"Don't do it! Don't do it! Don't do it! No! Wrong! So wrong!" Oriana shouted with frustration as she hurriedly tapped on the various buttons to her Playstation 2 Controller. Her blue-green eyes were fixed heavily upon the big screen TV in the downstairs lounge area, struggling to attack that various monsters popping up through her video game. She fidgeted between Howie and Alex as if she were physically fighting the anomalies herself. Howie and Alex exchanged bemused expressions, watching her fight to move her character through the hordes of bloody masses that struck detrimental blows to her life force.
Her birthday party had ended about an hour ago, everyone filtering out but Howie, Nick, and Alex. Brian and Teagan had returned just a few short minutes ago and were perched on the opposite couch, kissing comfortably. They didn’t really seem to notice anyone else within the room. Yet, Oriana didn't seem to care as she kept her gaze upon the TV, noticing a large beast covered in leeches attack her player with several excited slurps. The player immediately fell to the ground, the T-Virus speeding through the player's system. Oriana screeched in disbelief, launching herself from the couch, "Damnit! No!” She hurriedly punched the buttons to make her player rise, but the player only slowly crawled upon the floor, bleeding excessively. Oriana seemed overly outraged as the leech-man attacked her again. She started to holler at her player’s dying form, “Go bitch! Go! C'mon! Go bitch! Go!"
"No one was kidding when they said you loved video games," Alex ducked away from Oriana's arm as she tried to get her player back up and away from the leech monster.
"STEP BACK UP OFF ME OR I'LL HIT YOU SO HARD THAT YOUR LITTLE LEECHES WILL GO FLYING IN THE AIR, SPLATTER ON THE WALL, AND THEIR BABIES WILL WAKE UP WITH HEADACHES!" Oriana threatened, knowing she was within the loosing end of the battle. She moaned pitifully, struggling to get her player to her feet.
"Oh, Lord," Nick laughed, Oriana's features were purely hysterical. Her small button nose was wrinkled with concentration as she bit down on her bottom lip from the adrenaline. She kept a hunched position, tapping furiously upon the buttons. She then bounced up and down on her heels, knowing she was dying.
"Damnit!" Oriana whimpered as the screen flashed with 'You Died,' terminating her game. She looked absolutely pitiful as she collapsed back onto the couch between Howie and Alex, slumping down upon the cushions. "Damn freaking blood sucking leech jerk-off."
“Ry, it's just a video game," Alex laughed, patting Oriana's shoulder. "You'll beat the leech thing sooner or later."
“Damn freaking blood sucking leech jerk-off,” she repeated.
“Ry—”
"I need a bath with my duckie," she sulked with a firm pout.
"Your duckie?" Nick asked in confusion.
"My rubber duckie..." Oriana trailed, knitting her blonde brows in confusion. She stood up to smooth her baggy sweatpants against her lean hips. As if her rubber duck needed an explanation. "Gabby and Moms bought it for me when I was born and I’ve kept it ever since. Never take a tubby without it."
"That's why my nickname for her is Duckie," Teagan spoke up with a grin. "My little Duckie!"
"She hasn't called me that in ages," Oriana countered, glancing back to her best friend. She resisted the urge to frown at her cozy position with Brian, immediately feeling prickles race up her own spine from Brian's nasty glare. She swallowed hard before offering Alex the controller. "Knock yourself out."
"What do I do when the leech thing comes out?" Alex asked, taking the controller.
"Run like Hell?"
Alex studied her for a moment, and then nodded. "Sounds like a good plan."
"Deal," Oriana answered, reaching to yank away the hair tie from her damp curls. They immediately fell in long ringlets down her bare back, glistening within the lighting. She then moved to get past Howie, accidentally catching her foot against his leg. She yelped in shock, almost falling in his lap.
"Watch your step, don't need you getting hurt," Howie replied gently, helping her stay on her feet.
