Winter Freeze
Chapter 7
The last day of school before it let out for break was full of exams. When that was finally over, Owen had to go to work. Again. He hated work almost as much as school. Before that though, he had to take his girlfriend home.
"They say it's going to ice tonight," Annabel was saying as they drove down the road, some acoustic music playing softly in the background. "Be careful, you know, when you're delivering pizzas."
"It's Friday night," he told her. "Did you want me to stop by your place after? With a pizza and some soda?"
"You should just go home, Bear. It's supposed to be pretty bad." She smiled at him then. "Besides, we have the rest of break to be together, right?"
He nodded slightly, not feel up for talking. Not when, you know, his whole high school future hung in the balance. He wasn't so dead set against graduating. It seemed like a smart thing to do. But he was not making up classes. He just wasn't.
"Whitney text me last night that she thinks she's going to bring Lucas to Christmas," Annabel went on when it was clear he wasn't going to say anything. "She thinks then will be a good idea to introduce him. I told her I would wait until Kirsten's around though. You know how tense Dad is around Kirsten. Whitney having a boyfriend will just fly over his head."
Owen really wanted her to shut up. This was mainly due to the fact that he couldn't care less about Whitney and her lie. She was the one that wouldn't just tell her parents she was dating someone. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Or at least it shouldn't be. Even though Owen wasn't very fond of him, Lucas seemed like he at least liked Whitney. He even seemed pretty possessive when he thought Owen was some guy hanging out with her. Why shouldn't she date him?
"I don't know though, you know?" Annabel just kept talking, apparently not caring that Owen didn't care at all. "I would think that Dad would already be upset and that when Whitney told them about Lucas, he'll just get more upset."
"I don't really see why it matters."
"What do you mean?"
"You sister's an adult. Lucas isn't, like, abusing her. Your dad's opinion isn't really important."
Annabel rolled her eyes at that. "You just don't get it."
"No," he said slowly. "I think that you guys are making more out of this than needs be."
"Whatever, Owen. Never mind."
He just reached forward to nudge up the volume on his stereo. Rolling her eyes heavily, Annabel crossed her arms, letting him know right off the bat that she was upset with him. The thing she didn't seem to get though was that Owen didn't care. He really didn't. The day had been long and brutal. In less than twenty minutes, Annabel would be at home and he'd be at work, where he'd suffer through horrible tips and a dick boss just to go home alone and try to sleep off the horrible funk he had been in recently. Winter break was a blessing, sure, but it could just as quickly be turned into a frozen hell.
When they pulled up to his girlfriend's house, she got out without a second thought. She didn't even thank him for the ride! Now annoyed, Owen didn't even wait for her to get into her house like he usually would. She was the one that was causing problems, not him. She kept insisting on talking about stuff that he didn't care about. Why was that his fault?
Work was a drag like usual. Annabel never even texted him an apology, so there was no way he was bringing her a stupid pizza. She was being mean to him, not the other way around.
When Owen finally got home, he found that no one was around. Recently his mother and sister had begun to not even tell him when they wouldn't be home. Part of it probably stemmed from the way he had treated his younger sister that day she broke his Ipod, but he wasn't sure. Maybe they just thought he didn't care anymore. And did he?
After scrambling up and eating some eggs, Owen went into his bedroom where he soon passed out, not even turning on his stereo first. He stayed that way too, asleep, until five the next morning. Even then he just woke up to pee. While he was up though, he went ahead and checked his phone, shocked to find that he had missed a few calls from Annabel. Great.
Grumbling as he headed into the kitchen to get a soda, Owen sent her a text telling her that he was up if she wanted to talk. He didn't even feel up to listening to the messages that she had left on his phone. He had no doubt that they would be filled with hysterics and accusations. He wasn't the one that wasn't feeling it that afternoon, it was her. She didn't want to hear about how she was wrong and he was right. Whitney's relationship secret was caused purely by her own devices.
While he was in the kitchen, popping a bag of popcorn and sipping on a soda, Owen's phone went off. He knew immediately it was Annabel calling him back and pulled his phone out.
"Hello?"
"Where were you?"
"Sleeping."
"Bull."
"Where do you think I was, Annabel?" he asked, not really up for the fight at the moment. "A party? A girl's house? Fucking someone? What?"
She let out a long breath. "You didn't answer when I called."
"Did I not just tell you that I was sleeping?"
"You're always sleeping, but you wake up and answer when I call."
"Well, this time I didn't. I'm sorry. I've been really stressed, Bell, and haven't been sleeping much. So I crashed after work and exams and our fight-"
"We didn't fight."
"We fought."
"No."
"You wouldn't even tell me goodbye," he pointed out. "That's a fight."
"We just weren't talking."
"No," he said slowly. "You weren't talking to me. I would have gladly spoken to you, told you goodbye, kissed you goodbye. You wouldn't talk to me though."
"I don't remember it that way."
"You rarely do," he sighed as the microwave dinged. Going to pull out his popcorn, he asked, "What did you want anyways?"
"You always call me to say goodnight," she told him. "When you didn't call, I called you...multiple times."
"Why are you whispering?"
"It's, like, five in the morning, Bear."
