A/N: This is the very first fic that I ever wrote. It centers around Jolu and is completely AU. The lyrics are from 'Buttons', by the Pussycat Dolls and 'Fake It', by Seether. I own nothing, except for the characters of Jen and Seth. Please review...I'm a sucker for feedback!

Chapter 1

"You what?" Johnny yelled into the phone, his voice full of anger and disbelief.

"Come on Johnny. Please just do this for me, this one time. You know I'd do it for you…please?"

"Um, pretty sure you know that I'd never commit you to do something without asking you first and I'm almost positive I've done you millions of favors before, with none of them benefiting me whatsoever," Johnny replied, getting into his black sports car and slamming the door shut.

"Please Johnny, don't make me beg…" the voice on the other end of the phone trailed off. After hearing nothing and sensing that Johnny wasn't going to respond, the person continued, "You're going to make me beg, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't have to make you beg if you wouldn't get yourself and me into these stupid ass shenanigans in the first place," Johnny yelled, frustration lacing his voice.

Noticing the cars ahead of him coming to an abrupt stop, Johnny slammed on his breaks, his car coming to a halt as well.

'Just freaking great,' Johnny thought, his already slight headache growing even more. He was already annoyed and frustrated enough at the person on the other end of the phone; the last thing he needed was to sit in an evening traffic jam with half the population of southern California.

"Ok fine, you want me to beg, I'll beg. Please, pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top, will you do this for me? I'll pay for all of the groceries for a month, I'll clean the bathroom for three weeks, I won't bring any girls home for the rest of the year, I'll do your laundry for two weeks, even your underwear, I'll-,"

"Begging and bribing are two different things, but I'll do it," Johnny interrupted, "on two conditions."

"Anything," the voice replied, a hint of relief in their voice.

"One, you never and I mean never, talk to me about my underwear again."

"Done," the person agreed, "and what's the other condition?"

"You owe me big time!" Johnny stated, grateful that traffic was starting to move again.

"Of course. I'll do anything. Anytime you need a favor, you know I'm down," the person promised. "Oh, and we need to be there at 8 o'clock sharp, so I hope you get your ass here soon."

"I'm on my way," Johnny sighed, snapping his phone shut.

Turning up his radio and tapping his fingers along to the beat of the song on his steering wheel, Johnny hoped he wouldn't be getting himself into too much deep shit that night.

---

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Johnny said, trying to talk above the thumping music of Club 360. The place was packed for the night before the last day of finals and he had to weave his way through the crowd in order to get to the bar.

"Just relax. It's going to be fine. I mean, you get to spend the night in the company of a stud and two beautiful ladies. What could go wrong?" asked Seth, Johnny's roommate of almost two years.

"You being the stud I take it?" Johnny asked, an amused expression on his face. At seeing Seth shrug his shoulders as if to say 'you said it,' Johnny continued, "Well, let's think of what could possibly go wrong," he stopped, pretending to ponder for a moment. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I have to take the most important final of my life tomorrow at 7am, which could mean the difference between living a life of success and wealth or living a life in a cardboard box on the side of a street, eating leftovers from the dumpster a few alleys away-,"

"Oh, don't be so overdramatic drama queen," Seth interrupted, "your daddy has enough money to make all the homeless people in the world millionaires."

"Maybe so, but if I don't pass this exam, I can guarantee my dad won't be pleased and I'll be food for this fishies," Johnny said. "And don't forget the other reason as to why I shouldn't be on a double-date or any date for that matter."

"How could I forget the Maxster?" Seth asked sarcastically, using the affectionate nickname he had given Johnny's girlfriend. Seth had given her the nickname, a cross between her name, Maxie, and the word 'monster', after meeting her for the very first time a year and a half ago, when she had come to visit Johnny.

"Why must to always call her that?" Johnny asked through gritted teeth.

"You know I love Maxie bro, but she can be…how should I say this…a major bitch sometimes!"