"Yeah, I think the team would kick my ass," Oriana breathed softly as Howie caught her hips to steady her. She felt tiny brushes of fire burn down her system as her breath caught. She quickly tucked her loose curls behind her ears. "Sorry."
"It's alright," he gave a smile. "Have a good bath."
"I'm kind of ditching you... aren't I?" she drawled with a faint blush, noting that Howie kept his hands firmly placed upon her hips. She realized they still had to talk about what happened downstairs. She was almost too caught up with her mother’s wedding plans to realize the she might be developing a relationship of her own.
"Nah, you're not. We've got all night, no worries."
"Give me an hour for my tubby and meet me in my room?" she guessed with a soft smile.
"Deal," he replied, smiling back.
"Don't need a map to the room, right?"
"Nope, I remember. It's all up here," he tapped the side of his head.
"Good," she decided, pulling herself away from his grasp on her hips. She hesitated for yet another moment, shyly leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Thanks for my presents, again."
"You're very welcome and happy birthday again."
"Thanks..." she replied shyly, causing another firm blush to set to her cheeks. She coyly withdrew, noticing a firm smirk settled on her brother's face. She bit down on her bottom lip, gathering her bearings. She then pulled away to slip passed Teagan and Brian, causing Teagan to jump with remembrance.
"I want to get a shower, too!" Teagan demanded with a smirk, pressing a kiss to Brian's neck as he hatefully stuck out his foot. Oriana lurched forward from the sharp stumble, but Teagan didn't seem to pay attention. She was too much in love with Brian. "What room are you in?"
"First one in the hallway on the left..." Brian trailed, trying not to smirk as Oriana rubbed her sore shin from his hateful act. He focused back on his girlfriend, offering her a steaming kiss. "Why? You joining me in my bed so I have a guardian angel sleeping next to me?"
"Maybe... you'll just have to go up to your room and wait," Teagan wiggled her eyebrows with a smile, kissing him once more. "See you soon, Baby."
"Love you," he cooed.
"Love you too," she blushed before heading upstairs.
Brian waited till he heard the girls debating about which would use what shower before getting up. He moved to sit on the couch beside Howie, noticing the wistful glaze in his eyes. Brian frowned, settling down to see his brother finally die through the game. Brian’s mood shifted dramatically and without cause, feeling the need to quickly set things straight with Howie about concerns with Oriana. No friend of his would be caught dead with such a low-life wench. He could also see the glitter in Oriana's eyes when she gazed upon Howie, so he had to pop that little bubble to torture her further. Paybacks were a bitch in his mind. "So, how's it going, D?"
"It's fine..." Howie trailed off with a raised eyebrow. Brian had gotten really bitter since his father began to date Oriana's mother and had become even more unpredictable than before with his temper.
"Good times with Oriana?"
"Yeah—"
"No thanks to you," Alex grumbled, tossing the controller aside. He had watched his brother trip Oriana before she managed to climb up the stairs.
"What was that, bro?" Brian turned to Alex.
"I said you gave Howie a real advantage to getting Oriana's heart with your asshole appearance. Went down to check on her to make sure she was okay and basically slid into home plate. You're such a good friend," Alex quipped sarcastically.
"Me? Let Howie get into that dirty wench's heart?" Brian scoffed at his younger brother. "Far from it, Alex! I need to make sure my friend stays away from her. If they end up fooling around, he'll get all the diseases she contracted from fucking all the guys at Tartan."
“Uh...oh..." Nick trailed, noticing the heat starting to flicker through Brian's eyes as Howie clenched his fists. Nick immediately tensed, slipping off the couch. No way would he enter this battle.
"J, go get drinks with Nick," Howie quickly ordered.
"Wait—"
"Now," Brian agreed with a dark glare.
"But—"
"Go," Howie repeated, obviously leaving no room for discussion. So, Alex left the room, dragging Nick along with him. Howie waited until they were gone to round on Brian. "Dude, what the fuck is your problem?! You don't even know Oriana and you have no right to judge her!"