Bear. She wasn't mad at him anymore. Good.
"So?"
"So, I don't want my parents to know that I'm up talking to you."
"Uh, Bell, an hour or so from now on Monday we'll be driving to the studio."
"I guess you're right," she mumbled.
"Of course I am," he insisted. "Besides, it's not like we're talking about sex things or something. Unless you, like, want to talk about sex things. Because I'm horny."
"You are not."
"Not this second, no, but I can get horny relatively quickly. It ties in with the teenaged boy thing."
"Boy?"
"Man."
"The teenaged man? Yeah, I don't think that's real."
"It is real. It's me."
"Whatever."
"It's me."
She let out a long breath. "Are you going to come over today?"
"I didn't plan on it."
"Then did you want me to come over to see you?"
"If you want."
"Owen-"
"Annabel, I don't know what you want me to say."
"Just tell me if you want to hangout with me or not."
"Not," he said. "Just not today, alright? Let's just…take a break today."
"What are you going to do all day, Owen, that you don't want me to know about?"
"I'm not going to do anything," Owen said, frowning at her tone. "I just don't want to hangout tomorrow. Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Just tell me what it is that you want to do?"
"Nothing. Just not be around you for the day. God, can I not just be alone for the day? It's like if I'm off and not with Mallory, you expect me to be with you. That's not the way it works, Annabel."
"I'm not the one who made it that way," she argued, as he knew she would. She could never just accept things as fact when they painted her in a bad light. "You-"
"Then if you don't want it this way either, why are you fighting for it?" Owen snorted. "You know as well as I do that you just want me around constantly so you're not alone. You have no one else, anyways."
There was a long pause on her end, tipping Owen off that he had crossed the line. Really though, when didn't he? She seemed to have the thinnest line of anyone he had ever met. Either that or there was just no line at all and everything offended her. That was a pretty high possibility as well.
"You know what, Owen? Fine. Let's not hangout tomorrow."
"Annabel-"
"And I'm not going to be feeling well, say, tomorrow morning around seven?"
"You can't possibly know-"
"So you can do your stupid little show alone."
"You-"
"I'm mean, it's not like it matters if I'm there or not. What? Will all of two listeners notice my absence?"
His expression grew dark. "You-"
"Besides, I need to finish working on my shows for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You know, shows that actually drawl in listeners?"
"Fuck you then, Annabel. I don't want you to go anyways."
"Good, because I won't be going."
"Good."
"Good."
He hung up after that, sure that Annabel did the same. Then, heading off to his room, he immediately turned on his stereo before getting back into bed. Sitting there munching on his popcorn angrily on the bed, Owen didn't feel an ounce of remorse. He did start to worry, however, about how Annabel would perceive their fight in the long run. His anger was usually heavy, but fleeting. He knew that probably before sunrise he would be ready to make up and out. Annabel was a totally different story altogether.
"Great," he grumbled as he finished with his popcorn and tossed the bag to the ground, planning on retrieving it in the morning for disposal. Now Annabel was going to be super mad at him for all of break. If, you know, she even spoke to him at all.
Still, Owen saw himself as being more of the victim once again. He didn't want to hangout together Saturday. So what? Why was that considered some kind of Cardinal sin to her? Was he so out of line to accuse her of needing him to be around just so she could say she wasn't alone? Because that was totally it. He knew that it was. She was constantly afraid of being alone, of being a loser. Why did it fall on Owen's shoulders to constantly hangout with her? Last time he checked, she was the more popular one of the two of them. Or at least she should have been. It wasn't his fault that she spent the years under Sophie's regime making enemies.
Rolling onto his side, Owen shut his eyes and hoped to God that he had just dreamed the whole sequence and when he woke up in the morning they would be getting along again.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that God didn't seem to like Owen much.
When he woke up, the first thing he did was check his cell phone. And of course Annabel had turned her off, or so he found out when he tried to call it. Not only that, but she had also left him another, long voicemail, basically telling him off and outlining her plans for their future or rather lack there of.
"Double great," he grumbled as he got out of bed, making sure to grab the bag of popcorn on his way out of the room. Now he had to spend his previously free Saturday making up to his overly high maintenance girlfriend. Had you told Owen when he and Annabel first got together that he would ever dread seeing her, he wouldn't have believed you for a second. Now that he was in that position though…
After a quick shower, unnecessary shave, and way too much Axe, Owen was out the door, not even finding it odd that he had stayed alone the whole night, never even getting a call from his mother. Maybe she was really done with him. Huh.
It was nearing noon by the time Owen got to his girlfriend's house, the day overcast and dreary. They were going to probably have more snow or something later in the day. Owen didn't know. Watching the news bored him tremendously.
When he knocked at the door, Owen honestly thought that Annabel wouldn't answer. He had seen her through the big glass front of the house, watching TV, when he pulled up. She had made eye contact with him the whole time he walked up the drive and to the door, never moving from her spot from the couch. He wasn't expecting much and as a last resort figured he'd go tap on the glass in the living room if nothing else got her attention.
"What do you want?" Annabel asked, opening the door on the first knock, much to the surprise of her boyfriend.
