A/N: No I haven't abandoned this story. Sorry for the extra-long wait. Thanks so much for all the reviews. Over 100 reviews! You guys are so awesome! They really keep me motivated to write this.
Bubbles hugged herself as she walked down the sidewalk. It was already the end of January and still so cold. Despite never wanting to escort again, she had gone to the restaurant and met Jason there. To Bubbles' chagrin, he hadn't changed a bit. He told her that she'd be attending the Jojo's birthday party. Bubbles didn't want to run into Boomer again, but she wasn't in the position to decline.
He told her to go to the restaurant right after school. When she arrived she noticed Lisa was standing next to Jason.
"Bubbles, on time as usual. Lisa will make you appropriate and then we will leave."
Lisa led Bubbles to a changing room in the back of the restaurant. Bubbles briefly wondered why the restaurant was letting her use a private dressing room, but didn't care enough to ask.
Lisa worked quickly, laying out the makeup, hair products and dress with record speed. She pushed Bubbles behind a screen and shoved a dress into her arms.
The dress was just as beautiful as the last one. This time it was a soft baby blue with a large black bow at the hip. The skirt puffed out a bit at the bottom and made Bubbles feel glamorous. Lisa kept Bubbles' usual pig tails, opting to lower the ties so that they rested on her shoulders and let her curly hair frame her face.
When Bubbles finally stepped out of the dressing room, Jason's perverted grin crept onto his face as he openly stared at her. "You look hot," he said as they stepped out of the restaurant.
"Thanks," Bubbles replied awkwardly. She shivered from the cold, hoping the party they would be attending was indoors.
"Here, take this." Lisa threw Bubbles a warm black shawl that complimented her outfit.
-Jojo party hall-
Boomer and his brothers stood outside the party hall and waited for their dates. Brick seemed distracted; he constantly looked at his watch and was reluctant to make conversation. Boomer had given up trying by the third attempt.
Butch was almost asleep against the wall. Princess was supposed to bring one of her friends to be his date and although they were usually pretty, they were all as spoiled and shallow as she was.
Boomer smiled when he saw Nina pull up. He had mentioned to her that he liked blue and she was wearing a dark blue runway dress. Her cherry red lips made her look even more like a doll then when he first met her. She looked almost identical to the older woman who stepped out of the car right after her.
Nina grinned happily at Boomer.
"You look great," Boomer said immediately, causing the blonde to blush.
"Thanks."
"Mrs. Simmons, wonderful to meet you." Boomer assumed the woman was Nina's mother. She had never mentioned any siblings.
…
As Bubbles stepped out of the limo she noticed the party was a lot smaller than the last Jojo party she attended. It made the camera crews more noticeable.
"Is this being televised?" Bubbles asked Jason.
"Those are news crews," he said slowly, making Bubbles feel like she was four. "Don't worry; they won't bother filming people like you."
Although he said it in the rudest possible way, Bubbles felt relieved that she wouldn't be on TV. She did not need her family finding out about this.
Once inside, Bubbles could tell this was a party for seventeen year olds. Black and gold Birthday balloons lined the walls and three expensive looking banners hung from the ceiling; one red, one green, and the smallest one, blue. Bubbles sighed at the sight of Boomer's name on the blue banner. She didn't think she was a welcome guest and if he saw her there, he might kick her out. She decided she would avoid him at all costs.
It was much easier than she thought it would be. After being at the party for nearly an hour Bubbles hadn't seen Boomer at all. More surprising was that Jason hadn't been rude to her, in fact, he was almost being nice.
"This is actually kind of fun," Bubbles said to Jason who had just finished talking to someone who looked important.
"The real fun won't start until we get back to my place," he replied, opting to look at her chest rather than her face.
Bubbles gave Jason a questioning look. "What are you talking about?" She hoped he was joking.
"I missed my chance last time when you decided to disappear on me. I'll make up for it tonight."
Bubbles' good mood suddenly turned sour. "I'm not going to your house with you," Bubbles said definitively.
"I didn't ask," Jason whispered, gripping her arm tightly.
Bubbles wanted to run away, but could she really afford to leave without getting paid? Bubbles knew that Jason only had four hours before Ace would demand the money. All she had to do was keep him at the party the whole time.
Bubbles had managed to slip away from Jason and wasn't looking where she was going when she walked right into the eldest birthday boy.
"Careful now," Brick said kindly as he steadied her.
"Sorry," Bubbles repeated as she blushed from embarrassment.
Brick studied the blonde. "You look familiar, have we met?"