"I know Oriana more than you fucking know Oriana," Brian spat, leaning back against the couch. "So, what's the fucking deal with her, D? Why are you so fucking interested in the first place? If you need a good screw, we'll take you down to the strip to find a girl considerably better with less chance of disease."
"You need to shut your fucking mouth right now, Richardson. You don't even go to our fucking school, there's no way in Hell you know more about her than I do and those rumors you idiotic William's Wimps hear aren't true!"
"We obviously were good enough for you back in sophomore year when you picked up Christina," Brian declared, clicking his tongue. "Is that what you're looking for? Another Christina? I thought you would have learned by now, Dumbass. If you want another Christina, just go back to her. She's more than willing. Because, I guarantee that's what this little whore will do to you. Seduce you, then turn around to bang another man. Why else would she be on the football team? Goes at a huge orgy with them just to stay on the team. And she'll give you a bigger scar than the one above your eye, too, D."
"Christina is a part of my past that is dead. It's not mine or Oriana's fault that your dad doesn't give to your every whim anymore. Obviously he's found someone to love and doesn't need to hear your pathetic whining all the time. Now if you don't shut up and stop saying shit about Oriana, I'll fucking make you!"
"I'll say anything I want about the damn bitch. And who are you to fucking tell me differently?" Brian scowled, immediately reaching out to snatch the front of Howie's shirt. He jerked the older boy forward with great strength, hissing wildly, "And I'm going to make this pure and simple. Stay the fuck away from the wench, okay? She's not worth your breath and she's going to get what's coming to her. She's a pathetic little whore that prays on boys for her own sexual pleasures. And you're not going to have anything to do with her or I'll make your life a living Hell, do you hear me?"
"Get the fuck off of me!" Howie pushed against Brian. "What I do is none of your damn business and you can't tell me who I date!"
"No, but I can tell her who the fuck to date. And it sure as Hell isn't going to be you," Brian growled, keeping his clenched tightly against Howie's shirt. "So, don't fucking tempt me, Howie. Do you hear me? I will make your life living Hell right along with hers! I have no problem beating the shit out of her to get the point across. I swear to God you two will never be together. I'll scare the shit out of her to the point where she'll never even look at you again. So, just fucking part ways, and call it even, okay?"
"YOU CAN'T TELL US WHAT TO DO! NOW LET ME GO!" Howie fetched a kick to Brian's gut.
Brian wheezed as he fell backward, immediately bringing a hand to his stomach. Howie struggled to climb off the couch, but Brian's hate was far to thick. He launched himself against Howie, slamming the boys' weight hard against the corner of the couch, crunching Howie's back with a terrible agony. "Don't fucking tempt me, Howie! Do you hear me? I'll kill her and make it look like an accident! Just back the fuck off! I swear!"
"You're not going to fucking touch her! I'll call the cops so fast that you won't know what fucking hit her, you fucking psycho!" Howie shouted, his back flaring with pain. "I'll tell Teagan everything you said and then where would you be?! Back to using good old Right Hand before you know it!"
"Teagan wouldn't fucking believe you if the sky fell down," Brian laughed with amusement, slamming Howie's back against the corner yet again. "The sun rises and sets in my eyes to her. She loves me and won't believe a fucking thing you say. So, don't even try it. Just, back the fuck off, tell the Monster she's white trash, and go back to your little Christina!"
"FUCK YOU!" Howie growled, spitting in Brian's face.
Brian coughed in sheer disgust. He reached to pummel his fist deep into Howie's face, but heard the opening off the door. He glared hard upon the older boy, slamming his back once more against the arm of the couch, causing him to flip backward. Brian then sat on the couch, wiping the spit away from his face as he spoke in a harsh growl, "Fucking bastard. I'll kill her, I swear to God. Don't fucking mess with me, Howie."
"You're not going to fucking touch her, Richardson. You'll pay so much you won't know what hit you," Howie threatened right back, trying not to wheeze from the pain.
"Who will I pay from? You? I freaking loser who can't even tell when a girl's fucking him behind his back?"
