Chapter 5 - Reveries & Retaliations

A/N: Thanks yet again for the reviews. I don't own em' (except Dana of course.). I'M A REBEL! And strap yourself in cause this is gonna be a long one. AF

6:30 PM, Saturday

Dana had driven herself to the movie theater, anxious to see the others, especially Shia. She ran through her plan again, tweaking up the tiniest little flaws. She knew that this was not like her; a man-chasing, hormonally imbalanced teenage girl; but she loved the adrenaline rush that coursed through her veins. She couldn't wait to see the look upon Shia's face when she would tell him and show him how much she really did care for him. She had to get up and walk outside the slightly crowded theater lobby, giggling to herself as some guys checked her out. She stepped out into the warm summer haze of Burbank, California; soaking in the dying rays of the sun. She crossed the street and treated herself to an ice cream. She squealed inwardly as she ate it, letting it fill her with sweet delight. She left the little shop and walked down the street, glancing at books and antiques in small stores, smiling to herself. She checked her watch and started back towards the now-filling theater.

6:45, Saturday

AJ beat his hands on his steering wheel to the rhythm of the Rolling Stones pulsing through the speakers of his car. He noticed a pretty girl walking up the street and gave a low whistle in her direction. He smiled to himself, knowing his plan couldn't fail. He parked and walked into the crowded lobby, wondering where everyone was. He found the place too crowded and left quickly. He sat in a nearby park and enjoyed the painted sunset while listening to classic rock tunes on his iPod. Everything about the last few weeks rushed by like a film fast-forwarded with no sound. From his first meeting with Dana to his eavesdropping, from his invitation to go out to her asking not to go. He was frustrated and confused, yet feeling more alive in the past few days than he had in ages. He saw Dana as a blessing and a curse, a beauty and a beast. And so, thinking about the plan one more time, picking out flaws and regaining his composure, AJ got up, checked his watch and started moving toward certain oblivion.

6:55, Saturday

Shia couldn't find a parking spot. It had been ten minutes just trying to find a space. He had finally found one and hopped out of his car, nearly getting hit by a passing car. He quickly walked down the street into the packed theater. He was tossed around in a sea of warm bodies so close together. He felt terribly claustrophobic in there, so he waddled back outside. The rush of cool air swept through his curls as he opened the door. He looked up at the sky, now a darker blue as it approached night. Shia loved it like this, serene in a world that's so hectic. No clouds, just clarity. He wished his mind could be like the sky as he leaned against the wall next to the door. He thought about the week that had just passed by, about the still unanswered secrets of the car, the surfing lesson, asking for answers but only getting more questions when he asked Dana for advice. Nothing seemed to be clear, except for the fact that he was slightly torn between two girls, Margo, the TV star, and Dana, the intern. They were both so alike in their passions, fierce but gentle, unyielding but able to compromise, but then again, they were so different. He looked up at the sky again and saw the first star appear, glittering like a diamond. He wished upon it; he wished that his plan would work out perfectly. After doing so, he checked his watch and hurried though the door of the overflowing theater.

6:59, Saturday

I can't believe I'm going to do this! Margo was thinking as she approached the theater. She squeezed through the entrance after checking her watch. 30 seconds left, she thought, her nerves twitching. She walked over to the empty arcade, awaiting the arrival of her friends and foe. Shia spotted her standing alone and made his way over to where she was; he was going to tell her everything, right there, right then. She smiled at him rather shyly and he blushed. Perfect, she thought, this is gonna be easy.

"Hey Shia."

"Hey Margo. How was, uh, New York?" He was nervous.

"It was nice. I got a great part in this new play on Broadway. Rehearsals start in December."

"That's awesome! What did you think of the city?"

"It was great, you know, the hustle and bustle of the city. The way it's so alive. But I really missed it here."

"Yeah right."

"No, I really did. I missed the cast, the crew but most of all, I missed you, Shia." The words hit him like a ton of bricks. He tried to find something witty or slightly romantic to say but all that could come out was:

"Really?" She giggled.

"Really. I was thinking about, you know, how we broke up. And I realized that I made the biggest mistake ever by letting you go. Shia, I," The words were there but they just couldn't come out. "I love you." Shia just stared at her, numbed by her statement. The words rung in his ears. She had just said the three little words to him that he had been longing to hear up to a few hours ago, he had thought about those words for days, weeks, months.

