Chapter dedicated to BeeBee de Silva, because she made me smile and get back on track. Thanks BeeBee

THEN CAME YOU

Chapter Five: Livin' la Vida Loca

Suze

"My sources tell me that Slater is going to try to take Hailey to the big party at Heather's in two weeks." Dopey said during out Saturday meeting. We had gathered in his room and were currently watching him work out.

"Are you invited to his party?" Jake – Sleepy – wanted to know.

"Of course I am." Dopey said indignant. "Suze is the crazy sociopath, not me."

"I'm not a sociopath, and for your information, I'm invited to the party too." I answered, resisting the urge to congratulate Brad for using la word as long as 'sociopath', as I brushed my hair – having brought along my own brush, no way was I touching Brad's – trying to get it all smooth and shimmery.

"Back to topic." Doc, I mean David admonished. "I say that if we hear that Hailey is going with Paul we tell mom and dad, but if she goes with someone else then that's fine. But Suze and Brad would have to keep an eye on her during said party."

"Whatever." Brad answered while doing another set of weights.

"That'll be fine." I answered.

And just then the clock hit one o'clock and just as it did so the doorbell rung. And like twenty seconds later, mom yelled up the stairs.

"Suzie, someone's here to see you."

To my great surprise I saw David look at his watch and go "Right on time," In a sort of approving way.

I threw him a puzzled glance but he just smiled me all bright and sunny. Doc was a cute kid, with his eras – not as sticky out as before since he was growing up – and red hair… but it was so infuriating when I know he knew something I did not.

"Well, that's my cue." I said standing up and brushing my hip-huggers to smooth them into place. I checked myself in Brad's mirror and began to walk outside when Jake stopped me with a slight scowl.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he demanded in his I'm-the-big-brother-here voice.

"A friend and I are going to the carnival." I said refusing the mention that it was a "friend" of the male variety…. I've seen Jake with Hailey and he gets WAY crazy when he hears this kind of information. "I'll be back later for us to finish this discussion."

"Who's this friend of yours?" Jake would just not give it up.

"His name is Jesse de Silva." I said rolling my eyes.

"That gang-banger?" Dopey asked outraged.

"A gang-banger? Really Suze, I've told you before I wasn't going to let you run around with some gang-banger from the valley and you…"

"Oh Gosh, he's not a gang-banger… it's like you two – Brad and Jake – have some sort of gang-banger fetish." The boy looked fairly aggravated. "And I don't appreciate your Neanderthal attitude about this."

"And I don't appreciate you using words I don't know," Brad said, just to say something. "I mean fetish? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well…." Doc began but both Jake and Brad sent him glares that quiet him up. So he just turned to me and said. "Have fun, Suze."

"I will thanks." I said to Doc, ruffling his hair.

I made my way downstairs, bouncing down the stairs. I know I don't really come across as a girl with a 'bounce' in her step but going to the carnival makes me hyper happy. Jesse was standing by the doorway, exchanging pleasantries with Mom and Andy. He was in soft-looking, nicely faded jeans and a plain white t-shirt that went wonderfully with his olive skin. He looked HOT.

But then again, Jesse always looks hot no matter what he's wearing… with those soulful brown eyes and that thick dark hair that more than once I've fantasized about touching… and…

Oops, my mouth is going dry here…

"I'm ready, let's go." I said cheerfully and then to mom and Andy "I'll be back around eight, okay?"

"Suze…" Mom said warningly… as if I am the one who thinks a curfew is merely a suggestion the way Hailey does.

"I'll have her back at eight o'clock, Mrs. Ackerman." Jesse answered for me, all polite and gentlemanly.

I scowled a little.

"Fine," I muttered and turned around to open the door, only that Jesse was right in front of it and wouldn't move, as he said goodbye to my parents.

"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. and Mr. Ackerman." Jesse was saying, again, all politeness.

"Yeah, nice," I said interrupting my mom before she got around saying 'nice to meet you too'. "See you later, guys."

I made my way around Jesse and opened the door, half waving to Mom and Andy as I made my way out.

Jesse followed me and I turned as I heard the door close, I could walk down the driveway with my eyes closed, and so it didn't mind much that I was walking backwards as I talked to Jesse. "Did you have to do that?"

"Do what Susannah?" Jesse asked, pulling his car keys out of his pocket and going to the passenger door of his car – a Red Toyota Camry.

"Don't play dumb duck; you know what I'm talking about!"

He calmly unlocked the door and held it open for me. "I certainly do not know what you mean." And then closed the door just as I was getting ready to answer, he want all around the car and got in behind the wheel.

"I meant," I said angrily. "That whole being-nice-to-Suze's-parents thing."

"I was just being polite," He said, backing up the driveway without nearly hitting the mail box, which is something I still have trouble doing. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

I rolled my eyes and sulked a little in my seat. "You just lost all your bad boy appeal, you know."

Jesse chuckled. "I can live with that."

I rolled my eyes once again.

There was just something about Jesse that could make me so mad one second and completely un-mad the next one. It was infuriating, but at the same time it kept pulling me closer.

Closer than what I would have liked… closer than what it was safe.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Hailey

I couldn't believe it when I heard mom and dad saying that Suze had gone out!

My reject, sociopath sister out! And with a GUY! A real one, granted a Valley one, but Jesse de Silva was hot.

Anyway, I decided to take this chance and call Paul so we could, you know, hang out. I shouldn't have called.

"Paul," I said all happy into the phone. "Guess what?"

"Oh, Hailey, what is it?"

