CHAPTER FOUR : DJ Meets A New Friend

The next morning, DJ and Kimmy smile as they walk in to school together. They went to their lockers to get their books needed for morning classes. Kimmy shut hers and said, "Well, I'm off to psychology now. Cya later."

DJ smiled and, just as she shut her locker, a handsome guy approached her. He introduced, "Hi DJ. I'm Brad. How are you?"

DJ nervously replied, "I'm good, Brad. I have Chemistry first. What about you?"

Brad smiled, "Me too. We're in the same class, except you never see me because I sit in the back. Nobody takes any interest to me anyways."

DJ patted his arm, "It's ok. You can sit with me today and we can be friends."

Brad silently slipped his hand in hers as they walked off to class. Just before they entered, one of the most popular boys yelled, "DJ IS THIS YOUR BOYFRIEND? HE'S NOTHIN BUT A TWO-FACE WEENER. AND HE DROOLS TOO."

Brad turned red in the face. DJ stepped in front of Brad, "SHUT UP! YOU SHOULD GET TO KNOW A PERSON BEFORE YOU JUDGE THEM. AND HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND. BUG OFF AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS."

At that, DJ grabbed Brad by the arm and stepped into their Chemistry class. Brad pulled DJ into a hug and kissed her, "Thanks for sticking up for me, Deej. I really appreciate it. But I guess I got used to people picking on me."

DJ returned his heartfelt kiss and responded, "No problem, Brad. I'll stick up for you and we can be friends."

DJ sat in her seat and Brad sat in Steve's seat. The teacher looked over and asked, "Where's Steve today?"

DJ remembered, "He's in the hospital because two big heavy set football guys beat him up. He has a broken elbow and leg and two black eyes."

The teacher was shocked, "Oh my gosh. Then, he's probably going to be out for a while. Will you be bringing him his homework?"

DJ nodded and the teacher smiled. Then, they began the lesson. After class, Brad asked, "Is Steve your boyfriend?"

When she nodded, he asked, "So, that means we can't hang out."

DJ contradicted, "Oh no. We can hang out anytime you'd like. Now that he's in the hospital, I have some free time."

He smiled, "Would you care to join me at Jake's Night Bar & Grill this evening? I could pick you up at 5:30. It's formal so I'll wear a tux and you wear a fancy dress."

DJ glowered, "Oh, that sounds great. I'll be ready by then."

Then the two went their separate ways until DJ met up with an old friend from elementary school, Josh. He said, "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

DJ said, "I already have plans. Sorry."

Josh asked, "Do you want to get together tomorrow night for dinner?"

DJ smiled, "Sure. That'll be fine. Cya later then."

Then, Kimmy came up to her and hugged her best friend, "Hey. Great news. I just got an A on my history test!"

DJ was happy for her. She said, "Super Kimmy is on a roll!"

Kimmy asked, "What have you been up to all morning?"

DJ replied, "well, I had Chemistry class and I made two dates with two other guys."

Kimmy frowned, "You shouldn't have done that...Steve is your boyfriend and he's not going to be pleased."

DJ said, "Relax, I'm just friends with Brad and Josh. Chill...and remember, I'll tell my family I'm with friends and not on dates. They will not find out...do you understand me?"

Kimmy understood, "Ok ok. But if you're not home at a decent hour then I'm going out to find you. After all, you are my best friend and I care about you."

DJ hugged her and then they finished the day with the same classes. Afterwards, they walked to their houses. When DJ got home, Stephanie yelled, "We're leaving for the beach today so we can stay the long weekend. Go pack your bags."

DJ knew she didn't want to go and leave her friends. So, she walked up to her father and said, "Dad, I don 't want to go to the beach. High school is really busy now and we're not allowed to miss any days of school. Can I stay over Kimmy's then, if I can't stay here alone?"

Her father answered, "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? It'll be fun but I understand. Now you're growing up and it's hard to miss school. Yes, you can stay over Kimmy's so go pack your stuff."

