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[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all your comments, here's another chapter.

CHAPTER 11

“Are you sure you’re comfortable?”Miles asked, as he adjusted Nicole’s pillow for about the fifth time.

Nicole rolled her eyes.“Guys, I’m glad that you’re here but my operation isn’t for another three hours and if you’re going to be fussing until then…”

“Right.Sorry.”Miles hastily let go of the pillow and folded his hands.He and Jai had been sat by Nicole’s bed ever since she was admitted.“Just hard to know what to say.”

“Maybe we should talk about something else,”Jai suggested.

“I could tell you the story of my time in the Foreign Legion,”Miles offered.

Nicole looked at him sceptically.“You were in the Foreign Legion?”

“Oh, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.Yep, I was trudging through the desert, living on a diet of cornflakes…”

“Maybe I could tell the story of when I was a ringmaster,”Jai suggested.

“It’s true that we both look good in boots.”

Nicole couldn’t help smiling at the pair’s silliness.“You two should start your own comedy act.”

“We could wear boots,”Miles agreed.He was interrupted by the sound of his mobile.He took it out and looked at them both quizzically.“Are you allowed to use them in here these days or not?”

“Maybe you should take it outside just in case,”Jai recommended.

“Good idea.”He patted Nicole’s hand as he stood up.“Back in a bit.”

“You okay?”Jai asked once the two of them were alone.

“Apart from the fact I’m about to have surgery?Yeah, I’m doing okay.”

“If I was in that bed, I’d be packing it by now.”

“I’m panicking on the inside.”Nicole said it with a smile but from the way it disappeared straight afterwards Jai could tell it wasn’t a joke.“I just keep thinking…what if they’ve got it wrong, what if the cancer’s more advanced than they thought?What if I go into that theatre and don’t come out?”

“Hey…”Jai placed a hand over hers awkwardly.“It’ll be all right.”

Before she could answer, Geoff and Ruby appeared in the doorway.“How are you holding up?”Geoff asked.

Nicole smiled.“Well, better for seeing you two.I was beginning to think I’d been abandoned.”

Ruby placed a bunch of flowers on Nicole’s lap.“Annie sent these.She’s feeling a bit under the weather at the moment but she said she’s thinking of you.”

Jai got up, feeling awkward.“I’ll get some coffee, leave you to talk.”

He’d been expecting the others to just let him go but instead Geoff turned towards the door as well.“I’ll come with you.”

Nicole waited until the boys had left before turning to Ruby.“This thing with you and Jai…”

“You don’t need to worry about that,”Ruby insisted.

“No, I don’t.I don’t know what happened between him and Annie but…can’t you try and get along, for my sake?I don’t need World War Three breaking out in here.”

Ruby sighed.“To be honest, I don’t even know what I think about them anymore.”

Jai silently selected the cups of coffee from the machine, aware Geoff was watching him.“Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you and Nicole?”Geoff said at last.

Jai shot him a sideways glance.“I’ve told you…”

“I know but you were holding her hand before and last week you had your arm round her…Would you have done that before?”

Jai paused, thinking about it.Maybe they had been a bit more tactile since they’d been intimate.“I guess I feel a bit protective of her,”he admitted,“Which is odd given that she’s two years older and way scarier than me.”

Geoff smiled slightly.“Look, I understand, I mean, I feel a bit protective of her too sometimes.”

“It doesn’t mean I don’t still care about Annie, I still wish…”Jai broke off.“Never mind.”He looked round to see Miles approaching them, twirling his mobile phone in his hand and looking slightly worried.“Who was that?”

Miles paused.“Um…can we talk?”

Jai handed the coffee cups to Geoff.“Can you take one of those to Ruby?I don’t think Nic’s allowed to drink.”

“Er, yeah, sure.”

Miles waited until they were alone before explaining,“That was DOCS.”

“What did they want?”

“I’m gonna have to disappoint Nicole.”

“They want me to go and see them in the city,”Miles explained once he, Jai and Nicole were alone in her room.

“What for?”Nicole asked.

“They didn’t say.Just said it was important and they needed to speak to me in person.”

“It isn’t anything to do with us, is it?”Jai asked.

“No, they probably just want to recommend me for a knighthood.”Miles looked back at Nicole.“But it does mean that…well, I’ve got to go.Which means I won’t be able to stay here with you.”

Nicole nodded, putting on a brave face that wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all herself.“Go on then.I’ll be all right.”

“Yeah?”Miles gave her a reassuring smile before glancing at Jai.“I can run you back into town…”

“I think I’ll stay here,”Jai told him.

Miles looked at him with gratitude.“Good.Ah, here’s some money for a taxi.”He handed him a wad of notes then touched both their arms.“Look after each other while I’m gone okay.”

O’Donnell stood in the doorway, dressed in surgical scrubs.“We’re ready for you now.”

Nicole glanced at Jai.“Did Miles say when he’d be back?”

“No…Look, it doesn’t matter, okay?I’m gonna be here when you come out.”

“If I come out.”

Jai shook his head.“Don’t think about that, you’re going to be all right.”He looked at O’Donnell.“Isn’t she?”

“Well, we hope so,”O’Donnell replied, lacking the reassuring tone Jai had been hoping for.He gestured to two of his staff who began wheeling Nicole’s bed out of the room.Jai made to follow but O’Donnell stopped him.“I’m afraid you’ll need to stay back here.One of the nurses can let you know how we’re doing.”

Jai nodded.He stepped out into the corridor and watched as Nicole was wheeled away, until she was out of sight.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all your comments, hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 12

Jai was woken up by the strong sensation that someone was kicking him in the head.His back ached from the position he’d been lying in.No, not lying.He was sitting down:he’d dropped forward and his head was resting on what had been in front of him.

He turned his head slightly to see Nicole glowering at him as she nudged him again with her foot.That was when he remembered that he’d been sat next to her bed since she’d been brought back from the operation.He’d obviously fallen asleep on it.

“Some comfort you are,”she complained,“I wake up after major surgery to find you lying on top of me.”

“Yeah.”Jai straightened up, flopping back into his chair.“I’m trying to remember if you were this annoyed the last time that happened or not.”He suddenly remembered why he was there.“How are you feeling?”

“Like someone cut my back open.Oh, wait.They did.”

