“This is what you were shopping for?” Brian asked, his eyebrows raised as she climbed in.
She wore black flares (that she managed to squeeze into), a pink spaghetti strap tank top, plus a little makeup.
“Yeah so?”
“We are going out to LUNCH not a party.”
“So?”
Brian rolled his eyes and drove toward the nearby McDonald’s. “Next time, we are taking your car. You are wasting my gas.”
“Hey…I help pay for it ya know.”
“Whatever.”
“Nick and Kev meetin up with us?” Tiffany asked, setting the air-conditioning on low.
“Yup. Hey guess who asked me to the Ball?”
Tiffany glanced at her friend. “Who?”
“Marisha.”
“I knew that. It was kinda obvious.”
“It was?”
Tiffany rolled her eyes at him. “You are so stupid sometimes.”
“Lay off. I’m blonde.”
“So? Nick is smarter than you and he’s blonder.”
“Shut up.”
“Just making sure your ego will get through the door,” she winked.
“You are impossible.”
She stuck out her tongue at him, revealing for a second her silver tongue ring.
“Take that damned thing OUT!” Brian said loudly. He had despised her decision to get one, and despised the actual thing even more.
“Sorry Bri, no can do.”
“How can you EAT with that thing in?”
“Hey I manage.”
Brian shuddered and turned into the parking lot of the famous fast food restaurant.
“Jeez if you don’t like it that much I’ll take it out.”
“Serious?!”
“For a day.”
“Ugh. You really are impossible.”
“You said that a minute ago.”
“It’s the truth. C’mon- they’re already here.”
“Those pigs- they’d be anywhere near food in minutes.”
“Not nice Tiff.”
“Shut up. Free country,” she said, climbing out of the car.
“No it’s not!”
She rolled her eyes as she opened the door for her friend.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
As they thought, Kevin and Nick were waiting patiently (or so it seemed) at a table.
“Finally. Is your car working??” Nick asked jokingly. He caught sight of Tiffany and sucked in a breath. “That’s Tiff, right? Not Cynthia playing a cruel joke?”
The brunette laughed and plopped down beside him. She stuck out her tongue.
“OH. Ok Tiff.”
“Alright so what’re we eating today?” Brian asked.
“Is it possible to have a McFlurry for lunch??”
Kevin shrugged. “It’s possible…but it’s not the best thing to do.”
“Aw why not?”
“Not healthy.”
“But Kev!”
He gave her a stern look. “No buts, ands, or…”
Tiffany rolled her eyes, groaning at the familiar phrase and completed, “Behinds…”
Brian and Nick snickered, turning their heads away from the two.
“Hey whatcha laughin at huh?” Tiffany challenged, slapping Brian upside the head.
Brian laughed and blocked her slapping hand. “Nothing.”
“Suuure.”
“Hey we’re gonna eat right?” Nick broke in.
“Yeah sure.”
“Good,” Nick said, getting up with Kevin to order the food. They always got the same meals every time, so they knew what to get.
“They look hungry,” Tiffany mused, watching her two friends run off to the counter.
“Very,” Brian agreed, staring at his cousin and blonde friend.
“I have a feeling they’re going to forget the napkins and head straight for the food,” she laughed.
“No kidding.”
She stood up and Brian looked up.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the napkins,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.
Her friend laughed and she strolled over to the little counter for napkins and straws and yanked out a good number of napkins. She felt a tap on her shoulder and she shook her head, “I’m FINE Bri.”
Then she turned around. She blushed a bright crimson when she saw it wasn’t Brian at all, but Matt Scheele, the captain of the football team. “Oh. Hi. Matt.”
“Hey… Tiffany, right?”
“Uh…yeah,” Tiffany replied. ‘Dumbass blonde’ she thought.
“Hey I was wondering if I could have your number?”
‘This is too rich’ she thought to herself devilishly. “No,” she said simply.
A confounded look crossed over his features as he spluttered, “No?”
“Did I stutter?”
“But-”
Tiffany laughed. “You thought I was serious, didn’t you?”