"To come inside at the moment," he said, before nodding down at the box in his hands. "I brought donuts. Glazed, sprinkles, chocolate covered."
"You're not coming in," she told him simply, crossing her arms.
"Please?"
"Owen, I'm leaving soon anyways."
He made a face. Though the original plan for the day was for them to both do their own thing, he did not like the idea of her 'going out' without him. He wanted her to stay home and, like, do homework or something. Not actually go out! And what if she thought she was going out with that James freak or something? Or Rolly?
…Spending off days away from his girlfriend was starting to seem like a bad idea…
"Where are you going?" he asked, not able to keep the suspicion out of his tone.
"To Whitney's," she told him.
"Oh, good." He let out a breath. "I thought you had, like, real plans or something."
Her face hardened even more, if possible. "Goodbye, Owen."
"Bella-"
"No. You're being a jerk. Go home and-"
"Is that Owen?" he heard her mother call from somewhere.
"He was jut leaving," Annabel responded. "He-"
"Can I at least give you these donuts?" Owen held them out to her. "Come in and set them down? Please? I bought them for you."
Groaning, she took a step back. "Shoes and coat off."
"Aye-aye," he said, knowing that taking off his jacket would lead to him staying longer. "You want me to put them on the-"
"Whatever, Owen."
It wasn't until he got to the kitchen that Owen saw Annabel's parents. They were both sitting at the table, Mr. Greene sipping a cup of coffee while reading the paper. When he saw that white box though, he immediately knew what it was filled with and called his daughter's boyfriend over.
"Owen," he said, greeting the boy in an unusually peppy tone. Owen knew from some of Annabel's stories that her father was a typically happy man. Not to mention that time they spent together playing all those Nintendo games. Still, since that pre-Summer revelation, he had been very cool towards the teen. Which was fine. Owen wasn't too fond of him either.
"Drew, remember that we're watching what we eat," Grace quipped in as her husband reached into the box to pull himself out a donut.
"It's just one, Grace."
"Mmmm."
"Okay," Annabel said as she came into the room just as her boyfriend was going to set the box on the counter. "I have to go now, Owen. So leave."
"Annabel," her mother scolded with a frown.
"Well, hold on now, Annabel," her father was saying then. "Owen, what are you doing today?"
He glanced at his girlfriend before at her father. "Nothing as of now."
"Great."
"Andrew-"
"I was going to have to drive Grace and Annabel all the way to Whitney's apartment," the man said, speaking right over his wife. "Because Whitney has the other car and we need it back. So if you're doing nothing-"
"He was just saying that to be kind, Dad," Annabel said then. "He has something to do today. If you really don't want to go, I told you that I can drive the car back-"
"And I told you that I don't want you driving on the ice."
"But you want him to?"
"I can do it," Owen insisted. Really, he just wanted an excuse to be with Annabel, even if that was the exact opposite of what he wanted only mere hours before.
"Really, Owen, you don't have to."
"Grace," her husband began. "He just said that he wanted to."
"I do," he said, nodding. "I have nothing better to do."
"You sure did before," Annabel commented dryly.
"Well, now he doesn't and I can stay and watch the game." Andrew stood up to go grab another donut. "It all works out."
"Is that why you don't want to go so badly?"
"Yes, Grace," her husband replied, voice taut then. "It is. But if you're going to force me to go-"
"I've never forced you to do anything." Grace stood then before heading out of the kitchen. "We leave in thirty minutes, kids."
"I hate you so much."
That was the first thing out of Annabel's mouth once they were alone in the kitchen. She was staring at him, glaring heavily at him, arms crossed. Owen just went to get himself a donut.
"Do you hear me, Owen? Because I do. I-"
"Fine, you hate me. Whatever," he said, turning towards the fridge. "Can I get a coke?"
She kept on glaring at him. "I am not going to the studio with you tomorrow."
"Then don't. Who cares?" He pulled the coke out before facing her. "Do you want to break up?"
"No, I-"
"Then knock it off." He took a long sip of his coke before smiling at her. "You should be happy anyways."
"Why?" she asked slowly.
"Your mother's going to Whitney's," he reasoned.
"And?"
"She might see, you know, that guy. And that-"
"Oh, shit," Annabel mumbled, glancing towards the living room before up the stairs. "God, I didn't even think about that."
"Surely your mother called Whitney to tell her that she was coming, right?" Owen asked, frowning slightly.
"I don't know. I don't think so."
"What?"
Groaning, Annabel rushed out of the room and up the stairs, no doubt going to get her phone. Shrugging, Owen took his coke and donut with him into the living room.
"How many wrecks you been in?"
Owen frowned at his girlfriend's father as he sat down on the couch. "None."
"Tickets?"
"One for speeding when I first got my license back in Arizona. Paid."
"I'm trusting you to get my car back in here in one piece. Not to mention my wife and daughter."
Owen just nodded as the man put the television on the pre-game. "Will do."
"I'm serious," Andrew insisted. "Don't wreck my car and do not kill my daughter."
Those seemed to be the most basic of guidelines there were. Owen just nodded, taking another bite of his donut. Don't kill his daughter. Right.
