Chapter 6

(JORDAN)


The very first thing I felt when I woke up the next morning was a terrible pain in my stomach. I groaned, remembering just how many of those cookies I had eaten last night. My groan quickly turned into a smile, remembering her, and her laugh, and her smile, and how much fun we had had, and how she had curled up next to me during the movie…I knew only too well that the best way to get a girl to become affectionate was to scare her into it through film. I don’t like to brag, but over my years I’ve done none too badly on the women front. The whole scary movie bit is just a classic move. A tad amateurish, I had to admit, but hey, it worked like a charm.

I grabbed my phone off of my dresser and dialed up her number without even thinking about it. Just before I was about to click the call button, I glanced at the clock. I sighed; it was too early for a bright and happy phone call. And besides, that made me seem kind of needy and desperate. I had just dropped her off a little less than seven hours ago. I decided on a simple text message instead.

I was surprised when she texted me back so quickly, and I laughed out loud at her grumpy tone, even through writing. Sid peeked his head through my door.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“You’re a stalker. Go away,” I said. He ignored me.
“Who are you talking to?”
“No one,” I said, typing another message to Al.
“Are there naked chicks on that phone?” I heard him say. I looked up at him.
“No,” I scowled. “Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just never seen someone look so hard at a phone that didn’t have naked chicks on it,” he responded innocently. I stared at him.
“You got that from Friends, didn’t you?” I finally said.
“No!” he exclaimed, looking outraged. I raised an eyebrow. “…yeah.” He admitted, smiling a bit. I shook my head at him. “Are you talking to Al?” he asked.
“Go away, Sid,”
“Can I talk to her?”
“Go away, Sid,”
“There’s breakfast downstairs,”
“Go away—really?” I asked, looking up. He nodded.
“I don’t know who made it, but there’s bacon, and eggs, and toast, and pancakes, and waffles, and syrup…” Sid continued to trail on, and I quickly sent a goodbye message to Al, telling her I would text her later, which I definitely planned on doing.
“Alright, let’s go,” I told Sid, getting out of bed and putting on some sweatpants.
“…and sausages, and orange juice, and fruit, and coffee—”
“Sid!” I exclaimed, snapping my fingers in front of his face.
“Hmm?” he asked, shaking his head wearily.
“Do you realize that you’re still talking?” I asked him. The biggest shit-eating grin appeared on his face then.
“Chandler!” he exclaimed. “Chandler said that!” I sighed, and pulled him by his arm out of my room and down the stairs.

The smell wafted into my nostrils the moment I stepped into the kitchen. It was a combination of all the most wonderful breakfast foods ever created, all sitting pristinely on our granite kitchen counter. I slapped myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I then closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the aroma that filled the room envelope me completely.

“How?” I asked wonderingly, but Sid only shrugged, taking a seat at the kitchen counter and proceeding to fill his place with food. I followed suit.
It tasted even better than it smelled. I heard someone’s feet crashing down the stairs loudly, and turned around to see Max standing there, his eyes wide.
“When—is my mom here?” he asked, confused, but taking three long strides into the kitchen and grabbing himself a plate.
“Who knows,” I said, mouth full of deliciousness. Max bit into a piece of sausage.
“Tastes like mom’s,” he let out as he chewed.
“Fuck, I wish my mom had cooked like this,” Sid sighed, pilling a second helping of eggs onto his plate. I agreed noisily.

We were so engrossed in our newly found pleasures that we didn’t hear the sound of the two inch high-heals stepping slowly down the wooden staircase.
“I see you like the food,” a high, sensual female voice said. All three of us stopped eating turned around abruptly. Standing there was the blondest, skankiest, bustiest, most fake-tanned, makeup-caked puck bunny I had ever seen in my entire life. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, leaning on the railing. Her short skirt was barely visible and her tank top was hiked down so low that you could just about see her bra-less chest. She had her chest pushed out, and her open heals revealed a pair of perfectly manicured, brightly colored toe-nails. Her long fingernails were obviously fake, placed precariously on her hips. She had a smug grin on her face.

Max’s eyes grew wide in shock and Sid swallowed the food in his mouth with a defining gulp. The woman’s eyes trailed over every one of us slowly and seductively. She looked me up and down, making me feel like a piece of meat. I was suddenly extremely aware of the fact that I had neglected to put on a shirt this morning.

