*-*The Road to Take*-*

“What did you let them do to you?” Kevin asked staring in disbelief. “I think he looks great.....for a dude!” Alex said jumping off the bed and running over to Nick to check out his new threads. “You didn’t have to let them do all this stuff to you, y’know,” Howie said in a tender voice while scowling at CJ.

“I know,.........but I love it. I feel so honoured that they took the interest in me to make me.....to turn me.......to make me into someone cool!” Nick said shyly. His eyes darted around the room and he clenched his hands into fists, resisting the urge to grab at the leg of his pants. He licked his lips and straightened his shoulders, then smiled proudly.

“I feel like a new man. I should say...I finally feel like my own man. Who would have thought that some different clothes and some hair colour could have made me feel this way, but I do. I feel like a totally different person. I feel like someone who I can truly like. I feel like I am finally proud to be living in my body. Before my body was just a shell for my mind, but now.....I’m the whole package!” he exclaimed with delight, running over to look at himself in the mirror. “Careful now.....it might crack!” Kevin teased as Nick leaned in close and touched the glass, still unable to believe the man staring back at him was infact him. “So what do you guys wanna do? Go out? Go dancing? What?” Nick said, now getting all wound up. “Go to sleep?” Kevin said kicking off his flip flops. “Oh that’s no fun! Don’t you guys wanna LIVE?” Nick said. “Yup....tomorrow!” Kevin said lying down on one of the beds and pulling the covers over his head.

“Mardi Gras starts tomorrow, man...we can party hardy then OK?” Alex said ripping off his shirt. “It’s a long drive, so I agree with Kev, miraculously, I think we should call it a nite! WoW! Is that me talking?” “I thought that you wanted me to paint your nails?” CJ asked Alex. “That’s how this all started in the first place...” “Oh yeah...I almost forgot!” he said springing out of bed and holding his hands limply in front of her.

“It’ll only take me a couple of minutes...I bought the quick drying kind!” Within five minutes Alex was admiring his new flashy nails all done up in black polish with purple tips. “That’s crazy beautiful, CJ! Thanx so much. I LOVE it!” he smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Anytime, honey....but now I must get some rest.” she answered.

Nat patted Kevin’s leg and said that she’d see him at breakfast. CJ stood up and kissed Howie and said that there would be more of that once they got to New Orleans. Howie smiled and hugged her tightly. Brian tickled Meg again, but before standing up she did something that she had wanted to do all day. She put her hand on his shoulder and hugged him tightly. He found comfort in her touch and when she pulled back he leaned in and his lips met hers, gently. She was so gentle and delicate that it drove him absolutely wild. She was like a tender tease and he loved it. Pangs of admiration shot through his body, but before he had anymore impure thoughts of her she pulled back and stood up, stopping at Nick to give him a congratulatory hug. “Good night guys, see ya at breakfast!” the twins said in unison. CJ pulled away from Howie and walked up behind Nick, placing her hand on his shoulder. “I hope that you’re alright with all that we did to you! You were a good sport about everything!” she smiled.

“I love it...I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank all of you. I hated myself before and I was willing to do whatever necessary to change it!” he said as he took another glimpse of himself in the mirror.

“You’re not going to turn all vain on us now are you?” Brian teased and threw a pillow over in Nick’s direction, skimming over his head. Nick laughed and threw the pillow back with amazing precision, smacking Brian right in the nose. “Walk me out?!” CJ said as Nick celebrated his direct hit. She turned and walked to the door with Nick following her.

“Good night, young man....I hope that you are happy with yourself tonight!” she said and stood up on her tippy toes to give him a hug. Awkwardly, he placed his hands on her hips; his attempt at hugging back. She pulled back and looked him in the eye. “Your a good person and the world has so much to offer you. I hope that you enjoy yourself out there and I hope that we can all learn from each other,” she said smiling. Nick didn’t know what to say so he dropped his eyes to the floor. “See! You can’t be doing that anymore! You’ve got to be brave and bold!!! Shy is cute, but awkward is not!” she said while taking his hands in hers. “Bold how?” he shyly said.

“Bold like this!” she said and hopped up on her tippy toes again and pressed her full lips against his. His eyes opened in shock as she pressed in a little further, her tongue ringing the doorbell for his to come out and play. Just as he began to open his mouth she pulled away. “See! You gotta be bold!!! Did that scare you?” said the teacher to the student. “Uh......,” he hesitated. “Good!.......well at least now you’ve kissed a girl!” And with that she unlocked her own hotel room and went inside, leaving Nick alone in the hall, weak kneed.

Sunlight cheated Kevin’s sleep as Howie threw open the drapes of their hotel room. Always the early riser, he was anxious to get up and get going. The fact that he had spent an uncomfortable nite on the floor hadn’t tainted his chipper morning-personality a bit. Brian and Alex had flipped for the other bed, Brian finally winning the comfortable place to sleep. Alex lay in a heap of cushions and blankets on the floor just outside of the bathroom door. Howie gave him a little nudge as he jumped over him to be first for the shower. Alex grunted then rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head. Kevin sat up and looked at his watch, 7:30am. Dang! He had hoped to be able to sleep until at least nine! He squinted and threw a pillow over at Brian.

“C’mon, let’s go....I guess. We’ve got about a days drive ahead of us.....the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there!” Kevin said while rubbing his eyes. He looked over at the window at the sun pouring in on Nick. Nick sat in a chair, smiling, just staring out at the city. He had been like that all nite. “You better watch yourself now.....or we’re gonna start calling you Tom instead of Nick,” Kevin teased. “Tom?” “Ya...peeping Tom!” With that said Kevin threw his head back and laughed. He heard Alex snicker to himself under the covers. It took Nick a minute to realize that Kevin was kidding him and then he relaxed his tense body and forced a laugh.

“So what was that about with you and CJ last nite in the hall?” Howie asked Nick as he emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Nick just shrugged his shoulders and said. “Oh, she just wanted to say good night.....she just wanted to make sure that I was Okay with everything. She’s a really nice girl....I like her a lot.” “I do too,” Howie said with a huge smile. Everyone in the room couldn’t help but notice the tone of his voice, as if there was more to it than he was willing to admit.

By some twist of fate, by the time the men arrived down in the dining room for breakfast, the girls were already there sipping away on coffee and juice. Brian had thought that they would be forever. He thought that they would be the ones to get the early start on breakfast. He smiled to himself when he realized he was wrong. “It’s about time you guys came down here....we thought that you were going to sleep the day away!” Meg teased as Brian took the seat beside her. She blushed as he leaned towards her to wish her a good morning.

