(James)
"So what's this project on again?" I asked as we walked inside the hut I had built with all equipment necessary to complete any Chem project
"Unit and measurement, A hundred and fifty questions, multiple-choice paper it is pass-fail. If we get ten wrong, we fail," she said
"That shouldn't be too hard I'll take the first seventy-five you take the last."
"Fine," she said before we started
(Trudy)
I had just finished setting everything up for girls' night when my husband suddenly came home
"Trudy, have you seen James?" he asked
"He's out"
"Out? Where did he go?" he asked
"He's throwing a party for Carlos' birthday on the beach" I answered, taking the pies out of the oven
"Oh, I absolutely love parties. I wonder if he'd mind his old man being there" he said
"Hugh, he's a teenage boy, he doesn't need nor wants his father by his side, especially at a party. Not that you've even been there as of late," I said, putting the tray on the table
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked
"Nothing," I said passive-aggressively
"No, you definitely meant something"
"Fine, it means you've been disappearing in and out of town for four years," I said going back into the kitchen
"Seriously, I'm not getting into this again, I can't deal with you starting arguments right now" he said
"Me starting arguments?! I wouldn't have to start arguments if you just tell me what you're doing on your trips. Because it sure as hell ain't a business," I cursed
"Then what is, huh? Tell me what the hell you think I'm doing? Am I sneaking off with some woman? Is that what you think I'm doing?" He said angrily
"YES!!" I yelled
"Well, I'm not. I'm making money so we can keep living in this house and you can keep your little shop open. Not everyone is like you Trudy," he said before I slapped him
"You're so full of it. My 'little shop' is doing just fine, thank you," I said
"Yes, keep telling yourself that," he said sarcastically
"Fine, then look me in my eyes and tell me you haven't slept with any other woman," I said
"What?"
"You don't think I've noticed Hugh, you haven't looked me in the eye for four years. So come on, do it, look me in my eyes and say 'Trudy, or Sugar, I haven't slept with anyone on any of my business trips'. Come on, say it!" I said. He stood up straight and tried looking me directly in my eyes. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it, but I could see him shake a little
"You know what, this is ridiculous, I'm getting out of here. Enjoy your little girl's night," He said storming out of the house
'How does he know about girl's night?' I thought to myself knowing I had never told him about it. About ten minutes after I had calmed myself down again, I heard a knock on the door so I opened it and was happy to see it was the other girls
"So nice to see you girls could make it," I said smiling, before going to the fridge for some much-needed champagne
"Trudy, I absolutely love what you've done with the place. That expansion was the best idea you've thought of in years," Martha said as I got out of the kitchen handing out champagne glasses and putting down the snacks. Martha Stewart, my friend since high school, recently she had gotten plastic surgery done and though I know I shouldn't say it; it was much needed
"Yeah. It was Hugh's idea, he said something about wanting to change the Feng Shui of the room. God knows where he got that from," I said downing one glass before refilling it
"It feels like something Tasha would say," Carolyn said before the doorbell went off. Carolyn Forbes, another friend since high school as well as Libby's mother, though ever since the divorce the two of them didn't get along. She had moved out of town swearing it was for the best
"I'll be right back," I said going to open the door
"Speak of the devil," I said smiling
"And I shall appear, glad to see you too Trudy," she said before I took her coat
"So how are things, we haven't spoken in a while?" I asked downing my fifth glass before refilling again
"Been busy like usual never in one place too long" she said. Her tall heels clicked as she made her way over to the seat fixing her designer clothes as she sat down. That has been Tasha Vortex my best friend since forever, she is the closest thing I've ever had to a sister, she worked at the same company as Hugh and shared a similarly high position so they mostly worked for hand in hand with each other. He was the marketing manager and she was the finance manager or something. From what he says he does the marketing strategies and plans and she checks the budgets and assigns them to him
"No-no-no this is all wrong, the couch should be red and the lamp should be three moves inches to the right and the curtains are all wrong," Tasha began her rant
"I swear that man can't take simple instructions," She ended her rant
"Um, did you tell Hugh to do this remodeling and expansion?" I asked
"Yes, it was an anniversary present for you two," she said, putting down her Louis Vuitton purse and folding her legs before I downed the sixth and refilled it again
"Um Trudy, I'm not one to talk, but don't you think you're going a little too hard on those," Carolyn asked
"You're right, you're right," I said, putting down the glass
"Maybe just one more," I said drinking the champagne
"Okay girl, what's up with you?" Carolyn asked before I sighed
"Is something wrong Trudy?" Martha asked
"It's Hugh"
"What about him?" Tasha asked oddly curious. Though the two of them worked together, she had never really cared about him outside of work. However, no matter if she didn't like him that much she stayed completely professional
"I think he's...."