"I want you to come with me to New York. What do you say? Me and you, new city, new beginnings." He couldn't say a thing; the shock was way too much. All he could do was lean down, his lips not even an inch away from hers and whisper:

"Yes." And with that, he kissed her; he kissed with all the passion and frustration that had built up inside of him since they had been apart. But suddenly, he felt cold, like ice was running down his back, making him shiver. He broke the kiss and looked into the crowd. He saw Dana staring at him and Margo, frozen in shock.

7:01 PM, Saturday

"Dana!" Shia exclaimed, shocked. She didn't look like her usually formal self. Her hair was down, framing her face, she had on a tight, army green halter top and tight black leather flares, both perfectly molded onto her sinewy figure. She looked incredible standing there, looking like, well, a movie star, but her eyebrows were perched, her eyes as wide as plates and her mouth slightly ajar. She wanted to run but her legs wouldn't let her, she was stuck having to watch Shia fervently kiss Margo.

"I can explain." Shia walked over to her. She quickly regained her composure.

"Let me guess, this is the girl you like but hurt?" Her words were like acid as they burned through Shia. She knew full well that Margo was the one they had talked about but she never expected him to do something about it. She glared at Margo, who in turn, stuck her nose in the air. "I'll see you all inside." And with that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the mass of people. She went over to the concession counter and ordered popcorn, cherry ICEE, and a pack of Red Vines.

"You gonna eat all that on your own?" The voice gave her a bit of a scare. She turned around and saw AJ right behind her. She smiled.

"Man, am I glad to see you! You won't believe what I saw!"

7:05, Saturday

AJ leant a compassionate and understanding ear for the very shocked Dana. He had actually seen the entire scene from a spot neat the concession counter. He winced as he saw Shia kiss Margo then marveled at Dana's magnificently made-over figure, smiling at the fact that she had caught them in the act. He pretended he didn't know what was going on as Dana told the story from when she came in, bravely holding back tears, he wondered how she did it.

They all met up, popcorn, drinks and candy in hand, near the entrance to the separate theaters. They greeted one another, and then went dead silent.

"Why don't we just go in? The movie starts in," Dana checked her watch, "Five minutes." They nodded in agreement, showed their tickets and found seats inside. Dana sat closest to the aisle, next to AJ; he sat next to Margo, who also sat beside Shia. They sat there in silence, each of them thinking about their predicaments. Dana sat and thought about her, now ruined, plan, cursing the fact that Shia kissed Margo; she had so badly wished it were she instead. AJ thought about how wonderfully well everything was going and that his plan was working perfectly. Margo thought about the whole deal she had with AJ and reminded herself that it was all for Shia's protection from that sluttish-looking intern, Dana. Shia thought about Margo, how wonderful that kiss felt and how it seemed to be imprinted on his lips; but then he thought about Dana, how everything about her screamed in a sadness and fury that he couldn't get his mind around, he was going to tell her everything. So they all sat, thought- filled, until the lights dimmed and the movie began. Alex and Emma, a movie about a messy love triangle. All four of them knew exactly how the characters felt. Some time later, Margo whispered to Shia:

"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." She slid clumsily through the aisle and raced to the ladies room. Before flushing the toilet, she heard the door open and then click; it had been locked. Margo began to panic slightly as she flushed the toilet and cautiously opened the door, peeking around it.

"Margo?" She nodded. "I'm Dana. We've gotta talk."

Margo and Dana explained to one another their positions; Dana wanting Shia and her willing to go to almost any extent to get him; Margo wanting AJ but not wanting to have to pretend that they weren't even interested in each other. Margo also explained AJ's plot for revenge in detail and together they formulated a plan of their own plan. Together, they walked out of the bathroom and back into the crowded theater. The movie was quaint and ended rather quickly. The four sat there until the crowd had thinned out, Dana and AJ left together, chatting about the movie as they exited the theater. They both grinned from ear-to-ear, knowing their plans. The night was young as they left the theater lobby. They lazily strolled around the streets of Burbank, talking animatedly. They decided to share a pizza at a small Italian restaurant called Lucio's. They sat across from one another, gazing into each other eyes, smiling devilishly. They talked about their friends and their good and bad habits and traits. AJ dropped many, rather snide comments about Shia, and Dana just smiled inwardly. They then walked back towards the theater, AJ's arm draped around Dana's waist. He walked her to her car. She turned to face him before saying:

"I had a really nice time tonight, AJ." Now both of his arms encircled her waist.

