You Give Love a Bad Name

"Jezzus, Laurie, how much clothes do you have?" I groaned in mock frustration, folding another one of her shirts, but inside I was insanely happy. It was fifteen minutes till Bob was due to pick me up for our 'date' and we were nowhere close to being done with packing, which meant that I would have a good excuse to back out of the plan. I had no intention of going there in the first place, anyway.

Laurie grinned, throwing a pair of jeans in one of the many open suitcases. "Enough to keep me happy. Ready for you big 'date'?"

Cara laughed and I shot her a stern look.

"I'm not going. Obviously you still need my help," I mumbled, chucking the shirt on top of a pair of jeans.

"Don't be silly," Cara rolled her eyes. "We can manage."

"But," I started to protest, not liking the way they exchanged a quick smile at all. "I rea-"

"You're going," Laurie cut me off, standing up and putting her hands on he hips. "It's about time you went out on a date. Even if it's not a real one. Since Matt, you've been like a freaking nun."

Cara snorted and nodded her head. "I completely agree with Laurie. Go out and kick some ass."

"Yeah, Frank and Bob's," I grumbled, abandoning a pair of pants and standing up as well. "I can't believe you actually agree with those four moronic excuse for males."

"Well, it can't be that bad," Cara said, trying not to laugh. "It's only Frank, Bob and that one chick."

"Yes it is!" I protested. "I can think of some better ways to spend two hours than watching Frank making out with Manda and Bob chewing popcorn like there's no tomorrow."

Laurie smiled and shook her head. "If I didn't know you well enough, I'd say you were jealous."

I groaned and fell on the bed. "Not you too."

"Who else said that? When? Spill." Cara sat next to me with interest.

"Gerard, that stupid imbecile. This morning when he found me asleep on Frank. Of course being the dumbass that he is, he just had to make a mountain out of an anthill, or however the expression goes."

"Well, the both of you did look cute this morning when Cara and I left," Laurie smiled at me teasingly.

I glared at her and Cara started to chuckle.

"There's Bob," I mumbled grudgingly as I heard a car and a honk outside. "Someone please save me."

"Have fun," Cara snickered and pushed me towards the stairs.

"You guys suck," I threw a dirty glance at the door that led to Laurie's room, which snapped closed in front of my face.

"What movie are we watching?" I asked Bob when we were minutes away from the movie theater.

He shrugged his shoulders and made a left turn, glancing at the rearview mirror to check the traffic. "I have no idea. Frank said he promised Manda that she could pick."

I nodded my head. "Chick flick."

Bob groaned and pulled into the parking lot of the movie theater. "Please tell me you're joking."

I laughed at his disgusted expression, thinking that maybe, just maybe, today wasn't ruined after all. "Come on, Bob. It's not like you haven't met the girl. What did you think she'd pick? A horror movie?"

Bob rolled his eyes and stopped the engine, turning to face me. "So how are we gonna do it?"

I stared at him, genuinely confused. "Huh?"

He waved his hand impatiently. "The date thing. Are we holding hands, hugging, or what?"

I crossed my hands on my chest. "Simple. You don't kiss me, call me pet names, or anything of that sort. And you're seriously mistaken if you think I'm gonna hold your hand."

A wave of relief and amusement washed over Bob's face as he slammed the car door shut. "We're going to be one fucked up looking couple."

I grinned and went to walk over to his side. "Exactly."

I was right. Much to Bob and Frank's distaste, Manda chose to see a romantic comedy just like I predicted. It was about some couple who fell in love at the first sight and ran off to Vegas to get married. Even I, someone who generally liked chick flicks, thought the plot was lame.

So here we were, an hour and a half into this stupid movie, Frank and Bob in the middle, Manda to Frank's left and me to Bob's right. That seating arrangement suited me just fine, seeing that if I was anywhere Frank or Manda, I would seriously throw up. The way she watched him with ridiculous adoration in her eyes, like he was some God, was seriously starting to piss me off. Not to mention the way she was practically sitting on top of him.

"I hope you're suffering as much as I am," Bob whispered so only I would hear.

"I am," I said through my teeth. "Even though it's only you who deserves it."

Bob laughed and out of the corner I saw Frank put an arm around Manda's shoulders, pulling her closer to him. I gritted my teeth and stared straight ahead, only to see that the credits started to roll on the screen.

"Good, lets go," I snapped, standing up.

Manda gave me a surprised look, hurt clearly evident on her face. "You didn't have fun, Lena?"

Lena, you idiot, she didn't do anything to you. Stop acting like a bitch, the thought shot through my brain like a bullet.

My features softened. What the hell was I doing? I was hurting Manda's feeling for no reason at all, and that wasn't fair seeing that I actually liked her. She was friendly and easy to talk to. It was her obsession with Frank that I had a grudge on not her, I realized bitterly.

"No, I did. It's just that, uh," I struggled to find a good excuse, "I have to catch up on homework and stuff."

Manda seemed to believe my pathetic lie, because she nodded and stood up, lacing her fingers with Frank's. "We should go then. Come to think of it, I'm sure that I have some unfinished homework as well."

Frank and Bob stood up as well and followed me outside, Frank and Manda walking a couple steps behind me and Bob, talking and laughing with each other.

"We should do this again," Manda said, when the four of us stopped in front of Frank's car.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I replied, highly amused for the first time in the last three hours. "I realized I that I like Bob as a friend more then anything," I turned towards him, smiling slightly. "No offense."

I could see him trying not to laugh. "None taken. Same here."

"Oh," she looked crestfallen. "You guys would make a cute couple."

This time not only Bob and I laughed, but Frank joined us as well.

"What?" Manda wrinkled her nose in confusion and moved closer to Frank, his hand automatically snaking itself around her waist. I bit my lip and looked towards Bob's car.

"Nothing," I could still hear amusement in Frank's voice. "It's just that I agree with them. I was actually surprised when I heard that Bob asked Lena out."

I turned my head slowly to shoot him a venomous glare. "Really?"

I felt Bob tense beside me as Frank narrowed his eyes.

"Manda?" Frank said in a calm, cool voice, not taking his eyes off me. "Can you wait inside the car? I'm going to walk Bob and Lena over to his car."

"Yeah, sure," she smiled at him and kissed him quickly on the lips.

I felt my stomach drop and I turned around to walk towards Bob's car, not caring enough to wait for him and Frank, seeing that I really didn't want know how or when that kiss would end.

With swift, angry steps, I almost reached the door to the passenger's side when a hand gripped my shoulder from behind.

"What, Frank?" I hissed, turning to meet his angry face.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" Frank snapped back.

I heard the driver's door click on the other side, which meant that Bob was inside.

"You're a hypocrite, that's what," I spat, shaking his hand off. "It's like that conversation in the kitchen never happened. You're going to hurt her and she doesn't deserve that."
Frank's nostrils flared and he continued to hold my gaze with an icy stare. "That's none of your business."

I bared my teeth in a scowl. "Of course it is. I could have been spending tonight with Laurie, instead of you, and...and your victim."

I could see him clench his fists with fury, but then he turned around and started to walk back in the direction where he came from. "Go to hell, Lena."

With shaking hands I opened the door and sat down next to sympathetic-looking Bob. "Drive."