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Chapter Ten: The Diamond Boys' Side Effects

James' POV

You want to know why I really set up the party for her? Why I made sure her birthday was amazing? Why I risked the sprinkler system for her? You do? Good. Because I do too.

In all honesty, I have no idea why I did what I did. I guess it's because I care about her and I wanted her to have the seventeenth birthday that she deserved. No one was really sticking around to celebrate her birthday that evening, and no one had enough balls to ignore her coach's orders about what she could or could not eat. So yeah. I did what I could to make sure that at least she wouldn't look back on her seventeenth birthday and cringe.

"So, what movie do you want to see tonight?" I asked her as we all headed out to the parking lot together.

She bit her lip. "I was thinking…maybe you could come over to my house instead of us going to the cinema. My dad's a huge movie buff, so he has an enormous selection of movies. I don't know if we have popcorn though – which is probably a good thing, since – "

I cut her off firmly. "I'll bring a box of popcorn over."

"Oh…" she looked a little uncertain. "Okay…"

"So, any movies in mind?" I asked.

"Well…yeah…" she laughed a little embarrassedly. "I haven't seen any of the Harry Potter moves in ages…"

My eyes lit up. "You like Harry Potter?"

Katie nodded. "I love it."

"Dude, you've found your soul mate," Shane informed me, slinging an arm over my shoulders. "This guy right here is a huge Potter-head," he told Katie. "When he was younger, it was Harry Potter, all the time, day or night. He decided one year that he wanted to go trick-or-treating as Harry Potter on Halloween, so Mom got him a costume. He started wearing it around the house after that. He'd pop out at me and yell 'Malfoy, you slimy toad!' and then try to jinx me with his fake wand."

"It wasn't a fake wand – it was a false wand. Fake wands have rubber chickens and stuff that come out of the end," I retorted, crossing my arms. Geesh. Who the hell gets fake wands and false wands mixed up?!

Katie stared at Shane. "I feel like I don't even know you. Fake wands? Fake wands? No! Fake wands were created by the Weasley twins for their joke shop. False wands are what muggles use. I don't think we could even work fake wands!"

Shane gaped at us. "Okay, lunatics. You two enjoy the movies tonight. And Katie? If you feel like dressing up as Ginny, I don't think James will mind."

I flipped Shane off. "Are you riding home with me?"

"Are you nuts? I'm afraid you'll start banging my head against the dashboard now. I'm going with Kyle."

"Which they were planning before we started chewing Shane out for his lack of knowledge when it comes to the wonderful world of Harry Potter," Katie piped up. "So don't try to pull the guilt trip on your poor brother."

"Oh, great. Before it was, James, you're such an ass! And now it's, Oh, you poor thing. Let's get married because we both love Harry Potter!"

Kyle cackled. "Well, Katie's always said that she can't date, sleep with, or marry anyone who doesn't love Harry Potter as much as she does. Oh, and get this. She used to have a red wig that she'd put on when she wanted to pretend to be Ginny Weasley."

I looked at Katie. "Wanna kill them now, or save it for later?"

"I say we do it now. That way we can just relax later tonight without having to plan out a double murder."

"Oh, I'm sure you two will be relaxing," Shane grinned.

"I'm sure they'll be very relaxed when they're finished," Kyle added with a smirk, as he and Shane began to back up towards his car.

Katie and I started towards them, but before we could close any distance between us and them, they jumped into Kyle's car and locked the doors.

"Cheaters!" I hollered at them as Kyle started the car. Shane gave Katie and me cheery waves and Kyle blew a kiss at us, before zooming off out of the school parking lot.

"You know," Logan said, grinning at Katie and me, "those two are going to be awesome together. They're gonna end up driving you both nuts."

"I'm already there," Katie huffily informed him. "Jerks."

I nodded in agreement. "I'm making Shane walk to school from now on. Well, not really because my mom will kill me, but I'm going to threaten him with it."

Katie nodded. "A bluff…I like it."

"Right?"

She grinned. "Well, I have something I can threaten Kyle with too, so I'd say we'll get our revenge one way or another."

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay, so, do you wanna be over at my house at around seven?"

"That works."

"Okay, here's my address." She reeled it off to me and I put it into my phone.

"So, I'll see you in a couple of hours," I said to her.

"Yep. See you then."

We waved bye to the others and headed to our cars.

"So, what're your plans for tonight?" Mom asked me when I got home.

"I'm going over to Katie's house. It's her birthday and we're going to watch a Harry Potter movie."

