“Nick! Don’t have a cow! What the heck is your problem???”

“My problem is that you have a guy in your house at...what time is it anyway?”

“It’s late, and you have no right telling me what I can and can’t do!”

“Cally, I’m only looking out for you!”

“Yeah? Well, maybe you should go look out for Michelle, seeing she’s the only one you seem to care about!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nick! I saw you 2 at the beach! You canceled on me, to be with her!”

Nick was silent. “You were spying on us?” he asked incredulously.

“NO! I went there to think about something.”

“Like what? Whether or not you should sleep with AJ?”

“You bastard!” she hissed.

“Yeah? And you’re acting like a bitch!”

“Shut up, Nick! I don’t ever want to hear from you again, you hear me? Our friendship is over!”

“Fine!”

Nick hung up. AJ looked at Calista, concerned. She was pale and shaking.

“What happened?”

“Nick thought we...he got mad at me.”

“What did he say?”

“He called me a bitch, and hung up on me.”

AJ hugged her. “I’m sorry. Don’t worry, you’re not a bitch.”

Calista sighed. “I was rude to him. He was only looking out for me. God, what am I going to do?”

AJ shook his head. “Why don’t you talk to him?”

Calista rubbed her eyes. “I told him I never wanted to talk to him again...he said ‘fine’.”

AJ smiled at her sympathetically. “Why don’t you talk to him anyway?”

Calista leaned against him. “I can’t...he hates me now.”

AJ sighed and kissed her. “I better get going.”

Calista walked him to the door. “Night AJ. I had a really fun time tonight.”

“Me too. I’ll call you tomorrow, ‘kay?”

“Yeah. Bye.”

She watched him leave. Her head was killing her. ‘What have I done now? I told Nick that I didn’t ever want to talk to him again...but I thought I loved him...now I have AJ and he’s so wonderful...but he’s not Nick. On the other hand, Nick doesn’t know I exist, and I doubt he cares anymore. Why did I have to like Nick? Do I still like him?’ Her heart answered for her. ‘You like AJ, but you love Nick.’ Callie lay on the couch and fell asleep almost immeadiately.

When AJ got back to his house, the phone was ringing.

“Hello?”

“Hey, AJ...It’s Michelle. Where’ve you been?”

“Uhhh...I was at Calista’s house.”

“This late?”

“Yes! This late!” he couldn’t help raising his voice at her.

There was a pause. “Why’re you yelling at me? I was just asking! I called you, and you weren’t there. I thought something happened to you!”

“Yeah, like you’d care!”

“Why’re you being so mean?”

“Because...”

“Because what?”

“Just because! Why can’t you ever except a damn answer???”

Her voice shook, “Uhhh...sorry...”

Even though AJ knew he had upset her, he couldn’t stop himself. “You are such an imature little brat! You and Nick have your fun, now get off my case and let me have mine!”

“Michelle!!! Get in here! You are going to pay, you little whore!” Michelle’s brother yelled.

Michelle gasped. “Oh god! I have to go!”

“Yeah, figures! You never have enough time for me.”

“AJ! Stop it! What did I do? Why are you acting like this?”

Then the line went dead. AJ stared at the phone. He couldn’t believe she had hung up on him. Then he thought about it. Michelle never hung up on people. Then he thought about what he had said to her. ‘She didn’t deserve that.’ AJ sighed. He felt so confused.

Nick sat on the edge of his bed. Everyone was asleep except for him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Calista. How could he have hung up on her?

~The next day~

As soon as Nick got up, he headed over to Calista’s house. He knocked on her door. Calista woke up. She was still asleep on the couch. Groggily, she got to her feet and answered the door. When she saw it was Nick, she started to close the door on him. He put his foot out and stopped her.

“Callie...we need to talk.”

“So talk.”

Nick sighed. “Can I come in?”

Callie rolled her eyes and walked back into the living room, leaving the door open. Nick walked in, shutting the door behind him.

AJ woke up quite early. He sat up and stared at the phone, hoping Michelle would call. Eventually, he picked it up and dialed her number. It was busy. He frowned. Who would be up and talking on the phone so early? Her dad and step-mom had gone out of town, so it was only her and her step-brother. Puzzeled, he got dressed and headed over to her house.