"So did I." She leaned up towards his ear, her warm breath floating over his neck. "What's this?" he whispered into her ear, surprised.

"I know about you and Margo." At once, his facial expression changed as she stepped back into her former position, his arms no longer around her. "I know about the whole plan." He was dumbstruck, unable to answer her. He could only blubber:

"How, how did you find out?"

"Margo told me. See AJ, I really like you as a friend but I don't think that it could work out if we were together, you and I both know why." She looked calm but inside her heart was racing, afraid of hurting him. AJ just stared at her.

"I love you, Dana. I really do." He tried to plea with her but she remained steadfast with her words from before. He finally broke. "Fine, if it has to end like this just do one thing for me."

"What AJ?"

"Would you kiss me, just so I would know how it feels." Dana blushed even though he couldn't see it. He leaned down to her height and gave her a kiss, one so filled with forbidden love that he lost himself. He probed deeper and deeper with his tongue, taking in as much as he could as quickly as he could. She let a soft moan sweep into his mouth, immediately taking action on his already hard dick. Dana finally broke the kiss, causing AJ to scatter soft kisses all around her face and neck. He pecked her on the lips and whispered, "Thank you. But still, why not?"

"You have someone else who really loves you more than I ever could. All you need to do is open your eyes." With that, she hopped into her car and left AJ sitting on the curb, wondering.

"Shia." Margo caught him off-guard and gave him a bit of a shock.

"Huh? Yeah?" They were still sitting in their seats ten minutes after AJ and Dana had left.

"Let's go somewhere." She buried her head inside his chest. "Somewhere fun." Shia quickly formulated a plan and then jumped out of his seat and shouted:

"I know! Let's go!" The two quickly shuffled out of the theater and into their cars. Shia told her to just follow him and she found herself at Universal Studios Hollywood two minutes later. She laughed at Shia as he lifted his arms like a Greek god, laughing in a rather odd way. He paid their admission and they entered the park, jumping around and acting like two eight year olds on a sugar high. They rode Back to the Future while screaming at the top of their lungs and were tossed around again and again on Jurassic Park: The Ride. Dripping wet and freezing, they went into Backdraft to warm up. Shia bought Margo a mini E.T. after they had finished riding the ride. He then scared her as they walked through the Mummy Returns haunted house. They went off and watched the Terminator: 3D show in awe and amazement and then got soaking wet again in the Coca-Cola Water park. They left the park just before it closed and wandered around the Citywalk, just enjoying one another's company. They talked about the times in between their break-up and then, about what they would do for the rest of their summer.

"I'm so glad it's just me and you again, Margo." They both smiled as they went into Tony Roma's for a very late dinner. They just sat and caught up even more, each of them telling the tale of what they did in that past week. Shia told her all about Dana, just talking about her took up the majority of their meal. He kept singing praises about her cleverly disguised in friendly conversation and as they stopped at the huge globe fountain, Margo finally stopped him.

"Shia, I have to tell you something." Her expression was somber.

"Could I just say something first?" He replied.

"Sure." He took a deep breath and began.

"Margo, I really like you and all but I think that the romantic part of our relationship is over. That's not to say I didn't have a ton of fun cause I did."

"And so did I." She interrupted.

"Yeah, and I think that we both need to move on." He looked at her. She was smiling.

"Shia, I perfectly understand, just answer me this. Are you in love with someone else?" She knew full well what the answer would be, hopefully.

"Yes." Yes! She thought to herself.

"Let me guess, Dana?"

"Yes."

"Shia, I also met someone else and now that I know that you also found someone else, I'm not afraid to hide it anymore."

"Who is it?"

"AJ." Shia's eyes widened and lit up with shock and happiness for her.

"Perfect. You two are perfect for each other. Congratulations!" They gave each other a big hug followed by a firm handshake.

"So, I guess this is goodbye, huh?" Shia just smiled.

"Oh no, it's just another hello." They both grinned broadly. "Margo, you gotta help me plan something for Dana."

A/N: It ain't over yet! Next chapter soon! In the meantime, REVIEW!