Tim was holding my hand firmly as we walked into the house, the music was loud and so was the talking and singing from all the people that were crowded together in the small house. Tim pulled me with him through the crowd and stopped in front of a table where some guys were playing poker. I recognized three of them from his gang but I didn't know their names and then there was Curly. They all turned around to greet Tim with wide smiles and eyes that were glittering in the dim light. One of them stood up and walked up to us giving Tim an affectional pat on his shoulder.

"What took you so long man?" he asked grinning broadly. Tim just shrugged and smiled one of his real smiles. I looked at him in awe, he looked happy. And I realized that his friends really liked him they didn't just respect him and fear him as I had thought they would, they really cared about him and he really liked them too.

"Nora, this is Shane" Tim said and squeezed my hand gently and nodded towards the guy in front of me. Shane was about my height but much broader, he had a stockier built then Tim but he looked nice, his smile was genuine and his green eyes dancing.

"So this is Nora…" he said and smirked at Tim then he looked at me, curious and kind "…nice to meet you, how're your brothers doing?" I smiled back at him and suddenly remembered seeing him talk to Soda one time at the DX.

"They're ok I guess" I answered and felt Tim's hand tense slightly at the talk of my brothers. His eyes were concentrated on the poker game so I figured he didn't even realize that he was showing his emotions so clearly and I ran my thumb up and down his hand softly to ease the tension away. Shane walked over to Tim's other side and stood with him watching the game occasionally leaning in to say something.

I looked over at Curly who nodded at me and smiled. I didn't respond I just kept glaring at him; I was still pissed at him for telling Tim when he had promised me he wouldn't. I didn't care so much about him telling Tim I had cried it was just that he had lied to me, and now I couldn't trust him. Curly got up and excused himself, he gave his brother a quick nod and a smile and then he walked over to me taking my arm in his and dragging me away before I could even protest. He pulled me out into the small garden and then he stopped still holding his hand firmly around my arm.

"What the fuck is your bag Nora?" he spat at me, his eyes more hurt then angry, I glared at him and didn't respond.

"Why are you being a bitch!"

"I'm being a bitch ? " I screamed at him "You're the one who can't keep secrets, always has to tell big brother everything don't you?" I mocked him "Scared he'll hurt you otherwise?" I smirked at him and to my surprise he started laughing, he let go of my arm and was almost shaking with laughter.

"You think I told him?" he chuckled "He's got eyes in his head you know" he laughed some more while I just looked at him confused.

"He already knew, he just asked me why, and I didn't tell him, I just confirmed that you did cry" he said now serious as he locked his eyes on mine. I felt all the pieces fall together in my head, he hadn't lied to me, Tim had already known and why wouldn't he have seen it, my eyes were still bright red and puffy when Curly had walked me home so of course he would have been blind if he didn't see that.

"Ohh" I said and Curly threw and arm over my shoulder and we began to walk back inside.

When we came back to the poker table Tim was standing talking to a brown haired girl, she leaned in close to him and told him something and he chuckled slightly. I felt my insides turn to ice and I froze waiting for the inevitable, waiting for him to kiss her, but he didn't. Instead he looked around the room and when he saw Curly he hauled him over to him by the front of his shirt and asked him something, Curly answered and Tim let him go while scanning the room with a cold expression. The girl said something to him and he responded without looking at her. When he saw me standing by the door his face lit up and he smiled, then he leaned down to say something to the girl in front of him and she smiled and nodded and he walked over to me. When he reached me he just stood silently in front of me and looked at me hesitantly, I was still kind of shocked and didn't know what to make of the situation.

"What's wrong?" he asked his eyes showing something close to worry "Did Curly say something, I swear I'll…"

"Who's that girl?" the question was out of my mouth before I even realized it and Tim just let out a sigh of relief. My eyes were on the girl whose eyes were flicking from me and Tim to the floor nervously. Tim put an arm around me and walked up to her. She was really pretty and I felt sick, what was he playing at, why had he taken me to talk to some girl he was probably flirting with.

"Nora, this is Mandy" Tim said and smiled at the Mandy girl who put her hand out for me to shake, I took it hesitantly feeling like I was walking into a trap. "She's an old friend of mine" he added and smirked and Mandy locked her eyes with him and smirked back and when he winked at her she blushed and hit him softly on his arm. I felt out of place, like I had walked in on a private moment where I really shouldn't be. Plus I felt sick with jealousy. I wanted to strangle her for even looking at Tim and kill her for having known him longer then me.

"We went to school together" she said and smiled at me "Even dated for a year" I felt something cold growing in my stomach "But that was ages ago now we're just friends" she said all this while looking and smiling at Tim who was still holding his arm around me possessively. I looked up at his face and saw him smiling at Mandy, warmly. He rarely smiled at me like that, that openly and warmly, with me he always hid his emotions making me think he didn't feel anything. He turned to look at me suddenly and I saw the same happiness in his eyes that I had seen when he greeted his friends earlier. He was so beautiful when he looked happy, all his features were softer, his eyes were like glittering blue pools.

"He helps me with Allie sometimes" Mandy said and smiled at me, she looked proud. I wondered who Allie was and as if he was reading my mind Tim said;

"Allie's her daughter" I was in awe, she didn't look much older then me and she had a daughter. Then I suddenly became worried, who was the girls father? Well at least he didn't say our daughter I thought.

Mandy was taking a small purse out of her jeans pocket and from it she took a small picture and gave it to me. I looked at the photo and a small black haired girl of about two looked at me with big brown eyes, the same eyes as her mother had. But the black hair where did that come from?

"She's beautiful" I said and passed the picture over to her again, she looked at it fondly and then put it back in her purse.

"Yes" she said "I was only sixteen when she was born" she sighed and then she locked eyes with Tim who was now holding my hand "But Tim helped me so it has just been fun" she smiled. I felt myself tense up; Tim was the kid's father then? He must have felt my body tense cause he let go of me and mumbled;

"Well the father was an asshole so someone had to do it"

I drew a relieved breath and tried to ease up my tense body, he wasn't the girl's dad after all. Good. But still I wondered what I would have done if he was? Couldn't I still be with him then? I didn't know. I had a hard time imagine Tim taking care of a toddler; it was hard to think of him as the caring, parenting kind. I suddenly thought of Darry, he was like that, a natural parent who always cared and tried his best. I had always thought of Tim as more the type to abandon the girl when she got pregnant. But perhaps that was unfair, he wasn't like that apparently. He looked after a girl who wasn't his girlfriend and her baby that wasn't his after all. I suddenly felt so proud of him; he was so kind and beautiful, so strong and proud. All thoughts and frights about him being unfaithful were out the window and I sneaked my arm around his waist and leaned against his arm while he continued talking to Mandy. I decided that I liked her.

Sorry it took so long to update, hope you like it, I know the story is a bit slow at the moment but there will be more action soon, I promise! Review please! Tack