kennedybrock Blog and Journals

           Mae and John were sitting outside behind John’s house. The only source of light was the back porch lamp. It softly illuminated where they were sitting. A few of their friends had only just left. Mae didn’t feel like going home yet so she stayed with John in his backyard.

The candle that had been burning before blew out. The smell of the hot wax was still in the air and the bugs were still repelled by it. Everything was quiet but their voices just talking about nothing in particular.

These kinds of nights made Mae happy to be friends with John. He was the only guy she knew well enough that she could sit with and talk to for hours on end. John wanted to talk to Mae; he was in love with her. Just seeing her made him happy.

John moved his chair to sit next to Mae. She smiled and scooted closer to him. John put his feet up on another chair across from him and settled deeply into his. Mae watched him and smiled. He looks so sleepy. Maybe I should let him get to bed.

“Are you tired?” Mae asked.

“No.” John lied.

“Yes you are. I can see it.”

“So, I don’t want to go to bed yet. I’m having too much fun with you.” He said smiling up at her.

“Okay.”

Mae sank down in her chair and put her feet up on the same one John had his on. He playfully pushed at her feet. She pushed back and they got into a little foot fight before settling and relaxing back into talking.

John reached over and put his hand on the armrest of Mae’s chair. She, without thinking, picked up his hand and curled her fingers around his.

“Your hands are cold.” John said.

“I know, and yours are warm. I’m just using you.” Mae joked.

“I like to be used.”

“Sure you do.” Mae rolled her eyes.

John started to rub his thumb into the back of Mae’s hand. Mae felt a little uncomfortable. Why does he have to take a gesture that means nothing and turn it into something awkward? She sighed and looked up at the stars through the screen over the back porch. I wonder what she’s thinking right now. Does she like this? John mused for a while.

After searching the sky for something that she wasn’t going to find, Mae looked over at John to find that he was watching her. He smiled and scooted closer to her. She smiled politely back and hid that she was nervous.

A moment later John laid his head on Mae’s shoulder while they were aimlessly talking. Mae didn’t mind it much but she would have rather he hadn’t put his head on her shoulder. She felt too much like she should be something more than his friend, but he wasn’t ever going to be that.

“Mae?” John asked quietly.

“Yes.” She sighed not making it a question.

“Do you ever think about that one night when we were drunk?” John asked like he was scared.

Mae didn’t know how to answer that. If she said no, she would hurt him. If she said yes, she would give him hope.

“Not a lot.” She said hoping that was safe.

“Do you think if we weren’t drunk…?” John trailed off unsure of himself.

“If we weren’t drunk what?” Mae pushed.

“I don’t know. I just… I wanted to know if you thought about it as much as I do.”

“Probably not. If I do, you know I feel differently about it.”

“Yea, that’s the problem.” John whispered to himself.

Mae heard it only because John’s head was on her shoulder. She knew he was thinking about that night at Max’s again and consequently she was too.

“I wanted to know if there was ever going to be a chance when we could do that and not be influenced by anything.” John said choosing his words slowly.

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know?” John asked sitting up and taking his feet off the chair.

“Because John, I don’t feel the way you do about me.”

“I know that. I just want to have a chance to kiss you when I’m not wasted.”

“So do it then.” Mae sighed.

“What?” John looked at Mae confused.

“You want to know what it’s like. You want to know if it will make anything different. So do it and see for yourself.” Mae said coming closer to his face.

John took Mae by her cheeks and pulled her in closer. John connected his lips with Mae’s. She sat in his lap and kissed him back just the same way that he was kissing her. John pushed his hands back into Mae’s hair. She put her arms around his neck. She was giving him everything she could so he could feel for himself that she didn’t quite like him as he liked her.

Slowly, John got the courage to turn the kiss into a make out. Mae tried not to cringe when she felt his tongue against hers. He was like a brother to her. This felt totally and completely wrong with the absence of alcohol. She pushed on and tried to be fair to him.

Mae pulled back after she felt like she couldn’t handle it anymore. John looked up at her, no emotion on his face. He was carefully keeping his thoughts and feelings inside. I really liked that, but that was my only chance. I know it was. It had to have been. He looked at her waiting for something to change.

She felt ashamed of herself for letting him do that. It was in her nature to bend over backwards for people. The only thing Mae could think of to make John understand and let him stop wondering was to let this happen. It was probably the wrong thing to do but she did it to make him happy.

Slowly Mae got off John’s lap and sat back in her chair. There was nothing she wanted to say. I’m such and idiot. He’s fricken glowing right now. That did not work at all. Mae glanced at John to see a smile spread across his lips.

“That was nice.” He smiled.

Mae didn’t say anything.

“If every kiss could be like that…” John trailed off.

“You’ll find someone who kisses better than me.” Mae said.

John looked down at his hands. He knew that was coming in one form or another but it still hurt like he wasn’t expecting it.

“How come you can’t see how much I want you?” John asked.

“I can see just how much you want me John. That’s what makes it hard. I wish I couldn’t see it.”

“Why? I’m not good enough?”

“You’re better than good enough. It’s just that I see you as a brother. Don’t ask me to explain how because I don’t know.”

“You have to know. It’s your thoughts.”

“I have to be getting home.” Mae said standing up.

“Can I walk you out?”

“No.”

Mae got up and left the back porch. She walked through the house happy that John’s parents had gone to bed already. She didn’t want to have to face them.

 

Another week passed and John was around much more than normal. Mae didn’t mind it much because John was her best friend. He was good conversation and he cared about her, which made her feel good about herself.

Tim didn’t seem to show any interest in Mae at all. He was back to the smile and nod when he saw her. Nothing special even happened after he took my stitches out. Why should I feel like he has forgotten me? He never paid any attention to me anyway. Similar thoughts ran through Mae’s mind all the time.

Garrett tried to be the best help he could to Mae. He spent many of his nights talking to her between their houses. To him she seemed like a lost little girl. He wanted to help her find her way.

John was over at Mae’s house in her room with her like always. Only this time he had a game plan. He wasn’t going to leave until he got something out of her.

“Mae?” John asked from her bed.

She was sitting on the floor sorting out papers for school.

“What?”

“Can you take a break please? It’s been an hour.”

“I’m almost done.”

“That’s what you said twenty minutes ago.” He whined.

“Fine.” Mae sighed putting her papers down. “You’re such a baby.”

John smiled at Mae when she laid down on her bed next to him.

“I like being the baby. You do what I demand this way.”

Mae rolled her eyes and put her head on John’s shoulder. He pulled his arm around her and held her close while he laced his fingers with hers. Mae didn’t care. Today this seemed nice and comforting to her. She snuggled into his side.

John’s confidence grew.

“I’ve been thinking again.” John said.

Here we go. Mae thought to herself.

“Mmhm.” She encouraged him to keep talking.

“Well anyways, last week in my backyard was probably one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. I kind of wish that I could have one of those nights every night.”

“John.” Mae warned.

“What? I’ve been trying for exactly one year, eight months, three weeks, four days, five hours, twenty-seven minutes, and three seconds to get you to like me. You can’t blame me.”

“Okay, that time frame is a lie.”

“Well the one year and eight months is right at least. The rest I made up.” John smiled.

“So what is this supposed to mean to me?”

“It’s supposed to mean that you will give me a chance, once single little chance at being your boyfriend. That’s all I ask for and all I want.”

“Let’s say I give you this chance, then what?”

“What do you mean and then what?”

“If I give you the chance, what will you do?”

“Be your boyfriend.” John said slowly like it was obvious.

“No, if it doesn’t work out...”

“Then I’ll stop bothering you because I’ll have had my chance and it didn’t work out for a real legitimate reason.”

Mae sighed. She knew it would never work. The idea that he would leave her alone was tempting. If she could stick it out for a month or two, then she’d be free of his pursuit.

“Please?” John asked. “It’s just one tiny little chance.”

Mae looked up at John. He was begging her. She sat up and moved to the other side of the room away from him. John got off the bed and got down on his knees in front of her. His plan was to beg until she either said yes or made him leave. Mae looked down at him.

Is he really worth a chance? Didn’t I say to Garrett that I knew we could have a good relationship? If this works out and there is no reason to break up then what do I do…? Mae had hit a wall. If there wasn’t a reason to break up then that would mean that she’d find something like a balance or a liking for John that she didn’t know now. If she didn’t then she’d be free of him.

“Please?” John asked once more.

He’s on his knees. No one has ever gotten on their knees for me. He really wants this.

“Okay, one chance and that’s it.” Mae said looking at John.

The happiness and the shock washed over him in waves. Did she really just give me a chance? He stood up and hugged her to be sure. She pulled him closer. He looked into her eyes and she didn’t move. He pressed his lips to hers and she kissed him back.

“Do I really have a chance?” John asked.

“I just gave you one. Are you taking it?”

“Yes.” John smiled pushing his lips back to Mae’s.

Mae kissed him back finding that she could like this if she tried. John wasn’t such a bad kisser. She just had to get past the fact that he was like a brother to her. The way he pulled her in and the way he touched her felt nice, but it was nothing special.

Garrett walked into his room at that moment. Out of habit he glanced across to Mae’s to see if she was there. He saw her and John kissing and he rubbed his eyes and then looked again. What the fuck is going on? He stared a bit longer and then walked out of his room not wanting to see anything more. He peeked back to make sure that was what he really just saw and then went downstairs.

He picked up his phone and dialed Pat’s number.

“Hi Garrett.” Garrett’s mom said as he walked by.

“Hey.” He mumbled not really paying attention.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, just trying to call Pat is all.” He said stepping in the back yard and redialing Pat’s number.

“Mmm what Garrett.” Pat mumbled into his phone.

He’d only just woken up. It was three in the afternoon and he was still in bed.

“Dude, I just saw John and Mae kissing.”

“Sure. You on drugs man? That would never happen in a million years. Well unless there was alcohol involved. Then it would happen.”

“No I’m not on drugs and no they’re not drunk. I swear to you they were kissing. It wasn’t like a make out either. It was like how a boyfriend kisses a girlfriend.”

“Boyfriends and girlfriends make out.” Pat said slightly annoyed.

I got woken up for this? Come on! It’s not even real. Wait, is this a prank? Pat rolled over in his bed and pulled the covers over his shoulder.

