Mini Summary- Shopping with conversations, challenges, and a surprise.
Chapter 16- Invitations
Xxxxx
Ontario Mills Mall
Ontario, CA
The clock's numbers changed to three o'clock am. Tommy and Rocky groaned as they exited Tommy's truck. One upside, they had stopped at a 24-hour Starbucks and got their morning brew. Kim and Aisha held onto their boyfriend's respective drinks. Tommy ordered a Venti White Chocolate Mocha, while Rocky requested a Venti Caramel Macchiato, upside down. Both Kim and Aisha had Venti Café Mochas. In particular, Aisha was craving chocolate.
The couples strolled up to the already long waiting line outside of Neighborhood Number Three's entrance. The line wrapped around the movie theater, and the four young people were tolerant of the wait.
Each did the methodical, blow into the tiny hole of the white cap, and sip, in hopes of not burning their tongue. They kept an eye out for Jason and Trini, since they were invited as well.
Immediately, Aisha and Kim had hit it off. They were already talking about the sales they wanted to attack with fury. They had mapped out their route, and Tommy and Rocky were along for the ride. There was definitely enough time for the women to hit each store.
Ontario Mills, with more than 200 stores, was easily the largest in the Southern California area. Not to mention, the elaborate mall was an outlet one. There was going to be an abundance of shopping deals amidst 'Black Friday'. That was a definite perk for the women, for the men; they were thankful there was an array of places to eat, Rocky, of course, happier than Tommy.
Tommy's cell chirped. He gazed at the caller ID. Jason's name popped up. "Bro, where you at?"
Jason cleared his throat. "Uh, Neighborhood 10." He tried to read the signs, while driving and straining his eyes to read the small print on the signs.
In the background, Trini could be heard laughing. Tommy smiled. "We're by Neighborhood Three, find the AMC Movie Theater sign and you should be good to go." He directed.
"Got it, Bro." Jason promptly hung up the phone.
"Is Jason almost here, yet?" Rocky whined like an impatient toddler.
Aisha glared at her boyfriend. "Ape man, will you calm down." She usually got agitated with his crying.
Rocky matched her glare. "Still on your fucking rag? I think you need some dick to change that attitude of yours." He informed.
"You did not just tell me that." She said. "Are you stupid?" She placed her opened hand in front of his face.
He used his hand to descend it. "'Sha, come on, you know I hate fighting with you." He practically pleaded her for her to stop.
Kim and Tommy were highly amused by the bickering couple. Like Kira, Aisha seemed to rule the relationship. They liked her spitfire attitude, and Kim related to her very well. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The stripper continued sipping her café mocha. Tommy kissed her temple, continuing to show his public displays of affection.
"Then don't say stupid shit." Aisha has aforementioned countless times. "Babe, I love you, but sometimes you need to stick a fucking sock in it." She crossed her arms over her chest, turning away from him.
To calm the situation down, Rocky engulfed his girlfriend into a bear hug. He began to tickle her sides, and her squeals acted as praise. He knew he got her to calm down. He smirked, and he hotly kissed her. "Tonight, I'm taking you down." He whispered seductively in her ear.
The hotness of his breath, not because of the coffee he had been drinking, but the rashness turned her on. "I'm ready."
Trini and Jason hastened their stride as they approached their comrades. "Dude, it's fucking freezing." Jason rubbed his arms, in a futile attempt to warm himself up.
"See, Rex, I told you, you needed a jacket." His girlfriend rolled her eyes. "But, no, you had to have the…" Trini deepened her voice to sound like her man. "'Tri, I'm a guy, and I have the body to endure any temperature.'" She rolled her eyes.
The couples laughed at Jason.
Jason glared at all of them. He dissuaded the spotlight from him. "Tri, you already know Aisha." Trini gave a hug to Aisha, her 'fellow yellow'. They had a passion for yellow. "This is Tommy's girlfriend, Kim."
Once Kim and Trini's hands were engulfed into a handshake they became stress-free. Aisha, present with them, increased the relaxed environment. Within a minute, they acted like they were sisters having reunion. All the women got loud and began talking.
Jason, Tommy, and Rocky's jaw dropped.
"How did they get so close all of a sudden?" Jason muttered in shock.
Tommy shrugged. "How the hell do they know what each other is saying?" He continued to watch the interaction of 'woman and woman meet'. He found this to be a very good thesis in a future psychology class.
