Chapter One: Rather Be In Love Then Dead

"Just take your time, we'll stop the clock together and know that our timing was right... "

-- Ü• Vegas Skies -- The Cab

Flashback***

The coffee shop was virtually empty as Caty pushed open the small glass door into the house, her nose instantly filling with the familiar scents of ground coffee and the alluring smell of freshly brewed espresso as she stepped inside. Dim yellow lights hung from the ceiling, hidden under small navy shades and leaving golden ringlets on the smoked oak wood flooring underneath them. Caty pushed the tip of her glowing cigarette into the sandy ash tray and shrugged out of her fur lined hoodie. She smiled as she caught sight of Kennedy sitting on the edge of the small black stage in the corner, his legs swinging off the side, strumming notes into his guitar. A short, silver Neumann microphone stood off to his right and coloured lights lined the front of the stage.

'Caty-Kay!' Kennedy called, shaking his short brunette bangs out of his chocolate eyes and setting down his guitar.

'Hey, Kenny.' Caty smiled at him as he jumped off the stage and ran over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

'Let's see it.' Kennedy said, pulling back and holding her small chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting her head slightly so that he could see the small black BCR ring in the right corner of her bottom lip. He gave her a small half smile and laughed. 'Nice.'

'Oh! I want to see, too!' Teagen sang, dancing out from the back room, her light chestnut hair flowing behind her. She ran over towards Caty and Kennedy and slapped her hands on each of Caty's cheeks, holding her head still. 'Aww, it looks so pretty!' She smiled, her neon blue eyes shining with excitement.

'Thanks. When are you getting yours? I thought we were getting them together.' Caty pulled her head out of Teagen's grasp, and pushed her dirty blonde bangs out of her eyes.

'Tattoos.' Teagen corrected her. 'We're getting tattoos. Piercing are your thing.' Teagen shook her head. Kennedy slipped his hands around Teagen's waist, resting the heels of his hands on her hip bone, his thumbs sliding into the front belt loops of her jeans and he placed his chin on her hair.

'You want a cab, for tonight?' Teagen asked Caty who shrugged.

'John got a car. He can probably take you.' Kennedy offered. 'Here, I'll go ask him.' Kennedy trotted away towards the growing crowd that gathered around the walls of the coffee shop.

'John, as in John O'Callaghan? The kid from Bio? The same one I had a crush on for an entire year?' Caty asked, her bright blue eyes slowly widening. Teagen shrugged, her lips twisting into a tight smirk.

'I hope so.' She giggled. 'You were practically in love with that boy freshman year. Now you can finally talk to him. Every time he walked by you, like, drooled.' Caty rolled her eyes and glanced back to where Kennedy had gone.

'Whatever, Teags.' She said, hiding a small smile. 'So are you and Ken, like, official yet?' Caty changed the subject, arching an eyebrow at Teagen.

'I think so. I mean, we've sorta had a 'thing' since like fourth grade, you know, but we haven't done 'it' yet if that's what your asking.' She sighed, starting towards the stage, Caty close on her heels. 'What about you and O'Shea?'

'Kyle? He broke us up when he found out I was leaving.' Caty ran her fingers across the top of the stage, particles of dust collecting on her finger tips.

'Aww, Caty, that's awful.' Teagen cooed. 'But, I bet he wouldn't have broken up with you if he knew why you were going.' She winked.

'Maybe. But that's the problem. I don't want him to only stay with me because I'm almost famous now.' Caty sighed, rubbing her finger tips together, making the dust flutter to the floor. Teagen shrugged, climbing up the side stairs.

'Okay. John can take you, but he has to be back before six because Ross is graduating tonight.' Kennedy said as he came bounding back over towards them. A satisfied smile stretched across Teagen's lips.

'Sounds fine.' Caty said, her eyes on her shoes.

'Hey, T!' A deep, velvety voice echoed from the doorway of the coffee shop. Caty turned to see Landon, Teagen's twin brother standing in the entrance followed by two other boys. Teagen rolled her eyes and let out a long, exaggerated sigh. His green eyes smirked from underneath his long curly blonde hair at Caty. 'Hey, sweetheart.'

'Shut up, Landon. What are you doing here?' Teagen demanded from the top of the platform as Landon threw his arm around Caty's shoulders.

'Look. I'm out of money. I only need a fifty for tonight. I promise I'll pay you back!' He said, his fingers playing with a strand of Caty's hair.

'I'm not an ATM. Go ask Mom, or something.' Teagen crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. Caty sidestepped from under his arm and let it drop to his side.