"At least I'm not a dickless bastard who needs to feel like a man by threatening a woman," Howie hissed, trying to get to his feet.
"Get the fuck away from me before you end up seeing the slut of your life in a little black coffin," Brian threatened, hearing the two boys come pounding down the stairs, obviously making more noise than usual.
"Just remember, fucknuts. If she has one misplaced bruise anywhere, I'm getting the cops on your sick ass," Howie snarled as he struggled to stand.
"Oh please, she's getting tackled by dozens of men each day. Like you're going to be able to tell where I put a bruise and where one just happens to fall in place from another cock-bang," Brian laughed, infuriating Howie's pain further.
"What the Hell are you doing rooting through my gifts, Goofball?" Oriana teased as she slipped out of her bathroom, only to find her best friend almost swimming within a sea of her birthday gifts. Oriana rolled her eyes as Teagan glanced up with an innocent pout, before diving deeper. She seemed to be on a search for something particular, so Oriana didn't bother her. Instead, she crossed the bedroom to pull off the towel from her glistening curls, immediately rubbing them to free the excess water. She then stood up to pull on her tight wife-beater and baggy boxer shorts, hoping they were appropriate enough for Howie to see when he came to visit.
"Aha! Found it!" Teagan cried out in triumph before clamping a hand over her mouth.
“Found what?" Oriana asked with interest, flipping on her Meatloaf CD before hopping onto her bed. She peered over the side to see what Teagan was so anxious to retrieve.
"Nothing!" Teagan yelped, falling off the edge of the bed with the item in hand.
"HEY!" Oriana groaned, trying to catch Teagan, but it was too late. Teagan toppled heavily into a pile of clothing that Cassandra and Marie had purchased for her.
"Missed me!" Teagan cried out, scrambling to her feet. She grinned and ran for the door.
"What are you doing? And what the Hell is in your hands?!" Oriana grunted, scrambling off the bed.
"Nothing!" Teagan repeated, running down the hallway.
"Bullshit!" Oriana groaned, rushing forward to hop out her room. She noticed Teagan lagging as she struggled to kick off her pink fuzzy slippers, showing her downside. Oriana rushed toward her older friend and tackled her with a tight bear hug. Teagan squealed as Oriana picked her up and carried her back into the room with great ease. She plopped her friend down on the bed and shut her bedroom door. "What's in your hands, Teagan Gabrielle?"
"Umm... Makeup?" Teagan tried, hiding what she had behind her back with an innocent smile.
"I don't have makeup and no one in their right mind would buy me makeup for my birthday. Now, what the Hell is behind your back? You better tell me or face the tickle torture."
"I don't have anything!"
"Teagan!" Oriana groaned yet again, tackling her friend to seize the object behind her back.
"Yikes!"
"Teagan, what the Hell are you doing with this?"
"I was curious?" Teagan replied with a simple shrug as Oriana took the book from her hands.
"You were stealing, you little rat-fink," Oriana snarled playfully, pushing on her friend's forehead to knock her back onto the bed. Then, Oriana carefully cradled the book against her chest like a precious artifact. She then curled herself amongst the pillows layering the head of her bed, just staring at the beautiful hardback, leather binding. Inside laid such a precious gift and Oriana didn't know whether she dared to ruin it.
"How can I not be curious about it? That book's from Howie, I wanted to know what his inscription was!" Teagan defended herself, sitting up on the bed. She touched her hair and sighed happily to know it wasn't messed up.
"And you were going to read it by yourself before I even had a chance to read it? That's low, Gabby. Really, really low..." Oriana scorned.
"Hey now, don't go too low. I'm not scum or something," Teagan replied with a frown.
"I just gave it two really's," Oriana answered with a soft smile, proving that she wasn't too upset.
"Good, then let me read it to you and kill two birds with one stone!" Teagan chirped with acceptance, reaching over to pluck the book from Oriana's hands.
"Hey!"
"What?"
