Hey people, I wonder how many of you are writers? And how many of you want to try writing? Keep checking my profile, I may have something of interest for you coming up…

Bluebell- I will send the stuff over once I spell chacked! Sorry for the delay.

CHAPTER 8

Gabi was busy preparing lasagna for dinner when the two young men sharing her house walked in, Jared first and Troy after, more sheepishly. He avoided her gaze as Jared went over to hug her and he sat at the table, picking up a fork to play with even though dinner was clearly going to be a while yet. It gave him something to do at least.

"How was swimming?" Gabi asked her son with a long look that silently apologized for her behaviour.

Jared hugged her again. "It was good…Troy made a friend…"

Troy looked up at the sound of his name. "Mm…oh yeah. Marion Wilks," he shared of the girl who had seemingly fallen in love with him and proceeded to follow him around the entire time despite his gentle- and not so subtle- rejections of her affections.

Gabi smiled weakly. "I'm glad you're finding the townspeople friendly," she offered.

Jared gave her a look, then decided to stir the jealousy his mom evidently felt.

"Oh she was friendly, alright…" he jeered. "Wasn't she, Troy?"

"Yeah," he blew out an amused breath. "A little too friendly…"

"Well, at least we met some girls, huh?" Jared prompted.

"Yeah. I feel so much better in the knowledge I have that to look forward to as opposed to a life of loneliness…" Troy derided, sighing out as he stabbed at the table with his fork.

"That has a name," Jared teased. "Her name is Marion…"

"Well, she wasn't my type, what can I say," he mumbled under his breath.

"Dude, what is your type anyway?" Jared asked aloud. "Apart from brunette and exotic," Jared added for good measure.

Gabi blushed and made great work of layering her lasagna.

Troy leaned back in his chair with his fork loosely in his hand.

"You know what? I don't even know…" he admitted.

"We should make a list…" Jared went over to sit with him, pulling out the notepad and pen from the drawer under the able.

Troy looked across the table at him.

"I think I might just get washed up for dinner," he said and Jared watched him leave the room with a forlorn look.

It was worse than he thought. Troy couldn't even be in the same room as his mom. He couldn't even look at her. Jared turned to Gabi to check her expression and her eyes were drawn and filled with sadness at Troy's departure.

Somehow, he had to get them talking again. Maybe some kind of emergency, he calculated…Some common worry that would bring them together. Maybe he should go missing! Or jump off a cliff! No, too obvious…

They needed to be in the same place with no escape. There had to be a way, he enthused. There just had to…

/

Dinner had been awkward. Troy hadn't said two words to Gabi and he had only spoken to Jared to make the list of his ideal traits in a woman to shut him up and somewhat play along with his game, despite it being evident the reason he was playing it.

So far Jared had gathered the following information:

Looks

Brunette

Exotic

Curvy/Voluptuous

Refused to answer any more questions…

Personality

Caring

Kind

Easy to talk to

Refused to answer any more questions…

It didn't exactly give Jared much to go on but the good news was that his mom pretty much fit the bill with Troy's list of 'wants' in a lady.

"I hate to say this," he broached carefully, aware of the tension between his friend and his mother, but braving it anyway. "But I'd hardly call Marion easy to talk to…"

Troy looked across the table at his friend with an affectionate smile. "Me either."

"Or curvy…" Jared added.

Troy nodded. "What a surprise, she's not a match…"

"I do know a girl, though…"

"You know a lot of girls," Troy teased.

"One who fits your bill," Jared amended.

Troy swallowed. He better not suggest Gabi or he'd probably break down again right here in her kitchen of all places. It was bad enough Jared finding him sobbing his heart out in the middle of nowhere as it was; without more drama being caused.

"Who's that?" He asked lightly, his voice low.

"Her name is Isabella. You remember her, right, mom?" Jared directed at Gabi.

Troy didn't look over at her, but back at his dinner which he kept eating.

"Her mom and I became friends when you were at kindergarten," Gabi remembered.

"Do you think she fits Troy's list?"

Gabi also stared at her son. Was this karma? After all, she had told him to find Troy a girl his own age she just didn't expect it to be so soon- or so blatant. And well, she had lied, she supposed, so she only deserved whatever punishment she got.

