Break-up Games
Story by Daisy

~~*Chapter Eight*~~

          “Oh, Nick! Did you see him! He’s about to crack you know that? He’s about to crack!” I was laying on my back on the couch, my feet propped up in Nick’s lap. We had come home to my house after dinner and I had poured us some Coke.

          “I have to admit, I was pretty good!” Nick smiled and took a sip of his coke. “What happened when you went to the bathroom? Brian left just after you did.”

          “Oh that.” I closed my eyes, remembering every second of it. “He told me he loved me and asked why I was with you. That sort of thing.” I decided not to elaborate and keep the memories for myself.

          “Well, then. I don’t think you need me anymore.” I felt the bottom of his cold glass resting on my ankle.

          “What? Of course I need you!”

          “For what?”

          “Well, the deal’s not sealed yet. He still hasn’t broken up with Chelsea yet. And until then, we need to turn up the heat a few notches.” His eyes were gazing steadily into mine. I took a drink from my straw, just so I could break the stare. I closed my eyes and thought about again about when Brian would crack and be mine. Just having my eyes closed made me feel sleepy. I forgot about everything and gave into the sleep. Somewhere between asleep and awake, I could feel Nick’s hands pick up my feet and I felt the couch move as he got off. He took the coke from my hand and I heard it click softly as he placed it on the coffee table. I could feel his hands at my feet, gently unstrapping the sandals and placing them on the floor. Just as I feel completely into the world of sleep, I felt him pull a blanket over me and kiss me softly on the forehead.

          “Goodnight.” He whispered.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

          I never heard the door close but when I woke up a few hours later, he was gone. I checked the clock- eight thirty. I groaned as I got up from the couch, realizing that I was still in my black dress and hoes. I was walking groggily to my room when the phone rang.

          “Hello?” My voice was hoarse from having just woken up.

          “Ash! Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you forever!”

          “Darcy! I’ve been with Nick, sorry.” I walked into my bedroom and slipped out of my dress.

          “Nick? The same Nick that you called cute but cocky?”

          “Yeah, but he’s not so bad now.” I slipped into some flannel pants and a tank top.

          “Okay, anyway would you like to go to the mall? School starts in a few days and we need to get some cute clothes for college. Come on, Ash, please go.” I had completely forgotten about college. It would be our first year away at college but at least Darcy and I would be going together.

          “Oh, definitely! I’ll be ready in an hour.”

          “Okay.” We exchanged good-byes, then hung up. As soon as I did, the phone rang again.

          “Hello?” I said, this time more awake.

          “Morning beautiful.”

          “Hey, Nick.” I grabbed a towel from the linen closet and then headed to the bathroom. “I can’t talk right now, I’m about to get in the shower.”

          “Naked yet?”

          “Nick!” I had already taken my shirt off and, even though he was just on the phone, I threw my free arm across my chest.

          He laughed. “I’m just kidding. What I’m really calling for is for a date.”

          “Nick, don’t let this whole charade go to your head. We’re not really going out.” I pulled off my pants and took down my hair. I sat down on the toilet and waited for Nick to let me off the phone.

          “But to the guys we are. Listen, AJ’s having another party tonight, and this one’s gonna be pretty damn big. Wanna go?”

          “Is Brian gonna be there?”

          “And Chelsea.”

          “Excellent.” I sounded like Mr. Burns from the Simpson’s. “I’ll be there. What time?”

          “I’ll pick you up at six, but don’t expect to be home until around two. And you can take some friends if you want to.”

          “Okay, see you then.”

          “Are you naked yet?” He asked. I laughed, then hung up the phone. I planned out the whole day while I showered. Hopefully the day would go as planned.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

          “That sounds awesome! Are you sure I can come?” Darcy asked while we were at the mall later.

          “Sure! Nick told me I could invite some friends. Besides, I’m pretty sure that he’s not gonna know half the people there anyways.” I rifled through the clothes racks at Dillard’s.

          “Well, then. We need to go get some party clothes!” Darcy and I laughed as we walked out of the Dillard’s and into Contempo. We spent about an hour in there until we finally found the perfect outfits.