His mouth opened, but snapped shut. Then opened again. “Uh… no, of course not.”
“Yeah,” she rolled her eyes. She headed back for Brian until she felt his finger tap her shoulder.
“Uh number?”
“Here,” she said as she grabbed a McDonald’s pen and scribbled down her sister’s email address on the napkin. She thrust it at him and walked back to the table. Nick and Kevin were almost done with the order thank goodness- she was famished.
:+:+:
Brian eyed the football player cautiously, and felt his stomach lurch when he saw her writing something for him.
‘Her number…damnit’
“Hey Rok- missed me?” Tiffany joked as she set down the napkins.
Brian laughed. “So what did Matt want?”
“Oh him? He wanted my number. It was the richest thing in the world B you had to have BEEN there!”
“What’d you do this time Tiff?” Brian asked in a knowing voice.
She just looked at him with her “innocent” looks. “Nothing…”
“What did you do?”
“Just keeping his huge ego in check,” she smiled.
Brian pretended to think about it, finger on chin and all, and said, “Ok fine with me.”
“Food is here!” Nick announced, setting down a tray of burgers and fries, followed closely by Kevin.
“Finally you guys,” Tiffany said, relieved as she grabbed her quarter pounder.
“Who’s the hungry one now Tiff?” Brian teased, picking up a single salted French fry.
“Shut up,” she retorted through her full mouth.
:+:+:
“How do you expect to play in those?” Kevin asked her.
She shrugged, “I’ll manage, c’mon gimme the ball Kev!”
“Tiff- you are wearing TIGHT TIGHT pants,” Nick said. “How’d you get em on anyway?”
Tiffany threw him a glare as Brian laughed. “I dunno guys…if she can manage, I think she can manage.”
“THANK YOU Bri,” she said, looking accusingly at her other friends.
“Ok 2 on 2,” Kevin gave in, dribbling the ball back and forth between his hands.
“I got Bri, Tiff you’re stuck with Kev,” Nick laughed.
She stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes. “Someone’s not gonna wanna sleep tonight…”
The guys laughed and started their game.
:+:+:
“Well how was I supposed to know?” she retorted, limping toward the car.
“I told you to change, but did you listen? Do you ever?” Kevin shot back.
“GUYS JUST SHUT UP!” Brian fumed. “This isn’t helping ANYONE.”
Nick held up his hands and stepped back, “Don’t look at me, I just provide the ride.”
Tiffany plopped down in the seat with a huff and stared out the window. She had fallen onto the pebbly asphalt and ripped the thigh of her jeans, scratching up the skin.
The car ride was silent for the most part, and Brian and Tiffany got off.
She started to walk toward her house, but ended up grabbing her leg as the abrasion screamed in pain. “OW SHIT,” she hissed. It was then she noticed it was bleeding.
“Tiff are you ok?” Brian asked, running over and putting his hand on her back.
“Damned asphalt,” she cursed, holding her leg and making her way to her house.
“That looks bad Tiff…”
“Well no shit,” she snapped.
Brian stepped back. “Well soor-ry Ms. PMS,” he shot back. “I’ll be at my house if you need me.”
“Bri wait,” Tiff called, regretting her snap. “Bri wait, I’m sorry!”
He turned around. “What do need me for?”
“Just get me into the house, I’ll take care of the rest.”
“How? You can’t get anything with that leg like that.”
“Well, just…get me inside.”
“You should clean that thing,” Brian said, lifting her into his arms. “It’s all black.”
“Yeah I noticed that when I was staring at it.”
“Well, infections remember.”
“I know Father.” She turned the doorknob.
“Ok, so you want the couch right?”
“Yupperdoodles,” she said.
“Weirdo.”
“Only stating the obvious B.”
“Haha,” he said sarcastically. “So where do you keep the bandages in this place?”
“You know where they are- in the drawer in the bathroom.”
As Brian went to get the bandages, she inspected her leg. It was a huge scrape, and still bleeding.
“Oh boy…Mom’s gonna kill me for this…” she muttered.