"As long as they're talking, and I'm with my boys; there's no drama, I'm fucking good." Rocky was upbeat about it. He smiled as the line started moving. "Come on, I hope you got your workout shoes because Aisha can shop."
"Trini's worse." Jason spoke up, while he moved in sync with the crowd.
Kim's worst. Trust me. Tommy snidely smiled and continued walking. He had been debriefed by his girlfriend on what to expect. Fortunately for him, he was ready.
Upon entrance, Kim, Trini, and Aisha attacked their first store, 'Forever 21'. Kim had scoped out their yellow tag sales on the internet. Specifically, there was a very tight, skimpy dress Kim came across that would bring her the big bucks the next time she had to 'dance'. Andros had updated her that she was exceedingly in demand, and the customers were commenting they'd pay twice the admission, and litter the stage with three times the money, once she came back.
With store one complete, Trini made a little stop at her favorite one- Sanrio. Unlike other women, her fetish wasn't for Hello Kitty, but rather for the angry penguin, Bad Batz Maru. She eagerly picked out a couple of things. Aisha, unlike Trini, hand fondness for Kerroppi. That little frog could brighten up her day. For Kim, she definitely loved Hello Kitty. Even though, she had a strong dislike for a certain one with a similar name. She perused the items, and she picked several.
Two stores down; the newly formed trio of friends headed for more clothes. After that, they went for accessories. Kim, feeling bad for Mrs. Oliver's defunct of money, had purchased a few items for her. Tommy obviously knew his Mom's likes, nodded in approval for the items.
As their ladies meandered around, the men strolled casually on their own. Each had a cell phone, just in case, the women wished to meet up for anything. The separation was a good for them.
"Damn, Tommy, I had no clue Kim could shop like that." Jason shuddered, thinking about the trips Tommy must've endured.
Tommy simply nodded. "I'm used to it." He browsed the selection of music inside the Virgin Megastore. There was an assortment of CDs he found, and Kim could utilize in and outside the club. He inwardly had a flashback of dirty thoughts. A tingle strung in his boxers.
"Kim must have a good bank account." Rocky noted. "She's spent quite a bit of money already."
"Yeah, Kim's boss gave her an advance." The hopeful paleontologist hid his vast knowledge of Kim's finances.
Jason picked up a CD. "By the way, what does Kim do?" He had been curious to know. After he read the contents, he clutched the item in his hand. He definitely needed that in his car.
"Uh, uh, uh, she's a dancer." He cursed in his head. Maybe that gave it away! "A dancer for a dance company."
"That's cool, I mean it's not like she's an exotic dancer." Rocky quipped. He laughed at the thought of Conner trying to take him to a strip club. Granted, part of him was curious to go.
Tommy nervously laughed, trying to remain cool, calm, and collected. "Kim has way more respect than that." He continued with his browsing. He sighed, after Kim spoke to him about her rape; he constantly had a want to protect her. Kim has the skills to protect herself, but that didn't discourage him. Sometimes he wondered how she got out there and shook her ass, while guys tossed money at her.
"Wonder what Conner's doing." Jason said. His roommates shrugged. "I bet you he's fucking Kira, right now."
"At least someone is getting some." Rocky angrily grumbled. "Man, why do girls need periods. I swear they are so fucking unnecessary."
Jason fake rubbed his eyes as if tears had descended. "Poor baby can't get it in?" His voice mimicked a sad baby.
"Fuck you." Rocky extended his middle finger for Jason.
"Nah, I got Trini to handle that." He winked.
"Mature guys, real mature." Tommy rolled his eyes. He had to chuckle with his roommates though. They were a comical bunch, like the modern day Three Stooges. All they needed was Conner.
Rocky got a phone call from Aisha. "Alright, we'll be there." There was a pause. "What do you mean Kim has 20 bags?" He was appalled by the amount. "Fine." He mumbled. He ended the phone call and looked at Tommy. "Man, your girl is shop-a-holic."
He laughed. "Whatever, I'm sure she needs me to put the bags in the car." The men made their purchases, and they headed to meet with their girlfriends.
Meanwhile, inside of 'Frederick's of Hollywood', the women were looking at the 'Buy 2 Get 1 Free' bras and underwear.
"When are the guys coming here?" Trini asked busily as she kept her eyes on the selection of bras. They came in all different colors, sizes, and designs. There were yellow ones, and she found they were the hardest to find.
