Just Another Summer

ARY
         
         I was more then a little suspicious when I got a text from Jesse at four in the morning, saying to meet at ’The Woods’ (a popular party place in the country, near my house). Jesse and I had been in school together since pre-k, but I didn’t trust him. If you’d known him that long, you wouldn’t trust him, either. 
         I took my time putting on a sweatshirt and tennis shoes. Even walking, I could make it to ‘The Woods’ in about ten minutes. I wasn’t in any rush to hear Jesse’s crazy plan. I knew electing him class President was going to come back and bite me in the ass. I just didn’t think it’d be two weeks after the fact. I sighed. That boy had a way of doing big, big things in a strange, strange way.
         I’d chosen to walk. There’s no telling how long Jesse would take, and I didn’t want my parents to wake up and find my car gone. I might not be a delinquent, but I knew how to sneak out. When you’re dealing with my friends, you always needed to know how to sneak out. They called meetings at strange hours, in strange places.
         When I hit the dirt road, I met Rylan. He was just turning onto it as I jumped over the barbed-wire fence. If he had been wide awake and driving at his normal pace, he probably would have hit me. But, thankfully, he was still half asleep and driving way under the speed limit.
         “Do you have any idea why your husband is calling an emergency meeting at four a.m.?” Rylan growled, after he had leaned across the seat and unlocked the door for me.
         “Does he need a reason?” I asked, matter-of-factly, climbing in. “This is Jesse Stanton we’re talking about. He’s been known to call people when he saw a squirrel run across his yard,” I can’t tell you how many times he’s done that to me.
         “We should have elected Caleb as president,” Rylan sighed. “He wouldn’t lift a finger unless he was forced,”
         “I just hope this doesn’t involve work,” I said, fearfully. “God, if it’s free labor, I’m gonna kill him,”
         Rylan laughed as he parked behind a white blazer. On the other side of the road, Jesse’s green olds mobile, was parked at a weird angle. Caleb’s old yellow Camero, with the black racing stripes, was parked in front of the Blazer.
         Jesse was standing on a log, near a blazing fire. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that looked like a tuxedo vest. His sun streaked blonde hair was blowing lightly in the wind, and his baby blue eyes were intense. He looked more like a drill sergeant, then the crazy, power hungry sixteen-year-old we’d come to love.
         Wesley, the owner of the blazer, was curled up next to the fire, fast asleep. Jake and Ethan, who probably caught a ride with Wes, were sitting very still, their eyes drooping. Both of them were still in pajama bottoms and cutoffs. Hunter, Jesse’s right hand man, was sitting near the log, shaking his head. Caleb and Summer, the class couple, were whispering and laughing, quietly.
         “How is it, that the two people who live closest to ‘The Woods’, are the last ones here?”
         “Just luck, I guess,” Rylan shrugged, sitting down next to Caleb and Summer.
         “You’ve held the emergency meeting up for a whole three minutes!” Jesse complained, glaring. “And now we’ll never get Wesley to wake up,” He pointed at the lifeless form.
         I shook my head and sat down in between Rylan and Jake. “Just tell us why we’re here, Captain Overkill,”
         “If you weren’t the First Lady, I’d have you whipped,” Jesse told me, sternly. “You will, however, get a very stern talking to, later,”
         “A stern talking to, Ary,” Summer told me, with an exaggerated glare.
         “Watch it, Little Miss Mocky,” Jesse kept his eyes on Summer. “Don’t think, just because your my wife’s best friend, I won’t have you whacked,”
         “Jesse,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Lets get this over with, before we’re all grounded,” He gave me a dirty look. I sighed, “Please, Mr. President, sir,”
         “I’ve called you all here this...morning,” He glanced at the sky. There was a pink tint to the eastern sky, “to discuss the town’s annual picnic next month,”
         “What?” Those of us who were awake, groaned.
         Jesse ignored us and kept going, “Now, usually, the town council plans everything. You know, signs up teams for the softball tournament, organizes the parade, sets up the booths after the parade, and hires a band for the street dance in the evening,”
         “I don’t like where this is going,” Summer leaned across Rylan, to whisper to me.
         “We might have to kill the President,” Rylan concluded.
         “I’m sorry to inform you,” Jesse pressed on, “that after the graduation mishap, where we hacked the Senior’s slide show and added photos of them passed out drunk at parties and making out with one another, we have to plan it,”
         “You’re kidding, right?” Summer’s mouth dropped open.
         “No one would trust us with that,” Ethan shouted. Jake, who had been nodding off, was startled awake.
