I started this who-knows-when and I completely forgot about it. I liked where it was going, so I finished it. :)
Daniel nervously looked between the two and brought a fist up to his mouth to cough into. "Um…"
"Daniel," Andi hissed, turning away from the jerk across from her to send the Miller a death glare.
He set down the water pitcher on the table with a thud and shook his hands. "I swear she didn't plan this!"
It was two months after E was defeated and Desdemona changed back to normal, and Daniel and Emma were back together. Jax was upset, but clearly wasn't ready to give up. Meanwhile, Andi was down in the dumps without Phillip. He'd only been in the real world for a few days, but they had really connected and she liked having someone attracted to her. It made her feel good about herself.
Emma didn't want either of them to be upset, so she talked Andi into letting her set her up on a blind date. Andi let her think it was because she threatened to cast a spell to make her scrapbook with her for a week, but she actually wanted to go on a blind date. She'd only played Zombie Apocalypse 2 about three times, and the first one was just to apologize to Phillip. The other two had been no fun, and she tried to focus on killing the other zombies instead of her boyfriend.
However, she had no knowledge that Emma had gotten Jax to agree to a blind date too, as long as Emma made an appearance. Judging from Daniel in a tuxedo with a red bowtie too tight, his hair loosely slicked back, and Diego standing watch by the door tossing Cristal de Caballero into the air casually, she would not be showing up any time soon; or at all.
In short, she totally planned this.
Jax snatched a napkin off of the table and turned to the boy Emma had passed him up for. "Daniel," he said casually, but there was a terrifying gleam in his eye. "If you don't let us leave, this napkin here," he held up the napkin and tore it to shreds within a matter of seconds, "…will be you."
Daniel tried to loosen up his bowtie, but it refused to cooperate and only made him sweat even more. "Uh…that's, um, good to know, I guess–"
"Daniel," Andi started threatening, hands on the table and leaning towards their 'waiter', "I swear, I will give you the strongest atomic wedgie of your life if you do not let us leave–"
"Diego, I don't think Mia's crystal will stop them from hurting me!" Daniel screeched, tossing the towel draped over his arm up into the air and racing towards his best friend.
Jax, who was reaching out to grab the traumatized idiot by the coattails, groaned and leaned back into his seat. He stared over the table at Andi who had an unreadable expression on her face. "What?" he spat, cursing the Cristal de Caballero in his head already.
"Why did it have to be you?" she spoke, eyes squinted. Her blood was starting to boil from the thought of her best friend setting her up with her own self-absorbed ex-boyfriend. So many things were wrong with that, and she expected her to know that. Hell, she had to!
Jax put his arms out and opted for a smirk since his powers wouldn't return in awhile. "What, is being in this setting with me too provoking for you? Or would you rather a more secluded place, Andi? With pillows?"
Andi bit back a growl and leaned over the table, making her eyes level with his. "I'll have you know that not everyone finds your dirty mind and ugly face attractive, asshole." She let out a breath and let her back hit the chair. "What exactly does Sydney do, anyway? Create idiots to have a strong sense of unrealistic confidence?"
He tilted his head. "No, but they do create extremely sexy males." Her annoyed glare made him smirk wider, adding, "But I see Miami has plenty of bunchy beanstalks." He nodded in the guys' direction in the doorway, and it wasn't too difficult to understand he was only referring to one of them.
She kept a straight face when she turned to look at Daniel, but then didn't feel like turning back. Because if she did, she'd see Jax, and he'd keep talking. But if she didn't, she'd see Daniel's bunchiness and Diego dropping the crystal, and Jax would keep talking. Lose, lose. Great. She opted for the first one and shrugged. "That may be true. And I have a feeling that one is about to get his tux-fitted ass whooped if I don't get out of here soon," she responded, raising her voice towards the end. Both Jax and Andi looked at Daniel as he bent down to whisper to Diego.
Jax chuckled. "He's such a dick."
Andi shook her head, a thin smile etched onto her face. "No, he's not. He's more of a…" Searching for the right description was harder than she thought, but she came up with, "…douchey pushover."
His grin widened as he leaned his head back and laughed. "Now that is accurate!"
Andi smiled and looked down, waiting for her facial expression to falter. This wasn't right and they both knew it. Jax Novoa was not supposed to be at a table with Andi Cruz, and it would most certainly not be after everything had gone down; and that's what made her frown.
Once Jax sobered up, he took one look at the purple-streaked brunette and groaned, rolling his head around. "What are you mad about now? I swear, you can never not be mad at me."
Debating whether this was a good idea or not – and ultimately deciding that, either way, it needed to be done – Andi asked, "Why'd you do it?"
He crossed his arms and shrugged. "Do what?"
"The plan," she restated, "Why'd you do it?" She gripped the bottom of her long shirt tightly. Just thinking about all that he had done and nearly done made her want to claw his eyes out.
Scoffing, he dismissed it with, "I don't have to tell you."
"Yes, you do," she retorted, looking up and staring at him.
"And why's that?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow mockingly.
All attitude aside, she stated, "Because you used me."
Jax moaned, putting two fingers to his temple. "I use a lot of people and frankly, I don't remember what I 'used' you for," he said, even having the nerve to make air quotes with his free hand.
Andi smacked the table so forcefully a few silverware bounced off the table. "You said you'd bring Phillip back then tied me up, damn it!"
He examined her firey eyes and short breathes. "Are you part bull?" he questioned, leaning forward to get a better look.
