Chapter Six: Lily's Plot

Parker's POV

As Lily took off down the street and I turned to the guys, searching their faces for an explanation. Patrick's uncaring expression only had a hint of surprise in it.

We stood in silence for a moment before Eric said, "So…I should probably go home and get out these clothes."

I was confused for a moment before I flashed back to Lily dumping her drink over his head unprovoked.

He offered to walk me home first but I told him to go home and change and made him swear that he'd call me later.

I turned to walk away when someone grabbed my wrist. I turned around expecting Eric to be there demanding that despite his stickiness I hug him, but it was Patrick.

"What?" I asked.

"Lily's number," he said.

"What?" I repeated.

"Lily's number, what is it?" he said as if he had made perfect sense to begin with.

"Whoa, Pat you're actually gonna call her?" Eric sounded really surprised. I decided to save the questions for when Eric called me and quickly wrote Randy's number on Patrick's hand.

He barely cracked a smile, but Eric had warned me that Patrick wasn't much into the whole showing emotion deal.

I went home and didn't even bother trying to call her.

'Let her have some time,' I thought to myself as I picked up my bass to distract me until someone called.

Lily's POV

I didn't stop running until I reached my room. I slammed the door and threw myself onto the bed.

What had just happened? One minute all I'm trying to do is make Eric jealous by kissing his cousin and the next I'm dumping my drink over his head and running away.

I lay face down for a few hours before I heard the phone ring.

'Let someone else get it,' I thought to myself. It continued to ring. 'Damn, forgot no one else is home.'

I reached over and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Lily, it's Patrick," Eric's cousin's voice came through the line.

I rolled over and sat up. "Patrick? Uh, hi…I'm, um, sorry about earlier."

"Don't be, I thought it was actually pretty cool," Patrick said. His voice once again had no emotion so I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic.

"Really? You thought it was cool that I spontaneously jumped up and poured pop over your cousin's head?" I asked.

"Yeah, I mean, it was kind of random, but it totally made everything more amusing. He's still washing his hair as we speak!" this time his voice defiantly sounded amused.

"That's um…so, anyway thanks for calling to tell me that," I said. 'Wow that was lame!'

"Well, actually you wanna go out? With out lame boy and his girlfriend?" Patrick asked.

I don't like Patrick! I should say no

'Wait! Lily + boyfriend who isn't Eric Eric jealous? That sounds crazy enough to work!'

No, it wouldn't be right to use Patrick like that!

'All's fair in love and war!'

Would you want a guy doing that?

'It's meant to be between us! It's fate! I'm just giving it a little starting shove!'

If its fate that you're best friend's boyfriend will end up with you-which it isn't!-then it wouldn't need you helping it!

'I'm just getting a bit of a head start!'

It's still not right!

'Will you just shut up?'

I'm you, remember? Geez, how many times do we have to go through this?

"Lily?" Patrick's voice interrupted my thoughts. I realized that I had been arguing with myself for the last three minutes.

"Oh, right…um, sure. I'd love to," I said. 'This is gonna blow up in your face!'

"Great, how about Mickey's tomorrow night around…6:30?"

"Sounds great, see you then," I said. I hung up before he had a chance to say anything else. I sat calmly for a minute, then sent the phone flying into the wall. It smashed into a couple of pieces and left a sweet looking hole.

Eric's POV

I came out of the bathroom just as Patrick was hanging up the phone.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Lily," he replied in his usual toneless voice.

"So you actually called her?" I was surprised.

"We've got a date for tomorrow night," Patrick replied as he picked up a book and flopped down on my bed. He was supposed to be using the cot that I had set up for him, but to annoy me he always occupied what was supposed to be mine.

"Pat, you realize that if you do something to hurt her, I'm going to have to hurt you," I warned. I knew how important Lily was to Parker.

"Jealous cousin?" Patrick asked not even bothering to look up from his book.

"No, but Lily upset means Parker upset, which is something I don't want to see," I said resisting the urge to throw something at him.

"Whatever," he said going back to his standard vocabulary of grunts, shrugs and whatevers.

Lily's POV

The next day I rooted through my closet looking for something dark to match Patrick's personality, yet…something girly to get other guys' attention. I want something that subtly screams 'look at me!'

I finally decided on my flared black jeans and black and white quarter sleeve shirt. I went heavier on makeup than usual and messed up my hair slightly. I brushed my teeth (reapplied lipstick) and set out for Mickey's.

It was 6:57 when Patrick finally came in. I was going to tell him off for being so late but then I remembered Eric.

"Hey," he said lazily as he slumped down into the seat across from me.

I smiled. "Hey, I thought you said 6:30?"

"Yeah, I did," Patrick replied.

"Uh, it's almost seven," I said.

"Sorry, lost track of time," he said. This was the longest sentence he'd ever said to me. I noticed a glint of silver in his mouth.

"Hey, what's in your mouth?" I asked.

"Teeth…spit," he replied.

"Uh, the silver thing," I said.

He stuck out his tongue to reveal a silver bolt.

"I didn't know you had your tongue pierced!"

"Well now you do," he said sitting back.

We sat silently for awhile and I was thinking of just going home when Parker skipped in the door tugging Eric behind her.

I reached across the table and pulled Patrick by his collar towards me and kissed him. He seemed surprised but put an arm around me and…well lets just say I found out a bit more about that tongue piercing of his!

He only pulled away when we heard Parker's surprised voice say, "Randy?"

I looked at her and Eric's shocked expressions and suppressed a smirk. I cleared my throat and said, "Oh, hey guys! Eric, I'm sorry about the pop over the head thing! I don't know what got into me!"

He gave me a half smile and said, "It's cool."

"So, what's going on guys?" Parker asked.

"Not much, Lily and I were in the middle of our date…I thought you were seeing a movie," Patrick said, obviously annoyed that they had interrupted.

"We did, we're here for coffee," Eric said coolly.

Could that be jealousy? My plan might just work after all!

"Mind if we join you?" Eric asked. Patrick gave his usual 'whatever' and they pulled up chairs.

"So, you guys…are you a thing now?" Parker asked.

"We're not really exclusive," Patrick said lazily.

"Yeah…well, you guys look…good together," Eric said.

'That may be so, but you and me would look so much better!' I thought.

Parker's POV

Why is Lily staring at Eric? Shouldn't she be watching Patrick? What's been with her lately? I never know when she's going to be herself or when she's going to spontaneously run out.

Something's up and I don't like it. I've got to get to the bottom of this!