Pause

by CJ Adler

  “Benley's the same age as you and he's going,” I say, gesturing to Benley just as he enters the room.

  “What about me?” Ben asks, greeting us all with a nod. “You're going to the game,” I answer.

  “Not helping your case, Lawson,” Grey grunts, not a fan of anyone but Jay and me.

  “That's 'cause you said there'd be hot chicks 'round,” Benley replies, shameless.

  Bell follows in after Benley with Slobber in her arms.

  “Now if only there were more lookers like Ms. Bensten over here.” Benley grins charmingly at Bells, sending her a flirtatious wink. We all know that he's only joking because he's still hung up on Bex the ex.

  “Oh, Benley,” Bell sighs teasingly before offering him a sympathetic pat on the back, “we really need to find you a girlfriend.”

  I turn to Bells with an excited grin. “If you're here, it means Troy's here too, right?”

  She nods. “Yeah. His flight landed early this morning. He's pretty 'amped' to be back. And let me tell you, he's already driving me insane.”

  I raise an eyebrow and glance around. “Speaking of which, where is your bro and your boy?”

  Bells opens her mouth to answer but is cut off by two very high-pitched, girly screams coming from the TV room—my question thereby answered.

  Jay and I both rush in to see what all the screams are about, only to find Troy and Max standing squashed on a single-seater couch as they both hold onto each other as if fearful for their lives. It's then that I see what they're screaming over. A hairy tarantula is crawling on the floor before them.

  Jay must see the Tarantula too because he sighs aloud. “I'll go get Oog.”

  Third time this week!

  Troy and Max, still holding each other and jumping up and down in fear, are so terrified that they don't even notice me. Troy doesn't hesitate to play the 'every man for himself' card and shoves Max right off of the couch and onto the floor beside the Tarantula.

  “You kill it!” Troy shouts to Max.

  Max lets out an unsuspecting, girly screech. “No, you!”

  Max shakes his head at Troy before quickly attempting to get back onto the couch. However , Troy holds the palm of his hand to Max's head, fighting against Max as he tries to push Max back down to the floor —leaving Max half on the couch, half off, struggling against Troy for his life.

  “Eat him! Kill him! His life is insignificant in comparison to mine!” Troy yelps at the spider, pointing at Max as if the spider can actually comprehend what he's saying.

  I shake my head at the ridiculousness of it all, not able to hold back my laughter at the two any longer, alerting them both of my presence.

  Troy's head snaps up at the sound of my laughter. His blue-green eyes, resembling that of his sister's, light up with joy at meeting my amused gaze. “Squirt! We meet again!”

  I grin, waving back at him from the small distance between me and the couch that he and Max are helplessly taking refuge on. “Welcome home, Troy Story!” I chime, overjoyed to see him again. He's like the brother I never had.

  Unfortunately for Troy, Max ceases the opportunity that comes with Troy's distraction and pushes Troy off of the couch. Troy trips and lands on the carpet. His landing rattles the tarantula. It gets a fright and jumps. It ends up jumping right onto his joy and pride—his face.

  Troy shouts loudly as a result. “Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!” He rambles on in panic. “Aqueela, save me!” He pleads, aware that Max won't be the one to 'save' him.

  I laugh louder at the sight. Half of his face is covered by a gigantic spider. I would've tried to help him (actually, knowing me, I probably wouldn't have) had I not been rolling on the floor, literally laughing my head off at his reaction.

  Jay returns, stepping over me with Oog in tow. He frowns down at Oog, killing valuable time for Troy and Max by first scolding Oog. “If I've told you once, I've told you countless of times to stop leaving your spiders all around my house.”

  Oog sulks and bows his head, submitting to Jay's authority, as he waddles his way over to Troy, all the while taking his sweet time in getting there. Oog grabs Troy's face in his grubby little hands before carefully removing the tarantula off Troy's startled face.

  Jay grins down at me, amused by my amusement. He gets on his haunches before helping me back up to my feet as I break out of my laughing fit.

  Oog offers me a devious grin and Jay a scowl as he passes us by in his tribesman costume and paint, the tarantula now safe in his hands.