Alex and Kevin immediately began to fight over who was going to drive. Kevin said that it was his car and he was going to. Alex said that that was fine with him if he didn’t mind his smoke swirling around his head. Nat watched Kevin count to ten, trying not to lose his cool so early in the day. She placed her hand on his thigh and began to rub it, erasing his mind completely of any thoughts that weren’t primal. Finally Meg slid her car keys across the table towards Alex and told him that he could drive their car, if it was that important to him. He smiled kindly to her and she reciprocated with a wink.

The drive from Dallas to New Orleans took less time than they had planned; they crossed inside the city limits in just over eight hours. The drive had been fast and comfortable. There had been no bickering, no fighting, no awkward moments, just good friends laughing together on a cross country drive. Alex and Kevin had driven the whole way. At one point Alex scared Nick and made him jump into the back seat with Brian and Meg. Alex had become preoccupied with his rocker nails and drifted into the left lane, not noticing that a semi-truck was approaching at great speed. Meg screamed and Alex swerved back into his lane just in time. Brian and Meg had to literally shove Nick back into the front seat, after he swore that he would never ride with Alex again. By the time they reached New Orleans though, Nick was laughing about the incident and was anxious to tell CJ and Nat about what had happened.

Alex was home. He had grown up in New Orleans and he knew the city like the back of his hand. He was thrilled that he had made it home for Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. It was always his favourite time of the year. The streets lite up like magic and for one week every year there was a no-holds-barred party in the city. He couldn’t wait to show his new friends around his old stomping ground; he couldn’t wait to introduce them to the Haunted City.

He took them to his uncles hotel, where he knew that there would always be room for them. Knowing that they were planning on staying for a while, he tried to reserve everyone their own room. The twins wanted to share a room, which was a good thing because there were only 5 rooms left in the hotel. “5 rooms? But there are 8 of us....well 7 if you count the twins as one!” Brian said.

“Well,......uhm....”Howie started, clearing his throat shyly. “I mean if it’s okay with you CJ........we could share a room?!” “Oh, absolutely! She said keenly. “I mean...if we have to...” “Well Brian and I can share a room again...we’ve done it before and survived.” Kevin volunteered blankly. So that was that, the rooms were divided up with Alex and Nick each having a room to themselves.

“So what do y’all wanna do tonite?” Alex said from his balcony to the others. Their rooms were all in a row, each having their own balcony. CJ and Howie’s room was in the middle with Kevin/Brian and Nat/Meg to their left and Nick and Alex to their right. “I just feel like going and having a nice dinner,” yelled Brian from his balcony. “Me too!” Meg yelled back.

“But I feel like exploring the city!! How ‘bout you Nat?” Kevin yelled! “This is stupid! Why are we all yelling at each other!!!! Can’t we just meet in the hallway?” CJ said as Howie stood behind her with his arms around her waist.

Out in the hall, the bickering began, no one could agree on an activity. Some wanted to eat, some wanted to sight see and some wanted to stay in. “To hell with all of you! I’m going down to the parade and get me some beads and naked women!!!” Alex finally yelled. “Whether you realize it or not....you have all broken into couples.....so as couples.....perhaps you should figure out what you wanna do.....and until that happens..I’m OUTTA HERE!!

“Uhm....I’m not in a couple.....I don’t think...” Nick said quietly. “Can I come with you?” “Ya man, whatever. C’mon I’ll buy you a beer!” “A b-beer? Nick stuttered as he followed Alex down the hall.

“Y’know, he’s right, damnit!” Kevin started. “Look at the six of us....we’re all couples..., whether we’ve admitted it to ourselves or not....isn’t that what we’ve become?” “I think so,” Nat answered. “At least I hope so.” she said smiling at Kevin. He reached down and kissed her gently. Meg shifted her eyes around nervously, waiting, hoping that Brian would acknowledge them as a couple.

“Will you have dinner with me tonite, Meg?” Brian finally asked. She agreed and went to her room to change. Nat and Kevin felt like being adventurous, so together, they set off together in search of some excitement. Howie asked CJ if she felt like going out too. She shook her head ‘no.’ He asked her what she felt like doing and she said “Going back to our room and locking the door and not coming out till morning!” Howie smiled cunningly and picked her up into his arms and pushed their door open with his foot. Once inside he set her down on the bed and kissed her gently. “Just a second,” she said as she ran back towards the door. “I forgot to hang out the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign!”

The sky was bright, the air was full of music and the streets were lined with thousands of revelers as Alex made his way to the parade route. Nick had to keep in a steady jog in order to keep up with him. “Slow down Alex...what’s your hurry?” “Keep up Nicky, I don’t wanna miss a second! GOD I LOVE this!” he screamed at the top of his lungs as the parade came into his view. Wild and colourful floats slowly made their way through the street, some carrying loud bands, some carrying dancers, some people were clothed, most were not. Alex wormed his way through the crowd until he was standing at the front. Nick excused his way through the people, apologizing for his rudness with every step.

“GOD! It’s just AMAZING!!! Don’t you feel that? Feel it Nick, just DRINK in the energy!” Alex exclaimed as he entered a hypnotic state. Nick could hear the music and he could see the floats, but for the life of him, he couldn’t drink in the energy. Long strings of beads were flying through the air as people dashed to catch them. “What’s that all about?” Nick asked confused.

“If you take your clothes off, they throw beads at you from the floats. You can get free drinks and stuff with them. See Watch this!” Alex said and then ripped his shirt off his body. A shower of beads struck him and Nick in the head. Alex threw some around Nick’s neck and tried to keep up with the pile that was accumulating at his feet, but people started to trample his hands so he gave up. He tucked his shirt in his back pocket and began to wiggle his hips as a jazz band passed by. He was telling Nick to loosen up when a girl pointing at him from across the street distracted him. He paused for a moment and looked around, wondering if she was pointing at him. He pointed at himself and she nodded and then she lifted up her shirt, exposing her bare breasts. He smiled, then laughed as she was showered strings and strings of beads. “WoW! I LOVE this place, man!!!!” Alex exclaimed. “C’mon, I promised you a drink, we’ll go and cash in some of our beads!” Nick had missed the girl flashing Alex, he had become too preoccupied apologizing for bumping into people as everyone scrambled to collect the beads!!!

Alex was wide awake and full of life, but Nick felt himself tiring rapidly. A little ways along the parade route, Alex found a street vendor selling beers. He got one for he and Nick and sat down on a giant planter to enjoy it. He sipped at his rapidly, having worked up quite a thirst, while Nick sat and stared at his. “What’s the matter with it?” Alex said as he noticed that Nick hadn’t tasted his yet. “Nothing. I-I’ve just never had one before, that’s all.”

“Dear Lord, where have you been hiding? Well go on, it won’t bite you!” Nick smelled it, moistened his lips and put the cup up to his mouth. The cold sweet liquid washed over his lips and made love to his taste buds as it passed. He had never experienced something so cold and invigorating in his entire life. He quickly took another big gulp, then chugged the rest of the glass down, finishing before Alex. “See! I told you that it was good,” Alex said as he got Nick another. Nick washed that one down faster than the first. “Aren’t you gonna have another?” Nick asked as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Not now....maybe later!” Alex said as he started back towards all of the action.