Mom smiled at me. "That sounds like fun. So, is this a date? Did she finally agree to go out with you?"

I had briefly told her about what had happened at the dance, so she knew the basic story for it.

I shook my head. "This is just two friends – two platonic friends – hanging out."

"Honey, from everything that Shane has told me, you two couldn't be two platonic friends even if you tried."

"We are trying…"

"And I seriously doubt it's working very well."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not discussing this."

"Do I need to give you a package of condoms?" she asked me. "I can run to the store and get them."

"What? Oh my God! Mom! No! We're not going to have – have – gross!"

She raised her eyebrows. "Gross?"

"Yes! Not – not with her – but you – I don't need condoms!"

"Are you sure? Because from the sounds of it, you two have a lot of bottled up sexual tension. It's bound to explode at any point. I just want to make sure my little boy's safe."

"Mom, I'm serious, nothing's going to happen. Besides, it's Harry Potter. It's not like we're going to be watching porn."

"You know about porn?"

"Yes, Mom. How can you honestly think that I'm going to have sex, but I don't know anything about porn?"

"It never really occurred to me…Do we need to talk about your computer habits?"

I groaned. "I'm going upstairs now. I'm not discussing this any further! Grill your other son when he gets home. He's the one who's about to get a girlfriend – I mean a boyfriend – I mean a partner – I mean – you know what I mean!"

"I think you can use boyfriend or partner," Mom told me, looking amused. "I don't think Shane will mind either one."

"Right. Yeah. Duh."

"Does Shane being gay bother you at all?"

I stared at her. "Why would it bother me?"

"Well, you seemed to get a little flustered over what to call Kyle…"

"Because I don't know what Kyle's going to end up being to him. And I don't know what's going to happen with them, or if they're even going to decide to continue dating. Actually, this isn't even a date. This is just them casually hanging out."

"But Shane and Kyle like each other," Mom replied, and I nodded.

"Yeah. And they seem to get along really well. They seem happy when they're with each other."

"Which is good. Shane needs someone like that, especially after what happened at your old school."

I nodded in agreement. "I'm happy for him. Kyle seems like a really great guy."

"Is Kyle out of the closet?"

"I don't think he is…But I'm not sure. I'll have to ask Katie."

"You do that. What time are you heading over there?"

"Around seven. Actually, I should leave by six-thirty, because I need to stop at the store and pick up a box of popcorn."

"Is that an excuse to pick up condoms?"

"I'm ignoring you now!" I hollered as I dashed up the stairs.

"You do that!"

I shook my head and locked myself in my room. I got through some of my homework, and then changed clothes. I ran a wet comb through my hair before snatching up my wallet and car keys and heading back downstairs.

Mom smiled at me when she saw me. "Aw! You look so handsome! My little-oldest boy is all grown up!"

"Mo-om!" I whined as she tried to fix a piece of my hair, attempting to get it to lie down.

"That damn piece of hair," she mumbled. "It's never laid flat."

"And no amount of pushing down on my head will get it to."

"Fine. Well, have fun with Katie! What time do you think you'll be home?"

"Not sure."

"Well, if you're going to be later than eleven-o-clock, text me and let me know."

"I don't have a curfew?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Nope. I trust you."

"I'm officially worried about you."

"Don't be." She kissed my cheek. "Just be back before one, okay?"

"AM, right?"

"Duh."

"Love you."

"Love you too. Drive safe."

"I will." I headed out of the house to my car and climbed in. I drove to the nearest grocery store and picked up a box of popcorn. I paid for it and went back out. I managed to find Katie's house without too much difficulty, and pulled up in front of her house at 6:55.

I parked, got out, and walked up to her front door, feeling almost nervous. I rang the doorbell, and a moment later the door swung open. Katie had changed out of her school clothes into jeans and a basic Simple Plan t-shirt.

"Hey," she greeted me with a smile, which I returned.

"Hey." I held up the popcorn.

"You remembered…"

"Yep. I know it's not as good as movie theater popcorn, but its still popcorn. I like your shirt."

She grinned. "Do you listen to them?"

I nodded. "They're my favorite band."

"Mine too! How do you feel about their third album? I know a lot of people didn't like it…"

"I loved it. Just because they went a different direction doesn't make it any less awesome," I replied as she let me into her house.

"Right? And it's not like they didn't have songs on it that weren't like their previous ones."

"Exactly. People got so weird over it. But it was still incredible. And I like the direction they went."

"Agreed." She took the box of popcorn from me. "So, which Harry Potter movie do you want to watch?"

