Her room was made for kids.  There were bean bags and soft fluffy chairs in the reading corner with a mini bookshelf filed with pictures and Pre-K reading level books.  The multi colored plastic containers and bins on shelves and holders were up against the walls throughout the room.  Bins filled with blocks, legos, a wooden bed covered with dolls, containers on the white shelf holding different colors of crayons, glue, pieces of papers, stamps and ink pads.   There was a big toy bin that was filled with dresses, firemen hats and other articles of dressing up that was sitting next to a plastic kitchen set with an oven, stove and table with chairs.

Blue plastic chairs surrounded the three circle shape tables that were once covered in Mac N Cheese during lunch, was now completely spotless.   In one corner of the room, stood an easel that had a flow chart of a calendar and weather draped across it.  Beside it was a big blue plastic chair which had a huge rug in front of it with different colors, letters, and numbers scattered across on.  Around the walls near that area had posters attached to the wall by their height level of different colors and shapes all throughout the room in certain areas.

In the other corner of the room sat a large blue bin that was holding large amounts of sand and sand toys sitting inside, waiting to be played with.  On one wall was a large billboard that was decorated with plastic leaves, pumpkins, a scarecrow and the words "Halloween" in orange letters stapled across with a fall theme bored around the edges.  Next to it was a small child's chalk board, that earlier that day had its chalk and eraser taken away from the object as one of the children were using it to throw at someone for taking a toy that was once in their hands moments before.

 The bottom half of the walls were a soft, pale green color with sunflowers painted along the walls with a white boarder with pictures in them; pictures of all the kids that either she had taken, or that parents brought in.  Above the boarder that went around the room, in the middle of the wall, was painted to look like clouds in the sky.  If you asked Nicole what was her favorite part of her room, the way the walls were painted would have been her answer.  It was made look like they were outside on a beautiful spring day.

Then there was a desk.  Her desk; which had pictures of her friends and family on and around her desk on the wall with a calendar tacked onto the wall that already had words scribbled on it on certain days.  She had one art project of each child tacked around her desk which with one look it would bring a smile to her face.  A white and silver CD player sat on the white book shelf behind her that was playing soothing, soft music that could heard throughout the room.  The shelves also had many books and folders, one folder holding craft ideas, one holding her schedule, and her planning book.

Nicole let out a small sigh as she sat back in her chair, her eyes scanned her room that now had small little cots scattered throughout her room, each one holding a young child, asleep.  Naptime has struck and Nicole couldn't have been happier.  Yes, she loved her kids dearly, but today was one of those days when they were just rambunctious and acting up.  Nicole rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers, trying to subside the small tension headache that was already starting to form.  Picking up her pen, she looked down at the list she was making.  Ideas for the Halloween party and stuff that she needed.

Cupcakes, cookies, Halloween theme games, Halloween plates-napkins-cups, candy, orange and black streamers; a ball of yawn for the spider web game, Nicole read off her list in her head.  Halloween CD.  Nicole moved her rollin chair back a bit and carefully opened one of her file cabinets and shifted the music folders, each one marked and separated by different themes till she found one marked "Halloween".  Opening up the file folder, she pulled out the two CD's and read the songs on the back of it.  Witches Brew, Pass The Witch's Broomstick, Halloween, She read off the back of it.  Hokey Spookey.  Nicole smirked once she read the song name, knowing on how big of a bit the song had been in the past coupled years.  The song was just like the hokey pokey, but instead of saying body parts, they were substituted with a Halloween theme.  Instead of saying right hand, they would say pumpkin instead, left hand - ghost, right foot - skeleton, left foot - costume etc.  At the end, instead of the words "your whole self", they say put your monster.

Nicole softly hummed the song to herself while finishing reading the rest of the songs name and putting it back where she pulled it out of.  "You put your pumpkin in you take your pumpkin out, you put your pumpkin in and you shake it all about.  You do the Hokey Spookey and you turn yourself around and that's what it's all about...Boo!"  Nicole sang to herself.  Realizing what she just did, she shook her head in disbelief and looked back down at the piece of paper in front of her, laughing quietly.

Tapping the top of the pen cap to her top lip, Nicole sucked on her bottom lip, chewing it slightly while ideas were floating in her head.  Snapping her fingers, Nicole brought her pen down to the paper and wrote down the items she would need for pin the nose on the pumpkin game.  Writing down more ideas that would submerge her mind, she would cast her eyes up to double check on the children before looking back down at her piece of paper.  After writing whatever came to her head, she folded up her list, pulled out the drawer in her desk and stuffed it in her purse.  Glancing at the clock, she pulled out a folder and sat it on her desk.  Opening up the folder; she silently prayed that the rest of the day would fly by while she started to do some work she had to get done before the kids woke up.