“I mean this was like soft and… cute looking.”

“You’re lying.”

“Get your ass over here then and see.”

“I’m going back to bed.”

“Pat.”

“Fine.” Pat grumbled and then hung up on Garrett.

Pat got out of his bed and pulled a pair of jeans on before walking out of the house. He got into his car and drove a few neighborhoods over to Garrett’s. He noted that John’s car was in front of Mae’s house. That sent a little shock of anticipation through him. Maybe Garrett wasn’t lying.

Garrett saw Pat before Pat could knock on the door and opened it. Pat walked in.

“Come on! They’re still in her room.” Garrett called over his shoulder as he ran up the stairs.

Pat followed slightly slower. Garrett was waiting by his door. Pat looked at him like there was something funny going on. Why is his door closed? Is this another prank? No! Maybe this is still the same prank, like they wanted to get me over here for this. Pat stood in front of the door and looked at Garrett.

“Go in slowly.” Garrett said opening the door.

Tentatively Pat pushed the door open wider and saw that there was nothing waiting to jump out at him or fall on him. He went into Garrett’s room and Garrett followed him. Pat saw John lying on Mae’s bed. He couldn’t see Mae, then he saw her arm come up over his side. Pat got down on his hands and knees and crawled closer to the window. Garrett did the same.

“See?” Garrett whispered even though Mae and John wouldn’t have been able to hear them.

“That’s so weird. How long has this been going on?”

“I don’t know. John’s been there for a while. I came in here for a second and saw them making out.”

“Do you think they could have been dating before this?”

“I don’t know. The impossible has now become the possible.” Garrett said peeking up over the ledge of the window again. “He’s on top of her.”

Pat peeked up over the ledge to see for himself. Garrett wasn’t lying. John had rolled on top of Mae and they were in the middle of a kiss again.

Mae was slowly finding a way to slip into this and not be so weirded out. Her actions started to come naturally to her rather than her having to force them. John kissed Mae slowly and lovingly. He was still afraid that this wasn’t real or wasn’t going to last all day so he wanted to be as careful as possible.

“Man, this isn’t bad… but it’s not going to be good either.” Pat said sinking down from the ledge and putting his back to the wall.

“What do you mean?” Garrett asked copying Pat.

“Well it’s not good because Mae doesn’t see John this way. There has to be something else going on. Somehow John is going to get hurt. Then there’s the Tim issue.”

“What’s the Tim issue?” Garrett asked.

“Mae likes him.”

“So, she’s all cuddled up with John right now.”

“Yea, but she still has to like Tim. She’s liked him for four years… and Tim kind of likes her now too. She doesn’t know that though.”

Garrett stared wide-eyed at Pat. If Tim likes Mae now, what would that mean to her?

“So, Tim likes Mae?”

“Yea, he said she was cute and when he says that it means he likes her.”

“Shit.”

“Yea, I guess I should tell Tim.” Pat said picking at a scab on his hand.

“No, not yet. We don’t even know what’s going on.”

“I think it’s pretty obvious.” Pat looked at Garrett. “They’re making out on her bed.”

“Let’s just put Tim on hold and see what Mae has to say when John is gone.”

Pat and Garrett went downstairs and messed around for a while. They checked on John and Mae to see what they were doing. From what they saw they came to the conclusion that they were dating.

Garrett saw John and Mae leave in his car and they came back a few hours later. Pat decided that was a date. Mae went into her house and John drove away. Pat and Garrett ran up to his room.

Pat threw open the window and stood there waiting for Mae to walk into her room. Garrett pulled up two chairs and sat down in one. Pat stayed standing.

 

________________________________

WAAAAHHH?!?! Belive me... there's a twist comming.

 

Friday rolled around and Mae couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Tim was having another party. He’d invited her to come; in fact he’d been calling her all morning asking if she was going to go. She wasn’t sure though.

She knew that John was going to be there and she knew that she didn’t want to drink again. It was one thing for her to have a beer and still be kind of able to know what she was doing, but to get drunk like she had with Tim was not good.

There was no way she was going to lose another night if she could help it. Things happened that she regretted when she woke up whether she remembered them or not. Mae laughed for a second thinking that she was an affectionate drunk, but then stopped. That wasn’t such a good thing and she knew that could get her into trouble.

Mae’s phone rang again. She looked at it and sighed. It was Tim. She guessed it was time to let him down and tell him that she wasn’t going.

“Hey Tim.”

“Hi Mae with an e!”

“What’s going on?”

“You coming tonight?” He asked ignoring her question.

“No.”

“What? We’re supposed to do the whole song and dance of I-don’t-know.”

Mae laughed. “I can’t Tim.”

“Family stuff?” He asked. “Other plans?”

“No, I don’t want to have what happened last time… happen again.”

“Oh…”

There was a heavy and awkward silence. Mae realized that Tim took what she said the wrong way.

“No! Tim I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, that I didn’t want to forget everything again.”

“It’s fine.” He sounded sad. “I get it. Well I have a party to get ready for. See you around.”

“No Tim! Wait!”

It was too late. Tim was gone.

Mae dropped her phone on her bed and sat in the chair at her desk with her head in her hands. She hated that she hadn’t thought before she spoke. I probably just ruined what I had going with Tim, if that was anything. She thought to herself.

“Hey? What’s wrong?” Garrett’s voice sounded.

Mae looked up. Garrett was sitting at his window. She smiled and pulled her chair closer to the window. When she was settled she noticed that Jared was sitting on Garrett’s bed.

“Hi Jared.” She smiled. “Hi Gare Bear.”

“Hey Mae! Ha I rhymed!” Jared laughed.

“What’s wrong Mae?” Garrett asked.

“I think I just messed everything up.” She sighed.

“With who this time?”

“Timothy.”

“Oh, that’s not good. You used the long version of his name.”

Mae sighed and looked at the windowsill.

“I said something without thinking.”

“What?”

It was annoying to Garrett to have to pull the information out of Mae. She always only gave him parts of what was wrong. He had to work to get the rest.

“I told him that I wasn’t going to go to his party tonight.”

“How is that bad if you didn’t think it through?”

“No, that’s not the bad part. I didn’t get there yet.”

“So get there.”

“I’m going. Anyways, when he asked why I said it was because I didn’t want what happened last time to happen again.”

“Okay…” Garrett was confused.

“Don’t you see? He took that as I don’t want what happened between us to happen.”

“What happened between you guys?” Jared asked coming to the window.

“I got drunk and apparently we made out like the whole night or something in his room but I can’t remember and neither can he.”

“That sucks. How do you know that’s what you did if you don’t remember?”

“Waking up with his hand on my boob was a pretty good indicator.”

“Oh, so there was touching too eh? What’s John think about this one?”

“He doesn’t know.” Garrett said.

“I’m sure he’s just dying for me to get drunk again though. He’d love a repeat of what happened between us.”

“Oh, he told me about that,” Jared regretted what he’d blurted out and tacked on, “then he told me that he got in trouble for telling people.”

“Yea. So back to Tim, that’s what’s wrong. I think I just hurt his feelings.”

“So go to the party tonight then and make up for it.” Garrett said.

“John’s going to be there too. It’s really awkward when I’m with the both of them.”

“I don’t know what to tell you kid. Just talk to Tim then I guess.”

Mae sighed and got up to pick her phone up. She sat back in the chair by the window and started typing out a long message to Tim trying to explain what she meant since she assumed he wasn’t going to answer her call.

“What cha doin?” Jared asked.

“Explaining to Tim.” Mae said back. “Hang on.”

Jared went back to Garrett’s bed and sat down. He picked up the acoustic guitar he’d brought along and played with it. Garrett pulled out his own phone and tapped out a message to his girlfriend just to tell her that he loved her.

When she was done with her message, Mae set her phone down and looked back at Garrett.

“Are you going tonight?”

“Thinking about it. Jared is.”

“Oh.”

“I think pretty much everyone we know is going.” Jared said.

“Except me.” Mae sighed.

“You could change that.” Jared smiled.

Mae shook her head.

“Or not.” Jared mumbled plucking at his guitar.

“Come over here.” Garrett said.

“Give me a minute.” Mae stood up.

“The door’s open. Just walk in. Jared and I are the only ones here.”

“Okay.”

Mae shut her window and put her chair back. She checked her phone but there was nothing. She knew she wasn’t going to get a response from Tim.

There was no need for shoes since she was just going next door so Mae walked across the two lawns and into Garrett’s house. They were still up in his room so she went there. Garrett pulled Mae into a hug when she walked through the door.

“Don’t worry about it. Tim will get over it. I’ll talk to him if you want.”

“Again with the second grade Garrett.”

“Okay, so I wont then.” He squeezed her and then let her go.

She sat on his bed and Jared sat up to hug her. She smiled and hugged him back.

The three of them sat and talked for a few hours. Mae went home when Jared and Garrett left for Tim’s. Garrett tried to get Mae to come but she didn’t want to. She went home and went up to her room to read the second of the two books while she waited to feel sleepy enough to go to bed.

 

A month passed in which Mae still didn’t know what to think. She was just as confused as she’d been before. Tim was on and off with how he acted towards her. John was almost always there if she was with Tim.

Mae knew that she should be calling Tim soon. He had promised that he’d take the stitches out of her hand. That just gave her an excuse to see him.

After debating over it she ended up texting him because they hadn’t spoken over the phone in two weeks.

My stitches need to be taken out. You up for it? She asked.

She waited and waited for a response. It seemed like forever. She watched TV but kept checking her phone. Was this a no?

Then finally her phone buzzed. New message!

Yea, I’m in. When and where? He’d responded.

When it’s convenient for you.

Not doing anything now. Come over?

Be there in ten.

Mae got up from the couch and clicked the TV off.

“Going to Tim’s. He’s taking the stitches out of my hand.” Mae told her mom.

“See you later. Be careful.”

Mae got into her car and drove at the top of the speed limit to get to Tim’s house. She parked and walked up to his door. After she knocked there were about two seconds and then the door opened.

Tim stood there with a smile.

“Hi.” She said.

“Come in.”

Mae walked into the house. She listened for a moment and decided that there was no one here but him. She smiled. Now, as long as John doesn’t decide to show up we’re good. She thought.

“Let’s go in the kitchen.” Tim said taking her right hand, the good one.