"It's your birthday, so it's your choice."

Katie bit her lip. "Um…wow…I can't decide between the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth. What time do you have to be home?"

"One."

"AM?"

"Yeah. My mom extended my curfew."

"Ahhh…lucky!"

I grinned. "Right?"

"Yep. Though my dad doesn't really care too much about what time I get home. So…" she shrugged.

"Gotcha."

She nodded, and led me into the kitchen, where she popped a bag of popcorn into the microwave. "What would you like to drink?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

She reeled off the drinks: "Water, hot tea, hot chocolate – don't tell my coach – different types of sodas…Root Beer, Pepsi, and Cherry Coke. Also stuff that I'd really appreciate you not mentioning to my coach that I have."

I chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me."

She smiled, a look of relief momentarily crossing her face. "Thanks, James."

"No problem. Anyway, I'll go with a Cherry Coke."

Her smile widened. "I like your thinking." She dug two cans of Cherry Coke out from her fridge and passed me one. "Enjoy."

"I will." I popped the can open and took a sip. In the meantime, the timer went off on the microwave and Katie pulled out the bag. She opened it and got out a large, plastic bowl, dumping the popcorn into it. She tossed the bag in the trashcan and we took everything out into the living room, where she set up the movie. We plopped down on the couch together, placing the bowl between us.

We spent the next two and a half hours watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, occasionally quoting the movie to each other. By the time it had ended, we were sprawled all over the couch, our legs tangled up and the popcorn bowl resting on the floor.

"I forgot how good that was," Katie told me from her end of the couch.

"Right? So much in it…Humor, a little bit of romance, action, some horror…All the makings of an incredible movie," I said fondly.

"Agreed." She wound one of her legs around mine. "So, what movie now?"

"The Order of the Phoenix?"

"Sounds good. I love having a Harry Potter buddy," she grinned.

Harry Potter buddy…buddy…friend…friend zone…ouch. Painful. It would have stung even more if her legs weren't wrapped around mine. So scratch the painful part. It was just confusing. Nothing with us was making sense. Not that it ever had; it seemed like from day one we had this weird kind of flirting/benefits relationship, with neither of us ever actually crossing the virtual lines. But the fact was, I kept getting friend zoned, and it was starting to drive me nuts. We would flirt shamelessly, tease each other, banter, and then just when it seemed like things were starting to finally fall into place – BAM!

Okay, it's not that I have feelings for her – because that's what everyone's probably thinking right now. But really, if you flirt with someone, isn't it nice to think that maybe you'll end up dating that person? Even if you just think it'll happen eventually, at least you have that comfort of knowing that the flirting isn't just going to hit a dead end brick wall. But with Katie…that's the impression that I kept getting. And I knew she had told me straight out at the dance that she wouldn't date a hockey player, so I really didn't have a chance, but…well…it still bothered me for some reason. Probably because of all the sexual tension.

Hmm…maybe it was one of those things where we were friends but flirted our way through high school, and then once we were in college, we ended up at a party together, got drunk, and wound up in bed with each other.

I hoped I'd at least get to remember it…

I felt Katie's legs shift away from mine, and I crashed back down to earth, away from our future of drunken hookups and awkward eye contact.

She got to her feet. "I'm gonna put in the next movie. Mind throwing another bag of popcorn in the microwave?"

"No problem." I got up and headed into the kitchen. I unwrapped another bag of popcorn and slid it in the microwave, setting the timer. I heard the sound of the previews from the next room, and then unmistakable sound of Katie fast-forwarding through them on the lowest speed so that everything just sounded really bizarre, like the actors were speaking a different language. I chuckled and wandered back into the living room. Katie was grinning as she listened to the sped up dialogue.

"Don't judge," she told me. "I just think it's funny like this."

I chuckled. "No judging, I promise. Shane and I do that too. It drives our mom nuts."

Katie laughed. "It just sounds so ridiculous. It's the language of the future," she added with a wicked grin.

"Oh, dear Lord, I hope not!"

"It so is. It totally is."

"The horror!" I cried dramatically, flopping limply onto the couch.

Katie's grin widened and she climbed into my lap so that she was straddling me. "Afraid of our future language, Jamie-Bear?"

Not as afraid as I was of suddenly popping a boner…That would just be my luck.

"I'm just worried that we'll run out of breath really quickly when we try to talk like that," I told her.