Dixieland and Jazz was music that on any other day of the year Alex would rather die than listen to, but during the week of Mardi Gras, he could never get enough of it. After Nick’s second beer, he began to loosen up. At one point a young girl came and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. He spun her around and grooved with her to the music until they were both showered with even more beads. “I feel it NOW!! I feel the energy!” Nick yelled at Alex as a very noisy, yet amazing jazz trio passed by them. Nick was jumping up and down and drumming away on his thighs when suddenly he felt something else. “I think I’m gonna be sick!” he yelled. Alex looked over at him and noticed that his face had gone as white as a ghost and he had broken out into a sweat. “Just take a deep breath, man...you’ll be alright!” Alex said, as he pulled him out of the crowd.

“Alex? Why are there 3 of you?” Nick said as his eyes began to dance around in his head. “Man, you have zero tolerance...c’mon - I’ll walk you back to the hotel.” Alex helped Nick to his feet and began to walk the short distance back to the hotel. “Y-You’re a really handsome man, Alex. D-do you know that?” Nick slurred as they made their way back. “Shut up, Nick...you’re a lousy drunk.” “I’m not drunk....I’ve never been drunk....My dad will kill me when I get home...” he began to say, but then collapsed down onto the side walk, where his late lunch made an encore appearance.

Alex got him back to the hotel quickly and lay him down on the hotel room floor. He rolled him over onto his stomach and turned out the lights. “There ya go, Nick.....that way if you puke you won’t drown and if you roll, you won’t kill yourself! Goodnight!” Alex had a lot of experience dealing with people who had had one too many. His father was an alcoholic who would come home falling down drunk night after night when he was a kid. His mother lived in denial about it, so it was up to Alex to put him to bed every nite.

Desperately trying to block the past 30 minutes from his mind, he quickly made his way back down to the centre of it all. Everywhere he turned he saw people dancing, people taking off their clothes, people making-out (not necessarily in that order), people having a good time. It had been so long that he last remembered having a really good time. He was having fun getting to know all of his new friends, but tonight he was in the mood for a wild time! Beads were weighing him down, so he put his shirt back on again as the urge swept over him to have another drink. A pretzel vendor distracted him, so he had one of those first. He was just tucking his change back into his pocket when he felt a hard tap on his shoulder. He took a bite of his pretzel and spun around assuming that it was Brian or Kevin. He turned around and immediately began to choke and spat out his mouthful of pretzel on the ground. She stood before him, like he knew that she would.

“Oh, my God, Alex! There you are!!!!” she said as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged tightly. “I’ve missed you so much!” She exclaimed and pressed her lips into his cheek. He slide his arms between his neck and her body and pushed her away. “”Cut the crap, Ireland...what are you doing here?” he said in a low and defeated voice. “Don’t be like that,” she said still holding her smile. “Didn’t you miss me, baby? You didn’t think that I wouldn’t find you, did you?”

“Don’t do this.....not here......I don’t wanna play games with you anymore. I’m DONE!” he said raising his voice as fury washed over him. “DON’T you EVER speak to me like THAT!” she yelled and smacked him across the face. She hadn’t caught him very hard this time, but she still made enough of a commotion to draw peoples attentions away from the party and onto them. “STOP IT, Ireland! We are not going to do this here. Not now...people are beginning to stare.” he said as he clenched his fists together. “DON”T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!! C’MON you little BRAT, SHOW ME YOU’RE A MAN!” she yelled at the top of her lungs as her arms began to flail in the air, making several good strikes on his chest and arms. Alex refused to fight back, so instead, he stood there like a statue, trying not to feel the effect of each blow. “HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE ME!!!!! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!” she yelled.

“STOP IT!” he yelled back, finally grabbing hold of one of her wrists. “Get a hold of yourself!” he said as she continued to swing around her free arm, at one point catching him in the eye. “ACT LIKE A MAN!” she yelled back at him. “I AM.......You know that I won’t hit you....I’m bigger than that.” he said in a solemn voice. “Maybe YOU are, BUT I’M NOT!” a voice yelled from the crowd as a young women jumped into the middle, grabbed Ireland by the hair and tackled her onto the street. Ireland yelled as the girl straddled her and grabbed both her wrists and pinned them down above her head. It happened so fast, Alex had no time to react; he just stood in amazement with his mouth agape. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” the girl said as she continued to subdue Ireland. At one point Ireland decided that enough was enough and attempted to buck the girl off her, but the girl sat firm and punched her across the face. Finally a police officer arrived and pulled the girls apart, Ireland still kicking and screaming despite the fact she had blood running out of her nose and mouth.

The officer handcuffed Ireland and the young girl convinced Alex to file assault charges against her. He had been reluctant to do that for years, but on that night, he decided that enough was truly enough. Ireland was still too furious to even think about filing charges against the girl who attacked her. An off-duty cop had seen the whole thing from a distance and felt it wasn’t necessary.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as the cop car carrying Ireland pulled away. He dabbed the corner of his mouth with the tail of his shirt. “I hope I didn’t step on your toes back there......ya know....a chick fighting your battles for you?” the girl said with a smile. “What? Oh, no....thanx so much......can I buy you a coffee or something for your trouble?”

“That would be great. I’m Jamie, by the way,” she said as they began to walk to a quieter part of town. “So what’s the deal with her anyway? Do you know her?” “She’s my EX.......she just goes off....and I don’t know how to handle her.....if it’s okay with you....I don’t wanna talk about Ireland anymore tonite,” he said as they turned down a quiet, yet darker street. “I know this quiet cafe...it’ll be just perfect,” he said as he opened the door for her to go inside.

There were two or three other couples inside, sipping away on their Java. Alex pointed to a table in the corner where they both went and sat down. “So you said your name is Jamie, that’s funny, cuz when I was a kid, that’s what my mom used to call me when she was mad at me.” he smiled. “Really? Your name is Jamie too?” “No, Alex, but my middle name is James and when she was mad she’d call me Jamie....I don’t know why....” “Your first name is Alexander? Oh, my God that’s so weird!.....cuz” she started “It’s not THAT weird!” he jumped in, suddenly getting defensive.

“NO! Not that!! It’s just that my middle name is Alexandra! Which means that you’re Alexander James and I’m Jamie Alexandra!!!! That’s weird. Do you think it means anything?” “Maybe we’re soul-mates!” Alex laughed, thinking he was making a joke, but then he stopped for a moment and looked more closely at Jamie. “You look familiar to me....have we met before? Do you leave near here or something?” “I’m from Florida....Orlando really.......you’re right though....you have seen me before, more of me than you’re seeing now actually,” she said shyly, her eyes darting down onto the table. And then he knew.