"Are you all ready to go, kids?" Grace came into the room some time later, all bundled up in a heavy coat. "Where's Annabel, Owen?"
"Uh-"
"Right here."
She came rushing down the stairs after her mother, quickly coming into the living room. "I'm ready."
Standing, Owen went to throw away his trash before heading to the door to get his coat and boots.
"Are we taking my car, or-"
"Oh, Owen, is that the jacket you're wearing?"
Owen glanced over at Grace before nodding. "Well, yeah."
"It's so thin. You won't get cold, sweetheart?" Grace seemed honestly concerned, going over to the hall closet then. "I'm sure Andrew has a coat that will fit you in here. Hold on-"
"I'm really fine," Owen assured her as he went to lace up his boots better. "I'll be in the car anyways."
"Well," Grace sighed reluctantly. "If you're sure. It just doesn't look too cozy."
"It's fine, Mom," Annabel complained, still glued to her phone as she went to open the front door. "Let's just go."
"I suppose I know what to get you for Christmas then," Grace told Owen then. He almost blushed for some reason, just from the way she was treating him. All nice and stuff. Annabel just rolled her eyes, heading out of the door.
"We're taking my car," Annabel told Owen. "Whitney has Mom's. That's the one she's going to drive back. Here's my keys."
"Why can't we take Owen's car, dear?" Grace asked as she closed and locked the door behind them.
"It's filled with CDs," Annabel told him.
"Surely-"
"It's just best this way, Mom."
"Well, Owen doesn't need to drive yet, does he? I can, if-"
"I can," Owen assured her. "Or you. Whatever."
"Just drive, Owen," Annabel ordered, thrusting the keys into his hand before going over to her car. "Since you freaking invited yourself-"
"Annabel, leave the attitude here, alright?" Her mother shook her head. "Honestly."
Owen really thought that Grace was going to sit in the back and Annabel in the passenger seat…until Annabel got into the back, still texting on her phone. Whatever. Owen really wasn't concerned at all. Grace was being extremely kind to him. That was good enough at the moment.
"Do you like classical music, Owen?" Grace asked him once they were in the car, her playing with the radio until the she found the station. "It's all I really enjoy."
"I like it fine," he told her, nodding. She smiled at him then.
"Andrew hates when I play it," she told him. "He only likes to listen to the sports station. Or that nasty rock music."
"Classic rock?"
She just sighed. "He doesn't like for anybody to play with the radio."
Annabel caught Owen's eye in the review mirror, making a face at him, he just focused on pulling out of the driveway though.
The car ride was mostly silent, Annabel focusing on his phone, and Grace listening to her music. It was just as well though, as Owen really didn't know what to say to either of them. He did need a little help with the directions at one point, but overall, things were going okay. Traffic wasn't great, but it hadn't begun snowing yet, which was nice.
"Mom, are you sure we should be here?" Annabel asked as they neared the apartment complex. "Whitney hasn't texted me back and I tried to call her to tell her that we were coming-"
"I have a key, Annabel. If she's not home, we'll wait."
"Owen might not want to-"
"Then he can go ahead and drive this car back," Grace told her daughter. "You can go along if you want too. But I am getting my car back from Whitney today. I need it."
"But if she's not there-"
"I just told you that I have a key."
"Still," her youngest went on, obviously not wanting her mother to stumble upon Whitney's secret. "It's kind of an invasion of privacy, you know? To go in without-"
"Andrew and I are paying for this apartment. Or at least some of it. I can go in as I please."
"Mom-"
"What is your problem today, Annabel?" Grace turned slightly to look at her daughter in the backseat as Owen pulled into the parking lot. "Honestly."
Owen didn't know why, but he too was starting to get nervous about the whole Whitney situation. When he parked, they all slowly got out, Annabel trudging along. With her mother leading them towards the apartment, she hung back, mumbling to her boyfriend.
"I have a bad feeling."
"Maybe she's not home," he offered up.
"Doubt it. She's always home."
"Annabel-"
"I have a feeling she's going to regret not having an apartment where you have to be buzzed in."
Owen shook his head. "What's the worse that could happen? It's the middle of the day. I'm sure he has work or she has-"
"Come on, kids," Grace called over her shoulder. "It's cold out."
Even when they got up to Whitney's door, Annabel looked anxious, if not more so. Owen just stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket, humming under his breath. This wasn't his family. At any moment, he could walk out to the car and head home. Still, he continued to go along with his girlfriend and her mother, not really knowing how to bow out quietly. Maybe that was his worst quality of all.
"Okay, no one's home," Annabel said not a second after her mother knocked on the door. "Let's-"
"Give her a second, Annabel," Grace scolded, though she herself was rummaging through her purse, no doubt looking for the spare key to the apartment. Grace knocked three more times before the door finally did open. But of course it couldn't be her daughter who answered it. Of course. You know, 'cause it tied in with that who God hates Owen thing. It had to. That was his only explanation at least.
Only Grace wasn't as fast as anyone else. She just smiled apologetically when a shirtless Lucas answered the door. Owen was dismayed to find he had abs, though he wasn't sure why. Though, to his pleasure, they were not well defined. So there…whoever he was arguing with. There.