She laughed, hands resting on my shoulders. Her brown hair cascaded down her back and over one shoulder, catching the light just right so that it reflected dark gold. In the distance, I heard the beeper go off on the microwave, but neither of us paid any attention to it. "See, this is why I like talking to you," she told me. "You're funny."

"And if I wasn't funny?"

"You'd be boring. But you're not. You always manage to make me laugh, and that's really important."

"So, you're not just keeping me around for my body?"

She winked at me. "Don't think it hasn't occurred to me."

I grinned and managed to flip her over onto her back, pinning her to the couch under me. She shrieked, giggling. "Who's using who for their body now?" she managed to get out.

"Still you, using me."

"Oh, you think so?" she lifted a hand, tracing her fingers down my chest. "Mmm…not a bad idea. Thanks for the idea, Diamond." She winked at me, before rolling us off of the couch and onto the floor, with her on top of me again. "Not so cocky when you're under a girl, huh?"

"Au contraire, I'm cocky no matter when – especially when I'm under a girl."

"Oh, I bet," she purred. "That's not surprising in the least. But I bet you don't mind being on top of a girl either. You didn't seem to mind with me."

I grinned. "Why would I mind?"

"You wouldn't." She grinned back. "Not at all."

"Good. Glad we got that straightened out."

"Mmm hmm. Oh, the popcorn's done." And just like that, she picked herself up off of me and headed into the kitchen, leaving me laying on the floor, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened.

I could hear her pouring the popcorn into the bowl and I sighed quietly, shaking my head. That girl was going to end up sending me to an insane asylum.

I plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote. Katie returned a moment later with the popcorn. She sat down next to me, her expression completely casual, like nothing had just gone down five minutes ago. She was so confusing.

Katie's POV

James and I ended up watching the sixth movie as well, and winded up with a third bowl of popcorn. After me ending up on top of him, him ending up on top of me, and me ending back on top of him, the rest of the night was relatively quiet. It was almost one by the time James headed out. Before he could leave, however, I wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you," I said to him. "For an amazing birthday. You really are incredible." I kissed his cheek and a wide smile crossed his face.

"You're welcome," he told me. "I'm happy it turned out so well."

"Me too." I smiled back at him. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, see you on Monday." He nodded at me, before walking out the front door. I closed and locked up the door before going to the couch and peering through the living room window. I watched as he got into his car. A moment later, the headlights came on, and he backed out of the almost empty driveway, before driving away down the street.

I sighed, collapsing on the couch. Was it weird that I already missed him? Yes, I decided. It was very weird. But in some ways it made a lot of sense. Because I couldn't keep pretending otherwise – I had feelings for him. I mean, feelings outside of the sexual tension. I actually wanted to be with him. I wanted to be the girl who would cuddle up to him during Harry Potter movies, who cheered for him at hockey games, and when his team won, would leap into his arms and kiss him passionately. I wanted to be the girl who he held hands with as he walked down the halls at school, who he held whenever she was having a bad day. I wanted to be the girl who he texted first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

There was no doubt about it.

I had fallen head over heels for James Diamond.

Damn him.

With a sigh, I dragged myself up to my room, where I got ready for bed and crawled in between the sheets. I snuggled under my blankets, closing my eyes. Today had been wonderful, beyond amazing. I couldn't believe James had done so much for me, especially after the way I had treated him up until a week ago. He really was incredible, and so, so nice. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have someone like him in my life. How many other girls could say that they had their own James Diamond?

I smiled happily to myself, fighting back a squeal. God, I was such a teenage girl. But I couldn't even convince myself that I was being ridiculous – it just felt too natural to be going crazy over him.

I sunk into a stupor, fantasizing about what could have happened if I hadn't gotten up off of James to pull the popcorn out of the microwave. I had just managed to get to the part where I was unbuttoning his jeans when my phone started ringing. Loudly. I jerked back to full consciousness, and blinked in the darkness of my room. I blindly grabbed my phone from my nightstand and checked the caller ID. Kyle.

I hit the green button and put the phone up to my ear. "What time is it?" I mumbled.

"About four-o-clock," he told me.

"Oh. Guess I fell asleep." I yawned. "So, why're you calling me before the sun has even begun to rise?"

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," he told me. "So I went out for a walk."

"Where are you?" I asked him sleepily.

"Um…outside your house…"

"Oh, brother," I groaned, kicking my covers back and sliding out of bed. "Hang on, I'll let you inside."

"Okay, thanks. Your dad isn't home?"

"Nope. He's on that business trip, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right."

