Intensity Read online

  “No feet on any part of my car!” Ruthie scolded, never taking her eyes off the road.

  “They have to be on the floor,” Celine teased.

  Ruthie shot her a quick look. “Don’t be difficult.”

  Celine laughed and placed the lotion back in her purse. “I really don’t mind driving. You worked all day today, might as well give the stay-at-home worker a chance behind the wheel.”

  “No! You are not driving my car,” Ruthie replied sternly. Huffing, she added, “I’m surprised Noah even trusts you with his.”

  “Hey! That greatly offends me,” Celine said in a fake southern belle accent. She placed her hand against her chest in dramatic fashion. “I’m actually a very good driv-ah.”

  “Says the two speeding tickets, a parking violation, and one rear-ender?” Ruthie shot back.

  “Since when are we keeping count?” Celine scowled, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes.

  Ruthie shook her head in disbelief. “Seriously! I can’t believe you still have your license!” Celine pouted and crossed her arms; however Ruthie didn’t care, adding firmly, “No, you are absolutely never going to drive my car.”

  “Can I at least pick the music?” Celine asked, holding up her iPod.

  “Fine,” Ruthie groaned. She handed Celine the auxiliary cable and added, “Please, none of your bluesy stuff. I hear it enough from your room every morning.”

  “I can’t help that I love the Louisiana flare.”

  “You’ve never even been there!” Ruthie laughed.

  “What can I say? I was born with soul.” Celine joked. “Seriously though, you will love my playlist.” She attached her mp3 player and quickly picked an album. Soon enough the car was filled with Intensity’s greatest hits.

  Ruthie squealed in delight. “Why am I so surprised right now? I should have known you’d bring this along!”

  “I know, right? You really don’t know me as well as you think you do. What’s the point of going to an Intensity concert without the soundtrack to go along with it?” Celine gave her a wink.

  “Stop talking! My favorite part is coming!”

  The two sang along at the top of their lungs. Celine even went as far as to do the choreographed arm movement from Intensity’s old pay-per-view concert. It felt like old times again. The only thing missing was Celine’s sister, Melissa, pounding on her door, yelling for them to shut up.

  The music transported Ruthie back and she couldn’t help but think about their younger years. She tilted her head thoughtfully. “So I was just thinking about our high school love life.”

  “What high school love life?” Celine snorted, pushing a sweaty strand of hair from her face.

  “Exactly my point!” Ruthie agreed. “We didn’t have one! Maybe that’s why I’m like this.”

  “Like what?” Celine asked curiously.

  “Bad with men! Always picking the wrong guy!” She gritted her teeth and added, “And apparently bad with flirting. I never got to experience what all the other girls our age did. We were always so busy crushing on the unattainables that we never got to perfect our relationship skills with actual human boys.”

  Celine laughed. “Oh, I must have missed the part where we dated aliens.”

  Ruthie rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean! All the other girls graduated from their ‘dating training wheels’ in high school, but we were still using helmets and kneepads in college. I blame our social awkwardness, myself.”

  “None of that stuff matters,” Celine argued. “Just because we were…um, inexperienced during high school does not automatically sentence us to a bad love life. I mean, look at me! I landed Noah and he’s the perfect guy. It didn’t matter that I was such a late bloomer. You don’t need to learn how to be great in a relationship. When you’re with the right guy, you’ll know exactly what to do.”

  Ruthie sighed, “You’re saying it will come easy? Just like that? Maybe it will never be as easy for me as it is for you.”

  “It will never be easy!” Celine laughed, causing Ruthie to frown a bit. “All relationships require work, but the thing is when you have the right person there beside you that work seems more like play. You have a teammate on your side. You both work towards the same goal and after a while, the work doesn’t seem so bad anymore.”

  “I guess,” Ruthie said doubtfully. “I’m just saying, maybe if we were able to mess up and make love life mistakes back in high school we would have fared a lot better.”

  “No, I disagree. I’m happy my love life went the way it did. If it didn’t, I may never have met Noah.”

