I had to miss the next day of school. My fever got worse and I couldn't even get out of bed. The day went by quickly and, since I fell asleep constantly, it was only a hazy memory.
Maggie and Emma came over to check on me. Aww. They were the best friends I could ask for. Emma brought Amy with her who, adorably, gave me her teddy bear and told me to get better soon.
I was good enough to go back to school the next day. I had to go in at lunch to make up for missing my Calculus exam. Ugh. If you've ever been in a classroom all alone with a teacher, you know how awkward it is.
I tried to finish it quickly, but without the full fifty minutes of class, I had to turn it in without finishing it. Mr. Wilson told me to come after school to finish it. Joy.
Thankfully, the day passed with none of the Big Five bothering me, but, to be honest, I kind of missed them. I mean, yeah, they were just trying to make me into another one of the girls they used, but they were fun to be around, especially when they weren't in a group.
Things soon turned back to normal and December rolled around. I remembered that I had to go Christmas shopping for everyone. This time, we were going to Aunt Josephine's place, so I either had to give the presents really early or a week after Christmas.
I didn't have to worry about it for now. It was only the beginning of December. The first snow didn't even fall yet.
Currently, I was counting down the days until Christmas break in the park when I felt the hairs at the back on my neck stand. I shivered and tried to shake off the feeling, but it wouldn't go away.
"I watch you when you sleep," a voice whispered. I must have screamed at least a thousand decibels high and jumped out of my skin.
Aunt Josephine's bumble berry pie!
What kind of messed up person would sneak up behind you and whisper in your ear?
I turned around and got my answer and lo and behold, Joey and his gang laughing their heads off. I narrowed my eyes at them.
"What the heck, you guys?" I growled. "You're so...so...." I was so mad I couldn't even think of a word to describe them.
"Hot?" Sam finished.
"No," I replied. "You're evil! Why else would anyone ever sneak up on an innocent person and whisper creepily into their ear? Plain evil, I tell you!"
"Oh, Nick," Joey snickered. "You always got scared so easily. I remember how you used to jump at every sound after watching The Ring."
I crossed my arms. "No, I didn't. I....I had hiccups."
"Which strangely coincided with every creak in the house," Joey shook his head.
I nodded. "That's right."
"That's weird, 'cause I don't remember you hiccuping. If I remember correctly, you refused to let go of my arm until the sun came up. You even stayed away from the television and anything round!"
I glared him as I felt my cheeks warm. I wasn't that scared. "No, I didn't," I said through gritted teeth.
"I think you did."
"Oh shut up," I snapped. "It's not like you weren't scared. I saw you Joey, when we were watching the movie, you hid under the covers constantly! And I remember that one time, you yelled and jumped behind the couch!"
That shut him up. The others were trying to hold in their laughter, and he glared at them. I smiled smugly.
"We were only twelve, anyway," he grumbled. "It's normal."
I smiled triumphantly. I won. With a grin, I turned back to my calendar and counted the days. Nineteen days, excluding the weekends, until Christmas break. A three-week break and spending time with family. I couldn't wait.
"By the way...." I said. "What do you guys like?"
I know I was blatantly announcing to them what I would buy, but I was running out of time. Being the lazy bum I was, I thought it was fine to leave Christmas shopping until December. Don't blame me. I once made the mistake of buying Christmas presents in June. I ended up giving them away early and boy, were a lot of people mad that I didn't give them a gift on the actual day.
"Why do you want to know that?" Roger asked.
"No reason," I said innocently.
"Well, you'll find out once you go on another date, anyway," Sam said smugly.
"Hey, wait just a minute," I narrowed my eyes at him. "You lost the bet! You're out of the game!"
"Oh, it was only a silly bet," Sam said. "I'm not dropping out, especially since you still wouldn't have been my girlfriend if I won."
I fumed, but I knew he was right. I was actually thinking of getting another boy to pose as my boyfriend so I didn't have to go through with the dare. But really? He should be a man of his word. Oh, who am I to say that? My own dad broke his matrimonial vow and left our family. Paul lied, and Joey broke a promise. This wasn't that much of a deal.
"Whatever," I muttered. "And anyway, who said I'd agree?"
Joey poked my cheek. "I know you want to, Nick," he said. "Give us a chance. All of us."
He constantly poked my cheek. I slapped his hand away and crossed my arms. "Why?"
"Here," Joey shoved a notebook at me. Then, he gestured for the others to leave.
He smirked at me and left, and I, being the lucky girl that I am, got to meet each and every one of the Big Five's eyes before they left. Sam flashing me his million-dollar smile, Roger smirking and gosh, that adorable dimple, Eric shot me a glance, but nothing else, and Alex gave me a tap on the shoulder with a mischievous smile on his face.
Once they all left, I looked down at the notebook. I turned to the first page and frowned.