Bubbles paused, unsure what to say. Should she remind him that he mistook her for one of Boomer's rejected girlfriends?
"You might remember her from your last party," Jason answered before Bubbles had the chance. He handed her a cup of fruit punch as if this was the explanation for his absence. "This is my date, Brittney."
"Jason," Brick stated, seeming to only just realize he was there. "I'm surprised I'm only now seeing you. How is your father?"
"He's well, thank you. He apologizes for not being able to make it to your party."
"Not at all. I'm sure working for a company like ours keeps him busy."
While the guys were making small talk, Bubbles took the chance to again disappear. She looked carefully where she was going this time and found a spot near the staircase that was the perfect hiding place. A group of balloons would hide her from the party, leaving her only open to the few people who decided to take the stairs.
She was hiding there, slowly sipping her punch when she saw the other boy she had been hoping to avoid. Boomer was walking downstairs with his date. Bubbles couldn't help but notice that his date looked a lot like her. Well, a slightly taller more polished version of herself and Boomer looked especially handsome in his dark blue shirt and contrasting off-white suit.
Bubbles felt a twinge of jealousy and perhaps this is the reason she felt she couldn't leave her hiding spot, knowing that once Boomer reached the bottom of the staircase she would be in full view.
Boomer couldn't help looking at every blonde that walked into his field of vision. He knew it was unlikely that Bubbles was there, but that small chance had him constantly searching the room.
"Boomer!" Nina called his name sounding highly annoyed, a good indicator that he probably missed the first few times she tried talking to him. Nina's voice was like a low buzzing sound in his ear, highly annoying yet easily ignored.
"Yes Nina," Boomer replied sweetly and smiled at her.
Like most girls, Nina was a sucker for his smile and calmed immediately.
"You've been distracted all night. Is something on your mind?"
"Only you," Boomer replied, unconsciously flirting.
He missed her blush, decidedly distracted by another blonde. Bubbles was standing at the bottom of the staircase. Her hair was in pigtails that fell in front of her and she was wearing a shiny blue dress with a bow at the side. Her round blue eyes were on his. It reminded him of how she used to look when she'd stare into the shop window. Like an angel.
Boomer was completely transfixed, forgetting that he was supposed to be mad at her. He was snapped out of his trance-like state by Nina nudging his arm. She looked at him expectantly.
"Oh yeah. Nina, this is uh…Brittney," Boomer said, deciding to use Bubbles' fake name. "Brittney, this is Nina, my date."
"It's weird. We sort of look alike, don't we Boomer?" Nina asked as she extended a manicured hand for Bubbles to shake.
Boomer was surprised he hadn't noticed sooner. In fact, Nina and Bubbles looked a lot alike. Both girls had the same shade of blonde hair. Both had round faces and large eyes. Both were fairly short, although Bubbles was the shorter of the two with softer features.
"You're prettier," Boomer told Bubbles by mistake. Fortunately Nina assumed the comment was about her and smiled brightly at him.
"My, your hands are so rough," Nina told Bubbles was she finished shaking her hand. "You should think about changing your moisturizer."
Bubbles didn't react to the comment. In fact she didn't react at all. She hadn't said a word to them and had a strange dazed look on her face. He pupils were huge and it seemed like she was looking at something far off in the distance.
"Brittney, are you okay?" Boomer asked, a little worried.
Bubbles suddenly returned to reality. "Oh…uh…sorry. Nice to meet you Nina." Bubbles was beginning to feel strange. It was like she was in the ocean and the world was slowly drifting back and forth with the waves. Normally, this would have scared her, but for some reason she enjoyed the feeling. "It's like I'm swimming," Bubbles blurted out as she walked/swam towards the party.
Boomer wanted to stay mad at her, but Bubbles' behavior filled him with concern. "You're walking funny," Boomer said as he caught up to Bubbles. "You haven't been drinking have you?"
"Drinking? She barely looks old enough to drive," Nina commented.
"That's right." Bubbles nodded over enthusiastically. "I've only had this one cup of punch." Bubbles held up her cup which only had traces of the red liquid it once contained.
Boomer sniffed it, trying to see if he could smell the alcohol, but there wasn't even a faint smell of the substance. Boomer narrowed his eyes. Even if someone had spiked the punch, one cup wouldn't be enough to get her this drunk. "Okay…so if you're not drunk what is wrong with you?"
Bubbles smiled. "Nothing, silly," she said, doing a small spin for emphasis.
Nina grabbed Boomer's arm. "She says nothing is wrong. Let's leave her alone," Nina said, wanting to return to the party.