"Soon." Aisha exasperatedly said. She looked at her new girlfriends. "I swear Rocky gets on my nerves."
Kim eyed Aisha. "Are you sure that's you saying that, or is it your period talking?"
A faraway look emerged on Aisha's face. "I guess a little bit of both. I think it's because I've gone so long without it that I'm lashing out." She figured, and she began to fidget. "I don't get what the big deal is about you having that many bags. He seemed annoyed as all of hell." She kept scooting the hangers on the racks to the side in a maddened pace.
Kim giggled heartedly. "I think Rocky's itching to get back in you too. Trust me I've seen the wonders sex can do for a couple." She indicated Mrs. Oliver's relaxed demeanor after she got it in.
"So, how has it been staying with Tommy's parents? Speaking from experience, it was nerve wracking meeting Rocky's. Mami Maria loves me, as does Papi Ricardo, but that took a bit." Aisha reminisced about her experience with Rocky's parents.
"Trust me, Mrs. Oliver and I started off on the wrong foot. Tommy's dad was more open-minded than the two. We even went to Disneyland. Last night, Mrs. Oliver and I had a big talk, and we reached an understanding. She's not so bad once you get to know her."
"That's good to know. My parents dislike Jason." Trini sadly remarked. Aisha and Kim's attention was brought to her. "Yeah, it places me in a tough spot. I love Jason with all my heart, but I have traditional Vietnamese parents. They rationalized I should be with someone of Asian descent at least."
Kim picked up the three bras she wished to try on. "So, who are you staying with?"
"We travel between my house and Jason's. My parents don't hide how much they don't like him, but they have respect for him because he constantly proves himself, that he's worthy to be with me."
"They still don't like him?" Aisha asked with an incredulous tone.
Jason walked in. "They don't, but they'll have to warm up to me sometime." He kissed Trini on the lips. He did a 360 around the lingerie store. "Damn." He exclaimed. Trini rolled her eyes, but smile none the less.
"Beautiful, need me to take those to the car for you?" Tommy politely asked. Kim nodded. The tons of bags were exchanged. "Aisha, you too?" He held up his barely free left hand.
"Aw, that's so sweet." Aisha complimented, while she gave a dirty face to her boyfriend.
Rocky saw. "I'll take yours, Babe." He got the hint. Aisha smiled at him, while she found Jason doing the same. Taking the plentiful amount of shopping bags, the men strode out the door to the deliver them to their cars.
"Took Rocky awhile." Trini playfully noted. She giggled. "Tommy's so sweet; you didn't even have to hint, he just took them. Must be nice." She grabbed the intimates, so she could try them on.
One by one, Aisha then Kim trailed behind the beautiful Asian. Lucky for them, there were three available fitting rooms. Coincidently, that's the only amount that could fit in the small store. They continued talking, while trying on the bras.
"Tommy's the nicest boyfriend I've ever had." Kim struggled to clasp the zebra striped bra together. "He's caring, attentive, and he's security. That's all I ask for."
"From what Jason's told me, Tommy wasn't as outgoing as he is now. Like, he was a very shy, church boy. He couldn't even make contact with a girl." Trini commentated knowingly. She was satisfied with her three bras. She opened the door to her dressing room. "What changed?"
Kim unclasped the hinge of the door. She smiled at Trini and Aisha. "Guess he came out of his shell." She refused to confess she had something to do with it. Kim knew all the things Tommy's done was because of her; she chose to not wear it on her sleeve. There would be a definite backlash.
"Well, that's what happens in college. I just hope the Freshman 15 don't creep up on my ass." Aisha shook off the thought. She laughed. "I do wish I had a bigger butt though. Some reason this white girl had to upstage me. She pointed at Kim.
"Whatever." Kim teased. She took a look at Aisha's butt. "Come on, your ass is nicely shaped."
Trini nodded. "If anything, I need an ass." She pointed to inadequacy she had.
The cashier smiled. "You know, we have butt pads for sale." She pointed to the ones that were proudly displayed on the wall.
"Let me see." Trini pointed at them excitedly. She heard about them, and she was interested in the item.
"Trini!" Kim and Aisha laughed at her. They continued to shake their head.
"I'll take them." Trini's credit card slid through point of sales' reader. She eagerly grabbed her red and black shopping bag. "I gotta test these babies out."
Rocky, Jason, and Tommy obliviously walked back to the girls. They had no clue a certain item was purchased.
