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This chap was written by Ashley, Ana and me. Thanks, girls!



"Oh! So that's what they meant!" Melicia blurted in awe as Ana showed her the definitions her assignment was asking for. The three girls sat aimlessly around Melicia's large bedroom, Ana helping Melicia speed up the progress on their AP assignment while Kelly kicked back on Melicia's bed, flipping through the channels on the television.

"If I were you, Clicky, I would have your uncle get you a computer. Homework goes by alot quicker if you have one," Ana suggested, jotting down a few notes from the text book. She seemed at ease with the subject of Anatomy and Physiology. Melicia was jealous as the subject wasn't coming as easily to her. She was beginning to think that her uncle putting her into the class wasn't such a great idea, even though she had been taking a similar class in New York. This one seemed to be ten levels more difficult.

"I have a computer. Just haven't had the chance to set it up yet," Melicia answered, taking her spiral notebook from Ana. A large box was stacked against the far wall, containing all of the components of her computer, something she knew she would need her uncle's help setting up within the next day or so.

"Good, I was beginning to think you were electronic illiterate," Ana smirked, stretching her arms high above her head and arching her back for a second. She glanced at Kelly, who's attention was completely glued to the flashing television. "Anything good on, Kel?" Kelly produced no answer, instead she continued to tap the channel button on the remote. Ana rolled her eyes. "You like video games, Clicky?"

"Yeah, I have a whole collection of PS2 games," Melicia mumbled in distraction, busily jotting down words in a messy scrawl. She looked up at Ana. "Why?"

"Because Kel is a total video game junkie. Right now, the thing going through her mind is, 'God, I wish I was playing Wakeboarding f. Shawn Murray'... or it could be Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. She's nuts."

"And what's so wrong with playing PS2, Miss Ana?" Kelly drawled as she gave Ana a look.

"Nothing as long as you think there isn't," she replied, clicking her tongue with disapproval. Melicia laughed as Kelly flicked Ana off before staring at the tv again.

"My PS2 is hooked up if you wanna play it, Kel. May as well in case Nick comes over. Then he'll be stealing that thing away from you."

Kelly shrugged. "Nah, that's ok."

"Whoa, what did you just say?" Ana blurted in mock shock. "Did you just say no to PS2?"

"Yes, I did," Kelly stuck her tongue out. "I don't need to play it all the time, you know."

"You got more willpower than I thought, Kel."

"Ah, shut up, Lord."

"Do you two always fight like this?" Melicia asked as she finished her assignment, closing the textbook with an amused smile on her face.
"You ain't seen anything yet," Kelly answered.

"Should I be scared?"

"Very," they said in unison, causing the three of them to break out laughing as someone knocked on Melicia's door.

"Come in," Melicia replied through her giggles as Howie walked into the room. "Hey, Uncle Howie. Did Kevin ever out of the garage?"

"Yes, and we've vowed to make a truce. No damage to my Vette, no more makeup for him," Howie chuckled. "Anyway. Brian, Kevin and I are headed to Brian's to watch movies and AJ is just going to go home. Do you guys want to come with us? You're more than welcome."

Melicia bit down on her bottom lip. "I think I'm going to pass on the offer tonight. Homework's not done."

"Are you sure you'll be alright here by yourself?"

"She won't be by herself, Mr. Dorough," Kelly piped up. "We'll make sure she stays out of trouble."

As Ana smirked at Kelly's southern antics, Melicia could only laugh. "Just keep her from going to any parties and there will be no problems," Howie answered.

"No parties at all, Uncle Howie," Melicia replied, glaring at her uncle.

"Then I guess there will be no problems, huh?" Howie grinned, ignoring the blush that had creeped into his niece's cheeks. Ana and Kelly shook their heads as Melicia continued to glare daggers at her uncle. "Good. It was nice meeting you girls, you're welcome here anytime. Mel, I should be home no later than midnight."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Melicia muttered and quickly turned her attention back upon her text book.

"Bye, Mr. Dorough," Ana and Kelly chirped.

"Girls, call me and the other guys by our names, okay? Well, if you want to make Kevin feel old, call him Mr. Richardson," Howie winked. "See you all later."

