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Chapter Thirty

“So let’s see…high school. Do you realize it’s been ten years since we graduated, Liv?”

I was in mid-bite of my slice of cheese pizza. I chewed quickly and washed it down with some water. “Really?”

“Yeah, didn’t you get your invite to the reunion?”

I laughed. “No. Of course, I don’t think anyone has a clue where I am right now.”

“Want to go? It’s not like you have to worry about bumping into your ex,” Sam said with a little smile. “I can send you a copy of the invitation.”

I rolled my eyes. “I think I’m going to be a little busy between getting married and honeymooning and raising a baby. I think I’ll pass.”

“Aw, c’mon. Imagine the look on everyone’s face when you walk in with your husband.” Sam glanced over at Nick. Nick smiled.

“I don’t want to relive high school,” I said. “Trust me.”

“So about high school…” Nick said. Sam laughed and pointed at me. I feigned interest in my slice of pizza; I poked at the darker spots of cheese.

“Liv was the straight A student. She was part of the yearbook staff, head of the computer club, was stage crew for all of our plays, and the shyest girl you could ever meet who closeted a wicked sense of humor.”

Nick grinned. “Well, I am marrying her for her book smarts, y’know.”

I snorted. “Oh, shut up.”

“Liv and I were friends since junior high,” Sam continued. “Back then both of us were a lot pudgier than we are now. Her mom swore that we were going to grow up, marry each other, have 2.5 children, and live in the suburbs.”

I laughed. I could almost hear my mom go on and on about Sam. Each time I would tell her, ‘mom we’re just friends,’ to which she would just wink and say ‘oh, just wait until you grow up a little more.’

“Really? Did you two ever date?” Nick asked. His eyes were sparkling with amusement.

Sam shook his head. “No, by the end of freshman year I told Liv I was gay. Actually she was the first person I came out to. While her mom thought we were locked in her bedroom swapping kisses, we were really just going through issues of Tiger Beat and having intense discussions on which guy had the cutest butt.”

“I didn’t tell my mom about Sam until the end of junior year,” I added with a smile. “She was devastated.”

“Of course by that time our sweet little virgin here had her eyes set on someone new anyhow,” Sam said. The teasing tone had gone out of his voice. “Even though I told her she could do so much better.”

“Water under the bridge,” I mumbled. Nick looked at Sam.

“So I take it you weren’t part of the Hunter fan club,” Nick said lightly. Sam laughed.

“Major understatement. He would go out with other girls and flaunt them under Liv’s nose even though he knew she had a huge crush on him. She turned down three guys that asked her to senior prom because she was holding out for him. Lucky for her, I just happened to be free that night after all the other guys were taken.”

I made a face. I didn’t even want to think about anything from that time in my life. I had wasted almost a decade on Hunter.

“You didn’t go out with anyone else in high school?” Nick asked me in surprise. I looked up and met his gaze; I shook my head.

“Nope, her world revolved around that jackass,” Sam said with a sigh. “There was only one person that could have trumped Hunter Ryans.”

I looked over at him; I knew exactly where this was going. “Sam, shut up.”

Sam laughed. Nick grinned. “Who was that?”

Sam put his hand to his forehead and swooned dramatically. I grabbed his arm and started to pull it back, but he was already in his theatrical mood.

“Oh Sam, isn’t Brian Littrell the dreamiest? I would go to prom with him in a heartbeat. I’d marry that man.”

Sam began to make kissy noises. I yanked his arm hard and he stopped, but his smile was deeply etched into his face.

Nick shook his head. “Was it really that bad?”

“Did you ever see pictures of her room? It was a shrine to the Backstreet Boys.”

“No. Did she even have my picture up?”

I let go of Sam’s arm. “Of course I did!”

“Yeah, but you weren’t her favorite. She didn’t like your hair. Until about…2001, right Liv?”

I glared at Sam. I was beginning to rethink having him along for a whole tour.

“My hair?” Nick questioned. “What was wrong with my hair?”

“Remember how you used to have it?” Sam asked. “It was really long and parted down the middle. You had that bob thing going on.” Sam wrinkled his nose. “So not a good look.”

Nick looked at me and smiled. “Maybe I should grow it out like that again.”

I punched him in the arm. “Don’t start.”

“Ouch,” Nick said unconvincingly. He rubbed his arm. “Don’t hit me. I’m the one that should feel bad. After all, I am just your second choice.”

