Thanks for all your reviews. As promised, I will try to write this story as quick as I can.




It was a typical Sunday morning, clear sky and what promised to be a very cheerful day. A good day to just kick back and relax. Unfortunately, Allenby wasn't able to do that. In her kitchen (her parents currently going on a vacation) she was having a lot of trouble making bagels. Even after all the lessons her mother gave her, she still could not crack an egg properly.


She had just gotten out of the shower and had on only a very short towel when the doorbell rang. She thought that it was Rain and immediately went to answer it. She needed someone to talk to and bash about AJ. Speak of the Devil. Allenby peered through the peephole and saw the tall football player. She opened the door just a crack and glared at AJ.


"The hell you doing here?"


AJ looked bemused. He thought, 'What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment??' But then he noticed the short girl had on only a short towel. How ironice. He responded with a kind smile. He didn't want the girl to think he was hurt in any way by her greeting.


"I'm here to pick you up. Rain's carpooling with Domon so I just thought that I would do the same for you."


Her grip on her towel tightened as she extended one hand and handed the bagel she had to him and told him to wait by the car and not to try anything funny. Ten minutes later, she was out the door with her luggage on hand when one of her neighbors walked by.


"Going on a trip, Beardsley?"


"Something like that."


The man nodded. "With your boyfriend, too. Good for you."


He walked away, leaving Allenby fuming at what he had just said. AJ couldn't help but smile at her reaction when he returned the bagel back to her. He thought, 'She's kinda cute when she gets all flustered. No, wait! She's only a bet, right? Then why am I getting the tickle feeling? This isn't good.' Allenby looked at AJ, who was deep in concentration. She thought, 'Something must be on his mind.' She noted his blue eyes, which showed how preoccupied he was, his spiky hair, which under the sunlight added an almost-godly sheen to it. He was wearing a muscle shirt, which complimented every single ounce of muscle in his torso area. She couldn't help but think what'd it be like if he weren't so popular and if she didn't hate him that much.


"You ready to go?"


His voice broke Allenby from her trance. She looked at AJ, whose face was so full of innocence that she swore he was a completely different person from what she thought he was. And she knew that if he didn't act like such a jerk at school, she would've liked him. She closed her eyes and inhaled blissfully, unaware that AJ was still there.


"I'll take that as a 'yes'."


~*~


Domon cruised slowly in his convertible. He was pissed off, and he looked it. He thought, 'Rain's tellin' me how to do every damn thing in my life. "Domon, slow down!" "Domon, Coke's not good for you!!" Who the hell does she think she is?'


"Uhh. Domon? I think you just missed our exit. Good going."


Domon twitched as he felt a blood vessel explode but shook off the anger. Having had so much experience with the opposite sex, he knew that Rain was the type of gal who'll put on a strong façade and act like she doesn't give a shit. But he'd dealt with this situation before so he wasn't really that worried. 'But AJ on the other hand. he's dealin' with a full blown psycho,' he thought maliciously.


"DOMON WATCH OUT!!!"


Domon broke from his daze and slammed on the brakes and avoided collision with the car in front of him. That REALLY pushed him to the edge. With a strange glint in his eyes, he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. The expression on his face was priceless. Rain looked at him uncertainly.


"Uhh. Domon?"


The red headband wearing football jock had a fake smile plastered on his face. "This'll just take a second," he replied with a coke and a smile. Rain squeezed her eyes shut as Domon approached the car in front of him. After a few seconds of yelping and screaming, Domon came back and drove off as if nothing happened.


~*~


AJ followed the speed limit. He didn't want Allenby to think he was a road-rage kind of guy. But they weren't talking at all, so it's obvious that they weren't hitting it off as AJ would have liked. The stereo was on full blast so it was impossible for him to start a conversation with her. And to make it worse, it was Avril Laveign blazin' on his sound system. Looking out into space, AJ heaved a sigh. 'I give up,' he thought. 'She doesn't like me in any form or way, and face it, I don't blame her. I've been with only one girl throughout high school and I cant get another one. Who am I kidding?'


By then, Allenby had turned off the sound system and looked at AJ intently. The usually composed jock was staring out into nothing. He looked unsure and sweat trickled down the side of his face. She wanted to ask how far away was the nature expedition but his mind was obviously somewhere else and by the looks of it, he was pretty shaken up about it.


"Hey you okay?"


He wiped the sweat off his face nonchalantly and stared at the road ahead. He wanted to tell her how he really felt, but found some reason to defer it. And besides, he didn't want her to think he was some sort of sissy priss.


"Yeah, I'm fine."


"Oh." Allenby stared at her feet since she couldn't think of anything else to say. AJ was aware of the awkwardness between them and was just as clueless. The sunlight poured through the window, giving her eyes an unnatural sparkle. 'She's actually more attractive than Stacy,' he thought as he remembered Allenby wrapped up in nothing but a very short towel. A small smile played on his face. Allenby noticed it and decided to give it hell.


"What're you smiling about?"


"Nothing, nothing."


Allenby knew that something was fishy. "Look, if it's about what happened earlier." she started but AJ cut her off. "No of course not," AJ lied. The mental picture of Allenby in nothing but a towel was still burned into his memory and would stay there for a LONG time.


~*~



Chibodee Crocket walked across the semi labyrinth of a backyard toward the mansion. It was the residence of George de Sand, the son of nobility. Although his past remained a mystery, one thing was for sure: He had a very refined bloodline and that his family bore the rose as their crest. That was why his nickname was "Rose."


When the two first met, Chibodee thought that his noble friend would never get a date, much less a girlfriend. But how wrong he was. Two years ago, a blonde French girl transferred to their school. Her name was Marie Louise. Apparently, her parents knew George's and that's how they first hit it off. Another reason was that they were both so elegant in manner and noble as well. But enough about the past, the present's more entertaining.



Both Chibodee and George were furious about their friends' behavior. They felt that AJ and Domon were segregating themselves from their little clique. They both agreed that their friends' recent behavior was unacceptable and plotted to compromise their little escapade.


"So did you do what I told you to do?"



Chibodee nodded with a smile on his face. Their little "trip" would be one they would never forget. He had sneaked into the trunk of both AJ and Domon's cars and replaced their luggage with other "stuff." Also, both their rides were tampered with so that it would break down after forty miles. And to make things worse, the mountains in which they were headed to was the home of a crazy, sadistic war veteran (Chibodee's grandfather).


George returned his smile with a nod of his head. His eyes glinted malevolently as he tucked a lock of his orange hair behind his ear.


"Good. That is all, mon ami. I would like to invite you over for tea but I should be getting back to Miss Marie Louise."


"Go. Don't keep ya missy waitin'."