“It’s your own fault,” Brian said, sitting down and setting the supplies on the coffee table next to them.
They stared at her leg in silence.
“Erm…” Brian started uneasily.
“What?”
“I can cover a bandage on your leg unless…”
“Unless…oh…oh…shit…”
“Um you can do it, if you want,” Brian said quickly. “Your choice.”
She let out a breath. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t even pronounce the name of the cleansing cream. “I don’t know what to do,” she groaned.
“You really are disabled, aren’t you?”
“Oh shut up. If I tried to do it myself I’d end up at a hospital.”
“Ok…then…um…”
“Close your eyes.”
Brian did one better and turned around, covering his eyes.
She took a breath, let it out, and slipped off the jeans, making sure she kept them around her waist and away from her cut.
“O-ok.”
Brian took a breath and kneeled, grabbing a piece of cotton and the peroxide. “You already know this’ll hurt, no point in trying to lie.”
“Well that made me feel better,” Tiffany said sardonically.
“What? Truth hurts girl.”
“Just clean it alr- SHIT THAT FUCKING HURTS,” she hissed.
“Asphalt kills.”
“Hurry up and clean the damn thing then!”
“Ok, ok, ok.”
He dabbed at the scrape some more with the cotton, which was getting blackened pretty quickly. He tried to make it quick, but that would only make the abrasion worse.
“I’m sorry, I’m doing the best I can,” Brian apologized, the gauze pad in his grasp.
“It’s ok, I’ll live.”
“You’re sure about that now?”
“You big oaf, just bandage the thing.”
Brian snickered and wrapped the bandages over the gauze pads, tucking in the end when he was finished.
“Great. Now I won’t be able to play for at least a week,” Tiffany whined.
“Well then don’t make it worse by trying to, like I know you will.”
She grumbled, and Brian could make out something like “whoop ass”.
“So what do you suggest we do? I’m bored,” Brian said, stretching his arms over his head.
“Well for one thing, put away the first aid stuff,” Tiffany said while she inspected her bandaged wound.
“How come I have to do it?” Brian groaned.
“Because I don’t “need to make it worse”,” she said smugly, throwing his words right back at him.
Brian rolled his eyes. “Unfair…” he mumbled, grabbing the bottles and bandages, making for the bathroom.
She smiled in triumph and picked up the remote, clicking the power button. Then she attempted to get her pants back on.
“Oh so this is your plan,” he said accusingly, taking a seat beside her, “to have me be your slave and you get to sit and watch TV!”
Tiffany took this into consideration. Then she nodded, “No foolin you huh Bri?” Brian winked and grabbed the remote from her.
“HEY! I was watching that!”
“Wait a second… that was the game, wasn’t it?”
Tiffany glared at him as if he was an idiot.
He gave her an adorable sheepish smile and gave the remote back to her. “Sorry, reflex.”
“Hey Brian, what’re you doing here?”
“Nothing,” he said, barely giving her a glance. Then he asked back monotonously, “What’re YOU doing here?”
“I kinda LIVE here.”
Tiffany snickered when Brian said, “Oh yeah, I forgot.”
Cynthia rolled her eyes. “Well Tiff beware, I’m having a few friends over tonight.”
“Did Mom say you could?”
“Of course she’ll let me,” Cynthia said, as if the idea of the word “no” was alien. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Ok, ok, I get your point.” Tiffany tried to stand up, hoping her sister didn’t see her flinch. “I’ll just go to Bri’s house, I don’t think I can stand to hear your girly screams.”
“Why don’t you guys stay? You can use a makeover.”
She rolled her eyes, seeing what her twin was attempting to do. “Yeah, BRIAN might need a makeover while you’re at it!”
Tiffany glanced at her friend, who she swore started to blush. “And that’s why we’re leaving, later.”
Brian headed to the door while Tiffany lagged behind, where Cynthia saw that she could talk to her sister.
“Tiff, please, just make him stay,” she pleaded. “You guys can leave after a while, if you don’t want to stay, but at LEAST stay here for a little bit.”
The look on her sister’s face was priceless. For that, and that only, she convinced Brian to stay at her house, to play video games in her room.
