CHAPTER 27

~ Prank War Backfire ~

It is the last week in June for the Shore House and things haven't mellowed out in the least bit. Jenni is still distraught over her and Roger not talking. She has left messages but he has not responded. Ronnie chalked it up to him just needing his space and that when he calms down, he'll respond.

Jenni is not buying. She is sure that they are finished. The only good thing that has come out of this is that she will not need surgery or a cast for her ankle. Bad news for Nicole, she is back to being the only dud she feels in the group.

Deena has bounced back from her mood-swings since her announcement. It feels as if a big weight has been lifted off her shoulders and she doesn't have to talk behind closed doors anymore. Now it is, Chris this and Chris that. She has even placed pictures of them up all over her space in her room, besides those of Pauleena.

Today is a leisure day in the house and that spells boredom and mischief. Pauly and Vinny roam the house with everyone gone. The girls have gone out to do errands and everyone else is at work. Vinny and Pauly continue to bounce around until they get to the girls' room.

Vinny points, "Oh my God…Look at this…"

Pauly walks up and looks at what Vinny is pointing to. There are frames of Deena and Chris by the bed, there are poster-like pictures of the two over the bed frame, the whole thing looks like a freakin' shrine- ode to Chris.

Vinny, "This is really creepy."

Pauly has no comment. He then looks at one area on the nightstand. Deena has placed she and Chris' picture beside one of Pauleena. To any one else they would see it as harmless, but for Pauly he takes it as a message.

Pauly, "I have an idea."

Vinny, "What?"

Pauly gets a mischievous grin, "I think we should hide these photos and replace them with pictures of you and I, doing the same poses and everything."

Vinny laughs, "That's genius."

Pauly nods, "First prank war, yeah buddy!"

The boys now go to work. They scoop up the pictures of just Chris and Deena and then they head off to the Boardwalk. They go to a photo booth and take the same poses then, they go to another shop to have them blown up to the size of the original pictures that were in Deena's frames.

The whole thing is fun and games. Vinny always enjoys time around Pauly and vice-versa. When they get back to the house, the fun stops but only for a minute. The girls have come back early.

Pauly, "What are the freakin odds that they are here now? I mean, how long has it taken them in the past to just go up the street…and they want to come back early this time."

Vinny, "It'll still work out. I tell you what, I'll distract them and you set up the prank."

Pauly nods and Vinny stashes the original photos outside the house by the bushes and then he gives the replicas to Pauly.

Inside, Jenni and Nicole minus Sammi are in the kitchen. Deena is walking to her room when Vinny pops up to start a conversation. Knowing that she is easily distracted he signals to Pauly to go to work.

When he finishes, he signals back to Vinny and Vinny dismisses their conversation and stands off to the side to await the outcome…

When it comes, it is not pretty.

"What the hell!? Where are my pictures!?"

Pauly and Vinny snicker and then Deena comes out the room. She immediately zeros in on Pauly.

"What the fuck did you do?!"

Pauly hands up, "What are you talkin about?"

Deena, "You know what! My pictures, where are they?"

Pauly, "I don't have your pictures Deena."

Deena looks back and forth between Pauly and Vinny.

Deena, "I'm not in the mood for this shit! (To Vinny) Why would you even help him do this?!"

Vinny, "Deena, calm down…"

Deena cuts him off, "It's childish and I know what it's all about. Well, it's too fuckin bad. I love him and he's here to stay so get over it! Now, I want my pictures back where they were!"

Pauly responds irritated, "It's just a prank. You get over it…and we know how you fuckin feel, we hear it everyday which is why this is funny. It's actually an improvement. That shit you had up was creepy in my opinion."

Deena ignores that last comment.

"No you don't know how I feel! Fuck you Pauly! You wouldn't know love if it fuckin slapped you in the face!"

Pauly, "Oh really? Speaking of a slap to the face, I see you've made the effort of replacing our picture with just one of Pauleena next to you and Chris."

Deena, "Really?! Well, you don't even keep any pictures of her in your room…too afraid one of your walking STD's will get turned off knowing the truth that you've got a daughter?"

This has now escalated way beyond what it was supposed to. Vinny now feels bad going along with the prank. He thought it was coming from the usual cheeky antics the house participates in but now he realizes that it is a result of Pauly's possible resentment towards Deena having a boyfriend.

The girls now come into the room and question Vinny in a side conversation.

Jenni, "Okay, I heard STD this can't be a good fight."

Nicole, "What happened?"

Vinny, "Pauly and I pranked Deena but I didn't think it would go this far."

Jenni, "What'd you all do?"

Vinny, "Pauly and I took fake pictures just like the ones Deena has up in her room of her and Chris. We replaced the ones with Chris and her with me and Pauly and she freaked out."

Jenni cocks her mouth to the side and Nicole sighs.

Nicole, "I don't know why you all couldn't leave well enough alone. Deena is finally happy and you wanna ruin it."

Vinny, "It's a fuckin prank. We do stuff like this all the time."

Nicole, "…but it's different now."

Nicole is saying it but she is really relaying her own message to Vinny.

The three turn their attention back to the train wreck in front of them.

"I want my pictures back where they were and I want them back now!"

Pauly, "Well you can ask Vinny to do it, I'm through with it. It was just supposed to be a joke."

Deena, "It was never a joke to begin with. You've been rude to Chris since he's got here."

Pauly, "The dude hasn't been in the picture but five seconds and suddenly you're treating him like he's apart of the house now."

Deena, "Well he's apart of my life now and if you cannot handle that then maybe you should get lost."

Pauly in disbelief, "You're tellin me to leave my house?!"

Deena is emotional now. "I don't want to see you anymore."

Pauly, "Then you fuckin leave! Go home and take care of Pauleena. You'd be betta off than runnin around with this bum. What type of Mother are you, lettin' guys come by while you smash them right there in the house."

Nicole and Jenni have to disagree with what Pauly is saying now, it's going too far. They know Deena is not that type of girl. If anything, what Pauly is saying is a reflection of himself.

Nicole steps in.

"Deena, come on. Let's go to my house."

Deena is up in…well, up to Pauly's chest now and it takes Jenni and Nicole to pull her away. When they do Pauly yells.

"That's right, go to Snooks' place! Keep him ova there cuz I don't want to see the guy here anymore!"

That ends it as Jenni and Nicole escort a crying Deena out the house. Pauly is left standing there and he cannot even look at Vinny. Instead, he walks off to go out to the deck. Vinny guesses, no more pranks for a while. He sighs and goes to get the pictures outside to put them back by Deena's bed.

A/N: It's time to get Fanatical on Fridays! We are more than halfway through the story here peeps, so updates will be coming more frequently. This doesn't stop the twists and turns...I know it doesn't look like things could get any worse but uh...yeah. Comment and continue the tremendous support! Make it a good one this starting weekend :-)