“Holy Sh*t! You’re HER!!! You’re the girl at the parade who flashed me!! Aren’t you?” “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly. “Why me? You pointed right at me!!!! Why?”

“I dunno....I just saw you across the street and something told me to do it.” she cleared her throat and looked up at him. “I’m not usually like that y’know.” Alex smiled at her and reached across the table and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “Something brought us together tonite, I don’t know what you call it, but I call it fate. Do you believe in fate?” Alex asked. “Yes. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

Howie had decided that he wanted a shower before starting round 2 with CJ. CJ had wanted to join him, but he told her that he would make it up to her, he promised. He had been taking forever and she was slowly growing bored. She had flipped through all of the magazines and had even changed into something more comfortable, but still no Howie. Finally he yelled that he would be out in a minute, so she prepared herself for his surprise. She threw open the french doors leading onto the balcony and step over to the railing. She looked out over the city and saw the parade. She looked around the streets immediately around the hotel and saw nothing but darkness. Checking to make sure that the balconies were all empty too she turned around and leaned against the balcony railing and dropped her robe. The sweet nite air danced over her naked body as she readied herself for Howie. She closed her eyes and tipped back her head into a provocative stance as she heard a noise. She opened her eyes, prepared to see Howie approaching, when instead she saw Nick standing on his balcony next door. His eyes were full, his mouth was a jar and his body was stiff. She let out a breath but didn’t reach for her robe, instead she said, “whatcha lookin’ at Nick?” He didn’t answer, he was frozen, but then his lips began to quiver. She finally did reach for her robe and pulled it back on, not tying it as she should have. “Do you like what you see?” she said to Nick. Again, he said nothing. “Would you like to touch it?” she smiled, then quickly tied her robe as Howie emerged from the bathroom. “Touch what?” Howie asked as he stepped out onto the balcony. “The moon!” CJ lied. “Just look at how close it is!” Howie looked up and saw nothing particularly special about the moon and then looked over at Nick, who was still stiff as a bored.

“You Okay, Nick....you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Nick popped out of his trance, his face flushed bright red and he ran from the balcony. He didn’t stop running until he was out in the streets, trying to cheat death. He was sure that he was going to die of embarrassment. “What was that all about?” Howie asked as he kissed CJ behind the ear. “Oh...he saw me naked...no big deal!” “He saw you WHAT?” Howie said.. The mood was gone and he began to get dressed. “Oh, c’mon Howie....I’ll make it up to you!!” she smiled and began to lick the back of his neck. “I don’t think so, not right now.....maybe we should go out and eat or something.” “I’m not hungry....well not for food anyway,” CJ said.

“Well I’m going out, are you coming or not?” Howie said as he opened the hotel door and stepped out into the hall. He wasn’t out there one second before he came running back in like he was being chased by a bee. “What’s the matter with you?” CJ asked as she pulled on her denim skirt.

“Alex is out in the hall making out with some girl!!!!” he giggled as he peered out the peep-hole. “Well you’re not going to see anything that way......he’s next door, not across the hall!” she laughed as she slipped on her shoes. She opened their door and peered out. Sure enough, there was Alex doing his thing. “C’mon, the way they’re goin’ at it, they won’t even notice us!”

As Nick had run down the hallway of the hotel, he brushed by Alex and Jamie who were on their way back from the cafe. Throughout their conversation, they discovered that fate had also led them to be staying at the same hotel. Jamie was staying one floor above Alex, so she said she would like to walk him to his door. He stopped outside of his room and invited her in. She declined, but agreed to meet him for breakfast. “Can I kiss you?” he said as he pulled his pass-key out of his pocket. Suddenly turning very shy and lady-like she blushed like a school girl.

“You may,” she replied. He took a step towards her and cupped her face in his hands. She shyly bit her lip as he positioned himself around her. He pulled her close and gently pressed his lips against hers. Their bodies were bearly touching, yet the heat from them was overwhelming. He pulled back a little so that their lips were hardly touching, all they could feel was their warm breath being exchanged. He moistened his lips and with his tongue he gently licked around the rim of her full lips. In his mind, he complimented himself for the amount of restraint which he was showing, but that quickly went to hell. She pushed her lips onto his and opened her mouth, he pushed her with great force up against the wall and began to kiss her deeply. She kissed back, hard as the sound of her heart beating in her chest began to drown out the jazz band playing in the street. She loved his strength as he pushed her against the wall. The aggression was driving her wild. Her hand stole to the bottom of her shirt, where she lifted it up once again. He followed with his shirt and pressed her even harder into the wall. She let out a breathy moan, partly out of excitement and partly out of the fact there was a fire alarm digging into her shoulder blade. Their warm bodies touching was about to drive him over the edge, but he pressed on and pressed even harder when her hand found the crotch of his pants. He pulled away, breathless.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come inside?” he asked again. Panting, she tossed him a pretty smile. She walked up to him and pressed her lips against his again and then leapt up onto him, crossing her long legs behind his back. Somehow he managed to unlock the door before he succumbed to her completely.

Howie took CJ by the hand and led her down to the street where their cab was waiting. He had a piece of paper crumpled in his hand which he was trying to conceal from her. Once in the cab, Howie handed it over to the driver. “Where are we going?” CJ asked, excitedly as shy snuggled up to Howie in the back of the cab. “You’ll see,” he answered vaguely. Their cab ride was short as it took them to a desolate and dark section of the city. The cab slowed down and pulled up along side a dark street corner. CJ anxiously looked around, praying that this wasn’t their stop. Howie paid the cabby and hopped out. Once on the sidewalk he turned around and held out his hand for CJ to take. She did, but reluctantly.

“Please tell me you’re joking!” she said nervously as she set her feet down on the street. “Nope! This is it and you’re gonna love it!” he beamed. The cab pulled away, leaving them standing alone on an unlit street corner. “Where are we going exactly?” CJ asked while checking out the neighbourhood.

“Right in there!” Howie pointed enthusiastically at the house in front of them. CJ looked and screwed up her face in disgust. The house was a huge historic manor, about 15 steps up from road level. There was one light dimly shining above the front door. It was a centre hall plan with 3 stories of windows. The house was in darkness and the white picket fence which surrounded it showed years of weathered paint. The gate at the top of the steps was clanging back and forth in the wind, even though it was a calm nite. CJ looked up at the manor and then looked at Howie with pleading eyes.

“Please Howie, for the love of God, please tell me that we are not going in there.” “Of course we are....we’re in the haunted city, so what better thing to do than go to a haunted house! Right?” he smiled as he began to ascend the steps from the street. “Well, don’t leave me here!” she squeaked as she jogged to catch up to him and grabbed his hand tightly. “Promise me you won’t let go of my hand!” “I promise. Now c’mon, it’ll be fun!”