"Who said you could read it? Maybe I want to read it silently and give you the play-by-play?"
"But why can't I read it?"
"Because---"
"Too late!" Teagan giggled, immediately flipping over to the first page. Oriana went to snatch it away, but halted when Teagan immediately started cooing. She settled back amongst the pillows, letting Teagan read the inscription aloud. "Dearest Oriana, I hope that you enjoyed getting this book for your birthday. And, I know you're dying to read this inscription and I know I was going to tell you to wait until later. So, you're waiting for some deep, proverbial thoughts to flow upon these pages and I hope I can deliver. I wish you the warmest happy birthday dreams. And, you are the sweetest girl to ever grace Tartan High School. I guess it's easy to see where my thoughts are going since I did buy you a book of love poems, but I need you it in my own words. I love you, Oriana. And I've always loved and cared for you. Ever since I saw you the first day of freshman year in the first period of choir. You were the one... And, I can tell you the rest in person. But, I hope you enjoy this book with all your heart. I've made scribble my thoughts throughout the book. So, happy birthday, Oriana. The sweetest birthday girl to ever live."
"Oh..." Oriana was at a loss for words, just staring at Teagan with her mouth agape.
Teagan was silent for a moment until a grin crossed her face. "I KNEW HE LIKED YOU! I SO CALLED IT!"
"What was your first clue?" Oriana quipped sarcastically. A firm blush settled against her blazing cheeks as she struggled to grasp a cool pillow to her face.
"Ooh, yeah! Ooh, yeah! I was right once again! Ooh, yeah!" Teagan stood on the bed and began to dance. "Dorky Dwaine and Duckie sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby--"
"Teagan!" Oriana groaned, tossing a pillow.
"Oh! More personal love thoughts from Howie!" Teagan squealed, ducking from the flying pillow to flip through. She launched herself into an upright position. She held the small book out in front of her like a scholar, offering a deep base to her voice as she spoke, "Love me without fear / Trust me without questioning / Need me without demanding / Want me without restrictions / Accept me without change / Desire me without inhibitions / For a love so free... / Will never fly away!"
"Dick Sutphen..." Oriana trailed with a faint smile, hugging another pillow tight to her chest. She felt her heart start pick up a quicker pace against her ribcage. Her blue-green eyes brightened dramatically as she spoke, "What'd he write?"
"This is one of my favorite poems, because it speaks the words coming from my heart. Love is a scary thing, but as long as you give in and have trust, it can be the most beautiful thing in the world."
"Of course he made sure to put something by that one..." Oriana drawled with a soft frown, immediately remembering Alex's words about Christina. It was almost a fail-safe.
"What do you mean?" Teagan asked, looking into Oriana's eyes. She knew right away that her friend was thinking about Howie's ex. "Stop thinking that. He wrote it because it's the truth, not to cover his bases."
"But---"
"Stop."
"It's just..." Oriana groaned with frustration at herself, running her fingers through her damp curls. "It's stupid. I can't judge him for something that happened in the past. It's not fair to him. A girlfriend's a girlfriend right? There's nothing he can do about it now... I just get irked when he says that he fell in love with me in Freshman year then instead of telling me, goes off and..."
"I'm going to ask you something, Duckie. If Howie had walked up to you and said that he liked you... would you have believed him?" Teagan asked, raising an eyebrow. She understood that Howie was afraid to tell Oriana his feeling because of his fear with rejection and that she wouldn't believe him.
"Yeah—no..." Oriana concluded honestly, leaning back against her pillows. She stared at her ceiling for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "It's just that all those jerks... I'm sorry..."
"You don't need to be sorry. I wanted you to see Howie's side, and why he hadn't told you. His ex-girlfriend was a mistake, but he learned from it and realized that you were the one for him. That's all."
"It's not that he hadn't told me about it. We weren't that good of friends, Gabby. I don't need to know about his past. I just don't think I want to hear that he fell for me in Freshman year when he was with her in sophomore year, you know?"
