LOS ANGELES, CA – HOTEL – APR. 6th, 2002 – SATURDAY

     “Hey, Jacob!” Ashley called out when he saw Jacob down the hall.

     “Yes?” Jacob turned around.

     “Have you seen Dan or Erik?” Ashley asked.

     “Yes, they went out. Don’t ask me where, though.”

     “What about Trevor?”

     “Went with them. Why?” Jacob inquired.

     “Oh, nothing. I just needed to talk to them.” Ashley informed, turning around to leave.

     “Anything I can do for you?” Jacob asked. Ashley stopped walking.

     “Actually…” he turned around and faced Jacob “If you wouldn’t mind. I really need to talk to someone and it’s about Kirstin. So… do you mind?”

     “No, not at all. Come in, man.” Jacob opened the door to his room and motioned for Ashley to get in.

     “Thanks.” Ashley said as he sat on the bed.

     “No problem.” Jacob closed the door behind him “So, what’s wrong?” Jacob crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood in front of Ashley.

     “Well… I don’t know if you know, but I have this terrible jealousy problem. I do trust Kirstin, but I don’t trust any guy around her. Because, well… some things did happen when I trusted her with Tom while we were dating.” Ashley decided to open up to Jacob. Somehow, Ashley never thought of Jacob as the advice guy. But this was actually being easier than he thought it would be.

     “Alright… I see…” Jacob shook his head.

     “So… anyways… I just called her to let her know I got to L.A. and she was miniature golfing with his guy, Jared.”

     “Who’s Jared?”

     “Jared is this guy we both went to highschool with. We bumped into him yesterday.”

     “Why is Kirstin with him?” Jacob wanted to know all the facts.

     “Because they were good friends in highschool. Actually, Kirstin was only friends with me and Jared back then. But he tried to put the moves on Kirstin by kissing her and she stopped being friends with him.”

     “Then why is she with him now?”

     “Because she said she should give their friendship a second chance. She likes the guy, I think. As a friend, of course.”

     “Aham… I see…”

     “So, what do you think? Do you think it’s normal for me to be jealous about them miniature golfing? Because my mind already traveled to too many different places. I already pictured them swinging together before hitting the ball; I pictured them hugging all the time. It’s just… driving me insane.”

     “Ash, I totally understand what you mean.”

     “You do?” Ashley sounded a bit surprised.

     “Of course! Don’t you think I go crazy sometimes when I call Janie and she says she’s hanging out with a guy friend? Oh, man… At the beginning, we had so many arguments about it that it’s not even funny. But, with time, I learned to trust her around guys. It’s two different things to trust her and to trust her around guys. Because when you trust her around guys, you really have to be sure about her feelings for you. If she really, genuinely loves you, then there’s nothing to be worried about or to feel jealous about. Guys won’t do anything to her because they’ll clearly see that she won’t let anything happen.”

     “Really? That’s all? I just gotta be sure about her feelings for me and that will all go away? All this agony I’m feeling right about now?”

     “Yes, that’s all. Well, at least it was for me.” Ashley gazed down and played with his fingers “And, Ash?” Ashley looked up at his friend “I’m really sure Kirstin loves you.”

     “Well… I think so, too.” Ashley half-smiled but then frowned “How would you know? You don’t even talk to her.”

     “Well… I just feel it and see it, you know? It’s pretty obvious you two are in love with each other. Really in love with each other.” Jacob smiled at his friend.

     “Yeah… I really think we are. Oh, Jake, she’s so wonderful.”

     “I bet she is.” Jacob nodded.

     “She is the best. I love her so much.”

     “I can see that, Ash. And I can also see she loves you just as much. That’s why you shouldn’t worry about the Jareds that will come along. Just… be cool.”

     “Alright.” Ashley stood up “You’re right. I feel better already.”

     “Good! That’s what I like to hear.”

     “Thanks.” Ashley hugged Jacob “Really, thanks.”

     “No problem, bro.” when they pulled back, Ashley headed for the door “And if you ever need to talk again, just ask, alright?”

     “Thanks, Jake. You rock.”

     “You rock, too. Now get out.” Jacob joked and Ashley laughed before closing the door behind him.

 

REDDING, CA – THE ADDAMS’ HOUSE – APR.6th, 2002 – SATURDAY

     It was 8 p.m. when Kirstin stepped inside her house.

     “Hey, mom. Hey, dad” she greeted when she got into the living room and her parents were sitting on the couch, watching TV.

     “Oh, Kirstin. Are you hungry?” Kirstin nodded “Let me go grab some cookies I just baked for you.”

     “Thanks mom.”

     “Where have you been?” James Addams asked his daughter.

     “I was out with Jared O’Connell. Remember him, dad?” Kirstin sat in a chaise-longue next to the couch.

     “Jared O’Connell?” her father frowned.

     “Yes. From Harbor. We used to hang out sometimes.”

     “Oh, the one that had bangs?”

     “Yeah…” Kirstin giggled a bit. He did have bangs. ‘Jeez, how cheesy was that?’ Kirstin thought “Well, that’s who I was hanging with.”

     “Where did you meet him?” James asked again.

