Hey guys. I mean to mention this every time, I always forget to. But I just read reviews before I'm posting this, so I remember! The lengths you guys go through to read this, amazes me. PSPs, cellphones, printing it out since you can't be on the computer. Wow. Just wow. I appreciate it, so much! And I'm sorry if this one isn't as good as the other, but that tends to happen. And yes, this is moving quickly. But think about it. How many of you have been in a relationship for more than a year? After the first year, it kind of become routine and certain things aren't as important or special. So, we're jumping time quicker, because life moves a bit quicker. Unless you want a bunch of pointless filler, of course. If you want that, don't read my story. : ) I hate writing filler that gets you no where. And I know you all want him to propose, so if unless you want to wait until chapter 15 for that… deal with the pace. Lol. Just kidding. Sort of. I don't know. Bree is going to find where her mother is, since the hospital has not yet called and said come pick up your mother. She's done recovering.
Long ass author's note over. Enjoy.
Chapter 5:
Dinner was in so many words, silent. At first any way. No one really knew what to say. Anastasia kept looking at her plate. Jason was glaring at his plate or Anastasia. Nate and Caitlyn kept sharing looks, as were Shane and I. Barbie, who's name I honestly don't care about, was oblivious to the obvious tension in the room. She thought we were just a really boring group of people. Miss tactless even said so.
"Wow, you guys seemed a lot more fun in all the media stuff." She said. I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh as Anastasia glared at the girl, then Jason.
"You caught us on a bad night." I said apologetically.
"Oh." Was all she said in response. "So, I've like, always wondered, where did Connect 3 like, come from?"
"Massachusetts and Pennsylvania." Jason answered shortly.
Anastasia rolled her eyes. "She meant how did you meet or the name, genius." She said with quite a bit of attitude. I shoot a helpless look at Caitlyn.
"Camp Rock is where we met." Nate explained.
Caitlyn mouthed 'trust me' to me before speaking. "Really, most of us met at Camp Rock." She paused. "Well, 'cept for Stas. We met her at a party when she powned Jason at Guitar Hero."
"You like, play video games?" Barbie asked Anastasia. I gave her credit for knowing what powned and Guitar Hero were.
Anastasia glared. "Yeah. Guitar Hero happens to be my specialty."
Before he could help himself, Jason cracked a smile. "'Cept she sucks on a real guitar."
I watched Anastasia visibly keep herself from saying something in response to that in a not so friendly way. She had that Stas-fire in her eyes. The one that said 'I would so make a dirty comment, but I won't'. "And you rock on a real guitar and still got your ass handed to you… 100 and… 3 times?"
He licked his bottom lip before reply. "Yeah…"
"Well, I actually meant the name… but whatev." Barbie shrugged, desperate for Jason's attention to be on her.
"The label." Shane bit out. "It didn't come from anywhere special except there are 3 of us."
"Oh, Cait and I had this conversation one day. Remember, Stas? The one were you said we were insane?" I said, smiling at Anastasia.
"Mitchie, dear, I said that about a lot of your conversations. Like… the shower conversations." She replied.
"Shower conversations?" Nate and Shane asked.
"Anyway, we were talking about where do bands get their names from? Like Breaking Benjamin… what did he ever do to them?" I asked.
"Ooh! Armor for Sleep!" Caitlyn threw out. "Who sleeps in armor?"
"We know Mitchie doesn't." Anastasia teased. I blushed at laughed her in shock.
"I'm surprised she sleeps in anything these days." Caitlyn replied.
Jason and Nate groaned. "Ew, mental image of best friend not needed, Cait." Jason cried.
"Okay, why are you freaking out?" Shane asked. "We've seen all of them in bikinis, which is the same. Aside from the fact that we've also seen them all in just their underwear when we were on tour." He pointed out.
"We weren't looking at them, Shane." Nate replied. "I was looking at Caity, and Jase was staring at Stas." I watched Barbie's eyes squint a bit as she took in Anastasia in a more of a green lighting.
Shane smirked, also seeing her reaction. "True. Jason never saw much other than Stas on those days. You never see anything other than Cait."
Jason glared at the guys in a 'cool it' manner, where as Anastasia was smirking from across the table. We weren't choosing sides. We were just… being ourselves.
"Yeah, well, that's the past, right, Stas?" He asked slightly angry.
She made a face. "Yeah, Jase." She said to her plate. She looked up, with her head still down, her eyes piercing his. "Where you put it." Turning to the rest of us, she continued, "Guys, leave it there."
Nate laughed. "Hey, you brought up Mitchie's underwear."
"I'm sure Dracula would like to bring it down." She teased Shane and I. Shane smiled and laughed while I blushed. I could tell he missed her. She was the only one to ever tease him like that. It kept him in his place a bit better than just me.
"What do you say we head back to the house?" Jason said pushing his empty plate away from him.
We all nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Shane said standing up.