"Suze is out, with some guy or something… I'm free to go…so I was thinking that if you came for me and we could, you know, hang out at the beach or whatever."

"Hailey, I already have plans… In fact I'm with the rest of the Tennis team at the Club. I'm sorry, babe, it'll have to be some other day."

"Yeah, whatever." I said. "Later." and I hang up.

Bummer!

The one time my socially-challenged sister goes out and my boyfriend has other plans… other plans with the queen skank Kelly Prescott herself. Everyone knows Kelly puts out.

If only Suze would have told me in time! It was all her fault!

So I was there, letting out al my bad energy, lambasting my sister when the doorbell rung. Since I was right there by the door I went and opened it.

"Hailey!" Alan McTavish said all happy to see me… and with good reason, I'm gorgeous. "Hi! I came to invite you over to the movies."

"Um… I'm sorry Alan; you know I can't go out until Suze's does."

"Suze is out." Alan said with conviction. "And I called your parents before coming here, they say it was okay."

"Alan, I…"

"You said you go out with me. If I got a date for Suze. And I did."

I narrowed my eyes at him "You arranged my sister's date?"

He nodded. "That was your condition." He smiled happily. "So…"

I was about to refuse, saying I had homework or something but right then Jake and dad and mom decided to walk by.

"Oh, hello Alan, how are you?" Mom said. Mom loves Alan and all, especially because he's friends with David, the other reject of the family.

"Good, thanks, ma'am. I came to see if Hailey wanted to go to the movies with me."

"Oh, yes David told us." Dad said. David… the little traitor.

Since mom and dad were both enchanted with Alan my only salvation was Jake, who doesn't like any boys near his two sisters, so I was totally sending him all my mind waves. But he decided to betray me too and went. "That sounds lovely." LOVELY! He said LOVELY! "Do you kids need a ride?"

"No, thanks Jake, I brought my car."

Mom, Dad and Jake nodded at once. And they all made their way to the kitchen while saying things like "Be home by eight." "Drive safe" and "Have fun." And I hadn't even said yes!

My family is SO annoying.

"Shall we?" Asked Alan all hopeful and, funny thing, I couldn't stand there and break his heart. So I went out with him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Suze

I was having a great time with Jesse. He was funny and all gentlemanly and let me go to whatever ride I wanted and eat all the junk food I wanted and everything. It was like a date… except that it wasn't. Perhaps that part of why I thought it was so much fun.

"So, you're basically running away." Jesse said once I finished telling him my plans for after graduation in a few months.

"I'm not running away, I just don't want to be here." I answered.

"For any particular reason?"

"My home was back in New York," I said, using the speech I had prepared in my mind a thousand times… telling myself I would tell mom how miserable I was in Carmel… if I ever got the courage to break her heart, of course. "Mom had no right to move us here."

"Your Mother had her right to happiness, Susannah." Jesse said, and something in his voice made me realize that he did understand. "I get from where you're coming from, don't get me wrong, I do see your point of view. But people aren't meant to be alone. I've seen it with my mom. She loves my sisters and I, and would do anything for us, but some times she gets this very far away look in her eyes and I know she's thinking about my father… well, not exactly about him, but about what she had with him… like how nice was having someone to share the weight of racing us, and make her laugh and feel safe – we all want to feel safe, Susannah, no matter how independent we think we are – and just be there."

"I guess." I knew he was right, of course, but I wasn't going to stroke his ego by saying it. "Oh, look, love tunnel." I said pointing to the silly game. "Swans are just my thing." I said, referring to the swan-shaped carts.

"Do you want to go?" Jesse asked rising an eyebrow, the one that had that little scar crossing it… a bog bite wound from childhood he had told me.

I shrugged. "It's so lame it has to be done."

"Whatever it pleases you." Jesse said and stirred me towards the short line of couples waiting to enter the tunnel of loovee.

That ride was what I call the ride from hell. Seriously. It was completely dark. And the second the cart-train thingy began to move, all the couples around us started to make out… like full on, open mouthed explorations… second base and all. And Jesse and I sat there, listening to the stupid music that kept repeating itself in the most annoying way.

By the time we got out of it, Jesse was giving me this really resentful look.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." I said grabbing his arm and hanging to it in a playful way. "You get to pick the next ride; you can torture me all you want."

Jesse looked around for a moment. "I'm afraid we have done all that there is to be done here." He declared.

I looked around, and he was right. "Oops, sorry."

Both our gazes fell on one of the couples we had seen making out at the Tunnel of Love…. And the weirdest thing of all happened. Jesse got this really wicked/sexy smile and went. "There is one thing."

"What-?" I never got to finish my question of 'What is it?" because just as I opened my mouth to ask, Jesse pulled me real close to him and I could feel the heat radiating from his body all along mine. He was so solid and so masculine and so very sexy.

And then his lips came down over mine. Soft, moist, strong lips lingering over my mouth, making my lips tingle and everything inside f me go all squishy.

As the kiss got more intense, Jesse didn't try to shove his tongue into my mouth or anything, it was more like a moist, playful tongue-teasing that I was enjoying oh so very much.

Nothing ever, not the brightest joy or sharpest pain, compared to being kissed by Jesse de Silva. It made me want to cry and laugh at the same time and sigh in contentment.

It's all what it took.

One Kiss.

.-.-.-.-

End of Chapter five

.-.-.-.-

Notes:

Since it took me forever to update, I decided to add some kissing!

Hope you enjoy.

And please, go guilt trip me and review.

Love,

Cute but Psycho Clavie.