Sorry guys, I may not be able to update very much for the next two weeks. Next week is hell week for a play I'm in and the week after is hell week for dance. YAY! Many tears and headaches and not-updating for awhile. Plus I have a 15 page report for science due Monday… KILL SCIENCE! Uh… okay then.
Thanks a billion to all my reviewers. I love you all so much!
Also, this chapter may suck, I've been having a really tough time writing it for some reason.
Now, after that horridly long author's note, on with the story!
-$-
"Me! You cursed… me?"
I honestly couldn't believe it. The only words that seemed to form in my head were 'what the hell?' over and over again.
"Um… yeah." Paul licked his lips nervously.
I sat silently for a moment. Then, I felt finally capable of forming semi-articulate words. "What'd you… When was….. why?"
Somehow, Paul understood the three barely formed questions I was trying to ask.
"It was at the after graduation party." Paul muttered, turning away slightly.
Well, duh. I mean, what HADN'T happened at that party?
"After we… you know," Paul continued.
"Made out?" I suggested sarcastically. I wasn't sure why he was being so squeamish about kissing.
"Suze." He looked slightly shocked. "We did more than kiss."
"We… WHAT!" I yelled. I couldn't believe it. I had SLEPT with Paul Slater and didn't even know it.
"I thought you knew!" he yelled back.
"I was DRUNK, you moron! All I know is what you told me!" I was steaming that he hadn't revealed this information to me.
"I did tell you, Simon! You were probably leaning over the toilet at that point with your stomach hanging out your mouth!" he seemed pretty pissed that I was yelling at him.
"Thanks for the image, Slater. And thanks for everything else too," I grumbled angrily and got out of the car. I slammed the door as hard as possible behind me.
When I reached the door and was about to turn the handle, I realized Jesse would be home.
Jesse.
After what I had just learned, I didn't think I would be able to face him. I would be too embarrassed, ashamed.
Angry at my idiocy, I whirled around and marched right back to Paul Slater and his stupid fancy car.
"We're going to your place. Then you're going to tell me exactly what happened and what all this curse crap is about." I commanded, sitting back down in the passenger seat.
Paul didn't say anything, but started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.
We drove to a nice looking motel. It wasn't a German castle or anything, but it wasn't drug-filled hole in the ground either.
I followed him up the steps to his room. When he opened the door, I crossed the room and sat down in a chair. Paul sat across from me on the bed.
"Alright, Slater, tell this thing from beginning to end, and tell it right."
Paul began.
(A/N: The italics are a memory. There is some present dialogue in the middle; that is not italicized.)
Suze sat in a chair in the corner of the room. She was pretty annoyed. I mean, this party sucked and she had nobody to hang out with.
Suddenly, she spotted Paul out of the corner of her eye. He was already chatting up two other gorgeous looking girls, but Suze was desperate so she made her way over to him immediately.
Paul broke away from the two girls with a smile on his face.
"Suze! Didn't think this was your kind of thing."
"It's not." She replied in a bored tone. Paul picked up on her lonliness right away.
"So where's… Jesse?" he questioned.
"Studying. He has a huge final tomorrow, but wanted me to come to this party and 'socialize.'"
"Well, Simon, you looked pretty damn social over in that corner all by yourself," Paul said grinning. "Go grab your purse and I'll take you somewhere fun. Here, I'll hold your drink. What is this anyways?"
"Diet Coke." she muttered.
"No wonder you're not having fun!" Paul looked surprised. Suze rolled her eyes and went to grab her purse.
It was too bad she didn't look behind her. Otherwise she may have seen Paul run over to the refreshments table and mix her Coke with something a little stronger.
"Nice one, Slater. Pull a girl away from a party AND get her completely trashed." I growled at him.
"God, Suze, would you let me tell the story?" Paul sounded pretty irritated, probably at his own stupidity.
It was a rhetorical question. I needn't answer.
They pulled into the driveway of Paul's house.
Suze, completely drunk at that point, did not protest when Paul led her up the stairs to his bedroom.
(A/N: I'm skipping ahead to later that night to keep this rated T!)
Paul and Suze lay next to each other on the bed, just thinking. Well, maybe Paul was thinking. Suze was too trashed to process anything.
"Suze… will you still be dating Jesse after this?" Paul sounded worried.
"Of course not, Paulie. I love you."
"Paul! That so did not happen!" I blushed, thinking of the incident with the calligraphy pen on the wall.
"Well, Suze, that's what you said and I'm just repeating the story, so shut up and listen!"
I obliged to his wishes.
"Good," he said, smiling.
Then he thought a moment. Would she stay true to her word? Paul got up and started leafing through a book on the table next to him. When he found the page he wanted, he quickly skimmed it, then placed a hand on Suze's forehead.
Concentrating hard on exactly what he wanted to happen, he saw a green glow form around his hand.
"Paul!" Suze giggled in a rather ditzy manner. "Stop that! It tickles!"
"Shhh…" Paul muttered, not really paying much attention to Suze.
When the glowing green died down, he removed his hand and sat back, satisfied.
They slept for a few more hours until Suze suddenly sat up in bed, put a hand to her mouth, and ran out the hall towards the bathroom.
"Oh, shit." Paul muttered. He followed her down the hall.
In between heaves, Suze managed to sputter out, "What… where… how…?"
Paul tried to answer Suze's questions, but doubted she heard him. She didn't seem to be responding at all, just barfing into the toilet more.
They stumbled back to bed after Suze's two hour long regurgitation-fest. When Paul woke up in the morning, Suze was gone.
"Well," I started when I heard this ridiculous tale. "First of all, I have no memory of you telling me we slept together while I threw up in the bathroom."
"That's been established, Suze," Paul stated. "You were half-asleep."
"And also," I continued. "What was that green glowing crap? What the hell did you do to me?"
"I… well… I thought that maybe you would still go back to Jesse after what happened. So, I put a curse on you that if you ever married Jesse your mediator powers would slowly fade."
"Why marriage? Why not just dating?"
"The spell can't determine whether or not people are dating. It's too confusing. The spell is only effective on official wedding vows."
"So why didn't you stick around after that night?" I pondered.
"I was… well, embarrassed that I had cursed you. I was afraid you would find out…" Paul couldn't seem to continue.
"Couldn't you just remove the curse?"
"It's irreversible," he stated shortly. "When I heard you and Jesse were hitched, I wanted to come back and see if I could do anything about it."
"But you can't. Because the curse it irreversible." I was pretty pissed off now.
"Well… yeah. Pretty much."
"YEAH! PRETTY MUCH!" If I was pissed before, I was beyond outraged now. "YOU PUT A CURSE ON ME THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS 'PRETTY MUCH'? WELL, THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY TO YOU, PAUL SLATER!"
With that, I flicked him off and jumped up to leave.
It was too bad Paul Slater was so damn strong.
-$-
Eurgh, okay, I don't like that chapter very much. Anyways, review please! Especially in this stressful time of need. Thanks!