A/N: I dunno, this update sounds so rushed – maybe I am rushing.
21st of July, 2005 (Thursday) – Evanston Illinois (15 Years Old)
"Do you think he knows?"
"Who knows?"
"Tad… about you…" Grace answered, as they were making their way back to the table.
"I dunno… but I have a strong feeling that he doesn't, 'cause if he did, he would stop the whole blind date thing."
"Good point."
After lunch they all went back to the Sammler/Manning manor for a rest, and to check out all the goodies they bought for the day. Katie flopped onto the couch once she arrived and dropped her bags by her side, next to the couch. "I'm exhausted."
Grace on the other hand went upstairs to her own room and dropped off her bags there.
"Move over…" Tad swatted her friend's legs trying to get her to give himself a seat.
"No." Katie answered stubbornly, "there're other seats, sit on one of those."
"Fine…" he plopped down on a single seated couch, Russell on the opposite one. Tad then grabbed the control and turned the TV on, flicking through the channels in search for something worth watching.
Hearing footsteps coming from the stairs Katie just called, "Could you please get me a cup of iced water! Thanks," she continued lying flat on her stomach, head in the cushions.
Tad threw a cushion from underneath him at his friend laughing, "you're so god damn lazy Singer, no wonder you don't have a boyfriend, you scare 'em all away."
In her mind, 'no, I just don't like guys…' but she kept that to herself. She felt someone tap her shoulder and placed a cup in her hand, which were outstretched and dangling over the arm rest. "Thanks… Gr…" she looked up and paused, "Jess?"
Tad and Russell turned to look and saw a young blonde standing there having just placed a cup in their friend's hand.
"Welcome," she smiled and was about to walk away.
"Wait, did you wanna join," Katie finally sat up right and patted a seat next to her.
"Hey, how come you'd sit up for her and not me?" Tad joked.
"Don't mind him, he's just being very 'Tad' right now. And that's Russell over there." Katie pointed to them respectively, "Guys meet Jessie."
"Oh Jessie. So you're Jessie, Grace's step sister," Tad said in revelation, 'hot' he mouthed obviously to Katie, the brunette threw the cushion he threw at her back at his face.
"So, wanna sit?" Katie asked again, with a goofy smile on her face. "We'll be watching a movie once Grace comes down…"
"…Okay…" she hesitated, "only for now… you know."
Orange County
"God, it always takes them a decade to open the door." Jodie groaned.
"You're just impatient…"
The door finally opens, "Phone."
"I don't even get a hello?" she handed over the phone.
"Eh heh. Hi." Summer faked a smile.
Alex looked on to their little act as she stood quietly, from behind the short brunette at the door, a striking tall lanky dirty blonde/brunette who had the body of a model appeared.
"Anyways, Al, this is Summer," Jodie pointed, "and she's Marissa."
"Hey, I'm Alex…" she said coolly.
"Hi," Summer and Marissa said simultaneously.
"Anyways, you should get going now…" Summer shooed Jodie away.
"What, I don't even get invited in?" Jodie pointed at herself, "c'mon be nice, I've got a friend over."
"She, maybe." Summer pointed at the blonde, "You, eww."
"No, it's okay, they could stay…" Marissa butted in, "We're just watching a movie… um… wanna join?"
Summer turned and looked her best friend shocked.
"See, even Cooper here said we could stay," Jodie walked right in front of the shorter brunette, so that they were both just inches apart from each other in the door frame.
"Ugh, save me…" Summer whined before walking away, Jodie following closely behind.
"So…" Alex began shoving her hands in the tiny pockets in her skirt, still standing outside the house.
Marissa smiled at the cute display, "Don't worry, they're always on each other's nerves. Come in…"
"Thanks… Nice house by the way."
"Yeah, it's okay. Gets a little lonely when I'm home alone," Marissa looked around the place; she closed the door after the blonde. Jodie and Summer were already fighting over which movie they should watch when the two taller girls walked past, "wanna help me get the popcorn out?"
"Sure, yeah… wouldn't wanna get in the middle of that." Alex pointed at the two, on the verge of having a wrestle over the DVDs.
When she was sure the two were out of sight, she leaned in and captured the other girl's lips. At first it took a little while for the other girl to register it, but soon enough the kiss was teasingly playful and slow. Finally coming back to her senses, she tried to push the other girl off her.
"Get off… What do you think you're doing?!" Summer whispered urgently, "Eww…"
"Oh c'mon…" Jodie tried to lean in once more, "You know you want it."
But the petite brunette had her hand on her mouth, "No."
"You're no fun…." She sat back down pouting slightly.
She had to admit that it felt a lot better than kissing any other guy, but its JODIE for crying out loud, she told herself; Jodie, the girl Jodie… the Jodie who gets on her nerves.
Evanston, Illinois
"So what movie are we watching…" Grace walked in.
Everyone who was laughing their heads over something just seconds ago froze and looked up. Jessie immediately jumped onto her feet and quietly said her goodbyes to everyone.
"Wait, join us for the movie… I'm sure Grace wouldn't mind…" Katie looked at her friend questioningly.
Not wanting to feel all uptight about it, Grace reluctantly nodded.
"Oh alright…" she sat back down on her original seat, which was to Katie right and Grace took the seat on the opposite side.
"So…" Katie awkwardly patted her lap, "Tad, stick in the movie…"
"Uh yea… right."
During the movie, Katie got up leaving a gap in between the two sisters, "I'll go get something to much on."
