 |
Drops
of Jupiter
Now
that she's back in the atmosphere
Tell
me, did you fall for a shooting star
Tell
me did the wind sweep you off your feet
|
|
Drops
of Jupiter
Now
that she's back in the atmosphere
Tell
me, did you fall for a shooting star
Tell
me did the wind sweep you off your feet
|
Rude Awakening
“Yo! Cleophus!” A voice called, pulling me unwillingly out of a deep sleep. Not only was someone quite rudely waking me, they were calling me by my most hated nickname. It hardly seemed possible it was time to get out of bed. I had only crawled into bed a scant three hours earlier. “Cleo, get your pasty, white girl ass out of that bed!”“Go away...” I mumbled snuggling deeper into bed, wrapping the comforter around me tighter and pulling an extra pillow over my head. I did not want to get up. I was not going to get up.
“Cleo...” He said frustration edging his voice. “Come on. We’ve got to go...”
Okay, it was time for me to get up, but I have a serious problem with getting out of bed when it’s still so very, very dark. He said my name a few more times before, apparently giving up. I was quickly returning to sleep. My body was so warm and relaxed; it felt as if I were floating. On the very outer edges of consciousness I heard the door open slowly and somebody shush someone else. In my semi-dream state, I knew I should open my eyes, I knew I should say something, give some indication I was getting up to whoever was in the room, but I just couldn’t move.
Suddenly, my comforter was ripped from my body, the light switched on and a bucket of ice water dumped unceremoniously on my bed. I scrambled for something -- anything to cover myself.
“It’s time to get up!!” Ike yelled as I rolled behind my bed. I cringed at the volume of his voice. I knew the hotel manager was going to get complaints about us.
“Get out!!” I screamed adding to the list of grievances. I wouldn’t doubt if we were invited not to return to this hotel. “You guys are such enormous assholes.”
“Now, if you’d just gotten up when I first came in all of this could’ve been avoided.” Taylor said throwing the comforter at me. I gratefully wrapped it around me. Until that moment none of them knew I slept in the nude. Really, I think the state of dress (or undress as the case may be) you sleep in is a private matter.
“Whatever.” I mumbled. I could not believe they had just done that to me. This called for some serious payback, there was no way in Hell I could let this go unpunished. Really, most of our lives we have traded practical jokes back and forth. I was undisputed neighborhood queen of payback growing up. I hadn’t flexed those muscles in quite some time. This could be fun. “You do realize you have all signed a death wish, don’t you?”
“Hey now,” Zac said quickly, his eyes growing wide. He in particular had felt my wrath many times and the poor boy just never seemed to learn his lesson. “Just to be clear, this was all Taylor’s idea, completely.”
“Oh really?” I asked, looking at him through slitted eyes. I found it very hard to believe Zac and Isaac were blameless in this. But, if it were true then Taylor was going down. “Why would you even tempt fate in that way?”
“Please, I am so not worried.” Taylor said shrugging. Taylor had never pushed me to the point where I felt it necessary to torture him. I must have a lot more patience with him than anyone else. Or else, I found it easier to forgive him.
“Well, you probably should be. And you two,” I said pointing at both Zac and Ike. I watched as their eyes got wider and wider. “Don’t think you are blameless in this. Just because Tay is willing to take all the blame, you will still pay and pay dearly.”
“Hey!” Ike protested. “We tried to stop him.”
“Obviously not hard enough.”
“Seriously, Ike and I tried to make him stop!” Zac said.
“Hmm, interesting. What happened to “all for one and one for all?” Anyway, get out so I can get dressed, now that I’m up.” I said walking over and opening the door, helpfully indicating the direction they should exit.
“Nope, uh-huh, no can do little lady,” Zac drawled in his best southern boy accent as he lay down on the dry bed. Of course, he is a southern boy, so maybe the drawl wasn’t all a put on. “Once we leave, you’ll just crawl back into bed.”
“Come on,” I whined, flopping down onto the bed next to Zac. “It’s just a radio appearance, why do I even need to be there?”
“Because,” Taylor held up his hand and ticked off each reason on a finger. Taylor is an expert at lists. In fact, my palm pilot’s full of lists Taylor thought we might want to incorporate into our daily lives. Lists made and quickly forgotten. “First: You wanted to see what our life was really like on the road. Second: We are paying you to be our assistant. Third: We need you to come with us just in case we need anything out of the palm pilot of doom. Fourth: It is your fault we are all so tired, because if I remember correctly it was you who had the brilliant idea for a swim at 1:00 am. And fifth: Did I already happen to mention you get paid to be our assistant? Need I go on?”
