These Things Have Changed

“This one?” Nicole asked. “Nah, your butt sticks out to much in it” I said openly and Mrs. Jonas laughed. “Ally! I can’t help I have a huge butt!” Nicole said whining. “I’m just telling you the truth!” I said looking at myself in the dress I had on. “Oh yea, well your ribs are showing in that one!” Nicole said then clamped her hands over he mouth as my eyebrows shot up and Mrs. Jonas dropped her jaw. Nicole just stared, “oh my god ally I’m so sorry. It’s way to soon for jokes.” She said quickly hugging me. I just started to laugh. Then she slowly looked at me, “You're, you're laughing?” “Yea, that was funny!” I said laughing a little harder. Mrs. Jonas smiled at me and I just laughed some more and then Nicole joined in and hugged me tightly, “I am sorry though, I was just joking.” “I know you were, and it was funny!” I said smiling; I really was fine with it. I know Nicole can’t control her mouth, she’s not perfect and hey it was funny. “Are you sure?” She asked still laughing. “Nicole I would have freaked if I was mad.” “True” she said. “But seriously, that dress makes you look way to skinny.” She said. I nodded in agreement and so did Mrs. Jonas. “Next!” We both shouted going back to our dressing room. Thirteen dresses later we were finally set. All three of us girls got the perfect outfits and shoes to match.

“I am starving!” I called out as soon as we got outside in the sun. “Let’s go find something and take pictures on the strip!” Nicole shouted. “I’m am right with you girls!” Mrs. Jonas said hailing a cab….did I forget to mention we were in Las Vegas? We were dropped off and carried our dress bags into the Cornell Restaurant. “Mrs. Cyrus was raving about this place last week, she said they have excellent steak…” Mrs. Jonas while getting off the cab. “Nice” Nicole said. “Oh looks like we have company” Mrs. Jonas whispered to us, there were paparazzi just standing around the entrance waiting. “A lot of stars come here” I said to Nicole, “How do you know that?” She asked laughing. “The paparazzi wait around for someone to show up.” I said and she laughed. They noticed us immediately and the flashes started coming at us along with the questions, “ALLY HOW HAS THE LATEST BLOWS BEEN AFFECTING YOU!?” “MRS. JONAS WORD IS YOUR SON IS GETTING HITCHED!?” We all smiled, “Yes he is” Mrs. Jonas said smiling as one of them opened the door for us, “Thank you!” I said happily and the guy smiled while taking a picture as I passed through the door. “Wow it’s awesome in here!” I said, they had different pictures of stars hanging up all over with their autographs written on the wall next to the frame. “Hello, welcome Mrs. Jonas, Ally Windle, and um friend!” The guy said at the host stand I giggled as Nicole smiled and put out her hand, “Nicole. Ally’s best friend” She said and the guy gladly took it and smiled. “Just the three lovely ladies out for a girls day?!” The man asked us. “Yep, you know got to get away from the crazy boys!” Mrs. Jonas said following the man to our seat. I started to hear people recognizing us as we walked past.