          “Ashley, that’s it. That’s the one.” Darcy nodded approvingly at the outfit I was wearing.

          “You’ve got to get that one.” I nodded right back at her. We giggled, changed hurriedly, and bought the clothes.

          “You know, Ash, the whole time we’ve been here, all you’ve talked about is Nick and how he’s so great. You haven’t said a word about Brian.” We were sitting in the food court eating some ice cream.

          “Well, Brian’s wonderful! He’s smart and funny and sweet…and he’s almost mine.”

          Darcy nearly choked on her ice cream. “What?”

          “Well, Nick’s been helping me. You see, I’m still in love with Brian and he’s still in love with me. Nick’s been playing the role of my boyfriend. You should see the looks on Brian’s face when he sees us together. He’s about to crack and break up with Chelsea!”

          “Chelsea?” I had forgotten how much my best friend had missed.

          “She’s Brian’s girlfriend of, like, fifty years or something.”

          “He never told you he had a girlfriend!” Darcy was mad at Brian for causing me the hurt that she knew had happened.

          “I know. Anyways, he now thinks that me and Nick are a couple so Nick’s been playing along with it.”

          “How come he thinks you’re going out?”

          “I told him?” I said meekly.

          “Ashley, you’re so crazy!” I could tell Darcy was a little disappointed, but her smile told me that she would have done the same thing. “So let’s go get ready for the party that’s supposedly making you and Brian destined to be together.” I smiled and we drove back to my house.

          In all of the years that we had been best friends, I had never seen Darcy look so beautiful. Her shoulder length light brown hair was gorgeous. She had twisted the hairs around her forehead into to some beautiful creation, leaving the rest of it to bob gently just below her chin. The outfit that she had gotten truly was perfect. It was a short black leather mini skirt and a tight fitting shirt that tied around her neck and her back. It was a perfect summer look, yet sleek in its own right.

          “Darcy, you look so pretty!”

          “So do you, Ash!” We hugged each other tightly. This is what best friends were for, getting dressed for the big party together and having “girl-bonding” time.

          I checked my reflection in the mirror. Darcy had done a different twisting style to the hairs around my forehead and I slightly curled the rest of it. I was wearing a tight red dress with no back. It, like Darcy’s, tied around my neck. The neckline was dangerously low, but I was able to pull it off using some tape. The dress fit my body like a layer of skin and accentuated the model-worthy body that I had worked so hard for. When the doorbell rang, Darcy and I both quickly added an extra layer of lipstick and made sure that everything was perfect. We rushed to the door and I flung it open, revealing Nick in his own awesome outfit.

          “You look great!” I exclaimed. It was a genuine complement; he really did look great.

          “Who’s this?” Nick’s voice took on a hint of flirting and I inhaled sharply.

          “This is my best friend Darcy. Darcy this is Nick. Ok, now are we ready to go?” I grabbed Nick’s arm and he led me to car. Darcy followed and got into the backseat.

          “Ashley, you never told me how cute he is in person!” Darcy whispered when we had gotten to the party. “You told me how great he was but you never said how cute he really is!”

          “Well, he is sorta cute.” My eyes roamed the room, finally stopping when I reached Brian. “There he is.” I slid my arm through Darcy’s and directed her attention towards Brian. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”

          “Yeah, he’s okay.”

          “Okay? He’s more than okay!” I watched as he moshed to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. I had planned how this night should work and I was making my move when I was intercepted by Chelsea.

          “Ashley! You look great! And you brought a friend!” She turned towards Darcy. “I’m Chelsea!”

          “Darcy!” Darcy and Chelsea shook hands. I looked at Chelsea. I never realized that she could look so sleek. Sure she could be cute, but this was the first time I noticed that she could pull off a sexy outfit. I smiled at her and pretended to be listening to her talk about how to make seven layer dip. I searched the room for Nick. I found him standing by the dip, eating chip after chip. The song changed from fast to slow. That was my cue.

          “I’ve gotta find Nick! Will you excuse me?” I asked Chelsea, walking away before she could answer. I grabbed Nick by the arm.

