RIIING! RIIING!
"Fuck…" Brittany rolled over and picked up the phone. "Whoever is calling me better have a damn good reason.
"Not a morning person?
"Oh hi Nick."
"Hey, how are you? Do you like the wake-up call?
Brittany sighed. "I'm fine I guess…the call at 6:30 isn't so great though.
"Well, you girls better be up and on your way. We'll be there in an hour and a half.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya."
Lauren sat upright from her cot across the room. "Britt…who is it?
Brittany covered the mouthpiece. "It's Nick…he's giving us a wake-up call.
"Ugh…" Lauren laid back down and pulled the covers up to her chin.
"Lauren, a wake-up call usually means that we have to wake up!"
"Shut up." Lauren put a pillow over her head.
"Britt, you there?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, just talking to Ms. Sleepyhead."
"Well, I'll let you go to get ready. I'll see you in a little while, okay?"
"Sounds good. Bye."
"Bye sweetie."
Britt hung up the phone and opened the drawers in her dresser. She decided on a baby blue tank top and a pair of navy blue shorts.
"Okay bitch, wake up." Brittany said to Lauren.
"No way!"
"Don't you want to see A.J.?"
"Not especially." Brittany threw up her hands. "You're such a liar!" "Haha, I know." Lauren got off her bed and stretched. "Do you want to take a shower first or should I?"
Brittany thought for a moment. "I probably should…you'll take too long and make me late."
Lauren stuck out her tongue and said, "okay. I'm going to go get breakfast then."
"All right." Lauren went downstairs to the kitchen and searched the kitchen for some cereal. "Mmmm…lucky charms." She took some milk out of the refrigerator and sat at the kitchen table, thinking about her day ahead with A.J. His brown eyes made her go weak at the knees. She never really showed her feelings for A.J., he was always the first to flirt and say outrageous things. Maybe today…
"Your turn." Brittany entered the kitchen in her clothes and wet hair, bringing Lauren's daydream to a sudden halt.
"Okay." Lauren headed upstairs. "Can I borrow some clothes?"
"No, you're dirty!"
"Please?"
Brittany laughed. "Sure, go ahead."
Britt made herself some peanut butter & jelly toast (author's note: REALLY good!) and watched a little MTV while waiting for her friend. She blow-dried her hair and put on some light make-up after she realized she was running a little late. Growing impatient, she went upstairs to check on Lauren. Lauren was sprawled out on Brittany's bed.
"What are you doing?"
"Thinking about A.J."
"Don't you think you should be getting ready?"
"I'm going, I'm going." Brittany made their beds while Lauren finished getting ready. Before they knew it, they heard a car horn.
"That's them!" Lauren grinned at Brittany.
Britt smiled. "Let me go tell my parents we're leaving; you go ahead."
Lauren nodded and headed downstairs and out the door to the car. Nick was driving his Durango once again, and AJ got out of the front seat.
"Hello, m'lady."
"Hi A.J." Lauren climbed into the back seat, and A.J. followed. "Hey Nick."
"Hey. Where's Britt?"
"She can't come. She's sick," Lauren lied.
"WHAT?!? She was fine earlier!" Nick shouted.
Lauren giggled. "I'm only kidding, she's talking to her parents."
"Oh," Nick muttered sheepishly. Here we go again, Nick thought, as Brittany came out the front door, looking as pretty as ever. She reached for the door handle, but realized it was locked.
"Nick, unlock the door please."
Nick grinned and shook his head.
"COME ON! OPEN THE DOOR!" Britt screamed.
Everyone laughed and Nick put the car in reverse. He drove slowly, with Brittany following, whining and pounding on the windows.
"You guys! Come on! Quit being immature!"
After a few more minutes of the complaining, Nick unlocked the doors. Brittany jumped in, but glared at Nick.
"What? I didn't do anything!"
"Just drive."
"Aw, come on Britt, I was just kidding."
"I know." She winked at Nick.
Nick sighed. Women, he thought.
"Got any good music?" Britt asked.
Nick pointed to the glove box. Brittany opened it, and took out numerous c.d.'s and tapes.
"How 'bout this?" Britt asked, holding up a Journey c.d.