Boomer ignored her comment, focusing on Bubbles. "You look dizzy. How about we sit outside and get some fresh air?"
Bubbles quickly agreed. Nina let out a huge sigh and reluctantly followed the two into the cold.
Bubbles began walking backwards with her arms out. She swayed back and forth as if on a tightrope. "Boomer you should try. It's fun!" Bubbles squealed as she imaged she just fell off the rope and onto the "safety net" which was actually a bench.
To Boomer she looked like a highly intoxicated girl stumbling to the bench backwards. Bubbles wasn't the type of girl to purposefully get drunk. Boomer figured someone drugged her. He had to find out who did this to her. "Bubbles," he spoke softly. "Do you remember putting you drink down, even for a second?"
"I held it the whole time," Bubbles answered, alternating between sitting upright and leaning on Boomer's arm.
"You two seem close. How did you meet?" Nina asked suddenly feeling a bit neglected.
"We met a long time ago, when we were seven," Bubbles answered quickly.
Nina looked at Boomer confused. Why hadn't he mentioned they were childhood friends when he introduced her?
"He didn't want me to tell you that," Bubbles said, poking Boomer's reddened cheek. Boomer shooed her hand away. "That's why you didn't tell her my real name right?"
Now Nina was glaring daggers at Boomer. She had known him for barely a day and already he was lying to her.
"Bubbles!" Boomer yelled, not realizing he was only confirming her statement.
Bubbles leaned over Boomer to speak to Nina. "He's just mad at me for leaving eight years ago."
Boomer's face glowed red. He wasn't sure if it was out of anger or embarrassment.
Bubbles looked down, staring at her hands. "It was my eight birthday," she said quietly. "I was supposed to meet Boomer after school like I always did. I was looking forward to it too."
"Then why didn't you come?" asked Boomer, too curious to be upset.
"My mother died that day." Bubbles voice was barely above a whisper now.
Boomer suddenly felt guilty. He had been so upset that she hadn't come. He didn't even consider she might have had a serious reason behind it. Still, he waited for an entire year. Why didn't she ever tell him what happened?
"You used to give me chocolate to give to her," Bubbles whispered. "You told me it would make her better. I blamed you for what happened. I thought you lied to me. I hated you for it."
"Bubbles, I…" Boomer wasn't sure of the right words to say.
By this time, Nina felt like an intruder on this intimate moment. "Look Boomer, I'm just going to go," she said before the moment could get anymore awkward.
Boomer had nearly forgotten her presence. "Oh um…okay. See you later then."
Nina stormed off. She had been hoping Boomer would realize his rudeness and come back with her. It was too cold outside anyway, she thought angrily as she opened the door. Once inside a guy grabbed her arm.
"Bubbles, I've been looking everywhere for you. Hurry up, let's go."
Nina pulled her arm away from the guy. "Let go of me. I'm not Bubbles."
Jason looked the girl up and down. She had blonde hair and a blue dress, but she certainly wasn't Bubbles. "Sorry," Jason apologized quickly.
"If you're looking for that date stealer, she's outside." Nina pointed in the direction she came.
"Thanks," Jason said as he rushed outside the doors. He was already late and if Ace knew she was still with him, he would have to face Ace's wrath or worse…pay for another hour.
"Bubbles!" Jason shouted when he spotted her holding Boomer's hand. Bubbles immediately stood up, but got dizzy and fell back into her seat.
Jason yanked her up by the arm. Bubbles was overcome with the need for sleep.
"What's wrong?" Boomer asked.
"I'm just really tired," Bubbles answered her eyes half open.
"I'll take you home," Jason said, trying to drag Bubbles away from Boomer.
Boomer wouldn't let go of Bubbles. "What drug did you give her?" Boomer asked, getting right to the point.
Jason looked at Bubbles. She was barely conscious; it was pretty obvious she had taken something. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Boomer grabbed Jason by the front of his shirt. "Don't play dumb."
"Young master Boomer, your mother is about to make an important announcement. You need to be there." One of the maids from home quickly addressed Boomer.
"In a minute," Boomer said, still holding Jason.
"Now," Butch said appearing form behind the maid. He looked particularly annoyed. "If I have to be there so do you."
Boomer sighed. "Don't go anywhere," he warned Jason and released him.
As soon as Boomer was out of sight, Jason grabbed the semi-conscious Bubbles and left with her. She fell asleep in his limo. She looked so vulnerable; the stuff he used to drug her wasn't cheap. He figured he'd pay the extra 200 for another hour with her.