          “Hey, sexy.” He said through a mouthful of food. I took the chip from his hand and threw it back on the table. “Hey, I was gonna eat that.”

          “Not right now. Listen. It’s a slow song. We’re gonna dance.” I led him out to the middle of the dance floor. He slid his arms around my back, his big hands holding the small of my back. I reached up and wrapped my hands around his neck. I gazed into his eyes for a few moments. He pulled me closer and I laid my head against his thick chest. I scanned the room and saw Brian and Chelsea dancing not too far away. I waited for it. Brian’s eyes met mine for only an instant. I looked back up at Nick and put my hands on each side of his neck, pulling him closer to me slowly.

          “Just trust me.” I whispered, just before our lips met. Nick’s lips were soft, pressing gently into mine. His hands were caressing my back and my hands went down to his chest. One hand was massaging his biceps and the other was resting on his chest. I could have kissed him forever, but I felt a rough hand pull me away from his body and throw me back.

          “What’s your fucking problem, Carter?” Brian had stepped between us and I watched helplessly.

          “Just kissing my girlfriend.”

          “Fuck you.” Brian’s voice was raspy and low. I watched as his fist connected with Nick’s jaw.

          “Nick!” I screamed.

          “Brian!” Chelsea screamed at the same time.

          “Nick, are you alright?” I was frantic. I knelt down beside him and placed my hand under his head and supported it. Blood was running out of his mouth and down his chin. I was afraid that the punch had ruined his beautiful smile.

          “Ashley?” The sound of his voice told me that he was out of it.

          “Nick, I’m right here.” He reached up and touched my arm. I stared into his eyes. His face blurred because of my tears. “Nick, I’m so sorry.” I whispered.

          “Here, use this to wipe up his mouth.” AJ handed me a towel and I dabbed at Nick’s mouth. He jerked his head away from my hand and grabbed my wrist.

          “That hurts. Just let it dry.” I nodded, swallowing over the lump that was lodged in my throat. He closed his eyes.

          “Nick!” I shook him and he looked at me. “Don’t fall asleep.”

          “Ashley, let’s go.” I turned around. Brian had his hand outstretched to me. “We’re gonna leave.”

          “Brian, what’s going on?” Chelsea’s voice revealed the tears streaming down her cheeks.

          I looked into Brian’s eyes. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I turned to look at Nick. He didn’t look like he was ready to stand up yet. My head swiveled towards Chelsea who was being comforted by some friends. I turned to look at Darcy. Her eyes were telling me, “Don’t leave this party with Brian”, but her lips mouthed, “Just go.” I looked back at Nick. He nodded at me slowly. I moved my hands out from underneath his head and placed the towel there instead. I walked to Brian and placed my hand in his, my eyes never leaving Nick’s gaze. I followed him out the door and into his car.

          Brian leaned his head back in the seat and rubbed his eyes. I sat rigidly in the passenger seat next to him. Thoughts of the past few minutes swirled in my mind. Nick and me dancing, our kiss, the punch, and his eyes staring into mine, the hurt evident. Dance, kiss, punch, eyes…eyes.

          “Brian, I can’t go with you.” I said suddenly. I grabbed the handle to the door. I opened it up and stepped out. “I’m sorry.” I crossed my arms across my chest and walked back to the doorstep. I waited until I heard the sound of Brian’s car motor disappeared around the corner. I took a deep breath and reentered the party scene. The music had continued and the dancing pursued. I wandered around, lost until someone grabbed my shoulders and pointed me in the direction of a bedroom door. I walked over slowly. I grabbed the handle and turned. Nick was laying down in a bed, Darcy leaning over him. She was touching his face with so much tenderness…

          “Darcy!” My voice was shrill. What was coming over me? I shook my head and continued, “What are you doing?”

          “I was cleaning up Nick’s mouth and…”

          “I don’t care.” The doorknob was still in my hand. I backed out of the room and slammed the door. I again walked out of the party and into the slight chill of summer. I turned in the direction from which I had arrived and began the long walk home.

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