"Did you guys buy your lingerie?" Jason questioned innocently.
"That's not the only thing that was bought." Aisha muttered humorously. Kim lightly tapped her shoulder. "What?" She laughed, but was shut up by Trini's heated glare. Scared, Aisha gulped.
"O… Kay." Rocky uttered, thinking something must've happened. "I'm hungry; we should definitely get something to eat."
Hand in hand, the couples journeyed through the crowded shopping mall towards the food court. Didn't matter what time of the day it was, seemed like the dirty guys liked to lurk for prey. Taking Tommy's cue, Rocky and Jason let the women walk in front of them. They were able to watch from all sides. That reassured the women their boyfriends were paying attention. Kim was used to this kind of treatment because of her job. She still smiled at the gesture.
The lines to the food were already long, but they waited to order their food. Jason decided to wait at a table, so they could have a reserved spot. He calmly waited for his friends, and he even took a peak into Trini's bags. There was definitely a conversation starter in there.
Within 20 minutes, they all had their lunch and found Jason sitting at a large enough table for all of them.
Jason swallowed the bite of his hamburger. "Babe, what is this?" He didn't take out the item from the bag, but he felt for them.
"Nothing." Trini ate with gusto.
"What did she get?" Rocky inquired through his strawberry kiwi smoothie. He tried to peer over the table.
"She got some but-" The hopeful EMT saw the coldness coming from his girlfriend, and he decided to change the subject. "Ohnothing." He quickly let out, so he wouldn't have to spar with her later. After all, whenever he said something stupid, which was often, she would teach him a lesson. He winced at the times he's been pinned by her. It's not a pretty track record.
Tommy came up with a great idea. "Hey, tomorrow, do you guys want to see where I used to learn karate from?" He questioned the quintet.
"Are we going to spar?" Aisha's ears perked up like a stimulated puppy dog.
"Calm down 'Sha." Rocky tried to say around his Subway sandwich. He swallowed throatily. "I'm sure Tommy is just going to show us around." He hoped that was Tommy's intentions.
"Yes, Aisha." Tommy appeased with her idea more than anything else. "How does that sound?"
Rocky and Jason's eyes began to twitch. Was Tommy crazy?
"I think that's a great idea. Jase, sweetie that sounds like so much fun. I don't see why not. Plus, we will work off all the calories we accumulated on Thanksgiving." Trini seemingly agreed with a smile.
Jason chuckled apprehensively. "Uh-uh, yeah, I think that idea is just spiffy." He quipped while thoughts of chucking kendo sticks Tommy's way hopped around in his mind. He figured that was a superb idea.
Rocky attempted to kick Jason in the chin, but he kicked Trini instead.
"Ow." Trini began to rub her chin. "Who the fuck did that?" She hissed with fury. She knew it wasn't her boyfriend, and she knew it wasn't Tommy or Kim or Aisha. "Rocky!" Steam practically coming out of her nose and ears.
"Huh? What?" Rocky tried to play it off, but was failing miserably.
Everyone around the table, but Rocky and Trini, were laughing.
"Just for that, Rocky, me and you tomorrow." Trini's devilish smirk was so sexy to Jason, but freaky to Rocky. "Be there, or I'll hunt you down and pull a Lorena Bobbitt."
Rocky covered his member with his hands and bent over trying to protect it. "I'll be there." He squeaked like he went through puberty all over again.
"I really like these girls." Kim smiled at them.
Phones chimed with text message ringers. Tommy, Jason, and Rocky opened their phones and looked at the text. It was from Conner.
"Come 2 da gety museum 2nite 8. Cum dress 2 impres."
The roommates looked at the text message and furrowed their brows. Slang was something they were all used to, and rapid texting, but Conner pulled out all the stops. They understood what he was saying though. Guess that's what made it the scary part.
"Who wants to go to the Getty Museum?" Tommy asked the ladies.
Kim froze. She remembered who was hosting the art gallery. The question that posed in her brain: was she ready to go there and possibly face the person?
"I think we should go." Aisha said. She placed all her trash on top of her tray.
"Hold on, let me text Conner something." Jason sent a text to Conner. Several minutes passed, and he agreed. "It's free, and we just gotta dress nice. He's already in Los Angeles. It sounds fun."
Tommy looked at his girlfriend. "What do you think?"