She gnashed her teeth together and grabbed her fork, propping her elbow up on the table, ready to strike him wherever he deserved it. "You know, you're such a dick that you might not even need yours."
"Andi!" Diego rushed over, ramming into the table after stepping on a spoon on the floor (and bending it, mind you), yanking the fork out her hand. "You can't just say that to a gu–" a loud thud sounded in the background, and he whipped around to start for Daniel. "Dude, it's not that hard to hold the crystal!"
"It's kinda heavy," Daniel muttered, picking it up.
Diego reached him and ripped it out of his grasp. "Bro. Mia wears this thing around her neck. No, it's not."
Andi turned back to Jax and held her arms out. "Well? Are you going to explain or just leave it at 'I use a lot of people', cuz either way you're terrible."
Jax groaned. "Gosh, you're insufferable."
"Big word for a guy who never learns anything."
"Big talk for a girl who never does anything."
"At least I'm not screwing everyone over," she snapped.
"This really isn't working out, is it?" Diego's voice could be heard.
Andi stared at the ceiling and tried to calm herself down, even if it was pointless. She tried again, voice unwavering. "You never brought Phillip back."
Jax put his hands out. "Some plans change."
She tore at her napkin. "You never planned to bring him back."A beat passed before she added, "He was your friend."
Jax snorted. "Yeah right. No one's my friend."
"Well that's just because you're a moron. I actually have friends and almost lost my best friend!"
"You think you have everything tough?"
"Yes, actually, I do!"
"You think having two loving parents and tons of friends you can trust is tough? Because I sure don't," Jax snapped, hands relaxing on the table top.
Despite her growing curiosity, Andi kept her disgruntled tone and asked, "Well what do you have?"
"How about one unloving dad and zero people to trust, huh? Sound amusing?"
She arched an eyebrow and set her napkin down slowly. "What about your mom?"
Jax tried not to show any emotion. "She died when I was seven."
Andi nodded once, attempting to wrap her head around his situation. "Then…what does your dad do that makes him…so…"
He leaned his head on his fist and shut his eyes for a moment. "He wanted to control the realm, so he sent me to America to do all the work for him by connecting with the Chosen One."
Andi's eyes crackled, but she tried to keep her anger in check. Jax may be a total ass, but this was serious. "So Emma was what? Just part of the plan?"
His eyes opened and he searched hers. "Not exactly."
She calmed down. "Good. She doesn't deserve that." And then something struck her. "And neither do I."
Jax's eyebrows crinkled. "What?"
Her anger was returning. "Emma wasn't just a part of your sick plan, but I was. You fucked with my life for nothing but your own gain. I was 'just part of the plan'."
He bit his lip and contemplated a way to get out of this without her beheading him. "To be fair, I didn't know you existed."
She scoffed. "Ya know, you'd think that since all your dad does is use you, you'd be against that kind of shit."
"Again, I use a lot of people. It basically comes with the name."
"I think things are heating up again," Diego whispered to his buddy, holding the crystal in his hand.
"Gosh, are you even capable of caring for anyone but yourself?"
"Maybe I'm just not capable of caring for you."
"That's because you don't even know me!"
"Neither do you! You wrote me off as a troublemaker since day one!"
"That's because you cheated!"
Daniel leaned down and asked Diego, "Cheated on what?"
"Pff, please. Like you've never cheated before."
"Again, you wouldn't know!"
"Can you focus on anything else?"
"Apparently not, because all I've been able to focus on lately is YOU! Gosh, get out of my head!"
Diego jabbed Daniel in the thigh. "Get over there!" he hissed. After seeing Daniel's terrified expression, he added, "Now!"
Waiter Daniel took three long strides and was over to their table in no time. He cleared his throat, and, with one final glance back at Diego, interrupted the two. "Excuse me?"
"WHAT?" both Andi and Jax yelled, turning to give the boy death glares.
Daniel felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. "Uh…I, uh, have word that the date can be over now."
"Thank God!" Andi slid her chair back with a screech, hands smacking the table as she stood up.
"But!" Daniel said just as Jax got to his feet, "Diego wants to speak with Jax first."
Andi snorted. "Ha! See ya sucker."
Daniel caught her by the arm as she headed for the door. "No, I want to speak with you now."
Jax smirked. "Have fun, shorty." He flirtatiously waved to tick her off, then went straight to Diego.
"Hey man," Diego said, clutching the crystal. "I just wanted to let you know," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "that Emma and Daniel? I don't think it'll last."
Jax gave him a look. "Yeah, I kinda figured."
"Well, I'm just telling you so can still go after Emma."
His expression crinkled. "What?"
Diego shrugged. "You still like her, don't you?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe. We'll see."
"I mean, if you like her then you gotta keep at it. I didn't give up on Maddie and she came around."
"Yeah, but…" Jax turned to look back at Andi, who was currently ripping off Daniel's stupid bowtie and no doubt chastising him for going along with the blind date. "It wouldn't be the same."
Diego raised an eyebrow. "The same?" He thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you the same?"
Jax's neck snapped back and answered in a snarky tone, "Of course I am." He shuffled his feet a moment. "I gotta go."
Diego moved aside and let him walk out. He was probably right. Nothing had changed. But when he looked at Andi, he knew something had changed.
She was already looking his way, a somber expression on her face.
I think I like Jandi more than Jemma most of the time. Emma kinda sucks. 'Kay bye.