As they walked up to the steps CJ began to babble about the lovely architecture of the building and commented on how it could use a coat of paint. When they reached the front door they found a rusty old sign, hanging crooked on the front door. The lettering was so faded they could bearly make it out to read. Howie rubbed his hand over it and wiped away some dirt revealing the words: CAUTION: Use At Your Own Risk. Then in smaller lettering below: *WARNING*-This house was condemned by the state of Louisiana 08/24/1936. “Condemned! 1936! Howie that’s almost 65 years!!!!” CJ said nervously as she began to pull him back towards the steps. “Calm down! It’s just part of the gag. Now c’mon and relax...I thought you liked a good scare?” he said as he turned the knob on the door.

“I do, but.....” she began, but before she knew it she was inside, standing in the foyer, alone with Howie in the dark. As he turned and closed the door behind him a light clicked on down the hall. It was a dim light, but it cast a golden shadow out onto the hardwood of the hallway.

“I guess that’s where we’re supposed to go.” Howie said as he began to take small steps towards the light. CJ held onto his hand tightly and her body shadowed his. They tiptoed down the long, dark hallway until they reached the light. Around the corner to their right was another dark hallway. Situated directly in front of them was a small round table which held one large lite candle and a piece of paper. CJ squeezed Howie’s hand even tighter as he reached for the paper and began to read its words:

CJ gasped and covered her mouth as Howie finished reading the words and put the paper back down onto the table. A smile washed over his face as he looked at the terror in her eyes. He chuckled out loud and kissed her lips gently. “C’mon CJ, that shit didn’t really scare you, did it?” “What?...No! Of course not!” she lied as she forced a smile.

“Okay, let’s go then,” he said as he picked up the candle off the table and began to make his way down the long corridor.

The corridor was long and narrow, too narrow for them to walk side-by side. CJ had both of her hands on Howie’s shoulders as she followed him. As they walked they passed by several doors on either side of them. “Where are we going exactly?” she whispered as they kept walking in a straight line. “I dunno, but there is a light up there. I guess we’ll follow it.” he whispered back. As they proceeded towards the light, they could see a staircase at the end of the hallway. “That looks like the end. Do you wanna go upstairs?” CJ shook her head no and asked if they could just go back. Howie stopped and turned around, only to see a closed door behind them. “What the hell?......We didn’t pass through any doors....did we?” Howie asked, confused. “No! What do we do now?” CJ whispered while digging her fingers into his shoulders. Behind them, where they had just come from was a door, in front of them were stairs.

“I guess we go upstairs.” Howie said and began to lead the way. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Howie held his candle up to try to see what was at the top. The stairs were too steep for his little candle to be of any use, so they began to climb. As they climbed what felt like 50 steps, Howie began to notice the ceiling coming closer and closer to them. CJ had her eyes closed, too afraid of what might be waiting for them at the top. Finally Howie stopped. “Why are you stopping?” she said as she opened her eyes and realized that they were still on the staircase. “Look.....it goes nowhere,” Howie said as he held up the candle. Before them was a wall, no more than 3 feet high. The staircase had gone all the way up to the ceiling.

“Well that’s pretty stupid!” CJ complained. “What’s scary about that?” But just as the words left her lips the stairs they were on disappeared and a smooth slide formed under their feet. They quickly fell onto their asses and began to slide to the bottom. CJ began to yell as she scrambled to cling onto Howie. As they slid rapidly down the slide, thinking that they would wind up back down in the hallway, a trap door opened halfway down and swallowed them. They free-fell for only a few seconds before landing on a mountain of pillows somewhere below. The room which they fell into had a glorious fire burning in the fireplace, while a magnificent pool table occupied the centre. Two chairs were set directly in front of the fire. “So, this is great! What’s this all about?” CJ said as she climbed down off the pillows. She looked around the room, quickly scanning it for a way out when she saw a man sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. She began to walk over to him, while Howie searched around the walls for a doorway.

“Excuse me Sir, I don’t mean to bother you.....I’m not quite sure how we got down here, but........” she started. The man, who was reading a newspaper, looked up and smiled kindly. “What can I do for you, dear?” he asked politely. “Well, we seem to be lost in your house and we’re hoping that you can help us to find the exit,” she said and smiled shyly. “Lost? Why there’s a door right over there,” he said pointing to a bare wall. CJ glanced over to the empty wall and then back to the man. “Oh, okay, I see.....” she said sarcastically and began to step away. “Howie! Howie, were are you?” she said. Howie popped up from under the pool table and laughed. “Did you find the door?” “No, did you?” he asked. “Well this gentlemen said that there’s a door right there,” she said pointing at the empty wall. “Gentlemen? ......What gentlemen?” Howie asked, raising his eyebrow as he peered around behind her. “This man sitting right HERE!” she said looking down at the chair beside her. “Where did he go? Howie, did you SEE where he WENT?” CJ began to panic. Howie came over and put his arms around her. “Sshhh! You’re mind is playing tricks on you because of the environment we’re in,” he said as he kissed her cheek. “You don’t understand.....I was talking with him........Howie I wanna GO! I know you thought this would be FUN, but I wanna GO!”

Howie walked over to the wall where CJ claimed the door to be, only to point out the obvious; there was no door. She walked over and grabbed Howie’s hand again and with the other hand began to rub it over the wall. “Eew!” she yelled as she pulled her hand away. It was covered with a red liquid. Howie screwed up his face and then gasped as the once empty wall was beginning to ooze this red goo. “GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!!!!” she yelled as she turned away and ran to wipe her hand onto something. She grabbed one of the pillows which had broken her fall earlier and began to clean off the goo when suddenly she noticed that the fire was out. In fact the fire was gone. The wall which one held the roaring fireplace, now contained a door. CJ threw down the pillow and ran for the door while screaming for Howie to follow her. He did and as she opened it a women’s scream filled the room. “What did you do that for?” Howie asked as he poked his head out through the door. “It wasn’t me!” she said. “But it will be soon, if we don’t get outta here.”

Howie stuck the candle out in front of him as he began to navigate yet another corridor. Figuring that they were now in the basement of the house, CJ hoped that one of the doors along this corridor would lead back upstairs, or maybe even outside. They tried everyone as they made their way along. Some were locked, some opened up to a brick wall and some opened up to expose a window, a window which looked through a brick wall. Screams filled the corridor again as Howie and CJ desperately searched for the exit. CJ’s heart was racing and she began to run. She ran down the corridor into the darkness with Howie following close behind her. At the end of the corridor, the hall widened into a foyer. They stopped running and looked around. “This is IT! This is where we started!” CJ exclaimed as she ran past the table which had held the candle and the piece of paper, towards the front door. The door was there and it was open a jar.

