Chapter 5
Our walk back to the living room felt longer than the drive from Minnesota to Chicago.
Oliver and I had come to a truce, but at the same time, we could never go back to being the people who met at Starbucks—just a regular guy and a girl.
I couldn’t forget who he was, the lead singer of the Heartbreakers, and that put me on edge.
My body was hyperaware of exactly where Oliver was as he walked next to me, and I made sure to keep my arms clamped to my sides so we wouldn’t brush up against each other again.
Even so, the hairs on my arms were prickling.
When the narrow hall finally opened to the massive living room, I let out my breath and put some distance between us. During my absence, Drew had managed to make quick friends with the rest of the Heartbreakers, and he was in the midst of an intense game of Call of Duty with JJ.
“I swear to God, this guy is cheating,” JJ said as he died on-screen. “He’s like a freaking ninja, popping up all over the place and slaughtering me.”
The round ended soon after, and Drew tossed the controller aside and flexed his arms like his physical strength actually had something to do with his gaming skills. “That’s right,” he said, a smirk on his face. “From now on, you can call me the Slayer.”
“Oh hey!” Xander called when he saw us. “You guys didn’t kill each other.”
“Surprise, surprise,” JJ added. “We thought we’d need to recruit a new lead singer. Drew, you any good?”
“Hey!” Oliver said. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That Stella was totally going to kick your ass,” JJ responded. “Obviously.”
Oliver crossed his arms and snorted. “You think I couldn’t hold my own against her?” I shot him a look and he added, “What? You’re like six inches shorter than me.”
“Doesn’t matter,” JJ said, shaking his head. “She had fire in her eyes, man. You don’t mess with a woman when she’s angry like that.”
“Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Just saying.”
“Well, if you’re done knocking me, I thought you guys would like to know that I promised Stella an autograph for her sister.”
“Okay,” Xander said, bobbing his head enthusiastically. “Anything in particular you want us to sign?”
“Yeah, hold on.” I took off my backpack, dug out the CD, poster, and shirt, and handed everything to Oliver. “Our sister’s name is Cara. With a C.” I watched as he spread everything out on a nearby table, and the boys gathered around and took turns scribbling their names.
“So how old is your sister?” JJ asked as he pulled the poster toward himself. He pressed the tip of the pen beneath his own image and produced two looping Js.
“Seventeen turning eighteen.”
Oliver’s eyebrows squished together as if my answer didn’t make sense. “Well, how old are you then?”
“Seventeen turning eighteen,” I said, smiling, and Oliver’s frown deepened.
“We’re triplets,” Drew clarified.
“Bull,” JJ said, straightening up so he could look at my brother clearly. “You have to be at least twenty.”
Drew, who had heard the same thing many times before, had a knowing grin on his face. “Seventeen. I swear.”
“Which one of you is the oldest?” Xander asked.
“Me,” I said, biting back a grin. Drew coughed to cover up his laugh.
The three of us always referred to the question as the stupid way of being asked which of us popped out of our mom first. Like, hello?
Do you not know the definition of triplets?
It means we’re the same age. But for some reason, people always wanted to know.
From there, the typical round of triplet-based questions ensued until JJ asked, “So why didn’t your sister come?”
I watched as Drew’s smile dissolved and he tucked his hands neatly into his lap. “She’s sick at the moment.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Xander said.
Everyone got quiet, and I was afraid the Heartbreakers had picked up on our mood swing.
“Well, it’s getting late. We should probably get going,” Drew said, and he stood up from the couch. “We really appreciate the autographs, especially after everything.” From my brother’s tone, “everything” meant the way I’d treated the band.
“Wait, what? You can’t leave yet,” JJ said, his head jerking sharply toward Drew. “I still have to beat you in a round of CoD.”
This brought a smile back to my brother’s face, but he turned to me, seeking permission. I peeked at Oliver. His sharp eyes were on me, and when we made eye contact, I quickly looked back at Drew and nodded.
“I suppose I have time to crush you again,” Drew said, reaching for the controller.
JJ leaped over the back of the couch and took a spot next to him. “Not this time, ninja man. You’re going down.”
***
“I’m bored,” JJ whined. He was sprawled upside down in one of the armchairs and waving a pair of drumsticks around like a band conductor.
Blood rushed to his face as he hung in the seat, his shaved head almost touching the carpet.