Mae smiled and walked closer to him. They went into the kitchen.

“Sit over there at the table.”

Mae did as she was told and put her left hand on the table for Tim. He went into the drawer and pulled out a thin pair of scissors and then left the kitchen only to return with a pair of tweezers.

“I’ve done this several times before so don’t worry.” He said picking up her hand.

For a moment he looked at the small, almost healed cut and ran his finger over it lightly. Mae watched him and tried to control what she was feeling. He is probably just trying to figure out the best way to take the stitches out. Calm down. She told herself.

Tim picked up the scissors after a moment and snipped the first stitch close to the skin. He did the same to the other four and then on the other side he did the same. Then he took the tweezers and started to pull the pieces that were in her finger out.

“Done!” He announced looking up at her.

“Yay! And for free!”

“Well…” Tim smiled. “Maybe not totally free. You have to stay here for a while.”

“Mmm fair price for something so painless.” Mae smiled back.

Tim threw the little stitches in the trash.

“Want anything?” He asked her gesturing to the kitchen.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Okay, then come on.” He said offering his hand to her.

Mae took his hand and he took her with him to the TV room. He sat down and pulled her to sit next to him. Mae pulled her feet up under her and curled into a ball. Tim smiled at her wondering why she did that.

“What?” She asked when she saw that he was looking at her.

“Nothing.”

Tim put his arm around Mae and pulled her closer. She had to readjust herself so she didn’t fall in his lap. She let herself lean against the side of his chest happily tucked under his arm. After a little she laid her head on his shoulder and watched what he had put on the TV. Tim’s hand rested on her shoulder and started to rub in small circles.

Mae blushed when she thought about what was going on. Tim felt her heat up against him and smiled knowing what she looked like.

“Why are you blushing? I didn’t do anything to you.” He said with a laugh.

“No, not just now. Before you did. I was just thinking about it is all.”

“What did I do?”

“Curled me up under your arm like a football.” She said smiling.

“Oh, this.” He pulled his arm tighter around her.

“Yea.”

Tim smiled to himself. This was all he’d wanted to do for a while. She wasn’t complaining so it was perfect to him. She even curled in towards him, not like how she behaved when John did this. No, this was different.

For a long time all they did was sit together and watch TV. Tim picked up Mae’s left hand and ran his finger over the pink puckered line that was the cut from the knife. She watched his finger rub hers and wondered if he was just doing it or he’d thought about it.

There were things Mae wanted to say to Tim–and this certainly would have been a good time to do it–but she couldn’t make herself speak.

Instead they both just sat there with each other. Tim ran his finger over hers as if it would heal it faster. Mae closed her eyes and kept her head on Tim’s shoulder. The TV was on, but they weren’t really watching it.

Slowly Mae felt herself becoming sleepy. She kept her eyes closed and relaxed further into Tim’s side.

Tim knew she was asleep when he felt her go completely relaxed. It made him happy to have her sleeping against him like this. He pulled her closer and put her legs over his lap. She curled against him to make herself comfortable in sleep. He looked down and watched what he could of her face in sleep and smiled to himself. She’s so pretty. How did I not notice this before now?

Two hours passed before Mae woke up.

“Oh, sorry! I fell asleep!” Mae said picking her head up off Tim’s chest.

“It’s okay. It was only a nap.”

“How long was I out?”

“Two hours.” Tim smiled at her.

“Two?”

Tim nodded. Their faces were really close and for a moment Mae couldn’t think. Tim’s hand was holding hers and he gave her a little squeeze. She looked down to see that she was half on him and that her body was curled towards him like he was an oversized teddy bear.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be all over you.” Mae said starting to move her legs.

Tim put his hand on her hip and shook his head no. She stopped.

“You’re fine how you are. Just stay. We’re both comfortable.”

“Okay.”

Mae didn’t relax back into Tim like he wanted her to so he put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into his chest. She found this more comfortable than she remembered when she fell asleep.

“Do you want anything now?” He asked her quietly.

“No, just you.” She said and then bit her lip.

When she looked up to read his face he was smiling.

“I mean… that I just wanted to stay how we were. You know?”

Tim nodded. “Sounds fine.”

She felt her cheeks full of color again. Tim’s hand came up and stroked her cheek. Her face burned where he’d touched.

“Look at that.” Tim said almost lovingly.

“What?”

His eyes were staring into hers again and she couldn’t breathe.

“You blush so easily. All I have to do is touch you.”

“Or talk to me like this.” Mae said feeling a whole new wash of heat in her skin.

“I’ll keep doing it.”

“Please.”

“You look so pretty when you blush like this.”

Mae smiled.

“You do. I should have figured this out before too.”

“Should have. You were too busy being a senior though.”

“Now that’s you. You’re the senior.”

“But I’m making time to be here. You had three years after you were a senior to make up for it and figure me out.”

“True.”

Tim’s fingers stopped for a second and then started up again rubbing small circles into her cheek. Mae remembered to breathe and sucked in a breath.

“You okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine. I just… I forgot how to breathe.” Mae admitted.

She couldn’t figure out why she was so honest with Tim. It was like he asked her a question and she gave him the first thought that flew through her mind. There was something about him that just made her want to never lie to him.

 

First of all, it's 8 because i HAD 10, but i forgot that The Maine's album came out in 2008...not 2009. So they're album is an honorary album for this year, as my most listened to in '09 lol. And also, Demi Lovato's album came out September 08....but i didn't realize that until i after i wrote this, so she's at the bottom of the list, also an honorary favourite lol.

Here we go.

So this year, I started listening to albums.

I mean, i've always bought albums of people who i really love and people who's album's ive been buying since they first came out, but other than that, i always just download/buy individual songs. But i started listening to full albums this year, and i'm totally happy that i did. This year, my taste in music grew so much, but not soon enough for me to listen to new albums that i wanted to. So at the end of the list, i'll mention albums that came out in '09 that i think are really good, but i don't deserve credit to justify them because i haven't listened to the whole album. It's not in any order, because i can't pick a favourite. And my favourite songs of each album are at the end of each little blurb.

My top 8 albums (plus The Maine's and Demi's)

Lights - "The Listening"

Okay. Let me say, I didn't like her at all, until around September. Honestly, I thought her sound wasn't good or original, and all her songs sounded the same to me. And then I heard Saviour, loved it, got the album, and ohmygod. I'm so stupid for not giving this girl a chance. She's amazing. Her voice is really good, and she plays all the instruments on the album. She's so talented and I respect her as an artist so much. And she IS original, despite what I first thought, and different from any other female artist out there. My favourite songs: Saviour and Ice.

Beyonce - "Sasha Fierce"

So when she came out with this album as her alter ego, "Sasha fierce" I was like, how lame.  You cannot give yourself another name. Just like Mariah Carey did with "Mimi" a few years ago, it was stupid. And Beyonce was all "I'm Sasha Fierce on stage and this is what my album represents." And once again, I was like....yeah okay, whatever, Beyonce. I thought it was dumb. But then I listened to this album, and ohmygod. I TOTALLY get the Sasha Fierce thing! lmao. And I still hate "Halo" with a passion but the rest of the album makes up for it lol. All the songs are different and Beyonce has a killer voice, which is something I always look up to. My favourite song: Sweet Dreams, and how can you not like Single Ladies?

Down with Webster - "Time to Win: Volume 1"

As soon as I heard "Rich Girls" I fell in love. Every single song is different and original. I have nothing bad to say about these guys. This was short, but I honestly have nothing to say except that the album is seriously awesome and each song blows my mind. I recommend you listen to all of these albums, but this one especially. It is SO much fun. Favourite songs: Rich Girls, Your Man, Time to Win.

John Mayer - "Battle Studies"

I wasn't really going to get his album this year. Well, not buy it at least - I was going to download it. But then there was SO much hype about it, so I was like, why not buy it? Ohmygod, so glad I did. As soon as I heard the first track, Heartbreak Warfare, I was like, "One of the best albums of 2009," without listening to the rest of the album lol. That song just sets the whole mood and tone of the c.d. Then I listened to the rest of the c.d, and it's all awesome. John Mayer never disappoints with his voice, and I can just picture him playing the guitar while I'm listening to each song, lol. This is not necessary for me to say, but I'm going to say it anyways: the lyrics are brilliant, as usual. So obviously, my favourite two songs: Heart Break Warfare, Assassin

Ten Second Epic - "Hometown"

Now THIS was the first album that set the tone for me to listen to full albums. Ohmygosh, there is not a song on this album that I don't like. Usually, there is one or two I don't like off of an album - that's normal I think. But every single song is amazing. They were amazing live, too. This, again is short, but nothing but good praise for these guys. There is a lot of awesome guitar solos and lyrics. My favourites: Yours to loose, Lifetimes, Windows, That's the Thing.

The Latency - "The Latency"

These boys are amazing. Brandon, the lead singer, has one of the best voices I have ever heard. They're produced by Tommy Mac, Hedley's guitarist. Jacob Hoggard and Tommy even co-wrote most of the songs with the boys. And Hedley is amazing, therefore the Latency is amazing too, lol. And I also saw them live, and they are seriously AMAZING live. Sound exactly like the album tracks. The songs are just so...intricate and there are layers of harmonies and textures all over the place. Every time I listen to their songs, I notice something different about them even though I've listened to them all a million times. And just like Ten Second Epic's album, I like all of the songs. Favourite ones, though: Away, All You Wanted, Hello.

