AN: Introducing in this chapter, Brooke McQueen!
The Masquerade – Part 2
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::knock: knock::
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:::knock: knock:::
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Sam went to knock on the door again when Carmen finally asked what she and Lily both were wondering, "Sam, why don't you just use your keys?"
"Umm...I lost them when I moved," Sam said slightly blushing while going to knock again. Only since she wasn't looking at the door she didn't see Brooke opening it.
"Ouch! Jesus Sam I didn't realize you were still this upset with me." Brooke complained only slightly joking after Sam literally knocked on her nose instead of the door.
"Oh crap, Brooke I am SO sorry!" Sam managed to get out while laughing.
Brooke gave Sam a small smile then glared at Lily and Carmen. "Thanks guys for your concern."
"Sorry, but you should have seen your face Brooke! It was priceless." Lily said while leaning on Carmen to keep from falling. While Carmen could only nod her concurrence due to how hard she was laughing.
"Yeah, whatever." Brooke said turning and walking back into the house being followed in by Sam, Lily, and Carmen
"Look, we're both sorry Brooke. We're going out to a late lunch after Sam puts her stuff in her room, why don't you come?" Carmen asked as a peace offering since she was the one who laughed the hardest and the longest.
Brooke turned around with a smile on her face and the word 'yes' poised on her tongue ready to be spoken. However, when she saw the quickly covered look of panic on Sam's face she said, "No thanks Carm, but thanks for the invite." She then headed up the stairs to her room and slammed the door.
"Ok, you know my clothes are fine till I get back. Let's go eat!" Sam said feeling slightly guilty knowing Brooke had accurately read the discomfort on her face when Carmen invited her.
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"So MC how have you been these past two years? Anything new other than the massive growth your lips seem to have undergone? And since we're already on the subject… Why have your lips increased so dramatically?" After having sat with Mary Cherry for the past two minutes, Nic just had to know why her Texan friend's lips were now three times their already unnatural size from High School. "Well?" Nic said while lifting her eyebrow trying to prompt Mary Cherry to start talking and stop drooling over the lobsters in the tank.
"Well Nicky," Mary Cherry started but was stopped by Nicole's raised eyebrow due to the name Nicky. "I mean Nic, I am glad you asked! After we graduated, me and B. Ho started talking and we decided we should stop fighting each other for thousands and go for the millions. So we..."
"Let me guess, you two went after your mother?" Nic said, amused at the thought of Merry Cherry and B. Ho working together.
"Mmhmm, we did! We got this private investigator guy to dig up all kinds of stuff and when we took it to her she cracked like my lobster and crab shell is going to when it gets here," Mary Cherry paused with an unholy glint in her eye while thinking about the lobster and her mother. Snapping out of her daze she finished her story with: "So now me and B. Ho each own a third of the company!"
"That's nice but..." Nic started to ask again about the size of Merry Cherry's lips only to be interrupted by the waitress.
"Hey, my name is Chelsea and I will be your waitress. Is there anything I can get you or are you ready to order?"
"Why yes Nicky and I are ready! I'll have the biggest lobster you have and …" Mary Cherry began to order, completely missing the look Nic gave her because of her continued use of the name 'Nicky' in reference to her.
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"Welcome to the Red Lobster, how many will be in your party today?"
"Just three and anywhere you can sit us we'll take," Sam added noticing just how crowded it was at the moment.
"Ok and what is your name? We have a table ready but we need to have it cleaned"
"Sam."
"Alright, we'll be right with you. Welcome to Red..."
"Can you believe Harrison bailed on us? I mean it's not like we get to see you every day and he just 'Can't make it'! I cannot believe you two aren't mad about this." Lily said still fuming from Harrison's call a few minutes earlier.
"Lily, he did not bail on me. He called to let me know he wasn't going to make it."
"Yeah Lil, it's not his fault he couldn't make it." Carmen added
"Plus, I'm going to be here for the summer at least. That leaves him with a LOT of time to make it up to me."
"I know but..." Lily tried to respond but was interrupted.
"Sam, Party of 3? Your table is ready."
"Lil just let it go," Sam said.
As they followed the waitress in-between all the many tables they couldn't help but hear an insane screech.
"OMG..." Lily said noticing Mary Cherry.
"No way..." Carmen said, also seeing the Texan.
"Wow is that Nicole?" Sam mutters, but when she sees Lily and Carmen suddenly turn to her with surprised looks for the use of Nic's actual name she said, "Satan. I mean is that Satan and her evil minion Mary Cherry? Oh look, is that our table," she then asked the waitress trying to divert attention from herself.
The waitress guiding the three women picked up the not so subtle attempt at a change of topic and tried to help, though her amusement was apparent while she replied… "Why yes it is and I'll be back shortly to take your orders. I can get your drinks now if you're ready, though."
"Tropical Iced Tea," they all said at the same time.
"Ok, I'll be back when you're ready."
The table grew silent after the waitress had left. Way too silent for Sam's taste. "SO! Lil, Carm, how have you two been since we last talked?"
"Why did you call Nicole well...Nicole? You always call her Satan. I mean...You GAVE her that name!" Carmen asked.