“Guys I’m bored.” Kevin said from the bed. I moved my head to look up at him, I was currently laying across the bed with my head resting on his stomach. “What do you want to do? It’s nine thirty.” I said. “I don’t know.” He said shrugging and looking down at me. “Well I’ve been thinking…” Joe started and Kevin and I both rolled our eyes and laughed at our similar actions. “We are in Vegas…” Joe said smiling. I sat up starting to smile. “What were you saying Jonas?” I asked and Kevin sat up along side me. “Casinos!” He shouted excitedly. “No fair! Only you and Kevin can get in!” I said, “Not true I can to!” Nicole said and I shot her a glare. “Not my fault I got held back!” She said in defense, I always forgot she was basically two years older then me, all depending on the time of the year. “Yea, were only seventeen over here!” Nick said pointing to himself and me. “Oh come on, you’re famous, they won’t reject you.” Joe said to us. I smiled, “I like the way you think Joe.” “Really? I don’t hear that to often...” He said causing us to laugh. “Guys I don’t know, I mean what will we tell mom and dad?” “Kevin they are three floors below us. Do they ever call this late?” Joe asked his older brother, we all waited for his response. “No, but I don’t know I mean shouldn’t we tell them?” He asked. “Hey now, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” I said pointing a finger at him. He smiled and we knew he was in. “YES!” Joe and I clapped hands. We all got ready to hit the strip and a half hour later we were in the elevator on the way down to the lobby. I was bouncing on my toes, I need to get out and have some illegal fun. It’s been way to up tight around here lately and we all needed to loosen up and have fun, we are only teenagers after all. “So were sure about this?” Kevin asked as we walked out of the elevator into the lobby, there were few people around but it wasn’t to crowded. “Positive. Now let’s go break the law” I said smiling at him and linking arms. “Ally, you are not helping here!” He said. “Kevin just think of it as a pre bachelor party…but it’s just us going to the casinos, and no girls are involved” Joe said slowly thinking, we all looked at him. “Okay so just think of it as breaking the law for the last time.” He said correcting his previous statement and we all laughed. “I’m not even the one breaking it!” Kevin said as Joe hailed a cab. “Well whatever were bringing you along for the ride, Now let’s go tear up the town!!.” I said getting into the cab that had pulled up. He just sighed and sat up front. The four of us squeezed in the back and listened as Kevin told the guy to take us to the strip.

About ten minutes later because of some late night traffic we were dropped off. “So which one do we go to?” Nick asked looking around at all the bright lights. “Uh, let’s go to that one” Kevin said pointing a little ways down the street to a bright building, the biggest one around. “Alright” I shrugged. We walked down the street passing by people that were Joe’s age all the way to grand ma Jonas's age. I don’t understand why old people are always all about gambling. I guess it’s like a thrill for them or something. I don’t understand it. “So far so good” Joe said scoping out around us. We all knew he was talking about the paparazzi I could breath normally now knowing I wouldn’t be in the tabloid as an attention diva. We reached the building and looked up, “Kev did you know you picked Caesar’s Palace?” Joe asked starring at the huge sign that we couldn’t really read a few blocks away. “No, I didn’t…” He said looking back to the doors. There was security they’re looking pretty tough. “Let’s go!” I said getting everyone’s attention. “Al, I don’t know you and Nick might not make it” She said looking to Joe and Kevin for back up. “You guys are ridiculous, let’s go Nick” I said grabbing his hand and dragging him behind me. “Ally what are you doing!” He hissed in my ear ripping his hand away from mine. “Will you just hold my hand until we get in there!” I said grabbing it again and walking forward towards the doors blocked by the big guys with ear buds in there ears. I smiled at the one as I reached for the door. My heart was speeding and I was waiting for him to grab my arm or step in front of us or say something. But when he didn’t I just opened the door faster and got inside with Nick. “Wow they didn’t even say anything” He said as I let go of his hand. We waved to the guys as they shook their heads and started towards us. “They worry to much” I said turning around and looking around.

You could hear the slots going and people laughing and smell the alcohol and smoke. “I thought you couldn’t smoke in here?” I asked. “Why are you asking me?” Nick asked. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the sounds. I walked down the few steps that were carpeted red and past a group of men with glasses in there hands, no doubt filled with something I couldn’t drink until I was twenty one.