She took a few steps towards us. “I’m Joelle,” she said. “You must be Maxime.” She looked at Max. He nodded curtly. I wondered what he was thinking. “And you’re Sidney, and…” she turned to me, and smiled. “I don’t think I know your name, gorgeous,” she told me, trailing a finger down my chest lightly. I jumped up and recoiled against the table, making my chair squeal backwards. Joelle giggled.
“Oh, so you’re shy,” she said. “I like that.” She opened her glossy lips to say something else, but was distracted when Geno waltzed down the stairs in a daze, obviously still half-asleep. He didn’t acknowledge any of us, but walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of water from the sink. He took a big chug and then turned around to face us, his hair a mess and his eyes drooping.
“Where food come from?” he asked, his accent especially strong; the effect of not being fully awake and a strong hangover.
“You tell us,” Max said, as Joelle walked around the counter to Geno. His eyes landed on her, but he didn’t react fast enough before she pressed up against him and pushed her lips onto his. His eyes grew wide in panic and he pulled away from her.
“What’s the matter, stud? You were a lot more eager last night,” she said flirtingly. Geno blinked, recollection flashing in his eyes.
“I get…I mean, how you—” he began, trying to form words. We all stared at him. “You make food?” he finally managed to spit out. Joelle nodded.
“I thought I’d surprise you this morning,” she said. But then she turned around and looked at us, smirking. “But I guess I got a surprise of my own.” She sent me a wink. My mouth fell open, partially in disgust, and partially in plain fright.

We all stood there in silence, Geno with a look of helplessness on his face. Sid looked around nervously, not making eye contact with Joelle. Max just stared at me and then at Joelle, looking utterly and completely confused. I tried to hide my naked chest behind the table awkwardly. Joelle finally spoke up.
“I’m going to go use the little girl’s room,” she said, and proceeded to walk out of the kitchen, hips swaying as she went.
“More like the little slut’s room,” I mumbled once she was out of ear-shot.
“Yeah, Geno, do you have any idea how long our guest is going to be staying with us?” Max asked. Geno didn’t answer; he just grabbed a packet of pills out of the cupboard and popped three into his mouth, taking a chug of his water.
“I sorry,” he finally said. “I no remember I bring her here.”
“Well can you get her out?” Sid demanded, maybe a bit too harshly. Geno pondered for a moment, nodding slowly. It wasn’t very convincing.
“Well, Max, what about you?” I asked him. He looked at me.
“What on earth would you boys do without me?” he asked, shaking his head in pity. “Alright, alright, I’ll take care of her. But you owe me, Gene.” Geno nodded profusely.
“I buy you shots vodka,” he offered.
“Done,” Max said, smiling. Joelle walked back into the room, her face looking even more plastic than it did before. Max stepped up to her, very close.
“Joelle,” he said, a winning smile on his face. “You seem like a wonderful girl. And I can tell you’re very experienced. But, you see, I don’t feel that you’ve been very well taken care of by my foreign friend. Yeah, he’s alright, but he’s not what you were hoping for. He doesn’t have the strength, the skill, or the stamina to satisfy your needs. Am I correct?” Geno frowned, but Sid glared at him, making him keep quiet.
“You seem to know your stuff, Maxime,” Joelle said, reaching up to him.
“Oh, I do,” he replied. “I, like you, am experienced. And, for you, I could be everything he wasn’t. Are you up for it?”
“Oh, I’m up for it,” she said, reaching a hand downwards. Max caught her hand in his before she could touch him.
“Not here,” he whispered, leading her towards the door. “We have a practice to get to. But I will be calling you as soon as I get the chance.” He opened the door for her and gently pushed her away from him and outside.
“I’ll be waiting,” she said seductively, taking her hand and giving his ass a short squeeze. He nodded, but she held her hand out before he could close the door. She looked at me, and said, “I hope you’ll show up with him, gorgeous.” My mouth dropped again, letting out an incoherent sound, and she winked at me before Max closed the door.
Max looked at Geno, who let out a relieved sigh.
“I buy you shots vodka, and tequila,” he said, and Max nodded.
“You better.”