Mourn the Losses. Cherish the Victories.

"I hate you and everything you stand for."

Janie rolled her eyes at Lily's comment and straightened the shirt she had literally forced Lily to wear. "Oh, shut up. You'll thank me later when Patrick can't keep his eyes off of you."

Lily looked herself over in the small mirror tugging at the material of the Avenged Sevenfold shirt she wore. She didn't look bad; she just wasn't use to wearing shirts that clung to her body. The black shirt did slim her out though, and emphasized all the right areas.

"Janie, he's not twelve, and he practically has women throwing themselves at him. I'm sure he will be unfazed by me."

"Don’t be so sure." Janie took a step back and inspected her handy work. With a frown, she eyed the faded and tattered army shorts Lily wore. "I can't believe you still have those, and that I'm letting you wear them."

Lily glanced down at her legs. Her brother had given her the shorts three years ago after he lost a lot of weight, and Lily couldn't stand to part with them. When she wasn't wearing her jeans, she wore her shorts. "You're making me wear this shirt, so I get to wear what I want on the bottom."

Janie knew Lily wasn't going to change no matter how much she nagged her. So, she dropped the matter and switched to a subject she could hopefully win. "Now, let me just apply some makeup and you'll be ready to go."

Lily raised an eyebrow, and watched Janie sort through her large bag of makeup. "You do know you are not putting that shit on my face, right?"

"Lily, don't be such a baby." Janie replied, expecting an answer like that. "I always told you when you snagged your first date I was going to make you as beautiful as humanly possible. And I'm going to do that even if I have to get Pete in here to hold you down."

Lily thought over Janie's words for a moment, and decided she rather not involve Pete in this. "What exactly are you planning on doing?" She eyed Janie and the makeup that now lined the counter.

"Just some eyeliner and mascara. Some eye shadow if you let me."

"Fine, you can do my damn makeup, but please don't make me look like a drag queen."

Janie clapped her hands, and let out a squeal laughing at Lily as she bit her lip, than cursed loudly. "You know, you should really stop doing that."

"You should really stop doing that." Frank commented, a sly grin on his face.

Lily closed her eyes trying to push Frank's voice from her mind. For the last two days that was the only thing she could think about, hear and feel. Last night, everything Frank said and did repeated itself over and over in her mind. The way his lip ring felt against her mouth, the way he made the pain disappear with the expertise of his tongue. It just wouldn't go away. Maybe she should have taken a chance and actually accepted the kiss.

"Lily, hey, Lily," Janie nudged her friend and lead her to the toilet to sit down. "You okay, you looked kind of lost there for a moment. You thinking about those stories you read about Pete the other day?"

"He told you about that?" Lily asked, ignoring the stupid grin on her Janie's face.

"He tells me practically everything, Lil. Don't be embarrassed though. I've gone on those sites and read some stories myself."

"Fantasizing about someone other than Pete, huh?" Lily sat up straight and leaned forward, carefully watching Janie.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Janie replied, grabbing Lily's face with her thumb and pointer finger, her other hand armed with eye liner. "Now hold still."

"I kinda have to, or you'll poke my fucking eye out." Lily mumbled stiffly flinching when Janie slipped and brushed her eye.

"Dude, no flinching! Just look up and think happy thoughts."

"Happy thoughts? We're sitting in a bathroom on a bus that's….somewhere."

"I think we're somewhere in Ohio. I'm not sure; I do know we are far, far, far from home."

The moment Janie let go of her face, Lily massaged her jaw and looked up at Janie as she inspected the one eye surrounded by black.

Janie nodded in approval and went back in to do the other eye. It went faster than the first, and after another twenty minutes of torture, Janie stepped back satisfied with her work.

"I always knew you would clean up well." Janie commented, licking her finger and wiping a smug off Lily's cheek.

"I can't look that different." Lily stood and looked in the mirror. She was surprised to see that Janie had not gone overboard; she had actually done a pretty good job. "I never knew my eyes could pop out like this."

"Say it, Lily."

"Say what?" Lily shot a questioning look over her should. With one last quick glance in the mirror she turned around.

"That you're oh so pretty," Janie grinned pinching Lily's cheeks. "Say it! You know it's true!"

Lily swatted Janie's hands from her cheeks. "Stop it, you get too damn excited about things."

"I'm just trying to make you realize that you are not bad looking." Janie snuck in another pinch of Lily's cheek, and began cleaning up the makeup. "You're to damn hard on yourself. You need to look in the mirror and say positive things."

"I have a therapist, I don't need another one."

I can be your love therapist."

A loud knock on the door startled both the girls.

"Janie, you in there?" Pete's voice echoed through the small bathroom. Janie reached to open the door, and Lily rolled her eyes.