Jai had a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that there was something else he was meant to have done.“I was supposed to call the nurse when you woke up,”he realised at last before raising his voice, “Nurse!”

Gloria came into the room and gave a slight smile when she saw Nicole.“Well, you seem to have a bit of colour in your cheek,”she remarked as she began to check her pulse and temperature.

“How did the operation go?”Nicole asked.

“Doctor O’Donnell will be in in a minute to explain.”She nodded towards Jai.“This one should have been thrown out hours ago but no-one had the heart to wake him up.”

“Hours ago?”Nicole repeated,“How long was I asleep?What time is it?”

Jai looked blearily at his watch.“It’s morning,”he announced at last.

“What?And Miles hasn’t come back?Or phoned?”

Jai looked questiongly at Gloria who shook her head.“Sorry, no.I’ll just let the doctor know you’re awake.”

Nicole looked at Jai.“What do you think’s going on?Is everything all right?”

“Well…he’d probably have rung us if it wasn’t.”

Before Nicole could come up with a counterargument, O’Donnell appeared.“Ah, Miss Franklin.Good news.We removed all the cancer from the growth on your back.We’ve done stem cell tests on the surrounding tissue and there’s no sign of the cancer having spread.It’ll take a few weeks for your back to heal after which you should be back to normal.”

Nicole looked at him in astonishment.“That’s it?”

“We recommend that you come in for check-ups every three months to make sure the cancer hasn’t come back.But, as your doctor, I predict that you’re going to be around for a very long time.”

Nicole smiled at Jai, tightening her grip on a hand she hadn’t even realised she was holding.He smiled back.

“Bit of help needed urgently!”Ruby called out, feeling the bag in her left hand starting to split.

Annie came running into the kitchen, taking one of the two large shopping bags from Ruby and lifting it up onto the surface.“Is this a weekly shop or a yearly shop?”

“Four people, use up a lot in a week.”

Annie nodded.“I’ll help you put it away.”

“No, I’ll do that.I want you to do something else.”Ruby searched through one of the bags.“I dropped by the chemist’s as well.”She retrieved the box and held it out to Annie.

Annie looked at the pregnancy test nervously.Ever since she’d made that announcement, Ruby had found it very hard to get two words out of her on the subject, let alone persuade her to take a test or see a doctor. “Ruby, I really don’t think…”

“Are you still late?”Ruby asked.

Annie hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

“Annie, you need to know.I need to know, I’m going out of my brain not knowing if my best friend’s pregnant or not.At least then we’ll know what we’re dealing with.”She waved the box in her direction and put on her best pleading face.“Please?For me?”

Reluctantly, Annie took the box and headed into the bathroom.

Ruby had expected Annie to be out a long time ago but instead she’d had time to put all the not-inconsiderable amount of shopping in the cupboards.She went over to the bathroom and knocked gently on the door.“Annie?What’s happened, what does it say?”

For a moment, she thought she wasn’t going to get an answer.Then Annie came out, the pregnancy test in her hands, a faint trace of tears on her face.She looked at Ruby mournfully.

“Oh god, Annie.”Ruby took the test from her hands and looked down at the single stripe on display in the window.Then she stopped and looked at Annie in confusion.“Annie, one stripe.That means negative.”There was no reaction from the other girl.“Annie, this test is negative.You’re not pregnant.”

Annie stood there in silence for what seemed like a long time before she finally answered,“I wish I was.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comment, everyone, hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 13

Ruby stared at Annie in astonishment as the girl sat down, unable to believe or understand her confession. “Annie…are you telling me you want to have a baby?”

“I don’t know,”Annie admitted,“Not really, I guess.But…if I was having a baby, our baby, then Jai would have to talk to me, wouldn’t he?He wouldn’t keep ignoring me all the time.”

Ruby still couldn’t quite understand.“Jai ignoring you?I thought you were the one who didn’t want anything to do with him.”

Annie looked at Ruby with surprise that equalled her own.“When did I say that?”

“Annie, I came home after you guys slept together and found you in tears upstairs because of what he did.”

“No, I was upset because of what I did.I told you that.”

Now that Ruby thought about it, Annie had said that.But at the time it had just washed over her.“Same thing surely?”

Annie shook her head.“Jai didn’t do anything wrong, he didn’t force me or pressure me.I wanted to do it. And I liked it, he was nice and kind and gentle but…then I thought about what I was doing, how I’d always insisted I was going to wait and I just felt so ashamed and guilty, I just wanted to get out of there.Later on, I thought about going round to see him, talking things over, but I couldn’t, not after running out like that.I thought that he’d be angry with me.And then…he never came to see me.When I saw him at school, he never spoke to me, he always stayed away.You always steered me away from him, I thought you knew.He was ashamed of what we’d done as I was.”

Ruby couldn’t believe how badly she’d misjudged the situation.She’d gone to see Jai to warn him off, she’d kept him and Annie apart, she’d thought she was doing the right thing for her friend, keeping her from further upset.Instead she should have been pushing them together, helping them sort it out, get through it.“I think I made him ashamed,”she admitted,“I think I made you ashamed as well, I said all the wrong things.”

Annie looked at her, confused.“But you listened to me…”

“No, Annie, I didn’t.I should have told you that you hadn’t done anything wrong, that there was nothing wrong with what you and Jai did.”

“But there was…”

“Annie, do you love him?”

Annie paused for a moment then nodded.“Yes.”

“And…I think he loves you.And that’s probably the best reason for doing what you two did.I don’t really understand how you feel about this but if you and Jai can talk to each other, work this thing through, I think you’ll realise this has all just been one big misunderstanding.”She touched her friend’s shoulder gently. “You’ll see.”

“We just need you to sign your last few discharge papers,”Gloria announced as she came back in with a clipboard.

Nicole took the papers and pen from her and wrote her signature where indicated.“Talk about kicking me out as fast as you can.I only had the operation yesterday.”

“You’re fine, Nicole, honestly.It was only a minor procedure.”

“You weren’t the one on the other end of that knife.”Nicole handed her the clipboard.“Have you managed to get hold of Miles yet?”

“I’m afraid not, there’s been no answer from either the home or mobile number.But your boyfriend’s ringing for a taxi, it’ll be here soon.”

It took Nicole a few moments to realise what she was talking about, then her eyes widened in shock.“Jai? No, wait, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Really?”Gloria asked, surprised,“I just thought the way the two of you…”

“No, no, definitely not.He’s just a friend, that’s all.”

