Chapter Seven

Two nights later, Megan tried to ignore the ringing phone by pulling the pillow over her head. When it continued to ring, she cursed out loud and began reaching for it on her nightstand. It wasn’t there, but she found the cord and followed it to the phone which was under the bed.

“Somebody better be dead,” she growled.

“Whoa!” AJ cried in her ear. “It’s just me! Don’t kill me, please.”

Megan smiled and sat up, holding the phone and glancing at the clock on the wall. “AJ, what the hell are you doing calling me at 3am?”

“I’m bored. Me and the guys were gonna make a trip over to Wal-Mart. Wanna go?”

“Why are you going to Wal-Mart?”

“It’s open all night, and I need toilet paper.”

“Oooh, better get moving then, before you have to use the newspapers.”

“Exactly. I’m down to the last little square on the roll. And anyway, there aren’t a lot of people hanging around there at this time of night.”

“So who all is going?”

“Me, Nick, Brian, Leighanne if he can get her to...you haven’t met her yet, have you?”

“Nope.”

“You’ll like her, she’s cool. And Howie, if he ever gets outta bed.”

“What about Kevin and Dana?”

“Well, I called Kev’s place, got the machine. I’m afraid to call Dana’s. Don’t want to uh, interrupt anything, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. So what makes you think I want to go along on this little shopping excursion?”

“You said you had tomorrow off, so why not? Come on, please,” he begged. “It’ll be fun!”

Megan found herself relenting. “All right. On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You let *me* call Dana’s house.”

AJ paused. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Kevin might hurt you.”

Megan laughed wickedly and threw back the covers, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and swinging them. “I’d like to see him try.”

An hour later, Megan pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot and saw Nick, AJ, and Howie sitting in the bed of AJ’s truck. She parked beside them and got out.

“Hey! You made it!” AJ exclaimed, jumping down to give her a hug.

“How could I turn down an invitation to join the Backstreet Boys at Wal-Mart?” she asked, smiling at them. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Brian and Leighanne are on their way,” Howie said. “Um, did you call Kevin and Dana?”

Megan nodded. “Sure did.”

“And...?”

“Let’s just say, Dana was up for it, but Kevin was none too pleased with me.”

Howie shook his head. “You are one of a kind, Megan.”

Brian and Leighanne arrived a few minutes later, and Megan was introduced. Leighanne was beautiful, and so nice. Megan liked her instantly. And then Kevin’s 4runner came screeching to a halt beside their cars. Kevin gave her a look that could cut through stone as he and Dana joined them by AJ’s truck.

Everyone tried to keep a straight face as they noticed the slightly disheveled appearance of their clothes. Everyone except Megan. She actually burst into a fit of giggles and nearly fell over.

“Uh, now that we’re all here, let’s go in, okay?” AJ suggested, taking Megan firmly by the arm and leading her to the entrance. “He hates your guts so much now, I don’t dare let you near him,” he whispered to her.

“You think I can’t handle him? Pish posh. He’s a great big bushy browed poopy head.”

“Now that’s one I’ve never heard him called. Come on.”

The group went inside to an almost empty store. The only employees they saw were either waxing the floors or stocking shelves.

“Toys!” Megan cried before taking off running.

“She acts like she’s five years old,” Kevin said snidely.

AJ pursed his lips and then started waving his arms in the air. “I get the toy guns first!” he yelled, and then followed her.

The others exchanged sly glances before going after AJ and Megan.

“Don’t be such a downer, Kevvy,” Dana said, tugging at his arm. “Megan’s a lot of fun to hang with.”

“I’m sure.”

While Nick, Howie, Brian and Leighanne made every talking toy talk, Megan and AJ found Nerf guns and started shooting away at each other. Dana joined in by tossing stuffed animals at everyone. Kevin stood back and watched. He thought they were all being extremely immature. When he voiced his opinion, he was rewarded with a foam dart right in the forehead, courtesy of Megan.

“Oops, sorry,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand.

Kevin blinked at her and then slowly grabbed a small stuffed bear. With careful aim, he threw it and hit her in the neck. She looked at him in surprise and then grinned, her eyes narrowing into two tiny slits.

“Oh, you’re asking for it now,” she told him.

Kevin motioned with his arms and said, “Bring it on.”

This made everyone scramble behind shelves and displays as toys went flying every which way. Nick managed to roll away, unscathed and ended up next to a fish tank.

“Hey guys!” he called. “We’ve made it to the pet department!”

