Freshmen Dorms

"This is a terrible idea, but I'm in," Ashton decided, grinning. He paused. "Wait, if we're doing the romantic backseat setting, I say we get a girl in to help us."

"Ashlee?" Seth suggested. "Plus, she might give us some tips on what Red would like, make it personal." He wiggled an eyebrow and Ashton reached over and punched his shoulder.

"Okay, Ashlee. I suppose." Ashton got up and grabbed his jacket off his bed, slinging it on.

Seth winked at Antonio. "He supposes? Does that mean he'd rather we ask a certain drama major instead?"

"SO THIS IS LOVEEE!! SO THIS IS LOOVEEEE!!! SO THIS IS WHATTT!!!" Antonio waltzed around Ashton's room singing the old Disney song loudly and off tune.

Seth smirked at a red-faced Ashton.

Ashton flipped off his brother and walked out of his room. "Come on, if we're gonna get Ashlee, she lives in Midtown."

"Call Lola too, if you want. I knwo she'd wanna be in on it," Seth suggested generously. Ashton turned and glowered at him.

"You can call her," he said. "I'll get Ashlee."

Seth grinned and texted Lola as he pulled on his jacket and boots. Going to reunite Ducks after their divorce. Got plan. U in?

Ashton texted Ashlee as he waited for the boys to get ready. Seth's got a plan to reunite Jake n Ev. Need girl input. U up for a drive?

"WHOOOO! For plans!" Antonio fist pumped, going to get his coat and boots.

Lola read her message and she was down to reuniting Jake, it would make him ten times happier than he was now. I'm down! She sent.

Ashlee read the message and decided why the hell not. She was feeling kind of bad simply because she thought it was kind of her fault that Evelyn just flat out ended things with him. I'm game.

Seth glanced up after he read Lola's text. "Lola says yes." He proceeded to reply to her, and read aloud as he texted. "Cool. Meet down in lobby ASAP. Ashton can't wait to see you -"

"SETH!" Ashton snapped, horrified. He lunged at the blond, who cackled and ducked away, hitting send.

"It's SENT!" Seth threw his phone hand into the air in a victory pump and ran out into the fifth floor hallway.

Ashton groaned under his breath and followed, locking the door after Antonio exited the suite.

Ashton trailed sulkily behind the boys as they headed for the lift. He replied to Ashlee. We'll swing by to pick u up in 15. PS: Ur ex hubby is a dick. D:

Antonio cackled, hopping off after Seth, reaching him and high fiving him. "Hahaha! Nice one bro."


Ashlee read Ashton's message and laughed. Hence why he's my ex! See ya soon!

Lola read Seth's message and just laughed. Tell him I can't wait to see him either. She sent back, sticking her phone into her bag, Lola put her coat and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on. And head out of her suite to go meet the boys downstairs.

The boys reached the lobby and sat down. "Whose car?" Ashotn asked. He made a metal head count. Him, Tony, the two girls and Seth. "We can fit in mine."

"I'm drivin' mine!" Seth announced.

"Don't, it'll get all gritty with ice. Didn't you just get it cleaned?" Ashton asked him. Seth had moved the GTR to a paid covered parking spot for fear the salt from the roads and parking lot would ruin the paint job.

Seth frowned, deflating. "But....I wanna drive," he whined.

Ashton rolled his eyes. "You can sit shotgun, jeez." He stood up and looked out at the slowing snow. "you have a smoke?"

Seth dug in his pockets and pulled out a lighter and then glanced sheepishly at the amused Don. "Taking it outside. Want one, Tig?" he asked, as he and Ashton stepped out. Ashton took out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and stuck one between his lips, leaning over to let Seth light it. Seth flicked the lighter and then lit his own.

Ashton took a drag on his, shivering in the icy wind.

Antonio took a cigarette from Seth and lit up outside, taking a drag as they waited for Lola. "Thanks bro." He nodded at Seth.

Lola crossed the lobby, and saw the boys standing just outside the lobby, her nose crinkled at the smell of smoke when she opened the doors and the cold wind hit her face. "Followed my nose to cancer. You guys ready to go?" She asked.

Ashton cringed and hastily dropped his cigarette, crushing it into the wet snow with his boot. "Yup," he said meekly.

Seth smirked and turned around, inhaling on his cig and then blowing a smoke ring in Lola's direction. The wind carried it past her. Seth started walking to the parking lot and Ashton rolled his eyes.

