Before we start, I want to give a huge thanks to azure_skies for editing this chapter. Y'all said you wanted an editor, so here you go, I hope you enjoy the story.
*all characters engaged in sexual activity are over 18*
I thank y'all for your continued interest in my stories. I'm a soldier not a writer, so please excuse any plot holes.
Ch. 3
"That bitch!" yelled Ally, pacing back and forth, wearing a path on the carpet in her room.
Ashley and Katie sat on the bed, dumbfounded. She never got this mad at anything. She would never call anyone a 'bitch'. What had gotten into her? Ashley had called the two over to her house, claiming an emergency, but refusing to specify as to what it was. The two knew their friend, so they didn't push. She'd just blurt it all out when she was good and ready.
"I can't believe it. I honestly can't believe that BITCH had the nerve to do that." She vented, still pacing back and forth.
It was almost as if you could hear the gears turning in her head, the smoke coming out of her ears. Her face was flushed, it usually was anyhow, but this was a deep shade of red. She was truly fuming.
"That bitch... where does she get off? Calling James up at three am, claiming she's got an emergency. James being James doesn't even question it and fires up his truck. That fucking BITCH!"
"Calls him at three am, he rushes right over to help get her car up her driveway. UP HER DRIVEWAY! What kind of dumbass can get a car stuck going up a driveway. Well, James gets there, and she said she was inside where it was warm, so he walks up to the door and she pulls him inside. FUCKING GRABS HIM BY THE SHIRT AND PULLS HIM INSIDE! The best part? SHE WAS NAKED!" Ally was nearly going insane at this point. She was livid.
Pacing a few more times in order to catch her breath and calm down a little, she looked over to her friends on the bed and saw the shocked looks on each of their faces. They looked just as pissed as she did.
"Did he do anything?" Katie asked sheepishly.
"No," she says, walking over to the corner of the room, unceremoniously flopping down on the massive camouflage bean bag James had gotten her for her birthday a few years back.
"I can't even be mad at the dork," she begins, much calmer than she was just a few moments ago, "as soon as he noticed she was naked, he pushed her away, turned back, got in his truck, and called me. He wanted to be the first to tell me."
"Ok, so I know what happened. But you never mentioned who did it. Who do we have to go beat?" Ashley asked with a laugh and a grin, showing that she was joking, but also completely serious.
"Alicia Somers." Ally replied.
As soon as that name was spoken, Ashley and Katie both let out a collective groan and a chorus of 'that bitch' and 'she's always had a thing for James.'
"Guys, I was freaking out when he was telling me. He didn't lead with the fact that nothing happened. He just told it front to back, and I was worried he'd actually done something."
"You believe him when he says he didn't?" asked Ashley.
"Why wouldn't I? He's been helplessly in love with me for years, he's never lied to me; I can't imagine him doing ANYTHING to jeopardize us."
"That's a good point. Never thought of it that way. I mean, I never doubted him, I was just checking to make sure you didn't either."
"Ok, so now, how are we going to get back at her?" chimed Katie with a devilish look on her face.
**
Back across town the guys were all in James barn, having a few beers and just shooting the shit like they usually did. Yes, they were an inseparable group, but they sometimes broke down into their sub groups. Guys and girls.
James has just got done telling the story of what happened with Alicia the night before, and it seemed like all the guys were as pissed as he was, Donny even being as close to pissed as Ally was. Donny had been their number one fan before they even had a fan club. He always wanted to see them together, and he knew damn well he'd do anything to keep them together.
Damn straight.
Once the group had settled down a little, and were back to just chilling on the couch and chairs, Tyler got a serious look on his face and leaned in, facing the rest of the guys. Everyone else, know what that meant, all shut up and leaned in too. Whenever one of them had something heavy to talk about, they'd do the lean, and everyone else knew it was about to get real.
"Do y'all think I have a chance with Katie?" asked a very nervous Tyler.
"Katie as in our Katie?" said Donny, looking around the room to make sure he wasn't the only one stupid to think of that question.
"Yep."
"100 percent." quipped James.