"Bye!" he left the room and Melicia waited until she heard the front door slam before she looked up from her book.

"I can't BELIEVE he brought that up!"

"Spill the gossip. You can't say that and not go into details!" Ana declared, collapsing onto Melicia's light blue bean bag chair. Her eyes sparked in interest.

"It happened back in New York. Me and my old friends went to a party the night before I had to leave," Melicia paused for a moment as she pulled her reading glasses off. "Needless to say, there was drinking and yes, I did drink. I just wanted to have fun my last night home, you know? Well... I bumped into this popular Jock from school, his name was Scott. We started talking and I was telling him how I was drinking to forget about moving and 9/11 and... and he had a solution to make me forget about all that."

"A solution?" Kelly asked as Ana slapped her thigh. Melicia knew which one had caught on.

"Scott pulled out a pipe and some weed... needless to say, I got drunk AND high. Before I knew it, the cops busted up the party and I was one of the few who got caught."

"Well, well, well, Clicky is a trouble maker," Ana said with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Hey, I ain't ever doing that shit again," Melicia immediately added.

"I know what you mean, Mel," Kelly replied. "I tried that stuff before and had the same hangover."

"It's not worth it..." Melicia muttered, tapping at her temple with her pen in a thoughtful manner. "I'm still going to rip my uncle a new one for bringing that up."

"Ah, give him a break," Ana replied with a grin, throwing a pillow at Melicia. "He's just being a parent, and that's what parents do. Bring up mistakes you've done."

"But he's not my parent!" Melicia snapped. The room grew extremely quiet as Ana stared at her with a puzzled expression. Kelly froze with remote in mid-air. Blood rushed to Melicia's cheeks as she sat there, center of unwanted attention. "Whoa, that came out of nowhere..." she trailed, suddenly sick to her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Ana asked.

"Yeah, fine..." Melicia whispered. She immediately turned her back to both girls.

"Mel, if we're going to be friends... you need to be able to tell us things," Kelly replied.

"I don't have anything to tell," Melicia lied, biting down onto her bottom lip. She figured if she bit hard enough then she would be able to forget about her emotional pain for a moment. "I'm just stressed about not getting this AP assignment done for tomorrow."

Kelly raised a light eyebrow. "Well, if Ana would have told me, I would have brought a copy of mine over for you to look at."

"You're in AP?"

"In the afternoon."

"Oh, that's why I didn't see you in class."

"Yeah, that would explain it," Kelly clicked her tongue with a smirk. "Quick one, aren't we?"

"Funny..."

"Well, I thought so," Kelly looked over at the clock and saw it was 10:30. "Crap! I told my mama I was going to be home right now."

At least you still have your mama... Melicia thought with a shielded hateful glare. She willed her tears to keep at bay.

"C'mon, Kel, I'll take you home," Ana got up from her spot and looked over at Melicia. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine...as long as I get this damn assignment done," Melicia answered.

"Okay, well, call me if you need help. Or just come right on over, my dad's out of town again."

"When is he never..." Kelly muttered, hopping down from Melicia's bed.

"Can it, Kel! Like your father is any better!" Ana hissed, snatching the keys to her hummer from the desk. She glared daggers.

"Sorry, sorry," Kelly replied as they all headed down to the front door.

"See you tomorrow morning, Clicky?" Ana said, stopping at the door.

"Bright and early, Ana," she sighed heavily. "Hopefully I'll have this AP figured by then."

"If not, I'll bring you a copy of mine and you can copy it in your own words on the way to school."

"Alright, thanks," Melicia finally gave a smile. "It was great meeting you, Kelly."

Kelly nodded.

"Later," both girls replied in unison and left Melicia to go back to her hell-given assignment.

*****

"J, it's not a big deal. Mella went over to Ana's for a few hours. She said she just wanted to hang out. Besides, it's the weekend. Let the girl be around someone her own age with a higher IQ than what you manage," Howie teased lightly as he tossed AJ a soda from the fridge. He had expected AJ to agree, but he simply stared at the frantically scribbled note Melicia had left stating her plans. Frankly, Howie was impressed that Melicia had so quickly connected with Ana. He hoped that both girls would be able to heal each other's pain manifested by the horrid attacks during 9/11 that had left them motherless.