~~*~~

"So that's it?"  Joey asked over his shoulder while poking the burger meat on the grill on Monday after Chris told them about his day with Nicole.

"Yeah?"  Chris replied with puzzlement.  His eyes scanned around on Joey's back patio see all sets of eyes on him; Justin, Joey, JC and Lance.  Chris let out a loud sigh.

"That sounds more like a question."  Justin smirked before taking a huge bite of his burger.

"She is a nice person.  A good friend, unlike you assholes."  Chris replied with an eye roll.

"Let him be guys."  JC warned the rest of the guys.  "He found a good friend, a girl, that didn't freak out or doesn't care about his status.  How rare is that?"

"Fine."  Justin mumbled with his mouth full of food.  Lance gave him a look of disgust while taking a sip of his coke.

"Seriously Just, didn't your mom teach you better?  Better yet, I know she did."

Justin slowly turned his head toward Lance and gave him a tight smile before opening his mouth, filled with chewed up food before swallowing.  Lance shot him another hatred look before flicking him off.  Justin chuckled and grabbed his napkin to wipe his mouth.

"You guys would like her.  She's chill."  Chris told them while crossing his legs, resting his ankle on top of his other knee.  "She's....real.  She's nice, sweet, funny, she actually listen's unlike someone I know."  Chris glanced over at Justin.  Justin looked around at the table and saw that Chris was only looking at him.

"Hey!"  Justin exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.  "It was only one time!  I was tired man!  I'm sorry."

"Three times."  JC reminded him with a nod and amusement look on his face.

"Is she pretty?"  Joey asked while wiggling his eyebrows.

"Don't even try it Joe."  Chris pointed his drink at his friend in warning before taking a sip.  "Yeah, she's pretty."

"When are we going to meet your new friend?"  Lance asked before chucking his balled up napkin at Justin.

"Well, I invited her to my annual Halloween party that I host, but I was thinking the day before or sometime that week of doing maybe what we are doing, having a BBQ, so she gets to know you retards before the party so she at least knows someone besides me.  I dunno if her friend Kara is coming with her to the party or not."

"She might bring a friend?"

"She's engaged Joey."  Chris shot him a warning.  "So her friend is off the market.  Don't bother trying."

"Why don't you call her over now?"  JC questioned.

"Yeah man!"  Justin added and reached out for Chris cell.

"She works at a daycare, remember?"  He reminded them and grabbed his cell out of Justin's reach.

"That's right.  She teaches little kids.  Well than she knows how to take care of Ju-Ju over there."  Lance teased, looking over at Justin.

"Shut up, Poofoo."  Justin narrowed his eyes at Lance.  "I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you."

"Teachers are so under paid."  JC said while shaking his head in disbelief.

Justin closed his mouth and looked over at JC with his eyebrows raised and said, "Well JC and Nicole would get along well.  They'll sit there and have an adult conversation while we have fun."

Justin let out a small yelp once he felt the blow of the back of JC's hand against the back of his head.  "Just because you're not smart Justin doesn't mean to hate."

"I'm not smart?!"  Justin sat up straight in his chair and looked at JC.  "What the hell do you mean I'm not---"

"Anyways," Chris said loudly, interrupting Justin.  "Just, don't ask her about her family.  She says she is okay and can talk about it but I dunno if she was putting up a front.  Once I asked about them, the sparkle in her eye vanished and she just looked really upset.  It took me a while to get a real smile on her face instead of a fake one."  Chris positioned his beer bottle on the table and sat back in his chair while the look on her face appeared in his head when she talked about her mom.  Letting out a sigh, he rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes.  "Her mom passed away suddenly two years ago."

"Oh my..." Joey muttered behind his hand as he was wiping his mouth.

"Really?"  Justin asked incredulity.

"No Justin, I'm making it up."  Chris rolled his eyes and gave his friend a serious look.

"Sorry, sorry."  Justin sat back in his chair and looked down at the table while he tried to grasp what he was told.  "I just...damn.  I can't picture my mom dying.  She's young to lose a mom."

"Did they know she was going to?"  JC asked.

Chris shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.  "No.  They didn't see it coming."

"Thanks for the heads up."  Lance said with a nod.  "That would have been awful if we made her shed tears on the first day we meet her."

"Which is why I told you guys ahead of time....Actually," Chris chuckled, "She is probably going to kill me for telling you this but she told me that she listened to one of our songs over and over after her mom died."

"Which one?"  Joey asked.