“But,” I tried to think of a compelling and viable argument. “We’re leaving tonight right after the concert and I have tons of laundry to fold, calls to make and... And... I am so very tired. I need lots and lots more sleep.”
“All valid arguments in the real world, but no good here. It could get ugly if you had more sleep than us and once the bus starts rolling tonight, you can be the first in a bunk.” Ike reasoned, but really, that is what defines Ike, reasonableness. I rolled over and squinted up at him, man, do I hate to be without my glasses.
“But that is so far away.” I whined.
Zac slid his arms under me and picked me up off the bed. He threw me over his shoulder carrying me in the fashion of a caveman or maybe a fireman. “Cleo, you’re coming whether you like it or not. Did you want to come dressed like that? I mean, I know this DJ fairly well and I don’t think he’d mind a mostly naked woman in his studio at all.”
“Augh! Put me down! You guys aren’t going to leave me alone, are you?” I was met with three very determined looks as Zac set me down on my feet. “Fine!” I muttered as I grabbed the first things I could find on the floor. I snagged some clean underwear and a bra out of my suitcase, before I walked into the bathroom. “Give me 5 minutes.”
“Cleo, you can stay out here to get dressed.” Zac said, looking at me all innocence and light. Taylor pitched a pillow at his head for his comment.
“Ha ha!” I laughed as I walked to the bathroom. “I think you’ve seen more than enough of me to last the entirety of your lifetime. Anyway, isn’t it like seeing one of your sisters naked? I mean, I’ve known you since... Well, since before I knew I knew you.”
“Uh, no, I don’t think so.” Ike said. “None of our sisters are built quite like you.”
“Ick, seriously, stop!” Taylor said, apparently the only one who was going to take the moral high road. “Would you like it if someone was talking about Jessica like that.”
“Thank you.” I said walking into the bathroom. Sometimes people surprise you, maybe this was one of those times.
“Anyway, look at Mom. If Jess follows in Mom’s hereditary footsteps, she will never be built like Cleo.” Taylor said in a mock serious voice. Then again, maybe not. “Unless, of course, she has some serious surgery.” Ever since puberty had hit, they had teased me mercilessly about the new and exciting shape of my body. At one time, Taylor and I had been the same height with the same build. But, about the time his voice went all “Peter Brady” on him, I suddenly found I could no longer wear his shirts, unless I wanted to place a special emphasis on certain endowments.
“Argh!!” I shrieked slamming the bathroom door.
“Guess what guys?” Zac said in a stage whisper, knowing full well I could still hear him. “ I know a big secret.”
“What’s that?” Isaac asked.
“Cleophus sleeps in the nude.” Zac’s voice dropped salaciously. For a split second there was silence then all three began to laugh hysterically. I could feel my cheeks flushing a furious red. I really didn’t ever want or need the guys I’d known my whole life knowing what I looked like naked. And still, there it was on the table. Hopefully, they didn’t get much of a look at me, I don’t want to star in any of their more, shall we say, lusty dreams. Now, that makes me sound like I’m some sort of Goddess with a perfect body. Really, I’m not. And I’ve been not only a friend, but also a confidante of all three Hanson brothers for pretty much most of our lives, so I knew what great guys they were. But, I also know just how sick and twisted they can be. And what completely normal guys they are. What I’m saying is, even good guys sometimes do some questionable things. Okay, I’ll just break this down: Even the sweetest guys in the world whack off.
Trying to push those thoughts back, I quickly pulled on the clothing I’d grabbed off the floor; unfortunately, it wouldn’t help me save any face. It’d only prolong it, intensify the torture. If only, I’d grabbed my glasses before deciding this outfit was acceptable. Maybe if I pretended it were a normal outfit, they would never notice. The outfit began bad and ended worse. I’d grabbed a lime green bra and panty set my ex-boyfriend had given me and they were showing loud and proud through the blue and white striped boxers and too-tight wifebeater I had snatched off the floor. Or, more precisely out of the laundry basket of clothes I’d washed the night before. My one and only saving grace was when I’d changed to go swimming last night (actually very early this morning), I’d left my navy cashmere cardigan on the bathroom floor. I realize the floor is probably not the best place for a cashmere sweater and yet, there it lay in a pile next to the toilet. I buttoned it up over the wifebeater.
Boxers and cashmere, what a combination.
I brushed my teeth, ran a comb through my long, curly hair and pulled it back into a sloppy ponytail. I threw the bathroom door open, grabbed some socks out of my suitcase and rummaged through my box of shoes until I found my navy blue Docs. I rushed to the bedside table, slid on my glasses and grabbed my watch. “Tada!!” I said twirling for my three almost asleep boys. “Hey, guys! Come on, let’s go!” They stirred lazily and grumbled, but eventually made it upright and out the door of my room.
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