  “Even if it meant hooking up with Brian?” Ruthie teased.

  Celine scowled. “Yeah, like that would ever have happened. Did you know how mad I was that my first kiss was with Chad and not with Brian? Still cringe thinking about it,” she shuddered.

  “Eh, Chad was cute,” Ruthie replied.

  “He ignored me after homecoming! Kiss ’em and leave ’em. Guess that’s what his motto was.” Celine bit her lip in thought. “Anyway, it’s fine. Chad, Brian, whoever—I ended up with Noah and I am more than happy about that.”

  “Yeah, I guess things ended up the way they were supposed to. Fate and all that.”

  “Precisely!” Celine agreed.

  Ruthie smiled as another distant memory resurfaced. “Did you know that Brian was actually worried about you after the dance?”

  Celine perked up. “Are you serious?”

  Nodding, Ruthie answered, “Yeah, he asked me about you the next day. He heard Chad talking about your kiss, I guess. He even put him in his place.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” Celine wondered. Uninvited butterflies appeared in her stomach and guiltily Celine pushed them away. She cleared her throat. “That was pretty nice of him. It’s just weird he never asked me about it. I thought we were all friends.”

  “Guess he didn’t want to embarrass you.” Ruthie shrugged her shoulders.

  “Ugh,” Celine groaned. “Did everyone at Palo Rio High know that Chad was my first kiss?”

  Ruthie nodded seriously, “Pretty much.”

  Celine grimaced. “Well, this conversation has been really interesting and utterly embarrassing. At least I can say Brian finally redeemed himself in my mind. Do you remember how he ignored me after he found out I liked him?”

  “And let me remind you again, I wasn’t the one who told him. It was probably that bitch, Lora. I told you not to trust her with your secret.”

  Celine smiled sheepishly. “I know…sorry about that stupid fight, by the way.”

  “Not a fight!” Ruthie corrected. “I am not counting that as a legitimate argument between us. We can still proudly say that you and I have never been in a single fight.”

  “Okay, okay,” Celine said, laughing. She reached out and increased the volume of her favorite Intensity song. “I wonder what Brian’s up to now.”

  Ruthie shook her head in amusement. “Like you said, it doesn’t matter. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

  Celine bit her lip thoughtfully and glanced back at the road. Thinking of an old crush was something an engaged woman definitely should not do. She quickly changed the subject. “I heard the hotel we’re staying in was used by Intensity back during their Force Tour.”

  “Really?” Ruthie’s eyes brightened. “Do you think they’ll use it again?”

  “Probably,” Celine replied. “Why else do you think I insisted that you book that particular one?”

  “Good thinking,” Ruthie agreed. “So, now that we’re on the subject, let’s work on a game plan for tonight.”

  “Okay, coach,” Celine replied good-naturedly. “What’s the plan?”

  “Well, as usual we’ll try to find any breadcrumbs that will lead us to Intensity. We will comb the whole venue for any unguarded doors, carelessly left itineraries, or heck, even keys to their tour bus!”

  Celine shook her head nervously. “I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t
think we should do it. There are other ways to meet Cash! I mean, it’s not too late to call in my favor. We’re not teenagers anymore, Ruthie!”

  “Then what’s the point of even doing this? It was you who wanted to relive your childhood before you took the big plunge, remember?”

  “But—”

  Ruthie shook her head. “No buts! We agreed to do it the way our seventeen year old selves would have done it and we’re not going to back out now.”

  “Well, our seventeen year old selves were really big idiots if they thought they wouldn’t get detained and arrested for pulling such stunts,” Celine pointed out.

  Ruthie threw a quick glance in Celine’s direction and tightened her grip on the leather steering wheel. “Don’t chicken out on me. We’ve always wanted to meet them! This might be our last chance. I mean, how many reunion tours do you think they’ll do?”

  Celine sighed in exasperation. “Don’t get me wrong, I still want to meet them…but not to the point that we’ll find ourselves in jail. Are you forgetting how bad I am dealing with authority figures?”