"Seth…" Johnny warned, closing his eyes in frustration.

"Ok, so maybe bitch wasn't the nicest word to use," Seth stated, seeing Johnny's angry expression. "She can just be superficial and overbearing at times."

"I know," Johnny admitted. "Let's just drop the subject before I decide to leave your ass here and you have to explain to your latest conquest why you don't have a date for her friend. Speaking of which, where are these girls? I thought we were meeting the girls at 8 o'clock sharp?"

"Would you relax already? It's only five after eight. You should know girls are always fashionably late…your girlfriend always is."

"Seth, I swear to God, if you don't shut your mouth, when the girls get here, I'll tell them all about you, portraying you so that they think that you don't exactly swing one way."

"Okay, okay. Just order a drink. And make it something strong…we don't want them to think we like using the back door every now and then…"

"Seth, I-,"

"I know, I know. You swear to God if I don't shut my mouth, you'll punch me in the jugular."

---

An hour later, Johnny sat at the bar sipping his third drink while Seth was frantically searching the club for any sign of the girls they were supposed to meet. Johnny had told him a half hour ago that the girls weren't coming and to face the fact that they had been stood up, but Seth wasn't buying that, saying that he must have got his signals crossed with Candy.

'Seriously, what kind of name is that anyway?' Johnny thought to himself. She sounded like a lollipop looking for someone to just lick her up. He would have understood if her name was Candace and people called her Candy for short, but according to Seth, Candy was a nickname given to her by her 'friends'.

Noticing Seth wandering back up to the bar, Johnny wondered, "Any sign of your edible friend?"

"No," Seth sighed, "I guess they're not coming."

"Finally, you've found your common sense!" Johnny proclaimed. "If you had just listened to me a half hour ago, I could be home in bed right now, resting up for my exam."

"Oh please, you could pass that exam in your sleep," Seth quipped. "But we'll leave so sleeping beauty can get his rest," he continued, sliding off his barstool and turning to head towards the exit, Johnny right behind him.

Hearing someone say, "Excuse me," behind them, the boys turned around, a questioning look on their faces as they glanced at the bartender.

"This is for you," he said, setting a beer in front of Seth. "From the lovely lady across the bar," he motioned to a beautiful brunette who was casually sipping her drink, one hand holding her straw in place, the other hand playfully waving at Seth.

"Thanks," Seth told the bartender. Turning to Johnny, he said, "I think I should go talk to her. It would be extremely rude if I didn't."

"Come on Seth, I thought you said we could leave," Johnny whined.

"That was before Ms. Thing over there bought me a drink. Please just quit your bitching for a moment and chillax for a minute while I go talk to her. I promise I'll make this up to you," Seth said, already making his way towards the lovely lady.

"Yeah, I've heard that before!" Johnny yelled to his retreating form.

Sitting back down at the bar, Johnny ordered another drink and muttered to himself, "Why do I always get myself into these ridiculous situations?"

"Cuz your hot?" he heard a voice offer behind him. Turning, Johnny's breath caught in his throat at the beauty before him. She had long, blonde hair that framed her flawless face perfectly, and her amber eyes were the most gorgeous orbs he had ever seen. Her form-fitting jeans hugged her curves in all the right places, and the neckline of her bright red tank-top plunged just low enough to give guys like him a peak of what lay underneath the thin fabric.

"Excuse me?" Johnny asked, finally finding his voice.

"Did I stutter?" she asked. "I said maybe you get yourself into these ridiculous situations cuz your hot."

"Thanks, I guess," Johnny replied, unsure of how to respond to her bold statement.

"Your welcome. The name's Lulu," she said, holding out her hand for Johnny to take.

"Johnny," he replied, taking her hand in his. He was shocked at the spark of electricity he felt buzzing through his fingers at her contact. His eyes connecting with hers, he slowly let go of her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she replied, "but I have to be honest with you. I would have never approached you had my best friend not insisted on it."

Confused, Johnny asked, "And what does that mean?"