  I blow out a breath of relief once Oog and his pet spider are out of the house.

  “Why is Oog wearing tribal paint all over his face and why is he wearing a dress?” Max asks as he scampers off of the couch, not at all embarrassed or ashamed of himself, not that he ever is.

  I wave the matter off carelessly with a laid-back shrug as if it's nothing. “He's going through that 'tribal phase' that all kids go through at some point or another. Oh, and it's not a dress. It's a tribesman outfit from Peru. Don't let him hear you call it a dress.”

  “Listen to the girl,” Jay adds, showing Max his bruised hand where Oog had bitten him earlier on. “She's wise.”

  Max holds up a finger to me. “One, Oog is a grown man, an insane grown man, but a grown man nonetheless. Stop being under the impression that he's a kid,” he clarifies before holding up another finger to my face. “Two, I know of the 'bad boy phase', the phase that Jay seems to be stuck in for life—”

  “I can hear you,” Jay mutters, narrowing his blue eyes at Max.

  Max continues on as if not having been interrupted, “The 'gothic phase' and all the others, but never in my life have I heard of the 'tribal phase'.”

  “Whatever. He's family now, that's all that matters,” I defend my odd relationship with Oog against Max's attacks. I love that little guy, hell, I love all my friends. They're the only family I have...well, other than my insane grandparents and my wonderful uncle.

  Max is suddenly shoved right out of my face before I'm lifted off the ground and pulled into a warm embrace.

  Troy.

  “Squirt! I've actually missed you,” Troy confesses before spinning me around.

  “Samezies!” I say ecstatically as he plants me back onto the floor, pulling back with a broad smile on his face.

  “That makes only one of us,” Grey grumbles as he, Bells and Benley join us once again.

  “I see your hair is still perfectly coiffed, putting Malibu Barbie to shame,” I tease Troy, aware that he's always been big on his appearance.

  “Yeah.” Troy nods, a wild grin on his face. “Ramos is the man.”

  “Do you really expect me to babysit a tribesman with a ton of tarantulas?”

  Boss Man asks me as he enters the room where all of us have gathered. “He can turn cannibal at any given time,” he remarks, bringing the possible fact to light.

  I'm leaving Oog, Slobber, and Gland under Boss Man and Jam’s supervision. They're going to have their hands full.

  “Hola, Flower!” Jam calls from the back door, covered in tarantulas from head-to-toe. He's so chill and laid-back, it doesn't even faze him.

  “Hi, Jam.” I wave. “Please don't come inside,” I add politely.

  He nods, doing 'the wave' with his tarantula-covered arms before heading back to Oog's tree house.

  “Put your hands together in the air and wave them like you care 'cause Blubber is in the house, yo!” Blubber shouts at the top of his lungs as he and Simo make a dramatic entrance. “Literally, 'cause you know, I'm actually in the house.”

  Simo greets everyone, being his cheery self. However, when he reaches Jay and me, he merely glares at us before walking past without so much as a hello. He's still mad at us for dating, and I quote, 'behind his back'.

  Blubber's reaction is even worse. He calls us out for it in front of everyone, well, he calls me out for it seeing as he idolizes Jay. In his eyes, Jay can do no wrong. He scowls at me as soon as he spots me. “Well, well, well, if it
isn't 'Ms. Let me have Cool Guy Jay all to myself and hog his coolness from everyone else'.”

  I yawn, uncaring. “That's a really long name I have there,” I joke, stringing him along for the fun of it.

  Apparently, it's my fault that Jay asked me out.

  “Shut up you…you…you damn goddess you! I don't want to see you,” he tries to insult me, only to fail.

  “That will be difficult considering I invited you,” I retort back, enjoying this way too much. “You do realize that I'm not dating by myself ? It takes two to tango. You should be angry at Jay as well.”

  Blubber's mouth falls agape as if shocked by my words. “How dare you?! Cool Guy Jay can do no wrong. Don't try to pin the blame on him. You obviously seduced him into this 'boyfriend-girlfriend' concept.”

  It's my turn for my mouth to fall agape. “I did not!”

  “Suuure you didn't,” Max chimes, adding blaze to the fire.

