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This chap is by Ana and me. Thanks, girl!



"Oh, a dip in the pool is going to feel great," Melicia sighed as she headed towards the backyard. Howie wasn't lying; he did make it part outside and part inside. So she could go swimming rain or shine.

Melicia seemed completely oblivious to the boys standing near the glass doors as she tore the towel away from her matured body. She ran with heightened speed, diving into the crystal liquid as if it were a bed filled with pillows. AJ felt his mouth go absolutely dry when he watched Melicia surface with her bathing suit clinging to every curve. He immediately tore his eyes away from the scene, trying to drown his heavily panted thoughts.

She opened her eyes and gasped softly. "Umm... how long have you guys been standing there?"

"Long enough to see your diving glory," Nick teased as they walked out onto the large patio.

Melicia rolled her eyes, slightly blushing. "Mama taught me how to dive when I was little. Been addicted to swimming since then."

"Another Dorough curse?" Brian asked, watching her lazily kick about the pool.

"Not a curse this time, Bri," she replied, soaking in the sun. AJ found himself staring at Melicia as she swam. "This is a Dorough Gift."

"You think you can behave yourself for a few hours?" Howie asked, sitting down at the edge of the pool. He placed his legs in the water, kicking some water at Melicia.

"I should hope so," she replied, kicking a little water back at him. "Where are you going?"

"The guys and I need to go out and grab some food for this house," Howie answered.

"Oh, okay," she turned to AJ, who seemed to be a little bothered about something. "AJ? Would you stay with me so I have some company in this gigantic house?"

"Y-You want me here?" he stammered, unable to control the shakiness in his voice.

"Well, yeah. Is that alright?"

"If your uncle doesn't mind," AJ replied carefully, shifting his eyes toward Howie.

"No, not at all. Besides, maybe you two can go walking around the neighborhood to find some girls Mel's age anyways."

"You mean for J to date?" Nick cackled with amusement.

"Do you want to get thrown into the pool, Carter?" AJ growled.

"I'm just trying to help you out, damn!" Nick groaned, stepping away.

"No, you need help more than me--"

"Stop it you two," Kevin barked, taking command.

"Are you guys like this all the time?" Melicia asked as she swam over to her uncle.

"Always and forever," Howie promised as Melicia reached up to kiss his cheek. Howie smiled, running his hands in her wet, dark curls. "Behave with AJ, alright? He might try to kiss you, knowing my luck," Howie teased lightly, not realizing the significance.

"Don't worry, Uncle Howie," Melicia gave a sweet smile while in her mind she was thinking the exact opposite. "We'll both behave."

"I hope so," Howie replied, following the men.

Before AJ and Melicia knew it, they were alone. She looked up at him and laughed. "Cat got your tongue, Alex?"

"No, just you..." AJ murmured, sitting at the edge of the pool.

"Oh, really?" she gave a smile, swimming to him. AJ shivered as he felt her hands on his legs. "How did I do that?"

"You're... you're really grown up, Mel."

"I kind of hide that behind my clothes a lot of the time," she agreed. "But when it comes to sun and swimming... well..." she motioned to herself.

"You're beautiful. You shouldn't hide it," AJ admitted honestly, leaning back on the palms of his hands. He closed his eyes, tilting his head toward the sun. He smiled as the sun warmed his body, causing him to tingle.

"I've never had a guy tell me that before," she whispered, resting her chin on his knee.

"Well, they didn't know how lucky they were to be around you then," he replied, looking down into her eyes.

"Are you causing trouble?" Melicia teased, allowing her fingers to trace gently down his shirt. She had never felt so close to danger before, but she was exhilerated. She liked the feel.

"M-Me? Cause trouble?" AJ stuttered, his muscles fluttering at her touch. "Never."

"I like to cause trouble."

"Mel, if your uncle would find out about this-- he would litterally kill me where I stand. I can't even disagree at the thought of your mom coming back to kill me, too."

"But you like me, don't you?"

"Do you want me to be perfectly honest?"

"Yes, of course."