Pete raised his eyebrow suggestively once he saw Lily leaning against the counter. He began to say something smart, but he closed his mouth getting a good look at Lily as she brushed past him. "Wow, look at you. You look different…in a good way."

"Uh, thanks," Lily answered a bit unsure how to take Pete's compliment. She had never been good at accepting compliments.

"Told you!" Janie yelled from behind Pete and pushed him forward, towards the back where Lily had gone.

"Patrick was right behind me when I left the room so he should be here soon." Pete informed Lily popping his head into the back quickly. He looked her over once more, and added. "You really do look nice, Lil."

Lily snapped her head towards the spot Pete just occupied, but he was already gone. The sounds of the two laughing and obviously making out could be heard in the front after a few moments of silence. Lily sighed, a small smile tugging at her lip. Pete wasn't such a horrible guy after all.

"Damn, Pete."

Lily grimaced at Janie's lusty moan, and covered her head with a pillow hoping it would block out their sex noises. No such luck. Another moan filled the bus, but this one belonged to Pete.

"Yea, those two make me want to smother myself until I pass out too." Patrick said with a laugh, entering the back room and closing the door behind him. He lifted Lily's legs and sat down placing her feet onto his lap. He grinned at her once she threw the pillow aside.

"You ready to get going?"

As if on cue a low animalistic growl came from the front. Both Lily and Patrick looked at each other a bit surprised.

"I don't even want to know what they're doing." Lily sat up and stood, gaining a laugh from Patrick. He watched her stretch, discreetly looking her over.

"You look really nice." He commented quietly, a shy smile on his face. He wrung his hands together, than stood, not giving her chance to respond. "Come on, we should get going before those two come back here and start going at it on the couch."

"Yea, I guess." Lily replied quietly allowing Patrick to take her hand, and lead her off the bus.

xxxxxx

"Frank, stop staring at Patrick and that girl. Get your things and get the hell off the bus." Ray brushed past Frank a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He glanced out the window himself, than shook his head. "Just give it up, Frankie. She's not interested in you and never will be."

Frank ignored the disapproving look Ray was giving him. "It's only been a few days. Give it time."

Ray rubbed his eyes, and released a frustrated sigh. He wanted to desperately knock some sense into his friend, but honestly, he didn't know how. "All this, you know, sleep with every girl you see is going to come back and kick you in the ass." He warned, leaving it at that. His words were obviously going in one ear and out the other.

"Or pay off greatly in the end." Frank slouched down, and crossed his arms over his chest. "For both my pocket and my dick."

“My prediction is you will fail miserably and bow down before me in defeat.” Gerard grinned as he passed how own bags occupying his hands.

Frank knew Gerard was just teasing him, but he was beginning to believe him. It was only a week into this whole bet, but he was beginning to have some doubts. Doubts that he could actually accomplish what he set out to.

He stood and followed Gerard off the bus, running to catch up with him. “You must believe somewhere in that fucked up head of yours that in the end things are going to end in my favor.” Frank swung his bag over his shoulder nearly bumping into Gerard as he entered the hotel. “You knew I was getting somewhere with her, you knew I was getting closer to breaking her. You were threatened by that, you knew I was just that much closer to getting her on her back and moaning my name.”

Gerard merely laughed. It seemed Frank was just fishing for some confidence. He gave the lady at the counter an apologetic smile; catching the disgusted look she was shooting himself and Frank, before heading to the elevator.

“I never said I was going to play fair.” The smirk that tugged at the corner of Gerard’s lip never seemed to leave his face. It was rare that Frank get this frustrated with something he knew so well. Something that came easy to him. Gerard could rub it in just a little bit. “hmm, she doesn’t seem like the moaning type, but I doubt either of us will ever know the truth.”

“Once I break her in I’m sure she’ll loosen up.”

The doors to the elevator opened, and Frank stepped forward but Gerard placed a hand on his chest. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” His lip curled into a smug smirk his eyes searching Frank’s.

“Depends.” Frank said shortly returning the look, and pushing past Gerard. It was Gerard’s turn to run after Frank.

“Well, is she or isn’t she, Frankie? You can’t keep these things from me, this changes everything!”

Frank let out a sigh, and set down his bag finally finding their room. “The only thing this changes is how much money, and praise I’ll be receiving in the end.”

Gerard let out a loud laugh, ignoring the older couple passing by. He shoved Frank in the room and slammed the door behind him. “You think you’re going to win this now? The girl fucking hates you, and on top of that she’s never been with anyone before. That’s a dead end right there.”

Frank had to laugh. Gerard didn’t once think that perhaps Frank had set out a plan. Yes, he did walk into this quite blindly, but he did develop some sort of strategy. It was funny how easily money could manipulate and turn people.