Marianas Trench - "Masterpiece Theatre"

These guys have been one of my favourites for a long time. Their first album was awesome. Say Anything is one of my favourite songs, and we all loved Shake Tramp and the dance that came with it. But this album, "Master Piece Album" beats their first album by a freaking landslide. They have 3 "Master Piece" parts on the album: # 1 at the beginning of the album, 2 in the middle, and part 3 is at the end. And what each piece is, is a mix of all their songs kind of...remixed together in different ways, but each song is in the same order each time still. Yet they sound like completely different songs. Sounds complicated or weird to you maybe, but give it a listen. The Master Piece # 3 if my favourite out of all three. But I think in order to appreciate the Master Piece songs, you have to know the whole album, to get what song it being played, so listen to the whole album! lol. Favourite song: Beside You

Third Eye Blind - "Ursa Major"

Remember "Semi Charmed Kind of Life" from the 90s? Yessss, awesomeness. Haha, totally one of the best 90s bands out there. Well, they came back this year with "Ursa Major" and oh my gosh. It's amazing. I'm so proud of these guys because they didn't change their sound at all. They stayed true to their roots, and it sounds like the old 90s them, which isn't a bad thing at ALL. They didn't give in to today's pop or punk music, either. I felt as if the whole album is saying "This is us how we were, how we are, and how we will always be." Awesome. The lead singer, Stephen Jenkins still sings in the fast pace, I-can't-understand-you voice, but I wouldn't have it any other way, it's amazing. And that's why I love these guys. Two favourite songs: Bonfire, Can You Take Me

(Demi Lovato - "Remember December")

Okay. I tried so hard to stay away from Disney kids, regardless of how catchy Party in the U.S.A is, lol. But with this album, Demi is as far away from Disney as she can get. Her voice is AMAZING. She can sing like no body's business. And she writes all her own songs/music and that's very admirable. Her songs are all different and just like The Latency, every time I listen to her songs, I find something new about them, and I love that when it comes to music. Favourite songs off the album: Here We Go Again, Remember December

(The Maine - "Can't Stop, Won't Stop")

So I don't know why i thought this album came out in 2009. I legitimatley know that I've had it since the summer of '08, lol. Maybe it's just because I listen to it SO much, i feel like it was just yesterday I bought the album. But regardless, one of my favourite albums in a while. Each song is written beautifully, the lyrics and the music. Most of all though, it's FUN. This whole album, is soooo much fun to sing along with, the lyrics are easy to catch, the beats are all killer. Each song is different, yet they're all recognizable as a "Can't Stop, Won't Stop" track. I have nothing bad to say about these guys, and i CANNOT wait for their 2010 album, it's going to be bigger and better than ever, I know it. My Favourite: ...all of them lmao. no lie. Though, I Must Be Dreaming is the song that made me fall in love with them, so give that a listen.

So there yah go. And since I started listening to full albums only this year, I didn't get a chance or have time to listen to full albums that I wanted to. But here are some I hope to get into that came out in 2009 and the songs that caught my attention and make me want to listen to the whole album:

Boys Like Girls (Love Drunk, She's Got a Boyfriend Now), Hedley (Strangers, Cha-Ching - so angry I don't have it yet, but it would probably be on this list if I did lol),Cobra Starship (Hot Mess, GGGB - such a good party album), Passion Pit (Little Secrets is SO. GOOD.), Cartel (Let's Go and Deep South are awesome), Death Cab for Cutie (Little Bribes, only an EP though), A Rocket to the Moon (Annabelle, Life of the Party, Like we used to), Phoenix (1901), The Arkells (I'm Not the Sun, Ballad of Hugo Chavez), and Taking Back Sunday (Sink into Me).

And there is honestly soooo much more, I'm a music junkie lol

So hopefully with me listening to more albums this year, 2010 will be a wider variance of artists and a FULL top 10 list lmao

 

So 2009 had a killer music scene, and I can't wait for 2010

hey loves.

i know, i promised id post TIBT1 but im having troubles writing that one and this one was just coming to me so i finished writing this chapter.

ill try hard to post TIBT1 tomorrow or tomorrow night since i have no plans as of now.

but yeah, enjoy! :)

while reading this go to www.myspace.com/maydayparade and listen to the new songs of theirs, it goes great while reading this haha.

---

;Lacy's POV;

The next day Kenny was supposed to come over to my house. I was finally letting him come over, without Pat there by my side. And I was finally letting him know of my kid. Yeah my kid. None of the guys knew about him except John. He kept my secret for the past 3 years, now I was finally trusting someone to not leave me since I was 19 and had a 3 year old. It was almost 1; time for Kenny to come over. I woke Wesley up from his nap.

            "Wesley, baby, time to wake up." I said to him in a soothing voice, as I picked him up from his crib. He yawned and laid his head on my shoulder as I walked into the living room of my apartment and sat down on the couch. I turned the TV on so Wes could watch his cartoons until Kenny got here. I laid him down on the floor with his Tonka trucks. I went into the kitchen, I didn't know what for. I was so nervous about Kenny meeting Wes; actually he didn't even know he was meeting him.

            "Oh my God, what if he's, like, judgmental about it and doesn't like me anymore?" I contemplated. I was a nervous wreck.

The doorbell rang.

            "Oh shit. He's here." I ran to the door and stopped, straightened my shirt and hair. I opened the door. Oh my God, he was gorgeous. His warm hazel eyes engulfed me. And his smile, oh my God, his smile was amazing.

            "Hey Lacy, are you, uh, gonna let me in?" My cheeks were immediately red. I snapped back into reality.

            "Oh, uh yeah. Sorry." I just laughed it off. He came in the door, took his shoes off. We went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Wes came running over.

            "Mommy!" Kenny laughed.

            "Is this your little brother?" He asked. I was red in the cheeks again.

            "Actually, uhm, no. He's my, uh, son." I said softly.

            "Oh, cool." He didn't seem phased that I was 19 and had a son. He took Wes from me and sat him on his lap. Wes really seemed to like him. I laughed as Wes made silly faces.

            "He seems to really like you."

            "I just have that affect on people." I winked at me. He set Wes down on the floor.

            "So, Lace. What are weeeee going to do all day?" He asked.

            "Well, Wes really likes to go to the park. You wanna go there? It's only a few block, we could walk?" I half asked, half suggested.

            "YEAH!" Screamed Wes. Kenny laughed.

            "I guess the park it is!"

The day was going great. Kenny is really great with Wes, and Wes really seems to like him.

 

;Kenny's POV;

"I'm not sure why, but it just didn't phase me that Lacey had a kid. She certainly didn't look like she had recently had one; she was gorgeous and had an amazing body and I don't mean that pervertedly." I said to John. "Why didn't she tell us?" I asked. He gave me that look that you get when you do something really stupid. "Ok. Ya, I see why she didn't tell us... He's really cute." I smiled.

"Yeah I know. I've watched him for her a few times. He's a great kid." John said.

"You knew?!" I was confused. John just laughed.

"Yeah, I've known even before Wes was born. She was a real wreck those 9 months. Ok, I never told you any of this though right?" He gave me that look.

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me." I was so impatient.

"She got pregnant when her ex raped her. He was some drunk jackass that I really didn't want her going out with, but she insisted he was a great guy. Some great guy. HA! Her mom kicked her out of the house without giving her a chance to explain. I told her she could live with me till she found a place of her own after Wes was born. She's like a sister to me and I didn't want her having to raise Wes out on the streets, he deserved better than that. As for the guy who got her pregnant, to this day he still doesn't know. They haven't talked since that night. Thank God. I don't know what I'd do if he came back into her life. I think she's smart enough not to let that happen though."

Whoa. I couldn't believe that happened to her. Suddenly, I realized why she had never wanted to be alone with me or any of the other guys except John or Pat. Wow. That's gotta be hard raising a kid as a single teen mom. I had to help her out somehow.

 

To Lacy:

Hey, Can I come over to see you and Wes? :)

 

;Lacy's POV;

 

From Kennedy :) :

Hey, Can I come over to see you and Wes? :)

 

Oh my God, he actually wasn't freaked out by Wes. It felt like a HUGE weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

To Kennedy :) :

Sure. You want to go out to eat with Garrett then too? I feel like I need to tell him about Wes...

To Lacy:

Sure, sounds great. I'll pick you two up around 5? And I'll call Garrett and tell him to meet us there.

To Kennedy :) :

Can't wait! :D

 

Shit. It was already 3:45. I laid Wes down for a quick nap as I went into the bathroom to wash my hair. I washed my hair, and then blow dried it. Then I decided to straighten my naturally wavy hair today. I made it pin straight and to my satisfaction. I put on my makeup: a little foundation, pink blush, pinkish gold eye shadow, black eyeliner, and black mascara. I went to me and Wes' room and picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt for him and his cute slip on Vans. I picked out a pair of ripped boyfriend jeans for me and a pinkish coral short sleeved shirt to match my eye shadow. I slipped on my purple Tom's Shoes. I looked at the clock; it was 4:52. Perfect timing on my part! I quick woke Wesley up and changed his clothes.

            "Mommy, where we goin'?" Wesley asked me.

            "You remember the guy who came over yesterday?" He nodded. "Well, he's gonna come over in a few minutes and we're gonna go get something to eat and meet another one of Mommy's friends. Sound good?"

            "Okaaaaay." He gave me a thumbs up. I laughed at him and put him on the floor. The doorbell rang and he ran to the door to look out the small window.

            "MOMMY! It's Kenandy!" He yelled. I laughed at how he said Kennedy. I opened the door for him.

            "Come in, I just need to grab my purse and Wes' car seat from the car."

            "Okay. Gimme your keys, I'll get it. Come on Wes, let's go out to the car bud." Kenny said to him. I can't believe I'm saying this but, I'm really starting to fall for Kenny... and hard.

---

:D

Comment&Buzz

Peace&Love,

kaitlinnnn.

heeeeey you pretty ladies ;)

this is just kind of a look into Lacy's past and so you wont be as confused as to why she has trust issues.

i kinda like this chapter, i hope you guys do too!

anyone wanna make me a purddddy banner? :)

---

(flashback)

"Kenny, this is Lacy Mae." Pat introduced me to the prettiest girl I've seen in a long time. She had gorgeous wavy medium brown hair, about 5'3'', warm chocolate brown eyes, and that Hollister preppy style. She was... whoa.

            "Hi." She said nervously.

            "Hey Lace, I'm gonna go get some drinks and food, get to know Kenny, he's a great guy." Pat winked at her.

            "Pat! No, I'll come with you!" She yelled, running to Pat's side. He shrugged to me. I just frowned. They walked up the stairs and I could faintly hear them arguing:

            "Pat! You know what I've been through! I will never leave myself alone with a guy I barely know again!" She sounded scared.

            "Oh my gosh, Lace, how many times must I tell you?! Kenny's not gonna hurt you! He couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to!" Pat laughed.

            "I don't know. It's gonna take a hell of a time for me to be able to trust again..." Her voice trailed off as they walked down the stairs to the basement. At that point, I knew I would get Miss Lacy Mae to trust me.

