Where The Next Road Goes

Chapter 25: NYC, The "W" Hotel, Penthouse Suites.

Author's Note: Yes! Finally, I'm back at it! And finally... we find out... what evil plan Jude and Tommy have up their sleeves to break up Speed and his "Angel"...

Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter... Sorry to keep you waiting for so long!

Chapter 25: NYC, The "W" Hotel, Penthouse Suites

Upstairs in their elegant suite, Tommy and Jude sat together on the couch, reviewing their plan one last time.

"Sure you want me to do this?" he asked her yet again.

"Not really." Jude's response was the same. "But what other choice do we have?"

"I don't know..."

"Speed won't believe anything else." Jude insisted.

"True".

"Just... don't let things get out of hand." she added, just a little worried.

Tommy leaned over and kissed her.

"Never."

"It shouldn't take that long, anyway." Jude relaxed.

"I promise to behave myself." Tom easily agreed.

"Now, there's a first!" Jude laughed.

"Just not around you!" he warned.

"So... you're saying... afterwards..."

"Yeah."

"Mmmm... looking forward to it!"

Tommy reached for her again. But just as their lips touched, Jude's phone rang.

"Lousy timing! Again!" he groaned, as she reached for it, recognizing Jamie's signal. He was hiding down in the lobby.

"The "Angel" has landed!" Jude announced. "I'm out of here!"

She pecked Tommy on the lips and quickly slipped across the hall, to SME's suite.

Minutes later, Angel sauntered out of the elevator. Hips swaying, she gave her golden mane an insouciant toss, knowing every hair would land perfectly in place. Confidently, she approached the door to Tommy's suite and knocked.

Inside, he deliberately waited several minutes before answering.

But on the other side of the door, Angel smiled. She knew this game well.

"Make em' wait... Usually, that's my move! We are such soulmates... But hey, if he wants to wait for me... it's his loss!"

"Later, he'll be the one waiting!"

Her cool facade melted the instant Tommy finally opened the door, beaming his sexiest smile upon her.

"Hi" he said casually.

"Um-hi!" she replied, uncharacteristically flustered.

"Come on in..."

Across the hall, in SME's suite, Wally watched the action unfold through the peephole in the door.

"Spider's in the web." he announced to Jude, Kat and Kyle, who waited with him.

"I think you've seen too many spy movies." Kat announced

"Me? Check out Sherlock Homes over there!" Wally protested, pointing to Jamie, who had just entered the room, wearing big dark glasses and a beige trenchcoat.

"He always did have this fantasy..." Jude began, but Kyle cut her off.

"To be what? A flasher!"

"It's cold!" Jamie defended himself.

"Look, guys, let's just go and get Speed. Now." Jude said, anxious to get the whole thing over with.

They all walked into Speed's room.

"Speed?" Jude called out hopefully.

The guitarist continued sleeping.

"Usually, he's up by now." Wally told them, as they all moved closed to the bed.

"Ninja Turtle marathon on!" Kyle tried, hoping that would wake Speed, who just snored louder.

"Dudes! It's not working!"

"Plan B" Jude announced, as she and Kat picked up plates and banged them down on the table.

"Room service!" Jamie yelled.

"Mmm! Doughnuts!"

"And pancakes! Maple syrup!"

"And hot chocolate!"

"Sausage!"

"And all that bacon!" Jude tried.

But even promising a lot of food failed to waken the slumbering guitarist.

Jamie shook his head.

"This is so lame."

"You got a better idea?" Kyle sneered.

"Actually, I do!" Jamie smiled smugly and bent over, whispering in Speed's ear.

"Oh, Speed! Oh, Speed! More! Do it again!"

Everyone stared in total shock. He sounded exactly like Angel.

"Dude? How'd you learn to do that?" Wally asked.

"And... why?" Kyle echoed, puzzled.

A strange silence filled the room.

"Never mind." Kyle quickly retracted. "It's better we don't know."

"Actually, he used to pull pranks on Sadie..." Jude smiled, remembering the evil things they had done to her sister.

"Whatever! It's working!" Jamie bragged, motioning towards Speed, who moaned.

"Oh, baby! Oh, baby!"

Speed stretched out his arms for "Angel" and grabbed Jamie, who fell down, landing next to him on the large bed.

Everyone else started laughing.

"Kat! You've been replaced!" Kyle said gleefully.

"They do make a cute couple, don't they?" Jude grinned.

"No, we don't!" Jamie protested, trying to free himself from Speeds' grip. His struggles finally woke the sleeping guitarist.

"Dude..." Speed mumbled, completely confused.

"Thought you were... Angel."

"No." Jamie said firmly, quickly getting off the bed.

"Although... there was a definite resemblance." Wally joked.

"Heard her voice..." Speed added sleepily.