“Oh.”Gloria smiled.“Wish I had a friend like that.”

Nicole nodded.“I guess I’m lucky.”

“Ow!”Nicole shouted, not feeling particularly lucky.She took hold of the arm Jai had placed around her back, moving it up to her shoulders.“Tender.”

“Sorry, I just…”

“You just what?Thought that the best way to help me into the house was to send searing pain through my back?”

“Maybe you should have accepted that offer of a wheelchair ride inside.”

“I am perfectly capable of walking on my own,”Nicole insisted, shrugging off his attentions,“I don’t need your help and I’m certainly not your girlfriend.”

Jai looked at her, confused.“Okay, not sure what made you think I was offering…”

“Oh, let me see now…”

“Guys, will you keep it down?”

Jai and Nicole both turned round at Miles’ voice, not having realised he was in the house.They saw him coming through the door that led to the stairs.But what really drew their attention was the small, white bundle in his arms.

“You’ll wake the baby.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thank you for all your comments, I was worried that chapter wouldn't work and people would find Annie unsympathetic.And a big thank you to El for mentioning this fic in the recommendations thread!

CHAPTER 14

Nicole and Jai had both followed Miles mutely upstairs to his room and watched as he placed the baby in the portable cot that had somehow appeared beside his bed.Then he turned to face them.“Nicole, how are you?”

Nicole nodded.“Doc says I’m fine, the operation worked, they got rid of all the cancer.I’ll have to have regular check-ups but they think it’s over.”

“Good.”He rubbed her arm gently.“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you but there was an awful lot needed sorting out.”

Jai had walked over to the cot and was staring at the tiny form inside it.“What is that?”he asked at last.

Miles came to stand beside him, looking in the same direction as him.“That’s a baby.”

“Um…what’s his name?”

“Amy.”

Jai looked confused.“That sounds like a…”Miles raised his eyebrows slightly.“Oh.”Jai looked at the baby a bit more carefully.“Really?”

“Miles, where did she come from?”Nicole demanded.

Miles turned to her.“Well, you know that maternity ward at the hospital?Well, as I was leaving, I had a look in there and I thought, well, they’ve got all these babies, they won’t miss one…”Nicole glared at him. “DOCS.Her mother had a bit of a fall at home and broke her hip so she’s going to be in hospital for a while. Her father’s out of the country on business and there aren’t any other family in the area so they needed emergency care.”

“Since when did you go in for emergency care?”Jai asked.

“Well, I don’t normally but seeing as I was on the approved list and they needed someone straightaway, I guess they thought they’d try their luck.”

“So that’s why they asked you to go to the city?”Nicole asked.

“Yeah, I think they were hoping that one look at those big brown eyes and I wouldn’t be able to say no. Course, it still took a lot of time to get the paperwork sorted out and get agreement from the mother, which meant I had to stay there overnight…I only got back about five minutes before you two.”

“We did wonder why there was no answer at the house,”Jai told him.

“Or anywhere else,”Nicole added,“Don’t you ever have your mobile on?”

“Ah, not usually.”Miles tapped Jai on the shoulder reproachfully.“And you were meant to come back here last night.Where were you?”

“Well, I was waiting for Nicole to come round at the hospital and…I kind of waited a bit too long.”

“I woke up to find him drooling over the bedsheets,”Nicole added.

Miles sighed.“Well, I guess at least it shows I can trust you to keep an eye on each other when I’m not around.”

Nicole looked at Jai awkwardly.“Yeah, guess so.”

Annie’s thumb hovered over the Call button.She’d quickly found Jai’s number in her phonebook and selected it but the next bit was the hard part.What was she going to say to him?Sorry I’ve been ignoring you for the last few weeks, do you want to catch a movie?

Ruby came out of her room, surprising her.Annie thought her friend had gone to bed.Then again, Ruby had probably thought the same about her.“You okay?”Ruby asked.

Annie sighed and put the phone down.“I was thinking about calling Jai.”

“Well, why don’t you?I’m sure he’d be glad to hear from you.”

For a moment, Annie was tempted to pick up the phone and press the button.But then she shook her head. “I can’t just ring him up out of the blue after all this time.”

“Annie, look, I can go up to him and tell him that my mate fancies him if you like but at some point you’re going to have to talk to him.”

Annie looked at her hopefully.“You really think he’d like it if I did that?”

“Tell you what, Annie,”Ruby suggested,“How about tomorrow morning we go round to Jai’s and offer to walk to school with him?See if we can’t get the two of you talking again?”

Annie smiled and nodded.“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Now get off to bed so you can look beautiful for him in the morning.”

Annie felt herself blushing slightly but she headed back upstairs all the same, a happy smile on her face.

Ruby heard a door open behind her and looked round to see Geoff had poked his head out of his own room.“Everything all right?”he asked.

Ruby sighed.“Just…trying to fill in the hole I’ve been helping those two dig.I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Jai could hear Amy crying from the next room, Miles making gentle shushing noises.It wasn’t loud crying but it was enough to put him off getting to sleep.

Then he heard another sound, closer this time:The sound of his bedroom door opening and closing.Next thing he knew, Nicole had clambered onto the bed.“You still awake?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Me too.You fancy some company?”She climbed under the sheets and then, to his surprise, kissed him. “Do you mind?”

“No, it was rather nice.”

“Good.”She started kissing him again and rolled on top of him.“I’m supposed to lie on my front,”she added as an explanation.

Jai responded to her kiss as they began pulling at each other’s clothes.“I thought we weren’t going to do this again?”he asked.

She grinned at him.“Changed my mind.Girl’s prerogative.”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for all your comments, hope you like this one.

CHAPTER 15

Jai slowly opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of Nicole next to him, lying on her side, her head propped up on her elbow.He stared at her for several moments as the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him.“Oh yeah,”he said at last.

Nicole smiled.Jai remembered how she’d looked the last time they’d woken up like this:Embarrassed, eager to get away from him.She didn’t look like that this time.“Well, I was hoping for something a bit more than that…”

“We really did that?Again?”

“Looks like it.”

Jai was still feeling a bit confused.“Well…why?Were we lonely and vulnerable again?”He considered this for a moment.“I don’t really feel lonely and vulnerable.”