While walking to the car, Anastasia pulled me behind everyone else. "What are you up to, Michaela?" She whispered.
"Well, Anastasia, I'm doing what I should have done sooner."
She looked at me oddly. "Which is?"
"Putting an end to the stupidity."
Bitterly, she replied, "It's Jason, there is no end to the stupidity."
I laughed. "Stas, that wasn't nice."
"Nobody said I was trying to be." She replied, smiling only slightly. She was hurting more than I had realized. I didn't realize how much the break up had hurt her as well, seeing how they probably never really 'broke up'. Maybe Elisha was wrong. Maybe it was more of the Jason reason for her depression. But it didn't matter the reason. The only way it was going to get fixed was by someone else stepping in, and that was exactly what we were doing.
The car ride home was awkward and silent. Shane and I weren't really up for talking to Barbie in the back seat, so we just turned the radio on. She could tell we weren't overly fond of her, and Jason was uncharacteristically mad.
"So, can we like, drink now?" Barbie asked when we got in the house.
"No." We all answered, even Jason.
"Shane's parents don't condone underage drinking, and ask us not drink in their house." Jason explained.
"Well then," She basically purred, playing with Jason's tie, pressing her body against his tightly. "Why don't we go back to the hotel room and have our own party?"
"We're staying here, Carrie." Jason said. "Not at a hotel."
"What?" She looked disgusted. "With…" She tried to whisper, "Them?"
"If you've got a problem with it, leave." Anastasia spoke up. "I don't think they really want you here."
"Who asked you, has-been?" Barbie sneered. She looked back at Jason with puppy dog eyes. "You want me here, don't you baby?"
Jason avoided her question. "Stas is right. If you have a problem with my friends, you should probably just leave." Jason answered, pulling her off of him.
"Well, not them… just her." She gestured toward Anastasia, who scoffed and looked ready to punch her at any second.
"Stas is still my friend even if we are fighting." Jason said calmly. Barbie huffed and stormed out of the house. A taxi pulled up a little while later, but we didn't really care.
This year, Anastasia danced with us, and the three guys sat and watched. When we sat down to watch the ball drop, though, Jason and Anastasia ended up next to each other on the floor in front of us.
"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... Happy New Year!" We all yelled. I hugged Caitlyn and turned to kiss Shane. When I went to hug Anastasia and Jason, I gasped. They were locked in a rather passionate kiss. My gasp broke reality and they pulled apart. A single tear slid down her cheek as she stood up and fled to the kitchen. Jason punched the floor watching her get up. Frustrated, he stood up and followed her. "What the hell?" He yelled at her.
"What?" She yelled back, and we could hear the tears in her voice. We all crept closer to the kitchen to listen.
"First, you get mad at me for having a girlfriend, when you broke up with me. Then you get mad at me for being mad at you. Then that shit in the restaurant, and then that-" He gestured to the living, Caitlyn reported, who was watching around the corner as best she could.
"First, I asked you to give me time and you went out and got a new girlfriend… one who almost cost Mitchie a lot." She yelled back. "And hell yeah, I'm going to be mad at you, because obviously we didn't matter all that much if you were able to move on so damn fast. And-"
He cut her off. "What do you mean I was able to move on, Stas? I can't replace you. I'm trying, believe me. But I can't. So don't tell me I can't be mad. You threw away everything over a stupid argument-"
"It was not a stupid argument, Jason. That's your problem. You can't realize how stressed I was, I am at school. I need you to be there when I have time, and understand when I don't. I was able to do that for you while you were on tour. Why couldn't you do the same for me?"
"Because you never have time, Stas! I called you at three in the morning if it meant I could at least hear your voice. You never called me. Ever!"
"Because it was too hard!" She yelled back. Her voice cracked as she kept speaking. "I hated not being able to talk to you whenever I wanted, and to kiss you, and touch you, and smile at your stupidity when you ask me what is the Lemon Chicken flavored with. I went out to dinner with my friends one night and broke down in tears eating Lemon Chicken. I couldn't handle the distance. And by the time I realized cutting you off only made it harder you moved on. You gave up! You may not be able to get over me, but you threw us away over a stupid argument. Not me."
It was quiet for a while, before she walked out of the kitchen. She passed us at first, and back tracked realizing we were listening. "Bed?" She asked numbly. I took her up to Nicky's room, as the twins were out again this year. Shane came in a few minutes later. She had just cried herself to sleep.
"Who knew she was that broken?" Shane whispered, looking down at her sadly. I shrugged. "I didn't realize how much I missed her. This whole time, we've been blame her, not believing Jason was capable of hurting her."
"Where's Jason?" I asked softly, standing up from the bed. Shane silently pointed to Kevin's bedroom. I closed the door to Nicky's room on my way out, and closed the door to Kevin's on my way in. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. He looked up at me glaring with glassy eyes.
"What? How was I supposed to know?" He sniffled angrily. "She never told me."