"Yes. You did." Jude agreed, thinking.

"This actually works perfectly..."

"And you need to hear what else she's saying."

Unobtrusively, she pressed a button on her cell phone. But it stayed quiet.

"Don't hear anything..." Speed murmured, turning over and closing his eyes.

"No! Don't go back to sleep!" Kat yelled, reaching over to shake him. Jude slipped over to the side and quickly texted Tommy.

Across the hall, Tommy sipped his champagne, desperately wishing for something stronger. Angel was definitely the most vapid, annoying girl he had ever met. She alternated between bragging about herself and shamelessly coming on to him.

A funny feeling swept over him as he realized how familiar it all was.

"So desperate... So obvious... Pathetic! But she's no different than so many other girls I've been with... It never bothered me before... But she's just like the others..."

"All... except one."

"Tommy..." Angel sang out in her sweetest voice, tearing his thoughts away from Jude.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Absolutely!" he insisted, but she knew better.

"Of course, you weren't! You were thinking of her! But that won't last! Not with me around..."

"That's how I knew you'd like more champagne!" Tommy added quickly.

"Ooh, yes!" Angel cooed in his ear, as he poured it.

"So..." she whispered, sliding closer to him- practically crawling into his lap.

Desperately, Tommy grabbed his glass and drained it. But he could only delay the inevitable for so long.

"So..." Angel murmured seductively, moving her lips towards his.

"Help!"

As if by magic, his phone rang.

"Time to be your 21." he thought, never more grateful to hear Jude's ringtone.

"I'd just better... get this." he said, moving over towards the window and reading his girlfriend's message.

"Something wrong?" Angel cooed, not really caring.

"No." Tommy said smoothly, adjusting the settings on his phone, causing it to beep loudly.

"Ow! You're hurting my ears!" Angel whined.

"Sorry." he apologized, casually laying it down on the coffee table in front of them.

"You should get a better one!" Angel insisted, ignorant that Tommy's I-phone was the newest and best model- not yet even available in the stores.

"Maybe..." he replied noncommitally.

"That horrid noise... sounds just like Speed!" Angel said nastily, alcohol loosening her tongue.

"Perfect"

Tommy checked his high-tech phone to insure it was working properly. Now, it was.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Oh... you know. Speed's so loud and obnoxious!"

"You think so?" Tommy asked innocently. "But I thought you liked him."

"Please!" Angel sneered.

"So, what were you doing with him?"

"Well... the guy practically begged to take me out! So, why shouldn't I take advantage of an opportunity like that!"

"Didn't you?" Angel said knowingly. Tommy's past was no secret.

"Yes..." he reluctantly admitted, hiding his discomfort. But Angel would not have seen it anyway.

"See? We're exactly alike..." Angel purred, sidling over towards him again.

"So, where were we?"

"Where are they?" Tommy wondered desperately as Angel inched closed.

Across the hall, Speed was finally fully awake- and totally stunned.

"Shock therapy, anyone." Jude said softly, as Speed mumbled.

"What's happening... I thought I heard..."

"You did." Jude said, handing Speed her phone. His face reddened when he saw what was on the screen.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

"My suite." Jude said sadly.

"Let's go!" Speed insisted, leaping out of bed, grabbing Jude's hand, and dragging her out the door.

"Wait!" Kat yelled, taking Jamie's trenchcoat and throwing it over Speed's pajamas.

"Don't go in like that!"

Speed just nodded before rushing out. Jude followed, taking out her key card and thrusting open her suite's door.

"Slut!" she screamed disgustedly at the sight of Angel sitting comfortably in Tommy's lap.

"Well... look who's here." Angel replied calmly, taking another drink of champagne.

"I warned you..." she said smugly to Jude. "Said you would never be enough for him!"

"And now, you know I was right."

"Angel? What's going on?" Speed asked.

"Come on, Speed." Angel remarked disdainfully.

"I think it's pretty obvious." Jude said furiously, playing her part perfectly.

"Oh, yes." Angel said, tightening her grip on Tommy.

"I'm trading up. So's your ex-boyfriend here." she sneered at Jude.

"Aren't I right, Little Tommy Q?"

Her use of his hated nickname sent Tommy over the edge. He jumped up, throwing Angel off his lap onto the floor, where she landed on her butt.

"No. You're dead wrong!" Jude smiled.

"The name is Tom Quincy. And don't ever call me "Little Tommy Q"!" he barked at the girl now lying on the carpet.

"Busted!" Jude announced triumphantly, reaching over and showing Angel her phone.

"You bitch! You set me up!" Angel realized.

"You set yourself up! We just made sure Speed found out about it!" Jude retorted.

"Whatever!" Angel said carelessly, tossing her hair defiantly as she stood up.

"None of you is worth it!"

Speed watched silently as she walked towards the door. Suddenly, he screamed.

