I went to the area in the airport where I had to pick up Buckley and Brennan’s kennels that they flew in and waited to actually get them. I had a layover in Memphis on December 26th to meet Lynn to leave the two of them at Lynn and Paul’s while I went to Aspen with ‘the crew’ (and I was definitely glad to be rid of them for a week, although I had grown really attached to their bad asses). Once the kennels came out from the back on a cart I wheeled them to the terminal where my next flight was and waited for one of the Harless clan that I recognized. Twenty minutes before I boarded my plane I saw Belinda walking up to me with Trace’s sister in tow.

“I thought Lynn was coming to get them.”

“She got held up in a meeting so I volunteered. We should get going though I’ve got to get her to work.” Belinda motioned over to Brittany before hugging me goodbye and taking the cart away from me. Freedom!

When my flight landed Rachael was waiting at the terminal to pick me up and we found my bags then went out to the SUV Justin had rented for the week long trip.

“The two of them went out snowboarding this morning and made me come get you because they didn’t want to stop.” We walked out of the airport and immediately I was hit with the freezing cold air.

“Did they think the snow was going to melt if they didn’t get out there? Those dickheads couldn’t wait for me?” Assholes. I got in the driver’s seat after we made the decision that I would drive and Rachael would relax; she was feeling a little under the weather and looked like shit.

“They’ve been itching to get out there since yesterday morning before we even got here so I told them to go and I’d pick you up.”

“They’re asses, clearly you’re sick and should be in bed Rach. You could have called me when I landed, I would have taken a cab or something.” For the rest of the ride to the house Justin rented it was pretty much quiet, Rachael had fallen asleep and I turned on the radio to a station that was playing Christmas music. When I pulled into the driveway I saw another car sitting where the Escalade should have been parked. I nudged her awake and let her know we were back.

“I should tell you…” But she couldn’t finish because in the window of the house I saw a head of blonde hair and Justin’s shorts curls run past the window. I shot a glare at Rachael for not telling me sooner and grabbed my bags out of the back seat and followed her inside. When I got inside the warm house I put my bags down at the door and went into the living room where Justin, Jessica, Trace, and a few of Jessica’s friends were joking around.

“LaLa!” Trace got up and attempted to pick me up and swing me around, but pretended to struggle to get my Ugg covered feet a few inches off the ground.

“Asshole I’m not that heavy.” I hit him once he finally got me off of the floor and he put me down. The others were still joking around acting as if I weren’t even there.

“I’ll show you to your room. It’s right next to mine, so if you get lonely in the middle of the night my door’s open.” He wiggled his eyebrows and winked at me before grabbing my arm and bags and making me follow him down the hall to the large bedroom I was staying in.

“Is everyone else staying upstairs?” I guess he knew what I meant by everyone else.

“Yeah, I’m not sure if Jessica and her annoying friends are staying here though. Something happened with the house they rented so they just may end up crashing here until everything is fixed.”

“Just dandy.”

Trace left me standing in the room and headed back towards the cackling that was coming from the living room; I was not going to be able tolerate those fucking hyenas all week. I left Jersey where I could have spent time with my brothers who had just gotten home from their tour of duty to deal with Justin’s annoying ass girlfriend and her annoying ass friends. Do you think I kept my mouth shut about them being there? No siree I did not.

I went back into the living room a few minutes after Trace had and sat on the arm of the couch that Justin was lounging on and looked at him.

“Hey La.”

“Oh wow, you noticed I was alive. I’ve only been here for 20 minutes.”

“You were busy with Trace.”

“When has that ever stopped you from speaking to me before? You know he’s less important than you.” The two of us laughed and then looked over at Trace who was stuffing his face with marshmallows… Why the hell is he always eating?

Late that night Jessica and her friends went out to some coffee shop, Rachael was in her room sleeping off whatever sickness she had, and Trace was out ‘meeting babes for the bangin’ party he was throwing on New Years’ which left Justin and I alone. We were lying on the bigger of the three couches that were in the living room watching reruns of Drake and Josh (don’t ask, Justin is obsessed and it’s frightening) when I broke the news to him.

"I met someone.” Yeah I know, shocker. He paused the TV (I don’t see the point in Tivo) and turned his head slowly to look at me.

“You met who? Jamie and Jane?” Those were Jessica’s hyena buddies.

“No, I met a guy.”

“Where?”

“You know that kid Reggie that’s in my AP class?”

“The one who doesn’t work to his full potential but is freakishly smart?” I may have not said that about him in those exact words, but I was very fond of his intelligence.

“Yeah, him. Well I didn’t know it at the time, but the guy I met is his brother, Kurt. Noel and I went out for our weekly dinners at the restaurant the week after Memphis and he was our waiter.”

