CHAPTER 5: "THE PLAN"
"You OK Lorr?" Jessica asked as she opened the door to the guest room.
"I can't believe I was that stupid. I don't understand why I did what I did. Matt probably thinks I'm a loser." Lori whined.
"He doesn't think you're a loser. He just wants to know why you're playing it off." Jessica assured her.
"So now everybody knows? No wonder I don't tell anybody anything. Nobody can keep a fuckin secret!" she cried.
"Is she OK Jessie?" Matt asked standing in the doorway.
"Like you give a shit." Lori muttered.
"Um....ask her yourself. I got to go make sure the guys aren't destroying my aunt's living room." Jessica said before she got up and left the room.
"OK." Matt said. He moved out of the way so she could get out and then looked at Lori, who was glaring at him.
"Leave me alone." she said. "I don't want you near me. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you in my room. I don't want you here so just leave."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I'm having MAJOR trust issues with some people." she said dryly.
"Some people? Like who?"
"YOU!" she shouted at him. "You can't keep your fuckin' mouth shut!"
"WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" he shouted back.
"YOU TOLD YOUR FUCKIN' FRIENDS THAT I LOOKED AT YOU LIKE I LOVED YOU! DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY NEEDED TO KNOW THAT?" she yelled. "And no, I'm not saying that it's true so wipe that fuckin' smirk off your face."
"You know....you're kinda sexy when you get angry like that." He said grinning.
"You're an asshole."
"Thanks babe. I love you too." he said dryly.
"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" she shouted at him.
"You jump, I jump, remember?" Matt asked mocking a line from the Titanic.
"Yeah...rrrright." she rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Do you ever smile?" he asked sitting down next to her.
"I'm not talking to you Matt so leave me the hell alone." she said sounding very annoyed. She pushed him off the bed and said, "Don't ever sit on my bed ever again."
"Owww!"
"That's what you get for telling your friends that...and for annoying the shit out of me."
"I'm determined to find the sweet, sensitive caring side of you 'cuz I know this tough girl thing is only an act." Matt said in a serious tone of voice.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I dunno. I'm trying to think of a plan." he admitted.
"Good luck 'cuz I know you won't be able to find the sweet, sensitive caring side of me."
"I can. I know I can."
"Whatever you say sunshine." she said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.
"I'll be right back." he said before he got up and fled out of the room.
"Oh goody." she muttered under her breath.
"So tomorrow we're going to Times Square just to hang out?" Frankie was asking his friends.
"That's the plan." Jessica said.
Jessica looked away from the guys when she noticed Matt standing in the doorway of the living room. He came in and sat down on the couch, looking frustrated.
"What's wrong Matt?" she asked worriedly.
"She's driving me crazy." he said point blank. "She's so hard to understand."
"Don't give up on her." Jessica told him. "She's just....you know....she's playing a game....her rules."
"And what kind of game is that? Push Matt Away?" he asked dryly.
"Give her a chance, Matt. She'll warm up to you in no time. Go talk to her." Jessica encouraged.
"Can we sleepover Jessica?"
"Would it be OK with all of your parents?"
"Yeah. I think it would be OK."
"That's a good idea. We can all sleep in the den then Matt can sneak up into Lorr's room and cuddle with her, fall asleep and then he'll wake up to her screaming the next morning 'cuz he was holding her." Jesse laughed.
"Not a bad idea." Matt said half-heartedly.
"Except don't tell her that we're staying over for the night. She'll be surprised tomorrow."
"I hope I don't wake up to her screaming."
"By tommorrow everything will be back to normal....and Lori might actually warm up to you if you sneak into her room and well you know...." Frankie's voice trailed off.
"Hold her?" Matt guessed.
"Yeah."
"I think she's trying to push you away. Maybe she just got out of a bad relationship or something."
"She didn't just get out of a bad relationship." Jessica said simply.
"Has she ever had a boyfriend?"
"Ask her yourself."
"So she can shove me off the bed again? No thanks."
"She shoved you off the bed?" Jesse burst out laughing.
"Yeah....she did," Matt said, "and it isn't very funny."
"Sure it is." Lori said walking into the living room. She sat down next to Jesse, who high-fived her.