Toys were abandoned as the group gathered around the numerous fish tanks, tapping on the glass, even though there were signs telling them not to, and making faces and noises. Megan made sure to point out all the floaters.

After fifteen minutes of scaring the fish, they moved to the aisle that carried fishing equipment. Dana almost threw up as AJ wiggled some bait in her face. This forced them to move on to the auto department. While the guys oohed and aahed over stereo equipment, the girls abandoned them for the magazine section.

They each grabbed a teenybopper and began looking for their men. When the boys finally rejoined them, they found the girls laughing their asses off.

“What’s so funny?” Nick asked, trying to see what they were looking at.

Megan giggled and pointed to a poster of Nick, and the rather large, visible zit on his face. “Break out the Clearisil!” she cried.

“Aisle seven!” Leighanne offered, and she and Megan high fived.

“Ooh, ooh, look at this one!” Megan said, flipping the page to a picture of AJ. “You look constipated, dear.”

“Maybe I was,” AJ said.

“Um, can we move onto something else please?” Brian asked. “I don’t really like looking at these.”

All three girls decided that they must stay in that section. But the guys wouldn’t hear of it. They circled around them and began ushering them away....straight into the women’s lingerie.

AJ picked up a lacy bra and twirled it around his head. “Hey, Megs, if I buy this for you, will you wear it?”

Megan looked at it and shook her head. “Nope. It’s not see-through enough.”

Nick coughed and blushed.

“Okay, time to move outta here,” Howie said. “You’re embarassing Nicky.”

“She is not,” he said.

“Shoes!” Leighanne said, pointing to the shoe section.

Megan and Dana whole heartedly agreed.

“What was the point of us being here with them?” Brian asked, watching his girlfriend grab three shoeboxes and then sit down on the floor to try them on. “They seem to be having plenty of fun without us.”

“We’re here to make sure we don’t get kicked out,” Howie said.

Megan finished lacing up the sneaker on her left foot and slipped a three inch heel on the other. Gingerly she stood up and announced that they should have a race from one end of the aisle to the other, wearing two different shoes.

“Guys can’t play,” she said. “Unless you wanna wear high heels.”

“Pass,” Kevin said, taking a step back.

AJ shrugged. “What the hell.”

Howie declined, as did Nick. Brian tried, but Leighanne convinced him.

“What the heck’s gotten into you?” he asked her as she handed him a pair of silver women’s dress shoes. “You never act this silly.”

Leighanne kissed his chin. “Maybe cuz I’ve never had someone to act silly with. Megan’s a riot!”

Dana, Megan, Leighanne, Brian and AJ all lined up, different shoes on each foot.

“Oh Lord, I wish you’d brought your camera,” Howie told Kevin.

Megan raised her arm. “Ready? Set....GO!”

They all started hobbling towards the finish line. Then Brian tripped and took Leighanne down with him. AJ was doing pretty well...until his high heel flipped off and he went down. Megan and Dana were neck and neck, and then Dana stepped on Megan’s loose shoelace, sending her flying.

“I win, I win!” Dana screamed.

“No fair, rematch!” Megan demanded.

“What the hell are you doing?!” an angry voice broke in.

“Shit,” AJ muttered. “We’re busted.”

A tall, gangly man hurried towards them, shaking his fist. “This isn’t a playground!” he informed them. “Now either buy something or get out!”

“Guess you better get your toilet paper, AJ,” Nick said.

“And we better scoot, now,” Kevin said, helping Dana with her shoes.

The night manager watched them carefully as they purchased toilet paper, six rolls each. Then they quickly exited the store, barely holding back their laughter. The toilet paper was tossed into the back of AJ’s truck.

“Thanks, guys, but I didn’t need that much,” he said, eying the 48 rolls.

“Maybe we should all crash at AJ’s again,” Megan suggested. “I’m sure we could find something to do with it.”

AJ eyed her wearily. “I’m not really up for a big party tonight, but if *you* want to come over...”

Megan snuggled into his arms.

“I think I better go home,” Howie said, looking at his watch. “We’ve been here for almost two and a half hours.” He yawned. “And I’m very sleepy. ‘Night all.”

The group parted after Howie left. Just before Kevin climbed into the 4runner, Megan called out his name.

“I won that toy war,” she said.

“I don’t think so.”

“I think so. Know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I am woman, hear me roar.” Then she growled.

Kevin rolled his eyes and then drove off.

“Do you think you guys will ever be friends?” AJ asked, walking her to her car.