"Sailing."  Chris told them.  He studied his thumb before bringing it to his mouth and chewing on his nail.  Chris eyes darted up to his friends.  "You would all like her, trust me."

~~~

Nicole looked out of the corner of her eye on Thursday afternoon as she carefully watched him while he stood next to her pulling the grapes off the stems and tossing them into the container.

"Tell me why I'm doing this and not just having the grapes on the stems?"  Chris grumbled, plopping another one and tossing it in his mouth.

"Because it's easier to eat."  She told him like it was a well known fact and cautiously cut another piece from the melon and placing it in the container.  She glanced over at his pile and smirked.  "You're almost done anyways so stop complaining."

"Yeah yeah..."  He mumbled and dropped the rest of the grapes in the container.  "Still, stupid."

"You bellyache more than my kids."  She teased.  Cutting the last piece out of the melon, she placed the piece between her teeth and set the knife in the sink.  Turning around, she leaned her back into the counter and held onto the piece of the cantaloupe she was eating between her index finger and thumb.

"At least I don't I don't make other people eat chalk."  He teased back.  Picking up a piece of grape, he tossed it in the air and caught it in his mouth.

Nicole sighed, sliding onto one of the bar stools he had line against outer kitchen counter.  She carefully placed her elbow on the marble counter and positioned her chin in the palm of her hand all awhile finishing up the piece of fruit in her hand.  "I...I dunno where he got that idea.  I asked him and all the response I got from him was shrugged shoulders.  They are just special."

Nicole watched him when he tossed another grape in the air and caught it again in his mouth.  In triumph, Chris threw his hands up in the air in victory as he followed the same actions again, catching the next one also.  Nicole reached over with her other hand and plopped one in her mouth, chewing carefully.

"Are you nervous?"  Chris asked her all while tossing another grape in the air and catching it in his mouth. 

"About?"  Nicole's questioned.  Her eyes dropped to her floor when she heard paws scampering across the floor.  She watched as Chris's dog, Busta, jumped at his owners' feet as he also tried to join the game Chris was playing by himself.

"Meeting the guys."  He said before dropping a grape on the floor to the dog.  His brown eyes watched the pug lick the grape off the tile floor before glancing up at Nicole.

"No?  Should I be?"  She licked the fruit juices off her fingers that were left from the piece of cantaloupe.

"Nope."  Chris grabbed a handful of grapes and start tossing one by one in the air and moving his body towards where the grape was falling and letting it fall in his mouth.  "If you were; Joey would be able to tell and would throw you into the pool."

"Thanks for the heads up."  Nicole reached over the counter and picked up a couple of grapes and held one between her thumb and index finger.  "That's easy.  Get the ones I toss to you."

Chris rubbed his hands together and stood still while his eyes looked at her hand.  "You're on.  I'll prove you I can still catch them."

Nicole sat up on the bar stool and raised her right arm higher in the air.  Pulling her arm back slightly, she tossed the purple grape in the air.  Both of their eyes watched the grape carefully while it soured through the air.  Chris took a step to the right while his head bent back and closed his mouth quickly once the grape landed on his tongue.  Standing straight up, he pumped his hands up in the air and smile brightly.

"Gooaaalllllllllll!"  Chris drawled out stridently.  "Told you!"

"That is just one.  Let's see how many you can get."

"Alright."  Chris got in his stance and kept his eyes on her hand.  Nicole let out a small giggle as she watched him concentrate hard every time she tossed a grape in the air.  Placing a Tostitos chip in her mouth, she tried her best not to choke on it after watching Chris trip over his own feet.

"Slick."  She told him after carefully swallowing the chip that was in her mouth and successfully not choking on it.

"Slick."  Chris mocked her.  He narrowed his eyes at her and pointed to her hand that was holding another grape.  A small smirk soon appeared on his face when he saw the annoyance look in her face.  He knew how much she hated being mocked.  Nicole chucked the grape at him and watched it hit him in the eye.  Letting out a small gasp, she quickly slapped her hand over her mouth as Chris stood still in complete shock.  They both looked at each other, not believing that she just threw something at him.  Nicole bit on her bottom lip to try and hold back the smile and laughter that was fighting to come out.  After letting out a small snort, Nicole kept her hand over her mouth while she lost the battle and broke out into giggles.  Soon, Chris started laughing, causing both of them to lose themselves in laughter.  Nicole spread her arm across the counter and laid her forehead against her arm as she continued to laugh.

Chris rubbed his eye that was hit while planting his hands on the counter to hold him up as he laughed.  "You hit me in the eye!"  He choked out in between laughter.

"I'm sorry!"  She barely squeaked out, wheezing, making them laugh even harder.  After a couple minutes of laughing, they both calmed down and took a deep breath.  Nicole giggled and kept her head against her arm.  "I'm sorry.  You know I hate being mocked and..."

"What the hell are you two on?"

Nicole's head jerked up at the same time as Chris quickly spun on his body around towards where the heard the voice.  Justin stood there, his arms folded across his chest with his head cocked to the side, an amusement look on his face with JC standing beside him.