"What? It's her name! It's so not even a big deal guys," Sam said, shifting in her seat uncomfortably.
"It so is a big deal! I mean her name was Nicole in High School but whenever you saw her it was like you were drawn to her and...." Suddenly all the pieces fell into place for Lily and she started laughing. "OMG SAM!"
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"Did you hear that?"
"Hear, what exactly MC? I mean we're in a crowded restaurant. There are a lot of things I could have heard to which you would be referring." Nic said rolling her eyes, though thankful for the temporary break in the never-ending saga of the past two years of Mary Cherry's life. Honestly, if she'd known it was going to be a damn epic as to how Mary Cherry's lips grew as big as they did she would have been just as happy not knowing.
"I thought I heard lil Lily," Mary Cherry responded while looking around to find the person behind the voice. After all, having Lily watch her eating her lobster would make it taste so much better.
At the mention at the probable presence of Sam's best friend, Nicole sat up and started looking around as well. After all if there was Lily, then Sam would have to be there as well. And no sooner had the thought cleared her mind, did she see her. "Sam."
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"SAM! IT'S HER!" Lily continued to scream.
"Umm Lily, do you mind not screaming my name? We are in a restaurant," Sam said wishing for the umpteenth time that Lily didn't know her so well.
"What? What's her? Lily what are you talking about? And why does Sam suddenly look like she'd rather be anywhere but here?" Carmen asked looking between her two friends.
"Because I would..." Sam groaned sinking in her seat.
"Oh shush Sam. You're just mad I figured it out. Carm, do you remember how we always thought Sam was in love with Brooke in High School, but then realized she wasn't after she turned her down at Grad Night?" Lily asked excitedly.
"Yeah..."
"Well, we were wrong! It was NICOLE!" Lily practically gushed.
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"What was that Nic? Did you say Spammy McFearsome is here?"
Nicole cringed at the name she herself had given Sam. All of a sudden she was feeling less then stellar and quite closed in. She needed to get away, but since she couldn't exactly do that, she decided a bathroom break was in order. "Yeah MC, Sam, your Lil Lily and Carmen are all eating a few tables behind us. However, I need to go to the restroom. I'll be right back"
"OH! Well do you want me to go with," Mary Cherry started to offer while pushing her chair back.
"No! I mean...You should be here in case the waitress comes back with our food."
"Oh, I understand. I need to be here when the waitress comes with our food so she doesn't take it back and make us wait forever before she brings it back to us like that one UPS guy did when..."
"Yeah sure Mary Cherry. Just like that...I'll be back." Nic said cutting Mary Cherry off before she could really get into what could only be described as another pointless epic.
"Ok well, hurry back you don't want the food to get cold."
"Yeah ok, whatever." Nicole said over her shoulder as she walked away. Reminding her self repeatedly that not only was there no reason to run, but that she wouldn't run even if there were. Nicole Julian did not run… She walked swiftly.
In a dignified manner.
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"Oh my god! Really Sam? All this time and you've been in love with...Satan!? Hahaha." Carmen screeched at an octave just below the one dogs cry on. "That's just..."
"Strange? Odd? Weird?" Lily helpfully added, all the while noticing Sam's lack of reaction to their teasing.
"Yeah! I mean, Nic was such a bitch! And how weird was it when she didn't go even to Graduation Night at Disneyland? All the seniors went. Freddy GONG went!" Carmen explained now starting to laugh.
"OH I know! I forgot he went! Sam do you still have that picture of him and Harrison in that pink frilly princess shirts?"
"…Well? Do you still have the pictures of them, Sam?" Carmen asked again for Lily after a minute had passed without any response from Sam.
However, a bomb could have gone off and unless it was placed directly under Sam's seat, she wouldn't have noticed. She was busy. She was staring at Nicole. "Gorgeous," Sam said under her breath, not noticing the questioning looks coming from Lily and Carmen.
Trying to see exactly what Sam was talking about, Carmen and Lily turned around and followed Sam's eyes. What they saw was Nic's retreating form heading to what they guessed was the restroom. Realizing who had Sam's attention, they shared a knowing, yet slightly mischievous look.
"So what you're saying Sam is you thought Harrison was sexy in his prink frilly princess shirt?" Lily said with a smirk.
And that abrupt mental picture combined with Nicole finally walking out of Sam's view, proved to be what was needed to snap her back into reality. "What? Guys, eww! Harrison? Sexy? No, just no." Sam rushed out all at once, sending Carmen and Lily into another fit of giggles. "Look, whatever guys. I'm going to the bathroom. If the waitress comes back to take our orders tell her I want the lobster alfredo."
"Oooh, the bathroom, eh?" Carmen teased.
"What's in the bathroom, Sam?" Lily added as they both started laughing.
Sam just looked at both of them for a moment before she said, "The toilet," and then proceeded to walk away, leaving Carmen and Lily to continue laughing.
Half a minute of laughing later Carmen let out a shocked gasp, "Oh my god!"
"What!?" Lily asked choking on the water she had just started to sip before Carmen's gasp.
"Is it just me or does it look like Mary Cherry's lips are like...a thousand times bigger then they were in High School?" Carmen said while watching Mary Cherry 'guard' the table.
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tbc