(end flashback)

;Lacy's POV;

            "KENNEDY!" I screamed. Everyone in the airport just stared at me. I didn't care. I hadn't seen my best friend in over a year, of fucking course I was going to scream. I ran to him and he scooped me up in a big hug.

            "Kenny, I missed you." I said into his chest.

            "Lacy, I've miss you too." He let me go and just smiled.

            "Well, let's go get your bags and then let's go home!" I said. I started to walk away, but Kennedy didn't follow.

            "Kenny, get your ass over here. You know how I hate airports." A mom gave me a death glare because I swore. I really didn't give a shit.

            "Lacy, wait. I'm waiting for Pat!" Oh.My.Gosh. How could I forget about Pat?!

            "Oh.My.Gosh. Pat." And with that silly Pat popped his head out of the terminal.

            "Where the hell is my Lace?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He always somehow had to embarrass me.

            "Right here Pat." I sighed. He smiled.

I knew this summer was going to be amazing. My best friends were back. And my trust issues had subsided, and I finally wanted to be able to trust Kenny, but it's going to be hard...

 

We had gotten Kenny and Pat back home, safe and sound. Wow, this was going to be quite the summer, I couldn't wait. I was sitting at Kenny's house with the rest of the guys. I was being passed to each guys' lap since I was the only girl: one of their many weird traditions, I guess. Right now, I was sitting on John's lap. Oh goodness, John. I had known this kid since pre-school, he was like my big brother and I loved him to death. We just kinda sat there, him with his arms around my waist, my arms around his neck, just hangin' out. It wasn't awkward since I had done this many times, as John comforted me after my many broken hearts. He was the guy I knew I could call and he'd be at my house in the matter of seconds with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and Titanic.

Next, was Garrett. Garrett and I were, at one point, somewhat friends with benefits, which turned into a relationship, which turned into one of my many broken hearts and nights spent watching Titanic and eating a tub of ice cream sobbing into John's shoulder. THEN it turned into him being my best friend. Yeah, weird relationship, I know. But hey, he's my best friend now and that's all that matters now, right?

            "Hey baby." Garrett said with a smirk as I sat down on his lap.

            "Hey cutie, what's happenin'?" I giggled.

            "Well, you're on my lap, and you're kinda squishing me with your fat ass." He said as a matter of fact. I slapped him, and moved to the next guy: Jared, now this was awkward since I really didn't know Jared too well.

            "Heeeeey Jared." I said awkwardly. The guys laughed, hooted, and hollered. Jared turned bright red.

            "Hey Lacy." He said timidly.

            "Ya know, if you would actually get to know me better, this wouldn't be so awkward." I laughed.

I've realized, with these guys, I am cocky as hell. I can just go up to them and talk to them, but other guys, I can't.

 

(flashback)

            "Come on baby. Don't be shy!" A drunken Patrick said to me. He had me pressed against a wall at some party, holding my wrists, pressing his hot, sweaty body against mine. Patrick knew I wasn't going to have sex with him willingly. Not ever again would I have sex until I was married, not ever again would I let myself trust a guy after the last time... the last guy I had been dating, date raped me. I got pregnant, but miscarried. And now a drunken Patrick was slowly working his way towards a bedroom, and I had a feeling where this was going once again. I prepared myself to be once again... raped.

(end flashback)

 

(flashback)

            "J-J-John. Ca-Can you come over?" I sobbed into my cell phone. I was sitting in the corner of my room, my knees curled up to my chest, sobbing. Just sobbing. Soon, John was climbing up my tree onto my balcony, rushing to my side, scooping me up bridal style, laying on my bed and hugging me tightly, asking me what was wrong and who's ass he was kicking this time. I took a big breath and just let it out.

            "John, I'm... p-pregnant." I started crying harder now.

            "Oh my God, Lace. Who did this to you?!" He demanded. He knew about me being raped before and how I wouldn't have sex willingly, so I guess he just figured I'd been raped again. I just looked at him and instantly he knew who it was.

            "Lacey, are you sure?"

            "John! I'm fucking 3 weeks late!" I screamed, now beginning to fill with anger.

            "Fucking shit's gonna go down next time I see that motherfucking bastard." I heard him mumble under his breath.

            "John, he can't find out."

            "Lacey, I think he's gonna find out eventually... ya know?" I laughed.

            "Fuck. How the hell am I gonna raise a kid? I'm fucking 16!" I contemplated an abortion, but quickly put that down. Adoption? No, I couldn't do that.

            "Lacey, I will do whatever I have to, to get you through this."

            "John, no. You don't have to. This is my shit."

            "Lacey, you're my best friend, if you're goin' down, so am I." He smiled at me.

            "John, thank you." I hugged him tightly, and I now knew everything would be ok.

(end flashback)

yeeeah, this chapter was kinda hard to write and i feel like i used the word 'raped' way too much. sorry, but its how i want the story to go.

Comment&Buzz

Peace&Love,

kaitlinnnnn :)

---

New Story!

But, only a preview! ;) haha.

ps. So today is the second day of my Christmas break and I'm fucking dying of boredom. I don't have my cell phone right now because I have a fucking 50% in Health class because my teacher is a fucking douche and is failing me. So my dad took away my cell phone. I haven't talked to my boyfriend for reals, for 2 days. And I'm going insane. But on the plus side, my boyfriend got me a very pretty necklace. It has two hearts on it and in the center of each heart is a little rhinestone. I was going to post a picture of it last night, but my camera is being gay and won't do anything right. UGH! FML lol. And last night I was supposed to go to dinner with them, but we canceled because my boyfriend is sick, I'm sick, Huck (a friend of ours) is sick too, so we're going to do it another day I guess. I was kinda relieved, because I was crazy nervous to be with his family; I mean, they like me, but they like to embarass Garrett (my bf) like none other, and I feel so bad for him sometimes, but whatever. Haha. Sorry about my rant.

:)

---

(flashback)

"Kenny, this is Lacy Mae." Pat introduced me to the prettiest girl I've seen in a long time. She had gorgeous wavy medium brown hair, about 5'3'', warm chocolate brown eyes, and that Hollister preppy style. She was... whoa.

            "Hi." She said nervously.

            "Hey Lace, I'm gonna go get some drinks and food, get to know Kenny, he's a great guy." Pat winked at her.

            "Pat! No, I'll come with you!" She yelled, running to Pat's side. He shrugged to me. I just frowned. They walked up the stairs and I could faintly hear them arguing:

            "Pat! You know what I've been through! I will never leave myself alone with a guy I barely know again!" She sounded scared.

            "Oh my gosh, Lace, how many times must I tell you?! Kenny's not gonna hurt you! He couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to!" Pat laughed.

            "I don't know. It's gonna take a hell of a time for me to be able to trust again..." Her voice trailed off as they walked down the stairs to the basement. At that point, I knew I would get Miss Lacy Mae to trust me.

(end flashback)

;Lacy's POV;

            "KENNEDY!" I screamed. Everyone in the airport just stared at me. I didn't care. I hadn't seen my best friend in over a year, of fucking course I was going to scream. I ran to him and he scooped me up in a big hug.

            "Kenny, I missed you." I said into his chest.

            "Lacy, I've miss you too." He let me go and just smiled.

            "Well, let's go get your bags and then let's go home!" I said. I started to walk away, but Kennedy didn't follow.

            "Kenny, get your ass over here. You know how I hate airports." A mom gave me a death glare because I swore. I really didn't give a shit.

            "Lacy, wait. I'm waiting for Pat!" Oh.My.Gosh. How could I forget about Pat?!

            "Oh.My.Gosh. Pat." And with that silly Pat popped his head out of the terminal.

            "Where the hell is my Lace?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He always somehow had to embarrass me.

            "Right here Pat." I sighed. He smiled.

I knew this summer was going to be amazing. My best friends were back. And my trust issues had subsided, and I finally wanted to be able to trust Kenny, but it's going to be hard...

---

So, yes. A new story preview. I'm not sure if I like this one...

Not sure the next time I'll post because of Christmas stuffs.

Comment&Buzz!

Peace&Love,

kaitlinnnn

short and sweet, i promise.

soo some of my past blogs/journals/thoughts/things have been pretty deep and heavy. and rant-worthy lol

i didn't even expect them to be that way.

but i do hope everyone takes something away from them :]

so let's keep this light and cheerful.

christmas eve is tomorrow!

personally, i like christmas eve better than christmas. cause once christmas day is over, that's it.

christmas eve is just, an awesome feeling of, "yay! tomorrow's christmas!"

hahaa

so i hope all is well with everyone.

and i have a facebook group you should join, check it out

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=251948005774&ref=ts

it's called "You know you're obsessed with The Maine when..."

and it's just going to be funny stories about the boys/you meeting the boys.

and you can add your own little, "You know you're obsessed with the maine when..."

there's a few there already =)

it was just started today, so i'm just spreading the word to gain more members.

have a good christmas eve-eve! haha <3 peaccccee.

 

Mae knew about the house parties that Tim threw. She knew that they were fun because she’d heard stories but she’d never been to one simply because she’d never been invited. Mae wasn’t much of a party crasher; in fact she wasn’t much of a party go-er.

When Tim had asked her why she was never there she told him. That made him invite her to his next party right away. Mae accepted.

Mae pulled into Tim’s driveway–the spot that he told her would be there tonight–and checked herself out in her rear view mirror before getting out. The front door was open so she walked in. There were people everywhere and some were drunk already.

Out of nowhere an arm wrapped around her back. She looked to see Tim smiling at her. He handed her a red plastic cup of beer. Of course there would be red plastic cups. That was basically law for house parties.

“I thought I would take the liberty of getting you your first drink.” He smiled drinking from his own.

“Thanks.” She took a sip.

Tim curled his arm around her tighter and made their hips crash together. She giggled and took another sip of the beer in her hand.

“That’s not how you party! Chug that thing.” He said.

She looked at him to see if he was serious. He raised his eyebrows to enforce what he’d said. She lifted the cup to her lips and threw her head back as she swallowed the contents as fast as she could. When she finished Tim smiled.

“That’s more like it.” He smiled approvingly. “Play you beer pong?”

“Why not.” She agreed.

Tim led her towards the back of his house where the beer pong table was set up. The game that was going on ended and Tim walked to the other side. By the end of the game she didn’t know who won or lost. She could feel the alcohol working its way through her veins and she knew she was buzzed right along with Tim.