     “At Harbor. I went there yesterday. Didn’t mom tell you?”

     “Yes. But she didn’t tell me you met Jared O’Connell there.”

     “Well, it was no biggy, that’s probably why she didn’t tell you.”

     “Yes. How is he? I liked him, he was a good boy. Very polite.”

     “Yes, he’s very polite.” Kirstin emphasized the word very “He’s fine. He’s studying at U.S.C. and is an underwear model.”

     “An underwear model? O’Connell?”

     “Yeah…” Kirstin smiled. Everyone that knew Jared back in his highschool years would never believe he was now an underwear model.

     “Wow… Well, good for him.”

     “I think so, too.” Kirstin nodded.

     “Here, sweetie. I brought you a glass of milk, too.” Dawn Addams handed her daughter a plate with three cookies and a glass of cold milk.

     “Thanks, mom. I think I’ll take it upstairs. I’m really tired. I’ll just take a bath and go to bed, alright?”

     “Yes, ok, dear.” Dawn sat beside James again.

     “See you two tomorrow.”

     “Bye, honey.” her father said before she headed for the stairs.

 

REDDING, CA – THE ADDAMS’ HOUSE – APR.7th, 2002 – SUNDAY

     Kirstin woke up with her mother shaking her.

     “What?” Kirstin asked annoyed.

     “A call for you.” Kirstin opened her eyes and saw her mother holding the cordless phone. She took the phone from her mother’s hand and Dawn left the room, closing the door behind her.

     “Hello?” Kirstin answered annoyed.

     “Hi, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were sleeping. Your mother didn’t tell me you were sleeping, if she had told me, I wouldn’t have asked her to wake you up, I could have just waited for you to wake up and then…”

     “Jared?” Kirstin smiled, sitting up.

     “What?” Jared asked worried.

     “You’re babbling. Stop it.” Kirstin placed a lock of hair behind her ear.

     “Sorry. It’s just that I really didn’t want to wake you up and…”

     “Stop it, Jared!” Kirstin giggled “I’m already up, so talk to me.”

     “Ok, but I’m sorry.”

     “Jared!” Kirstin exclaimed.

     “Ok, ok.” Jared said and Kirstin grinned.

     “Why are you calling me this early?”

     “Oh, it’s early to you? Sorry, it’s just that I usually get up around 8, so…”

     “What time is it?” Kirstin looked down at her wrist and then remembered she had left her watch on the bathroom sink.

     “It’s 11:45.”

     “Well, it’s kinda early for me, but that’s alright. It’s just that I really like to sleep.”

     “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

     “Are you gonna start apologizing again?” Kirstin couldn’t keep the smile away from her face. Jared was so silly.

     “No. Sorry. Oh, darn, there it is again.”

     “Jared!” Kirstin exclaimed again, laughing even harder “Just say what it is that you want.”

     “Ok. It’s nothing that is important really.”

     “Yes?”

     “I just wanted to know if you’re free this afternoon.”

     “Hm… I don’t know. I just woke up, so I have no idea what I’m doing today. Why?”

     “Well, I was wondering if we could do something together, that’s all.”

     “What about Cindy? It’s Sunday; doesn’t she wanna be with you?”

     “Nah, she’s fine with it. We’re not really in that kind of relationship.”

     “Ok…” Kirstin frowned. What kind of relationship were they actually in?

     “Is that ok like… an ‘ok, we can do something together?’ or ‘ok if that’s your relationship with Cindy’?” Jared asked.

     “The first one.” Kirstin answered.

     “Good. Then what do you want to do?”

     “I don’t know. I’m terrible at this because I don’t know what there is to do in this town anymore.”

     “Well, ok. Then I can think of something else.”

     “Other than Miniature Golfing?” Kirstin joked.

     “Yes. Other than miniature golfing.” Jared chuckled.

     “Don’t even think regular golfing, because I suck at miniature golfing, can you imagine regular golfing?”

     “Nah, it’s not regular golfing.”

     “Good. Not even the Arcade?” Kirstin joked again. After they left the Miniature Golfing Club, Jared took her to the Arcade.     

     “Not the Arcade. It’s gonna be completely different from yesterday.”

     “I’m not so sure about that.”

     “Trust me, you’ll like it.”

     “Ok, I trust you then.”

     “So, what time do you wanna meet?” Jared asked her.

     “Don’t know. I don’t even know where we’re meeting.”

     “Oh, yeah. Well… do you want me to come pick you up?” Jared questioned and Kirstin frowned. Jared picking her up? That sounded too much like a date.

     “Nah, it’s fine. Just call me telling me where and when and I’ll meet you there.”

     “Fine. Then I’ll get back to you soon.”

     “Ok. Bye.”

     “Bye.” Jared said.

     Kirstin hung up the phone and stared at it for a while. She was really enjoying her time in Redding, even now that Ashley was gone. It was fun hanging around Jared. He was silly, but in an adorable kind of way. She just didn’t wanna give him the wrong impression again. She didn’t wanna have to hurt him by saying she didn’t want anything to do with him.

     “You’re crazy.” she said out load and shook her head “Let me get ready then.”