“Someone entertain me,” he demanded with a flick of the wooden sticks.
After losing to my brother three times in a row, JJ had given up.
“There might be a coloring book in the kitchen,” Xander suggested cheekily.
He grabbed JJ’s legs and flipped them over his friend’s head.
With a crash, JJ crumpled to the floor. I let out a laugh, and even Alec, who still had his headphones in, cracked a smile.
Drew and Oliver were too wrapped up in a battle to even notice.
“It’s not funny,” JJ complained as he sat back up and rubbed his head. He threw a punch at Xander, who ducked out of the way with a smirk. Giving up, JJ scowled in the direction of the TV. “Seriously, they’ve been at this forever.”
“I agree,” I added. As much as I loved watching Drew kick everyone’s butt, it was getting a little redundant.
Besides, how long were we actually going to hang out with the Heartbreakers?
Drew had made another attempt to leave when JJ quit, but Oliver quickly took his place.
The band seemed almost desperate for some type of outside interaction.
“Well, what do you guys want to do?” Xander asked as he sat back down on the couch.
JJ thought for a moment before turning to me with a grin. “Strip poker?” he suggested.
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to play a game where, besides yourself, four guys might potentially end up stripping? Isn’t that a little—”
JJ cut me off before I could finish. “I’m an equal opportunity nudist.”
At the mention of strip poker, Drew spoke up. “I have no interest in seeing my sister naked. That’s gross.”
“Yeah, totally not happening,” I agreed and crossed my arms over my chest protectively.
“Aww, come on,” Oliver complained. At first I thought he was upset about my response to JJ’s poker proposal, and my face turned red. But then I noticed that Drew had beaten him again, and the fact that I’d thought Oliver was talking about me made me blush even more.
“Naked Twister?” JJ asked.
I threw my hands up in the air. “How is that any better?”
“JJ, Stella obviously wants to do something a little more mature. Get your pervy head out of the gutter,” Xander said.
“Fine, I can be more mature. Would the lady care for a stimulating round of Twister in the nude?”
“JJ!” Xander and I both shouted.
“Fine, fine,” he said with a scowl. He leaned back against the armchair, deep in thought. Suddenly a slow smirk made its way over his face. “Guys, I have the best idea!”
“Why do I have the feeling that it’s going to be terrible?” I asked Xander.
“Because it probably will be.”
JJ didn’t seem to hear. He was bouncing up and down on the seat in excitement. “Aren’t you going to ask me what my idea is?”
“Depends,” Xander said. “Is it something ten-year-olds would do?”
Ignoring Xander, JJ continued. “Okay, how about this?” he said as he leaned forward in the chair. “We’re going to toilet paper the hotel lobby.” It was silent for a moment. JJ stared at us, eager for a response.
“Um, that sounds fun and all,” I started with a frown, “but I’d rather not get kicked out of the hotel.”
JJ waved his hand dismissively in the air. “Don’t worry, Stella. If you’re with us, you won’t get in trouble,” he assured me.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, JJ,” Xander said, shaking his head. “Do you really want to waste all of our toilet paper? You had that chili dog for lunch.”
“Oh, gross,” I said and moved to the other side of the couch, hopefully upwind from JJ. “Way too much information.”
“I don’t see you guys coming up with any bright ideas,” he snapped back.
“There’s the pool,” Alec said, and I jumped in my seat. It was the first time I’d heard him speak, and his voice was both deep and quiet. I had completely forgotten he was there.
“Yeah,” Xander said, nodding his head in agreement. “We could go swimming.”
“Skinny-dipping?” JJ threw out.
“No, JJ,” we all said at once.
“Figures,” he huffed, “but I guess that will work.” He grumbled to himself for a little longer, even though we could all tell he liked the idea.
I looked down at my watch. “I hate to be the party pooper, but isn’t the pool closed by now?”
“Yup,” JJ said happily. “Nobody to bother us.” He wiggled his eyebrows in my direction.
I ignored him and turned to Xander. “So we’re just going to sneak in?”
“Come on, Stella. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Um, hiding under the couch hoping not to get arrested,” I told him.
They both laughed. “Touché, but you won’t get arrested. There are perks to being in a band. We have a key.”
“Well then,” I said, turning back to JJ and Xander. “Looks like we’re going swimming.”
***