Can You Keep a Secret?

Three : Honey Honey
"Come on Brittany, please! It's been a freaking week!" said Alex, Brittany's best friend since moving to Los Angeles. She was a short blonde girl with brown eyes and an insatiable thirst for clubbing and being wild. She was everything Brittany was not.

Alex knew of Brittany's story. She knew Brittany used to go by the name of Vic, and that the reason she stopped going by that name was because so many painful memories were conjured up whenever someone called her by that name. She knew how much baggage she was carrying with her emotionally. And she knew how to be a friend.

"I don't want to. I don't want to deal with them again," Brittany replied referring to the hoardes of paparzzi that followed her whenever she was out and about L.A.

"It'll be fine. You haven't been out in a week. You really need it," Alex replied.

Brittany smiled, "Fine. You owe me though."

"I always do."

Alex and Brittany danced like no other, as if they were seventeen again. They dynamic duo did not go unnoticed either. Every other minute some other guy came up and dropped a line, making the girls laugh, and the sauntering away.

"I'm going to get a drink," Alex yelled over the music to Brittany, "Do you want anything?"

"Water's fine." Brittany replied.

As soon as her friend left, Brittany waqs engulfed in a hug from behind. Brittany yelped in surprise, screaming something about sexually assualt. She spun around angrily to scream at her attacker only to be greeted by Brendon's smiling face... which was covered with lip gloss, by the way.

"Brendon!" Brittany exclaimed happily, hugging Brendon properly. "What in the earth are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on tour or something?"

"I'm doing the same exact thing you're doing! I'm partying it up!" Brendon laughed doing a weird dance move. "We just finished our tour and stuff."

"That's cool." Brittany replied with a smile.

"Ryan's here." Brendon stated carefully, watching the girl's reaction.

"Ryan's here?" Brittany asked quietly, though somehow Brendon heard her.

"Over there." Brendon motioned with his chin.

"Over where?" Brittany asked, following his chin motion.

Brendon pointed over to the table he had just left and suddenly regretted it. His poor friend was being slobbered on by the two girls that had followed them into the club. That was definitely not how Brendon was hoping to reunite his two friends.

Brittany grimaced, "Well, good for him then, I guess."

"Heeeeyy girl, I'm back!" Alex announced holding two glasses in the air as she shimmied over to where Brittany and Brendon were standing.

"Let's go, Alex." Brittany said quickly, grabbing her friend's wrists and pulling her through the crowd.

"But I just got back!" Alex squealed, spilling one of the drinks on a cute brown headed boy in the crowd. "Sorry!"

Brendon didn't even take notice of his wet clothes. His eye included nothing but the blonde girl Brittany was dragging away from him. Brendon blinked and finally realized that Brittany was fleeing the club.

"No, wait! Vic! Ryan's not... Ok. Good bye to you too, I guess."

Brendon started making his way back towards the table where Ryan was desperately trying to wrestle out of the twins' death grip on his lips and body.

"Brendon..." Ryan gasped, "Can... we... please leave?"

Brendon nodded and pulled his friend away from the two disheveled girls. As the two exited the club a flash went off in their face. A few more followed, blinding them. Then the questions showered down on them.

"Paparazzi," Brendon shouted at Ryan over the crowd. Oddly enough, they only seemed to be interested in Ryan.

"Ryan, what's your say on Miss Grant returning to California?"
"Whose kid was it?"
"Are you two together?"

Ryan stared into the lights with his mouth agape. He turned to Brendon with a confused look. All his friend had to offer him was a shrug of his shoulders.

Back at the hotel...
"Why didn't you tell me she was back in California?!" Ryan screamed loudly, causing Brendon to grimace.

Brendon blinked, "Well, Ryan... California is a pretty big state... she could be anywhere."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"You knew!" Ryan accused his friend.

"Of course I knew!" Brendon shouted back.

"Why would you bring me here then?" Ryan asked, faltering, becoming desperate for an explanation.

"Because you and I both did not expect her to take off during the tour. There were so many things left unsaid. So many things that you two still need to work out. Especially since you both still have feelings for each other."

Ryan glared at Brendon, "How could you possibly know that?"

"Ryan, Ryan, Ryan. First off, I'm your best friend. I can read you like a book. Second, I talked to Vic tonight. She ran off again, when she saw you and your two 'friends' going at it last night. Obviously, she still has feelings for you."

"She was at the club?" Ryan asked softly.

Brendon gave his friend a small knowing smile, "Yep."

"AND YOU LET ME GET TRAPPED BY THOSE TWO GIRLS?" Ryan screamed angrily. "No wonder she ran off!"

"Well, maybe if you weren't such a slut..." Brendon replied letting his sentence carry off.

Ryan gave his friend an irritated look, "Right, I'm the slut out of the two of us."

Brendon gave him a grin, "Apparently. You admitted it."

"I hate you."