Author's Note: Hope you guys are still reading. Things are really starting to heat up for Jude. There are several surprises coming her way. Please R&R.
The recording was going well. We had a chance to finally finish up all of the tracks, Tommy and Kwest were almost done completing the mixes, and Portia had declared that she had finished the best wardrobe ever created for the L.A. hot spots and interviews that Darius was dead set on us attending. I had my moments when I had to step out or just plain walk away when my emotions got the best of me. But that's the thing about grief—sometimes just laughing with those you love and getting back to the routine you know best helps to not get rid of it, per say, but it makes it easier to live with. Sadie and Mom were ecstatic about the trip. I think we all just needed to get away for a little while. Right now, I was sitting in the sound room glancing over some lyrics I had been working on when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eyes and whispers filled the silence as I stood up to walk over to the door. SME and Jamie were talking animatedly near Darius's closed door. I could see Jamie's face growing red as he waved his hands around as if he were batting at imaginary flies. "What the hell?" I thought to myself as I watched Spied shrug and Chad and Wally cover their mouths to keep from laughing. I couldn't stand it anymore.
"Okay, guys. What are you up to?" I asked blithely as I walked out of the sound room with my fists on my hips. Spied choked as he watched me walk across the room and Jamie's face turned an even deeper shade of red, if you can believe that. And Chad and Wally, well, they just couldn't stand it anymore; they lost it—laughing until they had to grab their sides from the pain. It was probably around 8:00 at night and the studio was fairly empty by then.
"I…um…(cough). We're just talking about….(cough) guy stuff?" Jamie said more like he was asking a question than stating a purpose. "mmmm hhhhhmmmm." I said quickly while biting the inside of my lip to keep from smiling. I had known Jamie all my life. If his face was red, he was either angry, upset, or embarrassed. I was willing to bet on the embarrassed description at the moment.
"Jamie, I took baths with you until we were five, you were with me the day I started my period, I was with you the day you thought you were superman and tried to fly off the roof, and you and I both suffered for weeks when we tried to come up with a home cure for acne and broke out all over instead. I don't think anything you could tell me now could be any worse." I said in amusement as the members of SME all doubled over in bouts of uncontrollable peals of laughter.
"Superman, huh?" Spied choked out at the same time that Wally said, "So, at the age of five, does size really matter, Jude?" I smiled good-naturedly at them as I added, "And he even had the cape." Jamie groaned inwardly.
"Jude…." He began warningly before he was interrupted by Spiederman who gave him a look that said "why not?"
"If anyone could get it, it would probably be Jude, Jamie. I think we should tell her." He said slowly followed quickly by snickers from Chad and Wally behind him. My curiosity was piqued now. There was no way Jamie was getting away without telling me what was going on even if I had to body slam him, and from previous experience in our childhood, I knew I was definitely capable of it.
"Okay guys, spit it out!" I warned as I entered the fray and began to tickle Chad, Wally, and Spied mercilessly. They already couldn't breathe from laughing so hard before so they threw their arms up in surrender as Spied choked out Jamie's predicament.
"You have heard about the Paris Hilton video fiasco right?" Spied asked as he choked again. I nodded as a giggle almost escaped my throat. There was no way Spied was going where I think he was going with this, or was there?
"Well, Jamie is now the man of all men, the spud of all teensy weensy insignificant potatoes, the double deuce in Gigolo, the…." Spied ranted as I threw my hand over his mouth and shook him slightly.
"I get the picture, Spied. Just get to the main point." I said on a laugh as he rolled his eyes and bit, yes bit, my hand. I scoffed at him and shook my fingers slightly before sticking the bite mark in my mouth. Hey, it wasn't like we hadn't swapped spit before.
"Okay, in short, Patsy and Jamie got it on in the studio, didn't know that a video camera was set up—or maybe Patsy did, who knows? Anyway, it's now on tape and sitting on Darius's desk for review as he probably thinks there is something to do with music, music videos, or whatever it is Darius reviews on it." Spied said as another snicker escaped his lips. I couldn't help it. I gaped. No let me re-state that—My mouth hung open further than a whale sucking in krill, a pelican scooping up fish, a dog drooling on a hot summer day…okay stop right there! Now I'm just starting to sound like Spiederman.
Jamie. MY little Jamie. Okay, now I knew that he and Patsy were getting intimate, but damn!
"Oh, this is good. This is too too good!" I said as a giggle escaped my mouth followed closely by peals and peals of laughter.
"Tell me you didn't, Jamie!" I said again as I looked up to see his eyes narrowed menacingly and his cheeks tinged in red—so red it even spread from his face, down his neck, and underneath the collar of his shirt.
"You did!" I said as I slapped him merrily on the back. Boy, Patsy must really be rubbing off on him.
"Okay, so you need to find a way to get it out of there, huh?" I murmured as I looked up at a small window above the door still snickering as I did.
"Do you think you guys could manage to lift me up there?" I asked quickly. Judging by the width and the length of the window, I figured I could manage to wiggle through.
"Boy, the predicaments you boys get yourself into!" I said dramatically as I slid a chair over to the door where I positioned it directly under the window. The boys just stood there gaping as if I was an idiot. I shrugged at them and punched Jamie in the arm.
"You want to get it, don't you?" I asked as I motioned for them to help me.
"God, yes!" Jamie said as he suddenly rushed to my assistance. Once we had everything in position, I stood back to survey the situation.
"Okay one of you, climb up on that chair and let me climb up on your shoulders." I said as I pointed rather emphatically at the door. All of the boys just stared at each other amused as I sighed in aggravation.
"Oh, you guys are such wimps! Okay, Spied. You're the tallest, I think. Climb up there." I ordered as Spied shrugged and climbed up onto the chair.
"Why couldn't you be this dominating, my little dominatrix, when we were together, Jude. It's sexy." Spied said in a husky tone as he wagged his eyebrows suggestively. I just rolled my eyes and murmured something about 'having too many men in my life" as I balanced on the arm of the chair and used Spied's hands to help pull myself on top of his shoulders. Chad and Wally were laughing hysterically as I swayed back and forth grabbing helplessly at Spied's shoulders to keep myself from falling.
"This is so not funny, guys." I said tartly as Jamie nodded pathetically in agreement.
"No it isn't." He reiterated with an almost desperate look creeping onto his features. I looked over my shoulder at him sympathetically as I teased,
"You know you could have avoided this whole thing if you had practiced abstinence." I said on a laugh as the guys looked at me as if I needed to be admitted into bedlam. Boy, guys are so touché. Spiederman groaned underneath me as if he was in pain as I placed first one foot onto his right shoulder and then the other onto his left.
"God, Jude, this is so a day that you should have worn a skirt." Spied complained as he hefted me up as high as he could. I lifted the latch on the window and told Spied to lift me up a little higher if possible. Immediately, I noticed where he planned to put his hand and I kicked him slightly on the head.
"Don't even think about it, Spied!" I said in warning. Spiederman hruumphed at me as if he were wounded.
"Geez, Jude, ice skaters do it." He said on a whine as he lifted up as much on his toes as he dared without falling off the chair. Pulling up, I managed to push half my body through the window without too much difficulty. Those chin ups in gym class finally paid off. Hmmm…good thing to know. I was in up to my waist when I heard Spied say "Uh Oh" and Jamie groan before Spied swayed suddenly and went crashing to the floor. I was hanging rather indecently out the window when a voice suddenly emanated from the other room—the half my butt was hanging out of.
"What's the meaning of this?" The voice asked and I froze as if on cue….