by D. K Lake
We eat lunch quietly. The main noise comes from Boston burping behind me and JT's weird table manners where he eats everything with his fingers and makes a lot of noise and he actually reminds me of a pig eating out of a trough, or maybe it just sounds that bad because no one is talking or making any other noise and it's all I can focus on. I glance up at Nessie who is completely unaware that JT is actually cleaning his plate with his thumb and licking it because she is too busy sneaking peeks at Zeke as he leans over a table and cleans it down.
I finish my last mouthful and wash it down with the last of my Coke and then I pick up Mitchel's Coke and start on that.
"So thirsty." I say between gulping his drink down.
"It's probably all that alcohol you consumed last night, it can leave you dehydrated and hungry." Mitchel tells me before shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.
I laugh at how silly he looks with fries sticking out of his mouth as he grins at me but the atmosphere soon changes when Zeke walks past and goes sailing headfirst to the floor and the pile of plates and cutlery he's holding crashes to the floor with him.
"This should be fun." I hear Boston mutter behind me.
"Whoops." JT smirks.
The whole bar turns to look at what's just happened. Nessie and I glance at each other but don't move and watch as JT gets up out of his seat and goes over to Zeke.
"You should really watch where you're going." JT says but the dark smirk suggests he's the one that tripped Zeke.
He holds his hand out to Zeke, and Zeke looks at his hand for a moment as Nessie and I nervously look on. Zeke takes his hand and JT pulls him up and I'm about to let out the breath I have been holding in when Zeke brings his other hand around in a fist and punches JT in the face. It happens so quickly. One minute JT is in the vertical position, the next he's lying horizontally on the table in front of me rubbing his chin while Nessie screams and yells about the ketchup all over her top. Zeke takes a step toward the table and Mitchel jumps up before I can grab him and lunges at Zeke, taking him down to the floor.
The whole bar suddenly erupts and turns into chaos and I can't help but watch as the scene unfolds, wondering how I have managed to get mixed up in all this.
People are screaming, yelling, dashing all over the place, furniture and plates of food start flying everywhere as Zeke and Mitchel wrestle around. JT gets involved again and this time, out of his hiding place at the back of the bar, Richard decides to join in and help Zeke.
Three random men rush over to break up the fight and the guy behind the bar starts yelling to break it up but no one is listening and someone yells "BARFIGHT!!" as loud as they can and more people get up off their chairs.
Zeke and JT are squabbling like little children, grabbing at each other and shoving each other while people try to hold them back. Mitchel and Richard are under a table and I'm more worried about Mitchel's already broken wrist as he uses his cast arm to pin Richard down.
Boston finally decides to get in on the action with his mouth still full of food and leaps over the booth beside me and dives into the fudge cluster of bodies.
A group of bikers walk in and get involved and the biker girl with bigger muscles than her male buddies drags Richard out from under the table and puts him in a headlock and the rest of the bikers block my view of Mitchel. The bikers pick a fight with the other men that are trying to pull JT and Zeke apart and the bar erupts into a brawl. I have never seen anything quite like it.
Nessie's jaw is almost touching the table it's fallen so far open. There's even a little old lady at the back beating up Boston with her handbag and a group of younger kids is chucking food around. I look back at Nessie and we both nod our heads at the same time and jump out of the booth and try to find the boys. A burger flies past my face and at the same time an onion ring hits Nessie in the eye.
"Oww!" she squeals as she shoves some biker dude out of her way and he falls onto one of his buddies who is looking around on the floor.
"Where's my tooth?" the biker growls with a mouthful of blood.
"This is madness!" I yell over the noise and duck just in time as a chair flies over my head.
"We need to get out of here!" Nessie shouts.
"You go! I'm right behind you!" I tell her and chase after Boston who I saw diving under a table.
Just as I turn to go Nessie screams and I look back to see her hair and face covered in mayonnaise.
"That's it!" she screams and charges after one of the older kids with the squeezy mayonnaise bottle.