“What do you want to do?” I asked everyone turning around we had just cashed in for our chips. “Poker.” Joe said, “You can play poker?” Nicole asked him, “Yea, he’s actually pretty good.” Kevin said. “I wanna try black jack.” I said. “Oh me to!” Nicole said. “I think I’ll stick with the slots…” Kevin said. “Kev come on live a little!” I said nudging him, he smiled, “Fine Joe I’ll go for poker” “I’ll do black jack.” Nick said. We went our separate ways once we got on the floor. I sat down at a table with two other people. Nick sat beside me and Nicole on the other side of me. “Hey aren’t you that Jonas kid?” The man said from across us. “Uh, ha yea.” Nick said as the dealer dealt our cards. “Ha, I thought you were like twelve.” The guy said looking at his own cards then back to Nick. He just nodded and said hit. I looked at my cards, ten and an ace. Think I’ll stay. “Um, hit.” Nicole said. “I’ll stay” I said. “Same” The other guy at our table said and he smiled at me. I smiled back, he seemed cute and kind of familiar looking. “Reveal” The dealer said to us and we all flipped our cards over. “Ah beginners luck” The guy who had been asking Nick questions said to me. I smiled. “Maybe” I said shrugging as all the chips were pushed towards me. Ten deals later and I was on fire. I had won eight out of the ten. Nicole had left to go find Joe after the fourth round. We had taken up a joking trash talk at our little table. “Hit.” Nick said. “Sure you wanna do that Jonas?” I asked jokingly as I motioned to the dealer I was staying. “You know what Windle” He said as I won yet again and the guys in the corner moaned. “How is she doing this!?” The one who looked oddly familiar wailed out. “Hm?” I asked Nick as the dealer delt. I watched as Nick smiled down his cards and said he’d stay. “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” He said pushing more chips into the center. I heard the guys laugh towards the other end as I pushed more chips into the center. “Jonas you better hope you can sing better then you can play” I said and all the guys went “OHHHH!” I laughed at there reaction and so did Nick. “Reveal” The dealer said and we all flipped over. “Shit!” I said as Nick got the chips in the center.

“Nick let’s cash out while were ahead,” I said twenty minutes later. “Oh come on, you wanna cash out then get the hell out of town!” some guy shouted while laughing, “Yea, what he said!” Nick said while motioning the dealer to hit him. “Fine we’ll do it your way then.. Hit me” I said. That was our last bit of luck. Slowly through out two hours Nick and I lost almost all of our money. “I think we should get going” Nick said to me after I lost my last chip to the cute guy who had been flirting with me the whole night. “Looks like we should” I said standing up. “Well it was lovely playing with you rock stars” The quizmaster asked…that was the nickname I ended up calling him. “As it was with you” I said smiling and then walking away. Then it hit me halfway across the floor and I turned around to look but he was already gone. “Ally come on keep walking” Nick pushed from beside me. “Nick do you know who we were just playing with!?” I asked. “No?” He said as we made our way to the poker table, Joe, Kevin and Nicole weren’t there. “Where’d they go?” He asked looking around. “Nick we were just playing with Brody Jenner!” I squealed quietly as he pulled me around. “So what?” He asked. “He is so cute!” I said all giggly. What he is! “Yea, yea. Oh good it’s Kev.” Nick said picking up his phone. “Yo where are you guys?” I looked around and found a chip on the ground. I bent over and picked it up and held on to it. “Alright were on our way.” He said, “There up stairs on the slots.” He said as we started towards the stairs.

We walked onto the floor and quickly found them. “Well you seem to be in good spirits!” I said to Nicole who was beaming. “That’s because I am so much better at the slots then black jack!” She said holding out her bucket. It was practically filled. “Wow, you should have just come straight here.” I said watching as she pulled the handle on the machine. “How’d you to do?” Kevin asked. “Well I was doing amazing,” I started. “We lost everything” Nick finished for me. “Jerk” I mumbled under my breath. “You guys lost everything??” Kevin asked again. We nodded our heads. “Guys, come on! Mom and dad are so going to notice now!” He hissed at us. “Kev calm down. No they won’t.” Nick said rolling his eyes. “It’s his fault anyway.” I said watching as Nicole’s got two sevens in a row and then an orange. “How is it my fault!?” “You wouldn’t let me cash out when I wanted to!” I said as the coins started coming out of the machine and Joe started to clap and cheer while almost falling over…why is he acting like he’s drunk?