         “Yea,” Jesse agreed, his head low, “It’s not as much planning, as in doing what the town council says, while they breath down our necks and glare disapprovingly at us,”
         “Couldn’t we just agree to put pictures of us at parties in our slide show?” Caleb offered. It wasn’t much help. We all agreed we’d put those pictures in. If you put a picture of Jesse and Hunter in bikinis washing a car in there, you have to put a picture of someone throwing up in a plant in.
         “I told Missy Smith that, and I even handed her some of those photos, but she said no,” He sighed. Those were his portfolio pictures. I knew how much he wanted to be a porn star.
         “They can’t make us do that,” Ethan defended.
         “Well Mayor, Governor...” Jesse looked for the word, “Boss Man Winthrop Smith, said we needed to learn some discipline. He went on and on about how we’re the dumbest, most out of control kids he’s ever seen. If we don’t do whatever the council says, we’re kicked out of school,”
         We all shouted out our complaints.
         “They can’t just wipe the Class of 2010 out of existence,” Caleb yelled.
         “And what about Izzy?” I called. “He didn’t do anything,”
         Although most everyone thought Izzy did the hacking, since he was the certified genius of our class, he wasn’t involved at all. He was the straight A student who enjoyed school. We loved him, though. He liked to get in trouble as much as the next kid, but he actually wanted to go to college and learn from books.
         “It’s the whole, ‘if one of you breaks it, you all have to pay for it’, rule,” Jesse nodded, sympathetically. “I talked to Izzy. He’s in Australia for the whole summer. I promised him, we’d keep him in school, so we have to do this,”
         “What about Max?” Summer asked, glancing around the campfire. He was nowhere to be seen. “He was the one who initiated the hacking of the slide show. So, where is he?”
         “Probably getting ready to clean the toilets down at the park,” Jesse told her.
         “Eew,” Both Summer and I shuddered.
         “Yea,” Jesse agreed, quickly, “But, here’s my plan,”
         Hunter raised his hand. Jesse glared at him, but Hunter asked his question, anyways, “You’re not gonna get us killed, are you?”
         My darling husband ignored that and stated his plan, “We’re gonna have the greatest picnic in history. I’ve already got everything planned out. Now, we just need to organize it,”
         “Isn’t going behind the councils’ backs a surefire way to get us expelled?” Rylan questioned.
         Jesse shot him a deadly look, “Not if everyone loves it so much, they’ll be forced to go along with it, and then reward us for doing such a good job,”
         “Okay, okay,” I calmed Rylan and Caleb down. They were going to revolt against their leader. “Jesse, what changes are we making? You know they can’t be illegal,” I lectured.
         “I’ve added a water war,” Everyone perked up at that, “It’s not much of a tournament, as much as kids grab water guns and balloons and just attack each other. But, it’s fun and it keeps them all in one place, under supervision, while their parents play softball,”
         “That’s actually smart,” Summer said, in shock.
         “I have my moments,” He held his chin up high, slightly offended.
         “Win Smith is gonna hate that,” Jake yawned, broadly. Yea, our Boss Man hated all things fun.
         “Who cares, the parents will love it. I mean, everyone wants to get rid of their kids for a couple hours. The old folks want to enjoy the Chandler Picnic, too,” Hunter looked up at Jesse with admiration. Oh great, that’s just what he needed....followers.
         “Max, Ethan, Jake, and Sleepy are handling that,” Jesse pulled a notepad from his back pocket, along with a pencil, and wrote that down. That’s very organized for him.
         “Eye-Eye, Capitan,”
         “Hunter and I have the softball tournament,” He checked something off. He glanced around the fire, “Summer, I want you to organize the parade. You know, put which floats in what spot, and whatever,” He just shrugged.
         “I do enjoy bossing people around,” Summer clasped her hands together, in obvious joy.
         “The games are ran by the community and Missy will oversee that herself,” He shuddered at the name. Jesse once saw her in a bikini. Lets just say, it was a little small for her.
         “Caleb and Rylan will run the street dance,” The boys high fived. “Tell the crew where to set up, put up the road blocks. Pass out the bracelets and all that,”
         I sighed, obviously relieved. I didn’t have a job to do.
         “Not so fast, baby,” Jesse caught my relief and grinned. My eyes narrowed. “You all know, of course, that every year, The Musketeers perform at the street dance,” We nodded, slowly. “We all hate them. They’re in their forties and they don’t know how to sing rap songs. They’ve got to go,”
         “No, Jesse,” I shook my head at him.
         “Yes, Ary,” He nodded, grinning. “You’re in charge of finding us a band,”
         “Where am I gonna find a band?” I asked. I mean, we did live in rural Illinois, in a town with just barely a thousand people.
         “Go to Chicago if you have to,” He shrugged. I was about ready to beat him. “Oh, and since this is in our personal budget, we’ve only got five hundred dollars,”
         “The Musketeers get a thousand!” I shouted, covering my face with my hands.