“That doesn’t make any sense...,”Howie yelled after CJ. “We should still be downstairs.” Sure enough, CJ got to the door and swung it open, only to find another brick wall. “DAMN IT!” she yelled. She was quickly breaking out into a sweat and she was trembling. She ran back to where Howie was standing and grabbed his hand and began to drag him down another corridor. They trotted along the corridor, stopping to open each of the doors along the way until they found one which contained stairs. CJ went blindly first up the stairs with Howie close in tow. “Owe! This is no time to be pinching my ass!” she screamed as she made her way up the dark staircase. “What are you talking about? You’re the one that pinched my ass!” he replied. “I never touched your ass!” she said and then she screamed and broke into a full out gallop as she headed for the light at the top of the stairs.

The stairs led to an open ballroom, complete with crystal chandelier, grand piano and a 50 foot ceiling. As CJ ran through the room, she briefly thought of how beautiful it would have seemed if she hadn’t been running for her life. There was a door at the opposite side of the huge room. Howie got there first and opened it. Running into the unknown blindly, they quickly stopped. For the room which they just ran into was identical to the room they had just run out of. They stopped and exchanged glances and then made a run for the door at the opposite side of the room. No matter how many times they did it, each time they stepped through a door, they kept winding up in the same room. “Have I mentioned that this isn’t fun anymore?” CJ said as they entered into the same room for the 15th time.

“I know....I know......what kinda place is this? I thought it was all a joke, but.....” Howie said while stopping and resting against the piano for a moment. CJ opened the door once more, just to make sure that it did lead into the identical room. It did. As she poked her head in, the lights went out. Howie put his hand up to nurse the flame on the candle as a swift breeze ripped through the immense room. Suddenly, the candle fell to the floor as Howie began to fight for his life. Someone had come up behind him and had put their hand over his mouth. CJ heard something drop and looked back to where Howie had been standing. The room was dark and her heart was deafening in her ears. She could hear mumbling and feet shuffling on the ground. “Howie,....this isn’t funny......I’m scared enough........” she said in a worried voice. She was trying to feel her way towards where Howie had been standing when suddenly a hand grabbed hers and began to drag her back towards the door they had come into the room from. She planted her feet firmly and screamed and yelled as she was quickly dragged towards the door. She cried out for Howie, but the hand just pulled her with more force until the door opened and she toppled out into the crisp night air. She couldn’t believe that there was really grass beneath her feet and sky above her head, but there was and better yet, the hand had let go. She sat up on the lawn and heard the gate on the picket fence clacking. Her heart was still racing as she sat alone in the dark and then everything fell silent as he took her hand again and pulled her close. He pressed his soft lips against hers and she relaxed. “I love you CJ,” he said as he pulled away from her. “Are you okay?” “Howie, don’t ever put me through something like that again.” she whispered as she collapsed down onto the grass. A loud bang as the door swung open set her heart racing again. She quickly turned her head and gasped a deep breath.

“Are you two gonna stay out there all nite, or are you going to come in and join the party?” Alex asked as he popped out through the door. Howie and CJ glanced at each other, neither of them knowing what to say. Alex ran over to where they were lying on the grass and offered his hand to help them to their feet. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Alex beamed as he led them towards the door. Reluctantly they followed him only to breathe a sigh of relief. The house which they had just escaped from, the house of horrors which had them running in circles for hours, alone, was now filled with bright lights and hundreds of party-goers. The all-too-familiar ballroom was ravaged with people, drinking, dancing, laughing....there was a live band playing in the corner. Howie smiled and rubbed CJ’s back. Perhaps, he thought, it was all a dream.

“C’mon, you guys look like you could use a drink,” Alex laughed as he led them through the ballroom and down one of the hallways. There was an open bar at the end. As Howie and Alex stood in line for their drinks, CJ looked around the foyer. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw the small table with the candle and the note tucked away in the corner of the foyer. She put her hand over mouth and slowly walked over to the table. The candle was burned halfway down and the note contained an all too familiar hand-writing. Her hand began to tremble and she reached for it and picked it up. The note was the same: “Many have entered these four walls to play, many have decided to stay.......” she screamed and dropped the paper. Howie rushed over and put her arm around her as she began to scream. He picked up the paper which she had dropped and gasped. “CJ, let’s go.....let’s try to forget this ever happened, okay?” Howie said as he dragged her towards the front door and down into the street.

They ran as fast as they could for as long as they could until Howie pulled up and rested his hands down on his knees. He panted while trying to catch his breath. CJ stopped and began to rub his back, thankful that they were now blocks away from that house. She could hear the live music playing in the streets not too far off in the distance. Howie figured that the hotel was only a couple of blocks away. “Okay, I’m okay now!” he said, straightening up and taking in a big breath. “Howie....what’s that?” CJ asked pointing into the darkness. “I dunno....some kind of light, but it seems to be floating....” he trailed off. There was a tiny, white light hovering about 6 or 8 feet above the ground. They were standing under a street light, but it was total darkness where the light originated. They watched as the light moved erratically around the open space. “What is that place? A park?” CJ asked as she kept a close eye on the light. “Uh....no...it’s not quite a park.....it’s a cemetery!” Howie said as he looked up and read the sign. “It’s Lafayette Cemetery.......what do you think that light is? Maybe we should check it out?”

“Are you CRAZY??? Haven’t we been through enough?” CJ pleaded as Howie headed for the gate. “C’mon, I’ve got a pen light in my pocket...it’ll only take a second.” Deciding that following Howie was better than staying alone on the street corner, CJ followed him and clung onto his arm for dear life. “This is weird...all of the graves are above-ground crypts,” she whispered as they proceeded towards the light. They watched the light closely as it zigged and zagged around in the darkness until it finally disappeared. “Darn! Well, maybe it’s for the best....” Howie said as the light disappeared. “Okay, I’m starting to get really creeped out too, let’s go.”

“Howie! Look at this one.....oh, it’s so sad......all of these names are of children, none older than 5 years old...Oh, Howie how awful!” CJ said as she rubbed her hand over their names chiseled in the granite. She dropped her head onto Howie’s shoulder and took a moment to reflect in her sadness. Howie ran his pen-light over the names and dates and realized that they had all died during the Civil War. He lifted his hand and brushed it across CJ’s cheek and kissed her forehead gently. “C’mon, baby, let’s go,” he said. CJ took one last look at the grave and then took Howie’s hand. As she squeezed it tightly, suddenly from behind the crypt the light jumped out towards them and this time it was screaming. A white face glowed in the darkness and lunged towards them. Howie jumped back away from the light and grabbed CJ and began to run for the street. Both were screaming at the top of their lungs, both never looked back until they had the dead bolt locked on their hotel room door.

