A Friend Like Me

I'm already taken
You spoke up too late…
So you'll just have to wait.
I'm Already Taken - Steve Wariner

Nick rubbed his face wearily when he saw me. “What now?”

I walked to his couch. “I'm sleeping here tonight.”

“You and Joe had another fight, didn't you?”

“No. I am merely tired of him hogging the sheets.”

“I could hear you two from here, you know.”

“Oh. Well, whatever.”

“And you're not going to sleep here. You're going to go back there – don't look at me like that, I'm tired of you two going at each others' throats. It's enough to aggravate anyone.”

I folded my arms across my chest and sat down at the couch like a stubborn child. “No. I'm staying here.”

“You're going to sleep on that?” Nick asked, pointing to the couch.

Hate to say it, but he had a point. The couch at Nick's room had a geometric look to it, but it felt like it was made of wood or something. Unlike the couch in the room I had shared with Joe's, which was all plushy.

“I'm going to sleep on the other side of the bed,” I said.

“Uh,” Nick said with a smirk, “I think the bed's kind of too small.”

Now that I looked at it, it was. It had to be a queen, at most, meaning that to fit comfortably, we'd snuggle. Which, by the way, is disgusting because Nick's a brother to me.

Bloody Nick.

I groaned. “Fine. But if Joe and I kill each other by dawn, it's your fault.”

“That's not going to happen,” Nick replied coolly.

I scoffed and, taking my things with me, marched back into my room.

Joe looked up at me from where he was sprawled out on the bed, the TV off. He was speaking on the phone, but he hung up soon after seeing me. “What are you doing here?”

I ignored him, sweeping into the bathroom. I changed into the pajamas and walked back to the bedroom.

“Ava?” Joe asked softly, still in the same position I'd left him in. “Not everything has to have logic, you know.” He sat up.

“Yeah it does,” I disagreed. “Otherwise, everything would be chaotic.”

{∞∞∞}

Three weeks later into the “World Tour” (even though all they toured were the Americas and Europe, so technically, no, it wasn't a world tour. It was a western hemisphere, minus Africa tour), I found myself in London. I was playing with the Kindle, one of the things Joe had given me on my birthday, November five.

And yes, I share the same birthday as Kevin. That's how much the fates decided to tie me to the Jonas family.

And yes, Kevin has a tradition of telling me how he remembers turning whatever age I'm turning. It started my first birthday with them, and I remember Kevin's recently-turned-five self to my recently-turned-three self, “I remember when I turned three.”

And it's happened ever since then.

“Heeeyyy,” said Joe as he came out of the bathroom, his hair dripping from the shower.

Joe and I had decided through some unspoken pact that we'd forget our fight.

I pushed the light brown strands of hair out of my face. “You were showering the whole time I was gone?!”

Joe scratched his head. “Uh…yeah.”

“It takes you that long?!”

Joe ruffled his hair. “Aw, come on Av. Look at how awesome I look now!”

“Hmm…I don't know,” I said, grinning. “You look a bit too flabby to me.”

Joe's jaw dropped as he added his own histrionic sounds. “Augh! Well, then!”

I shrugged. “Oh, I don't know. I mean, how many do you bench? Like twenty pounds? And you're no fun.”

“Graah!” Joe yelled, wrapping his arms around my waist and throwing me on the bed. He climbed on top of me, tickling me.

“Joe!” I screamed as I tried to wriggle away. “I was just kidding…I was just kidding!” I grabbed his wrists. He was way too strong for me, however, and he broke free. He pushed my shirt up slightly and tickled my sides. I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed him off. I straddled him, pinning his arms down with my knees. I tickled him back, then held his wrists down with my hands. “And the glorious victory goes to…”

In one swift motion, Joe flipped us over, tossing me back onto the bed and causing me to squeal, “Joe!”

“Yes!” exclaimed Joe, fist-punching the air with one hand as he kept the other hand on my hip to hold me down. “I win! You even said so yourself! What's my prize?”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Nothing.”

Joe responded by tickling me again harder and harder by the second, wriggling his fingers against my sides.

“Ahh, Joe!” I shrieked. “S-stooop. Joe, stop! STOP!”

Joe paused. “So am I the victorious?”

“The victor, Joseph.” I corrected, laughing despite the fact that he wasn't tickling me anymore. I stabbed his chest with my finger.

Joe clutched at his chest with a melodramatic gasp. He scrunched his face up, crying out, “Oh, I am slain!” He collapsed on top of me, his face buried in the crook of my neck.

I sighed, playing with the ends of his damp hair. “I guess this means I win, doesn't it?”

Joe pushed himself up, still hovering over me, beaming. “Nah, Summers, I'm the real winner here, because I have you and all you have is dumb me who can't even say the right words.”