He fell into step by Lola. "So this is a fairly stupid plan. We follow Jake to the lawyer's office and uh...well, this is a Seth-plan, before we tell you anything else."

"Which means it'll work!" Seth announced, raising his smoke into the air as he clumped ahead of them.

"All we're doing is basically breaking into Jake's car with a bunch of roses and petals and candles and other girly shit. And arranging the backseat, uh, romantically?" Ashton stifled a laugh. Wow, thsi sounded stupid.

"So anyways, the plan is to hijack Jake and get him drunk because I doubt we can do that to Evelyn. I'm not sure how this will work at all. We have to get him drunk and then uh...her too, if possible, and shove them into the car and pretty much take off," he finished, cringing.

Wow, this wasn't gonna work. There were like ten thousand things wrong with it he could see already.

[[Ashton, Lola, Antonio and Seth to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

[[Everyone from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

Carmen had been leaving work when her phone had started ringing, she spotted a number that looked familiar to the one that had called her over the weekend. She picked it up, "Hello this is Carmen, who is this?" She asked.

***

Jacob had waltzed in, staggering around for a bit. Damn why did he drink so fast, he pushed open the door to his room and sort of plopped down on his bed, and slid to the right since he had forgotten to call maintenance to fix his crooked bed, and passed out.

Seth, Lola, Ashton and Antonio reached the fifth floor and the boys stepped out. Seth grabbed Ashton before he could step out of the elevator. "Dontcha wanna show Lassie to her place?" he demanded of the flustered Italian, shoving him back inside the elevator.

"Uh," Ashton reddened. He threw Lola a glance. "Do you need an escort?"

Seth spoke before Lola could. "'Course she does! Bye!" He reached in and hit Close Door on the CP before ducking out as the lift doors began to slide closed.

***

Evelyn opened her mouth and then froze. What if Carmen hung up on her?? Throat dry, she cleared it and continued on. "Hi, um...this is Evelyn. And before you hang up on me, I owe you an explanation because you're blaming Jake wrongly!" she added hastily.

"You didn't have to, but thank you." Lola thanked him smiling up at him.

***

Carmen heard Evelyn's voice and considered almost hanging up. "Blaming him wrongly? He did one of the stupidest things he could possibly have done. Marriage isn't some sort of joke you do on a drunken whim! Not to mention him just up and leaving the hospital, when he had just gotten injured. Also what if you both had slept together, and he got you pregnant? Then you would have to worry about a child! You're both still children!" Carmen yelled, she was upset this was one thing that she was gonna let go of easily.

Ashton snickered, shaking his head. "So what was it like hanging out with the Beacons while Ashlee adn I scouted our quarry?"

***

The second mention of a child brought a horrible, bitter taste ot Evelyn's mouth.

Speaking of horrible tastes in her mouth, she'd been puking occasionally since she'd come back from Vegas...

No, don't be stupid. Ashlee had it too. And she's on birth control!Evelyn relaxed. Plus, Jake wasn't an idiot. He'd have worn protection.

She decided, though, not to tell Carmen that it wasn't a "what if" on her hooking up wiht Carmen's son, but a "been there, done that" deal. "Look, Carmen, I'll be honest - it wasn't Jake's idea, at all." ANd that was true. "Jake and I were actually out when everyone got drunk. We went ot make sure his stitches were okay, uh, just because he ran out of the hospital early. And that wasn't his fault either. Seht talked him into it, you know? He's a persuasive guy. And Jake was sick of being locked up in there, I guess.

She twisted a curl around her finger. "But Jake wasn't even planing to get drunk. He was afraid he'd hurt himself even more, so he stayed clear of it - but hten we got back to the boys' hotel - " She decided not to tell Carmen her son had blown money on a fancy suite " - and everyone else was drinking. Jake took small sips every now and then, he was being really careful because of his stitches. But you know Seth, party boy, they all kept pushing Jake into drinking more. He didn't realize how much he'd had - and uh..."

She hesitated. Seth and Jake were friends. She didn't want to destroy Seth's no doubt already tainted image in front of Jake's mother...

"It was someone else's idea to get married. I don't know why Jake got dragged into it and it was all my fault because I was, kind of, tipsy and I went along with it and because of me, he agreed." Her stomach twisted at this lie. She ignored it and plowed on. "But he didn't want to do it. If he hadn't been pushed into it, he'd have run back to the airport, I think. That's how scared he was of it. But we all thought, drunkenly, that it'd be hilarious. It really wasn't."

