"Not from each other anyway," I stupidly say.
"That's so disappointing," Logan sighs. "Jay baby, you should've come to Loggie. Oh wait, you did." He flashes me a cheesy grin.
"Shut up, Logan. I didn't do anything with you either."
"I wouldn't call it anything."
"Fine. I made out with some of Phillip's fraternity brothers, but seriously, that's all I ever did."
"Uh, Matt Fuller," Logan reminds me.
"Well, yeah, I dated him for four months. After he dumped me and pissed me off, I revenge dated his best friend because it drove him nuts. Those were the only two boys from your frat I slept with. I just, I don't know, I couldn't sleep with Phillip's friends."
"You didn't have any problem sleeping with my friends," Danny teases.
Nick jokes, "You just have a thing for hot football players, like me."
I turn my head and ask Danny, "Is a kicker considered a real player?" Then I give Nick a smirk.
"Actually, kickers are definitely real players. Think how many times a kick wins a game."
"True," everyone says, agreeing with Danny.
"Lori, how many football players did I sleep with?"
She holds up her hand, which is forming a big fat zero.
Danny looks at me in surprise. "Really? Is that true?"
"Yeah, sadly."
Nick says, "Why does that surprise you, Danny? You're the one that told every guy on team that we could look but not touch."
"YOU TOLD THEM THAT? Danny!! That was so not fair!"
Danny and Phillip laugh. "I never really thought it would work," Danny says. "Glad to know it did."
"Well it certainly explains a lot. It didn't matter though, mostly I did just fine finding boys without the two of you. And I preferred it that way."
"Yeah, you were sneaky," Danny says.
"I had to be! Here everyone thought it was all hot wild sex going on, but the truth is, it was like I lived with two FATHERS!"
Danny says, "Please. We used to get into trouble together. I never acted like your father."
"You did if I was getting into trouble with anyone but you."
Nick says to Danny. "Like when you guys used to make out at the bar?"
Phillip and Lori both look at us.
Shit. I'm pretty sure neither one of them knew about that.
Danny ignores Nick. "I've always watched out for Jay. Phillip and me both."
"And she's always needed it," Phillip says adorably.
He pulls me into a sweet kiss. Phillip's kisses are so amazing. I think that's why it was never a big deal to kiss Danny. It didn't really mean anything. It was more like an adventure. I'm pretty sure somewhere in the dark and scary recesses of my mind, I knew if I kissed Phillip it would've meant something more. Something important.
Dillon laughs and goes, "Remember that baseball game when JJ supposedly on accident mixed up the Gatorade bottles with Danny's special Gatorade/vodka mixes?"
Joey is like, "That was messed up, girl."
Phillip laughs. "Joey, you were the one who was messed up." He tells everyone else, "He got drunk during the game and was goofy and stumbling around."
"Everyone thought he had heat exhaustion and was delirious," Danny says.
"Hey, it was an honest mistake. I didn't see the special mark on the top. But I have to say, it was worth it. I don't think I've ever had so much fun at a baseball game."
"I don't even remember it," Joey says.
Neil clutches Danny's arm like he just remembered something super important. "Danny, dude, remember that chick from Park City that was all into you? She'd sit up in the bleachers in that little mini skirt with nothing on underneath? I got hit in the face with a pop fly one time when she uncrossed her legs."
Katie asks, "She was the one that had a boyfriend, right?"
Phillip laughs and says, "We all know how Danny felt about that."
All the guys say in unison, "Just because there's a goalie, doesn't mean you can't score."
We all laugh and giggle.
Joey is like, "Oh, guys, have you been out to Westown lately? They got a new convenient store. It's called the Kum and Go. I was seriously pumping my gas and laughing my ass off. Because, pumping!??!!"
"I know!" Neil says. "I get gas there every time I see my parents. I always feel bad though when I pump and don't go inside to buy anything. Like I did her, but I didn't stay to snuggle."
Lisa giggles. "I wondered why all the men were lined up outside. Coming and going is like their dream."
Lori quips, "Why? They can do that by themselves at home."
"A man totally named that store," I say. "Can't you see a bunch of high ass frat boys lying around, making up names for their future convenient store, and laughing their asses off?"
"We need to go there, Logan," Blake says. "We should try and plank on top of their sign."
Logan high fives Blake and says, "That'd be so awesome."
I look at Phillip and think it's time we go dancing. I can't wait to grind all over him and actually have the ability to back it up. I wanna drive him crazy. The kind of crazy that will make him want to take me back to my suite and drive me crazy. "You guys ready to go dance the night away?" I ask.
I've been thinking about what Danny said, and I may have stumbled upon a way to do it.
I'm going to plant a seed and hope it grows.
That's how my mom always said she dealt with my dad, and my dad was more stubborn than I am. Somehow though, my mom was always able to get her way, but at the same time, she made my dad think it was his idea.
I need to pull out the big guns (or maybe the small, subtle guns) to get Phillip to buy the house next door to Danny and Lori.
What do those ladies say in the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Something about the man is the head, but the woman is the neck. How the neck controls which way the man looks.
I need to be the neck.
I need Phillip to look at the house and make the decision to buy it.
I can't be the one to suggest it.
I need to find out how much they want for the house. I need to get Mr. Diamond to agree to let me spend it. Mr. D will be the one to tell Phillip it's what my parents would've wanted.
No, wait! I have an even better idea!
We'll make the money a GIFT from my parents.
Then it will be OUR money.
We'll go look at the house, and Phillip will say, Now we can afford it. We'll take it.
Or something like that.
Phillip will think it's all his idea while I will act appropriately shocked and thrilled. Phillip will be my hero, and we'll live happily ever after.
Gosh, I hope this works.
Mr. Diamond called Phillip earlier today and asked if we could meet with him after work.
We sit in the big wingback chairs in his study, and Mr. D says to Phillip, "So you know that my job is to protect JJ's financial interests. And as much as I know you two will be together forever, I have to think realistically about that. Every time I make a decision about JJ's finances, I always ask myself what would Paul have done? What would her dad have wanted, and how would Ronnie have felt about it? When I'm not sure what to do, I've consulted with your dad, Phillip, since he and JJ's dad were so close. I want to talk to you about JJ's finances tonight. I want you to understand everything. First off, you know they would've wanted her to have a special wedding and that Jadyn has that budget?"