"He really didn't think he would ever have a chance with you... and he hates to be alone. Duckie, like I said, he made a mistake and he wants to get over that. But he's afraid you won't like him if you know the whole story—"
"Wait, you know the whole story?"
"No, just bits and pieces. But from what I heard, it was pretty gruesome."
"This is unbelievable. I feel like I'm out of the loop on so many things and this is my actual chance for a relationship," Oriana groaned in disbelief, falling back against the pillows.
“You just were so involved in other things that gossip wasn't important," Teagan replied, running a hand through Oriana's damp locks.
"Correction, I hated the gossip wheel," Oriana answered, glancing up at her friend. "Because, I happen to remember quite a few going around the school and still circling around the school about me."
Teagan winced openly. "Sorry... I didn't want to bring that up."
"Oh, no, Gabby. I find it quite amusing," Oriana lied, offering a chipper smile. "Let's see, first I was blowing the whole football team to get on the team. Second, I'm anorexic because I'm so thin and lean, not because I play football or dance almost every day of the week. Third, I'm the whore of Tartan that bangs any man within a two-foot radius... Hmm... The list goes on."
"Duckie, don't—"
"Do you really think Howie loves me?" Oriana questioned, deciding not to dwell on the painful factors. She let the thoughts of his ex-girlfriend slip from her mind, realizing the rumor mill had created just enough gossip about her to ruin her reputation for Howie. And if he could side-step those accusations, then she could offer him her whole heart, if that's what he wanted.
"I really do. I could tell from the minute you two met back in choir freshmen year, just like he said in the book."
"I didn't even say hi to him..."
“Doesn't have to take words to fall in love."
"Thanks, Oprah," Oriana groaned with a playful smile, causing Teagan to tickle her exposed sides. Oriana shrieked in surprise, trying to squirm away as the book fell between them. She glanced down at it with a sly smile. "Read me one more? Because you know you want to."
“One more..." Teagan clicked her tongue, thumbing through pages. She glanced down each poem, searching for the perfect image to leave Oriana with. Her eyes immediately danced with delight, reading aloud. "The red rose whispers of passion, / And the white rose breathes of love; / O, the red rose is a falcon, / And the white rose is a dove. / But I send you a cream-white rosebud / With a flush on its petal tips; / For the love that is purest and sweetest / Has a kiss of desire on the lips..."
"J. B. O'Reilly," Oriana finished with a warm smile. "And what did he write?"
"You are my cream-white rosebud with a red flush upon its tips. Because, you are the building of a firecracker in my heart, ready to burst with the deepest passion. Yet, as ready as I am to burst, you hold such a pure sweetness around you like the white rose. As if just to touch you would taint your innocence. But, I long to mix the passion of a red rose with the sweetest love of a white rose. And, Lord knows, I desire a kiss from your sweet lips."
"He didn't write that!" Oriana immediately exclaimed, leaning over to peer at the book with disbelief.
"Did too! See?" Teagan held the book close to Oriana's face.
"What the Hell am I going to do when he comes in here to talk? I'm going to be all nervous and... Did I tell you he kissed me?" Oriana blurted with a fury of nervousness. She immediately closed the book to hold it tightly against her chest, just staring at her best friend with disbelief. "Gabby! He kissed me downstairs! Downstairs he kissed me! Then I read this... And... Oh, man, I feel like such an idiot when he's around me!"
"That means you looooooove him!" Teagan crooned with a smile.
"No!" Oriana groaned with disgust, pushing on her friend's shoulder. "It just means that I'm hysterically infatuated to the point where my cognitive functions are impaired!"
"In simple words: LOVE!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"You're so full of shit!"
"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!"
"Obviously, because it's running from your lips---" Oriana's thoughts were immediately side tracked when there was a light rapping against her door. She jerked in surprise, thinking it was Howie. Her whole body erupted with a nervous shiver as her heart hammered loudly against her ribcage. Her eyes grew wide with shock as she started to fidget. "What am I going to do? I can't talk to him. I get all flustered and then the kiss... I mean..." Oriana yelped in surprise she hit the floor, her legs poking up from the bed. "Damnit!"