“No,”Nicole agreed,“I dunno, I just thought it might be fun.It was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Um, yeah,”Jai conceeded,“So…do we just forget about it and not tell anyone?”

“Well, we could do that,”Nicole agreed,“Or we could carry on doing it and not worry about anyone else.I mean, if we’re both having fun…”

Jai managed a few mumbles of agreement before Nicole kissed him again.Their bodies touched and he was suddenly made very aware of the fact that they were both still naked.He put his arms around her, drawing her towards him…

There was a heavy knock on the door and Jai only just managed to let go of Nicole before it was swung open.“You up, Jai?”Miles asked,“Sorry about Amy crying last night…What the..?”

Jai prayed for the earth to open up and swallow him.Nicole flashed Miles a grin.“Morning, Miles.We’re not quite up yet but we’re getting there.”

Miles didn’t smile.“Both of you, downstairs, fifteen minutes.Preferably fully clothed.”

Miles had somehow contrived to be sitting on the end of the table in his best teacher style, with Jai and Nicole sat in front of him.He looked from one to the other.“You want to explain what I walked in on?”

“We kind of…slept together,”Nicole admitted.

“Yeah, I’d actually worked that bit out.Was that the first time it’s happened?”

Jai looked at Nicole for a moment, wondering how much they should give away.“It’s the first time in a while,”he admitted at last.

Miles rolled his eyes.“It would have been nice if you could have told me.”

“What, ask your permission?”Nicole asked,“We’re not kids, you know.”

“Well, you’re both still at school and you’re both still living here so actually, yes, you are.”Miles sighed. “If I tell you not to do it again, would you listen to me?”

Jai and Nicole looked at each other awkwardly.“I guess if you’re really against it,”Jai began.

Miles gave them both a long look and then shook his head.“Okay, I suppose I trust you to know what you’re doing.Nicole, you’ve got your last exam today, right?”

“Um, right.”

“You’d better go and get ready.”Nicole headed for the stairs.Jai made to get up too.“Not you, Jai,”Miles told him warningly.Jai sat down.Miles folded his arm and looked at him straight.“Do you love Nicole?”

The question came so abruptly that for a few seconds Jai didn’t know how to answer.“We’re friends,”he replied at last.

“So this…whatever it is between you, that’s..?”

“We’re just having fun, I guess.”Jai looked at Miles worriedly.“Is that wrong?”

Miles sighed.“No, Jai, but…Look, if someone like Nicole had been interested in having fun with me when I was your age, I think I’d probably have liked the idea as well.And no-one’s saying that every relationship you have has to end with marriage and children.Just…bear in mind that while you’re having fun, you might be missing out on something more meaningful, okay?”

“Do I look all right?”Annie asked as they headed down the path towards the caravan park.

Ruby took her friend’s arm.“Annie, you look great.I’d probably date you myself.”She’d spent quite a bit of time before they left giving Annie make-up advice:Nothing too heavy, just something nice and subtle.It suited her.

They caught sight of Jai standing outside the house, apparently waiting for someone.A few seconds later, Nicole came running out.Annie and Ruby were about to call out and attract their attention when something happened that stopped them both in their tracks.Nicole kissed Jai, not a friendly peck on the cheek but full on the lips, letting it linger and deepen.They smiled at each other, in the way that only people who were… close to each other smiled.Then they headed off in the other direction, hand in hand, unaware that they had an audience.

Ruby turned to Annie, saw the tears in her eyes.“Annie,”she began but before she could work out what was going to say next, Annie was running back down the path, getting as far away from what they’d just seen as possible.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for your comments, hope you enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 16

Annie had sat herself under a tree in the school grounds.The image of Jai and Nicole together was burned on her brain.She’d gone to the house all set to talk to him, to finally sort things out, only to find that he was already looking elsewhere.She shook her head.What had she been expecting?That he’d just be sat there waiting for her to tell him she still wanted to be with him?She cursed herself for waiting so long.Why hadn’t she gone after him sooner?Why hadn’t she let him know she still loved him?

She recognised Ruby’s footfall behind her and hastily wiped a hand across her eyes, getting rid of all the evidence of the tears.“Are you all right?”Ruby asked as she sat down beside her.

Annie forced a smile.“Yeah…just a shock, that’s all.I wasn’t expecting to see them like that.”

“Me neither,”Ruby agreed,“Jai and Nicole?How did that happen?”

“They looked happy,”Annie noted.

Ruby looked as though she was struggling to disagree but she couldn’t, any more than Annie herself could.“They looked like they were enjoying themselves,”she conceeded at last.

“Do you think he’s sleeping with her?”

Ruby had that look again, the one that suggested she didn’t want to answer.“I don’t know, maybe.”

“I thought that what happened between us was special but…maybe to him it wasn’t.”

“Look, this is just a bit of a setback, right?”Ruby told her encouragingly,“We’ll show Jai that it’s you he really wants to be with.”

Annie shook her head.“No, it’s…okay.I want Jai to be happy and if he’s happy with Nicole then that’s good.”She wished it was true.She did want Jai to be happy.But she wanted herself to be happy too.

“So, um, good luck for your exam,”Jai remarked as he and Nicole stopped in the corridor.

Nicole grinned.“Oh, is that all I get?Good luck?”

Jai glanced around the corridor.They were hardly alone, several of the other pupils were milling around, going to their lockers or standing around chatting.“What else do you want?”

Nicole kissed him, long enough and intense enough for everyone else in the corridor to stop and stare at them.“Now that’s a proper good luck.”

Jackson, the boy who’d quizzed Jai about him and Nicole before, was among those staring.“You mean you two really are..?”

Nicole gripped Jai’s hand with a smile.“Yes and we’re very happy about it.”

“I was joking about Megan Fox though,”Jai added.

Nicole grinned at him.“Catch up with you after school.”

As Nicole headed off to her exam, Xavier stepped from the crowd and drew Jai to one side.“Dude, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re blowing the whole group dynamic apart!I’m meant to be the stud in this partnership, you’re the funny one.”

“Oh, well, I guess we’ll have to have a recount.”

“Seriously, well played to you, mate.You’ve blazed a trail for us all to follow.”

Jai pushed him against the wall angrily.“Don’t talk about Nicole like that!”

Xavier held up his hands placatingly.“Chill, man, I was just joking.Sorry.”