         “Come on, Ary,” Summer patted my arm. “You’ll go down in history,”
         “Yea, cuz,” Caleb shot me a very mocking grin. “Do you know how pissed Holly and Bianca will be when they hear you saved the street dance?”
         “Fine,” I grumbled, getting to my feet.
         “Where are you going?” Jesse called as I started to walk away. “This meeting is not adjourned,”
         “I gotta go get some condoms, cause I’m gonna have to sleep with some musicians,” I retorted, icily.

         There was one week left until the Chandler Picnic and I had yet to find any bands. I’d asked around in the surrounding towns and came up with nothing. There weren’t even amateur bands, for a back up. I’d have to take Jesse’s advice and go club hopping.
         I was sitting on the floor in Summer’s living room, a phone book in my lap. I was finding the addresses to all the straight clubs in Chicago. Summer was laying on her couch, organizing the parade. It wasn’t easy, deciding which float goes where. Especially when the Boy Scouts wanted to put a penis on their float. Caleb and Rylan had thought it a spectacular idea. The Boss Man wouldn’t, though.
         I sighed. There were twelve straight clubs in Chicago. Now, I’d have to find which ones had a open mic. night. There was no room for failure. I was presented with the opportunity of a life time and I had to take it. As the First Lady of the Junior class at Chandler High, I couldn’t let my people down.
         “How are you going to get in to these clubs?”
         “I’m borrowing Holly’s ID,” I answered, as I typed an address into my phone.
         “She’s letting you do that?”
         “Yea, ever since she hit twenty-two she’s realized how awful she was to me. She also thinks the world of our class,” I glanced up and my dark eyes met Summer’s baby blue’s. “We have to make this work. Not just for Izzy’s sake, but for our reputation,”
         “Not to be a Debbie Downer or anything,” Summer sat up, “but how are you going to go club hopping in Chicago without your parents finding out?”
         I shot Summer a sweet look and her eyes narrowed. “I told them that I was going camping with you and Rain this weekend,”
         “What?” Summer jumped to her feet. “Now, I’ll have to disappear for the weekend. What am I gonna tell my parents?”
         “Calm down,” I eased her back onto the couch. “I figured that out, too. I called your brother. He’ll stay clear. You’re going to stay at Caleb’s all weekend. See, you can have sex all the time. Great idea, right?” I winked at her, grinning, broadly.
         “I guess,” She sighed. Then, she got all serious again. “How are you gonna convince some Chicago band to play down in Hicksville for five hundred dollars,”
         “That’s what the condoms are for,” I told her. When I had walked into her house, with a box of condoms, she hadn’t been to happy. She almost threatened to call my dad.
         “That’s so not funny,” She glared at me. I just rolled my eyes. “Seriously, Ary. Chicago isn’t Chandler. If you seem to desperate, they’ll take the sex. You cannot have sex with some musicians you don’t even know. Especially your first time,”
         “I’ll do it with Jesse right now, if that makes you feel better,”
         “It doesn’t. Besides, you and Jesse,” She shuddered at the thought. “That would be so weird. I mean, I know you two are ’married’ and all, but yuck. We’ve been friends since we were in diapers,”
         “Well if you don’t like the idea of Jesse and I having sex, then maybe you shouldn’t have had Hunter marry us in the fifth grade,” I said, sternly. I got up and grabbed my condoms. “Now, if you’re done, we have to turn me into a twenty-two-year-old, hazel eyed, organ donor,” 

         With the help of Holly and Summer’s older sisters, April and Autumn, we finally managed to turn me into a party girl. It was an ordeal. I had to borrow Jesse’s blue tinted contacts, and lets just say I’m not a major fan of contacts. Believe it or not, that was the easy part.
         The hard part was getting me into a jean skirt that would show my ass if I leaned over a fraction. Then, Holly had to threaten me into wearing a leather camisole. Yea, the lingerie, and nothing else. It scooped so low that my boobs were no longer a mystery. But according to the other girls, I pulled off the look since I was rather scrawny.          
         So, decked out as a girl celebrating her graduation from college, I headed to Chicago, three hours away. I borrowed Wesley’s blazer, since my dented, paint-chipped old car screamed hick. I had nothing on me except for twenty dollars in cash, my cell phone, Jesse’s debit card, Holly’s ID,  and five condoms.
         The club on the top of my list was called Nightmare. Every Friday they had amateur night. If I was lucky, I could find a band looking for their big break. Five hundred dollars, a spot on YouTube, and a column in local newspapers was more then anyone could ask for. And maybe even the promise of making out with a hot girl. The condoms were just a precaution. Hopefully.
