PART 1 – One Simple Text
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"You have no idea what you're talking about," Brian informed Charlie in a superior tone, "absolutely none."
Charlie finished pouring his second cup of coffee, standing in the kitchen of his and Miley's apartment. Brian sat in the dining area, at a desk set up just for him and his drawing efforts. The area had been converted into a space where he and Charlie could work on their comic book. The boys had removed the small dining table, much to Miley's chagrin, and set up a pair of workstations with laptops and other essentials; it was where they collaborated every day to work on their 'Captain Darkness' comic book.
"I think it's a subjective thing, don't you?" Charlie blew at the steam rising off his coffee cup, "It's really a matter of opinion."
"No!" Brian lifted his hands, exasperated. "This is a documented point of fact."
Charlie chuckled as he set the cup of coffee down next to his laptop, "Whatever."
Brian offered a doubting glare, "You seriously think the chick from 'Twilight' is hotter than the chick from 'the Vampire Diaries'?"
"Yeah," Charlie powered up his computer. "I think Bella is totally sexy."
"You're fucking nuts," Brian decided, returning to his drawing board. "Next you're going to tell me that you'd rather 'do' She-Hulk over Wonder Woman."
"In a heartbeat," Charlie replied as he sat and typed in his PC's password.
Brian scowled, "Now you're just fucking with me."
Charlie shook his head, "No, man. Wonder Woman is a prude; I bet she's totally dull in bed, if she's not a virgin. But She-Hulk seems like she knows her way around the sheets. Remember when she was sleeping with Hercules?"
Brian's expression softened as he considered, "You know... you might actually be right on that one."
"DC characters are all prudes," Charlie added, lifting his coffee for a brief sip.
"That used to be true," Brian countered, "during the 'Superfriends' era when everyone had a dog with a cape, but not anymore."
"It's still true," Charlie stated flatly.
"Come on, what about Batman? Are you saying Batman's a prude?"
"He's the worst of them," Charlie answered. "When is the last time you heard Batman say: 'I need to get laid'?"
Brian stopped drawing and laughed loudly.
"Meanwhile, Marvel characters are always chasing tail. I mean, look at Spider-Man. Peter Parker is almost defined by his love life. I can totally relate to that."
Brian was still laughing, "Yeah, Stan Lee is a dirty old man."
Charlie laughed and joined Brian's mirth, "Speaking of love lives..."
Brian lifted a wagging hand, warding Charlie away from the topic, "Don't even start, dude."
"Is Sam still giving you the freezer treatment?"
"It's more like an arctic winter," Brian sighed. "Haley, too."
"Things will turn around for you," Charlie assured his best friend. "You never know when the perfect girl could smack right into you."
Brian sighed, "What if she already did and I fucked it up?"
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"So what's up with you and Chip?" Miley bothered Stacy as the two of them walked through campus.
"I've told you," Stacy sighed, "a million times. Nothing is going on; there wasn't any spark between us. I haven't seen Chip in weeks."
"What about Adrian, have you seen him?"
"He went back to school in Alabama," Stacy replied dryly, pushing a tendril of blonde hair behind an ear.
Miley started, "Well, what about –"
Stacy paused and stomped her foot on the cement walk, "I'm not seeing anyone! Okay, Miley? So stop asking."
"Okay! Jeez, you don't need to rip my head off."
Stacy growled and resumed walking. She didn't mean to be so short with her best friend, but it was irritating the way Miley constantly stuck her nose into Stacy's love life. There really wasn't anyone she was interested in, not that she had been looking. It seemed to her that every time she even looked at a guy she mentally compared him to Charlie, as though she were seeking someone like him, but no one ever measured up. She often thought of Charlie and the brief kiss they shared, even though she knew there was no future in that line of thinking. Charlie loved Miley, and not even a natural disaster could pull him away from her. It made Stacy feel terribly guilty.
After walking for a few moments in uncomfortable silence Stacy stopped again, "I'm sorry."
Miley dismissed the moment casually, "Don't worry about it. We all get crabby."
"That's not what I'm apologizing for," Stacy replied nervously.
Miley gave her friend an inquisitive look.
"I've been feeling really guilty lately, and I can't take it anymore. I need to get something off my chest."
Miley started to look worried, "You didn't kiss Charlie again, did you?"
Stacy chewed her lip worriedly.
Miley's eyes widened, "You did?"
""No!" Stacy quickly answered. "Of course not. But..."
Miley let her book bag fall to the ground so she could place balled fists on her skirt-clad hips, "What is it?"
Stacy finally just blurted it out, "I think I have a crush on Charlie."
