Four.

Kristy

I watched Mary Anne lead the charge upstairs with a bad feeling. Stacey said Dawn was in my bathroom...

I arrived at my bedroom door in time to here the bathroom door slam open and Mary Anne say "Out."

"Who the hell are you?" A male voice replied.

Sighing, I stood in the doorway of the bathroom. "Chris, just get out, okay?"

Chris Parson, a guy I used to hang out with, strolled out. "What's up Kristy? I'm just trying to have a good time--"

"You know I'm not in that anymore." I hissed at him. I could feel Stacey, Claudia, and Alan staring at me. "Get the hell out of my bedroom."

Chris sighed, shaking his head. "Like it's the first time..." he muttered, walking past me. My faced burned. Why did he have to say that in front of Alan, of all damn people? I decided to forget it and focus on the task at hand. entered the bathroom, where Mary Anne stood glaring at Dawn, who looked pale. Too pale.

"I cannot believe you're doing this again." Mary Anne growled at her sister. "What was that stuff, anyway?"

"Meth, knowing Chris." I interjected. "Dawn? Are you okay?"

Dawn shook her head slightly. "I'm gonna... I think I'm going to..."

I went to her and pulled her out of the chair, keeping my arm around her, and guided her to the toilet. She looked at me gratefully and leaned over it.

Mary Anne stood to the side, wide-eyed. "Dawn?" She asked in a small voice.

Dawn moaned, then threw up. I expected Mary Anne to be grossed out or mad or something, but she actually ran to Dawn and held her hair back. She looked at me. "Should we call 911?"

"Nooooo!" Dawn groaned.

"No. She just did a little too much. It's probably the first time she's done it in a long time." I replied quietly.

Dawn had stopped throwing up. She leaned her head on the seat, eyes wide. "Six months." She said shakily, and started crying.

"Do you want to lay down, Dawn?" Mary Anne asked.

"No..." Dawn sobbed.

Mary Anne sat on the edge of the bathtub, and Dawn layed her head in her sisters lap. Claudia and Stacey stood in the doorway, eyes like frisbees. Alan stood behind them, looking... I don't know what.

Dawn continued sobbing.

"Mary Anne... she's done this before?" Claudia asked quietly.

Mary Anne nodded, tears in her eyes as well. "It's why she came back. I guess she got mixed up with a bad crowd or something... but her Dad had enough and sent her to us. Said she needed to get away from California."

Dawn started sobbing louder. "Maaaarryannnnnnee..."

"I don't think she wants to talk about this..." I murmured, sitting on the floor near the girls.

For fifteen minutes I sat there, so did Stacey, Claudia, and even Alan. We all sat there silently until Dawns sobs quieted to sniffles, her sniffles turned to the occasional sigh, and finally, she was asleep. Alan scooped her up effortlessly and put her in my bed. Mary Anne slid in next to her and the four of us left them alone. We all headed back downstairs, remembering there was a party going on. Claudia and Stacey went off somewhere, and I sat down on a couch in a more quiet corner.

Alan sat next to me and grabbed my hand.

I looked at him. Alan has always been cute, I'll admit it. He's just such a goof. He was always tormenting me. Now he's looking at me in this way that sends shivers up my spine. He just looks so serious and intense, even with a slight smile on his face.

"So," I asked, "I guess you want to know what some of that was about..."

Alan edged a little closer and ran his fingers through my hair, twirling a lock of it around his index finger. "It seems a little soon to get that serious. I'm still trying to figure out why I can't stop staring at you." He gave my hair a small tug and let go. "Though I have always liked blondes."

"I've been a blonde for two years."

"Yeah, but you didn't drive a BMW."

I giggled. "Okay, we'll save all that for another day. But thank you," I added quickly, "for helping out with Dawn."

"Watching you girls try to pick her up would have been sad. Funny, but sad." He squeezed my hand. "Do you have any theories about this? You and me, I mean."

Theories. I have a few, I suppose. Maybe this is the completion of my little turnaround I'm trying to achieve. I used to feel so unattractive as far as guys went... and then this guy Derek started paying attention to me the first day of freshman year. Within two weeks I had dropped my BSC friends completely. They were freshmen. Derek, and the people Derek and I hung out with, were sophmores and juniors. I had this huge desire to be cool, to feel wanted by these people and this guy in particular. Derek got me drunk for the first time. Derek got me high for the first time. Derek got me wearing make-up and buying trendier clothes. Whatever the guy would suggest, I would do it. And I got popular, among our crowd.

