Chapter Nine

"What are you doing here?" I asked Becca, in a curious manner, not in a demanding tone of voice. She didn't answer, and just pushed past me into the kitchen. Jeff gave me a small, almost sympathetic, smile and followed her.and I have only talked

"Hey, guys." Adam said, looking bewildered. "What's up?"

"I heard you were having a party, and I wanted to see where you hid the skanks." Becca replied, hands on hips and glaring at me. "Nice to know that you already invite them before me."

"Becca, first of all, they aren't here." I told her.

"Um, pizza?" The delivery guy called over me from the front door. None of us even knew he showed up. I shoved forty bucks into Adam's hand and continued talking.

"Haley and I only talked that one day, we haven't hung out since. And secondly, I would have invited you here if you would actually talk to me!"

"Yeah, right." Becca snapped. "Are they coming over later? Are you guys going to do Jell-O shots and giggle and gossip the whole night away, and just be totally awesome, new besties for life?"

"Becca, come on." Corrie cut in. "I'm sure you guys are more than welcome to stay," she said, glancing at me, "but not if you're just going to cause drama. Charlotte has been totally torn up about fighting with you all week."

"Oh, poor wittle Char." Becca said in a mocking baby voice. "I don't fucking care how torn up she's been. Maybe she shouldn't have lied to me about hanging out with the one person I truely hate."

"Why do you hate Haley so much?" Carolyn asked her. "I thought it was Vanessa who was the cause of everything?"

Becca made eye contact with me, the first time in a week, and I kind of shrugged at her. I was the only other person who knew what Haley had done to Becca, I don't think Haley even knew that I knew. I wasn't about to say anything, I would leave that one up to Becca.

"You don't know what happened." Becca told Carolyn evenly. "It doesn't matter, anyway. It's no one's business."

"Does Charlotte know?" Corrie asked. "Cause if she didn't know, how can you be mad at her?"

Becca looked at me. "She knows." She said, not taking her eyes off me as she answered Corrie.

"Look, Becca, I said I was sorry like fifty thousand times!" I exclaimed, exasperated. "What more do you want me to do? I made a mistake, I'm sorry. I missed Haley, but I miss you so much more!"

Becca rolled her eyes at me but didn't say anything.

"How about if we go into the living room, and you guys maybe talk a bit?" Corrie suggested.

Becca didn't answer, so Corrie and Carolyn followed the boys lead and went into the living room. They took off pretty much right away. We all know how much guys hate drama.

"Why are you still so mad at me?" I asked Becca. "I mean, I know you're usually stubborn, but this is a little ridiculous."

"I hate her." Becca whispered. "And you know that! And you know what she did to me was horrible!"

"I know!" I answered. "And I don't know why I went with her. I guess I just wanted things to go back to normal."

"You know they can't, and won't."

I was quiet for a minute. "I know." I finally admitted. As much as I wanted them to be normal again, Becca was right. After Vanessa being terrible to me, and Haley being terrible to Becca, things would never be the same.

"Becca, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why are you hanging out with-." I lowered my voice, "-Jeff?"

Becca shot a glance towards the living room, making sure no one was listening. "'Cause he can't stand Haley, so she can't steal him away from me."

"That's the only reason?"

Becca shrugged. "He's cute, too." She told me.

"Yeah, but he's a bit of a jerk."

"He's not as bad as he once was." Becca said,chewing on her lower lip.

I sighed. "If you say so." I replied, not really believing her. After we both paused for a minute, I spoke up again. "So... are we friends again?"

Becca glanced up at me. "You swear that you aren't friends with Haley?"

"I swear." I answered.

Becca nodded and let a small smile creep across her face. "Good." She replied. "I missed you. I felt so left out this week."

"I missed you, too." I told her, giving her a hug. It seemed like such a silly little fight, but I understood how Becca felt. The one person in the world who she hates was having coffee with her best friend, and her best friend lied to her about it. I would feel terrible if she had coffee with Vanessa and lied to me about it.

"I'm sorry, Beck." I told her after we seperated.

"Me, too." She said. "So, can Jeff and I stay?"

"Nah, you guys have to leave." I said teasingly.

"Seriously, do you care if Jeff is here?" Becca asked. "I mean, we aren't dating or anything, we've just been hanging out... et cetra."