He walked to her side of the table and grabbed both her hands. She kept eye contact with him as he walked backwards leading her somewhere and they both giggled. He stopped at a couch and sat down. Before she could sit he pulled her onto his lap and positioned her so she had no choice but to lean against him.

They both got another beer and continued to giggle at each other while playing around. After a few more drinks, shared and not shared, Tim was kissing her cheeks and she was trying to prevent him from doing it. It was a game for the both of them. The beer gave her the courage to try and turn the game around on him and kiss his cheeks but he was much better than she was.

Tim stopped her by catching her cheeks in both of his hands. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he pulled her closer to him. Her breath caught in her throat at that moment. Their noses hit and they both pulled back laughing while holding their noses.

Tim didn’t waste much time and pulled Mae closer again. This time he tilted his head at the right moment and their noses only grazed each other. Then his lips were on hers. Her hands came up his sides and rested on his shoulders so she could pull herself closer when appropriate, her cut finger protested when there was pressure on it.

Her lips moved with his. Her head started to spin but she wasn’t sure if it was from Tim or from the beer. Perhaps it was a combination of both. The kiss slowly wound its way into a make out.

For a few hours she and Tim followed each other around. He would lead her around by her hands and she did the same to him. Every once in a while one would stop the other and they’d start kissing wherever they were be it in a doorway or the middle of a room.

When the party started to wind down Tim lead her down the hall. He said he waned to be alone with her. They curled up together on his bed and started to kiss as soon as she was in his arms. She found it to be the most comfortable position she’d ever been in with Tim curled around her and them connected at the lips.

Tim rolled to be on top of her and gently allowed her to bear some of his weight. It felt perfect to be like this. She kissed him with more force and tried to gain dominance in the battle between their mouths, tongues as the weapon of choice. Tim backed off for a while to let her control. After her brief reign he reinstated his rule over the two of them and she was content to let him.

There was a lot of kissing and touching that she couldn’t quite remember. All she knew was that she was in the moment with Tim and there was nowhere else she wanted to be. This entire moment she wished she could stretch on for the rest of her life.

 

She woke up in the morning with a killer headache; the light hurt her eyes so she closed them again. She tried to figure out what happened last night but there was a huge wall as heavy as a ton of bricks blocking her. Her entire night that she could remember was arriving at Tim’s up until beer pong and then it was blank. The whole party was gone from her mind.

After a moment she opened her eyes again. The light was less severe and she was able to look around. Tim was asleep next to her. She smiled at how adorable he looked with his hair in his face. When she shifted she realized his hand was on her breast.

What have I done?

On quick inspection she was happy to note that they were both fully clothed.

Tim’s eyes opened slowly and a smile pulled his lips taut. His hand flexed slightly on her chest and she flinched. He noticed and then looked to see where his hand was. When he realized he pulled his hand back.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized.

“Do you remember anything?” She asked looking up at the ceiling.

“Not really.”

She got up from the bed and stood a little ways away from it. The blood rushed to her head and she held her hands out to steady herself. Then she ran her fingers through her hair–minus the one that was wrapped up–catching little knots.

“God I’m a slut when I get drunk.” She mumbled to herself.

“No you’re not.” Tim tried to comfort her.

“How would you know? We both can’t remember last night.”

“Our clothes are still on.”

“Never mind, you don’t understand.”

She sat on the edge of the bed and thought of the last time this happened. The only difference was that last time she was with John when she woke up and she remembered everything, so did he. They both remembered that all too well.

“Then make me understand.”

Tim’s hand slid on top of hers. She didn’t pull her hand away. He could see she was upset and he pulled her back onto the bed so she was lying next to him again. For a moment it was hard to remember she was upset. His green eyes knocked her off her proverbial feet. They always did that when he stared at her as he was now.

“I’ve done this before, only I remembered that time.” She said quietly looking down in shame.

She didn’t want to tell him it was with John. She was afraid to. She didn’t want to tell him because she was afraid of what he would think of her.

“Who?” He asked.

She couldn’t stop herself though.

“John.” She admitted, the guilt washing over her again.

Tim’s face fell for a moment. He didn’t like that it was with John and he didn’t like it more that she remembered John. He was trying to figure out why she didn’t remember him. The answer was simple. She was a lot more drunk this time around.

“Do you like John?” He asked timidly.

“No, I like someone else.”

“Who?” He sounded fearful.

“I can’t remember him.” She said feeling like being cryptic.

Tim smiled at her and she smiled back. She guessed she wasn’t as cryptic as she thought she was being.

“I have to go.” She said getting up.

Tim looked sad but nodded. She took a moment to brush the hair from his eyes and then got up from the bed.

“I’ll see you around.” She said as she left his room.

The last thing she saw was Tim’s smile before she shut his door.

There was one distinct difference between the night Mae had just had and the night she was with John. She didn’t feel dirty or wrong. It could have been because she had no idea what really happened last night and she remembered last time with John, but she wasn’t ready to pin that on as the explanation.

 

Mae avoided John and Tim for the next two days. Garrett tried to get Mae to tell him what her problem was with the two of them but she wouldn’t say a word. It was annoying to him to have to go in circles when they talked.

The day eventually came that Tim couldn’t just sit around and not see Mae. He missed her and he couldn’t deny that. He knew that he liked her and he knew she liked him so it was stupid for them to not be hanging out.

When Tim called Mae and asked if she would like to hang out for a while she said she’d be at his house in a few minutes. Tim was happy that it was so easy for him to ask her over. Why hadn’t I asked her to come over earlier? I would have saved myself from a lot of boredom.

Mae left her home, her mother reminding her that it was a school night and she better be home by nine. Her car was parked on the street clean and shining because she’d just washed it.

The drive to Tim’s was easy for her. She knew just where to go because she’d driven there once before on her own. Of course she couldn’t remember much of that night, but she remembered the drive.

Tim was in the front yard when Mae pulled up. He was playing with Tuffy, his puppy. Mae got out of her car and walked up the driveway with a smile spreading over her lips.

“Hey you.” Tim smiled that perfect half smile.

“Hi.” Mae couldn’t manage anything else.

Tuffy half ran half jumped as puppies do over to Mae and wagged at her while jumping at her legs. Mae picked him up and kissed the top of his head.

“Hey Tuffy. I missed you.”

Tuffy started to lick her hand because that was the closest thing to him. Mae set him back on the grass and he went back to chasing a grasshopper. Tim walked to the edge of the front lawn where Mae was standing.

“How are you?” He asked.

“Good, I was a little bored… but I think I’m okay now.”

“I called you because I was alone.”

“Now you’re not.” Mae smiled. “But you did have that little guy.”

Tim glanced back at Tuffy who was looking at the wall above his head. The grasshopper was on top of it and Tuffy wasn’t big enough to reach the top with his paws.

“He’s chasing bugs around. I took him out here to go to the bathroom.”

“Silly pup.”

They both turned when they heard a car pulling up to the curb. It was John. Tim looked confused. He wasn’t expecting John. Perhaps it was just one of those days that John dropped in for no reason.

John got out of his car and noted that Tim and Mae were standing rather close, but they weren’t touching. He glanced at Tuffy who was running through the grass at full speed. That made him laugh.

“Hey guys.” John smiled walking up to Tim and Mae. “Thought I’d come say hi and hang for a bit. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Tim wanted me to hang out. He was alone.” Mae said stepping back.

“I thought you were busy today.” Tim said.

“No that’s tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. I would have called.”

“Sure. What are you guys doing?”

“Just talking.” Tim said looking at Mae.

She was looking at her feet and kicking a small pebble around. It fell in the crack between the lawn and then driveway. She tried to find something else to focus her attention on but found nothing.

“Mae?” John asked.

“Huh? What?” Mae looked at John.

“What are you doing?” A small smile curled at his lips as he spoke.

The way he said it made it sound like he was asking her what she was doing but adoring what she was doing at the same time.

“I was just playing with a rock. I mean… yea. That’s not weird or anything.”

Tim laughed and ran his fingers through his hair to move it out of his eyes. Mae caught that gesture and bit her lip. When Tim did that she somehow found it sexy and wanted him more than she had the second before he did it.

“What?” Tim asked when she was just looking at him, her bottom lip between her teeth.

He seemed amused that she was looking at him like that.

“Nothing.” Mae dropped her eyes and blushed.

“Let’s go inside. Tuffy looks like he’s ready to.” John said.

Tim and Mae looked for Tuffy. Their eyes found him waiting by the front door. He was sitting there staring at them like he’d been ignored.

Tim smiled and walked over to Tuffy so he could scoop him up in his arms. Tuffy looked up at Tim with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Tim kissed his puppy and then went into the house expecting everyone else to follow.

“Come on Mae.” John said tugging on Mae’s hand.

She didn’t care enough to take her hand from John. John took that as she wanted to hold his hand and laced their fingers. Mae rolled her eyes at herself realizing what that meant to John. They walked into the house.

Tim noted that John and Mae were holding hands. Damn it. Again John ruins the time that I wanted to have alone with Mae. What’s up with him? It’s like he doesn’t get that she doesn’t like him! Tim put Tuffy down and walked to the kitchen.

“You guys hungry?”

“No, I just ate.” John said.

“Thirsty.” Mae said letting go of John’s hand and following Tim to the kitchen.

“Anything in mind?” Tim asked. “I have beer, wine, water, soda, juice.”

“Uhm, coke is fine.”

Tim went into the fridge and pulled out a can of coke and handed it to Mae. She opened it up and took a sip.

“Thank you.” She smiled.

“No problem.” Tim took a beer out and opened it on the edge of the counter.

“Whoa, that was cool. I’ve never seen anyone do that!” Mae said as she watched the bottle cap come to a stop on the counter.

“Clearly you don’t party enough.” Tim smiled putting his arm around her back.

“Guess not.”

“I’m having another party this Friday. You in?”

“I-I don’t know.” She said thinking about last time.

“You don’t have to. I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

“I’ll come.” John said making Tim and Mae aware that he was still in the room.

Mae jumped at the sound of John’s voice. She’d been locked to Tim’s eyes and had forgotten all about John. Tim stepped back from Mae and looked at John.

