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By: Jess “So? Spill! How’s it working out with AJ?” I toyed with a handful of my hair, “A little too well,” I admitted, tugging lightly on the ends with my fingers. Hannah squealed. “Nick’s finally gotten a clue?” “More like decided that Stephanie and I should be best friends.” “What?” “Yeah, exactly,” I emphasized. “He suggested we hang out more.” I heaved a sigh. “And if that wasn’t enough...there’s this event in Orlando coming up that I -- Did I tell you that I’m being forced to become a human Barbie doll all in the name of whatever AJ is thinking?” I stopped my rant momentarily at the sound of knocking on my door. “Hold on a sec Han,” I requested into the phone, ignoring the questioning coming from her at my abrupt censorship, as I realized who exactly my unexpected visitor was. “Hey Nick,” I greeted, smiling tightly, motioning for him to come in. A contained shriek of, “Nick’s in your room?” permeated from Hannah on the other end of the line. “Sorry- Am I interrupting?” Trying to play cool and collected, I shook my head at his hesitance, while at the same time attempting to muffle out Hannah’s voice by pressing the phone against my shoulder. “No, it’s okay. I was just saying goodbye.” His blue eyes held mine. “You sure? I mean I could just come back…” “No. No, it’s cool,” I quickly interrupted, immediately disconnecting my phone call without even another word to Hannah (she’d understand!); instantly displacing any ground I had made in my attempted façade of indifference at his intrusion. What can I say? Old habits die hard. There was only so much cool and collected I could do. Eyes wide, I beckoned him to sit down. “What’s up?” Nick smiled. I tried not to fall into a pile of mush. “You want to go to the mall with me?” I tried not to faint. Did he just??... His gaze shifted, darting down to the floor. “I know it’s kind of late notice and all. But I needed an opinion on something.” His eyes ventured back up to level with mine. “I’m hopeless when it comes to girl stuff. And Brent’s obviously no help…so I was wondering you know— if you’re not busy you could…” he drifted off, awaiting some kind of response from me. Oh God! He had. My mouth opened, my voice having to repeat the request out loud so my brain could process, “Go with you?” Nick graced me with a sheepish lop-sided grin. “I was hoping I could talk you into it?” Obviously he hadn’t realized that I didn’t require that much coaxing. And like I had said to Hannah earlier, AJ’s plan was apparently working a little too well. “How about this one?” I craned my neck a little, eyeing the object he had in his grasp, sighing heavily. Nick was suddenly taking notice of my existence alright… But this was not what I had been envisioning when Nick had said he wanted me to go to the mall with him for an opinion on presents for girls. I figured we were shopping for one of his sisters… Nick frowned. “You don’t think she’d like it?” But as it were, we weren’t shopping for his sisters- we weren’t even shopping for his mom. We were in fact, shopping for a surprise gift for my new best friend- Stephanie. And not just for anything either, we were here to find her something to wear to an event she was going to go with him to. Tell me again how AJ’s plan was working? “No,” I abolished quickly at his dress selection. Well- if you could call it a dress- it was more like a scrap of fabric with a piece of sting holding it together. It was completely gaudy. Maybe I should just give my consent… Then again I wasn’t that cruel, even if it was Stephanie we were talking about. I pointed at a more tasteful selection in blue. Nick’s nose wrinkled up. “Looks like something my mom would wear.” Exactly…I may not be cruel, but I’m certainly not stupid either. Shaking his head at me, Nick made his was across the room to spy at other options, and I dashed off in the complete opposite direction, flipping out my cell phone in an act of desperation. Huddling by some pink taffeta, I placed myself out of view, and dialed redemption. “Speak to me.” “I’m in hell AJ.” “Lana?” “I am about ready to have a nervous breakdown.” “Where would this be happening at?” “At the mall with Nick looking for a dress for Stephanie,” I whimpered pathetically. “Your suggestion?” “Do I seem like Ms.They-Gave-Me-Ten-Dollars-Off-Because-They-Were-Having-A- Ten-Dollars-Off-Sale to you? Hello!” “Well- now that you mention it…” “AJ!” I whispered harshly into the line. “Calm yourself woman, damn! I was just sayin’— wait…” He paused. “Where’s Nick?” I raised myself up, peering out from behind the pink taffeta. “Staring at another see through dress.” “Why aren’t you?” “Because I’m trying to stay sane?” I balked. AJ chuckled. “No-I meant why aren’t you?” I could hear the amusement in his voice. “If Carter’s asking for an opinion on a dress for Stephanie, why don’t you get him to return the favor? You have to get a dress for that thing in Orlando too. Play the same game, babe.” That light bulb in my head suddenly lit up. “If you were here I’d kiss you.” “Which store did you say you were at?” At AJ’s flirtatious teasing, I laughed, my giggles pouring out without restraint; so much so, Nick sauntered over to see what the commotion was about. He eyed me curiously, “Lana, you alright?” I bit my lip, in an act of suppression, waving him off. “I’m going to have to raincheck sexy, I’m on a mission remember? No distractions.” I could hear AJ smile’s over the phone. “Get something hot…” “Always do,” I purred. “No shit.” And with that one last chuckle in my ear, he disconnected. I was smiling so hard my face hurt. “AJ?” Nick questioned nonchalantly, leaning against that pink taffeta rack. I nodded absently, tucking the phone back in my purse. “Did you find anything?” “Nah.” He ran a hand through his hair wearily. “You?” I did a quick turn in place, sizing up the contents of the store, and saw it. AJ’s words of wisdom made a beeline to my brain. My lips parted, “Not for Stephanie…” I looked over at Nick apologetically, before my eyes landed back on that mannequin I had spotted to the right of me. Perfect. It was perfect. “But… do you think...that maybe AJ would go for that on me?” Nick followed my gaze. His eyes widened, just slightly, at the piece I was referring to. He looked back at me, then over to the dress, and back again. Then in an apparent miscalculation of space between the rack he was leaning on and the one beside him, Nick staggered back a little, almost knocking over that whole side of pink taffeta. Stumbling back upright, he gained a steady foot, coughed, and determinedly crossed his arms. “No,” he disagreed just as vehemently as I had earlier. I beamed. Just as I had thought… Perfect.
*Special Thanks to
Soxy for all her help- I.E. letting me "steal" her fab idea...--J*
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