Pointing across the bar to where Seth and the woman who had bought him a drink were flirting, Lulu said, "Jen, my friend, has the hots for your friend. So, she convinced me to come over here and keep you company while she works her magic on…"

"Seth," Johnny finished for her.

"Yeah, so I'm just doing my duty by coming over here and chatting it up with you. I hope that's okay."

"Do you see me complaining?" Johnny asked, his signature smirk finding its way on his face.

"Good," Lulu proclaimed. "So, how about we get to know each other over a round of shots?"

---

Two hours later and several rounds of shots for Lulu later, Johnny was still sitting at the bar while Lulu was using the restroom. Lulu had coerced Johnny into two rounds of 'lick it-slam it-suck it', as she had called it, but he had refused to have anymore tequila after that, for he wanted to be in the best mindset possible for his exam. Lulu, on the other hand, had no reservations and Johnny had stopped counting how many shots she had consumed a while ago.

Stumbling her way back up to the bar, Lulu put her hands on Johnny's shoulders and said, "Dance with me."

"What?" Johnny asked, his brow rising in confusion.

"I may be a little intoxicated, but I know I didn't stutter. Dance with me!" Lulu commanded.

"No," Johnny simply stated, earning a glare from Lulu.

When Johnny didn't budge, Lulu decided she needed a different approach. "Please?" she pouted, leaning closer to Johnny to whisper in his ear, "pretty please?" Pulling back, she stuck her bottom lip out and gave Johnny the best puppy-dog face she could muster. "Come on Johnny, I love this song. And Jen and whets-his-name are out there too."

"Fine," Johnny said, letting Lulu grab his hand and pull him onto the crowded dance floor.

Upon getting to their destination in the center of the floor, the current song faded and a new song started. "Oh, I love this song even more," Lulu slurred, throwing her arms in the air and sashaying her hips to the music. Deciding to let himself have a little fun, Johnny let loose and started swaying to the music as well.

"I'm telling you to loose up my buttons baby ," Lulu sang along, her hands going to her waist, "but you keep fronting ," she continued, her fingers starting to unbuckle her belt.

As she started to pull her belt through the loops of her jeans, Johnny's hands went to her waist, halting her from completely taking her belt off. "What are you doing?" he asked, still swaying with the beat of the song.

"Well, I don't have any buttons to loosen up, so I decided my belt would have to do instead," she stated, looking up at Johnny.

Clearly amused, Johnny said, "Ok, but I think that's enough. Put your belt back on."

"I can't," Lulu said, trying to loop the belt back in place but failing miserably. "Do it for me."

Taking hold of the belt, Johnny strung it through the loops with ease, buckling it back up as Lulu stared at him with a look of awe on her face. "You're really good at that. Let me guess, you do if often, huh?"

"Dance," Johnny instructed, smiling at Lulu.

As they started dancing, Lulu once again began singling along, "Baby can't you see, how these clothes are fitting on me, and the heat coming from this beat, I'm about to blow, I don't think you know …"

Lulu's hands went to the collar of Johnny's shirt as she continued singing, "I'm telling you to loosen up my buttons baby …" she sang, her hands slowly finding their way down to the first button of Johnny's shirt, unbuttoning it with one flick of her hands.

As she undid the second button and her hands moved down to the third, Johnny grabbed her hands in his, halting them from moving any further down his shirt. "Just what do you think your doing?" he asked.

"Since I have no buttons and you said my belt is off limits, your buttons were the next best option," she said, giving Johnny a wide smile.

"I think dance party is over," Johnny stated, grabbing Lulu's hand and leading her back to the bar. "I've got to get going soon. So I'm just gonna find Seth and then I'll be out of here."

"I've got to find Jen too," Lulu said, turning around to walk away and nearly falling flat on her face as she stumbled over her own feet. Johnny quickly put his hands out and grasped Lulu's waist, stopping her from falling.