“No, no, I’m sorry.”Jai shook his head.“She’s a friend, right?I don’t like people talking about her like that.”

“A friend?”Xavier looked at him quizzically.“What, that’s it?”

Jai paused.Technically, he and Nicole had overstepped the bounds of friendship quite a bit and he wasn’t going to pretend he wasn’t happy about that.But…he knew that he didn’t love her.But then, he’d loved someone else and that hadn’t worked out.Who was to say this was any worse?

“I don’t know what we are,”he admitted.

“Hey, Nicole!”Nicole stopped outside her exam room and turned at the voice.Ruby came hurrying up to her.“Just wanted to wish you luck.”

“Thanks, Rube.”

“And…is it true about you and Jai?”

Nicole smiled slightly.“Wow, that one got around fast.Yes, we’ve…been seeing a bit more of each other lately.”

“I didn’t really think he was your type.”

Nicole had to admit that Jai was about as far away from her type as she’d ever gone.Yet somehow she enjoyed being around him.“He’s kinda cute…in a certain light.”She noticed Ruby’s sceptical expression.“I dunno, he’s just been really sweet to me lately.”

“But it’s not serious or anything?”

“I don’t know, Ruby, we’re still just feeling our way around this.All I know is I like his company.”She gestured towards the exam room.“I’ve really go to…”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

As Nicole turned to go into the exam, she had an unnerving feeling that there’d been more to Ruby’s questions than simple friendly curiosity.

[Red Ranger 1]

Sorry there's been a bit of a gap between updates, it's been a hectic few days.Hope you enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 17

“So, have you spoken to him?”

Annie had hoped to collect her things from her locker and leave school with the minimum of fuss and embarrassment.Unfortunately, she’d reckoned without Ruby’s infamous tenacity.Her friend had probably been waiting near her locker since before the bell went.“No,”she admitted.

“Well, why not?”Ruby demanded.

Annie sighed.Why was it so difficult to get Ruby to understand something so simple?“He’s with Nicole, I’m not going to try and split them up.”

“Annie, if he knew you still liked him, he’d end this thing with Nicole in a heartbeat.”

“You don’t know that,”Annie insisted.

Ruby caught sight of Jai further down the corridor at his own locker.“Well, there’s one way to find out.”

“What?No!”Annie protested as Ruby grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to Jai.

Ruby gave a pointed cough that made Jai turned round, looking confused.“Annie wants to say something to you.”

Annie didn’t think she’d ever felt more uncomfortable to have Jai looking at her.There were so many things she wanted to say, to tell him, to ask him…“Just…you and Nicole…I’m glad you’re happy,”she managed at last,“You deserve it.”

“Thanks,”Jai replied, seeming as uncomfortable as she was,“I hope that you’re happy too.”

“I will be.”Annie didn’t believe the words but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.She was aware that Ruby was glaring at her in frustration but she refused to turn around.“That was all.”

Jai watched Annie leave, unable to take his eyes off her.He wished so badly that things hadn’t ended between them the way they had.But he knew that it was over, that he had to bury the feelings he still had for her.He suddenly realised Ruby was looking at him, the way she’d been looking at Annie just now.“I’m, er, meant to be meeting Nic,”he told her.

“Jai, wait,”Ruby insisted,“I’m sorry for the way I reacted when I found out you and Annie had slept together.I should have known that you care about her and you wouldn’t have forced her, I guess…I jumped to conclusions and I’m sorry and I hope that we’re still friends.”

He nodded.“Yeah, course.”

For a moment, Ruby looked as though she was going to say something else then she gave a sigh of resignation.“I’d better catch up with Annie.”

“So, the last exam went well?”Jai asked as he and Nicole arrived home.

“Uh-huh,”Nicole replied, skipping ahead of him.Given everything that had happened recently, she was feeling the relief of at least having one burden lifted off her shoulders.“So that’s the end of me and school. Apart from the formal.”She grimaced slightly.“And look at the trouble that’s caused.”

“Trouble?”Jai repeated, confused.

“Never mind.”Nicole turned round, put her arms round his neck and kissed him lightly.“How about we go upstairs and celebrate?”

It seemed to take him a second to realise what she meant.“What, now?”

“Oh, you’ve never had sex in the day before?”Nicole saw the look of embarrassment in Jai’s features and instantly realised the reason for it.“Annie, huh?”

“Yeah,”Jai admitted reluctantly.

“Guess I really am going to have to stop opening my mouth.”

Jai smiled.“We’re kinda used to you saying the wrong thing.”

Nicole slapped his arm in mock annoyance and then kissed him again.

“So, you said something about helping you celebrate?”he asked.

She smiled and led him upstairs.

“Hey, girls!”Geoff called out as Annie and Ruby arrived home,“Good day?”

Ruby shot Annie an annoyed look.“Not exactly.”

Annie didn’t seem at all cowed by the look.In fact, she looked almost as annoyed as Ruby.“I’m going to get my homework finished,”she declared before heading upstairs.

Geoff watched her departing form with some bemusement.“Have I missed something?”he asked at last.

Ruby sighed.“Jai’s seeing Nicole.”

“That’s still going on?”Geoff asked in astonishment.Then he clamped his mouth shut and turned towards the kitchen.“So, was there anything special you wanted for dinner..?”

“Geoffrey.”He looked round and saw Ruby had her firm face on.“Spill.”

“They kinda told me they’d slept together before,”he admitted.

“When?”

“While Annie was away..?”

Ruby stared at him open-mouthed.“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Well, it took you a long time to mention that he’d slept with my sister,”Geoff reminded her, his eyes automatically flicking upstairs to make sure Annie wasn’t within earshot.

Ruby sank onto the sofa.“God, this is so messed up!Jai likes Annie, she likes him, but somehow he’s ended up with Nicole, I’m running in between them trying to work out whether to split them up or push them together…How are we going to sort this one out?”

“You could just leave them to it?”Geoff suggested tentatively.

Ruby shook her head.“No way.They’re my two best friends and I’m going to make sure they’re happy-whether they want to be or not!”

Jai found himself waiting on the landing for Nicole.She’d gone back to her own room to get changed, after both their school uniforms had ended up on his bedroom floor.That made three times they’d slept together yet still he didn’t feel comfortable going into her room while she was getting dressed.Just another example of how strange this situation was.

