CHAPTER 18: Just Hanging Out
"Awww. How cute." Greg laughed at what she said.
"Don't laugh at me Greg." Lori retorted.
"Yeah dude. Don't laugh at her." Matt said trying really hard not to laugh.
"I have to go ask my mom something. I'll be right back." she said getting up off the couch.
"Can I have a kiss?" Matt asked. "Before you go ask your mom a question." he added.
"Do you even have to ask?" she smiled at him and gave him a tiny, sweet kiss on the lips.
"You two make me sick." Greg said.
He kissed her back and then she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Mom, can I ask you something?" Lori asked as she sat down across from her mom at the kitchen table.
"Sure." Jackie replied.
"So, what's the question?" her mom asked when she didn't say anything.
"Can Matt....stay with me?" Lori asked hesitantly.
"You want him to sleep over?" Jackie asked.
"I really want to be with him." Lori said simply, knowing that the answer was probably going to be no.
"Well, it's OK with me if it's OK with your dad, but he will NOT be staying in your room." Jackie answered. "Isn't Matt staying in a hotel?"
"I think so...yeah." Lori replied.
"So, um, when are you gonna ask that cutie out?" Greg asked looking over at Matt who was now laying on the couch.
"I'm gonna ask her out at one of the gigs." Matt told him.
"She's still coming to New York, right?" Greg asked. "We could introduce her to the other guys."
"By other guys you mean Jesse, Frankie and Chris right?" Matt asked.
"Yeah. Obviously." Greg replied.
"And yeah, I think she's coming to New York with me. I hope she is anyway." Matt said. He stared up at the ceiling and got lost in thought.
"Hey, you took my spot." a sweet, angel-like voice said.
"Hey dude, your girlfriend's back." Greg told Matt.
Matt sat up and saw her sitting at the other end of the couch and said, "Come sit down here with me."
Lorr got closer to him and put her arms around him and buried her head in his chest and breathed him in, as she curled up into a little ball and closed her eyes. "You smell good." she said opening her eyes.
"Awww. Thanks." Matt smiled and laughed.
"Yeah. He borrowed my Nautica cologne because he ran out of his own." Greg told her.
"I love Adidas cologne." Lori said.
Matt glared at her and she said, "And Nautica cologne." She giggled.
"You should get Adidas cologne dude." Greg smirked.
"What'd you ask your mom?" Matt asked, ignoring Greg's smart ass remark.
"Hmm....I asked her if you could stay with me." she admitted.
"What's she say?" a curious, yet happy Matt asked.
"She said if it's OK with my dad.....and the only problem is....You...can't stay in my room." Lori said with a frown. "Which really defeats the whole purpose of you staying with me."
"Is it OK with your dad?" he asked.
"He said the same thing my mom said. You can't stay with me in my room." she frowned. "I really can't wait till I turn 18. I'm gonna move out. I'll be able to do whatever the hell I want...with whoever the hell I want."
"Lori." a woman's voice said.
Lori looked away from Matt and turned to see her mom standing in the doorway. "Yeah mom?" she asked.
"We changed our minds. Matt can stay with you in your room, but....he has to..." Jackie's voice trailed off.
"He's not sleeping on the floor." Lori stated.
"Your brother's sleeping over a friend's house. Your dad just dropped him off. And we were going to suggest that he can sleep on your brother's mattress that your dad is bringing down to your room." Jackie told her.
"Thanks Jackie." Matt said looking at Lori's mom.
Jackie smiled at him and said, "You're welcome Matt."
"What about Greg?" Greg asked. "I'll sleep in a sleeping bag." he added.
Lori laughed and said, "You would." Then she asked, "So, is it OK if Greg stays too?"
"I want you three behaving." Jackie warned before she left the living room.
"Your mom is cool." Greg laughed.
"What does she mean I want you three behaving?" Matt asked looking over at Lori, who was staring off into space.
"She wants us to behave and not cause a bunch of noise." Lori told him.
"OoOoOh. OK." Matt said. He took her hand and said, "Come on."
"Where are we going?" she asked glancing over at him.
"Do you have a computer?" Matt asked out of curiosity.
"Of course I do. I talked to that stupid dumbass Chris poser on it." Lori told him, trying hard not to laugh. "God...I was so stupid."
"You're not stupid. You're just....unique." Matt laughed and said, "Yeah. He was a stupid dumbass."
"He was really convincing though. Oh yeah. He said that he puts it to the left." Lori burst out laughing and then stopped when she saw the way Greg was looking at her.
"Who? The Chris poser said that Chris puts it to the left?" Matt looked at her.
"Yeah. He only told me 'cuz I was obsessed with Chris and if I wanted to know....well..umm....yeah." Lori stopped.
"You still obsessed with him?" Matt asked eyeing her.
"No way. I have....I don't like him that way."
"So, who are you obsessed with baby?"
"You'll find out sooner or later." She said.
"I better or..." his voice trailed off.
"Or what?" She eyed him up and down.
"Or...I'll....you'll be in trouble."
"Oooh. I'm so scared." She rolled her eyes at him. "You are such a loser."
"And you're mean." He retorted. "Just kidding."
"You better be or you'll....get punished." She smirked.
"You guys are losers." Greg laughed at them.
"I know I'm a loser. You don't need to tell me Greg." Lori stuck her tongue out at him.
"Come on Lorr. I wanna show you something." Matt said. He pulled her up off the couch and went into the next room.
Chapter 19