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Chapter 36
*AJ's
POV*
Dinner was lively, and full of chatter, but it was tense and Kris sat between
Kevin and I, not next to Brian, or Na, for that matter. Brian and Kris were
doing a good job of pretending indifference, and though I'm sure their parents
noticed, they said nothing. Nick and Nina weren't saying much to Kris, and I'm
sure she knew they were avoiding her, to some extent. It's not that they were
being hostile, but they were unsure how to approach the subject that had been
brought out so rudely earlier, I guess. When I had gone after Kris, I had found
her at my beach, angry and hurt but not crying. She told me everything and needless
to say, I was shocked, but what could I do? I love Kris and it was agonizing
for me to see her hurting like this.
So, now we were going out clubbing, and I was not the only one thankful to be
out of the restaurant. Clubbing is one of Howie's favorite pastimes and we were
all going while the parents went somewhere else. Howie seemed to be getting
on well with Danni, and they had hopelessly fallen for one another, it was in
the way they looked at each other. *
I was waiting for Kris to finish getting dressed for clubbing and I couldn't
stop myself from whistling as she came down the stairs, wearing tight black
pants and a white tube top. Over it she had on a long sleeve, sheer black top
that fastened in the front, and wore black platform sandals. Her hair was a
waterfall of curls, pulled back with butterfly clips, and some glitter on her
eyes. Around her neck was the heart pendant, the silver chain contrasting well
against her dark skin in the dim light.
"Do I look that good?" Kris asked, taking my hand at the bottom of the stairs. I slowly looked her up and down, over the tops of my sunglasses, her hand gripping mine.
"H*ll, yeah!" I replied, planting a kiss on her cheek. She laughed, a musical, happy sound.
"Thank you!" Kris looked me up and down the same way, and an unexpected shock ran through me.
"You look pretty hot yourself," she returned, a smile crossing her lips as I stared. Finally, she tugged my hand.
"Bone, stop drooling. We need to go!" she laughed, brushing my cheek with her lips once more.
"What?
Oh, yeah, okay!" *
*3d Person*
Kris rode over to the club with AJ, not wanting to start anything else with
Brian for the time being. When they got to a hot new club, one Howie D. had
been talking about for weeks, they were disappointed to find a huge line.
"All
well," Howie murmured, the smile almost wiped from his face. Kris took
one look at her friend's face and felt awful. After everything that had happened
lately, she owed it to him to get him into this club for his birthday, no matter
what. *
Kris peered over the heads of the bustling people in line and smile broke out
across her face. "C'mon Howie, I'm gonna get all of us in here," Kris
stated.
"What about the line-"
"I said, c'mon!" She grabbed AJ's hand and pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the glares and jealous looks from those nearby.
"What are you doing?" AJ asked quietly in her ear, incredulous. Even he didn't have the guts to face a crowd of club-hopping O-townies. It was a guaranteed way to get yourself hurt.
"Watch." The rest of her friends stared at Kris as she finally pushed up to the front of the line near the door and yelled over the pounding music, barely contained by the door, "Peewee! Yo, Peewee!" The tall, incredibly built man at the door snapped his head in her direction, his handsome face filled with surprise.
"Peewee!!" Kris yelled again, waving excitedly.
"Pyro, is that you?" the man called in a deep voice, a smile crossing his face. The Boys looked at each other in amazement.
"Peewee? That guy is a freaking Arnold Scwarzenaeger!" Nick exclaimed, glancing at Na. She shrugged non-commitally.
"Never
met him. Probably one of her buddies from-" she stopped suddenly, realizing
Brian was intently watching her. . *
"Pyro, I thought you'd ditched O-Town for good! It's great to see you!"
The man's arms seemed to swallow Kris as she hugged him tightly.
"Yeah, but I can't seem to get away from it. Do you suppose we can get in, Peewee? It's one of my best friend's birthdays, and when we heard about this hot new club-"
"Say no more, babe. You're in! Who are your buddies?" Kris grinned and waved the others over, who were cringing and pulling down their hats farther as the younger women in line started to make the connection as to who they were. Kris introduced them, even though he recognized them instantly.