I shook my head. "Not that part, Jason!" I groaned, sitting next to him on the bed. "Why didn't you say anything back to her?"
"Because she was right, what was I supposed to say?" Jason sighed.
"I don't know. Apologize and beg for a second chance?" I suggested.
"I don't think she's willing." He said sadly. "You may have heard everything, but you didn't see her face."
"When did you grow up, Jase? 6 months ago you were this big kid without a clue. Now, you're so…"
"Broken?" He answered.
"Yeah."
"I fell in love. And I had my heart broken. You should know what that's like, Mitchie." He said softly.
"I do. But I also know that if you love her enough, you can prove it to her, and get her back, Jase. When you fight hard enough, you can accomplish anything. So, tomorrow, make sure you tell her you still love her, okay? And tell her you're going to prove you deserve a second shot at this. And go with whatever she says, okay?" I advised.
He nodded. "Thanks, Mitchie. I would have never found out the truth without you."
"You've always been there for me, Jason. It's the least I can do." I kissed his cheek and left him alone.
I closed Shane's door and leaned against it for a moment. Shane was already sitting in the bed waiting for me. I pulled my shirt over my head as I headed to the bed. Stopping at the bottom, I stepped out of my shoes and pushed my skirt down. His questioning eyes never left my body, until I started crawling up the bed.
"Mitchie…" He breathed. I sat on his lap, straddling his legs.
"Shhh. You have self-control." I reminded him. I kissed him deeply. "I love you." I mumbled against his lips. Pretty soon, we were caught up in a heavy make out session under the sheets. Nothing happened, I promise.
I woke up the next morning, not able to feel my one leg. It was pinned under Shane's body. When he flipped us, he stayed between my legs the night before. That was how we apparently fell asleep. "Baby…" I groaned, kissing his chest.
"Wha?" He groaned.
"My leg." I said softly. He lifted his hips enough that I could wiggle the appendage out.
"What was that last night?" He asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know. I want to remind you how much I love you?"
"I know how much you love me." He assured me.
I sighed, admitting "I know. I just, I guess I feel bad about the whole Jason-Stas drama."
"Why? They didn't communicate properly."
I sighed again, this time in frustration. "Because we're always helping Nate with Caitlyn, but we never helped Jason with Stas." I saidd heatedly.
"Jason never needed help with Stas before they broke up." He reasoned.
More upset than angry again, I replied, "I feel like, if I had been there for Jason from day one, he wouldn't have gotten with the first one. And they wouldn't be where they are now."
He sighed, rubbing my arm. "I know you don't want to think of it this way, but maybe they needed this. Maybe Jason needed the reality check and to really grow up. He gained a lot of brain cells with her, but he gained more now that they aren't together. I hate seeing him jaded, but we couldn't protect him forever, Mitch."
I smiled at him. "You just made him sound more like our son than our friend." I teased softly.
He shrugged. "Just means, someday, I'll be a good father."
I smiled, but changed the subject. "I don't wanna go home, tomorrow." I sighed. "Or, later." I said, peaking at the clock which read 5:23 am.
"Why? When we're home, I get to sleep with you damn near naked."
"Only when I sleep over at the apartment." I reminded him.
"Mmm." He pouted. "You should totally move in with me for this summer before you leave for college."
I laughed. "Cause that won't be a giant temptation." I giggled slightly.
"Baby, you're already a giant temptation. I think I could handle it." He said easily.
"You're serious?" I asked slightly surprised. "You want me to move in with you for the summer?"
He smiled that evil, mysterious smile of his. "I want you to move in with me now. Of course I'm serious. You don't have to, I won't take offense. I'm just throwing it out there." He shrugged.
I smiled at him. "Maybe."
"Better than you freaking out." He teased, kissing me. "I'd get to see Jake more often." He commented lightly. "Next year, you should bring him with you, up here."
"Or, you could. I thought you would take him while I was at school…" I said, slightly unsure.
"Of course. I just thought if you were home with your parents, you'd want Jacob with you." I smiled at him. He opted to change the subject, though, "So, I'm curious. Last night Stas mentioned shower conversations?"
I laughed. "Cait and I would talk while we were in the shower at the truck stops and stuff."
"Ah. Makes sense. I thought maybe she meant you were showering together or something." He said looking down at me.
I bit my lip and watched his eyes darken. "Nope. Only person I've ever showered with is me." I replied.
He smirked, leaning closer to my lips. "That'll change." He promised. We ended up spending a lot more time in bed awake then intended. A lot would be changing soon enough. I didn't know if we could handle it. Broken promises and future problems were looming in the horizon like an awaiting storm, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy everything in its path.
And by the way, if you're going to leave me mean reviews or comlaining ones, I'm just going to ignore you. If you say something like 'you update slow' make sure you throw in a lol or jk if you aren't serious. Because if you are, read a damn authors note once in a while.