"Hey Angel?"

"Yes" she replied, surprised.

"Are you dyslexic?"

"No. Why?"

"Because you've got everything backwards!" he finished, adding. "I can't believe I wasted any time on you! You're the one who's not good enough for me. Not even close!"

"Screw you!"

"You wish!" Speed answered cooly. "But I don't do trash."

"Actually..." Jude mumbled, but quickly shut up as Angel walked out.

Across the hall, Jamie, Kat, Wally and Kyle had opened their door, so they could see what was happening.

"Sayonara, slut!" Kat yelled.

"Bye, bye, bimbo!" Jamie added, as she disappeared.

"Toodles!" Wally chimed in, as everyone else looked at him strangely.

"Hey, it was all I could think of!" he defended himself.

The foursome ran into Jude and Tommy's suite. Speed was sitting dejectedly on the couch.

"Speed?" Jude asked, concerned about his increasingly pale face.

"Are you okay?"

"No"

Speed slumped further down on the couch, as the reality of what just happened sank in.

"I just... can't believe it."

"I'm sorry." Jude told him.

"We all are." Jamie added, as Kat, Wally and Kyle nodded.

"She was so... not who I thought she was..." Speed mumbled sadly, with tears in his eyes.

Tommy watched Speed carefully, as if seeing him for the first time. In a way, he was.

"He's not who I thought he was either... not just a pain in the ass! He's got feelings, too..."

"Stopping now, before I hurl! But still..."

"I'm sorry too." Tommy found himself saying, surprising himself- and everyone else.

Speed just stared at him, as he continued.

"She totally used you. You don't deserve that..."

"Thanks."

"Tommy's right, you know." Jude added. "She knew how much you cared about her and totally took advantage!"

"That's so wrong!" Kat commented.

"Speed... What can we do to help?" Jamie offered now.

"Some breakfast?" Kyle suggested.

"Thanks. But no thanks." Speed said morosely. "I think I just... need to be alone for a while."

"Sure"

"Just yell if you want anything." Jude said.

Speed just nodded and went back to his own suite. Wally and Kyle followed, to keep an eye on him. Everyone was worried. They had never seen Speed look more depressed.

"That was pretty ugly." Jude remarked to Tommy, Jamie and Kat.

"Yeah". Tommy agreed, sitting down besides her.

"He won't eat. That's serious." Kat added.

"He'll be okay." Jamie reassured everyone.

"Yes. Eventually." Jude added, knowing just how hard Speed took these things.

"We'll just have to try to keep him busy. Find something to take his mind off her..."

The perfect opportunity for that presented itself just an hour later. As agreed, Jude and Tommy went with Jamie and Kat for brunch downstairs to pay off their "bet" from the football game. In the middle of their meal, Kat left to answer a phone call.

She returned to the table completely upset.

"It's a total disaster!" she announced.

"What is?" Jude asked.

"My show! The one scheduled for tomorrow morning! My models just bailed on me!"

"Can't you get someone else?" Jamie suggested

"Who!"

"There must be a lot of girls at your school..."

"Oh, there are!" Kat sniped. "But they'd look pretty silly in these clothes! This show is menswear."

"Menswear, huh?" Jude said, as she and Kat exchanged a meaningful look

"Sounds like a job for SME... Might get Speed out of the dumps!"

"Yeah..." Kat agreed. "Except I need five models..."

Jude and Kat exchanged another look. They then turned to Jamie and Tommy.

"No!" Jamie panicked.

"No." Tommy said, more calmly, but just as firmly.

"Why not?" Kat insisted.

"Because..." Jamie struggled.

"You've modeled for me before..." Kat pleaded.

"You can't just leave her hanging now." Jude added.

Jamie sighed. He knew that he was beaten. When Jude and Kat teamed up, he always was.

"Ok. I'm in."

"Good!" Jude smiled, then turned to Tommy. She stared into his eyes for just a minute.

"Ok." Tommy agreed, knowing it was pointless to argue now. Especially since Jude had her ways of repaying him for these "favors"...

"Good" Jude repeated.

"We'll just get you fitted." Kat said, as Tommy signaled for the check. He then went to pay it. Jamie then excused himself, leaving the two girls alone.

"Kat... about this show..." Jude remembered. "Isn't it..."

"Yes." Kat confirmed, grinning naughtily. "I had the U of NY swim team all lined up..."

"So now, instead, it's Wally, Kyle, Speed, Jamie and Tommy. In those... uh..."ensembles"?"

"Yeah..."

Jude and Kat burst out laughing.

"Poor guys have absolutely no idea what they're in for!"

Author's note 2: Coming soon in Chapter 26... Wally, Kyle, Jamie, Speed and Tommy shake their stuff on the "Kat-walk"... Too sexy?