Right when he agreed, the first of Cynthia’s friends showed up.
“Hey Aisha,” Cynthia smiled, opening the door. “You know Tiff-”
“Hi Brian!”
Tiffany turned toward the stairs, hiding her false gagging- which she made sure Brian heard.
Brian gave Aisha the best smile he could muster as he elbowed Tiffany in the ribs. His smile grew true as Tiffany’s muffled yelp fell on his ears.
“How are you Aisha?”
“I’m good, you?”
“I’m alright- I was going upstairs, c’mon Tiff.”
“I’m comin, I’m comin,” she grumbled, attempting to get up the stairs without disturbing her scrape too much.
“This is going to take forever,” Brian complained, coming back down to get her.
Aisha and Cynthia shared a look, then headed toward the living room.
“Get on my back.”
Tiffany stared. “You’re not serious, are you? I’m not THAT disabled.”
“Well at this rate, it’ll be sunrise by the time we get up there, get on,” Brian said, gesturing to his back.
“I think that’d only hurt my leg MORE.”
“Ok, fine, don’t cooperate.” He bent over, grabbed her legs and had her over his shoulder, walking up the stairs.
“YOU FREAK DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING?!” Tiffany shrieked.
In seconds Cynthia and Aisha were at the foot of the stairs, eyes wide as Tiffany was tottering on Brian’s shoulder.
“Jeez you’d think you guys would be able to TRUST me…” Brian grumbled, turning a corner- narrowly missing the corner with Tiffany’s head.
“BRIAN LITTRELL PUT ME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”
“As you wish,” he said, dropping her on the bed.
“You’re lucky I’m debilitated,” Tiffany growled, looking up at her friend through her mussed hair.
“I think you’ve got that backwards,” Brian teased, jumping out of her reach.
“When this thing heals, the first thing I do is jump on your ass.”
“No thanks.”
“OK what game are we playin?” Tiffany asked, easing herself onto the floor.
“Super Smash.”
“Give me a break!”
“You know you love that game.”
“That game is GAY, B.”
“No it’s not. Play, or I’m leaving,” Brian said, crossing his arms.
“I’ll just get Nick or Kev over.”
Brian opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut. “Ooh I hate you.”
“Why DON’T we have Nick and Kev come over?”
Brian shrugged, “I don’t know, if you want, invite them.” He turned to find some other game that would suffice.
“Well if I invite Kev he’d only torture me about my not listening to him and my leg…”
“Then don’t invite him, dumbass,” Brian said, rolling his eyes, even though she couldn’t see.
“Shut up. You wanna invite Nick over?”
“I don’t care.”
“Ok. What game are we playing?” she asked.
“Feel like a bit of double-oh-seven?” he asked mischievously, holding up the cartridge.
“Ohh you’re on!”
:+:+:
“What are they DOING up there?” Melanie asked, looking up the stairs with wide brown eyes. “They sound like… never mind.”
“Perv,” Cynthia laughed. “I think they’re playing video games.”
“Video games?? Come on,” Yaicha said, rolling her eyes. She tucked back a piece of her curly black hair and changed the channel to MTV.
“Cynthia! Tiffany! Get these bags!” a sharp yell commanded.
She rolled her eyes and got up to her feet. “Coming mother…”
“Are you ok with pizza tonight? I think I’m ready to collapse. Bubble bath, here I come…” Raina mumbled.
“Sure- do you have 2? Brian’s upstairs, and some of my friends are over.”
“As long as you don’t burn the house down.” Raina Adams made her way up the stairs and heard the screams from the bedroom of her daughter’s. “Tiffany?”
The game was quickly paused and the two teenagers looked up.
“Hi Mrs. Adams,” Brian said immediately, smiling like the choirboy he was.
“Hey Mom, tired?”
“Extremely. Brian, you’re welcome to join us for dinner,” Raina smiled tiredly, making way toward the holy bathroom.
They instantaneously un-paused the game and resumed seeking each other out in the bunker and shooting each other’s brains out.
