CH. 5

As the darkness descended, the group headed slowly back towards Alex's house. Allie and Gustav were walking on the opposite side of the street as the other girls and their respective guys.

"Gustav, have you every thought about wearing something with a little color in it?" Allie asked, looking over his black t-shirt and dark wash jeans.

"Uhmm… not really…"

"Just a little bit of color. Not too much, just a little red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, teal…" Allie trailed off as he looked at her skeptically.

"Just a little, huh?" He smiled.

"Ok, so maybe just a little blue and green, and maybe some red. But not all at the same time."

"Yeah, I think only you can pull off all of those colors at the same time. That would not look good on me. Maybe just some blue…"

"That's a start. We'll work on it." She flashed him a conniving grin.

"Should I be afraid?"
"Yes, be afraid! Be very afraid!" Alex shouted from across the street.

"Eavesdropper!" Allie shouted back.

"How did she hear us?" Gustav questioned.

"She has ears like a cat!" Allie exclaimed.

Asha came running over and stopped in front of Gustav. "The voices don't like you!" She was posing with her hands on her hips and looking down her nose at him like he was a child in trouble with his mother.

"I think the voices love him," Allie retorted, also putting her hands on her hips.

Asha looked up and thought for a moment. "No," she decided. "They definitely do not like him."

"I don't think I like this conversation very much…" Gustav put it.

"Well the voices don't like you, so it doesn't matter, does it?" Asha looked at him, posing again by switching hips.

"The voices like him!" Allie yelled at her.

"They live in my head, not yours! Stop telling my voices what to do and go get your own!" And with that, Asha went running into the street screaming "Ohhh! Shiny!"

The shiny object turned out to be a bottle cap.

What is wrong with her?" Gustav was still watching her, as if afraid of another ambush involving mysterious voices.

"She's just Asha," Allie said, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. They went back to their conversation, picking up right where they had left off.

Georg and Colista were walking in the street. They were holding hands and flirting constantly, it was in Colista's nature.

"How many relationships have you had?" Georg asked, looking her over once again.

"Four this year, six in all," Colista responded.

"Whore!" Alex screamed.

"Well, excuse me!" She shouted back. "Just because you can't get a guy to date you doesn't mean you have to hate on me!"

"Aren't you two just the best of friends?" Georg smiled, laughing silently.

"Well, at least we don't hit eachother with frying pans!" Alex looked at Tom and Bill suggestively.

"Are you implying something?" Bill asked with a smile.

Alex whispered "Oh, never," in a haunting way and Bill, along with the others, laughed.

"Get out of our conversation!" Colista shouted at Alex and Bill. "So, Georg, where were we?"

"Past relationships. Six you say? How did they end?" Her cheerful expression faltered for a second.

"Not well. The first wouldn't talk to me. The second was a jerk. The third used me. And the forth led me on. The fifth used me too, and the sixth was a lying jerk."

"Oh wow… That's terrible. Why would anyone do that to you?"

"I don't know. I guess I did something wrong. I'm still trying to figure out what though. I just wish I knew…" She trailed off, looking at the sunset on the horizon.

"Don't think that. A lot of guys are just jerks, and you can't help that. I'm sure you didn't do anything."

"I'm not, but ok."

"I hate short shorts!" Asha screamed, running at Colista. Asha proceeded to grab the hem of Colista's shorts and yank them down!

Colista screamed.

Alex laughed, yelling "Oh! You just got pantsed!"

Everyone turned and looked at Colista and Asha, who was standing off to the side, laughing. Georg was staring down at her. To make matters worse, she was wearing Victoria's Secret panties that were zebra print with bright pink lace around the top.

"You didn't like them, so you just had to get rid of them, huh Asha?!" Colista was bright red as she tugged her shorts back up into their proper place.

"I cant say I mind," Georg said, still staring. "I am actually liking this, it that is any consolation…"

Tom was staring too. "Hey, you stole my train of thought… but I cant say I disagree."

Collette slapped him. "You are paying attention to me right now!"

Tom turned away from a still red Colista, obeying Collette for fear of getting another slap.

"The stuffed animals will rule the world!" Asha screamed, running up the street.

"What is wrong with that girl?" Georg asked.

"Nothing, that's just Asha for you." Everyone had gone back to their business and turned their attention away from Colista once more.

"Ok… So we were talking about break-ups? When was your last?"

Colista's expression completely collapsed. Her face was the image of pure pain, her eyes the epitome of sadness. She looked away from him. Three days ago…" She choked out.

Georg hated the look on her face, he hated seeing her in this much pain. He could barely stand it. He couldn't even look her in the eyes, for the pain behind them was too great. A single tear fell down her cheek but she wiped it away quickly, not wanting him to see it. He had. He wrapped an arm around his waist and stopped her, pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine," Colista pulled away a little. "I was going to tell everyone tomorrow anyways.

The rest of the group had gathered around them and some looked concerned. Asha was still running up and down the street screaming about stuffed animals.