AJ hesitated for a long moment, trying to gather his strangled thoughts. He could only imagine Melicia's beautiful eyes, and then he imagined Howie attacking him. He assumed that Howie could become a vipor when it came to defending his family. AJ sighed, pulling his legs out of the water. "I don't know what I feel at the moment. I like you, Mella. I really do. I think you're great and I get all nervous around you. Yes, they're feelings building, but your uncle would strike me dead. Strike me deader than dead. We have to think about this, because I don't want to end up six feet under."

Melicia moved a little over and pulled herself out of the water, sitting next to AJ. "I feel the same way about you, Alex. Don't you think Uncle Howie would kill me too if he found out? I'd be six feet under right along with you. But... it feels right when we're together, don't you think?"

"Can... Can we think about this?"

"Alex, I've been thinking about this since I was 16."

"Then can you let me think about it?"

She sighed heavily, sliding halfway into the water. "Sure, that's no problem--"

"Don't think I don't want you..." AJ replied, grasping her upper arms to keep her from sliding fully into the water.

She turned towards him, about to speak when their eyes locked and words left her mouth. He could do the only thing that was on his mind - kiss her.

*~*~*

Beep! Beep! Beep! Be--

Melicia groaned and slammed her hand down on her alarm clock. "Not time to wake up yet!"

"Let's go, Mella!" Howie called immediately afterward, stepping into her room. He reached forward and yanked the covers off her curled body. She whined in response, trying to reach for the covers. Instead, Howie tugged her upward. "You'll be late for Anatomy and Physiology. Let's go."

"Uncle Howie, it is WAY too early for those classes!" she protested. "At my old school, I didn't have to be there until 10."

"Well, you have to get used to it. I told you to go to bed earlier, but you seemed obsessed in beating AJ in some game. So, let's go. I won't stand for slacking in your Senior year. Colleges can cancel your admission if you slack. So, get up," Howie replied, pushing her toward her large closet.

"This sucks," she rubbed her eyes, trying to focus on what to wear for the day.

"Yeah, you're a teenager. Everything is supposed to suck," Howie replied, kissing her forehead. "So, have fun. I have a meeting with the boys. I'll send your hellos, unless you have a special request."

"The normal hellos. I'm not able to think right now," Melicia answered. "Do I get to drive one of your cars to school today?"

"Does your foot hurt?"

"Yeah, but not a lot. Doesn't mean I can't drive, though."

"Let me drop you off at school and you call me when you're done. I don't want you crashing a car because of your foot," Howie answered.

"But--" she sighed, knowing it was too early to fight. "Alright... can we take the 'Vette?"

"You want to make an impression?" Howie teased.

"Well, who wouldn't want to drive a kick ass car--"

"Melicia, get dressed," Howie groaned.

"Yes, Uncle Howie," Melicia cooed, kissing his cheek as he left her room and headed down to the kitchen to cook a quick breakfast.

"What to wear, what to wear..." she muttered to herself, looking through her new clothes she had just bought yesterday with AJ. Her mind traveled to the tendered kiss they had shared. It seemed as if everything had fallen into place with them, despite AJ's protests. A cool smile curved on Melicia's lips as she snatched two items off her hangers. AJ would absolutely drop dead when he visited after school.

*~*~*

"So... this is my new school," Melicia commented as Howie pulled his purple Corvette up to the front of the building.

"Yeah, a lot of rich kids to say the least," Howie murmured, watching several girls go running up the sidewalk in expensive brand names. They shrieked in delight as several boys followed closely behind.

"Those are the kind of girls that will annoy me," she replied, looking at the same group Howie was, subconsciously smoothing out her shirt.

Howie offered a kind smile. "Sweetheart, you'll fit in just fine. You've got nothing to worry about. You're perfect. Now get out of my car before I push you out."

"Well, when you put if that way..." she smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Bye, Uncle Howie."

Howie waved as Melicia hopped out of the car. She glanced at her watch, knowing that her first class would commence soon. She hurriedly raced through the hallways, pushing past girls who simply clicked their tongues in annoyance. Melicia rolled her eyes, searching for the room number to Anatomy and Physiology. Thankfully, she found it and darted in the doorway. Unfortunantly, another student was walking out, and they connected. Melicia's backpack went flying with the contents spilling onto the floor. Immediately, she heard the snickering of several beauty queens parked in the back rows. Melicia's cheeks flushed an intense red.