"What does 'et cetra' mean, exactly?" I asked her warily. "Are you guys hooking up?"

"Would you think less of me if we were?"

"Becca!" I hissed. "Why?"

She shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I don't know." She admitted. "I like that he finds me attractive enough to hook up with."

"Jeez." I said, not impressed. When Becca slept with Jake, it was different. Jake and her had known each other forever and were dating since middle school. Jeff is... well, Jeff. He's a slut, and I know he's slept with quite a few girls, considering he is only seventeen.

"Don't be mad at me about it." Becca pleaded.

"I'm not mad at all, dork!" I said with a laugh. "I just don't think it's the best idea."

"Yeah, but..." Becca trailed off. "I don't know. It's not like I'm going to get pregnant!"

"Better not!" I replied. "I'm too young to be an auntie!"

"Oh, BS, you're Auntie Char to Stacey's kids." Becca laughed.

"Stacey should be the perfect example as to what not to do." I reminded her. "She wasn't much older than us when she first got pregnant. And now she's got two and she's only twenty."

"Yeah, but her and Ethan are so good together." Becca sighed. "He's such a fox."

"Ethan is no Jeff." I reminded her. "Ethan is like... God's mould for the perfect man."

"Aww, me, really?" I turned around and laughed at Adam.

"Yeah, you." I teased as he stood behind me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"I was going to wait to come in, but I heard the guy talk starting, so I figured everything was okay." Adam said with a grin. "You girls better get in there and eat some pizza before it's all gone."

"Can't let that happen!" Becca announced, jumping up and racing into the living room. I stood up as well.

"Everything okay?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, we're over it now." I told him. "It was such a stupid fight, but I can understand how Becca feels."

"Why does she hate Haley so much?" Adam asked. "I mean, besides the fact that she's irritating as hell."

I pursed my lips and shrugged. "Well..." I began hesitantly.

Adam held up his hands. "If it's a big deal, I don't want to know." He said. "Last thing I want is another fight between you and Becca, caused by yours truly."

"Oh, it wasn't your fault." I assured him. "I shouldn't have lied to her in the first place."

"Well, so long as everything is good, then that's good." Adam answered, taking my hand and leading me into the living room. I quickly pulled him into the bathroom right before the living room and planted a big kiss on him.

"You are definitely getting bolder my dear." He teased, kissing me back.

"I'll stop if you don't like bold." I teased back.

Adam shook his head. "No... no." He said with a grin. "I love boldness!"

I grinned back as we walked into the living room. Everyone else was sitting around on the chairs and couches, just chatting and having a good time. Adam sat down in the only chair left, and I settled down on his lap.

"I still think we need to play some games." Corrie announced. "Nothing major... maybe Bitch or something."

"Do you want to?" Adam asked me quietly.

I nodded. "Sure, why not?"

"Why don't we save the drinking games for later?" Becca suggested. "How about Truth or Dare first?"

"Fuck, is this some middle school sleepover?" Shea groaned. Carolyn swatted him.

"It can be a fun game." She insisted, glancing at Adam and I. "What do you guys say?"

I shrugged. I have never been a big fan of Truth or Dare, mostly because Vanessa and Haley used to humiliate us with it. But I was with a good group of people now, and it would probably be okay.

"Can we pass on stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's use the three pass rule." Corrie agreed. "I love Truth or Dare!"

"I'll go first." Becca insisted. After clearing her throat, she said, "Shea, truth or dare?"

"I'm too comfortable to move, so truth." Shea answered, as he reclined on my dad's Laz-E-Boy.

"Okay." Becca agreed. "What girl do you like?"

"You, baby." Shea teased, winking at her. Becca laughed and scooted away from Jeff, closer to Shea.

"Hey!" Jeff protested. "You don't want some red-headed dork when you can have this, do you?"

"Maybe I'll just have both." Becca joked. "Anyway, Shea, answer me!"

Shea was starting to turn red, and I felt bad for him.

"Um..." Shea began, glancing around. His eyes landed on Corrie, then he quickly looked away.

"I think you just answered it right there, buddy." Jeff told him with a laugh.

Corrie's eyes widened. "How did he answer it?" She asked nervously. "He didn't say anything!"

