Chapter 7 – Party Time
At the party the following night, Zack stepped out onto the porch with a big red plastic cup full of beer, to see if any new guests were arriving. Down the block, two cars parked at the same time, and four girls came out of each vehicle.
AJ and Kaitlyn had the Bella twins with them, while Kelly, Aksana, Summer Rae and Alicia exited the other car. Zack's wonder and awe increased as they all met up on the sidewalk and formed a stiletto parade headed straight for the party. AJ was dwarfed, since she was the only one wearing her trademark sneakers. She hung near the back, letting the rest lead the way. She didn't feel a need to be part of the spectacle, but she was going to enjoy the reactions.
"Ladiiiiies!" Zack greeted them in a much more appreciative tone than Vickie's.
"We brought reinforcements." Kaitlyn joked.
Zack watched, grinning from ear to ear, as the girls walked through the front gate. They all adjusted their dresses and hair unselfconsciously.
"Hey. Hi. What's up?" Zack said, nodding at each one individually as they passed by. "I'm Zack. You need anything, you come to me."
"Thanks," Nikki flashed him a practiced smile. "We will."
"We'll come right to you." Brie added, patting him on the chest. If she was patronizing him, he didn't care.
"I brought donuts!" he told them belatedly as they walked up the path to what looked like a large, multi-family house.
"Sweetie, we don't eat doughnuts." Summer said over her shoulder.
"You want carrots and celery?" he asked, willing to do whatever they asked. But they were already inside the house.
Kaitlyn and AJ brought up the rear, giving Zack a little more time and attention.
"You like donuts, right Kay?" he asked.
"I love doughnuts." Kaitlyn reassured him. She hooked her arm around his, letting him escort her into the house.
"Hey, AJ." Zack greeted her separately. "The guys are inside, they're gonna be stoked to see you."
"One in particular, I'm sure." Kaitlyn said.
Zack looked around to make sure Dean wasn't around and then leaned over conspiratorially. "He told me to steer clear, if you know what I'm sayin'..."
"I'm catching your drift, Zack." Kaitlyn replied in a hushed voice. "I'm catching it loud and clear."
"Oh boy..." AJ muttered beside them, glancing away and pretending for a moment not to know them.
"Come on, girly." Kaitlyn said, not letting her get away. She hooked her free arm around AJ's and they walked in as a trio. "Let's go find your man."
There was metal blaring from speakers in the living room, and enough people gathered in small groups that it was difficult to spot friends, new or old. As expected, the arrival of the Kitten Club girls commanded a lot of attention. A couple of guys swooped in to introduce themselves and got a patronizing "That's nice..." in return. The girls weren't being paid to please anyone tonight; they were going to meet AJ's friends, and if anyone else impressed them, then they might give them some of their precious attention.
Kaitlyn caught up to the girls and suggested they look deeper into the house for the people they wanted to see. AJ heard Seth call her name, and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder a second later. AJ turned. It felt funny seeing him again, since they'd basically been strangers a few days before. He leaned forward and hugged her hello, in that casual way friends do.
"We're over here." he said, gesturing with his head to follow him. "I see you brought some friends?" he added. When he hugged Kaitlyn, he saw the entourage over her shoulder and his eyes lit up even more.
"This is Seth." Kaitlyn yelled over the music as they parted.
"Hi, Seth." Nikki said in her usual flirtatious way, as she reached up to touch the blonde side of his head. "I love your hairrr..."
Kaitlyn gave AJ a look, and AJ smirked at her as if to say: I thought this was what you wanted?
What should have been a small dining room was made up as a secondary living room, with another scuffed up coffee table and another group of old, worn couches and chairs.
"Such a frat house." Summer commented, flipping her hair and secretly loving it.
That extra living room was where Dean was camped out, waiting for his friends to come back. He grinned and got up when he saw them.
"Look who decided to show up." said Seth, leading the parade.
Dean hugged AJ and Kaitlyn hello, and let the surrounding rooms know how excited he was to see them.
"These are my GIRLS." he shouted shamelessly. For a second AJ thought he might be drunk but then she remembered it was just his natural state of being. "Oh hey, nice to meet you." he said, suddenly civilized, as he was introduced to the other girls.
In a more normal voice, privately, he asked AJ: "How're you doin?"
"I'm okay." she replied, still feeling reserved and out of her element at such a large gathering. She wasn't just another stranger, but she was short and didn't wear what the other girls were wearing. Even Kaitlyn was wearing a dress. It made AJ feel self-conscious at times, but she'd be vindicated when she sat down on a couch and didn't have to worry about anyone seeing up her skirt.
"Just okay?" Dean asked, mock concerned. His furrowed brow, so exaggerated, drew a smile from her in spite of herself. His worried expression transformed slowly to a smile as AJ relaxed.
"Stick with us," said Dean, turning so AJ could get around the coffee table and get a seat next to him. "We'll keep you entertained." he reassured her.
The girls squeezed in next to each other on the couches and spare chairs. There were so many long, bare legs pressed together it was hard not to get caught gazing at them.
"You want anything to drink?" Dean asked AJ.
