Concrete Angel

"JOEY! Get the door!" I yell from my bed sliding over so I could lean on the wall and stretch out. It would be easier to get it myself, seeing as I was closer. Joey needs to work though.

"Hey!" the guys yell stumbling in.

"Come on in then." Joey mumbles annoyed before going back to his baby.

"What's his deal?" Chris says.

"That stupid play station is messed up." I say rolling my eyes as Scotty lays down next to me. He'd been working on it for the past two hours. I told him to just trade it up for a wii or xbox but he looked at me like I suggested that he should shoot Scotty in the face.

"It always messes up." Ron says sitting on the floor and leaning against Joey's bed.

"That's his baby." Jake says rolling his eyes.

"I've noticed." I say laughing. Then deciding I need to make some fliers, I sat up suddenly scaring Scotty.

"JOEY! I NEED PAPER AND MARKERS!" I yell loudly making Scotty and Jake who was the closest guy flinch.

"Please, he's working on his play station." Ron says.

"He won't bring you anything." Chris says agreeing. I just smile at them and wait for Joey to come around the corner. And sure enough, in the next minute; he does. Everyone's mouths drop.

"Anything else Izzy? I need to get back to Lola." Joey says tossing the stuff to me.

"Lola?" I say laughing.

"She could die. This is not funny." Joey says glaring at me.

"It's a play station." I say leaning back beside Scotty and working on my flier.

"Good luck with Lola." Scotty says as Joey storms off.

"What was with that?" Ron says quickly.

"What?" I question not looking up from my paper.

"Joey doing stuff for you." Jake says like it was obvious.

"Oh, I beat him. It was part of the bet we made." I say shrugging.

"What did you beat him at? He never loses." Scotty says staring wide eyed at me. I sigh and put my paper down to face them all. They looked so surprised that I had to laugh.

"I beat him at running." I say before turning back to my work.

Their reaction was priceless. I wish I could have been recording it. Jake jumps up and runs to the other room to make sure I was serious. Ron and Chris both stare at me with mouths wide open but Scotty was the best. He yelled what and literally fell of the bed. I was laughing my butt off when Jake comes back in and falls to the ground "kissing my feet."

"It's not that big of a deal." I say rolling my eyes at them once I could breathe.

"Joey's the fastest person on the team." Scotty says taking his place next to me again.

"Not after I join." I say drawing my S.

"What are you working on so intently?" Joey says coming into the room for something.

"My fliers, for speed-dating." I say looking up and smiling at the open mouths once again.

"You're really doing that?" Jake demands.

"Yes, I believe every guy deserves a chance." I say seriously.

"There's about 5000 guys in this school." Joey says pausing before he goes back into the other room. He knew I wasn't giving up on this.

"Well, that's where you guys come in." I say sheepishly smiling. Joey was in the other room so no witty response from him.

"How?" Chris finally says slowly.

"I need you to go through the guys. Ask them my top 5 questions, that I'll give you. And if they get them right, send them to me. If not, too bad. That'll make things go faster." I say begging them with my eyes.

"No way." Jake says quickly.

"I'll do it for you." Ron says and Chris nods.

"Jake, please." I say pouting a bit and he caves. Scotty's turn.

"I'll do it if Joey does. And I know he won't, even if he does have to what you say for the day." Scotty says crossing his arms.

"OH JOEY!" I yell loudly and he comes storming back in the room.

"WHAT?" Joey snaps. I laugh before explaining to him my plan.

"When?" Joey says quietly.

"Saturday." I say tilting my head.

"Fine." Joey growls before heading back into the other room.

"WHAT!?" Scotty yells and I finally tell him that Joey's under my command until Monday.