"Is...Ry in here?" Alex called hesitantly, peeking into the room only to see Teagan laughing hysterically on the bed as a pair of feet poked up from beside her.
"Here," Oriana yelped meekly, wiggling her foot.
"She fell down and went 'Damnit!'. But I think she's okay... not too much damage can be done anymore," Teagan snickered, grabbing Oriana's foot.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Oriana seethed, obviously stuck in her position with her backside propped against the side of her bed. The blood already started to pool toward her face, flushing her cheeks even more as Alex launched himself on the bed for a better view.
"Nothing," Teagan said in a singsong tone.
"Do you know the hardcore stuff that he wrote in here?" Oriana squeaked with a gurgled voice from the odd position of her body, holding the book up for Alex's view.
"No, I didn't read anything... what kind of stuff did he write?" Alex replied, taking the book into his hands.
"Hardcore stuff!" Oriana squeaked again, struggling to move away from the uncomfortable position. But, the effort proved useless as Teagan kept hold of her feet, keeping her from flipping over.
"Hardcore shit..." he trailed off, flipping through the book. He stumbled onto the one Teagan read last. "WHOA!"
"Yeah! That's what I said!" Oriana replied, trying to yank her feet away from Teagan's grasp. Finally, she managed to pull with enough force from her graceful legs, causing her to tuck into a roll before collapsing onto the carpeted floor. She panted heavily. "What do you think, Alex?"
"He's really into you, Ry. It obviously took him a long time to get all his feelings out on the pages," Alex replied, flipping to other poems.
"You think so?" she asked softly, sitting up. She nervously nibbled on the bottom of her lip. Never had she felt so excited and nervous around one boy before. All her emotions seemed to heighten whenever he was near. And, for once, the feelings were mutual and true. There were no sour deeds behind the pure feelings. She needed that and longed for that for so long.
"I think so."
"And you think..." Oriana's eyes grew wide with surprise. She sharply slapped her forehead, wincing immediately at the impression it left upon her blazing forehead. "Alex, this is Teagan, my best friend. Teagan, this is Alex, I guess my soon to be step-brother."
"Hello! Nice to meet you," Teagan smiled, shaking Alex's hand. "You were in William's marching band, right?"
"Yeah, saxophone and a damn good one at that," Alex replied with a wry smile, reciprocating the hearty shake. "I already know that your the Drum Major for the Tartan's right? Because, damn, you're famous at William's for all the great routines and stuff in the marching band."
"That's me and thank you very much. I try," Teagan felt herself blush a little. "You'll be joining my band, right?"
"Most definitely. It'd be nice to be part of some kind of winning team."
"You'll be a great addition," Teagan praised. "New blood is always needed."
"And she really does mean new blood. They put it into this ceremonial golden cup and mix it with wine, then drink in their new victims..." Oriana enthused, finally moving to prop her upper half on the bed, staring directly at the two occupants of her bed. Alex's face suddenly paled as Teagan stared at Oriana with horror. Oriana shrugged her shoulders, tapping on their knees. "Okay! Now that I have your attention! Let's please shift the attention back to me! Me! Who has to face this guy who wrote all this hardcore shit in like fifteen minutes!"
"What's there to worry about? Just be yourself and tell him how you feel!" Teagan replied.
"But I don't know how I feel..." Oriana whimpered, growing contemplative for a moment. "And... I seriously forget who myself is..."
"Duckie," Teagan groaned, falling back onto the bed.
"I'm serious!" Oriana whimpered.
"Alex, help her out. You're best friends with Howie."
"How the Hell am I supposed to help her out?" Alex laughed, hearing the distant taunting of his brother's voice. He muffled a groan as Teagan sat up with excitement. Brian was calling for her. "I think my brother's bellowing for his lovely girlfriend."