“Awesome, bring Halvo too. I haven’t been able to get a hold of that kid.”

“Okay.”

Mae walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. John sat next to her and moved his chair closer. Tim turned around and rolled his eyes. Tuffy stood in the middle of the kitchen looking at Tim.

“What little one?”

Tuffy wagged his tail.

“Do you want something?”

Tuffy walked to the cabinet and sat down. Tim looked at the clock and nodded to himself.

“Time for your afternoon treat? I don’t know how you remember these things.”

Tim opened up the cabinet and got a treat for Tuffy.

John took Tim’s distraction to get a hold of Mae’s attention. He picked up her left hand and touched the bandage on her index finger. Mae looked at him and smiled.

“How’s your finger?” He asked quietly.

“It’s not bad. It doesn’t really hurt anymore, not unless I forget that I can’t bend it and I try to.”

John smiled.

“I think it will be pretty cool looking when there’s a scar.” Mae smiled pulling the bandage back so John could see.

“How so? I thought girls didn’t like scars.”

“I don’t mind them, it’s on my finger.”

“Oh.”

“I can just tell people I was in a fight and I won.” Mae laughed.

“Oh yea, you. Mae the one who gets embarrassed easily and is so shy it seems like it’s hard to make eye contact. Sure, you were in a fight.”

“Hey!” Mae hit John’s arm with her good hand. “It could happen. I could fight someone.”

John smiled and then poked Mae. She poked him back. John was happy this was working. Pretty easily they were in a mock fight. John was careful to avoid her left hand. Mae was giggling and hitting John as much as she could.

Tim sat at the kitchen table and watched them. He didn’t really like that they were playing around like that, but he dealt with it. There was no reason that he should be annoyed. John still thought that Tim didn’t like Mae; that was unless the little and slightly annoying kid brother also known as Pat couldn’t keep his mouth shut at band practice.

Mae called a truce–always the first to give in–and John pulled her into a hug. Mae smiled and pushed her face to his chest. She liked to hug John and he smelled good so there wasn’t anything wrong with what she was doing. John let her go and sat back up.

After Mae looked to Tim she realized that he’d been sitting there for quite some time. She remembered that she’d come here to hang out with him. John was here by chance and she suddenly felt bad. She’d just ignored Tim.

“Are you guys done now?” Tim asked sounding lighthearted and cheerful.

Mae thought she detected a false note in Tim’s voice, but she couldn’t be sure. She didn’t hang out with Tim enough to really know what he sounded like when he was covering something up.

“Sorry, he started it.” Mae said looking down at her coke.

While waiting for the awkward silence to end, Mae ran her finger around the outside ridge of the can and thought about taking another sip. John looked out the window. Tim watched Mae’s finger.

The silence dragged on.

 

just a quick little filler.

:D

---

::Mel's POV::

I had been walking for some time now hoping Garrett would catch up to me and make everything better. Hell, what was I thinking? That wasn't gonna happen, it never does, I'm always the one who has to make things better. No, not this time, this time it's his fault, not mine. I refuse to apologize first. Dammit Garrett, quit acting like a fucking little kid.

 

::Katelyn's POV::

            "Kenny, where's Mel and Garrett? They've been gone all day and they're still not back." I said nervously. Kenny just laughed.

            "Maybe they got... ya know, held up, if ya know what I mean?" He said with a smirk. I just rolled my eyes. He laughed and kissed me, which turned into a full out makeout session.

 

::Pat's POV::

"The air was chilly tonight, even for June in West Virginia." I thought to myself. I had been with the FTSK guys for a while. Kyle was a pretty cool dude. I was walking back to All Time Low's bus, and what a surprise, I found Katelyn and Kenny making out on the couch.

            "UNCLEAN! NO SEX! SEX IS BAD! ABSTINENCE!" I screamed. I was such a little kid a heart.

            "Pat, go away. Or go to the back. You're just jealous you don't have a hott chick like I do." Kenny said. Katelyn looked pissed that he called her that. I just scoffed, since now he was in trouble. I walked to the back of the bus to find Alex, on the couch talking on the phone to someone, Zack was playing X-Box.

            "Hey Pat, you wanna play COD?" He asked.

            "Fuck yeah man, Imma kick yo ass." He laughed.

 

::Garrett's POV::

I sat on that curb where Mel left for 3 hours. Just thinking, humming, throwing stones, doing anything to get my mind off her. Nothing worked. I sighed, got up and began following the sidewalk back to the bus, hoping she was there. It was fucking cold, and Mel had my jacket. The walk back to the bus was long and cold. Finally, I got back to the bus and busted through the door. There sat Alex, Lisa, Rian, Kara, Zack, Pat, Marc, Austin, Jonathan, John, Becky, Kent, Jared, Kenny, and Katelyn. There were 2 missing: Fuck.

 

::Mel's POV::

I walked, and walked, and walked. Didn't know where the hell I was, didn't give a shit in the world. I just wanted away from that no good bastard. Garrett and I had fought before, but NEVER like this. I was never one to get angry and stay angry. I never held grudges and was always the one to apologize and make everything better. Not this time. No. He didn't have the right to say that shit to me. All Jack did was catch me, it's not like I was cheating on him- I heard someone walking behind me. My pace quickened. Theirs did too. I knew it wasn't Garrett's, I could pick his out of a crowd. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna get kidnapped and never be seen again. This creep is gonna fucking rape me then kill me and-

            "Mel!" I turned around.

            "Oh my gosh, you scared the living hell out of me." I said, now able to breathe.

            "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, it's just that like everyone is looking for you. Why the fuck are you walking this far away from the bus?" He asked me.

            "Garrett and I got into a fight." My voice trailed off. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me back to the bus.

            "You wanna tell me what happened?" He asked with concern in both his voice and eyes.

            "He got all pissed and blew up at me and it wasn't even my fault." Tears started streaming down my face. He turned me to face him. He lifted up my chin so I could look him in the eyes.

            "Mel, it wasn't your fault, it's his fault he's all jealous over this." He kissed my forehead and hugged me tight as I sobbed into his chest.

            "Mel?! What the fuck?!" I quick pulled away from him and saw Garrett standing there with a look of shock over his face.

---

dun, dun, DUN! haha.

who is it? can ya figure it out? maybe the person who figures it out will get a small part ;)

Comment&Buzz!

Peace&Love;

kaitlinnnnn

            Mae had been sitting on her bed reading one of her new books when her phone rang. The only reason she answered it was because Pat was calling. If it had been anyone else she would have ignored it. Pat was her best friend and she always wanted to talk to him.

           “Hello?”

           “Hey, it’s Pat! Come over here.”

           “Why?”

           “Mom is making dinner for you and other people.”

           “What?”

           “Yea, come over for dinner. My mom wants to feed anyone and everyone. She’s in one of those moods.” Pat said.

“Well, can I come over early and help her? I like helping her.”

“Sure, she’d love that.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.”

Mae hung up and told her dad where she was going before getting into her car. He nodded and went back to working on his car. Pat’s house wasn’t that far away so it only took her a few minutes. She couldn’t help but crack a smile when she saw Tim’s car in the driveway.

Pat led her into the house and told her that his mom had stepped out to run to the grocery store for some last minute things and that she’d be back soon. He took her into the living room. John was there playing with an acoustic guitar and mumbling a song to himself.

John got up when he saw Mae and put the guitar on the couch so he could hug her. She squeezed him as hard as she could just like always. He kissed her cheek and she mentally frowned.

“You’re here early!” John said happily.

“Yea, I was going to help cook.”

“I love women who cook.” Tim said coming around the corner. “Hey Mae with and e!”

She rolled my eyes at him. “Hello Tim without the -othy… well not usually.”

He smiled getting her point and held his arms out for a hug. She willingly went into his arms. He pulled his arms tight around her for a second and then let her go. She gave him one tighter squeeze before she let go.

Mrs. Kirch came home. She was happy to see that Mae was there to help her. She pulled Mae into the kitchen with her; Pat, John, and Tim followed. Mrs. Kirch put the potatoes on the counter and gave Mae the task of washing and peeling them.

Mae kept up with the conversation from the guys and washed the potatoes. Tim got up from the table in the kitchen they were sitting at and came into where the girls were working. Mrs. Kirch was absorbed in her task and Pat got up to answer the door. When John looked down at the guitar in his hands that he brought along with him Tim walked behind Mae and she felt a quick pinch on her left butt cheek.

When she jumped and squeaked in surprise he laughed. Tim pulled a smile onto his face that was all too innocent when Mae looked at him.

“Don’t scare her Timothy! She has a knife and she could get hurt.”

“Relax Mom. She’s only washing the potatoes.”

Mae picked up the knife that was next to her and looked pointedly at Tim. He held up his hands like he wasn’t going to try anything. It was simple enough for her to peel the potatoes.

The next thing she knew Tim was standing behind her.

“Try it this way.” He said in her ear.

Tim stepped closer and pressed his torso against her back. She was between him and the counter with her hipbones against the counter. Tim pushed his hips against her butt a little more than necessary, which told her this wasn’t about showing her how to peel potatoes.

His hands went over hers and his head rested on her shoulder. She shuddered.

“Cold?” He asked her pressing himself tighter against her.

“No, I’m fine.” She was coherent though her thoughts couldn’t even make a sentence.

He didn’t let up. The pressure was still there against her back. She didn’t mind.

His hands made hers work a lot slower than she had been but that was because this wasn’t about the potatoes. She knew that when she felt his face turn to her neck. She shuddered again when his lips grazed her skin. Tim smiled and she felt it. He pressed harder with his hips and she shook again. He knew what this was doing to her and he was having too good a time to stop it.

At this point their hands weren’t working on the potato anymore. He pushed her hair out of the way with his nose and then his lips were on her neck. Gently he feathered kisses up and down from the beginning of her shoulder to just under her ear lobe. She bit her lip and pushed back into him while closing her eyes. He made a small noise that she knew would have been a moan if he weren’t suppressing it. He bit her neck ever so slightly.

She glanced up to see if anyone had noticed this exchange. John was focusing on his guitar just a little too much for it to look natural. From what she could see in his face he looked jealous.

Pat’s voice sounded through the hall. Tim backed off just slightly and there was space between the counter and Mae’s hips now.

“Just try like that from now on.” Tim said.