The guys leave in a grumbling mood. Chris promised to go and make copies of my fliers in the library tomorrow before class. I went and talked to Mrs. Hutto earlier and she was going to let me use her room. She thought it would be a good way to get some guys off my back. I sat down and tried to sleep some. Soon I realized that wasn't going to happen, I wasn't close to being tired. I slowly made my way into the den area. Joey was still working on his play station. It didn't look like a play station anymore. It was in pieces. I sat down on the couch and he nodded at me before turning back to his work. I lay down and watch him work intently on it. He really loved that thing. He would put pieces back on then stop and itch his head. He'd turn a page on the instruction book and then throw it aside and work on it again. He would sigh loudly and grumble but never once did he say a word to me. I laid out on the couch and suddenly felt tired. I slowly closed my eyes and was soon out.

I woke up to my alarm, aka Joey; yelling at me. I was in my bed. I wasn't sure how I got there because I knew I fell asleep on the couch. I slowly stretch and grab my clothes. I go into the bathroom and get ready. Joey had cleared some space for my stuff so I didn't have to carry it in here. I slowly washed my face before reapplying makeup. My bruise was almost gone, soon I might spend a few days without makeup. Just to see if I can get away without anyone noticing it.

"Did you move me last night?" I say to the shirtless Joey. I would love to say that I had gotten used to it over the last few days but I had not. I don't think I will. He is a sexy man.

"Yeah, I didn't want you to fall off the couch. You aren't a still sleeper." Joey says trying to pick out a shirt. I pick up one that he threw out of the dresser and toss it to him. He looks at it and then decides that it will work.

"Oh, well thanks." I say trying not to blush.

"So I fixed her." Joey says smiling.

"Lola?" I ask looking up.

"Of course. She's fixed." Joey says grinning at me brightly.

"Well that's great." I say and I can't help but to smile back.

"So you're really going through with this speed-dating thing?" Joey says as we head to breakfast. I was real excited to get the fliers and start posting them up so every boy would stop asking what my idea was.

"Sure am. It's the only way to get the guys off my back." I say motioning to all the guys that were staring at me as we walked to our table.

"Waffles?" Joey asks and I shake my head squinting my eyes.

"Pancakes and Bacon?" Joey says rolling his eyes and I nod brightly.

"He's even getting you breakfast?" Scotty says sitting down with Waffles and Joey walks to the lunch.

"Of course. I'm not standing in line if I don't got to." I say grabbing a strawberry off his waffles and eating it.

Joey makes it back to the table pretty quickly and we all joke around enjoying breakfast. We go to our classes and soon it's lunch time. I swear school goes by fast but in class it seems so slow. I smile as Joey goes and gets me pizza. I was the only one sitting at our table and I should have known that was a mistake. Zack comes and sits across from me.

"What?" I snap crossing my arms.

"Why were you crying?" Zack says quickly getting to the point.

"I'm not crying." I say looking at him confused.

"When you puked on me, you were crying." Zack says rolling his eyes.

"Maybe because I was sick, you idiot." I snap leaning away from the table as he leans forward.

"I think you got sick because of something. And whatever that was is why you were crying." Zack says glaring at me.

"Well, you're wrong."

"You're lying."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"What are you doing here?" A voice says and we both snap our heads to see that Chris had arrived.

"You better leave." I say glaring at him.

"We aren't done." Zack says and before I can reply he rushes off.

"What was that?" Chris asks taking Zack's seat.

"Nothing." I say quietly as Joey comes up and hands me my food. Chris doesn't say another word but I can feel his eyes on me.

After school was over I went around the school with the guys to hang up posters. Chris suggested we split up. I nodded and Chris made me his partner. I knew he wanted to talk. We went toward the arcade and passed Zack...of course.

"Want to explain?" Chris says as Zack passes by looking in the other direction.

"Nope." I say. I couldn't tell him the truth. I wasn't sure what lie I was going to tell to get out of it and I didn't really want to get Chris involved.

"Just don't get too sucked in with him. He's trouble." Chris says while hanging up a poster.

"Don't worry." I say hoping I was legit in the no worry thing. It might be a thing where lots of worry is needed.

"Worry is what big brothers do." Chris says and I almost cry. I wrap my arms around him and tell him thanks. He blushes and we finally go back to the room to meet up with the other guys.