I scurried downstairs and checked out the window. Sure enough, Kyle was on the front porch. I unlocked the door and opened it, before hanging up.

Kyle grinned sheepishly at me. "Thanks." He walked into the house and I locked up behind him.

"So, why are you here?" I asked.

"I don't know…I just needed someone to talk to."

"Okay, well, here I am. Actually…you know what? It's freezing. Come on up to my room."

If it had been anyone but Kyle, I wouldn't have made that suggestion. But Kyle was my best friend and he was practically a second brother to me, so the idea of bringing him up to my room didn't faze me in the least.

We headed on up and he kicked his shoes off, crawling into the bed with me.

"So, spill," I told him. "How was your date-thingy with Shane?"

Even in the dark I could see Kyle's face turning red. "It wasn't a date…"

"But you like him."

"Yeah…"

"Whatever. It was a friendly outing. So, how was it?"

"He's awesome," Kyle said bluntly. "He's…wow. I can't even begin to describe it. This might sound stupid coming from a sixteen year old, but he's everything I could ever want. He's funny and sweet and a little competitive, but not overly so. We split the cost for dinner. Oh, and he's amazing at arcade games."

I snorted quietly. Of course that would be one of the characteristics that Kyle would look for in a potential partner. Amazing at arcade games…Teenage boys…

"And he's so hot," Kyle added with a slight whimper.

"I know. Both Diamond boys are super hot."

He sighed, laying his head on my stomach. "He's perfect, Katie. He really is."

I smiled. Aww, young love. But I knew how he felt. That was what was going through my head when it came to James.

"Is it possible to be in love with someone who you've only known for a little while?" Kyle asked me dreamily.

I chuckled. "You're definitely the romantic. Still have your Jane Austen collection?"

"Shut up," he whined. "I believe in romance and true love. You're the one who doesn't have a romantic bone in her body."

"Maybe I do…" I murmured. "Or…something like a romantic bone."

"Please tell me that isn't code for I slept with James Diamond. Because on the one hand, you go, girl! But on the other, gross. I don't want to know what bone – real one or just skin and blood – you let into your body."

"Dude!" I hollered. "Graphic, much?"

He cackled. "Sorry, couldn't help it. So, it isn't code for that?"

"No. I'm still a virgin."

"Oh, bummer."

"Why? You're one."

"Yeah, but that's because the one I'm interested in is only fifteen."

"Right. Because there isn't a fifteen year old in the world who has had sex," I deadpanned.

"Shut up, you know what I mean. He's younger. I don't want to push him into something. And in case you forgot, we're not even together."

"And James and I aren't together either."

"Which sucks so much."

"Why?"

"Because he's the first guy who's ever got your blood boiling."

"Have you been reading bodice rippers again?"

"He drives you insane, but in a good way. He makes you want to tear your hair out, but he also makes you want to kiss him senseless."

I wordlessly nodded. That was exactly how I felt when I was around him.

"So, how'd it go tonight?" he asked me.

I bit my lip. "Pretty well…"

"Oh my gosh! Something happened! Details! Spill! Now!"

I gave him the blow-by-blow of what had happened that night. By the time I had finished, Kyle was sitting upright, staring at me.

"And you just crawled off of him to check on the popcorn…?!"

"Um…yes…"

He face-palmed. "Unbelievable."

"I know, I know! Believe me, I've been berating myself for it all night."

"Why'd you do it?"

"I just…I got scared," I admitted quietly. "It was like, suddenly we were in this position where anything could and would happen and I panicked. I mean, I just admitted to myself that I have feelings for James. I don't want to just jump into something that neither of us are ready for."

"Yeah…Okay, that makes sense," Kyle said. "I know what you mean."

"It's scary," I said in a soft voice.

"I know it is, K." He wrapped an arm around me. "It is for me too. Those damn Diamond boys…What're they doing to us?"

I laughed weakly, leaning into him. "They're going to drive us nuts."

"That they are."

I closed my eyes, head resting on his chest. Eventually, my breathing evened out and I drifted back off to sleep, James making his way through my dreams, moving silently and never speaking, just occasionally giving me a smile.

Okay, wow! A lot of emotions towards the end of the chapter! I'm sorry if it got confusing or messy or if I repeated myself at any point. I was trying to make everything as smooth as possible, but I'm not sure I succeeded. But hopefully you guys liked it anyway :)

So, it'd be amazing if you guys could show some love to the review button. It spent Thanksgiving all alone, and now it's sad, but it'll cheer up once it's reminded how much it's loved.

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