was so obviously unprepared emotionally. But he didn't. He'd laugh right along with it as Nick would fall hard for each girl, writing them love letters, poems and terrible attempts at songs, until the next one came along.
Brian sighed and looked over at Nick who was smiling and goofing with AJ as he scooped the macaroni and cheese onto his plate. Thank God they had come to Indiana for the week. It was just what his friend had needed to get away from the stress he'd been dealing with lately in every part of his life – family, friends, touring – all of it was hitting him hard these days.
"GOD! You fuckin' HOG!" AJ yelled out. "Save some for everyone else!"
"AJ!" Tori interrupted quickly. "Watch your fucking mouth, young man! There are ladies present."
AJ grinned at Tori, loving the discipline and the rough talk, while feigning remorse. "Sorry, Howie," he quipped, making everyone laugh. Howie just shook his head and ignored him. He was used to it.
Kevin turned his head toward Tori and shook his head in disapproval, giving her one of those famous long blinks. He knew trying to change the guys' language in front of women was a lost cause, but he especially hated hearing that vernacular come from a woman's mouth. At least in mixed company. Tori gave Kevin a look of disdain, which forced him to rebut. "You talk to your momma with that mouth?" Tori felt a little embarrassed but appreciated the quick giggle she'd gotten from the others.
Angela, Kim Ann and Sandra grabbed their plates and began filling them. As Angela held out her plate in front of Brian, he knowingly scooped some of the macaroni, which had ended up in front of him, onto it. "This is so good, Angela," he commented. "We might have to take you on tour with us."
Angela giggled. "Does that pay well?"
Kim Ann was across the table and noticed that Nick had perked up and focused his attention on Brian and Angela's conversation. He obviously found the suggestion INTERESTING.
"Yeah, and we could cut hotel costs by having her room with Nick," Howie added teasingly.
"Beats the hell out of the dead weight he carried around for the last two years," AJ added sarcastically.
Nick tensed up. "Yo, kiss my ass, ALEX!" he snapped back. He sat there, breathing deeply, waiting for AJ to do a follow up. It was obvious a fight would ensue.
AJ could feel the anger emanating from Nick and backed off. "It was a joke, Nick. It was a joke," he said casually. He'd thought that Nick was past that part of his breakup, but obviously not. It still wasn't open season on it.
Nick relaxed and started eating, but he looked at no one and retreated into his own little world. He was pissed at himself that he'd yelled at AJ like that over something so stupid in front of Angela. She had to have heard it and it probably hurt her feelings.
Angela finished gathering most of her food, but balked at the dish in front of Nick. She didn't need salad that bad. Plus, she was desperately trying to hide the fact that she felt like crying. It wouldn’t be so bad if everyone didn’t know about her and Nick and if her friends didn’t know what had gone on the previous night, but it was humiliating to hear him acknowledge his ex-girlfriend in such a defensive way. Would he defend HER if someone insulted her? She hurried into the living room and sat down by herself, trying to sort out her feelings before she had to face anyone.
It wasn't long, though, before Kim Ann came bounding into the room and plopped down beside her on the couch. "Okay," she said enthusiastically, "here's my analysis. He likes you, Angela. You had the strong eye contact going and he paid close attention to the tour scenario that Brian mentioned. You are FIRST in line to the throne." Angela looked at her as if she were crazy. Was she DEAF? "BUT!" Kim Ann added quickly. "We have to deal with this extra baggage issue. It's the only thing tripping things up and it's gonna be tricky. You know, you meet someone new, they're awesome, and then the past rears its ugly head and screws it all up. Right, Sandra?"
Sandra had just sat down but had caught enough of Kim Ann's opinion to agree. "Oh yeah. Happens all the time. You're so caught up in the past that you can't see a good thing if it bit you on the ASS." After her two cents worth on the subject, Sandra cocked her head and looked at Kim Ann.
"She told you about…..Mandy?"
"What?" Kim Ann asked, surprised. She looked back and forth between Sandra and Angela and her mouth fell open. "You guys have INFO on this chick?"
"Oh yeah," Sandra answered, ignoring Angela's hand-across-the-throat movement. It was better to discuss things as a group now, in her opinion. She'd never expected Angela to tell Kim Ann about the incident last night, but since she did, it was all or nothing. Besides, Kim Ann had been her "Dear Abby" for relationships many a time. Whispering, she recounted everything Brian had told her, swearing Kim Ann to silence in front of Howie and the others.
----
Out in the dining room, Nick was the first to finish eating. He sat quietly, sliding his fork aimlessly around the plate while deep in thought. He should've waited to yell at AJ until Angela had left the room. He hadn't looked to see her face after he'd done it, but he was sure it had to have hurt her. This was supposed to be HER time - he'd promised her that. But dammit! AJ had NO RIGHT to say anything, not when he was the worst for carting around girls from concert to concert, just to have them available if he couldn't find anything better.
A high-pitched muffled ring sounded through the dining room and everyone looked at Kevin instantaneously, assuming it was his cell phone. "Uh, Tor," Kevin cracked. "Your purse is ringing." Tori looked bewildered for a moment. She didn't immediately recognize the ring tone, but then she remembered – Nick had left his phone at the last hotel and they'd given it to her before she left. She pulled her purse to her lap and dug through it to find the phone, but by the time she retrieved it, it had stopped ringing.
"By the way, Nick," she said as she tossed the phone to him. "Try not to leave this behind next time – unless you want to start taking care of the bills."
Nick caught the phone and smiled sheepishly. "I wondered where that was," he said jokingly before staring at it, wondering who had just called.
"Man, you'd better check your messages, little bro', " AJ said. "It's been about three days."
"I turned voice mail off," Nick replied. In fact, the reason he'd forgotten his phone was because he'd stopped answering it altogether. Mandy had called incessantly since the FAQ about their breakup had gone up on the web page and he'd gotten tired of hearing her threats about it. He smiled to himself, relishing that he'd pissed her off so bad. Of course, he'd denied having anything to do with it - even acted shocked about it. Before that, she'd never even bothered to call him. He knew she was waiting for him to cave and come back to her, begging. It wasn't gonna happen.
Nick pushed his plate away and sat the cell phone down beside it. Any groveling he would do would be to Angela for his previous outburst. At least SHE really cared about him. Kevin nudged Tori as Nick walked slowly into the other room. "I told
you he'd apologize," he whispered.
“We’ll see,” Tori murmured. “We’ll see.”
Links to other sites on the Web
Get your own Free Home Page