"I'm sorry," Grace said as Lucas stared blankly out at them, not noticing Annabel at first. "I must have the wrong apartment. I was looking for my daughter Whitney."
Then he blinked and looked at Owen, placing him before the other teen. Lucas stared hard at Annabel for a second, as if willing her to take over. She didn't.
"But, I thought Whitney lived in 4D," Grace mumbled, staring at the number on the door. "But-"
"She does," Annabel said then, nodding her head slightly while staring at Lucas. Then she looked at Owen. "This is just…"
"Are you the cable guy?"
Lucas shot a dagger at Owen for asking him that, but they really had no other plan of attack.
"Uh, yeah," Lucas said, awkward as ever, standing there clad in only his jeans. Stifling a yawn, he said, "Come in."
"I'm confused," Grace said then, taking a step into the apartment. To Owen, in his infinite teenage boy knowledge of porn movies, a shirtless TV guy did not equal a wholesome daughter. "Where is my daughter exactly?"
"She, uh, you know. Is…sleeping?" Lucas looked to Owen, wanting him to supply more answers. He was all out though, as he was totally thinking about porn then and repair guys that got lucky like pizza guys were supposed to, though he never did. …Not that he wanted to or anything, because that was wrong or whatever. So, yeah.
When Annabel stepped in the apartment as well, Owen went ahead and did so too, figuring he had nothing else to lose. He had seen the start of the match, might as well see it through.
"Lucas, I swear to fucking God, can you do nothing right?"
It was then that Whitney came out of the bedroom, dressed in a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt.
"I told you, Lacy, that I didn't fucking want to hangout today." She had come out apparently with whoever it was at the door in mind. Only when she saw who it really was, she found out that she was completely wrong. Then all that fight and all those curse words fled her faster than her breath did. "M-Mom. What are you doing here?"
"I came to get my car," Grace said, staring hard at her daughter then, no doubt understanding as the dots connected themselves. "And who is this, exactly?"
Lucas smiled then, real big and cheesy. The gig was up and all that. "I'm-"
"Leaving. You're leaving," Whitney told him then. "Now, preferably."
"Are you having sex with strangers in this apartment?"
And Owen was out. Hearing the word sex from Grace's mouth did him in. Annabel said her family never talked about it, but dang if he didn't hear enough about it from all of them.
"God, Mom, no." Whitney frowned as her as she came further into the living area. "We're dating."
"Since when do you date?"
"Since when do you just barge into my apartment?"
"He answered the door." Grace looked to Lucas then, frowning. His smile had faded before at Whitney's rude words to him, but it suddenly sprang back to life.
"I'm Lucas," he said, holding a hand out to her. Then he saw the way his girlfriend was cutting her eyes at him. Dropping his hand, he said, "And apparently I'm leaving."
"You just told me you were a repair man."
"TV guy," Lucas corrected.
"Luke, leave. Now." Whitney was not playing around anymore. Owen knew from the stories Annabel had told him that under pressure, Whitney usually folded in our herself and walked away, pouting and stomping the whole way. She clearly was out of luck in her current situation, as they were in her apartment; she had nowhere else to go.
Grace took a deep breath then, letting it out slowly. "I need to go to the bathroom."
It was dead silent in the room as she walked across it, headed to the restroom. The second she was in there, Whitney pounced on her younger sister.
"What the hell do you think-"
"I texted, I called, I-"
"I couldn't pay my phone bill. It's not on."
"And that's my fault?"
"Yes!"
Lucas looked to Owen. "When my phone was lost and I didn't get her messages, it wasn't her fault. It was mine."
"Didn't I tell you to leave?" Whitney frowned over at him again.
"Calm down, alright?" Lucas glanced over at the closed bathroom door. "It's okay. Your mom knows now. It's not the end of the world."
She just kept glaring at him. "The TV man, Lucas? Really?"
"That was his doing," he complained, pointing at Owen.
Annabel gasped then, causing everyone to look at her again. "Owen, you lied."
"What?"
She was just staring at him. "You lied to my mom."
"I did not."
"You totally did."
"It wasn't a lie."
"It was a lie."
"I-"
"Would you two shut up?" Whitney huffed slightly, crossing her arms. "Who cares if he lied?"
"I did not lie," he grumbled.
"You did."
"Annabel, knock it off." Whitney turned her eyes to her Lucas once more. Owen could tell from just looking at her that she was only getting more worked up. Lucas was still having a good time though, joking around and finding it all funny. Owen could see that this was probably one of their biggest problems in their relationship. Things that were serious for Whitney were extremely funny to Lucas. Owen could tell that from his last interaction with them.
"Wipe that stupid smile off your face." Whitney landed a weak hit to his chest as Lucas came to stand near her. "This isn't funny."
"You get so stressed about every little thing." He tried to sling an arm around her, but that just got him hit again. Once more, his grin started to falter. "Whit, calm down, alright?"
"You calm down, Lucas," Whitney said, frowning heavily at him. "I don't need to calm down. You just-"
"I just what?" He shook his head at her. "Your mother clearly doesn't care."
"I dunno." Annabel was biting her thumbnail then, no doubt afraid that her sister really was upset with her. "Mom did kinda seem upset."