"She's certainly got the looks," Gabi allowed of the Filipino girl. Isabella was all curves, had beautiful coffee coloured skin and fitted the 'exotic' bill by a country mile. She was far more unusual and stunning than Gabi. She didn't doubt Troy would find her attractive.

"Looks aren't everything," Troy stated across the table at Jared, but Gabi felt the warm squiggle in her tummy at his words. He was almost saying that to compliment her; if she let herself believe it.

"Oh dude, she's really caring, too," Jared winked and Gabi took her plate to the sink, not wanting to hear more.

She had chosen this outcome, had picked this route and had even gone as far as telling her son to set Troy up with someone else so there was no way she could sit there now and act jealous or annoyed. The man deserved to spend his time enjoying his break and not worrying himself over her and her silly attraction to him.

Still…

She twisted and gazed over at the table; for one second thinking she had found him also gazing back at her; but his head moved so quickly she wondered if she had really seen it at all and then put it down to her stupid mind making things up.

Of course you would have liked him to be gazing at you; but you can't have that anymore, you gave up that right; her conscience poked at her.

There was nothing else for it; another night of lonely boredom while the boys went into town to hunt for Isabella Lowry. She watched them head upstairs to get ready.

"You know…you could come with us," Jared's voice startled her from her position by the sink, washing up.

"What? Oh no, don't be silly! You go and have fun," she forced a smile.

"If you say so…" Jared commented as he went on her instruction, something she still didn't appreciate him doing.

He was irking her this whole time, trying to trick her into admitting she liked Troy and making sure he knew it, too. Still, he had looked pretty down so she didn't blame her son for trying.

She swallowed, feeling tears threaten her eyes. She had ruined it, majorly. And there was no way back but she couldn't see a way forward right now either and that scared her.

It scared her more than she liked to admit.

/

"Dude, I'm really not sure if I'm into this whole meeting Isabella thing…" Troy admitted as he and Jared got ready. Well Troy was lying on Jared's bed while his friend got dressed. Troy had pulled on some black jeans, shoes and a black shirt for the outing; his hair messily coiffed.

"I know," Jared replied lightly.

"Then why…?" Troy puzzled.

"Wanted to make my mom jealous…" he turned and grinned at his friend on the bed.

"I told you last night not to do anything," Troy sighed of his friend's insistence to match make him and Gabi.

"Well, you may have given up, but I haven't."

Troy sat up and rolled off the bed. "I'm asking you to," he admitted. "Please."

Jared flicked concerned brown eyes up at his taller friend.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he offered sincerely.

Troy nodded.

"But look, Isabella really is amazing. If she's out tonight you may as well say hi…"

Troy pursed his lips, and then finally let a smile overtake his mouth.

"Okay. You've talked me into it."

"And anyway, let's get drunk and forget all about the past week, huh?" Jared suggested.

"Great idea," Troy conceded. Great, great idea.

/

Isabella was, by all accounts, everything that Jared had promised her to be.

She was stunning to look at- she had the cat-like eyes that sparkled green hazel, she had the curvy figure one might expect of a Filipino and she was very…caring. Apparently Jared's version of caring also doubled as touchy-feely because so far, the girl hadn't let him go, but he was almost too drunk to care.

The whisky was definitely helping with the plan.

The 'get over Gabi' plan, that was. The plan he had concocted in his mind before coming out tonight so that he could drink the relevant amount of alcohol to achieve this plan. He didn't really consider that a beautiful girl on his lap was part of the plan; but sometimes you just had to go with what you got.

Jared, on the other hand was delighted. Okay, maybe he should be annoyed that Troy was in some kind of roundabout way 'cheating' but he truly wasn't. His mother needed to see this, he mused. Then she might finally wake up and smell the coffee! Maybe it was going to take more than his still-unfinished fake emergency to get them back together. His mom needed to admit she wanted Troy before anything else could happen and so; Jared's intent was to make Gabi so insanely jealous she would have no choice but to stake claim to his friend.