         I knew as soon as I was let inside the club, this would be my first and last time doing this. I wasn’t a fan of big crowds. In fact, if there was more then one other person near me, I started to freak out. I hated meeting new people. The whole awkwardness of having to introduce yourself made me faint. That was probably why my social circle revolved around my class.
         I was jumping with nerves, pushing my way through the crowd. There were to many people. I should have brought one of the guys, like Summer had suggested. That way I could just stay at a table with him and not look like a loser. I could always pay someone to sit with me. But after paying for parking, I only had eight dollars.
         The first two hours was trying. It was half past midnight and after driving three and a half hours in the shortest skirt ever made, I was ready to change into sweatpants and go home, where I could be alone. I was officially going into hibernation after this.
         When I was about ready to call it quits, already thinking of a way to apologize to Jesse, I saw him. He had to be the hottest guy I had ever seen. Right that moment, I was willing to cheat on Jesse, not that we were really married or anything. We had no physical chemistry, it’s just that everyone made such a big deal about the fake wedding, the whole thing stuck.
         Anyways....
         Mr. Hotty walked onto the stage, a guitar in hand. My heart jumped into my throat. He was a musician. Even if he and his band were horrible, he was my first pick. All of the girls in Chandler wouldn’t care about his singing, as long as they got to stare at him.
         “Hey, we’re Silver Moon,” He introduced his band. Even his voice was sexy, “And this is our song, ‘Watching Stars’,” My new favorite song, even before he started singing.
         From what I could tell, so far back in the crowd, Mr. Hotty had to be at least six-feet tall, maybe a little taller. He had broad shoulders and a well toned body, underneath his black tee and jeans. (My mouth watered just looking at him.) His hair was a dark blonde and in need of a cut. He fit the picture of struggling musician.
         I was so mesmerized that I was still staring, even after they had walked off stage. From what I remembered of the song, these guys were good enough. They needed a little work on the melody, but who cared. All three of the band members, including my hotty, were decent looking and that’s really all that mattered.
         I pushed my way towards the back stage door. Of course, there was a big guy guarding it, wearing a shirt that said Security.
         “No groupies,” He glared at me.
         “I’m not a groupie,” I defended, hotly. “I want to hire that band. Uh, Silver Moon,”
         He continued glaring at me, “Nice try girlie,”
         “Girlie? Ah,” I glared up at him. He was at least a foot taller then me. And I’m five-eight without the three inch heeled boots. Not to mention, he could probably bench my total weight, twenty times.
         “Move along,” He waved me away.
         “I’m not leaving until I get back there,” I folded my arms and tapped my foot.
         “Then, I guess you’re gonna be here a long time,” He said, sweetly.
         Jesse owed me. He owed me a helluva lot.
         “Come on,” I growled, stomping my foot. “I’m sure even you have better things to do then guard some stupid door,”
         Clearly, he didn’t like that comment. Want to know how I know? He tossed me out the back, into an alley, on my ass. I would have turned around and started pounding on the door if there hadn’t of been something going on, a few feet away from me.
         Two punks, late teens, with tattoos, were beating on a boy, who couldn’t have been much older then me. The ugliest one, with his nose pierced, was holding the kid, while the bigger one, punched him in the gut. This wasn’t anything like you saw on TV. It was more brutal and bloody.
         But, luckily, I wasn’t the smartest kid in the crowd.
         “Hey!” I ran over to them.
         The bigger one stopped the punching to turn around, “Who the fuck-” That’s all he got out before I punched him in the nose.
         There was a resounding, Crack! Whether from his nose, or my knuckle, I wasn’t sure. All I know is that blood squirted everywhere and he groaned, clutching his nose, and my fist seared with pain. Really punching someone was a lot more painful then just hitting someone in the shoulder.
         “You bitch!” The big guy screamed, cupping his nose and backing away.
         “Dude, lets just go,” The ugly one pulled his friend back.
         “That bitch broke my nose,” The big guy grumbled as they ran onto the sidewalk.
         “Oh, shit!” I clutched my left hand in my right one and hissed through my teeth. It looked a lot easier in the movies.
         To the left of me, the kid coughed, spitting up blood.
         I stole one last glance at the street, before kneeling down in front of him, “Are you okay?” My breath caught in my throat. His eyes were the clearest green I had ever seen. He was hot.
         He didn’t answer, just nodded his head.
         “What’s wrong?” I questioned, when he just wiped at the blood at his mouth, completely ignoring me. I knew he couldn’t be deaf, because he obviously heard my first question.
         But, being the considerate person I am, I signed ‘Are you deaf?’. Yes, I knew sign language. When you have detention every day, where you can’t talk for an hour, you pick it up quick. The teachers can’t yell at you, for talking in sign.
