Thanks to the few people who reviewed my last chapter, you guys rock! I'm going to make this go a little faster now, I know how the whole story is going to go. And then I've got a great fic coming your way after that, and a couple other good stories in the works too. Just a note: Dewey and Zack both get basses. Katie had two. And also, Sean is 16, Clare is 15.-

Clare woke up the next morning, a Saturday, at eight o clock. She'd always been an early riser. First she realized that her stereo was still on, so she turned it off. Careful to be extremely quiet, she crept down the stairs and turned on the television. Zack had cable, something Clare hadn't had in years. She was perfectly content to watch five hundred different channels while everyone else slept.

She decided that today she would show the many pictures to Zack. She really wanted to know more about her mom and how she had been as a teenager. But now the VH1 top twenty count down took up here full attention. The Killers, her favorite band, were on it, and she mouthed the words to the song. As it ended, Clare heard a noise. She looked up and saw Sean, looking very groggy in his boxers and a t-shirt. He yawned and said hello quietly.

Then he went to get some Pop-Tarts. Clare sat at the table with him.

"So," Sean said, "Is there anything you want to do today?"

"No."

"Nothing?"

"Nope."

"Well that's good because my girlfriend is coming over in a few hours. You'll like her, she's really cool. Her name's Angela."

Clare didn't really care about meeting Angela. All she cared about was doing something that wasn't boring, and this elusive something was not currently presenting itself. She gave a small sigh in her mind and continued munching on her Pop-Tart.

Sean got on to the computer, so Clare went back to watching cable. She hadn't had it for nearly five years, but already it was boring. Zack came down the stairs, and he looked as though a bomb had hit him. There were huge bags under his eyes and his hair was completely disheveled. There appeared to be a bruise on the side of his face, and a little bit of lipstick on his cheek. He started to talk, but Clare didn't realize it, because he just made a kind of mumbling sound under his breath. Then, he went back upstairs.

"What did he say?" Clare asked.

"That he had a late night last night so we need to keep the noise level down."

"How long do you think he'll sleep for?"

"Oh, maybe another four or five hours."

Clare raised her eyebrows and decided to take a shower. She didn't want to look unclean in front of someone older than herself. After her shower, she looked through her pile of clothes.

She decided to wear her favorite jeans and a light blue Ralph Lauren polo t-shirt. She blew her hair dry and brushed it thoroughly. Clare went out into the hall and heard it again. The music. She stood in the same place where she had stood the night before and listened.

This song was bubbly sounding, a happy sound. It made her feel almost happy, which was very good for her considering the circumstances into which she had been plunged. Today there were no words to accompany the song. The music stopped abruptly, like it had the night before, and Clare could hear the sound of feet rushing down the stairs, so she made it look like she was just walking out of her room.

Sean walked on by her, and she felt somehow disappointed. She was, after all, living with him and his dad now. Shouldn't he talk to her a little bit more? She saw him whip out his cell phone and dial a number. She followed him down the stairs, but couldn't hear what he was saying. But she saw him look out the front door and then she saw a girl walking up towards the door.

Apparently this girl was Angela. Angela had black hair that fell lightly upon her shoulders. She was wearing dark jeans, a black wife beater, and over her shirt she had a short, tight army print zip up hoodie. She had on black Converse sneakers and had her nose pierced, with a tiny shiny stud in place. She had on silver guitar earrings.

Angela was an average weight but she was tall, in fact she was the same height as her boyfriend. Apparently she hadn't been told about Clare, because she stared at her incredulously, which made Clare very uncomfortable. Sean stepped in to introduce them.

"Angela, this is my new, uh, housemate, I guess you could say, and Clare, this is my girlfriend Angela."

They looked each other up and down, wondering if the other was a threat in any way. Sean broke the silence. "Let's go up to the game room."

All three of them went upstairs, where Clare was taught how to play bumper pool. The rules were easy to get, but she sucked at the game, so she let Sean and Angela play, and simply watched.

Clare got a soda from the mini fridge. As she watched Sean and Angela, watched them kiss each other and play the game and laugh, she found herself getting a little bit jealous. She didn't know why, it wasn't like she had feelings for Sean, she had just met him the night before. Maybe it was because she'd never had a relationship like the one she was witnessing.

Or maybe she did like Sean more than just a brother/housemate/whatever he was. She didn't really know what was going on with her. The only thing she could determine was that she was jealous and that she didn't want to watch two people laugh and kiss while all she did was drink a soda and sulk.

"I'm going to my room," she said suddenly, with a lot more venom than she had actually intended. Sean and Angela looked up from their game, surprised. Sean shrugged and simply said, "Whatever."

And that, for some reason, infuriated Clare. She got her portable CD player and turned it up as loud as it could go, and put in her favorite CD, The Killers. She drowned in the noise, and she almost forgot about her jealousy. Almost.

Did you like it? Review, PLEASE!-