"I'll come with you." Jessie jumped up immediately, not wanting to stay behind alone on the same couch with a slightly grumpy Grace.
"Uh, okay…"
When they were in the kitchen, Katie brought up her courage to ask, "So… what's with you and Grace."
"I dunno." She honestly didn't, they just didn't get along like she and Zoë did.
"I reckon you guys should you know… talk about it. I mean you guys can't go on living together like this." Katie suggested, but paused for a second, "Never mind, you kinda can."
"She's just… I don't know. She hates me." Jessie took a seat.
"She doesn't hate you, she just needs to get to know you… and that goes for you as well." Katie turned her head out of the cupboard to look briefly at the blonde. "So are you planning to help me, or did you just wanna sit there and watch me…" she joked.
"Sorry…" she mumbled sheepishly before getting off her seat, and stood helplessly behind the older girl, not sure what she should do.
"Instant popcorn!" Katie squealed in the cabinet, and jumped up but hit her head on another shelf, "OW!" She sat there, her legs on either side of her, popcorn on the floor, and her hands holding her head.
Jessie was laughing and kneeled down to take a look at the brunette.
"Stop laughing… it's not nice to laugh at other people's misfortune." Katie joked, still rubbing her head.
"Here, lemme see…" she lightly removed the brunette's hands, and checked to see if she was bleeding. "You're not bleeding, you'll live."
"Wow… you're the most sympathetic person I've ever met," she held her head again.
Jessie got up to grab an ice pack from the freezer, here, keep this on your head, it'll feel better. She placed the ice pack on the bump, and helped the taller girl onto a seat before she grabbed the packet of popcorn and placed it into the microwave. She walked back over to the older girl and took the ice pack off.
"Here," she began to lightly rub at the older girls head, "Feel better?"
"Uh huh…." She really loved it actually; unconsciously she leaned into the blonde's stomach and laid her head there.
Her hand stopped for a second, surprised that the brunette was leaning against her abdomen, but came back to earth and continued her head rubbing. It was awkwardly… normal.
Orange County, California
"Oww…" Marissa immediately stuck her finger into her mouth to suck on it.
"What?" the blonde looked up from the bowl of popcorn she was buttering.
"Nothing… I just cut myself on something..."
"On a popcorn making machine?" she said incredulously, "Here, lemme see," she examined the finger, "it's all good," she dragged the girl over to the sink and ran the finger under some cold water.
Marissa flinched a little at first, but got used to the cold running water.
"Where're your band aids?" Alex asked.
"Over there, bottom drawer," she pointed.
Seconds later, she came back over to shut the tap, and dried the finger lightly with a towel. During this whole process, neither girls noticed how close they were standing, Alex just continued to band aid up Marissa's finger.
After wrapping the band aid around, "tada… as good as new," she lifted the finger up between them.
There eyes locked, and they finally noticed that the finger barely had enough space in between their faces. Reflexively, they jumped away from each other, both slightly blushing. Marissa because she was kind of surprised how closely she was standing next to another girl who was not Summer or her family, Alex because she wasn't even sure why; it's not like she has never dated girls before, it's just this Newport princess had something that could make her blush.
"Anyways…" Alex began.
"Yeah… we should bring the food out now, before they you know… trash my house."
"Right… yes exactly."
When they both walked out, each holding a bowl of popcorn, they nearly paused at what they saw. The two shorter brunettes were actually sitting on the couch, together, watching the DVD previews in the most civilest manner.
"Eh hem… I feel like I'm interrupting something here," Alex laughed, and the two brunette' shot their head around.
Marissa and Alex both looked between the two, causing the two to observe themselves.
"Eww…" Summer cried naturally before jumping to the other end of the couch.
"Oh you know you want me…" Jodie teased.
"Sick… Coop, look at what you've done."
The two taller girls looked at each other, an eye brow raised before heading over to the TV and placing down their food.
"God, what took you two so long…" Summer steered the conversation around.
"Nothing." Marissa said too quickly, even though it was true.
"She uh cut her finger…" Alex looked at Marissa quizzically, only to receive a shrug.
"Oh my god… Are you okay?" the short brunette said dramatically.
Just to get on her nerves, she copied Summer, this time flailing her arms in the air, her voice at a higher pitch, "Oh my god… are you okay?"
Alex sat there laughing next to Marissa, who couldn't help but join in. Summer glared at Jodie before lunging herself at the other girl, "Eugh… I don't sound like that."
In between her fits of laughter and being choked by the shorter girl, Jodie cried for help. "Al, save me…"
"Nuh uh, you're gonna get out of that one yourself."
"Look! The movie's on!" she called desperately, Summer turned her head.
"You're lucky this time." She released her hand, and pointed warningly at the other girl.
Evanston, Illinois
The microwave beeped indicating it has finished, Katie opened her eyes and quickly pulled back from the position she was in, blushing. Jessie handed back the ice pack and quickly went to grab the popcorn.
"You guys took a while…" Tad mumbled, his attention glued to the screen.
"Yeah… microwaves…" Katie replied quietly before taking a her seat next to Grace, and Jessie followed.
The two simultaneously looked at each other and looked back at the television. Katie opened the bag of popcorn, and poured some into the bowl and kept the package to herself.
"Popcorn anyone?" she whispered, but Tad and Grace both went, "Shhhh…."
"Fine," she shared bag of popcorn between Jessie and herself.
Occasionally the two would both reach into the bag together, and both would mumble their apologies. But soon enough, they got over the fact that it was inevitable and stopped apologizing to each other… that and the fact that it felt… right.