         The boy look startled. Was he foreign? Did he think I flipped him off or something? Maybe those weren’t the right hand signs. But they had to be. Jesse’s little sister, my sister-in-law, was deaf. I grew up knowing sign language. Well, Chandler-street sign language.
         He shook his head no and signed, ‘I can’t talk’.
         “Oh, well then,” I said, out loud. “Let me help you up,” I grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were those guys beating you up?” I took a step back, “You’re not a drug dealer are you?”
         He shook his head, smiling. Then, he turned serious and signed, ‘I can’t talk’, again.
         I thought about that, then said, “Ooh,”
         He held his head low, then signed, ‘Nice punch,’
         “Thanks,” I grinned proudly. Then, as if just remembering I was in pain, I held up my left hand. “I think I cracked a few knuckles,” My knuckles were split, and not all the blood was from that guy’s nose. “How am I gonna explain this to my parents?” I sighed.
         Just then, the back door opened. Without thinking, I slid behind the boy, for protection. I don’t know what I was doing. Well, he was taller and stronger then me. And though I’d only known him for two whole minutes, I trusted him. I tend to find protection from men I trust. It’s a disease.
         Instead of a threatening character, the bass player from Silver Moon stepped out. He was even taller then the lead singer and had military cut black hair. I guessed him to be in his late teens. His eyes were a hazy blue.
         “Trent?!” He gasped, catching sight of my companion’s split lip and bloody shirt. “What the hell happened?”
         Trent signed ‘The usual,’
         “Fuck,” The bass player, slammed his hand against the wall. “Well, get in here and get cleaned up, before Cole sees you. He’s gonna freak when he finds out,”
         Bass Man held open the door. Trent took a couple steps, then turned back towards me and signed, ‘Are you coming?’.
         “Yes,” I grinned, taking his offered hand.
         This was amazing. Obviously, the kid, Trent, was with Silver Moon. Not to be a user or anything, but that meant I had some sort of an in with them. Afterall, I did save him. It’s a nice day when a half-naked girl saves a mute boy from being beat up.
         While Bass Man, or Wyatt if you prefer, scrounged up a clean shirt for Trent, I studied the large room. Back stage looked a lot more glamorous in the movies. Here there was a long mirror on one wall, lights leaning against the other. Three old couches sat in the center of the room, facing each other. Several over stuffed chairs lined each wall. And there were wires tapped everywhere.
         “So, who are you?” Wyatt asked me, as Trent changed clothes, off to the side.
         “I’m Ary,” I answered, cautiously.
         Wyatt glanced over at Trent, who signed ‘She’s my guardian angel. Check her hand,’ He winked at me. He was such a sweetie. Jesse was from now on, the first husband. There was no way I can stay married to him when there’s someone as sweet as Trent around.
         Wyatt grabbed my hand and whistled through his teeth, “You must pack one mean punch, babe,”
         “It gets the job done,” I flexed my hand and winced.
         When Wyatt went to find some bandages, I collapsed into an over-stuffed chair. Trent, in a clean shirt, took a seat on the leg rest in front of me.
         ‘What are you doing here?’ He asked, eyes curious. Before I could answer, he added, ‘I know you’re not twenty-one,’.
         “Like I’m the only underage person in here,” I defended, strongly. “Besides, you’re not twenty-one, either,”
         He shook his head, no, ‘But my brother’s in one of the bands. So, do you usually party like this?’. He glanced at my outfit and I felt extremely underdressed. Couldn’t I search for a band in jeans and a tank top?
         “Okay, I’ll tell you the truth,” I sighed. I was really too tired to argue. “I came here looking for a band to hire for my town’s street dance. I heard your brother’s band, I guess, play and I knew they were it. Stupid big headed security guard kicked me out, cause he thought I was a groupie,” I glared at the door.
         ‘Where do you live?’
         “Chandler. It’s a couple hours from here,”
         ‘Never heard of it,’
         I sighed, “Yea, it’s really small,” This was never going to work. “That’s why I need your help. I only have five hundred dollars, and obviously, no one in their right minds would play in some hick town for that little of money,”
         ‘You want me to ask my brother to do it, right?’
         “They’d still get the five hundred dollars,” I assured him, quickly. “And they can have free food for as long as they stay. I can even get you guys a place to stay. Please,” I gave him a Puppy Dog Pout, which wasn’t as affective with my hazel eyes, but it still got the job done.
         ‘I don’t think they’ll go for it,’
         “Please don’t make me resort to plan B,” I begged, gravely. “Plan B involves sex with strangers,”
         ‘You wouldn’t do that,’ He gave me an over-protective brother look that reminded me of my boys back home. I hadn’t seen any of them since yesterday morning and I missed them. I’d have to settle this deal soon.