Everyone agreed, and Brittany popped in the disc. She checked the cover, and went straight to number twelve. A piano played softly, and Nick began to sing:
Lying beside you,
Here in the dark
Feeling your heart beat
In mine.
Softly you whisper,
You're so sincere,
How could our love be so blind?
We sailed off together,
We drifted apart,
And here you are by my side.
Nick took Brittany's hand, and she began to sing with him.
So now I come to you,
With open arms,
Nothing to hide,
believe what I say,
So here I am,
With open arms,
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms.
Lauren cuddled up against A.J.'s shoulder, and he began to sing to her, while Nick, Brittany, and Lauren all listened.
Living without you,
Living alone,
This empty house seems so cold.
Wanting to hold you,
Wanting you near,
How much I wanted you home.
And now that you've come back,
Turned light into day,
I need you to stay.
All of them began to sing together, pouring out their hearts, their loneliness evident and how much each one needed another.
So now I come to you,
With open arms,
Nothing to hide,
believe what I say.
So here I am
With open arms,
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms.
Nick pulled over because Brittany and Lauren were crying hysterically. A tear slipped down A.J.'s cheek, and he held Lauren until she couldn't cry anymore.
Nick pulled Britt onto his lap, and she curled into a ball and cried in his shoulder. He rubbed her back and repeated, "it's okay, I'm here."
When Lauren and Brittany recovered from the moment, an awkward silence took over the car. To ease the tension, Lauren said:
"Nice choice Britt. Just make us all cry on our day of fun, huh?"
Everyone laughed heartily and lightly scolded Brittany for her poor choice of music.
"You know what? I tried!" Brittany said defensively, laughing. She climbed back into her seat, and reached into the glovebox again. "How about Titanic?" she joked.
"NO!"
"Doesn't matter, we're here." Nick said. He pulled into an enormous parking lot, and after an endless search, finally found a space somewhat near the entrance.
Fifteen minutes later, they came to the entrance. Nick and A.J. paid for the girls, while they protested and whined.
"COME ON! You just paid for bowling last night!" Lauren shrieked.
"Damn, shut up. No one wants to hear you whine," grumbled A.J.
"Well fine." Lauren crossed her arms and stood next to Brittany.
"Come on guys…Haunted House!" Nick shouted.
"YEAH!" The girls forgot all about their tickets and ran ahead of the boys to get a place in line.
After the Haunted House, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and shopping at three stores, Nick, A.J., Lauren, and Brittany were all hungry for lunch.
"What do we want?" asked Nick.
"Mexican!" yelled A.J.
"American!" yelled Britt.
"Italian!" yelled Lauren.
Nick sighed. "Okay, I'm with Lauren. Pizza sounds really good…how about we meet near the fountain to eat?"
Everyone nodded. Nick and Lauren walked together, and stood in line behind three couples and a family of four.
"Having fun with Bone?" Nick asked.
"Who?" Lauren said.
"Bone - you know, A.J."
"Oh, yeah of course. Why do you call him that?"
" 'Cause he always has a…er, he is really skinny."
Nick's mistake went right over Lauren's head. "Oh," she replied. "Well, are you having fun with Britt?"
"Yeah, she's a sweetie. I love her - well, not love, but I like her a lot, you know?"
"I understand."
After ten minutes of waiting, Nick ordered two slices of extra cheese pizza and a large Pepsi. Lauren bought spaghetti and a Dr. Pepper. They went back to the table and sat down. A.J. came right behind, carrying three beef enchiladas and Mountain Dew. Brittany came later, with a burger, fries, and iced tea.
"I hate people! UGH!" Britt muttered.
"Just ignore her," Lauren said, referring to Brittany's outburst. "She gets like this sometimes when she doesn't get her way.
"HEY!" Britt exclaimed.
"Well you do!"
"Let's all just eat, okay?" A.J. said.
For the next twenty minutes, everyone ate in silence, drowned in their thoughts of their boyfriend/girlfriend.
"Are we ready?" said Lauren. All of their plates had been pushed aside, and everyone was off in their own little world, sipping their drinks.
"I think so."
"Yeah."
"Yup."
