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fifth degree black belt and a…?” John asked curiously. “Yeah, I think she said fifth degree.” Shane said with an air of uncertainty. “Yes it’s fifth. Nearing sixth.” Rose said grudgingly rubbing her shoulder. “And she’s a…just a friend? Or…” John persisted. “Oh, she’ll give in soon enough. She realizes how she feels now, and she’s tried to deny things like this before. She always gives in, though sometimes it takes a while.” Rose said confidently. I had an urge to kick her seat hard, but contained it to see what the rest of them said. “So you’re going to wait until then Shane? Normally you are a bit braver.” John said in a teasing voice. “I honestly don’t have much choice. She wouldn’t hesitate to give me a piece of her mind if I did anything before she’d given in.” Shane said ruefuly. “I’m sure she wouldn’t hesitate to give you a nice piece of her mind if she heard what you’re saying right now.” John said with a teasing tone still in his voice. “Oh, she’s asleep no doubt. She is way too proud to lay here like this consciously.” Shane retorted, and I knew that he’d be grinning by the tone of his voice. “She’s smart enough to act asleep to find out what was on your mind you know,” Jacob started, “And she isn’t above swallowing her pride to find out something if she wants to.” Jordan finished for Jacob. “She’s sleeping like a log. There is no chance that she is that good an actor.” Shane said, sounding a bit nervous. Now I was just waiting for the right moment to reveal the fact that I was fully conscious. “Molly can be a really good actor when she’s motivated.” Violet said in my defense. “Okay, okay. I get it; she can be a good actor. But I wouldn’t want to upset the ‘Great Rose-Marie.’ I still don’t get why they try to stay on your good side so hard, but your sisters, the ones who can yell and fight so well that they could beat John, they don’t even bother to make an effort. It seems like they should be making an effort to stay on your sisters good sides.” Shane said. “Oh. That’s because they’ve seen some of my best designs and I’ve told them that if they don’t respect me, I’ll get my family to lend me a hand.” Rose said with a trying too hard air of nonchalance. “Seriously! I’m the one to help you and they give me no respect!” I burst out before I could stop myself, bolting upright in my annoyance. Shane jumped and gasped when I bolted upright and just about everybody in the car besides my family, so that was Shane, Jasper, John, Kevin, Jeff and Joshua who had somehow jammed inside my sisters car and my family was in another car that was beside us. “You were awake the entire time?!” Shane asked with his face beginning to turn red. “Weren’t they obvious enough?” I asked with my face speeding through about five shades of blushing. “Wow Shane, I have never even seen //you// blushing before, and this is the… third time today?” John teased. “You’re going to kill me for that aren’t you?” Shane asked me, trying to ignore the fact that both of us were blushing. “Um… I’m not completely sure yet.” I responded and then John caught my eye and he grinned at me. “You had already realized that I wasn’t asleep hadn’t you?” I accused, trying to cover up my blush with anger. He grinned apologetically at me. “Uh, yeah. You’re not quite that good at acting.” John said. “You couldn’t have told me could you?!” Shane wined. “Honestly, I thought you were perceptive enough to read all of their hints with ease, but you weren’t paying much attention to them.” John retorted. “How much further till we get there?” I asked to change the topic. “Are you coming home to shower and change first?” Violet asked skeptically. “Uh… Yeah, that would be smart.” I answered realizing that I wasn’t exactly in my comfortable training sweats or my workout outfit, preferably some good old shorts and a tank top.  “Yeah, I thought so.” Violet said. “You going to workout and train with them? Or are you going to just sit and watch them?” Rose asked with a hint of balck humor in her voice that only I would be able to detect. page 12