The Sunday morning following, Jacob was vacuuming the living room when Michael came up to him.
"Hey bro, loan us your car for tonight, please!"
"If you could drive, that question would make a lot more sense."
"Kevin will drive, jeeze, but just loan it to us! We're going to Mississauga to see Sofia again."
Eli, who was standing by in the kitchen getting dinner ready, shouted out. "Why is it you never go to see Sofia when mom and dad are home?"
Sofia was an eighteen-year-old they had met at the party. She had invited them to visit her in Mississauga, where they hung out with a large group of her equally attractive young female friends, and had since gone to visit them several times, and spent every second they were not visiting wishing they were.
"Yeah, like we're really going to ride up there in our parents' minivan."
"And what's wrong with the bus?" asked Eli.
"No, it's fine, really," said Jacob. "I don't need the car. The keys are by the door. Have fun." Eli rolled his eyes.
"Thanks bro! Hey c'mon Kevin, move it! Let's go!"
"But I'm watching Degrassi!"
"Come on!"
In five minutes, after Michael unplugged the television from its outlet, the two were driving off. Within thirty, Jacob would come to regret his decision.
"I just get a text from Chloe," he told Eli. "She invited us over to her house for dinner tonight."
"She invited both of us?" said Eli. "I mean, she didn't invite just you?"
"Well, the others will be there – her brothers, Faith…"
"Wonderful. You're lucky I love you bro. Well, if we're going to go, we better start walking now. It's alright, it's only like…" He started counting the blocks on his fingers, but he lost track after ten.
Jacob insisted on getting some time to make himself look decent, but Eli did not see the need for all he cared for the company he'd be keeping tonight.
Fate was kind enough to allow them two blocks of walking until it began to rain. They laughed off the first few drops that started splashing on them, picking up their pace after the third block, and by the fifth block were running full speed and leaping over puddles through the torrent of downfall.
The elevator ride up to Chloe's penthouse was not enough to dry the two Bennetts. Jacob's attempt at choosing nice clothes and fixing his hair had been ruined. The two dripping brothers felt rather pathetic when Chloe opened the door.
"Oh, you poor dears," she said. "You're soaked. Come in, please. I'll get a towel to dry you off."
They stepped into the huge and wonderfully furnished apartment, and beyond the foyer saw the other four residents of the house sitting in the living room. Logan and Carter glanced at each other and grinned. Faith was staring at him from the sofa.
Chloe returned with two fluffy towels and proceeded to dry off their wet hair.
"I'm really sorry about this," said Jacob.
"No, no, really," said Logan. "So what if you're tracking water and mud all over our floors."
"Did you walk here?" asked Logan. "I thought you had a, er, car."
"Well, my brother borrowed it. You know what it's like."
Eli seriously doubted any of them had a clue.
"If it was raining so badly," said Faith, "why didn't you get a cab?"
Eli knew this was not going to be pleasant evening.