I leave her and look for Boston again but he's gone from under the table. I get pushed from behind and go flying forward just as the crowd parts in front of me and I fall on top of some fudge ugly guy with buck teeth and he growls at me. He actually growls. But he soon stops growling when a blue cast arm zooms past my face and smacks into the growling guy and he spins around and falls over.
"Mitchel." I gasp, grabbing his arm before he disappears.
"I think it's time to leave." he says casually with another split lip and goofy grin and I can't help but smile back at him amongst the madness.
Mitchel puts his good arm around me protectively and we snake our way around the bodies.
"JT!" Mitchel hollers and I see JT's head pop up from under some overweight man as he struggles to push him off.
Mitchel takes my hand and pulls me along with him and we make it outside and see Nessie waiting by the Mustang hopping up and down and waving at us to hurry up.
JT staggers through the door with a ripped shirt and his hair is a mess but apart from that, he doesn't appear to have any injuries. He follows us across the parking lot and when I look over my shoulder again I see Boston strolling out of the door with another half-eaten burger which he must have pinched from someone's plate.
"That boy will eat anything." I mumble to myself.
JT catches up with us and when we reach the car Nessie launches herself at him and starts smacking him and yelling at him.
"What is wrong with you?!" she screams and he stands still and lets her yell at him but the stupid smirk on his face only makes it worse.
JT has the keys to the car so the three of us stand back and watch, waiting for her tantrum to die down so we can get in the car. Nessie pulls at his already ripped shirt and it falls to pieces. He just shakes his head and tosses it away and digs in his pockets for his keys and chucks them to Mitchel. Nessie continues to yell at JT but he turns his back on her and she catches sight of his muscular back and his interesting skeleton tree tattoo and she lets out a little squeak. I think she's a little surprised and flustered as her cheeks suddenly turn pink but the moment soon passes.
"You didn't have to trip him! Look what you did!" Nessie screeches.
Mitchel pushes me toward the car and unlocks it and I scramble into the back and he climbs into the driver's seat.
JT finally puts a stop to Nessie's ranting and spins her around and walks her over to the car. Boston is hunched over and I'm not sure what he's doing. Nessie smacks JT's hands away and stomps the rest of the way over to the car. Boston lifts his hand up to stop her coming any closer and I'm not sure what he's doing until he projectile vomits down the front of her already stained top.
"Ugh." I almost gag myself.
Mitchel starts laughing and so does JT. Nessie scowls into the car and Mitchel stops laughing and starts the car.
"You little terd!!" Nessie screams.
Boston ducks out of her way as she tries to swat him and he climbs into the back next to me and I scoot out of the way.
"You smell rank." JT laughs, looking at the front of Nessie.
The sound of a police siren catches all of our attention apart from Nessie who is now calling Boston every name under the sun. The bikers spill out of the front door and are quick to get on their bikes and are gone in seconds. I look back at Nessie and JT and see that she's now standing in her leopard print bra, her top suddenly gone. JT is already tugging on her gross vomit drenched skinny jeans and she quic
kly lifts her legs up one by one so he can whip the things off and chuck them away. She jumps in next to Boston and JT flips the passenger seat back and jumps in and Mitchel presses his foot on the gas and we peel out of the parking lot as a chair crashes through one of the bar windows and a pair of men soon follow.
"Whoa!" Boston is turning around to look out the back window.
"You are all crazy! CRAZY!!" Nessie screams but she's drowned out by the loud police sirens coming from the three police cars that whiz past us.
JT chuckles and looks at his brother and they do a little fist bump but Mitchel hisses when they bump too hard with his cast arm.
"Shit. Do you think you buggered it up again?" JT asks.
"Probably." Mitchel grumbles, flexing his fingers over the steering wheel.
I shove Mitchel in the shoulder and he looks over at me.
"You're an idiot." I tell him.
He grins at me in the rearview mirror and I shake my head and look out the window.
"Take me home." Nessie demands.
"Why?" JT asks confused.
