Part Eight:
Ashley was in the bathroom with Ellie, so Craig went after Lori. He found
her sitting outside on the steps. She wasn't crying, but she looked upset
and cold.
"Lor? Are you okay?"
Lori turned and looked up at him. "Craig, I...wish I'd listened to you."
Craig sat down next to her and sighed. "Lor, don't say that..."
"Why? You were right, you know." Lori turned away. "So, go ahead. Do your
"I told ya so" dance or something."
"I don't have one. The truth is, I'm not right that often." Lori smiled at
him.
"Yeah, I know."
"Hey!" Lori giggled. She was lightening up. But she sighed again and said,
"I think I'm gonna just walk home now."
"You can't! It's freezing out here! Look at yourself, you're already freezing!"
"It's not that cold. Just go back inside, I'll see you in a few hours."
"Well, if you're leaving, I'll walk you."
"No, Craig," Lori said. "Look, it's only a few blocks. And what about Ashley?"
"She'll survive."
Lori didn't make her move to leave. She said, "I can't believe he would do that
to me."
"I'm gonna kick his ass..."
"Let it go," she said. "I...remember looking at a picture of the two of us,
that we took at the mall recently, and...I remember thinking that we don't
really look like a couple."
"Lor-"
"And when I see them together, it...fits. So I'm okay with it, I really am."
Then Craig saw a tear roll down her face.
"Are you really?"
"No, not really."
Craig brushed away the tear. "I'm sorry that this happened to you."
"No, it's my fault, I was a fool."
Craig didn't move his finger from her face. She looked him in the eyes, and
then they were kissing.
For about a second.
They quickly pulled apart. "Holy shit," Lori whispered. "Sorry, I-"
"Don't worry about it," Craig said, standing up. "I thought I...liked you."
"I guess I thought I liked you, too."
Craig shook his head, smiling. "We're practically brother and sister now,
you know? So..."
"...it's kinda gross," she said, laughing.
"Um..." Craig said, uncomfortable. "So we agree? The kiss wasn't right?"
"No, definatly the total opposite of right," Lori said, standing up, too.
"So...let's not tell anyone? Especially Ashley."
As if on cue, Ashley appeared. "Craig? Lori? What happened?"
Lori smiled sadly. "Sean and I sorta, unofficially, broke up. I saw him kissing
Emma."
"Oh, hon, I'm sorry." Ashley hugged her. "It must be hard to lose such a good
kisser."
"Oh yeah, you would know!" Lori said, laughing. Ashley had told her about
making out with Sean when she was high.
"Hey!" Craig said to his girlfriend, "What about me?"
"Who?" Ashley said, and the girls laughed. Lori said, "I'm leaving now, so
you kids have fun."
"No wait," Ashley said. "I'm sorta done, too." She turned to Craig.
"Hey, I was done the second we walked in the door."
Craig and Ashley dropped Lori off before Craig walked Ashley home by himself. Craig
felt guilty about keeping a secret from Ashley, so when they got to her house,
he spilled the whole thing. Ashley listened silently, and when he was done,
she said, "Is that all? You kissed her?"
"You mean...you're not upset?"
"No," Ashley said. "It's not a big deal, Craig. You didn't have feelings
for her."
Craig nodded and smiled. "Thanks for understanding."
They kissed goodnight, and Craig walked home. He thought about how happy he
was: he still cared about Ashley, and everything was okay between him and Lori.
But he felt bad that things hadn't worked out so well for her...
Read and review, thanks!
Ashley was in the bathroom with Ellie, so Craig went after Lori. He found
her sitting outside on the steps. She wasn't crying, but she looked upset
and cold.
"Lor? Are you okay?"
Lori turned and looked up at him. "Craig, I...wish I'd listened to you."
Craig sat down next to her and sighed. "Lor, don't say that..."
"Why? You were right, you know." Lori turned away. "So, go ahead. Do your
"I told ya so" dance or something."
"I don't have one. The truth is, I'm not right that often." Lori smiled at
him.
"Yeah, I know."
"Hey!" Lori giggled. She was lightening up. But she sighed again and said,
"I think I'm gonna just walk home now."
"You can't! It's freezing out here! Look at yourself, you're already freezing!"
"It's not that cold. Just go back inside, I'll see you in a few hours."
"Well, if you're leaving, I'll walk you."
"No, Craig," Lori said. "Look, it's only a few blocks. And what about Ashley?"
"She'll survive."
Lori didn't make her move to leave. She said, "I can't believe he would do that
to me."
"I'm gonna kick his ass..."
"Let it go," she said. "I...remember looking at a picture of the two of us,
that we took at the mall recently, and...I remember thinking that we don't
really look like a couple."
"Lor-"
"And when I see them together, it...fits. So I'm okay with it, I really am."
Then Craig saw a tear roll down her face.
"Are you really?"
"No, not really."
Craig brushed away the tear. "I'm sorry that this happened to you."
"No, it's my fault, I was a fool."
Craig didn't move his finger from her face. She looked him in the eyes, and
then they were kissing.
For about a second.
They quickly pulled apart. "Holy shit," Lori whispered. "Sorry, I-"
"Don't worry about it," Craig said, standing up. "I thought I...liked you."
"I guess I thought I liked you, too."
Craig shook his head, smiling. "We're practically brother and sister now,
you know? So..."
"...it's kinda gross," she said, laughing.
"Um..." Craig said, uncomfortable. "So we agree? The kiss wasn't right?"
"No, definatly the total opposite of right," Lori said, standing up, too.
"So...let's not tell anyone? Especially Ashley."
As if on cue, Ashley appeared. "Craig? Lori? What happened?"
Lori smiled sadly. "Sean and I sorta, unofficially, broke up. I saw him kissing
Emma."
"Oh, hon, I'm sorry." Ashley hugged her. "It must be hard to lose such a good
kisser."
"Oh yeah, you would know!" Lori said, laughing. Ashley had told her about
making out with Sean when she was high.
"Hey!" Craig said to his girlfriend, "What about me?"
"Who?" Ashley said, and the girls laughed. Lori said, "I'm leaving now, so
you kids have fun."
"No wait," Ashley said. "I'm sorta done, too." She turned to Craig.
"Hey, I was done the second we walked in the door."
Craig and Ashley dropped Lori off before Craig walked Ashley home by himself. Craig
felt guilty about keeping a secret from Ashley, so when they got to her house,
he spilled the whole thing. Ashley listened silently, and when he was done,
she said, "Is that all? You kissed her?"
"You mean...you're not upset?"
"No," Ashley said. "It's not a big deal, Craig. You didn't have feelings
for her."
Craig nodded and smiled. "Thanks for understanding."
They kissed goodnight, and Craig walked home. He thought about how happy he
was: he still cared about Ashley, and everything was okay between him and Lori.
But he felt bad that things hadn't worked out so well for her...
Read and review, thanks!