Saturday, week one: Joey
Plans: up to Joey
Dressing: bundle up tight! :)
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: I'll pick you at your house
I turned the page and saw something similar:
Sunday, week one: Roger
Plans: you'll see
Dressing: dress up warmly. It's outdoors ;)
Time: noon
Location: pick you up at ur place
What the actual heck? Did they really get me a schedule to meet up with each and every one of them? Did they think I'd go with it, especially when I had to do my homework on Saturdays? Oh, and my precious Sundays! I wouldn't get to hang out with Maggie and Emma with this freaking schedule!
No, there was no way I would ever agree to this. Over my dead body.
****
"Where are we going?" I asked Joey, sighing with frustration. Joey came to pick me up and me being me, I couldn't refuse. I wasn't like Emma, who couldn't say no, but what can a girl say when five hot guys want to go out on a date with her?
"Some place special," Joey said.
"Wait," I looked at him and pondered for a second. He was all bundled up, wearing a thick winter sweater my mom knit for him. His gloves were in his pocket and he wore a winter hat, which fit on his head quite snuggly. His pants were thick and he had some winter boots on.
I looked behind and saw a sled on the back seat. It had started to snow a few days earlier and already the snow had piled up for miles.
"Sledding?" I asked.
Joey grinned. "Remember?"
I grinned back and nodded. "Yeah, that one time when Trey pulled you on your sleigh, you pretended to whip him like he was a Siberian husky, then the sleigh tipped over and you almost fell into the pond."
He smiled, thinking about the memory. It was tradition for Joey and me to go sledding. We went once in ninth grade, but Joey got a bit....busy after that. Wow. It sure was great to have my best friend back. Yes, we spent significantly less time than from before we moved here, but I was glad he was making it up to me in the form of "dates".
We arrived at a large hill. There were already people sledding there. I excitedly got out. I loved sledding. I loved the fast pace of going downhill, I loved the cold wind on my face, and I loved the snow.
I opened the backseat and took out the sled. I frowned. There was only one. I checked the trunk but there was nothing but an extra tire in there. Joey came over and grinned.
"Where's my sled?" I asked.
"We're riding together," he said. "The sled is big enough for both of us."
"But, I want to ride alone!" I whined. "I don't want to ride together. I wanted to race."
"Sorry, Nick," Joey shrugged with a smirk. "It's a date, so we're going to do what normal people do on dates. You know--getting all touchy-feely with their significant other."
I punched his shoulder. "Yeah, right! Well, come on! We can just take turns."
I looked at the hill and sighed. The one thing I really hated about sledding was climbing the darned hill. I trudged up, my boots sinking slightly on the snow. This was going to be so much fun. I felt like a little kid.
"Come on, Joey!" I called. "You are so slow!"
"It's a hill, Nick!" Joey panted. "You know me and hills don't get along!"
I laughed. "You're so lazy."
I reached the top long before Joey. I grinned evilly and bent down to make a large snowball. I turned and waited. Joey was still in the distance. It seemed like he took forever. I tapped my foot impatiently. Just a little more.
When Joey came within a distance that I knew I wouldn't miss, I called him. "Yoo hoo! Joey!"
He looked up at me and as soon as he did, I threw the snowball. Score! It got him right on his shoulder. I quickly bent to pick up another one. I threw it. Bullseye! He stopped when the snowball hit him right in the face.
"Nicole!" He growled. "You won't get away with this!" He bent down and made a larger-than-necessary snowball.
"J-Joey?" I gulped. "I'm sorry, okay? Don't throw that death trap!"
He grinned, liking my fear. He came closer, and I swear I could see pleasure behind his eyes. He pulled his arm back and threw the ball. I held up my arms to my face. It hit my forearm and flecks of snow landed on my cheeks.
I giggled. You want to play like that, eh? Well, I'll show you. "Joey!" He almost reached the top. "I'll see you below!"
"What? No! Nicole! Don't you dare!" He started running up. I quickly got on the sled and waited. He was almost here.
"Bye, bye, Joe! Have fun walking down!"
He ran and slipped. I laughed. "And don't break a bone!"
He growled and ran over. I put my weight back on the sled and tipped it forward. It started out slow, barely moving. I looked back. Joey stretched out his arm to grab me.
"Gotcha!" He yelled and made a grab for me. Just as he was about to reach me, the sled went down and I whirled around to stick my tongue out at him. I laughed with joy as the sled sped up.
"Woo hoo!" I yelled. I let go of the string at the front and stretched out my arms over my head. "Yeah! This is awesome!"
I got more than a couple of glances my way, but I didn't care. I was having fun. I reached the bottom and decided to go back up the hill to meet Joey. I got up and started to pull the sled.
"Nicole!" I frowned when I heard Joey call me from the bottom of the hill. How did he get down here so quick?
I saw him on a sled with another girl. He thanked her and ran over to me.
"Hey," I said. "You got a ride?"