Miley blinked.
Stacy stared at Miley, afraid of the impending storm she assumed would ensue from the oft-explosive Miley.
But Miley remained calm, "You're just figuring this out now?"
Stacy looked confused, "What? Wait... you already knew?"
Miley let out half of a laugh, "Stace, you've had a crush on him since high school. I've always known that."
"I have?" Stacy's expression twisted.
Miley nodded, "Ever since you and I jerked him off in that hotel room after prom."
Stacy blushed at Miley's frank description. Miley never minced words when it came to sex.
"It's not a big deal," Miley continued. "I've always known you were at least a little sweet on him. What girl wouldn't be? He's a fantastic guy. Even Haley, of all people, looks at him with those girlish little doe-eyes." Miley shrugged, "I used to get jealous, but I've gotten used to it."
Stacy wasn't expecting Miley's reasonable response, "I can't believe how calm you're being about this."
Miley waved her hand, "What's to get upset about? You're not actually in love with Charlie; not really."
"I'm not?" Stacy's face continued to contort in weird ways.
"You're just in love with the idea of him," Miley informed her. "You see how happy he makes me, and you want that for yourself. I mean, it doesn't hurt that he has, like, a ginormous cock, too. What girl wouldn't want that between her legs?"
Stacy couldn't help blurting out into giggles, covering her mouth with a pink-manicured hand.
Miley grinned and then continued, "Isn't that why you dated Brian? Because you hoped some of Charlie's sweet side had rubbed off on him?"
Stacy searched her memories, recalling when she and Brian were together months prior. "I don't think I put that much thought into it. We were pretty drunk the first time we hooked up."
Miley rolled her eyes, "Listen hon, the right guy is going to come along. One day you'll be walking along and then - POW! You'll smack right into love."
Stacy sighed, "You're totally right, as usual."
Miley smirked and picked her bag back up, "Remember back in high school, when you were always the right one?"
"I miss those days," Stacy answered with a sigh. "Come on, we're late for class."
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During their lecture course, Stacy completely tuned the professor out. Miley sat next to her, occasionally scribbling notes, and Stacy thought she should be doing the same thing; except her mind was elsewhere. Miley had been right, Stacy decided. She wasn't in love with Charlie, she was in love with the way he treated Miley. She was jealous of what Miley had in Charlie; Stacy wanted that for herself. She thought of Brian suddenly, which brought a smile to her lips. What if Brian had been the one? It's true that they hadn't worked out the first time, but there were a lot of complications working against them, like an unplanned pregnancy. Had Stacy placed too many unfair expectations on Brian? Had she wanted him to be Charlie?
Stacy frowned as she silently questioned herself. That was it, she realized - she had expected Brian to be someone he wasn't. Stacy had been expecting perfection from Brian, the storybook romance, but no relationship is perfect. Not even Charlie and Miley's. Stacy thought about all the drama and angst Charlie and Miley had to overcome to get to where they were. They even broke up for the entirety of their freshman year of college! But they got past it all and were happier than they'd ever been.
Of course, Brian hadn't been on very good behavior since then. He had been dating one girl and sleeping with another. Not that Stacy really cared; she didn't give a whit about that Samantha girl, and Stacy was certain Haley was a world-class slut. It's not as though Brian ever cheated on Stacy, even though she accused him of doing so when he went to Miami with Charlie and Miley.
"Fuck it," Stacy whispered.
Miley was distracted from her note-taking and glanced aside at Stacy, "Huh?"
Stacy reached into her purse, "I'm texting Brian."
"What are you going to text him about?" Miley asked quietly.
"I'm going to see what he's doing on Friday night."
Miley's eyes bugged out in surprise. "You want to go out on a date with Brian?" she hissed, trying not to be overheard by the other students around them.
"Yes," Stacy answered confidently. Her thumbs worked the buttons of her cell phone as she typed out a message.
Miley pressed, "I thought you two were over?"
"We are... or we were. So what? A year ago I thought you and Charlie were over." Stacy hit 'send' and then turned a hopeful look on Miley, "But it's never too late, right?"
"What about Sam?" Miley looked concerned, "And Haley?"
"What about them?" Stacy countered, "Obviously Brian isn't too attached to either if he can't decide between them. Besides, I'm way hotter than Sam and Haley is practically a lesbian."
Miley couldn't help but snort out a giggle, "God, Stace. You and Brian... you've had way more drama than even Charlie and me."
"I know," Stacy agreed. "I've been thinking about it all morning.
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Brian felt his phone buzz and dug it out of his pocket. His eyes widened after reading the text, "Dude, you're never going to believe this."