"AJ? Hello, anyone there?" Howie called, waving his hand in front of AJ's eyes. "I dissed you and you didn't say anything."

"What do you really know about Ana, anyway? What if she's over there having a wild party and you're completely oblivious to the fact. Mel could be over there with GUYS or something!" AJ blurted with a heated look plastering his distressed face.

"Do you really think Mel would do that again after what happened in New York? Damn, J, you sound as bad as Kev. Besides, it wouldn't hurt her to meet some guys, either."

"She doesn't need any guys to distract her!"

"Guys distract her from what? Jeez, you're sounding like a jealous boyfriend or something," Howie raised an eyebrow as they walked into the living room.

"From getting into a good college," AJ mumbled, fishing for his keys. He knew he was overreacting, but he couldn't help it. He had gone too far with Melicia to turn back.

"She knows better, AJ. That girl is like her mom, and nothing can distract her from getting what she wants..."

"Isn't that the damn truth," AJ muttered, remembering Melicia's fiesty nature when it came to their kisses.

"What was that?"

"Huh? D, I think you're hearing things."

"J--"

"Look, I got to get going anyway," AJ interrupted, deciding that he would visit Ana's home just to be safe.

"Oh, okay," Howie replied, still not understanding the younger man's attitude. "We got another quick meeting with management tomorrow afternoon. Don't forget."

"I could never forget our wonderful meetings, D."

"Yeah, I note the sarcasm," Howie rolled his eyes as AJ headed to the door. "See you tomorrow."

AJ said nothing more as he dashed out the front door. He acted like he was walking to his car until Howie closed the door, and then he made a mad dash for Ana's home. AJ found himself utterly surprised at the size and lavishness of this home. He had met Ana briefly, but still assumed that she didn't exactly fit into the picture of white marbal pillars with picture bay windows and large creamy white doors. Nonetheless, AJ pressed forward, noticing the Hummer parked neatly before the garage. He quickly assumed that it was Ana's father's vehicle as he tapped loudly on the large doors, only to hear the faint blasting of 80s music. Instantly, the door opened and AJ was greeted by a maid. "I need to speak to Ana and Melicia."

The maid motioned toward glass doors at the opposite side of the large corridor, but said nothing. AJ cursed under his breath, immediately jogging down the large hallway. He burst through the sleek doors to be greeted with the reminents of a party. His anger boiled overboard when he noticed that Ana and Melicia were the only girls on the property. Ana stood amongst a throng of overly-sexed boys, dancing and singing in a skimy bikini to her collection of 80s music. AJ's eyes quickly darted to see Melicia sitting amongst a group of boys in the hot tub, laughing.

"What the Hell..." AJ stormed over towards the hot tub. "Melicia!"

Melicia's eyes darted upward briefly, catching AJ's blistering glare. She immediately jumped out of the hot-tub, reaching for a large beach towel. It was obvious that she had borrowed one of Ana's bathing suits, because Howie have never allowed Melicia to galavant around in a palm tree printed, string bikini. Melicia seemed obviously embarassed as she pulled AJ to the side, listening to the guys snicker behind her. "What's your problem? Ana just invited a few of her friends to hang out for awhile."

"And all of her friends are GUYS? Don't you think your mothers would be ashamed to see this going on?!"

Melicia allowed the last comment to slide, knowing that AJ was simply jealous. She wrapped the towel tighter around her shoulders, rolling her eyes toward him. "Alex, yes, all her friends are guys. She has one girl that's a close friend, Kel, but she went shopping with her dad today. Ana's a floater, but her best friends are guys. It's not a big deal!"

AJ never replied to Melicia's comment, because Ana came dancing over. She rocked her hips to the beat as she settled one of the guys' cowboy hats on her blonde pigtails. She wore a cherry-printed, string bikini, exposing her own well toned and tanned body. AJ had never felt such rage before as Ana sang beautifully, looping her arms gingerly around Melicia's neck, "Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet, little miss ah innocent sugar me! Pour some sugar on me! Oh, in the name of love..." Ana held her famous impish smile as she glanced over to AJ. "Hey, Mr. McLean, good tunes, huh?"