Kim felt the pressure on her. Five pairs of eyes twisted their attention to her. This was bad, very bad. She refused to face part of her past, yet she was the deciding factor. All of them seemed so into going. She had a craze for art, after all that ran in the family. Her true family. What could she do? Say no, but that would raise some eyebrows. Beforehand, Kim would need several shots of liquor to calm down. Where is Adam when you need him? Her OCs would come in handy, but she was trying her hardest not to depend on them.
Her boyfriend assessed his girlfriend's absentmindedness. She was thinking awfully hard about something, but what.
"We can go." Kim gave in wistfully. She smiled. "Come on girls, we have a reason to look for a evening dress." She got up, and she left her trash for the guys. Before leaving, Kim gave her boyfriend the most passionate kiss ever. "Let's talk later." She figured she needed to brief him before their trip to the Getty Museum. Tommy nodded.
The women left to look for dresses, while the guys looked for a dressy outfit.
Xxxxx
Getty Museum
Los Angeles, CA
Tommy and Kim were in his truck smoking their cigarettes. The drink compartments housed their mixed beverages, vodka and orange juice. Tommy's mastery of driving buzzed came in handy tonight. They needed to let loose before attending the showcase of Trent Fernandez-Mercer's paintings.
Kim, deadpanned, stared at the lavish banner suspended across the Getty Museum. She needed to tell Tommy; her little brother was the one hosting this damn thing.
Following the lines of Conner's text, they were dressed nicely. Tommy was wearing a navy blue dress shirt, black dress pants, and black shoes. He had on a black and white dress tie, and his hair was perfectly gelled; of course Kim wanted him to wear his eyeglasses, and he did. Kim dressed in a champagne colored, halter dress, that ruched around the stomach, and flared as it hit her knee, dazzled in the color. She had on black suede wedges and a pearl necklace. She had curled her hair all over, but they had dropped into gorgeous waves.
"Kim." Tommy called for. His girlfriend's gorgeous, doe, brown eyes looked at him. "What did you need to talk about?"
"You know how I don't like to talk about my family?" She questioned him. Tommy nodded, not knowing where this was going. "You've met my family." Kim's voice trailed, and she saw the confusion on his face. "Not all of them, um, just two."
"What do you mean two?" He cautiously asked, as he grabbed another cigarette for himself. He lit it up.
Kim followed his lead. This was their second cigarette within 10 minutes. "Anton Mercer is my Dad." She solemnly admitted.
He gasped at her admission. All this time, Tommy had thought her family was no good, downright, assholes, who didn't give a flying fuck about their daughter, but in all reality; Kim had grown up with a prestigious father and grandfather She was made of fucking money, lots of fucking money. "You-you-you are a part of the Mercer Empire?" He exhaled.
"Yes." Kim answered. She hoped that Tommy didn't feel betrayed by her. She anxiously waited for him to speak. "Tommy? Say something, anything." She was completely worried that she had lost him.
"Kim, I see where you're coming from. You didn't want to tell me because that part of your past still hurts you. Do you even want to be here? I mean what if you and your brother come across each other. What if he tells your dad?" He was concerned for her sake.
"Let's not think about that. Please?"
"I can't believe a highly respected man can do that to his own daughter."
"Don't judge him by what he's done personally." Kim wisely advised. "If he's offering you the internship, just take it. Don't let what I've told you affect it." She flicked her cigarette out his window. "When you told me, basically my Dad offered you the intership, I was proud because it's what you wanted to do. I just don't know how I would react if I saw my Dad. It's just something I'd like to avoid."
Tommy nodded in understanding, and he motioned for Kim to come to him. She obeyed, and they began to kiss. Small pecks turned into a heated make out session. The windows of his truck began to fog up, and they continued in their suggestive acts. She moaned against his lips, while his tongue began to travel to the side of her neck. His tongue caressed her pulse points, and instantly her panties got wet.
They were brought out of their revelry by a pounding sound on Tommy's side window. Startled, Tommy pushed down the button, and the window was brought down. The not so clouded setting turned clear, and they saw Trini, Rocky, Aisha, and Jason staring back at them.
"Uh huh, y'all couldn't wait until later?" Rocky gave them attitude.
"Rocky!" Kim wanted to smack the shit out of him. She mildly blushed at her new girlfriends grinning at her. She chugged her spiked beverage, and she exited the truck.