"I'm taking a pass on that one." Shea quickly answered. "Carolyn, truth or dare?"

We kept playing a few more rounds. Nothing too major was asked. We found out that Jeff was only thirteen when he lost his virginity, Carolyn kissed a girl once, Corrie had to crank call the school principal, I had to admit that I had seen porn before, Adam had to go over to Shea's house with just a towel on and a glass of iced tea, and ask his mom to stick her finger in it to sweeten it up (That was the highlight of the game!), Becca admitted that she stole before (nothing major, just some candy), and Shea confessed that he cries at the end of The Little Mermaid.

By the time we finished, it was about eight. All of us had gotten up at least once during the game to get a new drink, so we were all feeling giddy and happy. Jeff and Becca were getting a lot more cuddly, which was ticking me off but I tried not to show it. Shea seemed a little bummed out after our game. I think the first question definitely embarrassed him.

"Shit, we are so dumb!" Corrie said, jumping up. "We didn't even put the cookies in the oven! Char, come help me, I don't know how to use your new-fangled oven."

I stood up and followed Corrie into the kitchen. She walked right past the stove and helped herself to a shot, before mixing up another drink.

"What's with you?" I asked her, taking the vodka from her and making myself another drink as well.

Corrie gulped down a mouthful of booze. "Shea." She said breathlessly. "What is up with him?"

"I kind of think he likes you." I told her. "He looked right at you when Becca asked him that question."

"But it's Shea!" Corrie exclaimed. "Shea... I mean, I've known him forever!"

"Is it a bad thing?" I asked her, aimlessly stirring my drink. "He's a nice guy, but he's a friend."

"Sometimes friends can be more." I reminded her.

"Ooohhhh." Corrie groaned. "He is very cute, isn't he?"

I nodded. "You betcha." I replied, shoving the cookies in the oven. "I, personally, think you should go for it."

As if on cue, Shea wandered into the kitchen. I subtley winked at Corrie and walked past Shea. "Let me know when the cookies are done!" I called over my shoulder. I walked back into the living room, and saw Jeff and Becca snuggling on one of the chairs, and Adam and Carolyn were trying to ignore them.

"What the hell is going on?" Carolyn demanded. "Why is everyone getting coupled up except for me?"

"Go fight Corrie for Shea." Adam suggested, pulling me onto his lap. I snuggled into him. I loved snuggling with him!

"God, this is ridiculous!" Carolyn huffed. "All we need is more booze and less clothes and this would be an episode of 'The 5th Wheel'."

Becca stood up. "Well, why don't you keep these boys company for a minute?" She asked. "Char, can we chat upstairs?"

"Sure." I agreed, standing up and following her though the kitchen- "We aren't looking!" Becca called, covering her eyes- and up the stairs. We walked into my room and Becca sat in my desk chair, while I curled up on my bed.

"Okay." Becca began. "I was downstairs, and I can't remember exactly what Jeff said, but it got me thinking."

"About what?" I asked with a yawn.

"Haley."

"What about her?"

"You should invite her over!

I sat up straight. "Are you on glue?" I asked her. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because if we act all nice to her, maybe we can get her to tell us secrets!" Becca exclaimed. "And then we can stomp her to the ground like her and Vanessa did to us!"

"Becca, come on." I groaned. "It's not really worth it, is it?"

"Think about how miserable Vanessa has made you." Becca persisted. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to make her feel like shit?"

"Adam would hate me if I did that." I replied. "I don't want to, Becca. I just want things to blow over."

Becca leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I just hate her so much, Char." She whispered, her voice wavering. "After what she did... I just want her to fall off the face of the earth."

"I know." I answered quietly. "But spreading rumours about her is not going to make anything better.

Becca covered her face with her hands. "I know, but fuck! I hate her, I hate what she did to me, I hate what she said about me, and I hate how everyone actually believed her!"

"I didn't." I told her. "No one downstairs did. Don't you think life is too short to sit around, wasting the energy hating someone, rather than using that energy to have a good time with your friends? Your real friends?"

Becca started to cry, and I wasn't sure if it was the booze or the frusturation spilling out, but either way, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her.

"You know... I know I said that me and him were better as friends." Becca sniffled. "But honestly, he could have been more. I think, no, I know, I really could have loved that boy."