  “Shut up, Max!” I bark at him as he pretends to zip his mouth shut.

  “You so did,” Jay chips in with a cunning smirk, clearly having fun with this. Blubber nods sympathetically at Jay and reaches up to place a hand on his shoulder. “I wouldn't be able to resist her either. I want you to know that I don't blame you for any of this. It's all her fault. I'm not mad, just very disappointed.”

  “Thanks, my man. It's a tough life I lead,” Jay replies, subtly removing Blubber's hand from his shoulder, completely selling me out.

  I glare at Jay and shake my head at him. He shrugs helplessly in response, only blowing a kiss in my direction when Blubber looks away.

  Blubber turns his attention back to me, continuing on with his rant. “With your ego, I'm sure you can manage to date yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if you were in a serious relationship with yourself.”

  “Oh snap!” Bells winces for me. “Even I felt that one.”

  Grey shrugs as if weighing out the idea of me dating myself in his head. “I could see that happening. Highly probable. I'm betting on it ending in heartbreak.”

  “Oh no he din't!” Troy says in a diva-like voice as he waves his fingers in front of his face with attitude before clicking them.

  I glance at Jay for backup, shocked by the nerve of this pudgy kid. Jay merely grins, enjoying the fact that he doesn't have to take any of the blame for this. He can just sit back and watch this play out, which is clearly what he's doing.

  “Let's be honest here, I'd date myself if I could, and let's face it, given the chance, everyone in this room would date me too. I'm perfection at its best.”

  I roll my eyes at Troy's usual arrogance. Only he'd say something like that. There's low disgruntled mutters and murmurs among us all as a result of his conceitedness.

  “Gross!” Bell gags.

  “Don't swing that way,” Benley pitches in.

  “Can I leave yet?” Grey asks to no one in particular, obviously not a fan of Troy at all. “I really want to go home.”

  “Maybe,” Simo comments after much thought.

  Troy's grin drops at Simo's open answer. The rest of us all turn to look at Simo, suspicious and shocked by his single word.

  “Profound,” Jay mutters, stunned.

  Troy's grin returns full force. “Called it. This large man has exceptional taste.”

  “It's one person and he said maybe and he barely comprehends our discussions. Don't get ahead of yourself, you egotistical brat,” Bells says, putting her brother in his place, quickly squashing his ego.

  I tug Bells back, giving her a look. “Let him have this, just once. I feel like he needs it more than any of us here.”

  Bells sighs but reluctantly agrees. “Yes, brother, they all want to date you but are too shy to admit it in front of you.”

  Troy shakes his head, a wolfish grin on his face. “Knew it,” he says to himself, overconfident. “I'm irresistible.”

  “Anyway,” Bells says loudly, pulling us from our thoughts, “we should probably go. The game is about to start.”

  “Oooh!” I clap my hands giddily, excited. “Road trip!”

  Grey rolls his eyes at my unnecessary enthusiasm. “Your school is literally within walking distance.”

  I blink up at him in innocence. “You talk a lot.”

  He scowls at me and crosses his arms over his chest. “You breathe a lot.”

  “You got me,” I confess, giving him this one. I'm feeling rather generous today.

  Grey raises an eyebrow, shocked, as he fixes his gray eyes on me in disbelief.

  “What? Really?” he asks, dumbfounded. “Do you actually have nothing left to say?

  Am I getting the last say for once? Have I actually won?”

  “Okay, jeez, don't make yourself look pathetic by seeming so stunned about it. Take it, you won. You beat me.” I nod at him, confirming the facts.

  He needs this, especially after what I still have planned for him at the football game. I pulled a few strings and arranged a lil somethin' somethin' for him. Needless to say, he will despise me greatly for it. Therefore, in the meantime, I'll let him have this win.

  Grey merely grins in response, his head held high.

  “Okay, we need to arrange this. Who's all driving?” Bells asks to no one in particular.

  “Obviously me. I like my car. I like my driving. I don't like any of your cars. I don't like any of your driving,” Grey answers rudely, obviously dismissing Jay from the equation or else he wouldn't have said any of that.