"This," she said to the Boys, "is my partner in crime, and fellow dorm mate from college, Jimmy 'Peewee' Jastor." AJ was amused, Brian wasn't and the others were intimidated by the 6'7" man. AJ shook the man's hand firmly, looking up at him through his sunglasses with a grin on his face.
"Man, if you ever need a job. . holy sh*t! You'd be enough to scare even the most determined fan away. H*ll, you'd probably scare away our management!" Peewee chuckled and Kris pushed him towards the door, an amused look on her face.
"I'll
be in in a sec," Kris said, urging the others to follow him. *
"Since when do you hang out with celebs?" Peewee teased, checking
out her stylish outfit, "Whatever the reason, some of it must've rubbed
off on you! You look awesome, Kris." Kris sighed, a faintly ironic smile
crossing her lips.
"Since I started dating one of them, Peewee!" "Oh good, you got rid of that trash. . . " Kris smile faltered for a moment, though Peewee didn't seem to notice, and she was suddenly anxious to get inside and have some fun.
"Yeah, I did. I'll talk to ya soon, hon. Here's my cell number," she said, scribbling on a piece of loose paper and handing it to him.
"Call me one of these days, okay?"
"No
prob, see ya soon!" *
The club was awesome, and huge. Kris was about to give up looking for the others
among the tightly packed, sweating dancers, when a pair of tattooed, strong
arms wrapped around her from behind. The song was a fast one and she automatically
moved her body along with the one flowing with her from behind.
"D*mn, AJ, you've gotten better since the last time we danced," Kris yelled, turning to face him. "Not that you were ever bad," she teased, moving closer. The song 'Too Close' came on and they started grinding, barely enough room on the floor for them to breathe. They were both excellent dancers and Kris was enjoying herself thoroughly, completely forgetting about Brian and the rest of the world for that moment in time. Finally the song ended and 'Water Runs Dry' by Boyz II Men came on. Kris and AJ slowed and moved closer as the room darkened and people paired up to dance. AJ pulled Kris tight against his muscular body as she laid her head on his shoulder, grateful he was there. AJ sang along quietly in her ear and it was then Kris realized he wasn't the one she should be there with. She loved AJ and he was her best friend, but then there was Brian. . The song ended and Kris backed away, a smile on her face.
"I'm
gonna get a drink," she yelled in his ear, giving him a tight hug and a
kiss on the cheek. AJ thought about joining her, then shrugged and walked over
to their table, where Cora, Kevin and Brian were sitting. *
*Brian's POV*
I ignored Kevin and Cora and watched jealously as AJ and Kris danced. They looked
great together, I must admit, whether they knew it or not. I watched her approach
the bar and order a drink, her body more floating than walking across the floor.
God, she looked gorgeous tonight. I felt a jolt go through my body as a tall,
muscular guy approached Kris. I could see the surprise and recognition on her
face as she gave the guy a hug. *
*3d POV*
"D*mn, Na, Kris sure knows how to pick 'em!" Nick yelled in her ear.
"What?" Nick gave up and pointed. Nina caught sight of the man and almost passed out.
"Oh, my God," she muttered, a chill going through her body.
"Who is that?" Nick asked curiously, watching the man pull her towards a dark booth.
"That's trouble," Na replied, a tinge of fear in her voice. *
"Jason, how are you? I haven't seen you in ages!" Kris cried, taking a seat across from him in the small booth. In fact, the last time had been the night she'd left Josh, and met the love of her life. The man ran a large, tan hand through his blond curls, his eyes betraying his nervousness.
"I'm okay, Kris, doing good. Look, I have to tell you something, then I gotta bolt. Hot date," he grinned, indicating a thin, dark brunette with a pout on her face, watching them closely from the bar.
"Okay, then what's up, Jay?" Jason paused, then leaned across the table.
"I talked to Josh today." *
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