"Thank you, Annabel," Whitney chipped, shooting her younger sister a look. "I-"
"Whitney."
They all looked up as Grace came out of the bathroom. Well, except for Owen. He was too busy trying to figure out if he really had lied or not. Had he? He didn't feel like he had. And if he had, it had been Annabel's fault. She was the one that got him into the whole mess. Not to mention, it were her lying ways that were influencing him. So there.
"Can I see you for a moment?" the older woman asked then. "In the bedroom."
Whitney bit her lip before just shaking her head. "No."
"No?"
"No," she repeated before going over to the coffee table. "You want your car? Fine. Here's your stupid keys. Just get out."
Her mother just stared at her. "Why are you upset with me?"
"Because-"
"Look, if it's really that serious, I'll just go, alright?" Lucas looked to Whitney before at her mother. "Although, you spoiled your Christmas present."
"What?"
"Lucas," Whitney hissed.
"Lucas was coming to Christmas," Owen blurted out, causing Annabel to elbow him.
"What are you doing?"
"I have to make up for lying before," he said hastily before looking back at Grace. "Whitney's been with Lucas since July."
"What?"
"June-ish," Lucas corrected, nodding.
"Out, Annabel," Whitney said, pointing then. "And take your creepy boyfriend with you."
"He is not…" Annabel just trialed off. "Fine, whatever. Come on, Owen."
"No, stay, kids, since you apparently all know each other so well," Grace said then, throwing up her hands as if in surrender. Then recrossing the room, she went to pick up her car keys. "I'll just go. I-"
"You can't tell Dad," Whitney ordered her mother then.
"And why can't I do that?"
Whitney just stared at her. "Please, Mom?"
Grace let out a long breath as she held the keys in her palm. "It's not that I don't want you to be…happy, Whitney, but- And you are happy, yes?"
"Meh."
"Lucas, knock it off." Whitney hit him again. "Seriously."
"But," Grace continued, apparently getting the answer she wanted. "I don't think that you're…ready for a relationship-"
"Mom, I'm not Annabel, alright?"
"Hey." Her younger sister frowned at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm not a kid," Whitney went on, ignoring her sister. "I-"
"You've went through a lot last year. And the way you've been acting-"
"Acting? How am I acting?"
"Secretive for one," Owen mumbled, causing him to get another death glare courtesy his girlfriend's sister.
"Well," her mother began. "You stopped going to therapy-"
"I don't need it anymore."
"-I have no idea what your eating habits have been-"
"They've been fine."
"-since you never let me come over anymore-"
"I'm an adult," Whitney said then, turning her daggers onto her mother. "I can do whatever I want. If I want to be with Lucas-"
"I don't think that it's appropriate for you currently, dear, to be…'with' someone."
Annabel stifled a giggle into her palm, making Owen elbow her that time.
"Annabel almost got freaking raped and you were all gung-ho about Owen."
"I was not gung-ho about-"
"We're not talking about me," Annabel spoke up quickly, her giggles gone. No way did she want to go down with her sister. She was not the captain; she would abandon ship faster than anyone.
"My point is, Whitney," Grace went on, her annoyance become more clear with her tone, "that you're not ready for a relationship. This…man seems nice enough, but-"
"That's the thing, Mom," Whitney started, her tone nastier than all of theirs. It was rare that she and her mother fought. Usually, Whitney would just ignore her until Grace complied with what she wanted. "He is nice enough and I've decided to date him. You can't control who I date. Not only do I not live under your roof anymore, I'm also grown. I can do what I want. It's my life, not yours."
Again, silence fell as Grace made her way across the living room, back to the door that time. Owen stepped out of the way so she could go out it, but she passed as she opened it.
"Your father will be hearing about this," was her hardly veiled threat before she was gone and the door was shut again.
And then came the hysterical fight between Annabel and Whitney about how that Annabel had screwed her over or something. Owen and Lucas both sat that one out as the fight drifted to the bedroom, Annabel following her sister who had gone in there to get changed. Their argument raged on though, Owen opting to spend the time on the couch, Lucas on the opposite side.
"Is everything this dramatic with them?"
Owen hardly looked at Lucas as he nodded his head. "Yeah. Constantly."
Lucas made a face. "Well, surely this was the worst of it, right?"
He shrugged. "If you don't factor in Kirsten. That's their older sister."
"Right, the pregnant one."
Owen nodded. "You haven't even seen drama until you've seen the stuff she's got going on at the moment."
Making a face, Lucas glancing back at the closed bedroom door, where there was no longer any screaming to be heard.
"Think it's safe to go in there now?" Lucas asked, nodding over at the door. "I'd really liked to get my shit and just go."
"I doubt it. They're probably making up now. Or at least that's how Annabel's fights usually go."
"Whitney doesn't make up," Lucas assured him with an affirmative nod. "She sulks for a awhile and then pretends like the fight didn't matter…until she brings it up again when she's mad about something else."
"Annabel gets mad, but when she knows someone else is mad at her back, usually she gets real…submissive."
"That's a good quality."
"A great one."
