“But... but...” Alex stuttered. “But... we don’t leave for another four days!”
“I know Alex, but we have to go,” Justin gently told her.
“You know what?” Alex paused. “No. You cannot go. I never get to see you! You can’t!”
“Alex...” Justin said.
“Send the other four!”
“Hey!” I exclaimed, just as Justin again said, “Alex.”
“Fine! Send Joey, Chris, and-” Alex saw the look she was getting from Briley. “Chris and Joey!”
“Alex, it’s part of the job. We have to go,” Justin explained.
“Well, hey, since this is our last day, let’s make it good,” I said to the group, optimistically.
“Anyway... happy thoughts, happy thoughts,” Briley told herself in a whisper.
“Um... we’ve been standing outside Space Mountain for awhile, so why don’t we...” Joey trailed off.
“Let’s go!” Justin yelled, grabbing Alex’s hand, pulling her into the door of the rollercoaster.
“Wait!” Lance suddenly yelled, stopping Justin’s pursuit of fun.
“What?” Chris asked.
“Kelly can’t go on this.”
“And may I ask why not?” I asked.
“Expectant mother’s can’t ride this,” Lance said with a smile, pointing to the sign.
“Lance!” I exclaimed. “That is so not funny!” I paused. “You know good and well I am not...” Lance silenced me with a kiss.
“Kissing- the only way to properly shut someone up,” Briley said with a smile.
As Lance and I pulled apart, I heard Chris laugh. I just raised my eyebrows in his direction. “Kelly, do you realize how many girls hate you?” I shook my head. “I know of three at least.” Chris nodded to three girls about fifty yards away who were staring at me with jealousy and hate.
“This is so not good,” I mumbled.
“Don’t worry Kelly! I’ll protect you!” Justin yelled, striking a kung fu like pose. “I am Jacki Chan!” I stared at him as if he was an alien with three heads before bursting into laughter.
“How come my best friends have to be so weird?” I asked the group in general, dragging out the so.
“To make you seem more normal?” JC suggested.
“Very good possibility.” The eight of us stepped onto the moving floor inside the building. Lance slip an arm around my waist and softly kissed the tip of my nose.
As the day progressed, we all rode many, if not all, of the attractions, including the ones for little kids, such as Dumbo and It’s A Small World.
Later, when he day was at an end, we found ourselves on the monorail. Briley sighed as she surveyed the group and leaned against JC. “I don’t wanna go back to the hotel. I have too much energy,” She said with a yawn.
“You have energy... but your yawning...” Chris pointed out.
Briley didn’t say anything for a few moments. I guessed she was contemplating his words. Finally, she replied with an annoyed, “Shut up!” Chris just laughed.
There was silence for a minute. Then, Joey suggested something. “Let’s go clubbin’!”
“But...” I said, looking at Alex.
“No! I refuse to baby-sit again! I’m goin’ this time!” Alex exclaimed.
“How?” I asked.
Joey smiled and said, “We’ll go to the clubs where we know the bouncers. They’ll let her in.”
“Really?” Alex asked, wide eyed.
“Really.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“We’d do that for you.”
“Wow....” Alex said, as she sleepily collapsed against Justin. He quickly caught her.
We rode in silence until we arrived at where our cars were parked. We loaded in and drove to a series of clubs in downtown Orlando. We stopped at the first and as we stood on the corner, Joey strained to see who the bouncer was. “Good, it’s Mel,” He told us. “Wait right here.” Joey walked over to him, leaving us on the corner. He conversed with Mel for a few minutes before walking dejectedly back to us. “He can’t let her in.”
“Why not?” Justin asked, raising his voice.
“Since she’s 14, he could get into a lot of trouble if he let her in.”
Alex scrunched her face up in anger and stalked over to the bouncer. “Listen Mel,” She said loudly.
“Alex!” Justin exclaimed, running to her side. The other six of us followed to listen.
“Do you know who they are?” She asked angrily.
“Yeah, what’s your point?” He asked.
“The point is, he...” She pushed Justin forward, then stepped in front of him. “Is my boyfriend! I never get to see him. I just found out that he has to leave four days before me. I want to spend some time with him, out here, experiencing Orlando nightlife!” She took a deep breath and turned nice. “Will you please let me in?”
Mel rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Missy...”
“It’s Alex.”
“Alex, I can’t let you in. You have to be over 18. I could lose my job if I let you in.”
Alex’s eyes welled up with tears and she began to cry. I was the only one who realized it at the time, but she was making herself cry, trying to make Mel feel sorry for her. “But, I just wanted to spend some time with him.” She sniffled loudly and made a point to wipe the tears off her cheeks. “All I wanted was to see him and my friends... And...” She began to cry loudly. “That’s all I wanted.” Alex sat down on the ground in front of him and put her head on her knees, still crying.
A guilty look came over him. “Can you keep a secret?” Alex looked up at him wide eyed and nodded. “I’ll let you in, but you can’t say anything to anyone.”
“Really?” Alex asked softly, immediately stopping her crying.
“Really. Now, get in there before I change my mind.” Alex jumped up and ran through the doors, Justin and the rest of us right behind him.
Upon entering the club, my eyes began to water from the smoke machine. Alex and Justin immediately disappeared as Lance lead me to a table. We sat down and ordered drinks. Within minutes, Lance leaned over and I could vaguely hear him yelling over the music that he would be back in a few seconds. I nodded as he got up and walked across the room. A slow song then started, which I was grateful for, because my head was beginning to throb. Chris got up and scooted over a few seats, so he could talk to me.
“Hey Kelly? Can I ask you something?” Chris asked.