"He's what?" Carolyn asked
"I think he's cheating on me," I said in one breath.
The room went quiet before Tasha burst out in laughter
"Are you kidding me? You're kidding, right? You think that man could be capable of doing such a thing. I mean no offense but even if he was, what woman would even think of sleeping with him of all people. A dorky bird lover isn't really the world's most eligible bachelor," Tasha laughed
"Yeah, I know, but recently he's been going away for these long business trips never telling me what he does. He hasn't slept with me in four years and he's coming in late every night. I know this might be sexist, but a man can't go so long without sex so if he isn't getting it from me, he must be getting it from someone else" I said
"Oh please, you're overreacting. He's up for another promotion; do you really think he would have time to stay home? When I was up for promotions I didn't even see my house for months on end, you should be lucky that at least he has the decency to call and say he's coming late. Of course, he'd want to get some sleep in the evening," Tasha said
"I know, I know, that's why it's killing me to ask you this"
"What?" Tasha said
"You work with Hugh right?"
"I am technically his partner," she said matter of a factly
"So you're on all the business trips, right?"
"Where are you going with this Trudy?" she said defensively
"Have you ever seen him with another woman?"
"What?"
"Like have you seen him chatting with another coworker more frequently and longer than others."
"Besides me, not that I know of"
"Okay have you seen him sneaking off with anyone?"
"Trudy I stay with him on every business trip, nothing goes on that I don't know about. Now if that's all you called us here for I'll be taking my leave I can't believe I wasted my time with this," Tasha said before she picked up her bag and walked out
"You guys think I'm overreacting too?" I asked
"Well, Tasha does have a point I don't see many people throwing themselves at a guy like Hugh," Carolyn said
"Yeah, but the problem is that he hasn't been like himself recently. In fact, he's behaving like someone Tasha herself would be interested in," I said. Tasha was into a certain type of man ever since high school. A man with money. She almost never thought heavily about personality or looks. Not nice nor kind, but bourgeoisie and with a preference for the extravagant things in life
"Unless you think Tasha is the one he's sleeping with, I'm sure nothing's wrong, so let's just talk about something else," Carolyn said. Hugh? And Tasha? Not a chance.
"Wait before that did any of you happen to tell Hugh about tonight?"
"No, why?"
"He mentioned something about it and I was curious who told him"
"Maybe you accidentally let it slip or maybe he figured it out." Carolyn shrugged
"I guess that's possible," I said
"Good now let's move on to something else," Carolyn said
"Yeah, like for example, Carl has got himself a model for a girlfriend" Martha boasted
"No way," Carolyn said shocked as I simply sighed before getting up and walking out to the porch. I need some time with my thoughts.
Maybe Tasha was right. Maybe I was being dramatic. At least that's what I thought until I saw Carlos' father on the porch
"Mr. Estevez, what are you doing here?" I asked
"Oh I'm coming from Carlos' party, but you know a middle-aged man doesn't exactly fit in at one of those parties," he said
"Wait, are they drinking?" I asked worried
"No... Barely... Our kids aren't," he lied, before I sighed
As long as they drink responsibly, it's alright. I mean they're teenagers, it's not like I can stop them
"Anyway, I actually came here to express my thanks. If you ever need anything to fix tell me okay"
"No problem, I'm glad to have the town's best mechanic at my beck and call" I said
"So do you really think Hugh's having an affair?" He asked out of the blue
"How did you-" I asked
"Sorry I overheard," he said
"It's okay"
"So...?"
"I mean I can't really picture Hugh having an affair, but my instincts are telling me that's what's happening. But I can't exactly picture Hugh cheating. I don't know, maybe I'm just paranoid" I said
"Honestly, I'm not so sure. Though I can't say that we are best friends or anything, but I know him well enough to know that something about him has changed. Hugh has changed, he hasn't really been the same for a while now," He said
"So you noticed too?"