The two guys grinned at each other then and for a second Owen forgot that he didn't like Lucas. Oh and he was slowly forgetting his lying transgression. As far as he was concerned though, he had just been misleading Grace, not lying to her. And besides, even if he was lying, this was surely amazing proof that it only leads to hurt feelings. That's if he was lying though, which he wasn't.
It was then that the bedroom door opened again and Annabel walked out, still looking pretty upset as she walked over ot the couch. She just told Owen that she was ready to go.
"Great," he said, jumping up then. Anything to get out of that apartment. Anything.
"Whitney's pretty pissed," Annabel mumbled then, more to Lucas than Owen. "With me and Mom at least. I think she wants you to go in there."
"Great. Leave me to the wolves." Lucas tried to smile at Annabel again, but she wouldn't look at him then, instead just heading to the door. Shrugging, he headed off to the open bedroom door, taking one deep breath before bravely going in there to face the wrath of Whitney, the door shutting firmly behind him.
"That could have gone better," Owen muttered not soon after they were out of the apartment building. "I-"
"Let's just go, okay?"
Owen shrugged. "That's fine. Can we stop at-"
"I'd really just like to get home, Owen."
"Well, Cam lives real close to here and-"
"Fine, whatever," Annabel said, rubbing her hands up and down her crossed arms as the first flakes of the day fell to the frozen ground. "Just make it quick, okay?"
Nodding, he opened her car door when they got to it before rushing to get into the driver's side. "Will do."
True to his word, Cam only lived about twenty minutes away. Annabel figured as much though, as she had been to his aunt's house that once for Thanksgiving not too long ago and still remembered the general area pretty well.
"I'm waiting in the car," Annabel told Owen.
"It's cold."
She glanced at the house. "She doesn't like me."
He couldn't deny that one. "It's still cold out here."
"I don't care."
"I'll leave the car running," he said, the heat already on full blast. "I just need-"
"Whatever, Owen."
He gave her a sympathetic look that Annabel didn't quite understand, but he got out of the car just as quickly and her curiosity faded. Heading up to the house then, Owen really wished that he had worn gloves or something. Just from being outside for that short walk up the driveway had frozen his fingers.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Owen just stared at his aunt after she opened the door. "Can you let me in or what? I'm freezing."
"I'm sure," she said, stepping aside to allow him entrance into the house. "It's quite the brutal winter. Especially for you, I would assume.
After kicking some snow off his boots, Owen headed into the house, shivering without meaning too. "Is Mallory here?"
"She is."
"Oh."
Cam just stared at him for a moment, frowning. "Don't tell me you drove all the way here just to ask that."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Mom just hasn't been…"
"Hasn't been what?"
He wasn't sure, really, but knew she hadn't been doing a lot. Not for him at least. "She didn't tell me that Mallory was here. I haven't seen her in-"
"She's asleep right now, but-"
"I, uh, Annabel is in the car," Owen said, nodding towards the door. "I just-"
"Then tell her to come in."
"She doesn't want to."
"Is something a matter?"
Honesty and all made him say, "She thinks that you hate her."
"She's not far off."
He couldn't even muster up a glare. "Whatever. I-"
"I'm kidding." She pressed a hand against his arm, smiling. "Go see your sister. And I'll go talk to your girlfriend."
"Do not-"
"I'm fixing a problem before it arises," she told him. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Haven't you ever heard of if it's not broken, don't fix it?"
"It might not be broken, but it's breaking."
"Yeah, 'cause of the way you treat her."
"I've only met her a few times."
"Yeah, I know."
She hit his arm then playfully. "I'll just go invite her inside. How's that?"
"She's already upset with me," Owen warned. "Don't make it worse."
"Believe me, I don't want to."
His aunt bounced slightly as she went off to get her coat and shoes. Owen just shook his head before heading of to the guest bedroom. As his aunt had said, his sister was in there. Only she wasn't asleep.
"Owen."
He wanted to smile for her, but he couldn't. The last time they had spoken, he had yelled at her. Screamed. Gotten super upset. Hurt her feelings. Hurt her. He had hurt her. He had hated her for that brief time period. It's not like he didn't realize that there was a good chance she wouldn't be around to hate for much longer. Because he did. And there was nothing he disliked more about himself than that he always managed to hurt the only people he cared about. Then again, that seemed to be the curse of many people, not just him.
"Hi," he finally got out, shutting the door softly behind him.
"What are you doing here?"
"What makes you think that I didn't just come here to see you?"
She stared at him. "You hate me."
"I don't hate you, Mal-"
"Why are you here?"
He sighed, going to pull the chair over by the desk up to her bed. "Annabel and her mother needed me to take them to her sister Whitney's apartment for-"
"Annabel's here?"
He nodded. "In the c-"
"Can you go get her? Please?"
"What about me?"
Mallory wouldn't look him in the eyes though. "Please?"
"In a minute." He frowned slightly. "I'm trying to tell you something."
"What?"
"That I'm…sorry, Mallory."
"Owen, I don't-"
"I am, alright? So you guys can come back home now."
"You-"
"You can. You can come back home and you can sleep in your own bed and be okay. And when you need someone to watch you, I can. Not Cam. I won't yell at you again. So come back. Please, come back."