He smirked and took off his hat and glove to run his fingers through his hair. "What can I say? My good looks can get me anywhere."
I scoffed.
Then, he looked at me with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "So, you thought you could have fun without me, eh? Well, I'll show you to leave me behind!"
Swiftly, he pulled back his arm and smashed my face with a glove. The snow stuck on the glove melted onto my skin.
"Eek!" I shrieked and pulled his glove off of my face. He grinned, happy with his revenge.
"Payback, baby!" He pumped his fist in the air. "That's what you get for messing with the one and only Joey Gordon!"
"You evil chipmunk!" I hissed. I brought up my gloved hand and pushed it onto his face. He gasped and pulled away. I smiled.
"That's what you get for messing with the one and only Nicole Peterson!" I said mockingly.
His eyes blazed. "Oh, you will so regret doing that."
I smiled sweetly and batted my lashes. "Will I?" I turned and ran off with the sled. Joey ran after me. We ran up the hill, playing and laughing, occasionally throwing snow at each other.
When we got up, I got on the sled. Joey got on behind me. He reached to the front and grabbed the string.
"Ready?" His breath was warm in my ear. I nodded.
He pushed us off and down we went, speeding up and trying not to fall off. We reached the bottom and Joey got up, causing the sled to tip over. I fell onto the snow and the sled somehow ended up on top of me.
"Joey, you jerk!" I yelled when he took out his phone and took a picture. He laughed and ran off.
We sled for a good three hours before heading back. Joey invited me to his house, so I got to have Mrs. Gordon's infamous turkey meatloaf. Seriously, her meatloaf was the best I had ever had.
Joey walked me home, which was weird because he usually would complain about walking. We held hands, and even though to others we would look like we were dating, we were only pretending. Now that this "date" with Joey was done, I let go of his hand and reverted back to my old self.
"See you, Joe," I said. "Thanks for today. It was fun. I really wish Trey could have been here too. That would have been epic."
Joey smiled. "Yeah, it was fun today. Just you wait until next time."
"If there is a next time," I said sarcastically. "I'll probably die from the joy I get from going on a date with all of the Big Five."
He laughed, then sobered. He looked into my eyes, and I could see that he got serious.
"There's one thing I've been wondering about, Nick," he said somberly.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Uh, so from our group, who do you like best?"
I blinked. Did he just ask that? It was so sudden. I honestly didn't know how to answer. I mean, I liked all of them, and I liked each of them differently.
Roger was easy-going and fun and his art was amazing. He was cute and especially good with kids.
Sam was sweet and behind his bad boy image, he was a fun and extremely nice person. I noticed since he really seemed to worry a lot about people.
Eric was mysterious, but I could see that there was more to him than he let on. He acted like he was this terrible jerk, but he was just another kid inside.
Alex was fun to be around. He may never be serious, but that only made his personality all the more appealing. Even without his good looks, he'd be able to charm his way to success.
And Joey....well he was Joey. My best friend. The one who understood everything about me. My second brother. Though, thinking of Joey as my brother was a little weird since I thought about marrying him on more than one occasion.
I hesitated before answering, "Out of the Big Five? Are you asking me who my favorite is?"
Joey shook his head. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
I shrugged. Joey was being weird today.
"So, I guess I should go home?" I said, not sure why I was asking Joey for permission.
He nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be for the better."
He took off his hat and clenched on it tightly.
"Are you okay?" I asked. I studied his face. Something was bothering him.
"Nicole?" He sighed. "W-what would you do if you had a really close friend who was basically your best friend and you had a major crush on him?"
I was taken aback by his question. The thought that he was talking about me crossed my mind briefly, but I shook it off. This was Joey. He couldn't have a crush on me. He proved it when we were in third grade when I had a major crush on him. He had laughed it off and told me that we were like brother and sister. He asked if I would ever marry Trey.
Of course, I answered with an "eww, no", so he said marrying him was like marrying Trey. I was crushed, but I was only eight, so I got over it.
He must have been talking about Shannon. They were seen together a lot these days. I kind of felt a flash of jealousy, but I squashed it. I was only jealous because Joey was hanging out with another girl after leaving me behind.
I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what to say.
"Like, say that you're really good friends with this one boy and telling him that you like him might ruin the relationship. What would you do? Would you tell him or hide it?"
I thought about it. I never really thought about that since I was avoiding a relationship.
"I'm not really sure, but I think I would tell him," I said. "I'll tell him and if he doesn't feel the same way about me, I would just say that our relationship didn't change at all. If he felt uncomfortable, I would probably just tell him to forget about it."
Joey nodded. "Yeah, I guess it's better to get it out there." He took a deep breath.
I thought he was about to tell me something, but he seemed to hesitate. In the end, he just ended with, "I'll see you later, Nick."
"Bye," I smiled and waved at him.
He muttered something under his breath and I thought I heard something like, "I'll tell you next time."
I shrugged it off. He must have been talking about Shannon.