Fangs & Fins
Chapter 12: "Lewis's School of Dating!"
Moments after Rose had dramatically exited the Collin's home, some knocked lightly on the front door.
Lily, who was just about to make her over to her couch to have a good cry, (hoping that Byron might possibly show up and comfort her), paced over to the door and opened it to see Lewis standing idly on the front step, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
"Hey…" He began awkwardly. "I've got something of yours."
Lily looked at him, confused. "But I thought we already did that cliché-give-back-each-others-stuff bit."
Lewis nodded. "But I found this," He pulled a small earring out of his jean pocket and held it between his thumb and index finger so Lily could see." On my bedroom floor and it wasn't my mom's, so…"
Lily took the earring from Lewis's hand and examined it closely. "Yeah, this is my earring." She flipped the stud over in her palm. "Um, did you find the back?"
Lewis shook his head. "Nope," he watched Lily rolled the earring around in her pale hand.
"Actually, I think this was my mom's earring." She held the piece of jewelry up to the light. "I bet Rose would like them—"
Byron came pounding down the stairs and landed with a large "thud" in the kitchen. "Hey Lily, Sup' Lewis."
Lewis scowled and was just about to shoot Byron the finger when Lily wasn't looking, but this was seemingly impossibly, seeing as Lily's eyes were locked on Byron's every move.
After consuming a glass of orange juice, finally realized that he might have disrupted Lily and Lewis's conversation.
"Sorry," He motioned back and forth between Lily and Lewis. "Was I interrupting something?"
"Yeah, we were talking—"
Lily set the earring down on the coffee table and jumped up from her seat. "No, you weren't." She turned to Lewis. "Could you find the matching earring in my room and then put the earrings in Rose's room? She'll probably want them more than I would."
Lewis sighed as he watched Lily flirt with Byron. He picked the earring up form the glass coffee table and descended up the Collin's snow white carpeted stairs.
After rummaging around in Lily's jewelry box for a few minutes, he located the other earring and brought them into Rose's bedroom.
Rose's room looking much different than the last time Lewis has dared to set foot in it. Besides the white-red-black color scheme, Lewis noticed some brightly colored accents, and instead of the old Panda Bear Poster Rose had hung on the ceiling of her bedroom ever since Lewis had purchased it for her at a neighboring toy shop so many years ago, a new poster of a band Lewis had never heard of hung in its place.
Lewis set the earrings down on Rose's desk and left the room.
By the time he was half-way down the Collin's steps he could hear Lily and Byron's voices. He then proceed to the front door and slammed it as hard as he could.
--
Rose was marching downtown, trying to blow off steam when she nearly ran into the last person she'd ever expect to see.
Constance Wood was carrying a yellow bag advertizing the logo of the local toy store. Rose assumed that she'd been picking out something for Hugsy, or possibly Rainy Day Bear.
"Hi, Constance!" Rose said. Constance looked up to face her. "Rose?"
Rose nodded. "Hey, Constance, listen…does your brother have a cell phone number?"
Constance nodded and Rose handed Constance her cell phone. Constance punched in James's number.
"Thanks," Rose said smiling at Constance. Constance smiled back, but her smile was half-hearting and there was something utterly heartbreaking about it.
After Constance had headed for home, Rose was about to call James, excited to hear his voice through the other end of the line, before realizing that she didn't know what to say or what she was even calling about in the first place.
This dating stuff was complicated, apparently. She didn't want to say anything stupid that would make him lose any respect that he had for her. Or did he have any respect for her in the first place?!
She needed help. Advice. But from who?
Lily?
No, Rose was in no shape to have another encounter with her.
Ben?
Ew, no way.
Running out of options, Rose picked the last person she would ever pick in any other situation, unless it involved severe dork-ness.
So making her decision about who would have essential advice in her difficult situation and current relationship status, she went on her way to Lewis's house.
--
"Never, ever, date. It only ends in heartbreak." Lewis advised Rose while skimming over a math textbook.
Rose snacked on one of the cookies Lewis's mother had laid out for them. "And how would you know? Do you have a girlfriend? Had one?" She questioned eagerly.
Lewis glanced up from his textbook. "Yes. I did."
Rose let out an un-Rose-like squeal. "Do I know her?"
More than you think.
Lewis shrugged, hoping that Rose would comprehend that he did not want to talk about it.
Rose sighed. "Well I've got to go, thanks for the advice and stuff—"
Her phone had been beeping the entire conversation, but Rose hadn't wanted to answer it and distract herself from something Lewis could be saying.
She now pulled the phone out from her pocket and began flipping from the numerous text messages she had received—all from Lily.
"How many text messages can one have?!" She demanded, setting the communication device on silent.
Rose looked Lewis straight in the eyes. "Hey, can I spend the night here? Lily and I had a fight and—"
Lewis slammed the textbook closed. "I'm not sure. Two of my brothers are visiting for my mom's birthday and they're already taken all the places you could sleep in—"
"Fine," Rose snarled. She picked up her phone and dialed James's number.
"James?"
I apologize for the lame-ness of this chapter and how pathetically short it is, but I'm in a really terrible mood seeing as last night I stepped on a knitting needle and my foot hurts like hell. So I'm cranky and feel awful.
But I still apologize for the "filler" chapter! I'm sure I'll will post something better to make up for this next time! I'm also really upset about the stupid FORMAT. UGH. *bashes head*
-Maddie
PS: GO SEE 500 DAYS OF SUMMER. Please? For the injured fan fiction author?