"What happened?" Allie looked sympathetic.

"Georg, what did you do?" Gustav asked, joking. Allie elbowed him and he was silent.

"Her boyfriend…" Georg mouthed, not wanting to upset her further.

"I told you so!" Alex yelled.

"Alex…" Georg sounded surprised and almost mad.

Colista pulled back again. "It's ok. I expected it." There were no tears now, just some smudges to her eye liner that gave her away. "She always says that," Colista added.

"She should learn to listen to me! She always says a guy is so nice and sweet and then he dumps her and she's heartbroken, and then another guy comes along! She says he's different but she gets her heart broken again! Then another guy comes and she says he would never do that but I tell her he will and he does! She never listens! I cant pick up the pieces anymore!" Alex threw up her hands in exasperation and stomped away. Everyone stared at her retreating figure, expressions surprised. Bill followed her and so did Collette and Tom. This wasn't really their scene.

"Anything I can do?" Allie asked.

"No, I don't think so. But thanks Allie."

"Ok." She and Gustav walked away and into the yard with the others.

Colista took another minute to collect herself, Georg looking at her with concern the whole time, and they joined the others once more.

Collette and Tom were in the middle of a very disturbing conversation that everyone was ignoring because none of them wanted to listen in on it. Asha was running in random circles nearby. Tom was in mid-sentence talking about how easy it would be for he and Collette to find a hotel room for the night when Tom stumbles forwards, shrieking something in German. Asha was hanging on his back. She had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. She looked like a baby monkey hanging on its mother's back. She didn't look like she was planning on moving any time soon.

"I can fly! I can fly!" She was screaming.

"No. No you can't." Tom sounded very annoyed. He turned to Collette. "Aren't you going to say something to her?"

"No, Asha does that to everyone." Asha proved this by jumping off of Tom's back and running over to Colista, shrieking like a Native American warrior. She jumped on her back just like Tom's. "See, I told you so."

Asha jumped on Gustav's back next and made monkey noises. The whole group laugher hysterically. There was definitely no one like Asha.

Bill and Alex were across the street from the others talking about reasons why Alex should stop cutting herself.

"I hate that you hurt yourself like this, Alex. Can't you see what you are worth?"

"No, I'm not much. I'm too broken to be worth much."

"But you are worth so much to your friends and to your mom," Alex opened her mouth to interrupt but he silenced her with a look. "… to me. You are worth so much to me already, too."

"It doesn't make sense though, for me to mean anything to you, or to anyone."

"Why can't you see it? Why can't you see yourself the way that I already see you? How smart and funny and beautiful you are! How much you could be!"

"Being told the opposite of that for my whole life kind of makes me think differently than you about this. I've never been good enough, and I doubt I ever will be."

Bill stopped Alex and took her face in his hands, cradling it. "Well I am telling you now that all of the people who told you that don't matter. They can go to hell. You matter to me, and to so many other people. So much. And you are more than good enough. Whoever told you that you aren't was just jealous, because you are." Bill leaned his head down towards Alex's. Both of their heartbeats sped. Their mouths were only inches apart when Asha came running over screaming "I like pie!" and looking as though she was about to tackle Bill. Alex gave her a very murderous glare. Asha stopped in mid-jump, seeing Alex.

"Way to ruin a mood, Asha!" Alex balled up her fists and charged her friend, grabbing her by the shoulder and swinging her right into a nearby bush.

The rest of the group laughed and Bill said to Alex, "Well done."

"Why, thank you." Alex smiled up at him angelically and he laughed.

Alex's mom poked her head out of a house off to the left, Alex's house. "Ok, who's hungry?"

Everyone shouted "Me!" and ran for the house, almost trampling the neighbors kitten in the process. Alex and Colista stoped for a second to make sure it was ok before joining the others who were already lining up in the kitchen.

Later that night, Alex's mom poked her head into Alex's room where all nine people were hanging out. Tom and Collette were laying side by side on the bed. Bill and Alex were snuggling in one corner, while Georg and Colista were snuggled up in another corner. Gustav and Allie were playing with two of Alex's four cats in the middle of the floor. Asha was playing with the shiny garland streamer that hung around the top of Alex's room. The opening of the door startled her and she dropped the piece she was playing with.
She frowned and said in a sad voice, "My shiny, it fell." Her frown deepened.

Alex's mom shook her head. "I have to run to the grocery store and your dad's at work, Alex. You want to put the dog out while I'm gone?"

"Yeah, sure. Bill, you want to help me?" Bill jumped up and followed her out the door.

"I'll be back in about thirty minutes, you kids behave!"

"Yes mommy," Alex answered, grabbing the dog by the collar.

Her mom drove away as Alex chained the dog in the back yard. Bill started back in the door but Alex caught his wrist. She looked up at him, her eyes shining. Bill stepped back down next to her and took her hands. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her passionately. The kiss was long and deep, leaving them both breathless as they stared at eachother in the silvery moonlight.