"Why? Why?! Because I have Boston's sick in my hair. I need a shower and clean clothes. And I don't want to be around you dipshits anymore."
JT scratches the back of his neck.
"You can shower at mine." he offers.
"No. Take. Me. Home." Nessie growls.
They glare at each other in the mirror.
"Uh...guys?" Boston mumbles.
"What?!" Nessie and JT yell and we all turn to look at Boston.
"I think I'm gonna vom again."
"Let me out!" Nessie screams and Mitchel slams on the brakes and we all lurch forward in our seats. Mitchel and JT both climb out and I can't get out quick enough. Boston climbs out behind me and staggers onto the grass and starts heaving. Nessie tries to climb out but JT slams the door on her.
"Stay in the car." he orders.
"I need air!" she squeals, banging on the window.
JT signals to his brother to lock the door and he quickly pushes the lock down and shuts his door. JT ignores Nessie and turns around and leans back against the car and lights a cigarette.
"You shouldn't have eaten so much." I tell Boston, keeping a safe distance from the puke fest.
"Nah...I don't think it's the f-fooooo." he tries to reply while bending over and hurling the rest of his lunch onto the grass.
Mitchel pulls me away from him a few more steps for extra precautions. I stare at Mitchel, waiting for him to say something about his behavior, watching him as JT slides up beside him and offers him a cigarette.
"What?" he says, leaning closer to JT as he flicks on a lighter for him.
"What? You just started a bar brawl! Were you not just in the same bar as me? There was some random biker gang beating people up, chairs flying everywhere, broken windows, and a frigging food fight! I can't believe you tripped Zeke. Was that really necessary? What are you, like, five?" I scowl at JT.
Mitchel tries not to laugh and looks at his brother and JT just blows smoke in my face.
I shake my head and lean against the car.
"Ugh. I think I'm sick." Boston grumbles.
"No shit." JT responds.
"No, I mean, I think I got a bug or something."
"Well, we don't want it. I'm dropping you off." JT says.
"Uh-oh." Boston stands up straight and holds his tummy.
"What's wrong now?" I ask, watching Boston.
"I think it's going South now."
"What?" I look at him confused as he hops over his sick and disappears into the trees. "What's he doing?" I ask.
"What do you think?" JT laughs.
"I dunno, that's why-" I stop talking when the smell of sewage wafts my way.
"Oh, that's so gross. Can you please let me in the car, like now."
Mitchel chuckles as he unlocks the car for me and I climb in next to Nessie.
"What's going on?" she asks.
"Boston got the craps."
"Eww."
"Yup."
The window is rolled down and I can hear Boston calling us.
"Hey, guys! Does anyone have any tissue?"
"Ugh." Nessie and I groan in unison.
"Girls?" JT leans into the car.
"Yes, I always carry a spare toilet roll." I say and lean back.
"Look in my bag?" Nessie points to the front where her bag is on the floor.
JT leans in through the window and picks up Nessie's bag and rests it on the edge of the door and digs through it.
"What are these?" he asks, holding a small packet between his fingers.
"Nothing. Yeah, he can use them." Nessie tells him.
Nessie waves him away and he laughs and chucks her bag back in the car. JT walks over to the trees and flicks the packet into the greenery. The boys get back into the car and we wait for Boston to finish what he's doing. Nessie and I scoot over as far as possible and I practically climb onto her lap to give Boston enough space when he climbs into the back.
"Don't touch me." I warn him.
"Ness?" Boston leans over to talk to her.
"What? Ugh. Breathe that way." she says, covering her face.
"Thanks for the feminine wipes, my vagina is as fresh as a daisy now." Boston teases.
JT snickers in the front, fiddling with the radio buttons while he drives.
"Trust me, if you weren't infectious right now, I would strangle you." Nessie says, scowling. "Jacob, you better drive fast. If I catch anything from this scrub bucket I'm going to make it my mission to make sure you catch it as well." Nessie informs JT.
He presses his foot on the gas and we speed through Radley.