Nicole came out of her room at last, closing the door behind her.“Right, I’m done,”she announced, somewhat unnecessarily.

“Nicole, why did you kiss me in front of everyone?”Jai asked suddenly.

“Didn’t you like it?”she returned.

“Yeah but…One minute you’re swearing me to secrecy, the next you’re outing us to the whole school.I thought you were embarrassed or something.”

Nicole looked awkward.“I guess I was at first.I mean, you’re not really my usual type.”

“Then…why?”

“Because my type sucks!”Nicole gave an ironic laugh.“There are guys that I’ve been with, that everyone knows I’ve been with, that I should be a lot more embarrassed about than you.So, maybe if they think you’re my type it’ll keep some of the losers away.”

As was often the case with Nicole, Jai wasn’t sure whether he should be pleased or insulted.But before he could answer, he heard a noise from downstairs.“Do you hear that?”

Nicole paused and listened and she made it out as well:the faint sound of Amy crying.“Is Miles home?”

“Why would he leave her crying?”

They made their way downstairs cautiously, heading into the living room.Amy’s pram was in the middle of the area, the crying emanating from it.Nicole lifted the baby out and rubbed her back gently in an attempt to quieten her.“Why’s she been left here?”

Jai looked around…and saw a foot protruding from behind the couch.He dashed over and found Miles lying there, clutching his stomach, groaning, an expression of pain on his face.“Miles?Miles!”He bent down by Miles for a second, wondering if there was anything he could do to help, then grabbed the phone and dialled 000.“Ambulance.”

[Red Ranger 1]

hmmmmmmmmm... what happened to Nicole not wanting to be associated with sex... or didn't she say that in your fic... maybe I got that mixed up!!!!!!

Um...guess you could interpret it like that.Character development does occasionally go for a walk around the block in my stories.Hope you all enjoy this one.

CHAPTER 18

Jai felt Nicole’s hand in his.He wasn’t entirely sure who was trying to comfort who.They’d ridden with Miles in the ambulance before being stopped at the hospital and told to wait while the doctors examined him.And so they waited.And so they still waited.

They both jumped as the door burst open but it wasn’t the door to the examination room, it was the door that led from the entrance.Annie, Ruby, Geoff and Xavier came piling through.“We came as soon as we heard,”uby explained,“Is Mr.Copeland all right?”

Jai was grateful that Nicole answered.“We don’t know.The doctor’s still in with him.”

Annie sat down next to him, touching his free hand with her own.The gesture seemed strangely awkward but he was grateful for it nonetheless.“I’m sure he’ll be okay,”she told him, trying to sound cheerful.

Xavier patted him on the shoulder.“Yeah and we’ll all hear for you.”

“Is there anything we can get?”Geoff asked.

“There’s a coffee machine down the hall,”Nicole told him.

“Yeah, sure.”Geoff looked at Jai.“Did you want anything or..?”

Jai stood up, releasing his grip on both Annie and Nicole as he did so.“I’ll come with you.”He stopped beside Ruby as he headed off down the corridor after Geoff.“Keep an eye on Nic,”he told her quietly,“I think she’s a bit upset.”

That curious frustrated look crossed Ruby’s face again then she nodded.“Sure.”

Jai joined Geoff by the machine and silently pushed coins into the slot before selecting his order.Geoff hovered behind him, as though unsure what to say.“You and Nicole,”he said at last,“You’re…”

“I don’t want to talk about it,”Jai told him.

“No, no, of course not.”Geoff paused for a moment before continuing,“What about Annie?You two okay?”

Jai would have felt more annoyed with Geoff normally but at that moment he had other things on his mind.He turned on him all the same.“Geoff, what’s all this about?”

“I just wondered if…”Geoff broke off suddenly, looking past Jai.

Jai turned round to see Nicole there.“The nurse says we can see him now,”she explained.

Miles was looking a lot better, at least.The colour had returned to his face, which was no longer contorted in pain, and while he wasn’t in any condition to sit up, he could at least lie there and look at them.“How are you feeling?”Nicole asked.

“Well, the pain’s gone,”Miles replied before raising the arm that was hooked up to a morphine drip, “Although that might have something to do with this stuff.”

“Do you remember what happened?”Jai asked as he sat down on the bed next to him.

Miles thought for a moment.“I’d picked Amy up.”He stopped suddenly.“Where is Amy?”

“We left her with Colleen,”Nicole explained.

Miles nodded and went on.“I’d just got to the house when I suddenly felt this stabbing pain in my stomach.It just seemed to get worse and worse until I was on the floor there.Which was about when you found me.”

“Do they know what’s wrong with you?”Jai asked.

“We do.”Doctor Young came into the room, a folder in hand.“Good news.All the tests show that this is just a case of appendicitis.”

“So that means I can go home?”Miles asked.

Young’s face fell slightly.“Oh.It’s not that good.I’m afraid you’ve got a very acute case.The only real option is an appendectomy.We’ve booked a slot for you on Monday and I’m recommending that you stay in until then, so we can keep monitoring you in case it gets any worse.”

Miles gave a resigned sigh.“Can you get me a phone?I need to call DOCS.”

“Of course.I’ll get one of the nurses to bring one in for you.”

As Young left, Nicole looked at Miles in horror.“You’re not sending us away, we can look after ourselves!”

“You two can but Amy can’t,”Miles reminded her patiently,“And Alf’s not back from his fishing trip yet so they’re going to need to find somewhere else for her to stay, a children’s home or something.It’s a shame though.”

“What is?”asked Jai.

“Well, bit more upheaval for her.I think she was just starting to get settled at our place.”

“Well, we’ll look after her then,”Nicole decided.

Miles and Jai looked at her in amusement.“I don’t think they’re going to approve us to look after her,”Jai told her.

“Why not?You get people younger than us with kids.My parents for a start.”

Miles looked at her sceptically.“Let’s just see what DOCS have to say.”

“It’s good that Mr.Copeland’s going to be okay,”Geoff remarked as he, Annie and Ruby arrived home.

“Is he?”Annie asked,“They said he’s going to have an operation.”

“Yeah but…it’s only a minor one.”

“I’m sure Jai appreciated that you were there,”Ruby told her.

Annie shrugged.“He had Nicole.”