'I'm buying beer for Karson's party tonight.' He continued, jabbing his thumb towards one of the boys that stood behind him.

'I don't care what you do. I'm not giving you money.' She said, putting her fists on her hips and Landon blew his bangs out of his eyes.

'Okay. Okay.' He held up his hands in defense and turned to leave. His eyes flashed towards Caty and he winked at her before walking out of the shop.

'That boy.' Teagen sighed as she started to heighten the microphone.

John's fingers drummed lightly against the cool pine wood table top as he watched Kennedy and Teagen on stage. The lights were dimmed and Kennedy began to drag his pick along the threads of his guitar, his fingers moving across the fret board as Teagen started to hum the beginning of Night Drive by Jimmy Eat World. The tiny coffee shop was packed with people. Ryan kicked his black Conversed feet up onto the table top and leaned back farther into his chair.

'So. You're taking one of Kennedy's friends to the airport, and you have no idea who they are or what they look like?' Ryan repeated for the second time. John nodded, slightly annoyed with Ryan.

'That's the plan.' He sighed, ripping the brown cardboard holder off from around the white paper coffee cup. John glanced back up at the stage as Kennedy started in the chorus of the song along with Teagen. Ever since he had left Last Call for Camden and Alex left The Maine, Tim Kirch had been talking about adding him, and now John could see why. John took another sip of his coffee and sighed.

'Holy shit.' Ryan breathed, slamming the back of his hand into John's chest. 'You didn't tell me his friend was a chick!'

'I didn't know.' John mumbled, wiping his hands over the spilt coffee on his lap.

'I'm coming with you, right?' Ryan asked, standing up.

'Yeah, whatever.' John said, standing up, staring at the drink stain on his favorite t-shirt and black skinny jeans. He flipped his hair out of his deep blue eyes and took a look at who Ryan was having a spaz over and his breath caught in his throat. She was gorgeous. Her long dirty blonde hair fell into her blue eyes and over her small heart shaped face. She looked just about that size that John tuck her under his chin. She had on a pair of worn out denim shorts, a purple shirt with a skull on it wearing pink glasses with the blonde hair and the word 'party' printed across its forehead, turquoise Vans and a black DC hat on top of her head. She held a black hoodie draped over her forearm and her cell phone in her hand. Her electric blue eyes glanced up and John cleared his throat and glanced at the wall clock. It was almost five.

'Hey, are you John?' The girl asked, though he was certain she already knew who he was. John saw freckles lightly dusted under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose.

'Yeah, am I taking you to the airport?" John asked, unable to keep his eyes off her. She nodded.

'Yeah, and my name's Caty, in case you were wondering.' She said, a look of pain pulling over her pretty face.

'My name's Ryan, in case you were wondering.' Ryan smiled from over John's shoulder at her. She giggled slightly and her gaze quickly returned to John's face.

'So, um. Are we going? Because I know you had to get back soon and all....' She trailed off, her top teeth puling at her bottom lip.

'Yeah, the car's this way.' John said, leading the way towards the door and out into the parking lot. John unlocked his silver Xb Scion and opened the door for Caty before circling the front of the car towards the driver's seat while Ryan climbed in back.

'Thanks for taking me.' Caty said, buckling her seat belt.

'Yeah.' John said, starting the car. He gave her a sideways glance before pulling out of the parking lot.

'What school do you go to, Caty?' Ryan asked, anxious to start a convorsation.

'Corona Del Sol. In Chandler.' She whispered, almost guiltily.

'Really? That's where John and I go.' Ryan said, confused. John and Ryan shared a glance in the mirror.

'Yeah, I know. John and I have the same Biology, Math, and Art class.' She sighed, absently playing with her finger nails. An uncomfortable silence fell over the car and Caty reached for the dial on the radio, and automatically Ivory's new EP came blaring out of the speakers in the car. She sighed and leaned back in her seat and stared out the window until they reached the airport.

'Thanks again.' Caty mumbled before hopping out of the car and hurring towards the double doors. John stared after her and sighed, turning down the music and pulling out of the airport garage area.

'She's gotta hate us now.' Ryan said quietly and John nodded, looking over at where she had been sitting. The notebook she had been holding earlier lay on the floor under the seat. He kept his eyes on the road as he picked it up off the floor.

'What's that?' Ryan asked, curiosly, leaning between the two front seats.

'Her notebook.' John said.

'Let me see it.' Ryan reached for the book as John handed it to him.

'What's in it?' John asked, watching in the rearview mirror as Ryan flipped through the pages.

'Lyrics. And Damn dude, she must really hate you.' Ryan said, pausing on a page.