56
After we have dropped Boston off we drive to Nessie's and pull up outside the main gates and JT presses the buzzer.
"Can't believe you have buzzer gates." JT mumbles.
"It's for security purposes. To keep the riff-raff out." Nessie replies.
"What do you guys want?" Stephen's voice comes through the speaker.
"Let us in douche!" Nessie yells from the back of the car.
The gate clicks and starts to open. JT parks next to Nessie and Stephen's pink Barbie car and Mitchel climbs out to let us both out. Nessie shimmies out of the seat next to me and I get an eyeful of the lace panties she borrowed from JT's mom.
No wonder JT didn't want her to get out of the car.
Mitchel clears his throat and looks the other way, trying not to look at her as she climbs out and spills out of her bra.
"You can pick us up later." Nessie tells JT, leaning into the car and trying to keep her boobs in her bra.
"What? No. I thought we were going to spend the day together?" Mitchel says, offering me his hand to help me out of the car like a gentleman.
"Well, I need to shower and I don't particularly want you two to join me. Just go home and I'll drive Kelsey over later."
Mitchel ignores her and looks at me with a deep set frown.
"We'll be quick." I tell him.
"No need. We'll wait." JT tells Nessie, climbing out of the car but he leans back in to grab the jacket he has hanging on the back of the driver's seat.
"What? No. You can't come in. My parents might be here." Nessie panics.
"And?" JT places his jacket around Nessie's shoulders but it barely covers her ass.
"I don't think they'd like me bringing boys into the house. Especially scruffy-looking ones that look like drug dealers."
I roll my eyes thinking about the number of horny boys that pass through those doors on a Friday night.
"I'll behave." JT says casually and walks inside.
"I'll behave?" Nessie mouths to me.
"It means he won't piss on the carpet in front of your mom." Mitchel says and I laugh out loud.
We follow JT to the front door where there is a maid holding it open for us. She looks only a few years older than me. She smiles at us and tries to hide the disapproving look on her face when she sees Nessie. She then does a weird litt
le curtsy and JT gives us this odd look like he's never seen anyone curtsy before. This place is so weird.
I close the door and follow Nessie into the main living room where Stephen is spread out on the couch watching one of the Fast and Furious movies.
"Hey, Loser." Nessie greets him.
Stephen takes one look at his sister and spits out his drink. Nessie is in her underwear with only a jacket draped over her shoulders and JT is missing his shirt.
"Couldn't you wait to get inside before you disrobe each other?" Stephen says, cleaning up his spilled drink.
"Where's Mom and Dad?" Nessie asks.
"Hotel emergency." Stephen tells her.
"Why aren't you cleaning up your mess at the cabin? I thought that was your punishment?" Nessie says, stealing a handful of Stephen's popcorn. "Let me guess, you paid some of your little minions to clear it up while Mom and Dad are gone?" Stephen just shrugs. "You're unbelievable." she mutters.
"Why do it when you can pay to have someone else do it for you, little sister. Ugh. What's that smell? Smells like the inside of a dead cow?" Stephen crinkles his nose.
Nessie scrunches up her face and pulls at her hair that has sick in it.
"It's probably you're feet." She kicks his feet off the coffee table where JT and Mitchel are already helping themselves to snacks.
"Whatever. I'm going to take a shower. Try not to kill each other while we're gone." Nessie says, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the living room.
She walks straight into her bedroom and throws JT's jacket on the bed and then flings her bra at me and continues to walk into the adjoining bathroom.
I hear the shower switch on as I collapse onto the bed and stare at the ceiling where there is a poster of Nessie's secret country crush; Kane Brown. Nessie walks back into the bedroom and sifts through her drawers for clean clothes.
"You know, Zeke kinda looks like Kane Brown." I say with a smile.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Nessie says casually, waltzing past me and back into the bathroom.
"Of course you hadn't." I smile. "Are we still not talking about the whole Zeke thing?" I call.
"There's nothing to talk about. We had sex. End of story."
"Really?" I say, swinging around the bathroom door.