"Think so?"
"Dude she talks about you nonstop," added Bobby.
"Really?" asked Tyler, the relief evident in his voice.
"Most times she won't shut the fuck up is what I hear from Marybeth," shot Donny with a laugh.
"So send it?" Tyler asked, again, the nervousness showing.
"Fuckin send ittttt," the boys all yelled in unison.
**
James and Ally were sitting in the middle of their 'College English II' course during 6th hour. James kept looking at the watch on his wrist, hoping, praying that the sound of a bell with cut through silence of 'work time'. Mr. Johnson, their teacher, was out sick again today, so he had just left mountains of worksheets and packets for his students to do in his absence. It was killing James. He hated the monotony of worksheets. They weren't practical.
Sensing his frustration, Ally reached over and laid a gentle had on his forearm. It wasn't much but it was enough to settle James down almost instantly. It was Friday, and he always got antsy on Fridays, waiting for the bell so he could rush home and dive into whatever tasks awaited him, and eventually, the Friday night throw down.
Ally was just as excited as he was. She loved getting out of school on a Friday, most like everyone else. She just knew she had to be the voice of reason for her boyfriend, because he sometimes got a little pent up.
She had elected not to drive to school today due to the mass amounts of snow they had gotten the night prior, and instead had James pick her up. She knew he didn't mind, hell, he wanted to. Every moment he got to spend with her was a blessing to him.
For early February, Michigan was taking a pounding on the snow scales. Seemed like every night they got at least two or three new inches, on top of the at least foot and a half that didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. It was too cold to do much outside, as soon as you stepped out the wind bit at any and all exposed skin, threatening to give you frost bite in just a few moments.
After the bell had rung, James and Ally rushed their way to his truck in the back of the lot. It was absolutely freezing. The thermometer in the school reading -18 before wind chill. Not wanting to be out in the bitter cold and longer than they had to, they ran as fast and the snowy and icy parking lot would let them. Reveling at every crunch of snow, since every crunch meant they were one step closer to the salvation of his truck.
After helping Ally into the cab of his truck, he walked around to his side, and climbed on in. After getting situated he turned the key, let the glow plugs cycle, and went to hit the starter button he had to wire in when his ignition gave out. Nothing.
"Fuck!"
He tried it again. This time it slightly cranked over then died out again.
"Well fuck," James said, obviously a little ticked off. "I know exactly what that is..."
Without explaining to Ally what was wrong, he jumped out, pulled his jersey gloves on, and climbed up into the bed of the truck to grab his tools and a spare part he just happened to have laying in the milk crate that served as a parts box.
It was his starter. That he knew. It had been going bad for a while, but James was too lazy to just fix it. So what did he do? The right thing and just carried a spare in the truck for when it finally did go out. Lucky for him he had it. Unluckily though, it was bitter cold out.
After about 10 minutes of cursing and fighting, he got the damn thing changed. James took his wrench and smacked the new starter once for good measure. 'Damn straight' he thought.
After climbing back into the cab of the truck and making a point to put his freezing cold hands on Ally's face, just to annoy her, he cranked the old girl to life. It struggled a little bit, taking multiple cycles from the glow plugs and about 10 minutes of cranking due to the extreme cold, but it started nonetheless.
As they drove towards Ally's house, she was lost in the radio. She could sing. Damn she could sing. She thought she couldn't, but that didn't stop her from belting out all the old country songs that came through his speakers. Right about then she was singing her heart out to Reba's 'That's The Night That The Lights Went Out In Georgia,' one of her all-time favorites.
James was, as always, enthralled with her singing. When one of her songs would come on the radio, he would slowly hit the button on his steering wheel one click at a time to turn it down little by little so she wouldn't notice, just so he could hear more of her. He couldn't help but think she was perfect. Perfect in every way.
"Why won't you sing in front of people?" he asked as the song was ending.
"We've been over this," she began. "I can't sing. Not worth a damn. I don't know how or why you think I can, but I can't. Simple as that."
"Baby, why would I tell you that you could if it wasn't true?"