“Okay.”

He backed away from her and went to sit back at the table. She went back to peeling the potatoes just as she had been. Pat walked back into the room with Jared and Jared’s girlfriend behind him. She smiled and nodded since her hands were too busy to wave.

The conversation that was going on before started up again. Mrs. Kirch joined a few times to throw in her two cents. John was a little quieter than he had been. Mae was pretty sure she knew why and felt a little bad about that. She didn’t want John to be hurt or jealous but it was bound to happen.

The potatoes were Mae’s only task for a while. She wasn’t able to say anything because she was still reeling from what Tim had just done. It was hard for her to even focus on the knife and potato in her hand.

“Oh, fuck.” Mae said pulling her hand back and looking at her finger.

Bright red blood started to trickle out. She sighed and looked at it.

“You shouldn’t use that kind of language young lady.” Mrs. Kirch said walking over to see what was the matter. “Oh dear, you cut your finger. Put it under the water and rinse it so I can see.”

Mae did was she was told. By this time all the unneeded attention was on her. It felt like everyone was in the kitchen crowding around to see what Mae had done. She felt hands on her hips and a slight pressure but it wasn’t like before. When she looked Tim’s face was right above her shoulder and his eyes were focused on her finger.

She pulled her finger back and Tim reached out to hold her hand steady.

“You’re going to need stitches.” Mrs. Kirch said. “I’ll go get a towel and then take you to the emergency room.”

“Oh no. I can drive myself. It’s no big deal. I don’t want to ruin your dinner.” Mae said looking at Mrs. Kirch.

“I’ll take her Mom.” Tim said. “You can’t drive yourself if you’re bleeding Mae.”

“It’s not that bad. I can just put some pressure on it and I’ll be fine.”

“Mae, you need stitches.” John said looking at her finger.

She put her finger back under the water because it was bleeding again. Tim was still holding the base of her hand and watching her finger. Mrs. Kirch came back into the kitchen with a towel and she took Mae’s hand.

Mae was aware of the sting from the cut but she ignored it. If she didn’t focus on it, it wouldn’t hurt. Mrs. Kirch wrapped her finger up tightly and then told her to keep the pressure on it. Tim led her out to his car and John followed. Tim rolled his eyes when John climbed into the backseat with Mae.

“How are you doing?” Tim asked.

“Starting to hurt now.” Mae winced.

“We’re almost there.” John said putting his arm around Mae.

John pulled her closer and she leaned into him. John picked up Mae’s hand in his and pulled the towel back to look. Mae closed her eyes and pushed her face into John’s chest. Tim grumbled in his mind. Fuck you John O’Callaghan for ruining my chance to have her all alone. Mae winced when John started to wrap her finger back up. Tim saw her wince again and he pushed his car to go faster.

“You’re speeding.” Mae said noting the speedometer.

“And you’re bleeding.”

“You getting pulled over isn’t going to help that.”

Tim didn’t listen. He kept up his pace until he got to the emergency room. John talked to Mae and tried to make her feel better. He was just being cute and trying to take her mind off her finger. Tim was jealous out of his mind but he didn’t let anyone see that. Tim pulled into the parking lot and they all walked up to the desk and Tim took over before Mae could say anything.

“She cut her finger on accident. We’re pretty sure she needs stitches.” Tim said to the lady behind the desk.

Tim pulled back the towel to show her. Mae winced when the movement pushed on the cut and more blood started to seep out. John rubbed her back.

“Give me just a moment.” The lady behind the desk said.

Five minutes of waiting and a doctor came out to take Mae in.

“Do you want me to come with?” Tim asked.

“Yea, you and John.”

Tim and John followed Mae into the back and into a little room. She unwrapped her finger so the doctor could see. He poked at it and when it started to bleed again he nodded to himself.

“I’ll come back and stitch it up. I’ll have a nurse get you ready.”

He left the room and Mae sighed. Tim put the towel back over her finger and held onto it.

“You’re going to bleed to death.” He said commenting on the lack of care the doctor seemed to show.

“I’m not bleeding that much Tim.”

“It’s bad.” He said looking up into her eyes.

Mae’s breath caught in her throat. Her thoughts scrambled. Tim smiled. Mae dropped her eyes when the blush started up again. John looked away to the floor.

Before Tim could protest Mae hiding her blush the nurse came in and started to set up the needed items for stitching. Tim continued to hold Mae’s finger and she couldn’t look up at him.

The doctor came back and Tim moved so he could get to Mae. Tim sat next to John and John wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

Mae couldn’t watch when the doctor picked up the needle and numbed her finger. She looked to the left of her and Tim held her other hand. There was a tugging on her finger that was dull. She knew that the doctor had started to stitch her up. Tim lifted his free hand and stroked Mae’s cheek. She looked up at him for a moment. He smiled and she dropped her eyes again.

“Okay, that’ll do it. Be careful with the finger for a few weeks. The nurse at the front can make you an appointment to have the stitches taken out.”

The doctor left and Mae looked at her hand. Her index finger looked three times too big with the white bandage on it. She sighed and tugged at the top a little.

“Leave that alone.” Tim said taking her hand away from it. “By the way, you don’t need an appointment to take those out. I can do that if you’d like.”

“Sure.”

“There’s only five.” John grumbled like it was no big deal.

Mae nodded.

Tim and Mae went to the front desk while John went for the car. Tim paid the cost of what it took to get Mae stitched up after protest. He won out because he said it was his house and his knife. Even though Mae had brought up that he didn’t live there anymore he still paid.

On the ride back to the house they didn’t talk mostly because Mae was too quiet. Tim wanted to talk to her but he didn’t know what to say. The only thing he could think of was to ask her why her finger got cut.

“My mind wondered.” Mae said.

“Where did it go?”

“Somewhere else.” Mae didn’t want to admit that she was thinking about him when John was sitting right next to her.

“Where.” It wasn’t a question; it was a demand.

“I was just thinking about your other method for the potatoes.” Mae said hoping John wouldn’t pick up on what she meant.

“Oh, sorry then.” Tim said looking back at her through the rearview mirror before returning his eyes to the road.

“It’s not your fault.”

When they got back into the house Pat was the first one up. Mae told him it was nothing and that there were only five stitches. She told everyone it didn’t hurt at all; only Tim knew she was lying. The numbness was wearing off and he was the only one to catch her tiny facial expressions of pain that she made when she thought no one was looking.

They were back just in time for dinner. The table wasn’t big enough for everyone to sit at so there were people all over the place. Mae was given a place at the kitchen table so she would be comfortable when she insisted that she would be fine anywhere else. There was just no protesting when Mrs. Kirch practically put her in the seat.

Pat claimed a chair right next to Mae and started to beg her to show him the stitches. She pushed him with her good hand and he laughed.

“Please? I wan to see!”

“It’s gross.”

“How would you know, Mae? You didn’t look at it once while the doctor was stitching you up.” Tim smirked at her from across the room.

“What and I suppose you watched?” Mae asked.

“I did.”

“Was it gross looking?”

“Nothing too bad. I’ve had worse.”

“I know you have.” Mae rolled her eyes and said under her breath.

Pat continued to beg and beg Mae until he turned to annoying her. She gave in and peeled back the bandage so he would shut up. A few more faces showed up around the table–all male–to see Mae’s stitches.

When Pat went to touch them she covered them back up.

“I was going to touch it!”

“I don’t know where your fingers have been all day and I don’t feel like getting an infection that leads to me having my hand cut off.”

“I’m not that filthy.” Pat said making a face.

“Yes, you are.” Mr. Kirch said.

“Dad!” Pat whined.

“It’s true.” Mrs. Kirch said.

After dinner John took Mae home. He promised that he would bring her car back later on when someone was there to give him a ride to his place because he wasn’t within walking distance of her house. Mae told him that one of her parents would take him home but he said no.

Mae shrugged and went into her house warning John that she better get her car back in one piece and a full tank of gas. John nodded and drove off.

“Mae! What did you do?” Her mom asked as soon as she walked in the door.

“Nothing Mom. I just cut my finger is all.”

“How?”

“I was skinning potatoes for Mrs. Kirch and I made a mistake. It’s okay. Tim took me to get stitched up.”

“How many stitches?” Her dad asked as her mom was pulling the bandage back.

“Five.”

“That looks horrible Mae!” Her mom said.

“I never looked at it.” She said not caring. “I’m going to go to bed. I’m tired.”

“It’s still light out.”

Mae shrugged.

She went up to her room without any more questions from her parents and changed into sweat pants and a tank top. She glanced over into Garrett’s room. He was still at the Kirch’s so she had no one to talk to.

 

“Aren’t you going to go home?” Pat asked Tim.

Tim was sitting at Pat’s computer and checking all his various internet pages.

“Why? You don’t love me anymore?” Tim asked throwing Pat a glance.

“No, but I have uses for my computer as well.”

“All you had to do was ask.” Tim said closing the internet.

He got out of the chair and plopped down on Pat’s bed. Pat sighed and got up. He sat in the chair and started doing what he needed to.

“So…” Tim said toying with Pat’s pillowcase.

Pat rolled his eyes.

“What?” Pat asked knowing that Tim wasn’t going to say anything unless he proved that he was listening.

“Mae. What’s the deal with her?”

“What do you mean ‘the deal with her’?” Pat said turning around and making air quotes.

“Why’s she so quiet?” Tim wasn’t making eye contact with Pat.

“Shy.”

“So that’s it?”

“Well that and there’s something else.” Pat shrugged knowing that would eat at his brother’s mind.

“What?”

“Nothing really. She just gets nervous around you. I don’t know.” Pat said turning back to the computer screen.

“Why?”

“Think about it.”

“She’s cute.” Tim said looking at the ceiling and thinking about the last time Mae blushed.

“Mmm. She’s also one of my best friends.”

“I’m not allowed to think she’s cute?”

“No, you can think that.”

“Then what’s the point of bringing up that she’s your best friend?”

“I don’t know.” Pat shrugged clicking away a pop up add.

“You’re frustrating.”

“Yep.” Pat said popping the p at the end.

“I guess I should go home. Tuffy’s alone again.”

“You should have brought him over, but see you later.”

“See ya.”

“Love you Tim.” Pat said.

“Love you too little brother.” Tim smiled walking out of Pat’s room.