"Yeah, I guess. Are you going to be all right?" Brian questioned as he stood up and stretched.

Xanda looked up at him from where she sat on the couch and nodded her head. "I'll be fine." She murmured. Brian bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll call you." He tossed over his shoulder as he and Nick walked out the front door.

"You don't have my number!" She shouted back at him.

"I'll get it from Nick." He yelled back as Nick closed the door.

"Ugh!" Xanda groaned as she tossed her tired body backwards onto the couch.

***

"So? Can I tell AJ?" Nick teased as the guys drove to the park up the street.

"Huh?" Brian questioned.

"Can I tell AJ you're screwing his girl?" Nick asked again.

"What!? I am not screwing his girl. Wait, she's not EVEN his girl!" Brian defended. Nick laughed to himself as they drove down the suburban street. Trees shaded the car from the cool autumn sun as both guys argued in the car. "You're not telling him shit." Brian concluded after a moment of silence.

"All right, but can I be there when you tell him? $10 bucks says he won't think twice before decking you." Nick couldn't ask for a more amusing situation then Brian and Xanda hooking up. He wanted to be there when AJ found out. He honestly couldn't see AJ getting very upset but watching Brian sweat it out before telling him was what he wanted amused him.

"Can we just drop it?" Brian asked with a sigh. He was close to giving up on the entire situation. He wasn't sure if the night before was a mistake or not. He honestly could not say that he wasn't attracted to a beautiful vulnerable girl. What man wasn't? Just to comfort her and protect her just because he could made him feel good. He wasn't sure if he had been comforting Xanda or someone else. Thinking back to the year before and how much he literally hated her with ever bit of his soul bothered him. Going from hating someone to hopping into bed with them wasn't something he was accustom to doing. Hating someone wasn't something he did on an everyday basis's, either.

"Are we going to go play ball or sit in the car all day and contemplate the fact that you thought with your other head for once?" Nick complained. Brian stopped thinking and looked up with a smirk. "Your ass is grass, Frack."

***

Xanda laid back on the couch, kicking her legs over the side in a restless fashion. She had no clue what she wanted to do that day or if she wanted to do anything at all. She was about to go upstairs and take a long bubble bath when her phone rang.

"Yehhhllooo?" She joked into the phone.

"Wow, you sound different."

Xanda's heart sank for a moment. "Hey AJ." She greeted.

"Hi, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I remembered about yesterday and I feel bad about..."

"I'm fine, AJ. Brian was around to keep me company and we didn't kill each other, surprisingly." Xanda explained, biting her lip. She wasn't sure if AJ could hear the lie in her voice. She didn't want to lie to him but she wasn't sure exactly where she and Brian stood considering their past and the night before.

"Well, I'm glad. Anyway, it's November again and we're getting close to that time of year where we have our annual party with Jive and all and I was wondering if you'd want to go or not?" AJ hoped that Xanda wouldn't mistaken it for a date as he waited for an answer.

"I'm not sure, I'd have to check my schedule. Why, anyway? Do you want me to meet your new 'friend' by chance?" She teased, letting AJ know in her own way that she knew he wasn't asking her out.

"Maybe." He grinned.

"Well, if I go can I bring a date?" She bit her lip again waiting for his answer, hoping he hadn't heard about what had happened with Brian yet.

"Yeah, I guess. Who did you have in mind?"