Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone rang. "Just my luck." I muttered, reaching to turn on the lamp on my nightstand. I picked up the cordless phone from it's cradle. "Hello?"

"Hey Mya!"

"Andy? Is that you?" I could hardly hear the person's voice with all the commotion in the background.

"Of course it's me! How could you not recognize my voice?" He shouted in my ear.

Andy was one of my best friends from back home. I was a little puzzled as to why he had called me now of all times, but it was still good to hear from him.

"Sorry I guess I'm just tired." I said, rubbing my eyes. "So whats going on there? I can hear a bunch of people."

"Oh yeah, we're having a party. You wanna come?"

"Sure, I'll be there in a couple hours. Just let me change then I can head down to the airport."

"Awesome. We've got plenty of beer for ya."

I scrunched up my nose. "You mean piss water?"

"Noooo, beer."

"Right. So who's all there... that I know?"

"Uh, we've got Mike, Josh, Mishkee... you know, Brian?"

I thought for a second. "Is he the one you guys played baseball with all the time?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so who else?"

"Hmm... oh, there's Amber. She brought a friend... very nice. Alicia came... don't know why though."

"I thought you two we're over?"

"We are. That's why I'm not sure what she's doing here. I'm not complaining though."

"Of course you're not." I said sarcastically. "So anyways, what've you been up to?"

"I don't know, working and school mostly. What about you?" He asked

"Working." I answered

"Yeah? You making friends with those pretty boys?"

"Shut up. And yes I am. Well, with Taylor mostly. I don't talk to Ike much, and Zac's cool whenever we're around each other, which isn't too often, but Tay and I are pretty close. We talk about his girl problems a lot. Much fun."

"Sounds like it.... NOT."

"You're such a dork."

"Hey, that wouldn't be any insolence now, would it? Cause you know what happens to you when there's insolence."

"No, no. It's not insolence."

"That's what I thought. But uh... I guess I should go. I just wanted to call and see what you were up to."

"Well, I was almost asleep when you called... "

"Oh sorry."

"You're not sorry, don't lie."

"What? I never lie."

"Riiiight. Okay well I'm going now. We'll talk later, man."

"Sounds good. Don't be molesting any of those boys now, you hear me?"

I laughed. "Yes sir."

"Good. Bye-bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and turned the light off, settling under the covers again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing sleep to over-take me.

A loud pounding on my front door caused me to bolt up in bed, my heart beating a thousand times per minute. "Holy fuck." I whispered. I got out of bed and grabbed my robe, throwing it around myself as I walked the short hall to the front door. I looked through the peephole to see who it was, then unlocked the chain and pulled the door open. "Can I help you?"

"WOMEN!" He shouted, "GOD DAMN WOMEN!"

I grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled him inside my apartment so he wouldn't wake my neighbor's from his shouting. "Whats going on?" I asked calmly once the door was closed.

"Why the fuck do you accuse us of doing something we NEVER EVEN DID?!"

The first thing I noticed was that his breath reeked of alcohol. "Have you been drinking?"

"Ah," He shrugged his shoulders and walked into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. "Yes... no... I don't know."

"Yes or no, Taylor." My tone was firm. It was illegal for him to be drinking at the age of 20. Not like I never tasted alcohol before the age of 21, but I certainly never got drunk.

"Yes." He looked at me sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Mya. I didn't mean to, I just... I was so frustrated. I still am. And you have a nice chest." He nodded and lifted his wobbly hand to point in my direction.

I rolled my eyes and went to get him a glass of water from the kitchen sink. "Here, drink this." I said when I got back. I handed it to him as I sat down next to him. He took it and gulped a large portion of it down. After he set the glass on the coffee table in front of us, I spoke up. "So... what'd she do?"

"She said I was sleeping with you."

I raised my eyebrows in shock. "She what?"

He turned to me. "She said I was - "

"No I heard what you said, I just... can't believe she would accuse you of that."

"I know." He agreed "I mean, I would sleep with you except that I have this girlfriend so if we slept together it'd be all fucked up. Not to mention the fact that we work together so then I'd be all, "I don't know how to act around you", then everyone else would pick up on it which would suck ten thousand times ten thousand plus six, and who knows what would happen then."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Had he really just said all that? I shook my head and cleared my throat, deciding to forget his little speech. "So um... what'd you say?"

"About what?"

"About her accusing you of sleeping with me."

His look was questioning. "I said no... what else would I say? I told her the truth."

I slowly nodded. "Now what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know yet, that's why I'm here. I was hoping you could give me some advice."

"Oh wow." I breathed deep and sat back against the couch. "Tay, I would love to help you out here, but sometimes I just totally suck at giving advice."

"Well try. Please."

Things were silent for the next few minutes as I tried to think of a solution to his problem. "Okay," I finally said, "Now, don't hate me for saying this, cause after all, it's just my opinion, and like that really matters. But anyway, I think you'd both be better off if you called it quits. I mean, it's obvious that she's busy with school and you're busy with recording, leaving very little time for this relationship."

He nodded. "Yeah, I see what you're saying. But the problem is, if I break things off now, then she's gonna think I really did sleep with you, and I want to pursue a relationship with you, but I can't do that if I'm still with her."

"But we never slept together."

"Well I know that, but she doesn't."

"Who cares what she thinks? As soon as you break up with her, that's it, you don't have to talk to her ever again."

He smiled. "You know what? You're absolutely right."

[ chapter 4 ]

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