Tommy gave a heated glare to Rocky. "I should smack the shit out of you." He tried to readjust in his pants and got out the car.
"I should smack the shit out of you." Rocky imitated like a little kid. Aisha smacked his arm. "What?"
The three couples walked hand in hand, and Tommy made sure to crowd around Kim, just in case. Both were positive Dr. Anton Mercer was there, and if Kim saw him; he'd have to come to her. She wouldn't approach her own father. Other than that, Kim kept her guard up, since she wasn't in the mood to talk to her family.
As they entered the museum, they were greeted by the gothic, contemporary art. Trent Mercer was very gifted.
The art expressed a story. All the guests were captivated by this style, and the pictures were emotionally intense, yet there was a light feeling to them. They symbolized a woman trying to make sense of the world, but has trouble finding her way. She finds solace in a certain man, not saying God, but her closest thing to him. She finds her way, but drags him farther to hell. The underlying tone; everything is going to be okay. All will be alright.
Brought to tears by the strength of the art, Kim excused herself. She found the closest bathroom. In the stall, she began to crush up two pills of OCs. Her nose was about to get a workout tonight. With the finely powdered down pills, she used the fine edge of her Visa credit card, to orderly line them up. Taking a Benjamin out of her purse, Kim finally rolled up the bill. She placed the bill in her left nose, used her right index finger to plug her right nostril, and she bent down and inhaled the powder. The stinging sensation began to play upon her nose.
Tommy wandered around the museum. He knew Kim needed to use the bathroom, so he took in every creation in. A portrait stuck out: a family, but the last member of the family was just an outline. The picture was in black and white, and the only supply used was an oil crayon. The magnificent lines of the art were smudged perfectly. He had a strong feeling what this stood for.
"Mr. Oliver."
Twirling his body, Tommy found himself, face to face with his girlfriend's father. "Dr. Mercer." He tried to hide his underlying disgust for the man in front of him. "How are you this evening? I'm sure you're very proud of your son." He went to shake his hand.
Anton nodded. "Yes, Trent has made me very proud." He smiled. "What brings you here?"
"I was invited by some friends." Tommy surveyed the room. "In fact, there they are." He pointed at the young lady in a yellow and white dress, and a young gentleman, sometimes not so gentleman like, dressed in a red, sleeves rolled up dress shirt and white slacks. Interesting outfit, but some reason it looked really chic on Conner.
"Yes, Kira and Conner." Anton knew who they were. His son was best friends with them. "I've known those two since they were 14. Trent went to high school with them. Speaking of Trent, would you like to meet my son?"
"Sure." Tommy walked in stride with his future mentor. He looked an Dr. Mercer. "Is Trent your only child?"
"No." He honestly answered. Anton Mercer didn't want to disclose anything else. A melancholy expression frolicked on his face.
Tommy nodded, at least thankful Anton had some compassion. "Where is the Mrs.?" He remembered Kim's story about her, and he was curious to see if that panned out.
"Elsa's sick with the flu. My poor wife has been throwing up this past week." Both found their way to Trent. "Son, this is Tommy Oliver, he's going to be my future intern and go on digs with me." Anton stated with pride.
Trent turned around. He was a dark skinned young adult, and he had black hair and brown eyes. There was no hint of his father in him, but Tommy did see Elsa Mercer's genes everywhere. Kim was right, she looked nothing like her dad. Actually, both of the kids looked nothing like their dad.
"Nice to meet you." Trent did a firm hand shake. "How do you like my pieces?" He politely asked.
The man, who was dating their relative, perused once more. "You are very talented. What do all your paintings mean?" Some of them looked like they had to do with Kim.
Trent explained the muse for his paintings. They were his interpretation of someone close to him. He painted what he knew of her, and probably how she's feeling right now. "I didn't mean to portray her as such a dark person because we know she's not."
"'We'?" Tommy leaned in and questioned. He found that kind of odd.
"Uh I, yes, I don't think she's dark." Trent noted, not knowing the man in front of him was dating that she.
In a daze, Kim exited the bathroom. She kept breathing air through her nose, thinking the powder was still present. That made her nose burn more. She gazed around the room, and she continued to wipe her nose. Tommy, her boyfriend, was standing with her father and half-brother. "Shit." She muttered.
Several people, near her, turned to where they heard the curse word.
"Sorry." Kim sheepishly smiled, and she walked out the gallery. She didn't want to be seen by her family. While walking out the place, Kim stumbled.