I swear my insides melted at his words.

And also, I swear this smile is going to be superglued on my face forever.

“Well if you put it like that,” I said, “then we're both winners.”

Looking into my eyes, he pressed his forehead against mine. “I guess so,” he breathed.

Just as I started to close my eyes, someone knocked at the door.

Dammit. I'm going to brutally murder whoever just knocked.

Joe, sighing, rolled off of me. I got up and walked slowly to the door.

“You Ava Summers?” an employee asked when I opened the door. When I nodded, he handed me a letter and said, “This arrived for you. Good day!”

Yeah. It would be better if you were slower or decided to knock a few seconds later. Or, you know, if you hadn't decided to knock at all.

But you know, since some supreme being above apparently likes me having these unlucky, random interruptions, someone probably would have knocked.

I turned over thick letter in my hands, seeing it was from James. I opened the seal (which even had a family crest on it) and read the letter.

“They're inviting us for dinner tonight,” I said. “All of us. And uh…be sure to dress well.”

{∞∞∞}

“Um,” said Vanessa when the cab dropped us off at a huge mansion. “Are you sure this is the right address?”

I gaped at it. I mean, it had a gate, sprawling gardens and lawns…

A brunette in a black dress came strolling into view. She opened the gates for us as we all still ogled at the mansion. “Ava Summers?”

I looked around at the others. Mrs. Jonas nudged me. “…Present!” I said stupidly. Beside me, Joe started to shake with silent laughter. “I-I mean…uh…hi.”

Joe started laughing even harder. I elbowed him.

The brunette (I'm guessing she's a maid or something) unlocked the gate. “The Browns will be here in an hour or so…James' concert was delayed. Meanwhile, you can come inside the house or walk around outside.”

“Alright then,” I said. I took a trail to the left, Joe following me.

Joe was still laughing. “Wow, Av. That was hilarious. 'Present! I mean, hi.'”

“Shut up.”

“God, Av, I – never mind.”

“What?”

“Never mind!”

“No, you have to tell me.”

“Ah, alright. I was gonna say that…I…think it was funny.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Yeah…and that you're adorable.”

“You know, I'm tired of this lying and stuff.”

“I'm not lying! I do think that whole thing back there was funny and that you're adorable.”

“Yeah, but it wasn't what you were going to say.”

“Yes it was.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

I rolled my eyes and straightened out my trench coat. “Joe, drop it. It was what you were going to say and – what ware you doing?!”

Joe was pulling me behind some bushes, his eyes locked on something.

“Shh,” he said and pointed towards a fountain. “They'll hear you.”

I looked at the direction he was pointing – Nick and Vanessa, sitting on a bench, staring at the fountain.

“Joe,” I hissed as Nick and Vanessa conversed with each other. “Let's go, we can't eavesdrop.” I started to stand up, but Joe yanked me back down.

“Come on, it's not like they don't butt in on our relationship,” he said. “I'm just returning the favor.”

Nick laughed at something Vanessa said. “Wow, really? You know…nobody's made me this happy since…well, since a long time.”

“Joe, we need to leave!” I whispered frantically. “They mean well and they're just trying help.”

“They'll hear you,” Joe whispered back.

“Why do you even want to eavesdrop?!”

“Really?” Vanessa said. “Well…thanks.”

“Because this looks really interesting,” Joe explained.

Nick and Vanessa started leaning towards one another.

I tugged on Joe's blazer. “Oh my God, Joe, they're about to kiss! Joe, really, we need to go.”

“Hold on, be quiet!” Joe waved his hand at me to quiet me.

“Seriously, Joe, this is really personal and this is really weird.”

Nick pulled away. “Do you hear that?”

Joe and I froze. “Great, now see what you've done?!” he hissed. “This is your fault.”

“My fault?” I said. “You're the one who wanted to eavesdrop in the first place! Gah, you know, let's just leave before they see us.”

Heads bowed down, we crawled out of the bushes just as Nick asked, “Who's there?”

As soon as we were out of their range, Joe started to laugh. “Wow, that was close.”

I whacked him with my clutch. “What was that for?! Honestly, Joe, sometimes I wonder if anything goes on inside your head.”

“Oh, come on,” Joe said. “They butt in on us.”

“To help us, Joseph.”

“Hey, I wonder if they've kissed yet.” Joe turned around to go back, but I grabbed his arm before he could walk away.

“Joe, stop!”

“Just one peek! Why do you have to be such a buzzkill?”

“I'm not! I'm being sensible and – and you can just ask Nick or something how his love life's going later.”

“Oh, that'd sound nice. 'Hey, Nick, tell me. How's your love life doing? Have you and Vanessa kissed?'”