"Yep! You know how to help her out, she's gonna be your step-sister! It was nice meeting you," Teagan kissed Alex's cheek before scrambling off the bed. She went over to Oriana, bending down to kiss her cheek as well. "Just speak from your heart, and nothing will go wrong. Okay?"
"Where's my heart again?" Oriana called out meekly.
"Right here," Teagan placed a hand on top of her best friend's rapidly beating heart. "Just calm down, okay? We don't need you fainting or puking--"
"TEAGS!" Brian abruptly called.
"Guess you better go..." Oriana trailed softly, breaking her gaze with Teagan. She had hoped her best friend might stay till Howie arrived, but knew better. Teagan always dove head first into her new relationships, pushing Oriana to the side.
You'll be fine. I have faith in you," Teagan replied gently, tugging on one of Oriana's curls. She got up and headed to the door. "Love you, Duckie."
"Love!" Oriana called, watching Teagan disappear. She immediately collapsed back onto her bed, groaning with frustration. She was still highly nervous about her talk with Howie. She couldn't even think of any words that might accompany what she felt inside her aching heart.
"Hey!" Alex laughed, drawling Oriana's attention back to him. He leaned down to grasp her cheeks, pulling her up into a sitting position. He made sure their contrasting eyes locked. "It's going to be okay. I took the bedroom right next to yours. If you need anything, that's where I'll be, planning out the whole decor..."
"What if it's not alright, though? What if I'm not what he originally thought me to be?" Oriana murmured pathetically.
"You are, Ry. Trust me on this, I've been his best friend for years. You're the exact type of girl he wants."
"But--"
"Trust me."
"Did someone forget to tell you that I have issues with trust?" Oriana murmured, causing Alex to roll his eyes with amusement. She sighed softly as he kept his hands cupped against her cheeks. "I just... Did he talk about me a lot?"
"Yeah, to the point where I felt I knew you just from how he talked about you."
"And it was good? Nothing bad? Nothing to make me worry? It was all true, good, pure intentions?"
"It was nothing but good."
"You swear on a stack of Playboys?"
"I swear on all the Playboys in the world-- hey, how did you know I read those?"
"Read?"
"They've got good articles!"
"You just looked like the type of dude that tends to...enjoy the articles of Playboy..." Oriana replied with her infamous impish smirk. Her frazzled nerves slowly started to calm as she spoke frankly with the new person about to be added to her family. "Do you have an idea for how you want to decorate your room? We could go all out Playboy Mansion..."
"As tempting as that is..." Alex tapped his chin with thought. His warm brown eyes sparkled as he thought of an idea. "Leopard print!"
"Leopard print...?"
"Yeah! Leopard print!"
"You're serious?"
"Totally serious."
"How about we complete the tacky leopard print with a bright green rug to complete that full 70's-tacky-sexified-swinger's-pad?"
"Dude! That would be sweet!"
Oriana muffled a groan, hiding her eyes with her hands. She took a few moments to swallow the fit of giggles burning within her chest. Alex was definitely an odd character, but she was positive she would only come to love him more. "How about tomorrow we go out and get the tacky green carpet and leopard print stuff for your room?"
Really?" Alex asked excitedly.
"Of course. Whenever you want to go tomorrow, we'll go and get it."
"Eight in the morning?"
"Okay, how about whenever I want? Let's say, one in the afternoon and I'll consider letting you test drive my Hummer."
"The Monster? I could drive it?"
"Yeah, it's not like you can really dent the damn thing."
"True... I could do some damage--"
"Okay, forget it, we'll leave at one and I'll drive," Oriana blurted, not liking the idea of Alex intentionally ruining her Hummer. That had been a gift for her outstanding academic performances added with her sixteenth birthday present. She would never part with it.
"Damn! I was this close to causing----"
"Worldwide chaos? No, that's my job, thanks."
Alex frowned for a moment, "Can we be the Gruesome Twosome and cause chaos together?"
"Sure, if you get the Hell out of my room so I can properly freak out in private before Howie gets in here."