"Are you okay?" A young man noticed she had fallen. He kept his eyes on her form, and he smirked. This was going to be piece of cake.
"Yes." Kim nodded. She got up with his assistance. "Thank you." She trembled. The pills were hitting her like a two, ton truck.
"You're welcome." He acknowledged kindly. He watched Kim's form continuously shake. "Are you okay?" He couldn't believe how easy this was going to be.
Kim didn't hear him, but she did see two of him. Again, she smiled brightly. "I'm fine. I just neeth something to thrink." She informed.
"Come on, we can get you something to thrink." He lied, while he led her away.
While Kim was being led away, Tommy kept looking around the gallery for his girlfriend. "Excuse me." He told Anton and Trent. They nodded, and he began to look for Kim. First he asked Rocky and Aisha, and they shook their head. Next, he questioned Trini and Jason. They hadn't seen her, since they entered the place. Strolling to Conner and Kira, he asked them.
"I think she went outside." Kira remembered Kim walking out. "I think she needed the fresh air." Conner had his arms wrapped around Kira securely. He was smiling about it.
"Thanks." Tommy was grateful someone had seen her. He withdrew from the gallery. With determination, Tommy searched for Kim. He furrowed his brows wondering where she could've gone. "Kim!" He yelled. Walking a block to the right, he saw a sight that infuriated him. He began to run, and he saw red.
"Get off of me!" Kim yelled at the man, who wasn't so nice anymore. He was groping her, and his erection pressed under Kim's dress. He was forcefully holding her up against a car, trying to seek out a prize- her pussy.
"You want this." He grunted out. He never saw Tommy coming.
Tommy grabbed the man, and he slammed on the floor. Twice, Tommy kicked him in the stomach. "You like forcing yourself on women?" Tommy struck the fallen man's ribs. "Huh? Taking advantage of women, you sick fucking pervert!" Tommy repeatedly kicked him.
"Stop." The guy gasped out, while the pain consummed him.
"Fuck you." Tommy angrily cursed at him. "My girlfriend said 'get off', and you didn't. I'm showing you no mercy." He yelled at him again.
Kim gasped. This was all her fault, if she hadn't snorted the pills, then she would've known this guy was bad news. "Tommy!" She screamed for him to stop kicking the guy. "Please." She continued in her efforts to get Tommy to stop, but he didn't want to. "Please, please, don't do this anymore." She cried. She felt him slightly push her off.
Rocky, Jason, Trini, and Aisha heard the screams of Kim. They rushed to where they were coming from. They saw Tommy continuously kicking a guy in the stomach.
"Tommy, Tommy!" Jason ran up to him, and he struggled to separate his roommate from the guy.
Confused about the situation, Rocky went to help as well. "Come on, Tommy. Quit it." He demanded, while he helped Jason.
"Kim?" Trini saw Kim's disheveled appearance. Her eyes were puffy, and the area around her nose was red. She attributed her look to the beating Tommy was administering. She wrapped the petite woman in her arms. Aisha came to place more security around Kim.
Finally, Tommy ended his beating. He straightened out his evening wear. "You shouldn't have laid a finger on her!" Tommy reinforced his reason for fighting.
"She shouldn't have been on drugs!" The man managed to rasp out. He tried to get a good look at Tommy, but he only saw Kim. Either way, he needed to call the cops.
"Drugs?" Rocky didn't believe it. "Whatever man, you must've been on some." He ushered his girlfriend and everyone else away.
Tommy stared into Kim's eyes. "Are you okay?" Kim looked at him, trying to portray herself to be sober. She nodded. He continued looking at her, praying that man was wrong. From what Tommy could see, his girlfriend wasn't high.
Conner and Kira met up with them. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving." Kira grinned with intention. "Why don't we go to Denny's?"
"Sounds good, but just like that, we're going to leave the exhibition?" Aisha queried the couple.
"Trent's cool about it, we told him we were going to leave." Conner informed. He looked at everyone, and he noticed something happenned. "Why's Kim crying?"
Kim squinted her eyes, and like a camera's aperature, everything looked bigger. "Conner, I'm fine." Even though, she was high. For the first time ever, she prayed this would go away.
Blaring sounds could be heard in the far distance.
"Let's go!" Trini was quick to agree. She couldn't believe the cops were called on Tommy. There was no doubt in her mind, those sounds were for him. "Tommy, let me drive. Protect Kim." Her driving skills were impeccable. Tommy tossed the keys her way.