         “Okay, no,” At least someone knew I wouldn’t do that, “But I’d be eternally grateful if you did this. And think of it as a vacation. A break from city life. It’s really refreshing. Clean air, blue skies. You can see all the stars at night,” I rushed on.
         Trent raised his hand and I stopped. He got to his feet, ’I’ll try, but I can’t promise you anything,’.
         “Thanks!” I called after him.
         Wyatt came back, with gauze. He took Trent’s spot on the foot stool, “I’m surprised that you know sign language,” He commented as he cleaned my hand. I didn’t say anything. “Not to be rude or anything, but not a lot of people know it,”
         “My best friend’s sister is deaf,” Was all I said. I had the feeling that Wyatt thought I should feel sorry for Trent,
         “You’re not taking advantage of him, are you?”
         “What?” I almost pulled my hand back, but Wyatt’s look stopped me. “Of course not. Why would I do that? I just asked him for a favor,”
         His eyes narrowed, “What sort of favor?”
         “I want to hire your band for a gig and he’s going to persuade his brother to do it,”
         To my surprise, Wyatt laughed. “Good luck with that. Trent’s brother, our manager, is a jerk. He’ll rip into your ass for sure,”
         “Oh, come on!” I groaned. Of course I couldn’t be that lucky. “I didn’t even want to do this,” I sighed, slouching in the chair. “My friends are going to hate me and we’re going to get expelled,”
         “Not following,” Wyatt sat my hand in my lap. “Are you trying to say that if you don’t get a band, you’ll be expelled from school?”
         “Sort of,” I put my head in my hands. “It’s a really long story. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll have to go to some other club and look for a band. And it has to be this weekend,”
         “Wyatt,”
         My heart stopped. I knew that voice. I looked up. The sexy lead singer of Silver Moon was standing in front of me. This close, I noticed that his eyes were green. The same green as Trent’s. This was Trent’s older brother. There was no way that someone as hot as him was an asshole. Wyatt was just over exaggerating.
         “Later, Guardian Angel,” Wyatt got up and disappeared.
         Cole didn’t take a seat. He just stood in front of me, his hands in his pockets. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take advantage of my brother,”
         I stood up. In my heels, we were almost eye level, “If I asked you a favor, would I be taking advantage of you?” I questioned.
         His eyes darkened, and if he had been a dog, he would have started to growl, “I’m not going to do you a favor,”
         “Are you always such a gentleman?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. His eyes went to my bandaged hand. “What? Trent doesn’t owe me anything for punching that guy,”
         “You punched him?” He asked, in complete awe. I nodded. “Trent said you scared them away. He didn’t say you punched one,” His eyes went to my face and I was once again startled by the complete green of his eyes, “Does it hurt?”
         “Are you reconsidering doing me a favor?” I challenged.
         Instead of going on the defensive, he laughed. I nearly sighed, in relief. I was able to handle a lot of things, but anger wasn’t one of those. Neither was crying. When it came to people crying, I was like a boy. I just froze, or cracked a joke. If everyone wasn’t laughing and having fun, I was scared.
         “Do you have a place to stay?” He asked me, out of nowhere.
         “No,” I answered, cautiously. Maybe I should have started off by telling him that my beefed up wrestler of a boyfriend was waiting for me outside. He didn’t look to dangerous, but boys would do anything for a piece of a half-naked girl.
         “You can crash at Nathan’s,”
         “Um....”
         He caught my hesitation and added, “He’s harmless,” Still, I hesitated. “He has three sisters,”
         “Oh, okay, then,” I shrugged, seemingly indifferent.

JESSE

         When my wife finally called, it was nearly three in the morning. I hadn’t thought to much of assigning her to find a band. She knew good music and she was stubborn enough not to take no for an answer. It wasn’t until I saw her dressed as a hooker, heading off to Chicago, did I regret my decision.
         I was already up, going over last minute details. There was one week left until the picnic and Missy Smith was getting extra bossy. Boss Man had already printed our expulsion papers. What a dick. Did he really think we didn’t care about our futures? Well, we don’t. But we care about Izzy’s.
         My cell phone went off and I dove for it.
         “Ary?”
         “Jesse, I got a band!” She told me, quickly.
         “Really?” I was surprised.
         “What is that suppose to mean?” She snapped. Obviously, she heard the tone of my voice. I winced. Here we go. “Didn’t you think I’d get a band? If you didn’t think I could do it, then why did you make me do it?! Why couldn’t I have been referee for the water war?”
         “Of course I knew you could do it,” I assured her. I never doubted that. “Wait, did you sleep with anyone?”
         “Yea, and it was fantastic!”
