It couldn't have possibly been more than six minutes after I finally got myself relaxed after the not-so relaxing dinner, that Ayden came stumbling in with a tall redhead stuck to his face.
I rolled my eyes. "Hey Ayden. You know, I think you've got a little something on your face." The tall redhead stopped what she was doing and pulled away from him.
"Never mind. It's gone." Then I realized who it was.
She raised her eyebrows. "Madison."
"Makenzie," I corrected, exasperated. I couldn't believe it; Sarah was in my living room with my brother.
How does she manage to get anyone to see past her evilness?
"I take it you guys have already met," Ayden said, pulling her closer to him.
"Yeah. Lucky me," I said, faking enthusiasm.
Sarah, to my surprise, wasn't wearing a dress this time. She was still dressed up of course, but in slacks and some sparkly top.
With Joe, she wanted his connections...
...so what did my brother have?
"Hey, do you think you could leave?" Ayden whispered softly, looking back at Sarah.
"But I just got here. And did you look outside. It looks like there's gonna be a huge storm." Plus, I don't want him and Sarah to...well, you know. Bleck.
"Take a cab and go to Riley's," he reasoned.
"She's out."
"Alessa."
"She's with her."
"Derek?"
"Are you serious? You know I'm not seeing him anymore."
"Then go to Kevin's."
"I just hung out with Kevin ten minutes ago."
He threw his head back and moaned. "Makenzie, please go," he pleaded.
I was in no mood to argue. "Fine, I'll find somewhere to go."
"Thank you!"
"Worst guardian ever," I mumbled, as I grabbed my jacket and headed outside. I walked slowly down the stairs, thinking the whole way down. I couldn't possibly be in love with either of them. It was too fast. Way too fast. This was all getting too compl -
CRASH!
Right into someone who was just outside. Both of us lay on the ground, and I scurried to get back up and apologize.
"I am so sorry!" Then, as I helped him up, my eyes widened. "What are you doing here Joe?"
"Nothing..." he said, brushing himself off.
I raised my eyebrows at him.
"What?" he said, but his voice was high pitched. "I was just walking around."
"Oh?" I said suspiciously. "And you just so happened to come across the front door of my apartment building?"
He put his hands in his pockets, looking down and back up again. He smiled at me crookedly as he said, "You know me so well."
"So what are you really doing here?" I asked.
He was quiet for a minute. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for, well, everything I've done."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
I scanned his face for a minute, looking for a trace of a lie. I couldn't find anything, but it didn't mean I thought he was telling the truth.
"I don't believe you," I said skeptically. "But, I'm just gonna go with it."
He smiled at me. "So, friends?" he asked, putting his hand out.
"Sure," I said sticking my hand out and placing it in his. "Friends."
He held onto my hand tight, and then he did something I wasn't expecting. The same thing Kevin did on our first date. He pulled me into him, lifting up my chin and kissing me.
The worst thing; I kissed back. And it felt so good.
And I was close to not stopping it too, but I pulled away.
"What the Hell?!" I screamed, smacking him repetitively. "You tricked me!"
He stepped back from the hits I was giving him. "Relax," he said smoothly.
"You said friends! Not make-out buddies!"
He looked down at his feet. "I couldn't resist."
"Don't you have any sort of conscience? Think about how much this would kill Kevin."
He looked up at me, suddenly looking guilty. "I'm the worst brother ever."
"I'm the worst girlfriend ever."
"But you didn't really do anything. It was my fault."
"I kissed back Joe. I am just as much at fault as you."
Just then, a few raindrops fell down, splatting on my face.
Then just like that, it was pouring.
Without much thinking, Joe and I took off running for shelter. We slipped into an abandoned apartment building, and Joe shook his long hair just like a dog.
I took off my wet sweatshirt and started to wring out my shirt. Joe was suddenly right next to me, touching my arm, running his fingers over scars across my wrists.
"When did you do this?"
"When I was fourteen. Before my dad died and after my mom left."
"Did you think that would help?" he whispered.
"I thought it was the only pain I could control."
He looked at me. "You don't still feel that way right?"
I backed away. "Why does everyone think that I'm gonna go nuclear?"
"I just wanted to make sure you weren't -"
"I've heard it already Joe. Just stop."
He stepped closer to me, making my breathing grow unsteady and my heart slow down and beat faster at the same time.
"Tell me about it," he whispered in my ear, his breath warm.
Under his trance, I began spilling my heart.