“You just did.”
“No, I’m serious.”
“Okay Chris, what’s the question?”
“Have you ever had anything to drink?”
“Well, don’t you think I’d be pretty thirsty if I had never had anything to drink?”
Chris groaned in exasperation. “No! I mean, like, an alcoholic drink.”
“Um.... no.”
“Want one?” He asked with an evil grin.
“Chris, I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”
“Oh, come on... just one. I’ll get you something light, so it won’t really affect you.”
“Chris, I really shouldn’t. Lance would kill me!”
“Come on... Lance doesn’t have to know.”
“I’m sure he’d figure it out.”
“Kelly....”
“Chris, are you wanting me to do this just so you can and won’t be alone?” He sheepishly smiled. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll go over there with you, but I’m only getting virgin drinks. Nothing with alcohol in it, I mean it Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick!” I pointed at him as I said his name.
“That’s a deal.” Chris stood. “What do you want?”
“Get me....a....” I thoughtfully paused. “A virgin strawberry daiquiri.”
“Okay.” Chris walked to the bar and about five minutes later, returned. He set the glass in front of me. I sighed and took a long drink. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion.
“This doesn’t taste right....” I took another drink. “But, it is good.” Chris smiled as he took a drink of wine. That was when Lance returned.
“Want to dance?” He asked me, holding out his hand. I finished the daiquiri off and took it as he lead me out to the dance floor.
By time the song “In The Still Of The Night” was over, I was feeling a little woozy... but for the life of me couldn’t figure out why. As the last notes of the song faded away, Lance and I turned to head back to the table, but I fell flat on my face.
“Kelly dear? Are you okay?” Lance asked, helping me up.
“Yeah...” I burst out laughing for no real reason at all. “I guess I tripped over my own four feet....” Lance looked at me in confusion. “I mean, my own two feet.” I held up three fingers to illustrate my point of “two” feet.
He helped me back to the table and before I sat down, I tripped over a chair. Lance caught me and set me down. “What’s up with her?” I heard Briley whisper. Lance shrugged.
“I have no idea,” he replied. “But I don’t like it. This isn’t like Kelly.”
“Hey Chris!” I yelled.
“Yeah?” He answered.
“Get me another one of those!” I held up the glass.
“You got it!” Chris jumped up and ran over to the bar. Lance’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Kelly, what are you drinking?”
“A.... a.... what’s that called?.... um....a.....I got it.... virgin strawberry daiquiri. Why?”
“Are you sure that’s non-alcoholic?”
“Yeah! I wouldn’t drink alcohol Lancey-Poo...” I pinched one of his cheeks. As Chris returned with another drink, a flicker of understanding passed over Lance’s face.
“Chris, you got her an alcoholic drink, didn’t you?”
“Oh, Lance. You worry too much. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Chris...” Lance said warningly.
“Okay, I admit... I got her drunk! I’m sorry!”
A look of annoyance and anger passed over Lance before he gently took my arm. “Come on Kelly, let’s get you home.”
“But, I still got some of my drink left.”
“Nope, you don’t need to finish it.”
“Hey all you singers out there! Here’s your chance to impress the world with your skills! Get up here and karoke!” The DJ yelled into the microphone.
“Karoke!” I yelled, jumping up and running to the stage. After conversing with the DJ, I grabbed a microphone and said, “Alex and Briley... get up here!” For some reason, they came. They probably just didn’t want me to make a complete idiot out of myself. We gave the DJ our request and as the music started, I began to talk.
“A few questions that I need to know, how you could ever hurt me so, I need to know what I’ve done wrong and how long it’s been going on. Is it that I never paid enough attention? Or did I not give enough affection? Not only will your answers keep me safe, but I know not to make the same mistake again. You can tell me to my face, or even on the phone. You can write it in a letter, either way I have to know. Did I never treat you right, did I always start the fight? Either way I’m going out of my mind, all the answers to my questions I have to find...” The two of them took turns singing the first verse. When it came to the chorus, the three of us began singing in harmony. “Never ever ever ever felt so low, when your gonna take me outta this black hole....” We continued our song ‘Never Ever’ by All Saints and got quite a round of applause when we were finished.
On my down from the stage, I tripped again, falling into Alex, who fell into some guy. Her eyes widened as he stood up straighter and turned to her. “Girl, what was that?” He yelled at her.
“I’m sorry,” She quietly said.
“Well, maybe you should watch where your going next time!”
“I’m sorry,” Alex repeated.
“You can make it up to me by letting me take you to the hotel down the street.”
“NO!” Alex yelled, trying to push by him.
“Let’s go,” The man said, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her out the door.
“Let go of me!” She screamed. “JUSTIN!”
Justin, Lance, JC, and Joey came running through the crowd. “Let go of her!” Justin yelled through clenched teeth, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“Let me think... no.”
“Let go of her!” I yelled.
“Hmm... I’m think I should take you too... and hey, your drunk so that will make for a better time,” The man said with a laugh. He grabbed my arm too. I looked pleadingly at Lance.
“Listen, we’re sorry about this. Can’t you see it was an accident?” JC asked.
“I don’t care what it was. I’m gonna let them make it up to me.”
“Over my dead body!” I yelled, jerking out of his grasp in a karate move I had been taught when I was younger. In one swift motion, I punched the guy, he stumbled back a few steps and in the process, let go of Alex.
“Let’s get out of here,” Justin said, taking Alex’s hand.
As she walked past the man, she turned to look at him long enough to say, “Nice welt sweetie.” Then, we were ushered out the door and into the night.