'Why?' Joohn asked, worried.

'This one's called 'John Ohh'.' Ryan held up the notebook and John saw his name written in large pencil letters across the large pale blue line at the top of the page. He pulled over and his eyes quickly scanned the page.

"The girls they have their eyes all over you, And you're loving every second of attention. I need to find just some way to get through, Or at least some way that I can mention. I'm feeling you, You're feeling me, What exactly is holding us back? I'm feeling you, are you feeling me? Just give me something, just give me give me anything. Oh it's you, And it's true, You're electric I can't get over it. You're running through my veins you feel like a freight train, I'm trying everything to keep my hands off of you. Just give me something, Please just give me anything, Cause I want you. And oh no, I think I lost myself in your deep blue eyes, And oh no I think it's time we cut to the chase tonight. Oh it's you, And it's true, You're electric I can't get over it...."

Caty

"Morning, people." I yawned, climbing down the two flights of stairs into the small kitchen in the center of the house where Grant and Charlie sat at the table; Grant reading the morning paper and Charlie sketching him.

"Good morning, Caty. How'd you sleep?" Charlie asked with a slight lisp because of her new tongue ring, lifting her chocolate eyes from her sketch pad to look up at me.

"Good, thanks." I smiled, pouring myself a cup of coffee. I snatched up my sunglasses and car keys.

"Leaving already?" Grant asked, dropping his newspaper onto the small round pine table, arching a burnette eyebrow in my direction. I nodded, forcing down a sip of scalding hot coffee that burned my throat as I swallowed. "Dad and Hayden are coming in this weekend. And they're bringing Brittini, so be nice, okay?"

"Fine." I said. "As long as she's nice to me."

"Caty-" Grant started.

"I don't see what the problem is between you two and your father. He seems like a sweet guy, and wasn't Parker one of the scientists that found the cure for breast cancer?"

"Yeah, but he still married Hayden, who's old enough to be my big sister." I countered, downing another scalding hot mouthful of coffee, scrunching my eyes shut, anticipating the heat. I started towards the door, knowing I was already half an hour late.

"Oh, and Caty." Charlie called after me. "Remember curfew and we're having a family meeting tonight, and we expect you'll be here."

"You and your 'meetings'." I murmered under my breath. "Yeah, I'll be there." I called over my shoulder, slamming the heavy garage door behind me.

I pulled into the crowded parking lot and parked my cherry red Farrari Spyder into an open parking space and closed the top. I kicked open to door and locked it behind me. I hurried towards Temepe Marketplace and quickly slid my aviator sunglasses over the bridge of my nose. I pulled out my cell phone, checking the time. 1:27. Okay, I was only an hour and half late. Teagen was going to kill me.

"Woah, Jesus. I'm sorry!"I said quickly as my shoulder hit hard against someone's arm. I dropped to my knees to pick up the pieces of my cell phone that had dropped out of my hands.

"No, no. My bad." The boy said, bending down to pick up the scattered pieces of my cell phone. I felt my cheeks grow warm as his hand landed on mine as we both reached for the black battery. I pulled my hand away and he looked up at me, his blue eyes locked on mine and my heart studdered in my chest. Oh. My. Gods. It was him. He looked different though. In a good way.

"Do I. . . know you?" He asked, a look of puzzlement washing over his face. I shook my head quickly.

"No." The word tumbled off my tongue too briskly, and I dropped my gaze from his face to my shoes.

"Hey John!" Kennedy called from behind us. I pushed my sun glasses farther up my nose and hurried towards the Target Teagen was wating in.

John

I stared after he as she walked away, her hips swaying from left to right. I sighed, turning towards Kennedy who came running up to me in a bright green V neck and black skinny jeans.

"Hey, was that Caty?" He asked as he came up to me. I nodded.

"I think so. She didn't want to talk to me though. It's been a year, maybe she didn't even recognize me." I blew my bangs out of my eyes and started towards the parking lot.

"She remembers you." Kennedy said shortly and I glanced down at him.

"How do you know?" I asked suspiciously. He shrugged.

"She liked you for a year and a half. I doubt she'd forget you, man." Kennedy said, pulling open the passenger side door of my car.

"Woah, wait. She liked me for a year?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"And a half. Yeah." Kennedy turned up the A/C. "I didn't know she was back from Dallas, yet though." I pulled out of the parking lot and started towards Kennedy's house.

"What was she doing in Dallas?" I asked, surprised I hadn't asked earlier.

"She was shooting a movie. It comes in theaters next week. Where have you been?" Kennedy asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't know..." I said, my thoughts wandering towards Caty as Ivory's CD came on.