At least, he hoped that's what would happen…

He hoped this whole darn thing wouldn't backfire on him and turn into a war-zone, but then, he had to take a risk of some kind.

He watched as Troy balanced unevenly in his seat, Isabella with her arms about his neck and sitting on his lap. Maybe now would be a good time to go home…

"Hey, we should go!" Jared called over the loud music of the club.

"Why?" Troy slurred back, drunkenly.

"Because if you have one more shot of whiskey, you won't be capable of walking out of here…" Jared teased.

Troy made a 'yeah, okay' face and looked to Isabella.

"I have to get up," he told her and she obliged him.

"Going so soon?" Isabella asked.

"Yep," Troy nodded largely. "I'm drunk enough…"

"Can I come with you?" She looked up at him and gazed for a moment.

"Sure, why not?" His drunken self did not have inhibitions and Jared raised his brows.

"You best be quiet bringing her in," he told his friend as they came outside to hail a taxi.

"Quiet as a mouse," Troy announced, staggering to catch his balance.

Jared quickly supported him; with Isabella on his other side.

"Hey, I'm glad you came out tonight," Isabella told Jared. "It's good to see you…"

"You too…be gentle with my friend, huh?" Jared joked as they both helped him into the back of the taxi where he collapsed on the seat.

"He's not up to anything tonight," she mused with a twinkle. "But…are you?"

Jared lifted his brows. She'd been sat on Troy's knee the entire night and now he was her object of desire? He shrugged with a grin.

"Maybe…"

She smiled too and they both got into the taxi after shifting Troy over.

It was a nightmare getting him inside, he was weaving and singing and...Generally being a drunken pain in the ass; but finally the two of them shuffled him into his room and tossed him on the bed.

"I'll get him undressed," Jared said to Isabella. "You know where my room is."

"I certainly do," she smiled of their history; mostly studying together there.

Jared sighed as he watched the star-fished Troy snore lightly on his back. He quickly stripped his trousers off, then his shirt; wrapping him somewhat in the duvet for lack of ability to move him into place.

No doubt he'd be up in an hour anyway, puking his guts up; it was just better he was wearing as little as possible when that happened.

Jared smiled affectionately at his unconscious friend as he made his way down the corridor to his own room, where a curvy and caring Isabella was waiting.

/

"Jared, is that you?" Gabi shot through from the kitchen hoping to find her son on the staircase and was shocked to find Isabella there; scantily dressed in her club clothes and evidently sex-mussed. She was doing the walk of shame and the air stuck in Gabi's lungs at the thought of her spending the night with Troy.

That's what Jared had intended and that's what seemingly had occurred.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gabi blushed.

"Sorry Mrs. Montez," Isabella smiled. "I'm going now, anyway…"

"Won't you stay for breakfast?" She wondered, almost sad for Troy that he would wake up alone. She had done the same thing herself she supposed, so she was hardly one to judge.

"No, thank you," she assured.

"Alright, well take care…do you have a lift?"

Isabella nodded. "Thank you. See you…"

Gabi watched as she slipped through the front door and closed it with a quiet click.

Well, that was awkward.

And so was the thought of Troy being with someone else. Still, it was none of her business…

"Mom?" Jared came down the stairs, questioning her hovering stance there.

She looked up.

"Oh, there you are…"

"What's wrong?" He frowned, concerned about her faraway look and pale face.

"Nothing…I just wondered what you boys would like for breakfast?"

"Something hearty," Jared announced, adding fire to the flame. "We had a big night…"

"So I noticed," Gabi murmured as she walked back through to the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Jared came and sat on a stool by the counter.

"I just saw Isabella leaving…" she shared.

"Oh…"

"I assume she and Troy got along, then?" She added tightly.

Troy? Oh, heck. Of course. This was all invented to make Gabi jealous…now what could he do? Tell the truth? That he in fact had spent the night with Isabella? It was his mother, he could hardly lie! Could he? It wasn't right but then…it would be for the greater good. Didn't she once say that lying was sometimes better for the greater good? Would he get out of it using that excuse?

"Ah…yeah, I think they did," he answered, not entirely lying in his response he figured.