All kidding aside, I was glad that Nick didn’t take my old Brian obsession too seriously…especially considering I had slept with him. Sure I had unknowingly slept with him, but that can still bruise a guy’s ego.

“So didn’t Liv do anything crazy during high school?” Nick asked. Sam nodded.

“Yeah, there was this one time. Her mom and dad went out of town and left her alone at the house. Well, she decided to invite some of us over. Of course, some people invited other people and before Liv knew it we had half of our senior class at her house. Someone’s older brother brought over cases of beer and things got out of hand.”

Nick laughed. “Did you freak out, Livvy?”

I sighed. “No, I didn’t freak out. I got drunk. Accidentally.”

Even back in high school a lot of things happened to me accidentally. Like the orange hair. And ripping my pants while working on the set of Beauty and the Beast. I’ve never had the best of luck.

“What happened?”

“Hunter spiked her drink,” Sam said dryly. “Him and his buddies thought it would be funny. Needless to say I arrived just around the time that she dropped off the chandelier and was about ready to tear off her shirt. I think she was attempting to do a dance number to the ‘Thong Song.’”

I was waiting for Nick to laugh but he didn’t look amused. The mutual hatred society for Hunter was in full gear.

“What did you do?” Nick asked Sam.

“I dragged her off the kitchen table and told everyone the party was over.”

“Good man.”

Sam smiled. “Trust me, I had Livvy’s back. And she had mine. She introduced me to my first boyfriend.”

I grinned. “Oh yeah! Patrick. Whatever happened to him?”

“He’s an accountant in Detroit. There was no way I could see myself staying with an accountant. I desire a little more excitement in life.”

“What about now?” I asked. “Anyone special?”

Sam didn’t answer. Instead his attention turned back to Nick.

“Did I mention the time Liv tried out for pom squad?”

“Seriously, Sam,” I said. “Sometimes there are things not worth telling.”

“Which means that this is probably a good story,” Nick concluded.

Sam nodded. “Oh yeah.”

Sam launched into the story that took place during junior year. Looking back, I have no idea why I even wanted to try out for poms. Well, actually I do. First and foremost, I wanted to impress Hunter. I knew I was too fat to be a cheerleader. Secondly, I secretly coveted the spot of baton twirler on the pom squad. I loved the shiny metal rod with the streamers on either end. I also liked that the poms had a whole wardrobe. Of course I forgot two major things when I went to try out; I was (a) shy and (b) uncoordinated.

“She had practiced her tryout routine for weeks,” Sam said. “I helped her choreograph,” he added proudly. “Her number was set to Larger than Life.”

“And so I got up there and I froze. So Sam comes up and joins me just like he did in practice. I started to feel real good about it halfway through the routine and then I did a complicated number with the baton, flipping it behind my back and then leaning back to catch it,” I said, staring straight ahead as if I was seeing a replay on the wall.

“What happened?” Nick asked.

“She misjudged the velocity of the baton and it smacked into her mouth. She started to cry, but her mouth was full of blood. She had knocked out her two front teeth.”

“You’re kidding,” Nick said, his mouth falling open. I shook my head.

“Nope. I spent the most excruciating hours of my life in the dentist’s office and I missed school for two weeks,” I said.

“Well, did you at least make the pom squad?”

I looked at Nick like he was crazy.

“Nope.”

“That’s bullshit.”

I smiled sadly. “No, it’s called high school.”

“You’re just lucky I wasn’t there,” Nick said.

“She wouldn’t have given you the time of day,” Sam said. “Remember the hair?”

Nick’s eyes crossed as he looked up at his spiky hair. “Oh yeah, the hair.”

“Can we get off the subject of hair?” I said, slightly grumpily. The little bit of pizza I had wasn’t sitting well on my stomach all of a sudden. I saw Nick look at Sam.

“Hey, speaking of hair…did Liv tell you hers turned blue?”

I groaned. Sam leaned forward like an eager child ready for story time.

I got up and picked up Brooklyn.

“Where are you going?” they asked at the same time.

“I’m putting sleepy doodle down in her crib,” I explained. I left just as Nick started to describe my likeness to Smurfette.

Brooklyn gave me no trouble when I put her down in the crib. For that I was grateful. I had just tucked her in when I knew I couldn’t keep the pizza down any longer. I ran towards the bathroom and heaved. With just days before the wedding, the last thing I wanted to do was get sick.

But that seemed like just my type of luck.