She cleared her throat. "I just wanted you to know that it wasn't because he disrespected marriage. It was because I, and Seth, and a few other people kind of tricked him into it when he was drunk. And he freaked out really badly the next morning. He was horrified and we got it uh, annulled as soon as possible."

"Oh lovely, your brother and Seth kept throwing confetti everywhere singing the Wedding March." Lola told him.

***

Carmen listened to Evelyn's words, and said. "I always told Jacob that Seth was a bad influence. Jacob is a good kid and shouldn't be so easily by his friends. You seemed like a smart girl, not one that would drink and do things like this I'm shocked to hear you say this." Carmen said calmly trying to curb her anger and disappointment.

"Of course its frightening. I don't approve of divorcing or whatever either. You all should have known better and I'm disappointed in you and in Jacob. Both of you are smart kids and honestly all of you are kids. You deserve to have a normal life. I know this is a time when all you kids party and drink. But you need to be responsible. I'm still upset with Jacob, but I'll talk to him soon. I just need time to cool off. But thank you for calling me and telling me the truth. "

Ashton shot Lola a horrified look. "You - you're joking." He closed hsi eyes, massaging hsi forehead and leaning back against the elevator wall. "Please be joking. It'll give me an excuse not ot strangle them both."

***

Evelyn's stomach sank further the more Carmen spoke. She sounded exactly like Evelyn would picture her own mother's reaction if she'd found out her daughter had very childishly and immaturely gotten so drunk she ended up married in Vegas. And losing her virginity.

Evelyn's eyes stung and she blinked hard, unable to say anything for a moment. She was glad, though, that she might have helped out a bit. Even if Carmen now thought she was an irresponsible skank.

I never planned to give it up. Not for a few years, Evelyn wanted to say. I don't put out. That's not me!

She didn't say that. Instead, she sucked in a deep breath to compose herself, cleared her clogged throat and managed to murmur, "You're welcome. Please don't be hard on him for something I did." She decided to appeal to Carmen's natural motherly instinct a bit. "He's been all lost and confused and really depressed ever since he last talked to you. We both messed up, but I didn't think it was fair that he got blamed for my stupidity too."

Carmen sighed, "I know, I'll talk to him soon. But just remember you both have a lot ahead of you, be more responsible. Thank you for calling me Evelyn, I have to go."

***

"I told you I wanted doves." Lola couldn't help laughing now. She pat Ashton's arm. "Don't be hard on them I guess, they were just joking."

Evelyn said goodbye and they both hung up. She flopped back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Be more responsible? Hell yes. She was already working on that.

***

Ashton and Lola made their way down the hallway, Ashton flushing slightly. He scratched his ear and then remarked, "Sure you'll get your doves if you ask me in about ten years. Because I'm not willing to pull a Jake and blow my life savings on a fancy ring even for a girl like you." He paused, smirking slightly. "On that note, I'll leave you here." They reached her suite.

"See you later." Lola smiled, but before Ashton left she stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"See ya." Lola winked walking into her suite.

Ashton returned to his own suite and peered cautiously inside before entering. His roomies had probably crashed.

[[END day?]]

[[FF'd to a MONTH ahead x__@]]

[[Jake and Evelyn to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

Monday, VALENTINE'S Day - James' birthday

It was roughly 1 PM when Luke decided to tell James his predicament with James' upcoming birthday dinner.

The month had been uneventful. Just full of essays being assigned and practices in the music rooms. Luke hadn't really had time to talk to many people outside his classmates and roomies.

Apparently, it was the same for James. So this birthday dinner, which woudl basically be the old gang and Seth and his guys, was more of a reunion than anything else.

"So, James, uh..." Luke said, leaning against James' doorway and fiddling with his phone. "What time are we starting tonight? Like, heading out, I mean?"

He already had James' birthday gift ready for tonight, but that wasn't the problem.

James had been doing homework. And he looked up at Luke. "Um probably around seven or eight." James wondered why Luke sounded kind of nervous.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah," Luke said, scratching the back of his head. "It's just, uh...I might have to meet you guys at the restaurant. I....I had a date before you decided to go out for your birthday. I changed the time so we'll be done about eight though! So I can still join you guys."

"A date? With who? I didn't know." James asked curiously. "If you want you can bring her along, I don't mind." James said.

"Yeah, but I doubt she'd want that," Luke said, wiht a shrug. "Uh, it's some girl I partnered with in class, Aurora. She lives a few floors down, actually." He glanced at James' books. "Wait - shouldn't you be getting ready? You only have...what, six hours to look fabulous?"