  I like Grey's car but I don't like him. In his face!

  We need more drivers. I glance Jay's way, the other racer, to see him already dangling his car keys knowingly in front of my face.

  “Shotgun riding front seat in whichever car I go!” Troy shouts aloud as he makes a break for the front door.

  Max, Blubber, and Simo run after him, all four trying to push and squeeze through the front door at the same time.

  “Suffocating!” Max heaves, just about fainting.

  “Anyone can drive with me so long as it's not Lawson, Max, or Troy,” Grey says to everyone before shoving all four of them — Troy, Max, Simo, and Blubber— out of the door with one forceful push.

  All four of them topple over each other and onto the hard ground as a result.

  Jay sends Grey a pointed look as he casually steps over the four bodies as if used to this kind of thing. “Thanks, now I'm stuck driving the dull crayons.”

  Chapter 50

  Here We Go

  “Do you not know who this man is? How can you not know who this man is? Do you have an idea who this man is?” Blubber asks the security guard on duty as he motions to Jay.

  The guard won't permit us into the school until we pay.

  Blubber shoves Jay forward, putting him right in the spotlight—the very thing he hates most. “This guy right here is thee Jay Taylor. He can do anything he wants and go wherever the hell he wants. JT is the man. He's above law. He don't pay for nothin', nothin' I tell you!” He turns to Jay, prodding him on. “Tell 'em, Cool Guy Jay. Tell it like it is to his dumb face!”

  “Please stop talking,” is Jay's only reply. He shifts uncomfortably as if trying to make himself disappear.

  “No, JT,” Blubber insists dramatically, “you're a hero and everyone should know it.”

  Bell, being rich Bells, steps up to the plate and pays the entry fee for all of us. “Keep the change,” she tells the security guard as he finally allows us entrance into the school.

  Jay, frustrated, runs a hand down his face before muttering to himself, “Wanted her, only to end up with all of them.”

  I stifle my giggles at that. He's in a mood.

  I glance Grey's way, making casual conversation. “So, how are you and Nancy doing?”

  He glares at me with a threatening look to his eyes. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “Oh, but I think you do,” I taunt as I playfully nudge him in his ribs with my elbow.

  “I think I'm going to punch you,” he warns as he forcefully pushes
me far away from him.

  I go colliding into Jay. Jay's staggers back with me in his arms. His hands land on my waist as he steadies us with his fast reflexes.

  I turn and offer him a grateful smile. “Thanks. Your friend is barbaric.” “You're so clumsy,” Troy remarks mockingly despite having seen that it was

  Grey who pushed me. “And pushy,” he adds.

  “It's what I'm here for,” Jay reassures me, ignoring Troy and playfully winking down at me. He keeps an arm around my waist before frowning at Grey.

  “I'd appreciate it if you refrain from pushing my girlfriend around.”

  “Well, I'd appreciate it if your girlfriend wasn't around,” Grey replies back in nonchalance, not feeling the least bit of guilt for his actions.

  “You monster.” I glare at Grey. “I just asked how your crush on Nancy is going.”

  “I will crush you,” Grey threatens, his gray eyes dark and unruly.

  Jay, slow and oblivious for once, arches an eyebrow at Grey. “You like your housemate?”

  “No!” Grey snaps, defensive. “Lawson and her assumptions again!”

  “Dun, dun, dun!” I exclaim after having first dropped the bombshell. “Can you not do that?!” Grey hisses at me, infuriated.

  I tap my chin in mock thought. “I suppose I can 'not do that', but I don't want to 'not do that'.”

  “You!” Max suddenly shouts as we make our way through the school toward the football stadium. He releases Bell's hand and edges his way over to the familiar little girl—his archnemesis.

  The little girl rolls her eyes upon seeing Max. “Shouldn't you be in jail or something? Better yet, a mental institution.”

  “I hate you, Susie!” Max gives her the stink eye.

  “Naaaw!” Troy squeals, crouching down before the little girl, pinching her cheeks repetitively. “Aren't you just the cutest, Susie!” He gushes.

  “No, she's not!” Max barks at Troy. “She's pure evil and then some.”