“I didn't mean it like that. Honestly, sometimes you're just so…” But I didn't finish, and the unspoken words hovered over us.

Joe kicked at a pebble on the ground. “I'm hopeless, aren't I?”

Joe and I stopped in the middle of a bridge. I leaned on the railing, my arms resting on it as I looked down on the brook below us.

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

Joe placed an elbow on the railing, looking directly at me. “Like…Kevin's getting married. Nick's getting a new girlfriend, and this relationship looks like it could be serious. Even Frankie has this childhood sweetheart or something. And I'm like…I don't even know.”

“Joe…”

“Like, my love life is just – just sucks. I mean, what if I've already found the one and I'm so stupid that I let her slip through my fingers? What if I've ruined it?”

That's another thing Joe and I don't have in common. He believes in to that soulmate stuff, and I believe that there's not just one person out there. I believed that love just grew as you knew someone, not this whole “made for each other” stuff.

I shook my head. “No…besides, if you have, you'd still have me. I mean, I've gotten through seventeen years of your bad grammar and tactlessness.”

Joe shrugged. “I don't know…I think I'm messing up with you, too.” Joe took my hand from where it was resting on the railing and just held it, letting our hands hang between us.

I turned toward him. “What makes you say that?”

Joe sighed. “Look…I know I'm probably late in saying this, but….”

“What?” I interjected.

“There you are,” said the brunette from earlier. “James is almost here, he just called.” She eyed my hand, still intwined with Joe's.

“Oh, thanks,” I said, blushing. I slipped my hand out of his. “Uh…lead the way.”

“Really,” the brunette said. “You are quite lucky to be dating James – he's a lord, you know.”

I stumbled over a rock in surprise. “What?!” Joe and I said at the same time. I shot Joe a confused look, but he was staring open-mouthedly at the ground.

“Oh yes.” She giggled. “Didn't you know?”

“No, he's not,” Joe said incredulously. “If he was, I would've heard.”

“He keeps it secret. Far too modest, if you ask me.”

You know, given everything that's happened to me in the past few weeks, I shouldn't even really be surprised by anything anymore.

But, you know. I am. Because…where the heck did that come from?!

Joe kept silent the rest of the way, kicking pebbles into bushes (until the maid told him to stop).

When we got there, I saw that the others were there already. Nick and Vanessa kept shooting each other secretive smiles, as if they knew something everyone else didn't (which, you know, they probably did).

I started to become nervous as I just stood there, waiting for them to arrive. I wandered into a parlor to keep my mind off of things.

I mean, James has freaking royalty in his blood. No wonder he's so polite.

Also, this probably means that his parents have seen scores of extremely sophisticated, intellectual women.

And I'm just some random American who happened upon their son at a coffee shop.

After, I might add, I ran off from my best friend that I'm in love with because he told me that Demi's the one who's been with him all this time and whatnot.

Spotting a coat hanger, I took off my coat and just hung it there. I combed through my light brown hair with my fingers and walked back into the main room type thing.

I paced the room nervously, staring at the floor.

“Ava,” Joe said.

I looked up to see him, holding a rose, staring at me in my brown halter as if I were a different person.

“Oh.” I smiled. “Hey.”

Joe swallowed, looking down. “Av, there's something I need to tell you. I –”

“Compliments from James!” said the butler, handing me a large bouquet of roses. “He will be here in just a few minutes."

“Wow, thanks!” I said, accepting them. I turned around to Joe. “What were you gonna say?”

Joe shook his head. “Never mind.”

“What's that for?” I asked, my eyes flickering toward the rose.

“Nothing.”

“He's here!” someone announced.

{∞∞∞}

“Mom, Dad, this is Ava,” James was saying. “Ava, Mum and Dad.”

“Hi,” I said nervously. I gestured towards the Jonai plus Vanessa. “And this is – uh – and this is….”

“I'm Denise,” Mrs. Jonas said, sparing me from…well, whatever I was heading toward. Embarrassment. “And this is my husband, Kevin, my sons, Kevin, Joe, Nick, Frankie. And here's Vanessa, family friend. Ava's like a daughter to us,” she added. “Joe and her have been best friends for – well, since they were very young.”

“Mom, I'm hungry,” Frankie complained.

Mrs. Jonas went pink and shot Frankie a brief glare. “We're about to eat later,” she said.

“I hear you're attending NYU also?” Mrs. Brown said.

I nodded. “Yeah – yes.”

“What are you studying?”

“Film.”

Joe appeared at my side. “Hi,” he said.

Well. This is going smoothly and not awkwardly at all.

“Mum, Dad, I'll just give Ava a tour of the house?” James said.

“I'll come too,” Joe intervened.

“Er – okay,” said James.

Ah, Joe. He'll never change, will he?

The strange thing is, though…I don't mind.