CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: More or Less

"You sure you don't wanna come?" Mitch asks. I nod.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Somebody's gotta hold down the fort," I say. The boys, the girlfriends, and Ashley are heading out to a bar for St. Patrick's Day. I decided to stay home. Bars aren't really my scene, and I'm underage anyway. Besides, they're coming back later and are more than likely gonna keep drinking when they do. I want to have as little time around drunk people as possible.

"Okay, if you're sure," Mitch says.

"Just don't make this a repeat of your birthday," I say, nudging his shoulder. He raises his eyebrow, looking at me sideways.

"How do you know what happened on my birthday?" he asks.

"You have a habit of drunk Skyping me," I say. It's true. At least once a month, I get an unplanned call at a really weird time with him staggering all over and slurring his words. I'm not saying I approve, but it is pretty funny. Except for that one time he practically groped a girl. That was not so fun.

"Oh. Right. That. I won't, I promise," he says. A few seconds later, the scrambling to get shoes and jackets ends.

"Have fun, guys," I say, holding the door open for them.

"Bye, Mom," Mitch says. I laugh.

"Shut up and get in the van," I say. He kisses me on the cheek and walks out.

"Thank you, honey," I say in a 'Mom' voice. "Make good choices!" I yell after him. Rob is the next out the door. He gives me a quick peck on the cheek as well.

"Really? You guys are going to turn me into an actual soccer mom," I say. One by one, everyone files out, each giving me a kiss on the cheek. Even Ashley and the girlfriends. Mat's the last of them, a few steps behind everyone else. His kiss feels different, for some reason. Like he means it in something other than a "Bye, Mom" kind of way.

"I just want you to know that I hate you all, and that you're gonna be late for soccer practice if you don't leave right now," I say, leaning into the garage. I doubt most of them heard me, but they laugh and wave anyways. I wave back and then go back inside, shutting the door behind me. I sigh, letting out a huge breath. I've got the whole house (well, mansion) to myself for at least two hours. I decide to read some fanfics, maybe go through the Jenja tag on Tumblr. I haven't done that in a couple weeks.

Before I know it, it's been I don't even know how long and I'm hungry. I wander into the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. Unfortunately, there isn't any peanut butter. Or jelly. Or bread, even. I don't know how they live like this. Who doesn't have bread in their house? They've got a fridge full of beer, a freezer full of pizza, and no bread. Weirdos. I'm still rummaging around for something to put in my face when I hear the garage door open. I decide to settle for a glass of chocolate milk. The guys stumble back in as I'm pouring it. I glance at the clock on the oven, which reads 11:17. Wow. I guess I really lost track of time. I must have been reading for almost four hours.

"Hey guys. How was soccer practice?" I joke. Some of them look confused, some of them laugh too hard, and I'm guessing that the ones who are laughing the normal amount are sober. Ashley comes up and grabs a glass, pouring herself some milk as well.

"I tried to keep them under control, but I think they sneaked some shots when I was in the bathroom," she says. I nod.

"Well, at least they're legal," I say. I watch Preston bonk into a wall as he rounds the corner.

"More or less, anyway."

-oO0Oo-

*MITCH'S POV*

I don't know why I kissed her cheek. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm glad she didn't think anything of it. Not that it meant anything, really. It just seemed like something you should do for your mom, which is what she was acting like. I didn't expect the other guys to follow my lead, especially not Mat. He's been kinda sulky for the past couple days. I think he's finally gotten over her pranking him. I just hope that he's not getting attached to her. She has a way of completely ignoring people who have feelings for her. I saw it while I was staying with her before Christmas.

Rob pulls the van into a parking lot of some Irish pub. We decided that even though we're having a mini-party at the house later, you can never start celebrating too early. Except for Lily, who stayed home. She said that she had to "hold down the fort" but I think she was lying. I think she's just scared of the whole thing. She's not one for wild parties, that's for sure. I'm interested to see how tonight is gonna go. She can't really escape a house party where she's staying.

Before I know it, it's been I don't even know how long but most of us are tipsy. I bang my head on the car when I get in and when I get out. When we get back home, Lily asks us how "soccer practice" was and I laugh, remembering how Mat tried to pick up a girl and got totally shut down. I see Preston smack into a wall as he tries to leave the room and I laugh harder. Alcohol makes everything funny. I think I overhear Ashley saying something about us sneaking shots while she was in the bathroom. It's totally true. It was Mat's idea, do 'em fast and hide the evidence. I thought it worked, but apparently not. She's observant. And cute. I like her face.

"WHOOOOOO'S READY TO PARTAAAAAYYYY?"

A/N TIME! MOST BESTEST TIME! AWW YISS: Hey guys! QD here with another chapter for y'all. I'm really excited for the next couple chapters. I apologize in advance for any and all cliffhangers [insert evil author smile]. Hooray for the future! In other news, this story has almost broken 27k views, which is more than I ever expected. Thank you guys so much for all the support you've shown over the past months. I love my beautiful individuals :) On to the facts!

-I would absolutely stay home in this situation. I usually don't like situations like that, and I generally only make exceptions for cast parties for shows that I'm in. Ayyy.

-I am a very maternal person. I will probably be a really crappy wife but a great mom. I love doing a suburban mom impression.

-I love chocolate milk. Especially Costco chocolate milk. That shiznit is the bomb dot com. I also really like PB & J sandwiches. Om nom nom.

And the fictions:

-I had something. I know I did. I totally forgot what I was gonna say here. Oh well. I guess today I am fiction-free :)

I think that about sums it up! Don't forget to review, etc. because you lovely fantastic people are what makes my day. It's looking like my six-month anniversary special is going to be a livestream, but I'm not closing the poll for another couple chapters so go vote! Much luv!

-Quiet Defiance

PS - I'm sorry if it seems like I'm losing touch with the fandom. I just binge-watched the entirety of Supernatural over a two-month period. Blame that.