By the second semester that year my grades were slipping... and so much more began to happen. I became a person I did not ever think I could be.

I don't like to think about all of it.

The party didn't go on much longer. My heart simply wasn't in it anymore. By 1AM I had managed to get everyone out. Stacey, Claudia, and Alan were all cleaning up. I was sitting off to the side. I didn't feel like cleaning, or doing much of anything. Seeing Dawn that way...

I woke up with a start. Someone had dropped a pan in the kitchen. I stretched and realized I was not in my bed.

A guest room. I must have fallen asleep. I sat up slowly, but still felt dizzy. Uhg.

Besides me, Alan shifted, but did not wake up.

Wait.

I did a double take and look at Alan in horror. I threw off the covers and looked at myself.

Fully clothed. Thank God...

"Alan?" I said in a low voice.

He didn't open his eyes. "Mmmm?"

"Why are you in bed with me?"

"You wouldn't let me leave..." He mumbled, opening his eyes slightly.

"I don't remember." I told him, admiring his face and eyes. He is awfully cute.

Alan groaned and sat up. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "You were asleep. I carried you in here, and layed you on the bed. You wouldn't let go of me, and you woke up a little and said you didn't want to be alone."

I simply sat there, looking into his eyes, saying nothing. I wonder if it's possible to fall in love so easy? I've never been in love, but staring at him, at the curve of his jaw, at his longish black hair, messy from sleep, at his dark eyes, I really wondered if it was possible.

He drew me toward him and kissed me lightly, then not so lightly. I didn't care. My breath must be terrible, I must look like crap, but I didn't care.

Someone knocked on the door, inturrupting.

"Go away!" Alan called cheerfuly, now planting kisses on my neck.

"Yeah, uh, Kristy? Watson's on the phone." Sounded like Stacey. Watson had taken Mom and the kids to New York City yesterday afternoon for an overnight trip. Mom didn't exactly know about the party. She thought I was having some friends over. Watson, on the other hand...

"Come in, Stace." I said. Stacey opened the door slowly... I guess she was being cautious. Seeing we were decent, she entered and handed me the phone.

"Hey Watson." I said, putting my finger to Alan's lips. He got the hint.

"Hi sweetie. Everything go okay last night?"

"Oh yeah, just fine." Besides Dawn nearly overdosing in my bathroom.

"No trouble? No cops?" He sounded surprised. Mom must be in the shower or something.

"Not a bit of trouble. I actually ended the party pretty early, it just got boring..."

Watson chuckled. "I knew I could trust you. Good girl. Your mother was worried to all hell just thinking about you having a few friends over. She kept wanting to call. You owe me big." There's the understatment of the year. I seriously think if not for Watson basically spoiling me for the past year I would have just gone back to the old ways. But he had sided with me against my mother, saying that rewarding me for good behavior was better than punishing me for past mistakes. They've been fighting a lot lately because of me. I feel terrible about that, but Watson keeps assuring me it will all blow over with school ending.

"Thanks, Watson. Really."

"No problem. And tell Stacey she's a horrible liar. I have to go, I'll call when we're almost home."

I hung up the phone. "Watson said to tell you you're a horrible liar." I said to Stacey, who was still standing next to the bed.

"Well I didn't know he knew about the party..." She shrugged. "Mary Anne is cooking breakfast."

"Everyone is still here?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, Mary Anne took Dawn home at like five in the morning. I guess she wanted to come back. Are you guys going to eat?"

"Sure," I said. Alan gave me a puppy dog look. Whoops. I forgot we had been in the middle of something. "I mean, I've got to get up and dressed, brush my teeth... I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Uh...huh." She clearly didn't believe me. "Okay, see you in a while."

As soon as the door was shut Alan was on my neck again. I giggled. "I almost wish we weren't going to Sea City..." I murmured.

He stopped. "You're going where? When?"

"Next friday." Whoops again. "We're going for two weeks." Funny, the thought of not seeing Alan for two weeks is a little depressing.

"So I'm not invited?" He asked with a grin.

"Do you want to come?" I asked eagerly. "Of course you're invited. Oh my God, we're going to have so much fun!" A little voice in my head reminded me that this was supposed to be a "BSC" thing... I pushed the thought away. They wouldn't mind.

Would they?