         “Arella Maddox!!” I jumped out of my desk chair, knocking it over. “What? Are you serious?”
         “Calm down, Mr. Pres,” She giggled, happily. “No, I didn’t sleep with anyone. Would I cheat on you?”
         “Yes. Yes, you would,” I sighed. We had to get a divorce. I was getting way to protective of her. “So...who are we and are they good?”
         “They’re called Silver Moon,” She was less giddy, now. “They’re really good. And they’re really hot,” She felt the urge to add, as if I would care about that. “We’re gonna finalize everything in the morning, but I’m pretty sure they’ll do it,”
         “Aren’t you coming home? Where are you?”
         “I can’t come home until Sunday,” She sighed, heavily. “I told my parents I was camping with Rain and Summer. Right now, I’m staying at the drummer’s house. And before you say anything, he’s staying in the basement and I’m crashing with his thirteen-year-old sister. I’m totally safe from sex-craved teenaged boys,” 
         “Then, I’m okay with that,” I picked up the overturned chair. “But since you’ll get this all settled early, don’t you think you could come home early? I really miss you,”
         “And I miss you, but I want to have this vacation. Do you know how good it feels to be away from Bianca?”
         I couldn’t argue with her. I could never argue with Ary, even when we were younger. If you got one look of her big brown eyes, you’d be willing to cut off an arm for her. And she did deserve a vacation. After living with Bianca, the Bitch, for sixteen years, she deserved her own condo in Florida.
         “Okay, but I want you at Rylan’s house when you get back. We’re having a meeting there, on Sunday,”
         “Aren’t his parents in Minnesota until the end of July?”
         “Yes. That would be why we’re having the meeting there,” I knew she was happy as hell. That meant she could hang out there whenever Bianca was home. “We’re planning on having the party there on Friday, instead of at my house,”
         “Party?” She asked, confused. “We’re getting drunk?”
         “No, not that kind of party,” I sighed. We were really to obsessed with drinking. “Since we have to get up at five in the morning, we’re just going to watch scary movies all night. If we’re up to it, the party on Saturday is at Malcolm’s house. His dad is buying two kegs,”
         “Sweetness. Hey, how much money do you have in your account?” She asked, out of nowhere.
         “A couple thousand. Why?” I was cautious, now.
         “I think I’m going shopping tomorrow,” She answered, brightly.
         “Ary,” I warned. I should have just written a check. “You are not spending my money,”
         “I thought it was our money, darling,” She drawled, in a throaty voice. “Remember, what’s yours is mine,”
         “We’re getting a divorce when you get back,” I threatened.
         “You’d never divorce me,” She teased. That was true. “You love me to much,”
         “I love my money, too,” I retorted. But she was right. I did love her. “I’ll see you Sunday, alright?”
         “Okay,”
         “Don’t blow all my money, baby,”
         “I’ll leave a few cents,” She promised, sincerely. “Tell the guys I love them,” She hung up.

SUMMER
         
         When Jesse told me about Ary’s living arrangements, I wasn’t to happy. I thought for sure that she’d get to the club, panic because of all the people, and then come back home. That’s what everyone was hoping. Jesse even said that when Ary didn’t find a band, he’d put her in charge of planning a big blowout afterwards. She is the one with keys to an abandoned house.
         I held an emergency meeting at the basketball court as soon as I talked to Jesse. Sure, I wasn’t the President or anything, but the boys knew that if they didn’t do what I said, they’d be in big trouble. Lets just say, Ary and I have them whipped. We have to good cop/bad cop thing down to a T.
         When I got there, Wesley and Jake were scrimmaging and Max was in swim trunks, showering himself off with a hose. I didn’t even want to know what that was about. I stayed in my car until some of the other boys showed up.
         Because it was on such short notice, not all of them were there. Jesse and Hunter had to work until four in the after noon and Ethan was having some family reunion thing. I was really pissed. Mr. President was suppose to make time for all of his people’s problems. I don’t care if he is Ary’s husband. He’s dead.
         “Hey, honey, what’s up?” Caleb approached me, but kept his distance when he noticed my angry expression.
         “Ary found a band,” Was all I said.
         “Really?” He and Rylan gave each other weird looks.
         “You’re kidding, right?” Jake dropped the basketball, his mouth wide open. He and Ary had a very intense love-hate relationship. Now that Ary found a band, he’d have to admit that she was better then him and then run around town in his boxers.
         “No. Jesse called me and said that she found this amazing band and they’re settling everything today,”
         “Did she have to....” Wesley’s voice trailed off. Then, he did a couple of hip thrusts.
         “No!” I picked up a rock and threw it at him. He ducked behind Jake. “She did not have to,” I mocked his hip thrusts. “I don’t know exactly how she got them to consider taking the gig, but she did it without having to sleep with anyone,”
         “Is it an all girl band?” Rylan asked, curious.