  Ruthie winced. How could she forget? One time during sophomore year, both girls were called into the office for breaking the school dress code (were tank tops really that risqué?). Celine spent the whole ordeal crying and apologizing to the vice principal. If Ruthie didn’t know better, she’d think Celine expected to get suspended for wearing her floral camisole to school.

  Ruthie reached out and patted Celine’s thigh with assurance. “We’re not going to get in trouble. I promise!”

  “You can’t promise that,” Celine muttered.

  “What I can promise is that if anything bad happens, I’ll get us out of it.” Ruthie nodded her head confidently. She knew they’d be fine. She only wished Celine would believe it as much she did.

  “I don’t think Noah will be too happy if I called him from jail.” Celine huffed. She crossed her arms, appearing like a five-year-old in the midst of a tantrum. “I’m not going to stop telling you that this is a very stupid idea. I really don’t want to start off my marriage with my fiancé bailing me out of jail.”

  “Noah won’t have to.” Ruthie reached for the cup holder and grabbed a pair of her sunglasses. Slipping them on, she smiled. “Trust me.”

  Chapter 6

  “This place is packed!” Celine glanced around at all the twenty and thirty-something year old women who meandered about the hotel lobby.

  “I can help who’s next!” a chirpy voice called out from the front desk. Together the girls lugged their leopard and floral printed luggage towards the petite redhead that was barely visible behind the gigantic oak desk. Her nose looked a bit too tiny for her face, which was further accentuated by her tiny black rimmed glasses. “Checking in?” she asked in a perky voice.

  “Yes, please,” Ruthie replied, handing her a credit card and her I.D. As she patiently waited for their information to be punched in, Ruthie couldn’t help but look around the crowded room. “Are these people all here for the Intensity concert?”

  The petite woman laughed, “Yeah, can you believe it? Full grown adults and still trying to hold on to their ridiculous childhood fantasies.” Blinking suddenly, she stopped and looked up. “Uh, are you here for that as well?”

  Celine opened her mouth to speak, but fearing what would come out of it, Ruthie quickly interrupted, “NO!” Her voice came out louder than she had anticipated and she quickly lowered her tone. “I mean, no. We’re just here to catch up with one another. Best friends spending some quality time together, right?”

  Celine raised an eyebrow as the woman nodded her head in relief. “Well, at least you two are smart. Some of these women even have posters and shirts! Ridiculous!”

  “What kind of music do you like?” Celine interrupted. There was a slight edge to her voice and Ruthie knew Celine was on the verge of exploding. “You know, since you’re too good for Intensity and stuff.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, but narrowed her eyes in scrutiny.

  Not wanting to put a sour dent into their already awkward arrival, Ruthie pushed Celine gently to the side. “What floor are we on?” she piped up in an artificially sugary sweet voice.

  Obviously catching Celine’s snarky tone, the woman smiled at Ruthie gratefully. “Fifth floor, room 531. Here are your keys and please have a great stay.”

  While she handed Ruthie the two plastic cards, Celine had already begun to walk away. She headed towards the center of the lobby and cried out, “Intensity Forever!” in her loudest voice possible. All around her, women started whooping and cheering. Ruthie bowed her head, feeling heat rising from her neck. She flashed the woman an apologetic smile and slowly followed Celine to the elevator.

  “You didn’t have to be so rude to her! Now I’m going spend the whole weekend worried that our bed sheets and towels have been pissed on!” Feeling the woman’s annoyed stare, Ruthie jabbed her finger against the elevator button silently praying for the doors to close.

  Just as the doors slammed shut, Celine burst into laughter. “I think we’ll know if someone pissed all over our linens. Yellow stains are very visible.”

  “What if they’re white stains?” Ruthie grimaced.

  “Get your mind out of the gutter!” Celine shuddered. “Also, don’t hotels usually clean your rooms before you check in? I think we’ll be safe.”

  “You ever hear about something called housekeeping?” Ruthie asked as they exited onto the fifth floor.