“So you’re dating one of my employees? Nice, I feel really betrayed LaLa. I don’t even know who this guy is; someone must have hired him recently.” He was shocked but also looked like he was in deep thought trying to figure out who Kurt could be.

“Apparently. Anyways, he’s really chill and I’m really starting to like him. We’ve gone out a few times, he sort of reminds me of Trace.”

“I know who you’re talking about now. Is he fair skinned and really tall and goofy looking?”

“No that’s your girlfriend you’re thinking about.” I had never been hit so hard in my life until then; Justin slapped the shit outta my arm and then gave me the finger.

“Fuck yourself.”

“In your dreams. But he’s the Puerto Rican and Italian guy with the real short buzz cut, kinda like yours when you first get it shaved off.”

“He’s a dick.”

“He’s nice to me, and he must not be that bad if you hired him.”

“No he’s a dick. And I don’t hire people, my managers do. But I met him the last time I went to check on things and he’s a cocky bastard.” It’s true, Kurt was very cocky, but he had every reason to be; he was the sexiest thing I’ve seen in a long time and he kept the cockiness to a minimum when I was around.

“Is someone jealous?”

“Jealous of what? I’m the one with the millions of dollars here, not him.”

“Are you jealous that I found someone without your sucky ass match-making abilities?”

“Psh. Get outta here, I’m the shit and you know it. It’s not my fault if you’re picky, because you and Davis had some great potential.”

“Yeah if I wanted to wear all my old sweats around him. Thanks to Dorky Davis my favorite little black dress is ruined.”

“Damn, I liked that dress on you too. Hugged you in all the right places, if you know what I’m sayin.” Whoa excuse me?

“Thanks?”

“Welcome.” Things got really uncomfortable after that. Instead of watching Drake and Josh I was staring around the room wondering when someone was going to show back up; it was already 11 and I’m pretty sure Rachel was down for the count up in her room. No one came though, so I had to try to ease the tension in the room.

“I’m kinda upset that she’s here Jay.” He looked at me apologetically and shrugged his shoulders.

“I really didn’t know she would be here but she called me and said that Jamie had managed to get her parent’s house for the week but a pipe burst so they had no where to stay. I couldn’t just tell her no because it was only supposed to be the four of us.”

“You could have told her to check her wealthy ass into a hotel.”

“Or I coulda told your not so wealthy big ass to suck it up and be grown for once. And besides that would have been rude of me to tell her to go somewhere else.” God damn why did he have to smile at me like that? It’s never gotten to me before, but it did at that moment. I don’t know why I did what I did next, but I was feeling daring.

“You know what’s really rude Jay?”

“Please don’t start a fight right now about Jessica, it’s not worth it Alana.”

“This is really rude.” And I grabbed him by the face and kissed him long and hard. Before I knew it I felt Justin’s tongue attempt to part my lips, and I let him. Don’t ask me what I was feeling or thinking at that moment because I don’t think it was anything. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I lost air and had to stop; let’s face it people, I haven’t kissed anyone that way in a long time so I’m not as practiced as Justin was.

“That was really rude actually. You asshole.”

“Why? We’re just friends remember? I like to kiss, that’s all. And it’s been a while since I’ve kissed someone.”

“I’m not a fill in for when Kurt isn’t around.” Did I sense some attitude?

“Really? Because I’m not a fill in for when your mess of a girlfriend isn’t around either, yet you seem to think that I am.”

“I guess that’s fair.”

“Do you understand how you fucked with my mind that first time you kissed me back in New Hampshire?”

“No.”

“Well you fucked it up, big time. Then back at Momma Lynn’s house Jay that was it for me.”

“What are you trying to say Alana?”

“I’m trying to say that I felt something, I don’t know about you but I felt something that I hadn’t felt about you before. When you told me that it didn’t matter I was pissed.”

“That why you and Trace didn’t come back?”

“He saw you leave my room and asked me about it. You know I can’t lie to him, just like I can’t lie to you.”

“You couldn’t have told me that it meant something to you? Why did you have to act like we were 13 and had to hide it from me?

“It’s not everyday your best friend kisses you Justin.”

He didn’t say much after that, and I didn’t blame him. Jessica finally came back to the house and joined our kiddy show marathon while her friends went up to bed, thank god. I was trying to be the bigger person and stay in the room so things could have gotten better between her and I for Justin’s sake but I couldn’t take the semi-dirty glares Justin was throwing at me and the occasional ‘love pecks’ they were giving each other.

“It’s been real but I’m heading to bed guys. Goodnight.” I left the room before they could even say goodnight back. As soon as I laid down in bed I was out like a light; I had never slept in such a comfortable bed in my life and was so happy to be sleeping on clouds (at least that’s what it felt like) and not back on my old mattress on my bed at home with Double Trouble pushing me off the edge.. But my peaceful slumber didn’t last for very long.