Kevin was killing himself laughing in the darkness as he put his flashlight back into his pocket. “Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” he asked as he knelt back down onto the grass. Nat was trying to pull her sweater back on, but she was stuck, she was trying to pull her head through the sleeve. “Here honey, let me help you with that...”he smiled as he pulled it off over her head. Instinctively, she covered herself with her arms, even though it was pitch black out. She was self-conscious about her body, but Kevin quickly put her mind at ease.

She couldn’t see him, or what he was doing, but soon she felt his warm breath on her neck as he kissed below her ear. His tongue slid down her neck towards her chest as the snap of her bra being undone caused her to flinch. Her hands found his shirt and quickly pulled it off over his head. She ran them down his strong chest and began to kiss each nipple and then blow on them gently. He moaned as his need to have her intensified. He lay her down on the grass and straddled over her gently. His lips found hers in the creepy darkness as her hand began to unbutton his shorts. Soon she felt her panties sliding down along her thighs. Her hips began to rock and up down in anticipation for him. He kissed her hard as she released a breathy moan, for on that grass, surrounded by granite, two became one in the still of the night.

Brian stood back and leaned against a lamp post as he watched Meg. She was like a kid in a candy story looking in all of the shop windows. A smile washed over his face as she would cup her hands around her eyes and press her nose against the glass in order to peer in the stores. He had never met anyone like her before, someone so full of energy and so full of life. Someone who appreciated every moment and every breath, someone just like him. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist and gently kissed her neck. She tilted her head back and rested it on his shoulder and smiled.

“There are so many beautiful things in these stores... I can’t wait till the morning so that we can actually go INSIDE!” she said as she let out a little sigh. He kissed her cheek, then held his hand out for her to take. She did and together they walked hand-in-hand towards the restaurant. They strolled through the French Quarter slowly, as if they didn’t have a care in the world. It was all so beautiful and historic, it left them both speechless. They walked hand-in-hand in silence until they came upon their destination, Commander’s Palace. Brian had made reservations and it was a good thing because the restaurant was packed. “Oh, Brian! This is so expensive!” Meg exclaimed under her breath as she scanned over the menu. “Don’t you worry about that....that is not of our concern,” he began to say and then a sneaky _expression popped up on his face. He dipped behind his menu, trying to conceal it, but it was too late. “What have you done?” she asked, smiling.

“Nothing....I just....y’know....’borrowed’ Kevin’s credit card!” he said and then dipped behind his menu again. Meg tried not to laugh, she bit her lip trying to subdue the smile that was desperately trying to escape, but she couldn’t do it, she burst out laughing and then slinked down behind her menu and laughed until tears streamed down her face. “We must look like complete idiots,” Brian said as he tried to regain his composure. “It wasn’t even that funny!” That only made Meg laugh harder. Finally, she took a deep breath, brushed her hair back and began to dab the corner of her eyes with her linen napkin.

“I’m glad that you have a sense of humour,” Brian said as he set his menu down. “My last girlfriend was too serious. If she were here right now she would have been running and calling Kevin to tell him what I’ve done!” Meg smiled and pulled her chair in closer to the table. “I’m just glad that you don’t think that I’m being silly,” she replied. “No one as beautiful and caring and funny as you are could ever be silly, no matter what the circumstances!” He smiled boldly at her and slide his hand across the table and took hers. This made her suddenly shy again and her eyes darted down onto her lap. She could feel his eyes watching her which made her feel very self-conscious. She felt just like she did the night they had met when she was dancing under the street light.

Their dinner came and soon they were immersed in light conversation about their childhood’s and about their road trip adventure so far. Soon all of the awkwardness of their real ‘first date’ was forgotten and they found themselves talking like they were dear old friends. Brian forged Kevin’s signature rather nicely on the credit card receipt. He also left quite a sizable tip for their server. “Y’know what would have been really funny?” Brian asked as he helped Meg out of her chair, like the gentleman he was. “If the card had been rejected!” They both laughed out loud and realized that the other patrons were beginning to stare, so they quickly dashed out into the night.

Once out into the street Brian stopped and pulled Megan close to him. He pulled her so close that their noses were mere millimeters apart. He gazed deeply into her eyes and smiled. “I had a wonderful time with you in there,” he said as he closed the gap and kissed her gently on the lips. Her knees weakened as his lips touched hers and she had to pull back for some air. “Oh my Brian!” she exclaimed. She didn’t mean to pull away from him, but she couldn’t help it, she was so completely overwhelmed by the sensations he awoke in her. “I’m so sorry....I didn’t mean to pull away.....you just........you just took my breath away.!” She smiled and looked deep into his eyes, searching for a signal that he didn’t think she was a total idiot. “You mean it wasn’t just me? You felt it too?” he asked as an enormous smile erupted across his face. She nodded. “You mean the sparks?” she said shyly. “No, I mean the FIREWORKS!!!!!” And with that said he picked her up off the ground and began to twirl her around on the sidewalk. He squeezed her so tightly that she could do nothing but laugh and laugh she did, only stopping to kiss him long and hard on the lips.

Finally he set her back down and reached in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He took her hand again and they began to walk towards the corner in hopes of hailing a cab. “Hey Brian! ......isn’t that Nick sitting there?” she asked as they approached the corner. She pointed to a park bench on the other side of the street. “It looks like him....what’s he doin’?” Brian and Meg quickly dodged traffic and made their way across the street to where Nick was sitting. “Hey man, whatcha doin’ out here all by yourself? I thought you were with Alex,” Brian asked as he sat down next to Nick. Nick didn’t say anything. “Nick, are you alright? How did you get here?” Meg asked while resting her hand on his shoulder. “I can’t remember........” Nick finally answered. “I don’t know how I got here.” “What’s the last thing you remember doing?” Brian asked. “Seeing a naked lady...” Nick replied with a small smile. Meg and Brian exchanged glances and then Meg shrugged her shoulders.

“Why didn’t you stay with Alex?” Meg asked. Nick didn’t answer. He couldn’t recall how they had gotten separated. “Well c’mon, you better come with us. It’s a good thing I know where Alex is,” Brian said as he stood up and began to look around for a taxi. “Stay here....I’ve got a great idea!” he said as he suddenly dashed down one of the side streets. “Did you have a nice dinner with Brian?” Nick asked, suddenly becoming more aware of his surroundings. “Yes, it was lovely. Brian’s a lot of fun!” she answered. She looked over her shoulder to see Brian running back up the street with a big smile on his face.

“C’mon guys! I’ve got the perfect mode of transportation!” he yelled as he approached them. Meg, along with Nick, began to follow Brian to their chariot. He had located, not a taxi, but a Handsome Cab to take them to the address on the piece of paper. Meg squealed with delight at the sight of the mighty gray horse waiting for them. Brian helped her in and then snuggled up next to her. Nick sat across from them. As they clippity-clopped their way through the historic city Meg could feel herself falling in love. She had been in love once before, but it had been nothing like this. “You know what Brian?” she asked as their ride slowly came to an end. “This would be REALLY romantic.......” she paused, and then whispered, “if it wasn’t for the third wheel!” And then she buried her head in Brian’s arm to conceal her giggling. He rubbed her back as he looked over at Nick and agreed with her. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Nick said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “No reason, Nick.....” Brian laughed, which only made Meg laugh harder. “Shut up!” Nick said and then laughed too and threw his cozy blanket at them. “Here’s your stop. I hope you folks have a goodnight.” the driver said as he stopped outside of the condemned manor.