“They both told me it wasn’t serious between them,”Geoff assured her,“The first time, anyway.”

Annie was looking at him in confusion.“What do you mean?”Behind her back, Ruby was waving frantically for Geoff to stop talking.

Geoff carried on obliviously.“I tried to talk to him at the hospital and find out if he liked you or not…”

“You talked to Jai?”Annie protested.

“Well, yeah.I mean, if you still like him…”

“Who said I still liked him?And when did you talk to him and Nicole?”

Geoff floundered slightly, aware that Ruby was looking daggers at him.“He…slept with her while you were away.”

Annie looked at Ruby in shock.“You knew?”

“Annie, I…”

“Look, it doesn’t matter,”Geoff insisted,“I’m sure he likes you.”

“Maybe I don’t like him,”Annie suggested.

“Annie, you wouldn’t have slept with him if you didn’t like him.”

Annie looked from Geoff to Ruby in annoyance.“Do you two discuss everything?”

“I admit, I was a bit surprised,”Geoff continued,“I mean, I thought it’d be a while before we had this discussion…”

Annie didn’t think she’d ever felt so embarrassed.“Geoff, will you stop being such a…brother?It’s up to me what I do about…”

“Jai!”Ruby said loudly.

Annie wasn’t entirely sure what she meant until she saw Jai standing in the kitchen.He looked at the three of them awkwardly.“Um…I was looking for Irene.”

“She’s still at the Diner,”Geoff told him,“But we could pass on a message for you?”

“It’s just…DOCS have said it’s all right for Amy to stay on at the house if Irene agrees to keep an eye on things.I’ll, um, go see her at the Diner, get her to phone them.”He paused a moment and looked at Annie. “Thanks for coming to the hospital today.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were all right,”Annie replied,“And Nicole,”she added hastily.

“I’m glad we can still be friends.”They stood together in silence for a moment before he announced,“I’ll see you later.”

Annie watched him go, aware that Geoff and Ruby were both looking at her.“Can you two not say anything?”she said at last.

Jai was woken by a combination of Nicole jabbing him in the back and Amy crying.How exactly they’d both ended up spending the night in his room he wasn’t sure but that was where they all were.“She’s crying again,”Nicole told him.

“Oh, is that what it is?”Jai clambered out from under the sheets, Nicole just behind him, and they crouched on the bed, staring down at Amy in the portable cot.

“Aren’t you going to do anything?”Nicole asked.

“Why me?”

“You’re the one that had a younger brother.”

Jai looked at her in bewilderment.“I was seven when he was a baby.I didn’t do much babysitting.”

“Well…Mum was never going to let another baby into the house after I grew up.She wasn’t too keen on babies when I was one.”

“Then why did you suggest this?”

“I don’t know, I was trying to be helpful!”

Jai reached down into the cot and gently stroked Amy’s chest.“Achoo-choo-choo-choo-choo,”he cooed unintelligibly.

Amy stared up at him for a few seconds…then let out a fresh series of howls.

Jai sighed and looked at Nicole.“Were you planning on sleeping tonight?”

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for your comments, everyone, hope you enjoy this.

CHAPTER 19

Ruby was trying to shoot Annie frustrated looks across the breakfast table but the other girl was avoiding her gaze.It was nearly two days now since they’d gone to see Jai at the hospital and as far as she could tell, he and Annie hadn’t spent any time in the same room as each other since that visit to the house.How were they supposed to sort things out if they didn’t talk?

Giving up on any attempt to get a reaction out of her friend, Ruby instead turned her attention to Irene, who was putting the phone down and didn’t look at all happy.“Something up?”

Irene sighed.“I was meant to be checking in on how Nicole and Jai are getting along with Amy but Colleen tells me there’s been a mess up with the delivery at the Diner so I’ve got to head down there and I don’t think I’m going to have time before we open.”

“Well, we could go for you,”Ruby suggested.Annie looked up at that, shooting Ruby warning glances, but Ruby refused to look at her.Two could play at that game.

Irene looked at her with a hint of bemusement.“I don’t think DOCS are going to accept you as official inspectors.”

“Well, no, but…we could give them a hand.”

“Okay, how about you go down there and tell them I’ll be down later and give them whatever help you think you can?”

Ruby grinned at Annie, who most definitely did not grin back.“That’ll be fun, won’t it?”

Annie was still complaining when they arrived at the caravan park house.“I don’t know what you think you’re doing…”

“Shhh,”Ruby interrupted her, nodding towards the sofa.

Annie looked in the direction Ruby indicated and found herself wandering over for a closer look.Jai and Nicole were asleep on the sofa, resting against each other in a way that suggested they’d been sitting down beforehand.Amy was nestled in between them, as fast asleep as they were.

“They look…comfortable,”Annie noted at last.

“You’d look comfortable if you were that much out of it,”Ruby insisted,“I’m guessing they had a hard night.”

“Should we wake them up?”

“I think all three of them probably need some rest.Let’s clear the place up for them.”Ruby went over to the kitchen table and tentatively screwed the lid back onto a jar of baby mix.

Annie was still bent in front of Jai.“I’ve never seen him asleep before.”

Ruby looked at her in surprise.“What about that time he slept on your couch while Miles was in Melbourne?”

Annie smiled at the memory.“Irene made me wait upstairs until he’d got dressed.”

Ruby noticed the washing machine door slightly ajar.She opened it up and a pungent odour drifted towards her nostrils.She slammed the door shut.“Okay, I don’t wanna think about what’s in there but whatever it is it definitely needs a wash.”She began hunting around for washing powder.

Annie came over to join her but couldn’t help shooting looks back at Jai and Nicole.“I guess she’s always going to be special to him, I mean…she was his first.”

Ruby rolled her eyes.“Annie, just because someone’s your first doesn’t mean you’re going to be with them forever.If it did, I’d still be with Xavier…and he’d still be with Freya!Anyway, Jai was your first, wouldn’t that make you two special as well?”

“Yeah, I know, but…they look kinda cute together.”

“Well, two people asleep with a baby’s always going to look cute.You’d look cute if it was you there with Jai and a baby…not that I’m suggesting you go down that route.”She patted Annie on the arm.“Come on. Time to show him what a good wife you’ll make.”