"Good. So what's the plan today?" She looked up at him as she came to the fridge for eggs, the bacon and sausages already cooking. "Laying in?"

Jared shrugged. "We could clear out the garage…"

"Really?" Gabi frowned. "It's supposed to a holiday…"

"I want to find my old baseball mitt and ball," he shared. "It will be fun…"

"I'm not sure Troy will agree with that," Gabi mused.

"I'll make him do it," Jared stated, and then on a reproachful look form Gabi added, "…I'm joking!"

"Okay, well if you're sure…" she said.

"Totally." Jared nodded.

She put his breakfast onto a plate and frowned.

"Should you wake Troy up?"

"I will after," Jared assured. "He won't be able to face food yet, the amount he drank last night…"

"He got drunk?" Gabi looked at her son with a concerned frown.

"Drowning his sorrows," Jared answered pointedly; as if blaming her for this situation.

She nodded, deciding to say nothing more on the topic. She dished out his breakfast and brought it over.

"Okay, well I'm putting on some old clothes if we're going to get dirty, I'll meet you in the garage when you're done getting ready…"

"Yep, will do," Jared nodded.

/

Jared opened the door to his friend's room, not sure what he would find.

As it turned out, Troy was still asleep, on his front this time, but still splayed across his mattress sideways. He might have thought his friend had merely rolled over in the night; but he saw the tell-tale trail of destruction from the bed to the bathroom where Troy had knocked things down and flipped half his bedcovers onto the floor in his apparently drunken staggering to be sick.

He laid a pint of water and two aspirin on the bedside table and gently stirred his friend.

"Troy? Troy man, time to wake up…" Jared called softly.

"Uhmmmm…" Troy half-gargled, half groaned.

"Yeah, I know buddy, I got you some aspirin…"

"No, just sleep," he cocooned to protect himself from Jared's intent to wake him.

"You need water," Jared insisted. "Just sit up and drink this then you can go back to sleep if you want…"

Troy turned his face toward Jared's voice.

"I can?"

"No, we have to help my mom clear out the garage, but you can sleep later," he soothed.

Troy let out a cynical breath.

"I cannot be in the same room as your mom," he finally rolled over and winced at the light and movement as his brain pounded painfully against his skull.

"I'll be there too," Jared soothed.

"Do you not see what last night did to me?" Troy squinted, his usually good looks marred by his hangover.

"I see what whiskey did to you," Jared mused.

"Where's Isabella?" Troy suddenly remembered, swallowing the much needed painkillers Jared handed him; then sipped his drink dutifully.

"She went home," Jared shared.

"She stayed the night?" Troy checked.

"Yep."

"With me?"

"Well…"

Troy looked up, seeing Jared's smile.

"With you?" He repeated, surprised.

"Yeah…is that okay?" Jared wondered.

"Of course it is…I just for a second thought…"

"Dude, the way you were, you couldn't have got it up for Pamela Anderson," Jared teased and Troy lifted a brow.

"Not that I wanted to, anyway."

"Hey, today will be better," his friend assured.

"I need a shower," Troy decided and moved slowly to the en-suite bathroom to do just that, eventually dressing into soft jeans and a long sleeve grey top.

"Right, come on," Jared stood as Troy squinted at him, indicating he was ready.

"I look like death warmed up," Troy derided.

Jared flicked a look down him. His hair was a royal mess and he had stubble; but otherwise, no one would guess he'd drunk his weight in whiskey the night before and thrown the entire lot up again.

"You look sexy," his friend assured and led him down to the garage.

"Okay, I'll be right out," Jared called as Troy stepped into the yard through the patio door and he quickly grabbed what he needed to pull this off- his fake emergency that is.

Padlock- check. Okay, well that was it, because there was only one accessible door to the garage and that was the metal front, the side door was already locked and ready taken care of. It was always locked. He loved the fact his mom always kept it locked now.

All he had to do was run across the yard; pull the metal gate down and padlock it- voila! Simple. And it was. He executed his move with such ease, he almost felt bad when he heard firstly Troy call his name, followed by his mother.

Bad luck amigo's, he smiled to himself. You have an hour to make up or stay locked in garage hell forever…