"Okay then, SPLASH MOUNTAIN!" Lauren yelled.
"We just ate!" Nick complained.
"Nick, it's a slow ride…it's not a roller coaster."
"Okay, okay."
They reached the entrance for Splash Mountain, finding that their was a forty-five minute wait.
"No way," Nick grumbled. He grabbed Brittany's hand. "Come on Britt, let's go." Britt narrowed her eyes and shook it off.
"Nick, come on. Quit being a kid," A.J. scolded.
"I'M NOT A KID!" Nick screamed. Brittany, Lauren, and A.J. looked at him with doubtful eyes.
"Oh, alright." Nick walked ahead of the others, dragging his feet. Everyone laughed, and followed.
The line turned out to be a little over an hour long, and Nick complained and annoyed everyone the entire time. When they reached their "log," everyone breathed a sigh of relief. No one could stand much more of Nick's grumbling.
"Thank God," Britt said to her best friend, who was in the front seat with A.J.
"I second that," whispered Lauren. "I can't believe you like him."
"Heard that," said Nick. Lauren and Brittany giggled as the ride pulled in to a dark forest. A.J. turned to Lauren and in his best Beavis & Butthead voice, said, "hey baby, wanna make out?"
Lauren rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, not here."
A.J. laughed and put his arm around her. Nick watched followed suit with Brittany. She snuggled up against him. He smiled,leaned forward, and kissed her. "Shh, don't tell." Nick whispered.
Brittany winked at him. "I won't."
The ride was pretty lame, with the puppets of rabbits, foxes, and crows. The hill wasn't too bad though, although Lauren and Britt screamed their heads off. A.J. bought the picture that was taken right before their log went down the hill. Lauren had her arms around A.J. with her mouth wide open. A.J. had his eyes closed, and he looked like he was going to sneeze. Brittany had her arms straight up, and her head up looking towards the sky. Nick had his arms crossed behind his head and his hands were supporting it. He was laughing.
"Not bad, not bad at all," said Nick, peering over A.J.'s shoulder to look at the picture.
"Look at my hair!" cried Lauren. "I look like shit!"
"Oh shut up," Brittany said. "You look perfectly fine."
The four friends went on to ride Space Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, the bumper cars, and It's a Small World. They saw a Mulan show, shopped at two more stores, and before they knew it, it was seven-thirty. It was starting to get cold, even for Florida, so Brittany suggested hot chocolate before the fireworks began. After getting their beverages, they walked over to a bench overlooking the lake. Nick and Britt leaned against the ledge, talking and giggling. A.J. and Lauren sat down, and Lauren realized this would be the best time to confess her love for A.J.
"A.J.?"
"What punkin?"
"I have to tell you something."
A.J. looked at Lauren with fear. She seemed nervous. Uh-oh, A.J. thought. Am I not good enough? Do I have bad breath? Am I ugly? Before he could come to any conclusions, Lauren began to speak.
"I don't know how to say this...I've never been good at it." She looked to A.J., who was considerably worried. She sighed. "I really really really REALLY like you...a lot." She continued to look at the ground. "I was wondering, will you be my boyfriend? I mean, you don't have to. Like not now...maybe in the future, when we know each other much more. I mean, I don't know your last name-"
A.J. cut her off with his hand raised. "My last name's McLean. Lauren, I think you are the most beautiful thing in the world. I'm so glad you said something...I was afraid you were one of those shy girls, afraid to make the first move at anything. I would absolutely love to be your boyfriend."
Lauren screamed with delight and gave A.J. a hug. Brittany and Nick turned around. "What's going on?"
"We're officially together," A.J. answered. Lauren was too excited to talk. Before a congratulations could be said, the fireworks began. After ten minutes and the grand finale, A.J. gave Lauren a passionate kiss. Lauren blushed, but it couldn't be seen in the dark.
They decided to go home after the fireworks. The girls fell asleep in the backseat, and A.J. and Nick sang along (quietly) to the new Metallica c.d. When they reached Brittany's house, Nick carried Britt, and A.J. carried Lauren to the front step. Terri answered the door, and ushered the boys to carry the girls upstairs. They gave their girls a kiss goodnight, and left.
LINKS
