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“All right, all right. I’m up!” Jenny complained to her growling stomach. She then headed over to her bags that she had still left unpacked. Sifting through her clothes, she picked out a good worn pair of jeans. She loved how comfortable they were, and she could use all the comfort she could get. A top was a whole other issue. All she seemed to have packed were sweaters. That’s practically all she owned; with living up in Ohio, the full heat of the summer hadn’t arrived yet, and down in Florida it was plenty warm already that early in the morning. Finally discovering that she had managed to bring something other than a sweater, Jenny pulled on a quarter-length teal shirt. After making her way to her own private bathroom, which she once again thanked God for, Jenny briefly washed her face and then returned to her bags. Too lazy to brush back her short chin-long blonde hair, she picked out a matching teal and blue bandana to cover her head and headed downstairs.
“Good morning!” Nick greeted rather cheerfully, chewing on a piece of toast with butter and cinnamon all over it. Jenny stared at the counter covered in food.
“Good Lord, did you cook all this?!” Jenny asked incredulously, remembering the selection of food Nick had owned the previous day. Brian turned the corner from another room into the kitchen and started to laugh. She just gave him a confused look.
“You don’t seriously think Nick can cook this much, do you? Or this well?” When Jenny only shrugged, Brian gave way to another fit of laughter.
“Then, did you cook?” Now it was Nick’s turn to laugh at his friend. They both snickered to themselves a while longer, leaving Jenny to wonder what the hell was so funny. She just glared at each of them, slowly realizing they weren’t laughing at her naiveté, but at each other’s ability to cook, or lack thereof. Sighing, Jenny decided she was through with feeling stupid all the time. She had no clue how she was to accomplish that, however. Oh well, she thought. That problem could be solved at another time.
Inspecting the buffet of breakfast foods in front of her, Jenny picked up a plate and placed a single piece of toast and some hash browns on it. With her food and a glass of milk, she settled down in a chair at the dining table. Nick and Brian both gave her a strange look. “What?!” she wondered.
“So little food…”
“And a plate…”
“…sitting down at a table?” Nick and Brian finished together. Jenny gave them a look that told them she thought they had lost their minds. “I stay at Nicky’s to get away from that kind of life. First it was my mother, then it was Leighanne, and now a fan. Is there a normal female in the world?” Brian asked his Maker over dramatically. Nick laughed at him and Jenny shook her head at the male gender in general.
“I can’t believe you guys. And I’m not asking you to sit down with me or anything-“
“Oh, no.”
“She said it…”
“What did I sa-“
“Let’s get a plate, Frack,” Brian instructed Nick, as they both picked out certain foods to eat. Sitting down on the other side of the table, they both began to solemnly eat their food.
“What are you doing?” Jenny inquired, completely confused.
“What you told us to do,” Nick replied, sounding much like a small child that had been scolded by his parents.
“I specifically remember telling you that you DID’NT have to sit down.”
“Yes, but in female language, whatever she says you don’t have to do means that is exactly what she wants you to do. Leighanne taught me the art of Female Speech,” Brian offered, his face as impassive as possible. Nick on the other hand was struggling to keep from cracking up. Lucky for him, Jenny wasn’t looking in his direction.
“You can’t be serious,” Jenny returned, oblivious to the joke they were playing on her.
“Oh, I am VERY serious,” Brian said, nodding his head for emphasis. Jenny glanced over at Nick to see his confirmation of Brian’s statement. Brian kept his eyes on her face, convinced he would ruin it if he looked at Nick. He would have been disappointed in Nick’s inability to keep a straight face if Jenny’s reaction hadn’t have been so great.
“OH! You jerks! Will you stop playing tricks on me!?” Jenny gasped in exasperation. “I can’t believe I was fooled again; should have known by now that you do nothing else!” Her anger dissolved in their laughter. She caught some of Nick’s smile and couldn’t help but smile back. Silently cursing herself for being so gullible, she finished her toast and set her dishes in the dishwasher. “That was very nice. Who made it anyway?”
“The wonderful people at Bob Evans.”
Jenny sighed with exaggeration and just continued on her way. “I’m going back up to my room,” she called behind her shoulder as she headed up the stairs, a slight smile on her face.
“Hey, get cleaned up or somethin’; you’re comin’ with us,” Nick answered back.
“Coming? Where are we going?”
“You’ll see!” was all Jenny heard right before she slammed her door. I can’t believe them! she thought to herself. She was going to have to start smartening up to their jokes or she’d become the one being laughed at on every turn. Suddenly thinking of her friends and missing how they used to laugh together all the time, she plopped down on the comfy bed and wondered if it would be ok to call one of them now. What the hell, why not? she wondered. Picking up the phone on the stand next to the bed, she dialed a number that was much like a routine for her fingers, making sure to press in the area code first. She waited a couple of rings before a familiar voice sounded on the other end.
“AJ’s Crack House.”
"Lara?”
“Sorry, we’re out of crack right now, when we get some more, I’ll call you back. Leave a number and a message… BEEP!” Jenny sighed into the phone, wishing it wasn’t the phone machine she was talking to.
“Hey Lara! This is Jen*nay! I was just checking up on how everyone is doing. I’m staying at Nick’s house right now and I don’t know the number. As soon as I find out what it is, I’ll give it to ya, ok? All right, well, talk later! Oh, and I’ll be sure to give this number to AJ, ok? Bye!” Jenny finished, hoping all of her message had been recorded onto the machine. Then she started to laugh. Ever since Laura had read this one Backstreet story or whatever online, she always answered her phone with "AJ's Crack House." Eventually she had even put it on her phone machine. Jenny couldn’t wait to tell AJ to call her.
“Jenny! Almost ready?” Nick asked from outside her door. She stiffened up, for the first time having the realization that she was only a thin door’s width from a man that she really didn’t know at all. She’d realized that at the hotel, but now it was totally different, and she had no way to get out. Calm down, she told herself. At least she knew he would never come into her room. Jenny had no clue why she had that much trust in him, but she just believed deep down that he wouldn’t come in uninvited.
“Uh, yeah, almost done.” Taking a brush to her hair, she went through it a few times and returned the bandana to her head. Brushing her teeth and putting on some body spray, Jenny took inventory. Everything seemed to be done. Hesitantly, she opened the door into the hallway, leaving her temporary sanctuary behind her.
Broken Promises