"No," she said. "I'm good."
"Whose house is this?" Summer asked Seth.
"Roman!" Seth shouted. "Whose house is this?"
Roman wandered in from the next room. "I dunno, it's rented by a couple guys, right?"
Seth turned back to Summer.
"I have no clue." he said. "But the beer's free, so I'm not complaining."
"I won't either." Summer said with a smile, reclining in her seat like the model-dancer she was.
Roman noticed AJ and Kaitlyn and flashed them a genuine, surprised smile.
"Hey." he said. "Long time no see."
"Howdy, stranger." Kaitlyn smiled up at him.
"You want drinks?" he asked, looking around at the rest of the new guests. They waved and smiled, pleased by a promise fulfilled: an oasis of nice, hot guys. Roman loved the attention, wooing the girls effortlessly with his smile alone. A few of them followed Roman to the kitchen to quench their thirst and calm their social anxieties.
"Are Darren and Justin here?" AJ asked Dean. She sat on the end of his couch, tucked against the arm and barely taking up any room on the cushion.
"They're here somewhere." Dean answered. "Prolly making out."
AJ chuckled, the sound completely drowned out by the music.
Dean slouched in his seat until his head was lower than AJ's eye level, and he peered up at her with ridiculously innocent eyes. AJ knew better. But it was really cute up close.
"Did you work today?" he asked. He was close enough that he could lower his already deep voice and still be heard.
"No," AJ said, her voice softer for his nearby ears. "Just last night."
"Did you work out, at least?"
She smiled. "Yeah."
"Good. Wouldn't want those ninja muscles getting weak."
Dean bumped his leg against hers, and they smiled at one another. He folded one arm behind his head, so he could lie there comfortably and continue gazing up at her. It was like he'd already forgotten about the rest of the party.
"How did you do with the town car?" AJ asked him.
"It was pretty cool. I drove this really intense guy to a fight club."
AJ furrowed her eyebrows, figuring he was just messing with her.
"Like the movie?"
"Nah, more like UFC, but illegal. Underground."
"How do you know it was illegal?"
Dean's eyes lit up. "'Cause I watched one of the fights. It was brutal. All caged in, no protective gear. Just blood and knuckles. And everyone had their money out, waving it around like they were gonna punch someone with it."
"Sounds scary..."
Dean shrugged, as if it hadn't occurred to him to think of it that way. As if nothing scared him anymore.
"It was pretty wild." he admitted.
"So who was the guy you were driving around?" AJ asked. "A fighter?"
"I think he was a promoter. Or an agent, or a scout or something."
"Would you ever want to do that?"
"What, the fighting part?"
AJ nodded, still watching his eyes. He glanced away, and thought about it himself.
"I want to." Dean grimaced sheepishly and looked up at her. "Is that bad?"
"Yeah, that's pretty bad." AJ teased him, even though she thought it sounded perfect for him.
"Pretty bad ass, I think you meant to say."
"No, just bad." AJ corrected lightly.
"Bad meaning good, though."
"Bad meaning bad."
"Like, 'ohh that guy is bad, he's so cool'?"
AJ laughed at Dean's impression of someone describing him. He was not going to give up, and she was not going to let him off the hook.
"No," she said slowly. "Like, 'oh that guy is really bad at fighting, someone should go in and scrape his body off the mat."
"Wowww," Dean turned away, pretending his pride was injured. When he turned toward her, his expression was cocky, defensively proud. "Is this little power trip because I let you hip toss me yesterday?"
"You didn't 'let' me."
"I totally let you."
"We had witnesses." AJ reminded him.
"Yeah, witnesses that will corroborate my story, that I allowed you to throw me to the floor of my own basement." Dean reminded her, enunciating through a slight beer buzz.
"I can do it again," AJ offered. "If you need me to demonstrate."
"Okay." Dean readily agreed. "Let's find a room and you can practice tossing me around."
"A room? You don't want witnesses this time?"
"Not for what I'm thinking, no."
Dean's cocky smile relayed exactly what he was thinking. AJ smirked and looked away, hoping she didn't blush. She'd walked right into that one.
"I'm just messing with you." Dean said, pushing his knee against hers.
"Now you're just being 'bad' as in naughty." AJ replied, smirking softly when she glanced back at him.
"I won't argue with that." he said with a triumphant grin. Nothing scared Dean, but the way she looked at him put honest-to-god butterflies in his stomach.
AJ glanced down at her own leg, pretending to pick some lint from her jeans. She was trying hard not to stare at his arms. The way the sleeves of his t-shirt stretched around his biceps was...distracting.
"You sure you don't want a drink?" Dean asked, holding up his half empty second bottle.
"I'm sure." AJ said, an easy answer. "I don't really drink," she reminded him. "And I'm driving besides."
Dean nodded. After a few seconds he leaned forward and put the half empty bottle on the coffee table in front of them. He was suddenly not so interested in the rest of his beer. There were more important things sitting right in front of him.
Roman was back with everyone else that had gone to get drinks. They all found seats on the couches again, but for some of them is was not for very long.
