Authors NoteThanks for the reviews! They're really great, and I hope you'll all continue reviewing, good or bad! I'm hoping to be a writer someday, so I thought it would be cool to get some practice in the meantime. It's so much easier to write a story when all the characters and background is figured out for you. This story will probably be pretty long, but I'm not sure. Thanks!
Roxie sat back on the couch in the dimly lit den, cradling a can of beer in her hand. She sighed and glanced at Craig. "I can't believe my sister did that. She's like, an embarrassment to the whole family. Not that my family has much to be proud of," Roxie said, trailing off and glancing into the can she was holding. "This is always how it goes. Angel does all this stupid stuff, and I get blamed for it."
"No one is blaming you for that. Or anything Angel has done," Craig pointed out. Roxie sighed and shrugged.
"But Paige is going to hate my now, and so will all her friends. She strikes me as the type who can basically destroy you. Its not that I care about Paige much, but I just want this year to be peaceful and uneventful."
"Yeah…don't worry about Paige. She hates me, too. So what? Paige can hate us together," Craig said, smiling, as he casually laid his arm behind Roxie on the couch. Roxie smiled at him slowly and took another sip of beer.
"You're a good friend, Craig," Roxie said. "Here I am bitching about my sister, and you're still sitting next to me."
"I've done my share of bitching in the last couple of weeks, so it's no big deal. I'm just glad you came tonight. You're special…not like all the other girls. I really like you." He smiled sheepishly and glanced away. "God, that sounded lame."
"No, it wasn't. And thanks…" Roxie breathed, leaning in a little closer. Craig did, too, and suddenly they were kissing. It completely caught Roxie by surprise, but she quickly got into it. She shifted in her seat and wrapped her long arms around Craig's neck, loving the feeling of his body so close to hers.
"Guys! Have you seen Paige?" someone suddenly said loudly in front of them, and Roxie and Craig pulled away from each other. Spinner was standing in front of them, and Craig leaned back on the couch and sighed, running a hand through his curly hair.
"No, Spin," he said, clearly agitated. "But thanks for asking!"
Roxie quickly got up and looked at Craig. "I'll be right back, ok?" She breezed past Spinner, who watched her go.
"Oh, were you guys hooking up?" Spinner asked, smiling slightly and wiggling his eyebrows.
"We were….until you showed up!" Craig said, glaring at Spinner. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at Spinner with a sigh. "Thanks a lot."
Ashley sat on the toilet in Charlie Dover's bathroom, watching as Hazel helped Paige fix her hair. Paige was glaring at the mirror, cursing under her breath. She ran a hand through her stringy, wet hair and turned to her friends.
"That girl is toast!" Paige exclaimed. She put her purse on the sink and rummaged through it, pulling out makeup as she went. "But before I plot my revenge, I have to stop looking like a sewer rat. Hazel, you look for a blow-dryer. Ash, help me with my makeup. We have to do serious damage control."
Ashley sighed and stood up. "Why can't we just go home?" she complained. "This party sucks."
"You're just mad because you spotted Roxie with Craig. You can't leave now! Or he'll know he got to you," Paige pointed out as she reapplied her eyeliner. "Grow a spine, Ash, and take back your man. Craig is sweet guy."
"What do you mean? Weren't you the one who said I should just get over him and find a new guy?" Ashley asked, watching as Hazel pulled out a blow-dryer from under the sink.
"Craig has paid his price for hurting you, and he obviously feels horrible about it. You obviously still like him, and he still likes you. The only reason he's here with Roxie is because he's trying to get over you. Forgive him already!" Paige exclaimed. "What he did was wrong, but hello, it was obviously all Manny's fault. She's such a flirt and you know she totally threw herself at him. You know it isn't going to happen again, because she totally has that beefcake Carter," Paige trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face. "Anyway, go over and take him back. If he slips up again, dump his ass. But everyone makes mistakes, right?"
Ashley looked like she was thinking about it. Finally, she nodded. "You're right. I should go find him. But couldn't what you just said apply to Spinner, too?"
Paige set her lipstick down, and stared at Ashley with a frown. "No. It's completely different."
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Ok…whatever. I'm going to find Craig." She turned and opened the bathroom door. Paige turned and stared at her as Hazel plugged in the hair dryer.
"Wait! Who's going to help me with my makeup?" Paige called after her, but Ashley just quickly closed the door behind her.
Manny closed her eyes and smiled as Carter kissed her neck, and she ran her fingers through his soft, golden hair. They were lying on a bed in one of the mansion's numerous bedrooms, and Manny couldn't have been more pleased. She could hear the distant sounds of the party downstairs, but she ignored them.
"Mmm...Carter," she whispered. She could feel his hands travel to the zipper of her pants, but suddenly he stopped. She opened her eyes as she felt Carter roll off her with a sigh.
"Wait-why did you stop?" Manny demanded, sitting up. Carter looked over at her.
"I don't know. Because this is about the time you always say "I think we should stop..."
"Well…." Manny glanced at the ceiling. Suddenly, she sat up, pulled off her shirt, and pounced on top of him. "Maybe I don't want to stop anymore."
Carter stared at Manny's face, then at Manny's silky black bra, then back at Manny's face. He grinned lazily and nodded. "Are you serious? Because it would be cruel if you're joking."
Manny laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm not joking. I'm ready. I want to….have sex." She leaned over and kissed him hard on the mouth. Then she sat back and waited for his reaction. He was staring at her, and suddenly Manny had the sinking feeling that he didn't want to. How did a guy not want to have sex?
"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked, grabbing her and flinging her back onto the bed. He leaned over and began kissing her deeply, and Manny responded by kissing him back. Carter stopped and pulled off his shirt, revealing a taut, lean chest. Manny smiled.
"Wait. I just want to…freshen up," she said, sitting up and looking at him. She really needed a minute to regroup and get her thoughts together. "I'll be back in a sec, ok?" She jumped off the bed, pulled on her shirt, and hurried out into the hallway before Carter could protest.
She stopped a few doors down, which she had noticed before was a bathroom, but it sounded like someone was…drying their hair? Manny shook her head and then headed back down the hall, past the room where Carter was waiting, and down the large staircase to the noisy party.
Manny walked down, and found that Craig was standing at the foot of the stairs, talking to some blonde girl. He turned when he saw Manny, and frowned. Manny knew her hair must look disheveled, and that Craig was no idiot. He had probably figured out what was going on upstairs, but what did she care? She simply breezed past him and walked into the nearby bathroom.
Manny spent a few minutes in there, fixing herself and scrutinizing her reflection. She took a deep breath and leaned against the sink counter. She was nervous. Not like when she read a speech in front of a bunch of people, or when she performed at a gymnastics meet. She was really, really, really….nervous. She looked into the mirror. Had she been this much of a complete wreck when she had done it with Craig? No, because it had just sort of happened with Craig. There really hadn't been time to think.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Manny opened the door, walked by Craig again, and headed up the stairs, confidently knowing Craig was watching her. She walked slowly to the bedroom where Carter was waiting for her. She nudged open the slightly ajar door, and stepped inside. Then, she gasped.
Sitting on the bed was Carter and Paige….making out! Manny suddenly felt sick to her stomach, and didn't realize that she had made a small gasping noise. Carter looked up, and suddenly shoved Paige away. He jumped up.
"Manny, it's not what it…" he began, but Manny didn't give him a chance to finish. She turned and left the room, and slammed the door behind her. She ran down the stairs, choking back tears, but relieved to see that Craig had seemed to disappear. She shoved past a couple of kids, and ran out the house, hoping that Carter wasn't following her.