         “Yea,” Wesley snapped his fingers. “Maybe she promised them sex with us,” The other boys grinned. “You know, we are pretty sexy,” He stretched his arms, showing off his almost six pack.
         “That’s one way to get them to say no,” I glared at him, grabbing another rock.
         “I’ll shut up,” He promised, quickly.
         “And no, it’s an all boy band. Three guys. Teenagers. They’re teenage guys and she didn’t have to sleep with them to get them to agree!” I ran a hand through my hair, “Oh my God, what if they’ve taken her hostage? What if she’s their sex slave?”
         “Calm down, Summer,” Caleb put an arm around my shoulders. “I’m sure that’s not the case. Maybe they admire her,”
         “All teenage boys admire is huge boobs!” I started to hyperventilate. “Why didn’t you go with her?” I turned on Caleb. “She’s your cousin,”
         “Okay, you can’t make this my fault,” He backed away, slowly. “You’re the one who dressed her up like a hooker and sent her on her merry way,”
         “I never thought she’d agree to wear the clothes!” I gasped, tears in my eyes. “And I thought that when she saw all those people, she’d get nervous and come home. I’m a horrible friend!” I cried, falling on my butt. “Ary can’t function by herself. She hates meeting new people. I just know they took her hostage,” 
         “Do you want me to go get her?” Caleb offered.
         “Would you?” I looked up at him with teary eyes.
         “Of course,” Caleb assured me. Behind him, I saw Rylan rolling his eyes. I shot him a dirty look.

ARY

         I didn’t like being checked up on. I hated it when people didn’t trust me. Like, when my parents left me home alone, they sent their friends by to see if I was throwing a party. When I found out they were doing that, I was pissed. I mean, I threw my first tantrum since I was ten years old that night.
         But when Rylan called me, I was cheerful.
         “Summer forced you guys to come check up on me?” I asked.
         I walked into the kitchen, which was much quieter then the living room. Lizzie and Danni, the seven-year-old twins, were practicing for their ballet recital that night. Nathan had left me in charge of babysitting, while he went to a secret meeting with the band. I wasn’t to happy when three more little girls showed up. I don’t know how to handle girls.
         “Something like that,” Rylan sighed, heavily. “She was freaking out, because you actually went into a club. She has it in her head that you’re being held against your will, as a sex slave,”
         “Mmmm, there’s a fantasy,” I mused, hopping onto the kitchen counter. “But sadly, I’m only a slave to five little girls. The drummer has me watching his little sisters and their friends, in exchange for room and board this weekend. Tonight, I supervise a slumber party for junior high girls,”
         “You should be excited, then,” Caleb spoke up. They must have it on speaker. “You haven’t had an all girls slumber party since Summer’s tenth birthday,”
         “Shut up,” I grumbled, reaching for the cookie jar. “It’s not my fault that Maddie, Taylor, and Jade moved away and we were left with you boys,”
         “So, is the drummer’s parents gonna let us stay?” Rylan asked, hopefully. “Cause, Summer won’t let us back into town without a certain stubborn someone,” He added, sarcastically.
         “Well, his dad is in New York for some benefit against cancer, and his mom works night shifts at the hospital. They’re both doctors,” I nibbled on an Oreo. “The spare room upstairs is being worked on, but I guess I could ask Nathan if you guys can stay in the room downstairs,”
         “So, is the drummer rich?” Caleb asked, shocked at the multitude of rooms.
         “They have seven bedrooms and four bathrooms. One with a whirlpool,” I added, conspicuously. “And Wyatt’s dad is a CEO for a computer company. He’s loaded, too, but he lives in a shabby house with Cole and Trent,”
         “What about the brothers? Are they rich, too?” Rylan sounded agitated. He hated rich people.
         “Yea, I think so, but I don’t know who their parents are. They might be dead. I asked Izzy to do a check on them,” I glanced over my shoulder. I think the girls knocked the couch over. “By the way, Izzy got his picture taken with a kangaroo,”
         “No way!” Caleb and Rylan gasped.
         “Yes way,”
         We all laughed. The inside joke was that when we were little, like in the fifth grade, we went on a field trip to the zoo. Izzy was terrified of the kangaroos. No one knew why. Well, at the petting zoo, they had a baby kangaroo. Jesse and Caleb were egging it on and it started chasing them. It ended with our class being banned from the zoo, because the boys started a war with the baby animals.
         “So, you like it there then?” Rylan asked, cautiously. “I mean, staying with the drummer and being in Chicago?”
         “I don’t like the people,” I glared at the girls. “But, it’s a lot better then being with Bianca.