"Oh my god, I love this song!" Summer shouted as a new one came crashing out of the sound system. A girly-girl must have taken over as house DJ, since the song sounded exactly the way Summer looked. She leaned toward Seth. "Do you want to see me dance?" she asked, as if she was working. She really enjoyed her job.
Seth smirked. "I wanna see all of you dance."
Roman smiled and shook his head. Seth laughed when he glanced at his friend.
"Come on ladies," Nikki called out. "Let's show 'em how we do it!"
Kelly, Alicia and Aksana followed Nikki and Summer to the other room, where there was more space to move and a crowd already dancing. Seth wandered over to the doorway so he could sip his beer and watch.
Brie remained by Kaitlyn's side, barely noticing the departure of the other girls. She still wasn't in the mood to party. Roman noticed.
"You okay?" the big guy asked the gloomy twin.
"Yeah." said Brie, trying to fake a non-chalant smile. Kaitlyn smiled along sadly, wishing there was something she could to for Brie.
"Why aren't you out there dancing with your sister?" Roman asked.
She shrugged. "I dance for a living. When I go out I just want to relax, you know?"
"That's fair."
"Why aren't you dancing?" Kaitlyn challenged Roman.
"Why aren't you?" he challenged back.
"Because I only know the Robot." Kaitlyn answered defiantly.
Kaitlyn's response got a chuckle out of Brie. At some point Kaitlyn wanted to ask her what was wrong, but as long as her stupid jokes were working, she didn't want to call Brie out in the middle of a party.
Plus, the way Roman was smirking at her was really distracting.
"Well, I don't even know how to do the Robot." he said. "So you've got one up on me."
The girls on the dance floor were really getting into the music. Summer Rae and Alicia had an impromptu dance-off, which ended in sassy snaps and laughter from both of them. Kelly didn't like that Seth was just watching, and she tried to beckon him closer. He laughed and shook his head, so she went to him and showed him what he was missing. She backed him up against the wall, and he happily sipped his beer while Kelly danced up against his body.
The group on the couches stuck together, talking about nothing and everything and having a nice time in general. Roman insisted on seeing Kaitlyn's Robot, and Kaitlyn insisted that she could only do it with AJ's help. Being the good friend she was, AJ got up and dutifully mimed the oiling of Kaitlyn's gears to get her started. Brie actually started to laugh then, so Kaitlyn kept going. In a collaborative effort to cheer her up, Roman and Dean traded stories about the worst fights they'd ever gotten into as kids, like it was a competition to see who had been the most embarrassed. Since Seth was busy in the other room, they told his stories for him, and they eventually decided that Seth was the one who'd been humiliated the worst.
Aksana was on the dance floor with Zack. She didn't speak English very well, and he was having a hell of a time getting her to understand his jokes. After a certain point, Aksana put a finger to his lips to shush him. She placed his hands on her hips and then put her arms around his neck so he would just dance with her. Zack smiled and kept talking through it all.
Summer, meanwhile, had been chosen by Johnny Curtis as his new conquest, and they were dancing even closer than Aksana and Zack, a few seconds away from making out in front of everyone. Maxine was not going to be pleased.
"You have some interesting friends." Dean deadpanned, turning away from the spectacle to look up at AJ. She was watching too, chuckling with Dean at Zack's current predicament. "Just think," AJ said sarcastically. "You could be getting a standing lap dance right now."
She gestured with her chin toward Seth and Kelly. Kelly was bent over in front of him, her ass pressed against his crotch. She raised her upper body slowly, looking over her shoulder seductively as she rose.
"Eh. I do that for Seth all the time," said Dean. "He's a spoiled boy."
AJ laughed at the mental image. "You're a good friend."
Dean leaned a little closer, so he wouldn't have to shout over a new song. "You seem pretty different from them."
AJ could feel his breath in her ear, and his voice made that side of her body tingle. Before she could think of an answer, Nikki and Alicia came dancing over to see why the rest had not joined them in the living room.
"Come onnn," Nikkie whined. "Don't be party poopers!"
The song had changed, a popular one judging by the overjoyed reaction of the dancing crowd. AJ didn't care for it. Neither did Dean.
He leaned all the way over so he could speak directly into her ear.
"It's kinda loud in here." said Dean. "You wanna go outside for a minute?"
AJ glanced at Kaitlyn, who smiled back and raised her eyebrows suggestively. Kaitlyn was having fun and, unlike the last party, she knew the group a little better this time. She'd be okay if AJ stepped out for a few minutes.
AJ turned to Dean. He'd leaned back, but she could have sworn he was even closer than before.
"Yeah." she answered him. He smiled, and waited a second before he got up, so he could look into her eyes for just a second longer.
"I'll be right back." AJ told Kaitlyn. The others that heard her smiled knowingly, and they waved goodbye to Dean too.
"How long should we wait before calling the police?" Nikki teased them.
"Why? You afraid I'm going to hurt him?" AJ deadpanned.
"Oh, please do." Dean begged AJ as they stepped over other people's feet to escape.
Nikki raised a hand like a kitten with its claws out. "Reowr, go ahead then." she said, before sharing a smile with Alicia.