:+:+:
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and everyone nearly ran out of the door.
“Brian!” Aisha said, tapping the basketball player on the shoulder.
“What?”
“The ball… I was wondering… if you’d want to… you know, go with me,” she asked.
“Uh…” Brian trailed off. He was never one to be mean, but he didn’t want to go with her. Suddenly Tiffany’s face flashed through his mind and he smiled to himself. “I’ll think about it.”
He shook his head when she nearly ran off, giddy.
Brian weaved his way through the halls and got to his locker, stuffing his books into his backpack before leaving for his car.
“I’ll ask her today,” he said to himself. He looked up and she was already sitting on the hood of his car. She waved when she saw him and he smiled back, hoping he had the courage to ask her out to the dance.
“Finally! Unlock the car already,” Tiffany said, ready to open the door.
“Impatient much?”
“Shut up,” she said, laughing all the same.
They got into the car and he started the engine.
“What took you so long, anyways?” Tiffany asked, buckling her seat belt.
“Um Aisha asked me about the Ball,” Brian said slowly, realizing it was his chance to bring it up.
“Oh. What’d you say?”
“I said I’d think about it…it depends on if this girl I’m gonna ask says yes.”
Tiffany’s stomach churned as she asked, “Who?”
“Tiff, would you like to go to the ball with me?” Brian asked, positive his heart’s pounding was heard.
Time froze in Tiffany’s mind and she nearly forgot to say yes. “O-of course I’ll go with you.”
Brian sighed with relief. “I thought you were gonna say no, you didn’t say anything for a while there.”
“I was too shocked? I don’t know,” Tiffany smiled, looking out the window hoping to contain her excitement.
“I’m sure. Ok, here. Get outta my car,” he joked.
“I’m gonna get you for that one Brian,” she shouted, shutting the door and waving.
Once he was parked safely in his garage, she ran inside the house screaming, “CYNTHIA!!!”
“Ugh what do you want Angelica?”
It was their inside joke, that whenever Tiffany shouted Cynthia’s name, she sounded like Angelica from Rugrats.
“GUESS WHAT?!” she screamed, jumping up and down.
“What?”
“BRIAN! ASKED! ME-”
“TO THE BALL?! Oh my fucking god girl get up here,” Cynthia said, dragging her sister up the stairs. “What are you going to wear?”
And that’s where it started.
:+:+:
It was a week until the Fall Ball, and there wasn’t a single girl that wasn’t freaking out about it- “I don’t have a date!” “I hate my dress!” “My hair looks horrible!”
“Don’t worry about it Cynthia, you’ll look great,” Tiffany was saying to her twin.
Cynthia shrugged. “Hey, you know what’s weird?”
“What?”
“I’ve been getting these weird emails from Matt, I think they’re for you,” Cynthia said, looking at Tiffany knowingly.
Tiffany couldn’t resist laughing. “Well you should have BEEN there C, it was hilarious!”
“Now that I think about it, I think he likes you.”
“Really? I would say, “OH MY GOD!” if not for the fact that he never even LOOKED at me until I started dressing up.” She took a sip of her water.
“Whatever, you know you’re glad you took a few tips from me. You got a new crew, new look, AND a new wardrobe.”
:+:+:
“Brian?” Nick said loudly, waving his hand in front of his friend’s face. No response. “BRIAN!”
Blinking, he focused in on Nick’s face. “What?”
“You’re spacing out on her again,” Nick hissed quietly, making sure no one else heard.
“I was?? Sorry.” Brian absent-mindedly picked at his lunch.
“Ok what the hell is wrong with you?” Nick asked. “It’s obvious you like Tiff- but how come you guys don’t talk like you used to huh?”
“Look at her.”
“What?”
“Look at her, tell me what do you see,” Brian said in such a way that Nick complied.
“Well…I see…TIFF, what are you trying to get me to do?”
“You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand,” Nick pleaded. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t you think she’s changed, at all?”
This made Nick think. And he understood. “You don’t like her this way, do you?”
“She’s becoming Cynthia. And I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.”