As Lulu stood up from her hunched position, her back came in contact with Johnny's hard chest. His hands still on her waist, Lulu turned around to look at Johnny, softly saying, "Thank you."

Just as Johnny was about to reply, Lulu's phone beeped, signaling she had a new text message. Breaking out of Johnny's grasp, Lulu grabbed her purse and searched for her phone, pulling it out and flipping it open to see a new text from Jen.

'Left with Seth. Took car, so I hope you can find a ride .'

"Looks like it's just you and me," Lulu said, snapping her phone shut.

"And what do you mean by that?" Johnny asked, eyeing Lulu warily.

"Well, according to that text, Jen left me here high and dry with no ride home. And it seems your friend has gone with her. So I guess you'll just have to be a gentleman and give me a lift."

"Just great," Johnny sighed.

Noticing the hurt look on Lulu's face, Johnny said, "No, no, it's not like that. I don't have a problem giving you a ride. It's just that Seth always does this to me and is pisses me off like no other. He could have at least told me he was leaving."

"I know, but he probably wasn't thinking with the right head if you know what I mean," Lulu slurred.

"And I think you've hit the nail on the head," Johnny chuckled. "Come on, let's get going."

Putting his hand on the small of Lulu's back, he guided them through the still-crowded club and out to his car. Opening the passenger side door for Lulu, he let her climb in before shutting her door and walking around to the other side to get in the car himself.

"Wow, I've never been in a corvette before," Lulu breathed, amazed at her surroundings. "I bet you can go real fast in this thing, can't you?"

"Yeah, but you're not going to find out how fast," Johnny replied, giving her a crooked smile.

"You mean I'm not going to find out how fast this baby can go tonight," Lulu said, leaning forward and patting the dashboard. "Cause maybe you could take me for a ride sometime, when I'm completely sober and there's no chance I'll hurl?"

Stealing a glance at Lulu, Johnny trained his eyes back on the road and replied, "Yeah, maybe."

Johnny turned up the radio as one of his favorite songs, 'Fake It' by Seether, started to play.

"Oh my god, I love this song!" Lulu proclaimed, reaching out her hand to the radio and turning up the volume even more.

"How many songs do you love?" Johnny asked, slightly turning his head to look at Lulu.

"A lot," Lulu admitted, "I have quite the extensive music collection." She then began to sing along:

Good god you're coming up with reasons
Good god you're dragging it out
Good god it's the changing of the seasons
I feel so raped
So follow me down
And just fake it if you're out of direction
Fake it if you don't belong here
Fake it if you feel like affection
Woah, you're such a fucking hypocrite

"You wanna here a funny story about the first time I heard this song?" Lulu asked, her eyes sparkling with laughter. Not waiting for Johnny to respond, she continued, "Well, I had stayed the night at my ex-boyfriend, Logan's, apartment. And he has this weird thing where he can't fall asleep without listening to music…it's weird I know, but then again, Logan's a few fries short a happy meal. Anyways, when I woke up in the morning, I heard this song for the first time and I instantly loved it. I was laying there thinking of a way that I could remember the name so I could download it when and I got home and then I thought, 'Just remember what you did last night, Lu .'"

At hearing Lulu's admission, Johnny busted out laughing and Lulu soon joined him. "You are quite the catch, Lulu," Johnny said after his laughing had subsided.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be telling you any of this if I weren't drunk….but then again, maybe I would. You're just really easy to talk to," she yawned.

"So are you," Johnny said softy, letting a comfortable silence come over them. After a while, Johnny realized that he had been driving around aimlessly, as he didn't know where Lulu lived. "So, where am I going Lulu?" he asked. "Lulu?" he asked again when she didn't respond. Looking over to at her, he noticed that she had drifted off to sleep, a smile on her face.

'Now what am I going to do ?' he thought to himself. He had no idea where she lived and he didn't have the heart to interrupt her from her slumber. So he did the only thing the thought he could. He drove back to his place with this girl that had taken him by complete surprise sleeping peacefully next to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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