As expected, Ace was waiting for Jason at his house. He leaned against the gate with his sunglasses on and arms folded. "Ten minutes late," he said without looking up.
Jason pushed a stack of cash into his arms. "Another hour," he said walking past him with Bubbles.
Ace quickly flipped though the wad of twenties. "You have forty minutes," he called.
Jason carried Bubbles upstairs and laid her in his bed. Luckily his parents had left on some business trip and he had the house to himself. He took a moment to look at Bubbles. The short blue dress really showed off how nice her legs were, even if they weren't very long.
Jason ran his fingers down her thigh, waking Bubbles in the process. "Where am I?" she asked sleepily.
"You're at my house," Jason answered softly. Bubbles sat up. She was too tired to keep her eyes open and her head bobbled as she swayed back and forth on the verge of consciousness.
If she had been more awake, Bubbles would have leapt from the bed and ran out of that house as fast as she could. Instead she whispered, "I want to go home." Jason's hands still lingered on Bubbles legs. She felt disgusting, but her head was too clouded to do anything about it.
"You should rest a bit before you go home," Jason said placing a hand on her cheek. Bubbles moved to slap the hand away, but fell asleep before she could.
When she opened her eyes again she was alone on Jason's bed, her clothes missing. Thankfully she was still in her underwear. Bubbles' head was still really fuzzy so she figured she couldn't have been out for that long. She heard water running in the room next to Jason's and knew he must be in the bathroom. Bubbles looked around for her clothes, but couldn't find the dress.
Jason walked out of the bathroom in nothing but his boxers and an under shirt. "You're awake," he noticed, seeing Bubbles sitting up.
"Where are my clothes?" she demanded, trying her best to cover up with his sheets.
Jason raised a brow. "You mean the clothes I let you borrow? Back where I got them." Jason crawled onto the bed with Bubbles.
"Stay away from me," she tried to yell, but her voice came out shaky and weak.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Jason said, snaking his arm around her waist to keep her from moving further away.
"Don't touch me!" Bubbles pleaded. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but with every move the world would spin faster and faster.
Suddenly the door busted open.
"Bubbles!" Boomer panted. He looked like he just ran up twelve flights of stairs and his hair looked like it had been through a tornado. He sighed in relief. Bubbles still had her underwear on meaning that perhaps he wasn't too late.
"What the hell are you doing in my room!" Jason shouted, jumping to his feet.
"She's coming back with me." Boomer grabbed Bubbles' hand, only to be stopped by Jason.
"I still have twenty minutes left."
"Not anymore," said Ace appearing in the doorway. "He paid double for the rest of your hour plus the rest of the night."
Jason looked from Ace to Boomer. "How did you two get in here anyway?"
"They had a little help," Butch said, appearing out of nowhere. His expert lock picking skills proved to be quite useful.
"How many of you are there?" Jason wondered out loud.
"Just four," Brick said, popping in. "Hand over the girl."
"and no one gets hurt," Butch added. He couldn't resist.
Jason practically threw Bubbles at Boomer. "Take her. She isn't worth it. Now get out, all of you."
Boomer smiled and placed his suit jacket around Bubbles. He lifted her on his back. Everyone left the room except Butch.
Butch cracked his knuckles. "I had to let Boomer ride my brand new motorcycle to get here. I'm going to enjoy this."
…
Boomer carefully placed Bubbles in the back seat of Brick's red convertible and hopped in the passenger seat next to Brick. He looked back to check on her. She was sound asleep.
Brick started his car. "So, where to lover boy?"
"To her house of course."
"Right. I'm assuming you have some brilliant explanation for why she's drugged up and half naked then."
"Not exactly, but how are we going to explain her to our mother?"
"Mother won't find out if she stays in your room."
Boomer knew he was right. The guest rooms were always being monitored by security cameras. The only places his mother couldn't see were his and his brother's bedrooms. His room would be safest because his mother almost never came in there. In fact, he was pretty sure the last time she saw his room was almost seven years ago.
The only problem was Boomer wasn't sure if he would be able to have that much self-control. He'd have to spend the whole night in a room with the girl he's loved since he was eight.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Boomer mumbled, turning light pink.
Brick smirked. "Well she can stay in my room if you prefer."
"That's a worse idea. I guess I could sleep on my couch," Boomer said, although Brick hadn't missed the hint of disappointment in his voice.
A/N: There was so much more I wanted to put in this chapter, but I like to keep my chapters at a reasonably short length. Next chapter is greens!