Brian held Meg’s hand tightly as they climbed the steep steps up to the front door of the manor. Nick stretched his hand out to knock on the front door, but it swung open on its own once they reached it. “Creepy,” Meg whispered as they stepped inside. The house was brightly lit and full of music and the sound of people having a good time. Directly in front of them at the edge of the foyer was the open bar. “You feel like a drink?” Brian asked Meg quietly in here ear. She nodded and he proceeded towards the bar. He hadn’t taken one step when he was halted in his tracks by the passing train of a conga line maneuvering through the corridor, led by none other than Alex. Brian and Meg laughed as the long line passed by them. Alex had noticed them on his way by and had grabbed Meg by the hand. She laughed and ran along beside him for a few steps before they both bailed out of the dance.

Nick stood watching, feeling a little jittery. “You okay, man?” Brian asked while smacking him on the back. “Ya, I’m fine....” he answered vaguely. “You wanna drink?” “Uhm.....ya.....I had a beer earlier with Alex, but.....”

“You did? Oh, well, we better not give you this then,” Brian said motioning to the gin & tonic in his hand. “Y’know what they say: ‘beer before liquor, never sicker.’ I’ll get you another beer.” Meg ran over and relieved Brian of his extra G&T and then grabbed him by the hand saying that they had to follow Alex. “You comin’?” Meg yelled after Nick. “No, you go ahead.....I’ll catch up with you later.,” he said sipping on his lager.

The magnificent ballroom was where Alex led them. The band had been replaced by a DJ. Jazz was no longer in the flavour, it was all about Hip Hop and House now, that rocked this historic manor. Immediately Brian caught sight of Kevin and Nat dancing at the far side of the room. He could tell that they were trying to carry on a conversation, but the bass was so loud.....he doubted they were accomplishing much but blowing in each others ears. “Brian, Meg....this is Jamie,” Alex announced proudly with a huge grin. Both shook her hand and exchanged pleasantries. Jamie asked them if they danced and they both nodded, so she quickly grabbed them by the hand and dragged them over to where Kevin and Nat were grinding away the night. “Have you seen Howie and CJ?” Alex yelled in Brian’s ear during a break in the music. “No, why?”

“Just wondering...they were here and they freaked and ran outta here like their hair was on fire....I was just wondering what was up!” Brian shrugged and then wrapped his arms around Meg tightly. She smiled and blushed. She couldn’t help it. She was smitten. Nat hadn’t let go of Kevin since they had arrived and now they were engaged in a deep throated kiss, while still bumping to the music. “ I think we need a change!” Jamie said, tapping Brian on the shoulder. “What? I can’t hear you!” he motioned.

“I THINK WE NEED A CHANGE.....DO ANY OF YOU SING?” she yelled, scaring herself a little. Everyone reluctantly looked around, hoping that someone else would volunteer. Nat motioned that she liked to sing and grabbed Brian and Kevin by the hand and began to lead them up to the stage. She whispered something in the DJ’s ear while Brian and Kevin stood awkwardly front and centre on the stage. The record quickly changed from No Diggity to Dancing Queen. Nat began to move her hips and punched the boys, making them move along with her. “Friday nite and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go, where they play the rock music, getting in the swing....” she sang while to guys swayed along with her. The crowd had stop dancing and were fixated on them.

“You are the dancing queen, young and sweet only 17. Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine. You can dance....... watch that scene, digging the dancing queen.” they all sang, much better than any of them could have expected. As the ABBA track wound down, AJ quickly ran through the crowd and jumped up on stage and motioned to the DJ for another song. As the first few notes played, he began to do a funky dance, which made Kevin and Brian feel a little embarrassed to be up there with him. Nat began to laugh so hard that she had to jump down off the stage and run for a drink of water. “It’s not unusual to be loved by anyone....It’s not unusual to have fun with anyone, when I see you hanging about with anyone, it’s not unusual to see me cry....I wanna die..” Alex sang directly to Jamie, which made her laugh, blush and applaud all at the same time. Kevin and Brian were egged on by the crowd to join Alex in his Tom Jones impersonation, which they did, and by the end of the song they were really beginning to enjoy themselves. Finally, they relinquished the mics back to the DJ and slinked off the stage to the sound of roaring applause, back to where the girls were.

“Oh, My God! That was AMAZING!!!!” Meg beamed as she hugged Brian and patted the other guys on the back. “You were WONDERFUL!” Nat said as Kevin came over to her and kissed her sexily on the mouth. “You guys were great up there, are you sure you haven’t done that before?” Jamie asked as Alex bounced around. “Y’know, you should sing in the Mardi Gras parade tomorrow....I can get you on a float and you guys could sing! What ya think?”

“I think you’re crazy,” Kevin answered with a smile. He felt great about what he had just done, although he was still in shock. “I think that’d be WICKED!” Alex exclaimed as he began to settle down. “Maybe we should talk about this later, with clearer heads,” Brian intervened. “I’ll make some calls anyway,” Jamie said “Just in case.”

They decided to call it a night on that invigorating note. As they began to collect themselves and make their way back to the door they suddenly remembered about Nick. None of them had set eyes on him since Brian had handed him the beer. Kevin and Nat didn’t even know that he was there. “We better find him. Let’s split up,” Kevin said as he motioned which directions everyone should head in. Brian and Meg began to head down one of the many corridors when they heard Alex yell that he had found him, already. “Here he is!” Alex yelled, pointing to the corner of the foyer. All you could see was the top of Nick’s golden hair, as it was engulfed in auburn. He was seated on a hard-backed dining room chair, while a woman with extremely long, bare legs was draped over his lap. Her shirt was unbuttoned and Alex could see her black lace bra beneath. “C’mon Nick, that’s enough sucking of face for one night, we’re leaving!” Alex said while tapping Nick on the shoulder. The girl, startled by the interruption, pulled away, revealing her youthful face. She couldn’t have been 18. Her hand quickly began to pull her shirt back together as she avoided eye contact with Alex.

“C’mon Nick, let’s go, everyone’s waiting,” Alex repeated, motioning towards the door. Nick shrugged his shoulders at the girl and she climbed down off his knee. He stood up and scowled at Alex. “Sorry, man!” Alex apologized. “Oh, and Nick....here...” Alex said handing him a napkin. Nick blushed. He knew. His face was smothered in bright, red lipstick.