"Yeah, but like I said we aren't exactly best friends or anything so I could be imagining it"
"Ugh, I wish there was some way I could find out" I groaned
"Are you sure there isn't?" he asked
"Well, he did say he lost his phone, I think he still hasn't found it," I said
"So that's how you're going to find out if he's having an affair just find his phone. If he is, there's definitely going to be some evidence" He said
"That's a great idea. Thanks," I said
"No problem, but if you want to say thanks you can just save me a slice of one of those pies as payment" He said with a charming smile
"Why don't you come in for one?" I asked
"If you insist," he immediately agreed
(Brittney)
I had just gotten off the water slide for the fifth time and Carl ran straight for a bathroom. I let out a sigh, heading over to the table throwing out some juice
'Odd this taste just like the juice I had at the Monaco fashion show after party' I said before I heard a familiar voice behind me
"Careful, that's spiked," he said. I couldn't hold back my excitement as I quickly turned towards him
"Nick" I smiled, hugging unto him. I haven't seen him in person in years, though I had tried inviting him to my shows he would always claim something came up ever since what happened with Vanessa he hardly had time himself so I had been planning on going to talk to him when I got back into town but I had guessed he was probably busier than I thought because I didn't even see him once
"There's no spike in this drink silly otherwise, I would have pricked my tongue" I joked
"Um, that's not... Spiked means-" He said about to explain
"I'm kidding," I said giggling
"Glad to see you again, Brittney" he smiled as I let go
"I've missed you," I said
"Doubt it three years and not a call," He said
"Sorry I was busy, that agent you hooked me up with was running me ragged," I said
"Yeah Bree can be a bit much with new talent," He said
"Plus, I doubt you'd want to talk to me when your girlfriend's keeping you busy. Every time I sent you an invite, you refuse" I said
"Yeah, sorry about that," He said with a sad smile
"Everything's fine Vanessa kept you busy"
"Thank you for understanding. By the way, have you seen Sophie?"
"Not really. Come to think about it, I haven't seen her around since she left with James to do some project," I said before he grit his teeth angrily
"Everything okay?" I asked
"I'm fine"
"Are you sure? You looked agitated"
"Yeah, it's just me and Sophie are kind of in a fight."
"About what?"
"It's a long story, she saw me with Vanessa and I can't even think about how wild her imagination must be running right now. I actually came here to apologize" He said
"Wait, you still haven't told her yet," I said. This was something that make or break their relationship. The longer he kept it a secret the worse it's gonna be when she finds out
"I just haven't been able to find the right time, but I plan on doing it soon"
"If you say so, how are Vanessa and the little guy by the way?" I asked
"They're doing great," he said with a genuine smile
"See now that's the Nick I like. Let's go keep that smile on your face" I said before I pulled him towards the dance floor.
"I should really just wait for Sophie," he said
"Come on, just one dance," I plead showing him my puppy dog eyes
"No, I really need to find Sophie," he tried resisting
"Oh come on you love this song," I said
"Maybe next time"
"Please, I'll be really disappointed if you don't," I pled before he sighed
"Just one song," he reluctantly agreed
So we danced not too close, but not too far away from each other. Just enough for people to recognize that I'm with him but not with him, however soon we started drawing closer to each other until we were uncomfortably close. I had always felt there was some connection between us, but Nick never noticed. Or maybe he did and decided not to act on it. Either way, he's never shown interest and I never pushed it so we danced until we got lost in the music, then I felt his hands on my waist and I leaned back. It was a surprise that I unconsciously found myself welcoming. It might have been the scent of this guy's cologne, but something about this guy was even more intoxicating than the spiked beverage. How could I resist? We danced with our bodies clinging to each other until the song ended, but Nick didn't let go, instead, we continued dancing as the second song started
"Do you mind?"
"No, it's alright" I smiled with a small blush on my face
(Sophie)
"Finished," I celebrated
"Finally, now we can get going," Taylor said, stretching as he woke from his nap
"Get going?" I asked
"Yeah, we're totally missing out on most of the party. Let's go" Taylor said
"Actually, Taylor I think I'm just gonna go home," I said packing my bag
"Seriously? There's a party and you're just gonna go home. I'm sure Libby wouldn't approve," He said
"Well, I think it would feel too awkward for me I mean. Plus, I'm not really on speaking terms with Libby. Even if I were she's here for Carlos and you're here with Turner or is it that other girl that works in your mom's shop... even Carl's here with someone. I don't want to be the loser watching from the sidelines" I said
"What about me? You have me, don't you," he said
"I just said you were here with Turner, in fact, you are the one with the most company," she said
"So what? What's one more? No matter who I'm with, you still have me"
"Do I?" I asked, looking into his eyes
"Of course, no matter what, you will always have me, Sophie," He said staring into my eyes.
