Point of View: Narrator
AJ was laying on his back on his lawn, a cirgarette in his mouth, unlit, staring up at the sky. He'd dropped his lighter on the driveway and hadn't realized it til he'd already laid down and gotten comfortable. Breathing with the cigarette in his mouth was gonna have to do until he'd gained some energy.
Suddenly a hand leaned over and lit the cigarette with a lighter. He turned his head and Kayla was standing there. "Hey," he said, surprised.
"Hey." Kayla laid down next to him as he took a drag off the cigarette. "Can I get a hit?" she asked.
"It's not pot," he laughed, handing her the cigarette.
"I know." She took a drag, too, then handed it back to him as she let out a small burst of coughs.
AJ laughed. "You don't smoke often, do you?"
"Never," she admitted.
"That's a good thing. Nick's trying to quit."
Kayla moved so their heads were even, their bodies going opposite directions. She and Nick had laid on Nick's living room carpet like this once. "Can we talk?" she asked.
AJ hesitated. "Uh... uh-huh."
"I have a problem."
"Yeah?" AJ asked. He blew smoke up and imagined a whale coming up out of the water... his mouth the blowhole.
"I really like you, AJ," Kayla said.
AJ closed his eyes. His spirit felt torn. He gnawed his lips. He didn't speak. Speaking would be bad. He brought the cigarette back to his mouth.
Kayla rolled over and leaned over AJ, looking down at him. He moved the cigarette away from his mouth and she took it out of his hand and turned for a moment, putting it out. He breathed the smoke out of his mouth. She returned, looking down at him where he was laying on the grass, her hair cascading down the side of his face.
"I don't know what's happening," she whispered, "But... lately, I think of Nick and I think of... of doing stuff with Nick... and suddenly it isn't Nick anymore, it's you."
AJ blinked up at her, unsure what to say.
"Do you do that?"
"Dream of doing stuff with Nick?" AJ joked, trying to break the tension. "Ha, no."
Kayla stared at him solemnly.
"No." AJ repeated, lying.
"You haven't thought about me and you?" Kayla asked.
"No," AJ lied again.
"Are you sure?" Kayla lowered her face, her mouth coming closer to his.
AJ rolled and she was left leaning towards air. She looked up in surprise. AJ was sitting up now. He was frowning, his eyes were nervous, his hands wringing. He stared at her. "Kayla, you're Nick's."
AJ got up.
Kayla jumped to her feet, she looked at AJ's eyes. "I know," she squeaked, her voice coming out high pitched and awful. She shook her head, "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so stupid, I have the best most beautiful man in the entire world, and I'm... I'm here... hitting on you... his best friend..." Kayla's eyes filled with tears. "I miss him so fucking much, AJ, I just... Maybe it's because you're here, tangible, and he's there, far away... I just..."
AJ reached forward and rubbed her back gently. "It's okay..." he whispered.
"You probably think I'm a slut," she cried.
AJ shook his head, even though he kinda had thought it a little when she'd tried to kiss him moments before.
Kayla looked into AJ's eyes. "I feel like a slut."
"You aren't a slut."
"I feel like one, though," she whispered. "Between what Leon did to me, and throwing myself at Nick and now at you twice..." She shook her head.
AJ, who hadn't heard the story, asked "What Leon did to you?"
Kayla closed her eyes. "He tried to rape me," she whispered.
AJ felt sick. He'd always been a defender of women... ever since his dad had walked out and he'd become the only man of the house, AJ had felt protective of his mother. He'd always been the type to stand up for women when he heard they needed help. He'd broken down doors and opened his home and done volunteer work and fund raisers for battered women's shelters. He'd always been like that, whether people realized it or not. It was one of those things he didn't publicize about himself, one of the things about Alex that differentiated him from the persona.
"He's a dickhead," AJ said, pulling Kayla into a hug as she started to cry. He rubbed her back. There was nothing sexual what so ever about the touch.
"He's loose somewhere," Kayla whispered, "I know he is, I know what he wants..." she shook her head into AJ's chest.
AJ hugged her tighter. "He can't hurt you. Nick and I - we got your back. No matter what."
Suddenly the front door opened and Leslie came out onto the stoop. Her hands flew to her mouth. She stared at AJ and Kayla, and AJ quickly dropped his hands away from Kayla's back. He swallowed. Kayla turned and saw Leslie. It struck her, hard, like it did most people the first time they saw Leslie after they got to know Nick pretty well, that she was Nick's identical, with longer hair.
"You whore," Leslie gasped, "And you - you bastard." Her jaw was dropped, she shook her head. "What are you doing?"
AJ took two steps back from Kayla. "It's not what you think, Les."
"My brother is going to be so fucking pissed at both of you..." Leslie gasped.
Kayla's heart stopped. "No you can't tell him. Please..."
AJ covered his face.
Leslie stepped back into the house and slammed the door.
"Fuck..." AJ mumbled, shakig his head.
Kayla looked up at him. "This is bad."
"You fucking think so?" AJ demanded. He pushed by Kayla to the door of the house and went inside. "Leslie?" he called, bounding up the stairs, "Leslie, we need to talk..."
Outside, Kayla picked up the lighter from the grass and stomped out the cigarette once more for good measure. She sighed and closed her eyes. She'd made a huge mistake. The funny part was... Leslie had legitimately caught them during the innocent part of the exchange... and AJ, poor AJ, Kayla thought. AJ really hadn't done a fucking thing at all except stand up and back away.