"What do you think you're doing? You two are 18 years old having a party full of boys with no parents around!"

Ana's impish smile seemed to fade dramatically when AJ pulled off his sunglasses. His eyes seemed to smolder with every emotion embedded in his heart. Ana's usually laid-back frame became instantly stiff as she glanced at the man. "Dude, they're all my friends. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal, Ana. Things happen when girls are outnumbered by the boys; I should know. I'm going to assume that your mom and dad don't even know about all these friends, right?"

"Father knows that I keep a handle of friends around at all times while he's out of town, which is usually all the time. He doesn't care what I do, as long as he doesn't get a call from the paramedics or the police saying I'm in either of their custody. And whatever my mother thinks doesn't count," Ana replied somewhat offensively. Melicia felt her cheeks burn crimson when she noticed an unfamiliar flicker of emotion pass through Ana's emerald-sapphire eyes.

"And why wouldn't it--"

"Alex, just don't--" Melicia tried.

"No, Melicia. I want to know why Ana's mother's opinion doesn't count! Because, her mother should be absolutely ashamed at this type of behavior--"

"My mother's dead, that's why her opinion doesn't count," Ana growled. Her eyes immediately turned to a brilliant and frosty blue, as if she had been possessed. She crossed her arms against her blossomed chest, causing the guys at the party to become wary. Usually, Ana never spoke out against anything; she was too laid back to care what others thought. Yet, Ana stood her ground in a highly defensive manner. "So, please, Mr. McLean, continue about how my DEAD mother should be turning over in her grave with shame."

AJ's eyes grew wide in surprise. "I, I didn't know she was... I'm sorry--"

Ana's haunted eyes were colored with hatred as she reached down and grabbed Melicia's shoes. She hurriedly pushed them into Melicia's hands, guiding both her and AJ to the door front door. Hurriedly, the maid pulled open the door, allowing Ana to push them both outside. Her face was taunt with pain, as if struggling to hold her tears back. "Don't you ever critisize my parents or how they raised me, Mr. McLean. I have a straight A average in my high school and I'm well in the top twenty of school. I am perfectly behaved and my mother would be quite proud of me. You, on the other hand, should bite your tongue more often. I don't care who you are, because you have insulted me and my family greatly. Now, please, excuse me, because I have a large orgy with several men to take care of before they get cranky and demand that shots of tequila and weed be passed around."

"Ana, wait--" Melicia tried to speak but Ana slammed the door in their faces. She rounded on AJ, anger and hurt burning through her. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

AJ was absolutely stunned as he heard the music become louder than before. He attempted to reach out to Melicia, but she shoved him back. AJ stumbled a few steps in absolute surprise. "I didn't know her mother died! What the Hell did you want me to do?"

"How about not coming over in the first place! What the Hell's the matter with you, coming over here when I'm trying to make friends! It's not like you don't have lady friends or anything! God, I can't fucking believe you said that."

"Her mother--"

"Died in 9/11! Her mother was on one of those planes that hit the towers! Her mother called her just before the flight took place. She heard the men shouting and her mom screaming that she loved her! You have no idea what the Hell that's like! And her father is gone almost every week! She's lucky if she gets to see him for an hour during the entire month! She does what she has to do to thrive. She likes to have friends over at her house constantly so she doesn't bottom out! She's so easy going and probably one of the best friends I could ever make. She's smart and she has singing talent. She was going to help me get into the talent show by doing a duet with her. You RUINED everything! How can you be so inconsiderate!"

"Melicia, I didn't know. I'm sorry, okay!"

"There's no way that a sorry can cover what the Hell you just did in there! Saying that her mom should be ashamed, Hell, Alex, her mother should be proud! That girl is so level-headed that it's hard to see her as a normal teenager! Then saying that my mom should be ashamed of me! Go to Hell, okay? Just go straight to Hell. You ruined one of my greatest friendships that I could hope to make. I hope your proud, because now I can spend all of my miserable time with you, fufilling your needs," Melicia sneered snottily, walking toward her uncle's home.