We should have probably looked away at that moment, but we couldn't. We stood there staring into each other's eyes. Time froze as we waited for the other to make a move, then suddenly the door opened
"Hey James, we're out of chips," the new girl said walking in. We both broke apart coughing embarrassingly
"Am I interrupting something?" She asked, noticing the awkwardness in the air
"No, it's fine. I should probably head out anyway," he said before he started walking to the door and stopped
"You should stay Sophie. You never know, maybe Nick's here," he joked as he left
"Nick, huh," I sighed before noticing the girl was still here
"Um, do you want something?" I asked
"No, I'm just curious. So you're the famous Sophia Vortex I've heard so much about," She said
"Well, now I feel bad because I haven't heard anything about you," I said
"That's to be expected, Hi, I'm Rebecca," she said stretching out her hand
"Sophie," I said, shaking her hand
"So what's going on with you and Nick?" She asked
"Nothing," I said
"And why don't I believe you?" She asked
"Sorry, but I'm not too big on sharing my personal life with a stranger," I said
"That's fine, I'm heading back to the party," she says before leaving. I looked at my bag before sighing
"Hey, wait for me!!" I called out before running out.
We came out of the hut and went back to the party.
As expected Carlos and Libby were making out in a corner, Taylor and Turner were nowhere to be found. Taylor's friends were mingling with some random people
"Hey Sophie," Carl said coming out of the bathroom, he looked like he had been throwing up
"Carl, you okay?" I asked
"Um, yeah, I just rode the water... slide," he said
"Never thought you'd willingly go on one of those," I said
"Well, I had strong motivation," he said
"Hey, I'm heading over to the snack table," Rebecca said
"I'll come too," I said before all three of us pushed through the crowd of dancing drunks until we spotted Nick and Brittney pressing and grinding upon each other on the dance floor
"Typical," I sighed, rolling my eyes
They must have heard me because they split apart immediately after
"Carl," Brittney said
"Sophie" Nick said
We didn't say anything, we just scoffed and walked away with the two of them chasing after us.
(Trudy)
"Okay, I'm bored how about we play a game," Carolyn said
"I have a few board games we can play" I suggested
"Come on, what is this, family game night," Carolyn said
"So what do you want to play?" I asked
"I don't know what I want to play. That's why I asked you guys?"
"Well, I have an idea," Martha said
"What?"
"Spin the bottle," Martha said
"Good, but I think we might be a bit too old for that. It seems too college" Carolyn denied
"How about truth or dare," I said
"Okay, now there's an idea. Let's go, ladies," Carolyn cheered
"Who's first?" Martha asked
"Me," Carolyn said
"Okay, Carolyn, truth or dare?" I asked.
"Dare," Carolyn asked
"Um... I dare you to... eat five butter cup cookies at once," I said before she yawned
"Come on Trudy, I'm sure you can do better than that?" Carolyn said before Mister Estevez walked into the room
"Thanks for the pie, Trudy. It was great," he said, licking the whipped cream from his lips which gave me an idea
"Carolyn, I can still change my dare right?" I asked
"Yeah," she said
"Great, I dare you to lick whip cream off of Mister Estevez's abs," I said before she smiled
"Now that's more like it," She licked her lips as we moved towards him
"... Wait, what?" He said dressing back
"Come on, I don't bite... much," Carolyn said flirtatiously as we opened his shirt revealing his six-pack abs and huge pecks. I guess being ex-military has its perks
"Damn," we said as we pulled him to the couch forcing him to lay down before I went for the whipped cream
"You ready?" I asked before she nodded and I spiraled whip cream in his six-pack
"Yummy," she said, throwing her facing into his stomach
We all laughed and hollered as she did it even Mister Estevez, couldn't keep himself from smiling as her tongue tickled his stomach
"Done," she said, wiping her lips
"Okay, who's next?" I asked
"Me," Mister Estevez said
"You sure about this Mister Estevez?" I asked
"It's a bit too late to ask my opinion"
"Um... sorry, we might have gotten carried away" I apologized
"It's fine and just call me Francisco," He said
"Okay, Francisco, truth or dare?" Carolyn asked
"Dare," he said
"I dare you to sexy strip for us," she said before he coughed
"What? Too much for you?" She asked mockingly
"No problem," he said before he stood up and jumped on the coffee table
Carolyn played music and he started to dance while slowly removing his already open shirt.
We all laughed and clapped at the striptease.
We cheered as he finally took off the shirt and threw it my way before he spun full circle stretching his hand towards me
"No, I can't," I said
"Do it," Carolyn said
"Do it," Martha said before they started chanting
"Do it! Do it!"
"Fine, fine," I said finally giving in. I took his hand and he pulled me up on the table. Just as we began dancing to the music the door suddenly flew open