  “Whatever! We’ll hang a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the front door if that makes you feel any better. Anyway, I don’t feel bad for what I did. That bitch deserved it! We’re all giving the hotel unsolicited business right now. She should be happy this place is packed with Intensifiers!”

  Ruthie giggled. She always hated the nickname Intensity fans dubbed themselves. Being called an “intensifier” as an adult sounded even more ridiculous than it did when they were teenagers.

  “Is this our room?” Celine asked, stopping in front of a wooden door.

  Glancing at the key sleeve, Ruthie nodded. “Yup, room 531. Our home for the next day and a half.” Ruthie placed the plastic card into the reader and turned the knob. Her jaw dropped when she saw what lay inside. She turned her face towards Celine, who was grinning from ear to ear. “You can’t be serious!”

  Celine jumped and clapped her hands together quickly. “I called them and made the special request! I know you nixed my idea of bringing one of these into your house, so I thought the hotel would be the next best thing. What better way to feel like teenagers again than to have one of these in our room? It’s just like the one I used to own.”

  With her mouth wide open, Ruthie stepped inside. She rolled her suitcase about halfway into the room and dropped the handle. The leopard print suitcase fell forward with a thud. Pushing her dark hair back over her shoulders, Ruthie slowly made her way to the hot pink monstrosity. How Celine pulled this off she did not know.

  “You mean to tell me the hotel agreed to provide an inflatable couch in the room?” she squeaked.

  “Yes!” Celine laughed in delight. She ran over to the plastic couch and quickly plopped on top. She couldn’t have been sitting down for more than a few seconds when she quickly screeched and stood up.

  “What?! What?” Ruthie gasped.

  “I forgot I have some rivets in my jeans! I don’t want to punch a hole in the thing.” Celine grimaced and rubbed at her back pockets, taking a quick look at her ass.

  Ruthie felt herself relax. She nudged Celine and scolded, “Don’t scare me like that!” Straightening her shoulders, she examined the couch. “Yeah, still as tacky as I remember them to be. I wonder where the hotel even found this thing! I doubt they have a whole arsenal on standby.” She paused and lifted an eyebrow. “They’re not charging me for this, are they?”

  “Stop being such a killjoy! No, I had them put it on my card, okay?” She bugged out her eyes and gently sat back on the chair. Sighing, she stretched her arms against the back of
the couch. It groaned under the pressure and Ruthie was sure the thing would pop before the night was through. Celine, on the other hand, was completely enamored with it. “This adds a nice touch to what I feel is going to be a great night.”

  “If you say so,” Ruthie’s voice trailed off as she winced at the tacky piece of furniture.

  ***

  Later that night, Ruthie rushed out of the bathroom excitedly. After exactly an hour she had her hair exactly as she wanted, with soft curls cascading over her shoulder. She adjusted her black halter and jumped in front of Celine. “Tada! What do you think?” she asked, grinning excitedly. Her grin fell when she saw what her best friend was wearing. “Are you seriously going to go out in public that?”

  Celine, who was brushing her teeth, shrugged and asked, with toothbrush still in her mouth, “What’s wrong with it?”

  After over a decade, she could never get rid of the oversized shirt of Cash Walker’s face. For over eleven years it had been sitting in the back of her closet collecting dust. Having no real reason to wear it, she decided the big reunion tour could be her only chance. She happily had the shirt dry cleaned (which she admitted was a bit too extravagant for a hundred percent cotton shirt) and lovingly packed it into her suitcase.

  “Aren’t you embarrassed?” Ruthie asked, scrunching up her face as she eyed the t-shirt.

  “Why would I be? I’m a fan!”

  “You really want to meet them wearing that?”

  “When we meet them, Cash will thank me for my loyalty and undying devotion.” She paused to gargle water in her mouth and straightened herself. “I still don’t know why you won’t just let me call Jayne. She may still be able to get the backstage passes, you know.”

  Ruthie rolled her eyes and adjusted the thin strap to her top. “I told you! I want to do this the old fashioned way. I wouldn’t feel right doing it any other way.”