DJ smiled and ran upstairs. Her plan worked. She can still hang out with her friends and see her boyfriend, Steve. After she fit three sets of clothing and other small belongings into a duffel bag, she hurried downstairs and yelled, "Bye. See ya when ya come back."

Then, she left for Kimmy's. Fortunately, Kimmy was home and answered the door, "Hi Deej. What are you doing here?"

Deej explained, "My family's going to the beach for this long weekend. Would you mind if I stayed with you and your family? I have a lot of homework to do and I don't want to miss out on anything."

Kimmy smirked, "Sure you do. All you want to do is see Steve and go on dates with friends."

The girls huddled and walked inside. By eight that evening, the Tanner home was empty and the girls had finished all their homework. Brad had forgotten to pick DJ up but it worked out because DJ was able to do her necessary stuff. Meanwhile, Brad had car trouble down the road. Kimmy peered out the window, "I see a car down the road...it looks like the person is having some trouble. I think we should go and try helping them."

DJ was relunctant but agreed. When they approached, DJ noticed it was Brad and he was wearing a tuxedo. She laughed, "So, are you still ready to go?"

Brad grinned, "I wish, but this piece of junk always gives me a hassle."

While Kimmy was crawling underneath the engine to inspect any problems, DJ embraced Brad and they kissed. DJ then said, "We can always do something another night."

Brad asked, "Or what about now? Jake's Place is open til midnight. It's ok that you're not dressed fancy...I don't really care actually."

DJ smiled and took his hand, "Then let's do it."Looking at Kimmy, she said, "Let's leave the car here. Brad's dad will tend to the problem in the morning. Meanwhile, I'm hungry and we could all go for a little treat."

The three proceeded to find a window table at Jake's. The three shared an appetizer of chicken fingers. It was good. Afterwards, they stood outside and Brad was deep in thought. DJ put a comforting arm around him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Brad spoke, "I really had fun tonight. Do you think we can do it again sometime?"

DJ smiled and said yes. Kimmy had gone to the bathroom just now. Brad smiled, "I'm glad. I just know we are going to be the best of friends."

Brad brought the girls back to Kimmy's house, and he walked home. The next day, the girls met up with Brad and the three walked to school together. Brad kept aiming to hold DJ's hand but he knew she had a boyfriend already. It was hard for him to admit that they were just best friends. When they got to school, a teacher approached DJ and asked, "Has Steve been getting his homework?"

DJ forgot to bring it to him last night, so she lied, "Yes."

The teacher frowned, "Are you sure? Steve is on hold in the office...he wants to know why no one is bringing him his assignments."

DJ remembered, "Oh yeah. You see, he has a lot of headaches and doesn't remember a lot of things he says when he's in the hospital. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

The three went into the janitor's closet and DJ picked up the phone, "Hi Steve. How are you feeling?"

Steve yelled, "DJ, WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN BRINGING ME MY WORK? I CAN BLAME YOU IF I GET ANY BAD GRADES THIS TERM!"

DJ was taken aback, "Umm...I promise to bring it to you after school today. I had a lot of homework yesterday—."

Steve yelled, "THEN I'M GONNA HAVE DOUBLE THE WORK LOAD THAT YOU'RE HAVING! THANKS A LOT, DEEJ. MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T BE DATING!"

DJ defended herself, "Steve, let's not argue. I'll bring all your work to you this afternoon and I'll even help you get it done. Don't worry about it...you won't get any bad grades this term. By the way, I'm bringing a few of my friends along and we can all do homework with you so you won't be lonely. Ok?"

Steve was silent for a moment, "Fine, honey. Sorry I yelled. I just lost my patience and I'm sick of being in this hospital. They want me to go into surgery in two days. But you know I'd rather be with you and in school. Those guys that got me are gonna get it good!"

DJ said, "Now, go relax. I'll see you later. Bye."

Steve smiled into the phone, "I love you, dear. Can't wait to see you."

DJ smiled, "Same here. Bye."

After they hung up, the three went to their classes and managed to get through the day. Unfortunately, they were assigned more homework than they had the previous night. And then after school, they proceeded to the hospital to see Steve.