Paradise Lost

George and I sat outside for the rest of the night, talking. He has been through this so many times before, and now I finally realized why Black Dahlia was so easy to write. Sometimes, you really feel like that. I picked up my phone and realized that it was now almost three a.m.

“Shit, we’ve been out here for way too long. I need to get going soon.” I muttered, standing up and wiping the back of my shorts off.

“Ok, but call me sometime. We need to do this again. I like it.” George smiled, giving me a hug before walking me to my car.

“Tell Matt and Chelsey thanks for me.”

“Will do, talk to you later.”

I closed my door and started the car, smiling and waving at George before making my way home.

When I woke up the next morning, I heard voices in the house. One of them did not belong. I sighed and sat up, pulling my hair into a pony tail and making my way into the kitchen.

“Morning guys.” I said, looking for the coffee.

Matt, Dillon, George, Jorel, Aron and Jordan were all in my house. Why? I had no clue, but they were there.

“Why the fuck are you guys in my kitchen?” I asked, starting the coffee maker.

“We had a meeting on the phone this morning with our manager and your place was the number we gave him to call last time, so we showed up here to take our call.” Jordan said, acting like it was the most obvious answer out there.

“Ok, I guess. So where you planning on leaving eventually or just sticking around and eating my food?”

“We were just going to eat your food.” Dillon said, patting me on my head.

“Oh, hey Aron,” I asked, “So did the new girl pass your test? Can we meet her?”

“Yeah Nat. You will all meet her tonight if you come to my place. It’s just going to be us and then Emily and Chelsey.”

“Awesome! It’ll be good to have another girl join the Hollywood family.” I stated, giving Aron a hug.

“If you want to get technical about it, you’re not part of the family anymore Nat.” Jorel said, looking like he had already started drinking for the day, or was still incredibly hung-over.

“Hey, bro, just don’t.” George said, shutting him up.

“Nah, it’s ok. Let him say it. I guess I’m not, am I?”

“Natalie, don’t say,” Matt got in, before I cut him off.

“I’m going to my room. You guys can stay for a while, but Jorel I expect you to get the fuck out within the next three minutes.”

I sat in my room and thought about what he had just said. I guess it was true. I mean, technically, I was still hanging out with the guys, but the Hollywood crew consisted of the guys and their girls. Not their friends. And now I was no longer one of the girls. I heard a knock on my door and Jordan and Dillon walked in.

“Come on, we’re kidnapping you.” Dillon said, picking me up.

“What? Why? Where are we going?”

“We’re going to go find Jorel and we are going to lock you two in a room together until you work out whatever is wrong.”

“Um, no, we’re not. We’re going to go set me down in my room, leave the house, and let me wallow in self-pity.”

“Nope. Not happening today, babe.” Jordan said, opening the front door so that Dillon could get me outside.

“What the fuck?” I asked, looking around me. They were placing me in the car, where Aron, George and Matt waited.

“Can someone please just talk some sense into Dillon and Jordan and let me go?”

“You’re at least going to talk to Jay long enough to be friends again.” Matt said, buckling me in.

In twenty minutes, we pulled up along the sidewalk and everyone but me jumped out of the car. I watched, slightly laughing, as they ran into a Starbucks that they knew Jorel would be in. He always went there when he needed to think. A few minutes later they came back, Matt and Aron holding Jay’s shoulders and Dillon drinking what I was assuming was Jorel’s coffee.

“What the fuck is going on?” Jay asked, as they shoved him into the black SUV too.

“That’s the same thing I asked.” I laughed, watching as they forced him to stay in the car.

We pulled up at Dillon’s apartment next. Why were we here?

“Ok, get them out.” George said, as they opened up the doors.

Jorel and I just looked at each other, both of us wondering the same thing- What the hell was going on and had the guys gone completely off of the deep end?

Dillon unlocked the door and we walked in. Jordan, Matt, George and Aron walked Jorel and I into Dillon’s guest bedroom and sat us down on the bed.

“Ok guys, here’s the deal. You guys are getting one more chance. Until you figure out what the fuck is wrong with your relationship and work out your problems so that both of you can be in a room together without one of you having a breakdown, you’re going to stay here. We are closing the doors and we’ll be somewhere in the apartment, so don’t think that you can sneak out and leave. Now, start working out your problems.” Jordan said, getting up, with the rest of the guys in tow, and leaving the room.

“I blame this on you.” Jorel said, before we both just started laughing at the fact that we had been kidnapped by our best friends.

“Well, what now?” I asked, not wanting things to turn awkward.

“I guess we start talking.” Jorel answered, getting up to sit closer to me.

Here we go…