"Ignorance is never bliss, huh?" a voice called, causing Melicia to glance up from her mess. She noticed a girl pull away from a large group of boys, walking toward her. The girl was unlike any of the others she had just briefly encountered in this school. The girl was different. She wore a pair of gray baggy sweatpants with a tight blue tank top. Her flaxen curls were pulled into a tight ponytail. She wore no makeup, alerting others to her natural beauty. Her dark sapphire-emerald eyes were intense as she gazed at Melicia, bending down to gather her things.

"Um, yeah, especially with the girls I had seen so far," Melicia replied as they got her books and whatnot together. She placed them in her backpack and they both stood up. "I'm Melicia."

"Name's Ana, short for Anastacia, but no one bothers to memorize that mess," Ana teased, her sapphire-emerald eyes glittered with an impish nature. She tugged at her oversized gray sweatpants, only to have them fall against her hips, showing off a sapphire belly button ring.

Melicia laughed. "With my friends back in New York, I was called everything from Mel to Marshmellow... so whatever you call me, I should be okay with it."

"Figured you were new to this," Ana replied, turning for a moment when several guys called her name. She waved toward them, making an obvious motion for them to shut up. She turned back to Melicia. "New to Anatomy and Physiology, too?"

"Yeah, I just moved here from New York to live with my uncle. Before I knew it, he signed me up for this class."

"Not too hard. I can help you out if you want," Ana replied casually.

"Really? That would be great--"

"Ana! Hey! Cute outfit!" a girl suddenly called, waving from the pack of vultures that had laughed at Melicia. The girl smiled brightly to Ana, making Melicia assume that Ana was personable to mesh with any crowd. Melicia then studied the new girl. She was a slender brunette with brilliant blue eyes. She wore a light pink miniskirt with a white tank top and light pink sweater. Her ears glittered with expensive diamond studs, alerting Melicia that she was quite high up on the food chain.

"Just rolled out of bed and pulled it on, Connie," Ana called back with what seemed like her natural, impish smile. Connie laughed loudly, giving Ana a thumb's up sign. The boys that had been hanging around Ana snickered, causing Ana to flick them her middle finger. She finally turned back to Melicia, seeming dazed for a moment. "So, what was I saying?"

"Well, you had offered me help with this class. You don't have to if you're too busy--"

"I can help you, that's not a problem," Ana interupted.

"Thanks," Melicia smiled as she gazed back at Connie and her friends. "That girl seemed nice, are you friends with her?"

Ana glanced back to Connie and the vultures and then sized the outfit Melicia was wearing. Melicia had choosen a fire red tube top with a tight, midcalf length black capris. Ana rolled her eyes toward Melicia, scrunching her nose up in distaste. "They're not horrifically bad, if that's what you're asking. I just talk with them to keep peace, but if you're their type, that's cool. Just a piece of advice though, you can hang with the Beemer Babes all you want, but you probably won't get anywhere."

"And those are Beemer Babes," Melicia confirmed, watching the group lookat what she was wearing. "Um, not my type... what kind of clique are you in? Or are you the Floater that can fit in anywhere?"

"I can hang anywhere, just depends on my mood. And yeah, my friends and I call them Beemer Babes, because their Daddy's buy them Beemers. No matter what they do, they'll always be Beemer Babes. Guess you might want to find a clique and stick to it, it seems like that's your thing," Ana replied as the bell shrilly rang. She shrugged her lean shoulders, immediately turning to her group. She settled down amongst the boys as the teacher hurried inside. Melicia shifted uncomfortably, handing her slip of paper to the teacher, knowing inside that she had probably blown her odds of getting to know Ana as a friend.