She just stared at him for a moment. "Mom said-"
"I don't care what Mom says. You belong at home," he said, nodding his head. "It's not fair, Mallory."
"I didn't want to leave. She says that we have to give you space and-"
"No, you don't." He moved forward slightly, grabbing her hands in his. She felt really cold. He felt really cold. "I don't want space, Mallory. I want you, okay? So come home with me today."
"Owen, I can't-"
"Yes, you can. I'll take you home right now." He stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs. "Get your stuff. Or, uh, I'll get your stuff. What all do you have here?"
"Owen, Mom will-"
"I'm eighteen, Mallory. She's not my boss. She should have never tried to take you from home. You belong there. I help you with your makeup work, I stay with you when she's at the shop, I make your food when you're hungry. I love you, Mallory. You're my baby sister and you're going to come with me back home."
"I think that we should at least ask-"
"Do you wanna come home with me?"
She stared hard at him finally, looking into his eyes. "Yes."
"Good." He let go of her hands finally, letting out a breath. And just like that, he was okay again. What he had wanted for the day had been accomplished. "Good."
When he didn't move after a moment, she asked, "Are we going now?"
"If you want." He smiled slightly at her. "I'm glad to see your off your IV."
"I'm doing better, Owen."
He just shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, I know."
"Is Annabel coming home with us?"
"I don't think so," he told her. "We're probably just taking her home."
"How come?"
"We're fighting again."
She frowned at him. "You're not a very good boyfriend."
"I am," he told her. "I'm just not a very good talker."
"You do it enough."
"Mal."
"Can you not fight with her when I'm there? I want to talk to her."
"You can have anything you want," Owen told her, his old Ipod the furthest thing from his mind. "Anything."
When they finally got out of the house, Owen had wrapped Mallory up in her coat and a blanket, knowing that it was freezing outside. If he was cold, she had to be ice. Even with her boots on though, Owen was afraid of her slipping on the ice on the ground and held tightly to one of her arms as they walked out to the car, her duffle bag in his other hand.
"I wish I could play in the snow," Mallory told him then, but Owen just shook his head.
"It's too cold. Besides, you have all winter."
"Yeah," she sighed. "I know."
But did she?
"What are you two doing?"
Owen frowned when he opened the back car door to load Mallory in only to find Annabel still in the passenger seat as he left her. The only thing that was odd was that Cam was behind steering wheel, relaxing as best she could in the driver's seat.
"Owen's taking my home," Mallory told her as he helped buckle her out. She batted his hands though.
"I'm not helpless," she complained, though she did let him adjust her blanket.
"You're doing what?" Cam sat up some then, frowning back at them. "Owen Armstrong, you-"
"She belongs at home."
"Your mother-"
"I don't care what Mom has to say about it." He sat the duffle bag on the other side of his sister. "At all."
"I am telling her that I tried to stop you," Cam threatened.
"Tell her whatever you want. I don't care."
Annabel glanced back there too, sitting up slightly. "Hi, Mal. I didn't know you were here."
She smiled brightly at the older girl. Owen knew that his sister idolized his girlfriend; he just wasn't completely comfortable with that fact yet.
"Here." Annabel unbuckled her seatbelt before getting out of the car. Then, going around it, she climbed into the other side of the backseat. "I'll ride back here with you."
Closing his sister's door, Owen went to go up the driver's side door. As he got to it though, Cam got out, closing the door behind her.
"Owen," she whispered to him, as not to be overheard in the car. "You need to be careful."
"Annabel isn't-"
"Not your girlfriend," she said, making a face at him. "With this. Your sister."
"I can do whatever I want."
"I know that Teresa's your mom, but you have to remember that she's Mallory's mother too. And Mallory is very sick right now. She doesn't want you around her."
"I-"
"I know what you did," she said, reaching out to pat his cold face. "And I know that you're sorry. I know you are. But you have to remember your mother is very…invested in Mallory currently. She's dying, little one. I know it hurts, but it's true. And you're messing with your mother's baby. You're her son, but you're not her baby anymore. Do not get her more upset with you than needs be."
He didn't know what to say to her, but that turned out to be okay as she just leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, lingering for a moment before taking a step back. Smiling at her nephew, she then moved to rush off back to her house, the cold no doubt getting to her.
"Oh, and your girlfriend's fine," Camille called over her shoulder. "Next time she might even come in."
Owen just shook his head as he got into Annabel's car, not too concerned with Annabel anymore, not now that he had his sister back. Cam had made it sound like his mother hated him or something. And she didn't hate him.
…Did she?
Finally, a quick update, right? But anyways, another writer for this fandom, Leia 96, asked me to get the word out to you guys about a short film she's making from the book Just Listen over the car wash scene. Only they need some funding to get that done. If you guys want to help out, visit indiegogo dot com/ projects/just-listen-a-short-film/x/1919571 (take out the spaces. Fanfic's weird about posting links straight out, 'cause of spam. And dot's a . of course) and you can donate there. The link is also on my profile and yes that is a shameless plug for you to visit my profile. Do it for Charmander dressed up as Charizard, 'cause he's so damn cute. Look at him. Or her. Whatever.