"Wait a damn minute!" AJ went after her, grabbing her arm and made her face him. "So, you're saying I should have thought it was normal to see you in the hot tub with all those guys when just earlier you were saying you wanted to be with me? I got jealous. I'm extremely sorry with what I said about your mom and Ana's, I shouldn't have. But don't think I won't get like that when I care for you like I do."

"Go to Hell, okay? Just go to Hell!" Melicia burst, unable to hear his side of things. She ran into her uncle's home with AJ following closely behind. Without hesitation, she faced her uncle. Her sapphire eyes were heated with a fury of passion. "ANA FUCKING HATES ME BECAUSE OF THAT ASSHOLE!" she cried, unable to handle the pressure building on her chest.

"Huh?" Howie asked, completely dazed.

"HE FUCKING STORMED INTO ANA'S HOUSE AND STARTED YELLING AT US ABOUT HOW OUR MOM'S WOULD BE ASHAMED OF US!"

"For what?" Howie asked, giving AJ a hard look.

"Okay, to let you know... Ana has a lot of friends and they're guys. BUT," She continued, noticing Howie was going to object about that. "They are really nice guys and would never hurt a girl. She invited some over to her house, you know, so I can get to know people at school. An innocent pool party, Uncle Howie--"

"SHE WAS IN A HOT TUB WITH GUYS SURROUNDING HER!" AJ interrupted.

"GUYS WHO ARE MY FRIENDS, DICKLESS!" Melicia spat back.

"Melicia--" Howie tried.

"No! Don't even try it!" Melicia fumed, immediately retreating to the steps. She stomped up each step with a new fury, screaming loudly, "ANA WAS THE GO-TO-CHICK IN THE HIGH SCHOOL! EVERYONE LIKES ANA! WHEN THEY FIND OUT THAT I TURNED AGAINST HER - I'M GOING TO BE FUCKING STONED TO DEATH! NO ONE WILL WANT TO TALK TO ME AFTER THAT! AND KELLY PROBABLY WON'T EVEN TALK TO ME ONCE SHE GETS THE NEWS FROM ALL OF ANA'S FRIENDS. NO! I'LL BE THE FIRST TO GET HOG-TIED BY KELLY WITH AN APPLE STUFFED DOWN MY THROAT AND ROASTED ON HER BARBIE-Q, WHATEVER THE HELL THAT IS!"

"I'll go talk to her!" Howie called up, rushing toward the stairs.

"IT WON'T FUCKING WORK! AJ RUINED EVERYTHING! NOW I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS AT ALL!" She slammed the door, causing it to echo through the large house.

"You just had to go over there?" Howie asked tiredly, collapsing on the nearby couch. He knew that Hell would come sooner than he had anticipated. He also knew that he would have to travel over to Ana's house to sort out some kind of damage control. However, he wanted to deal with AJ first. "Ana seemed like a well-rounded kid when we met her the other day. Why didn't you trust her? And why did you insist on running oer there without even knowing the situation behind Ana?"

"Mel's like my little sister, I don't want her to get into trouble like she did back in New York," AJ tried to defend himself without blurting out all that he really felt. In all honesty, he really didn't know what made him do what he did, either.

"Now I have to go over and manage damage control," Howie grunted.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"I can't believe you brought their mothers into this... Jezz, did Mella tell you?"

"No, she didn't! I just... I don't know," AJ sat down, tugging at his spikes.

"I'm considering sending you over to speak to Ana, but I'm not sure I'd get anywhere with that."

"The girl would pobably kick my ass."

"She does seem tough, huh?" Howie asked, offering a faint smile.

"Yeah, but... man, I felt really shitty once I said that about their moms... Ana looked like she was going to cry."

"Her mom just recently died, J. How can you expect her not to cry? Espessially when her father's on the road so much like Mella said."

"But I didn't know in the first place," AJ sighed heavily, looking up at the ceiling. He knew that Melicia would take a really long time to forgive him. "I tried to apologize, but neither will hear it."

"Well, I'll go sort some damage control on Ana. You just plan on kissing Mella's ass, because, under the circumstances, I probably wouldn't forgive you either."