*~*~*

Melicia groaned heavily as she hoisted her overfilled backpack onto her shoulders. The day was through and she couldn't wait to get home. Her thoughts were drawn to AJ as the annoying pain invaded her foot yet again. Walking all day had caused the pain to heighten into a throb. She wanted to scream aloud, but found a familiar voice calling to her. Melicia turned around to see Ana lean on an oversized black Hummer with metallic purple rims. Ana let the sunglasses fall down the bridge of her nose as she spoke, "Hey, Clicky. You look lost!"

"Just a little bit!" Melicia replied, shifting the weight of her bag as she took in the sight of the huge car in front of her. "I called my uncle to come and get me, but he's not here yet and my foot is killing me."

"Where do you live?"

"Over on Oceanview Boulevard."

"What's the number?"

She had to think for a minute. "Um... 2862."

Ana offered her usual impish smile. "Call your uncle back, I can give you a lift."

"In that thing?" Melicia gasped.

"It's not a thing. It's a Hummer. I call it 'The Beast.' It's a pretty sweet ride. Parting gift from my mother just before she kicked out, guess she figured it'd replace her," Ana replied with a casual shrug of her shoulders as if it were nothing that her mother had died.

"Yeah, it's definitely a beast," Melicia muttered in awe as she climbed into the Hummer, throwing her bag in the backseat after grabbing her cell phone.

Ana kicked up the engine as Melicia spoke briefly to her uncle. The engine roared with awesome power as several guys hooted and waved goodbye to Ana. She leaned out the window for a brief moment, shouting her own goodbyes. Ana then glanced over to Melicia, offering another smile. "Clicky, you want to know what the good news is?"

"What's that?" Melicia asked as she snapped her phone shut, slipping her own sunglasses on as the Florida sun beat down in the car.

"I live right across the street from you. So, you can ride in The Beast every day."

"Really? That's cool!" Melicia smiled, excited that she was finally connecting with someone from school. "Do you live with your dad, then?"

"Yeah, but he's never there. A lawyer, you know, always gone. But that doesn't bother me. I have enough friends to occupy my time," Ana replied nonchantly, allowing her elbow to lean out the window as she settled into a slouch behind the wheel of her massive car. "So, you live with your uncle?"

"Mm-hmm," Melicia answered. "My mom died during 9/11, so he's my guardian. He's the father I never had."

"I feel for you," Ana replied casually, hiding her own secret.

"You said something about this car being your mom's parting present... what happened to her?" Melicia asked quietly.

"She died."

"I thought it was that much. Can I ask how she died?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not. Sorry," Melicia winced at the tone in Ana's voice and looked out the window.

"Sorry," Ana immediately replied, glancing over for a small moment. "She died during 9/11, too. She was on one of the planes, probably fighting like a tiger."

"Really? My mom was in the North Tower on the 100th floor... knowing her, she was trying to find a way out up until it--" Melicia stopped, painful memories flooding in again.

"Yeah," Ana replied, feeling that was all she had to say.

By now, they had reached their neighborhood. "I still can't believe how big all these houses are."

"You'll get used to it, seeing as how you have a big celeb for an uncle, right?" Ana guessed with a knowing smile, pulling up to Melicia's new home. Ana had the perfect laid back attitude that seemed to call to Melicia. It was obvious that Ana didn't care who Melicia was attached to.

"How did you know that?" Laughter escaped Melicia's lips as she saw Ana's eyes twinkle with humor. "I never even told you who he was."

"I've lived across from the man since I was probably a baby. This street talks. I know all, even if I don't say much," Ana answered, parking in the driveway. Melicia carefully jumped out of the large car.

"Well, you're the first person I've met who hasn't freaked out about it or begged to meet him and the guys," she replied, giving Ana a grin. "Do you wanna come over later?"

"You sure you want to hang around with a Floater, Clicky?"

"I don't pay attention to the other groups. It doesn't matter if you're a Jock, Beember Babe, Floater, Goth... whatever."

"Good, because I have the flavor of all. I guess I'll see you around seven," Ana replied as she leaned over and shut the passenger door. She revved her engine, coasting out as if she had been driving all her life. Melicia gave a dorky wave as Ana traveled across the street. She then gave a large squeal, running in the house to tell her uncle about her day.