With that, everyone scrambled for their cars, and they left.
Xxxxx
Denny's Restaurant
Angel Grove, CA
Trini used the GPS on her phone. She figured this was the safest place for them to have their late dinner, plus Tommy didn't have to drive so far to get home.
Kim drank some water, and she calmed down considerably. She figured that was the last time she was ever going to snort Oxycontin, especially before a big event. The thing is, she didn't remember being lured away by the guy. She felt him groping her, and that's when her senses kicked in. She shuddered at the thought of the guy fondling her.
While the couples sat around the rectangular table, they browsed the menu. Everything looked good to them.
Kim spoke up. "Thank you, for getting Tommy off the guy." She quietly told them. Then, she looked at Tommy. "Thank you, for being there for me like always." She buried herself deeper into his chest. She felt his lips touch her head.
"Tommy, I've never seen you act like that before. That was pretty scary." Jason winced at the pounding the guy got. "Damn, I couldn't believe it."
"Uh, I don't like it when a guy touches Kim like that. He looked like he was about to force himself on her." Tommy dryly stated. Not trying to go into detail, and it's almost become second nature to defend Kim because one, she's his girlfriend, and two it's a part of the job description as a bouncer.
"What happened?" Conner was confused about what he was hearing. Aisha and Trini informed him of the events. "So, the cops were called, probably for you?" He stared at Tommy, stunned.
"We don't know, for sure, but it could've been for him. He was defending Kim, so that should count for something." Rocky informed. He saw Tommy was disgusted with himself. "Hey, we don't look at you any different."
The waitress came and took their orders.
Conner and Kira were whispering among themselves.
Aisha looked at Kim. "Are you tired?" She saw her droopy lids.
"Uh?" Kim sat up straighter. She smiled. "I guess, the shopping we did early this morning is getting to me."
Tommy hoped that was the case. He felt torn. He wanted to believe the guy was lying, but then again, the light brightened his senses. She had the signs of using. He needed to talk with her about that.
Conner clanked his glass with a spoon. Everyone, but Kim turned their head. After a couple of minutes, she finally turned her attention to him. Conner observed Kim's sluggishness. He ignored it because the news he had was big. Kira smiled. "Alright, Kira and I have some news we wanted to share with y'all."
"After all these years, you decided to admit you're a homo, and Kira was a cover up!" Rocky was quick to quip. Aisha punched his arm. "Ow!"
"Shut up, will you?" Aisha fiercely hissed at him. "Let the man fucking talk, or you will not be in me tonight. You are this close." She compressed her index and thumb considerably. "This close to not getting any, so shush it."
The occupants of the table snickered at Rocky.
"Isn't that the third time she's flipped out on him?" Trini murmured to Jason. Jason nodded.
"Anyways, continue, Babe." Kira summoned. She smiled again.
Conner nodded. "I asked Kira to marry me, and she said yes!" He boisterously announced.
Congratulations were said around the table. Even though they were only 18, they knew how long the couple had been together for. They were extremely happy for them. The newly engaged couple basked in the congrats.
"Thanks." Kira continued her smiling. "That's not the only thing though."
"It's not?" Tommy asked. He looked between the two. "Well, what else could there be?"
Kira got up. She caressed her stomach. "I'm pregnant!"
The men were shocked, while Aisha, Trini, and a tired Kim went up to Kira and congratulated her on her pregnancy. They began to touch her stomach.
"Conner, are you ready to be a father?" Jason asked, shocked by the admission.
"Oh yeah. Kira and I have been talking about kids for the past year. We took the right precautions, but she ended up missing her period recently. We found out she was pregnant, and I proposed right then." Conner explained. He saw the pregnancy glow on Kira. "Guys, this has been the happiest I've ever been."
"We support you." Rocky reassured. Jason and Tommy nodded in agreement.
"I invite you guys to wedding because you are going to be in the wedding." Conner laughed. He continued to smile with his roommates. "I'd like for all of you to be the Groomsmen."
Tommy, Rocky and Jason nodded. They were more than happy to be apart of his wedding.
With thought of Conner and Kira being parents and an engaged couple, the young people continued their celebration.
Kim smiled, but in the back of her mind, she needed to get a grip on reality. Tonight, she almost got caught snorting Oxycontin. She should've said 'no' to the invitation.