"I'm sorry, Beck." I said softly, not really sure what else to say.

Becca grabbed a tissue off my desk and blew her nose. "I can't even look at him anymore." She told me. "Not since they... ugh, I can't even say it!"

She tossed that tissue in the garbage and pulled out another one. "It just makes me sick!" She said, wiping her eyes. "She knew he was mine, and we all know that Haley didn't give two shits about him! But she can't stand to see anyone else happy, can she? Fucking egocentric, narcissistic, slutty, cunt-faced whore!"

Becca's tears spilled over again. "I honestly don't even like Jeff!" She whispered. "I mean, yeah, he's friggin hot as hell, and he's, you know, he's got it going on down... there."

"T-M-I!" I interrupted

"Sorry." Becca said, gulping. "But... he's not Jake. Jake is a nerd, and he turns beat red if you cross your eyes at him, and he's, you know, a little on the bootylicious side... But he was so nice to me. My mom friggin loved him."

"But Becca." I began. "If he was so nice to you, why would he have cheated on you with Haley?"

"I wouldn't have called it cheated." Becca said defensively.

"Then what would you have called it?"

Becca paused for a moment. Then she said. "Persuasion."

"Oh, come off it Becca!" I scoffed. "He cheated on you, plain and simple!"

"But Haley also told him that I was fooling around with fucking Nicky Pike." She shot back. "And you know that Haley has a way of saying stuff to sound very believable. And Vanessa was no help, totally lying right along with Haley."

"I know, Becca." I answered. "But if he is such a pushover, do you really want him?"

"He's not a pushover." Becca insisted. "He's just kind of dumb... sweet but dumb."

I sighed. "I really don't know what to tell you." I told her. "If you still have feelings for him, that should tell you what to do."

Becca sighed too, and stood up. "Whoa, I'm tipsy." She said with a giggle. She placed her hand on the edge of the desk for a moment to regain her balance. "Okay." She said. "I'm going to go wash my face. I'll be downstairs in a bit."

"Okay." I answered, hugging her. "I'll be waiting for you."

"Thanks, darling." Becca said, stumbling out of my bedroom. I, too, stumblishly made my way down the stairs. The kitchen was empty, and a tray of burnt cookies were sitting on the stove. I quickly made another drink before going back into the living room. The tower of beer cans was getting bigger, and the laughter was getting louder.

"There's my sexy girlfriend!" Adam said, slightly slurring when he saw me. I grinned and settled onto his lap again. Looking around, I only saw Jeff sitting there.

"Where the hell is everyone else?" I demanded.

Jeff laughed loudly. "Apparently, Carolyn did a few shots too many, so Shea and Corrie drove her home."

"And they aren't coming back either!" Adam joked with a grin.

I swatted him on the arm. "Now, now." I said. "They are just doing a good deed."

"Doing the deed, and it will be good." Jeff laughed. "Speaking of that, where the hell is that hot ass raven?"

"Upstairs." I replied. "Not feeling well."

Jeff snorted. "Two down!" He cheered, holding up his beer.

That pissed me off. Jeff is supposed to be caring about Becca right now, not laughing at her because she isn't feeling well. And so what if she is feeling fine? Jeff doesn't know that. I thought about Jake, and wondered what he would be doing right now. I knew what he would be doing. He would have been up those stairs the second he saw me come down without Becca. He wouldn't be a jerk like Jeff. Okay, so maybe he did sort of cheat. But Becca was right, Haley and Vanessa can be very persuasive when they want to be. I could just picture Haley buttering up Jake, making him feel so important and special. The more I thought about it, the more I was angry at Haley. She is such a follower. I might be shy and reserved around people I don't know, but I like to believe I'm not a follower. And I would never do something that would hurt someone else, just because a friend told me to.

"Char!" Becca called in a strained voice. "Can you come here please? Now!"

I jumped up and rushed into the kitchen. Becca was sitting on the stairs, head in her hands.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"I need you to make Jeff leave." She mumbled.

"Why?"

Becca looked up at me. "I sort of... maybe... kinda... shit."

"You shit?" I asked. "Um... congratulations?"

"No!" Becca moaned. "I friggin texted Jake."

"You did?" Becca nodded. "And?

Becca grimaced. "He's coming over."