Nicole stirred slowly into wakefulness, feeling Jai’s head resting against hers, feeling the sofa against her back.Memories of the previous night ran through her head:The lack of sleep, the constant feeds and nappy changes…In the end they’d both given up and got dressed, heading downstairs with…

Nicole’s eyes jolted open and she stared down at the space between them.“Oh my god, the baby!”She shook Jai desperately.“Jai, wake up, we’ve lost the baby!”

“Um, she’s here,”Ruby corrected, appearing behind them with Amy in her arms,“She woke up before you two did.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”Nicole sighed.

“So we thought we’d keep an eye on her until you were ready to do so.”

“We?”Jai repeated blearily.

“Um, hi,”Annie explained, giving him an awkward wave.

“Oh, hi, Annie.”Jai quickly ran a hand down his shirt, relieved to discover that he was actually dressed.

“We tried to get the place clean for you,”Ruby added,“But someone was demanding our attention.”

“She probably wants her walk,”Nicole realised then she grinned as she realised what she’d said,“God, I’m sounding like an adult.”

“Well, how about Jai and Annie take her out for a walk while you and I clean up here?”

“Ruby, I…I’m sure Jai doesn’t want me in the way,”Annie insisted.

Jai gave her a look akin to disappointment.“Yeah, I mean, if you don’t want to…”

“No, I didn’t mean that, I just…”

“Well, then,”Ruby interrupted.She abruptly passed Amy to Annie, who looked for a moment as though she was afraid she might drop her then smiled.

Jai came over, putting his arm round Annie’s shoulder and peering at Amy with her.“I think she likes you.”

Annie smiled at him.“She’s cute.”

Jai returned the smile for a moment then looked back at Amy.“Looks like your Auntie Annie and I are taking you for a walk.”

Nicole felt suddenly awkward, as though she was intruding.“I’ll get her bag,”she told them, heading out into the hallway.

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks for the comments as ever.Hope you like this.

CHAPTER 20

Somehow a walk had turned into relaxing on the beach.Jai and Annie had both sat down on the sand then Annie had found a towel in the bag Nicole had given them and lifted Amy onto it.She crouched by her, rubbing sun protection over her face and the rest of her exposed skin.

Jai had lain back in the sand, the lack of sleep getting to him.He turned over, watching Annie for a moment.“Are you sure you can use that stuff on her?”

“It was in the bag.And you don’t want her getting sunburnt.”

“No but…Just because it was in the bag doesn’t mean the person who put it there knew what they were doing.”

Annie checked the label.“Ages 0-2?”

“Yeah, that’ll do.”Jai continued looking from Amy to Annie.“I don’t think I’ve ever known her so quiet.”

“Perhaps she’s tired?”Annie suggested.

“Or perhaps she likes you.You’re good with her.”

Annie found herself blushing under the attention and did her best to look away.“Thank you.”

“You’ll make a good mother one day.”

Memories of a nervous pregnancy test flashed through Annie’s mind.Not for the first time, she found herself wondering what would have happened if it had been positive, where they would be now.She glanced into Jai’s grinning features.“You’re good with her too.”

“I might agree with you if I hadn’t been trying to get her to sleep at three o’clock this morning.”

Annie paused before asking,“Jai…when we were together, did you ever think about, well, us like this? Getting married, having children?”

There was an awkward silence and for a moment she didn’t think Jai would meet her gaze again. “Sometimes,”he admitted at last.He shook his head.“I don’t suppose it matters now.”

Annie wanted to say that it did matter, that she still thought about them being like that sometimes.But instead she looked away.“I guess not.”

Nicole looked around the living room with a certain amount of pride.The baby things had all been cleared away, towels folded up, the washing finished and put out to dry.“So this is what it looks like when it’s tidy.”

“Guess you and Jai have had it tough the last couple of days,”Ruby commented.

Nicole shrugged.“Nothing we can’t handle.”

Ruby hesitated for a moment before asking,“You and Jai..?”

Nicole sighed.“What do you want to know?”

“Is it serious?”

Nicole laughed.“Well, I’m not going to marry him if that’s what you mean.I dunno, I guess we’re just… friends with benefits.”

“And what, that’s all?”

Nicole looked at Ruby’s expression with a hint of irritation.“Don’t you go all disapproving on me, I’ve got your boyfriend for that.”

“No, no, it’s not that I disapprove,”Ruby replied hastily,“I just think maybe you both deserve better, that’s all.”

“Like what?There aren’t that many nice guys that take an interest in me, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“It’s just, if you and Jai aren’t going to last…”Ruby trailed off.

“Then what?”Nicole demanded.

“Then…I guess you’ll end.”

“Why are you with Nicole?”Annie asked suddenly.She and Jai were nearly back at the house, pushing Amy’s pram together, but the comment made Jai draw up short.

“That’s a bit of an odd question,”he remarked.

“Okay, I get that she’s nice looking…”

“She’s nice,”Jai amended.He thought for a moment.“Sometimes,”he amended further.He shrugged.“I don’t know, we’re friends, kind of…”

“You’re more than friends,”Annie pointed out.

“Yeah but…I don’t think about marrying her if that’s what you mean.”

“But you thought about it with me?”

“Annie, I loved you.”

For a moment, Annie felt as though she’d stopped breathing.“But you don’t anymore?”

“I didn’t say that.”

She looked into his eyes, suddenly feeling more connected to him than she had in weeks.She wanted to kiss him so badly and she was sure he was thinking the same, she leaned her head forward invitingly…

“So this is where you’ve been hiding!”Nicole announced with what seemed like forced cheerfulness, as she and Ruby came out of the house.

Annie took a step back.“I think we’ve done all we can.”

“Right,”Ruby agreed, seeming to sense the change in the mood,“Like we said, Irene will drop around this afternoon.We’ll see you guys later.”She took Annie’s arm and led her back off the path.

Jai watched them go for a moment, feeling a sense of disappointment.For a moment, he thought he’d seen something in Annie’s eyes, something that gave him hope, but then…

Nicole stepped to his side, placing her hand on Amy’s pram.“We’d better get her inside.”

Jai nodded.“Right, of course.”

“And, um, I think Amy and I should stay in my room tonight.”Nicole let the comment hang in the air.“I mean, you’ve got school in the morning, you need your rest, it doesn’t really matter if I’m tired.”

“Yeah, thanks,”Jai replied woodenly.At that moment, he wasn’t sure that he cared either way.