"She was throwing grapes in the air for me to catch, I tripped, she said something mean and I mocked her.  She threw a grape at me and it hit me in the eye!"  Chris exclaimed with his hands in the air.

"You aggravate me."  Nicole crossed her arms over her chest and gave Chris a look.  "You deserved it anyways."

Chris turned his head quickly towards where Nicole was sitting.  "I knew it was on purpose!"  He stuck his tongue out at her.

"I like her already."  Justin's blue eyes looked over at Nicole.  "You must be Nicole."  He assumed.  "Chris has told us about you."

Nicole nodded her head as she uncrossed her arms.  "Whatever he told you about me is false."  She held her hand out toward him to greet him.  Chuckling from her comment, Justin looked down at her hand and smirked.  He brushed her hand away and embraced her with a hug.  He chuckled again when he felt her stiff in his arms.  Slowly she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back.  Justin pulled back and winked.

"Put that hand away.  We hug around here."  He told her before shoving a couple chips in his mouth.

JC shook his head while he smiled and made his way towards Nicole.  "Nice to meet you."

"You too."  She told him after they hugged.

"Where are the rest of the guys?"  Chris asked Justin and JC all while taking the hamburger meat out of his refrigerator.

JC shrugged his shoulders and took a seat next to Nicole on the bar stool.  He gave Nicole a slight nudge with his elbow while reaching for a piece of watermelon.  "Watch out for the blonde one.  He'll try to bring you under his Timberlake charm."

"Gotcha."

"My my my.  Chris what were you thinking hiding this beautiful lady from us?"

Nicole's eyebrows rose slightly and slowly turned to her right.  Next to her stood Joey.  She watched as his eyes travel up and down her body with a huge grin on his face.  JC leaned over slightly and mumbled into Nicole's ear.  "Watch out for him also."

Nicole chuckled and watched as Joey picked up her hand and brought it up to his lips, lingering a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Leave her alone Joey."  Lance smacked him across the back of his head.  "Don't scare her away."

"Have you guys ever heard of knocking of ringing the doorbell?"  Chris asked, pulling a beer out of the refrigerator and passing one to everyone.

"Nah."  Justin popped off his beer and took a sip.  "You wouldn't of heard it when Jace and I got here because you two laughing hyena's."

"What?"  Lance inquiry while taking the beer Chris was handing to him.  Chris reached for a bottle of water and handed it to Nicole.  Chris opened his mouth to answer Lance but closed it when Justin started to tell Joey and Lance over what happened.  Nicole kept her eye on Chris while she took a sip of her water while Chris made silent death threats to her while Justin continued the story.  Nicole smiled, winked, then turned around to slide off the stool and walked out to the back deck with the rest of the guys.

Nicole sat down in one of the chairs that surrounded the glass table on the deck and tucked one of her legs under her.  Justin plopped down in the chair next to her and stretched his long legs out in front of him.  Placing his beer on the table, he stretched his arms over his head and slid down in the chair before picking the bottle back up again.

"You don't want a beer?"

"It's disgusting."  Nicole scrunched her face in disgust before taking a sip of her water.  "I don't know how you can drink that crap."

"Easy."  Justin held his beer bottle in the air before taking a swig of it.  After wiping the back of his hand over his mouth he looked over at her and flashed a smile.

"Smartass."  Lance sat on the other side of the table and crossed his legs.

Nicole's eyes slowly scanned around the large backyard while the guys continued to bicker around the table.  She loved how calming and peaceful his backyard made her feel.  The Palm trees branches were swaying slightly from the slight breeze that was coming off the lake that his house was off of.  She pulled her other leg up and rested her chin on her knee while having her arm drape around her calf while she took in the scenery around her.  There was tiki bar on one side of the deck in the back corner and a tropical look pool.  Her eyes watched the water poured out of the rock waterfall that was at the right corner end of the pool with palm trees behind it.  Soon she was brought back to reality when she heard a body plop down on the other side of her.  Her eyes darted and watched Chris tilted his head to the side, cracking it before he got comfortable in the chair.  She raised a brow and took a sip of her water before joining back into the conversation.

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it hurt me before
For once, I have something I know wont desert me
I'm not alone anymore

He watched Nicole and the guys interact with each other out of the corner of his eye.  He felt his body relax with ease over how comfortable everyone seemed to be and welcomed Nicole with open arms.  He smiled at how everyone acted like they have known each other for years.  He couldn't put his finger on it on why it meant a lot to for the guys to like her.  Somehow the black hair, green eye teacher walked into his life and took over a special part in heart in just a short while.  Chris watched as she tucked her hair behind her ear while laughing over something Justin said.  He sat back in his chair while his mind pondered over thousands of thoughts that were floating through his brain.  Even though his heart was reminding him over his heartbreak, his brain was telling him that Nicole was unlike everyone else.  She wasn't going to desert him.