The Past Girl
"Hey buddy," Seth smiled storming into my room, shutting off the MTV2 I was watching, "got some big news."
"Yeah?" I sighed as sat on my bed shoving books into my school bag, "Cause I was just about to head into the house for coffee before school."
"Well, I don't know if I just mentioned this but I have some big news."
"So you said." I nodded at him. "Is it you telling Anna that Summer came over New Years Eve whilst she was passed out on Oliver's sofa?"
"No I'm avoiding that conversation especially considering I am now a man." He smiled, thowing his hands up in celebration, "I'm a man, and not just like an after your Bamitzvah man but a man-man." I looked up and allowed him my full attention for the first time in ages. "I had sex with a girl." He continued to beam at me.
"How was it?"
"I had sex." He simply repeated.
"That bad?" He just nodded. "Trust me it would have been worse for her."
"No – not that bad…"
"I wasn't dissing your, no doubt, mad skills," I tried to reassure him as I put on my Chucks, "just every girls' first time sucks."
"Summer's not a virgin." He frowned at me, watching me put on my sneakers.
"She talk about sex a lot, really confident about it?" He nodded both times. "Yeah, she was a virgin."
"Oh god," he sat down next to me, "we went about this all wrong."
"Yeah well," I patted him on the shoulder as I got up, "when you do it again-"
"Again?" he cut into my sentence following me out of my room, "But it was so weird…"
"Weird?" I frowned at him pouring a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, but not kinky weird more like weird awkward. But hey you know what it was my first time, and I did make some faces in the middle that I wish that I could uh take back but I cant and there's also sort of a whiney noise that came out towards the end-"
"I'm so glad your parents aren't here to witness this lovely conversation." I sighed, wishing so much that I wasn't either.
"I sucked so bad. I was like a fish flopping around on dry land. Alex, I was Nemo an I just wanted to go home.
"If you want another shot I would avoid using Finding Nemo as an analogy for your first shot." I told him passing him the remains of my coffee to save him from steeling it.
"See," he pointed the cup at me, "this is what I need, tricks of the trade."
"You want advice from me, an out and proud lesbian, about heterosexual sex?"
"An out and proud lesbian who experimented with boys whilst I was playing Magic."
"You still play Magic."
"Yeah but not as much. Come on Alex you must have some sage wisdom that you wish to impart to me."
"You're confusing me with Anna, why don't you ask her about your sex life." I pointed at him, talking back my cup and putting it in the sink. "Come on it's the first day of school, we don't want to be late."
"'Cept we're not going." Seth said quickly, sitting down at the bench bar, I simply looked at him confused. "Look, Summer and I had sex, granted it was fish sex-"
"Don't say fish sex."
"We had sex, she's going to be all over me at school today, and we haven't told Anna yet – badness, Alex, that can only lead to badness."
"Seth." I sighed at him. "You two are going to have to tell her at some point."
"Okay what about you?" he quickly pointed at me. "You're still watching MTV2 and finding lame excuses to avoid talking to Marissa. You want to be trapped at school with her all day?"
"Yeah, we're not going to school today." I agreed, sitting next to him at the counter.
Sandy drove us to school whilst Seth and I simply stared out of our perspective windows slowly panicking about seeing our perspective girlfriends.
I was trying. I really was. So was she.
During the last week of the holidays she'd begged me to teach her how to surf, despite the cold winter water. We'd gone to see the new Iron Man film with Seth and Summer. We'd gone shopping, well window shopping, looking at shoes and lip gloss. She was trying, I was trying, it was a try-athon; both of us so keen to stop fighting and bickering. Yes, we'd stopped fighting and bickering but the problem was we'd stopped talking altogether.
"Alright kids," Sandy smiled at us, turning round to look at me especially, "first day of a whole new semester."
"Still the same kids, Dad." Seth sighed looking out the window at a bunch of cheerleaders walking by.
"And still the same teachers." I sighed watching Bendis unpack his car.
"You know you two are starting to blend into each other right?" Sandy said, looking between us.
"Yeah but she still uses less syllables to convey what she wants to say." Seth replied still staring out of the window. "Do we have to go to school?"
"Don't you want to see Summer?" Sandy asked him.
"Think he wants to avoid Anna more." I told him. "You think Marissa is going to be here?" I asked Seth scanning the crowd for her.
"Not you too?" Sandy sighed, leaning past Seth and opening the passenger side door. "Out both of you."
"Thanks Dad, this sympathetic ear you've given us, I won't forget it." Seth nodded at him, grabbing his bag and hopping out of the car.
"I think that was Seth for 'Are you sure we can't stay home?'" I smiled at Sandy before following Seth's lead and stepping out onto the sidewalk. "Looks like we're going to school." I nodded at Seth watching Sandy drive off.
"How long you think we can go before we bump into one of the girls?" Seth asked me as we watched Sandy's car shrink into the distance.
"I don't know that depends on whether or not you turn around." We spun round and found Anna standing there.
"Hey Anna." Seth waved pointlessly.
"Hey you." I smiled at her. "Is Marissa here?"
"You're not still avoiding her are you?" She sighed at me, linking her arm in mine steering me in the direction of homeroom.
"You two are close?" Seth pointed between us. "When did this happen?" Anna and I simply shrugged. "I feel I should be bonding with Oliver since you took my friend."
"Seth," Anna tilted her head at him, "I'm still your friend."
"Yeah?" He frowned at her. "Despite Thanksgiving and the lesbianism?"
"And on that note I walk over." Marissa frowned between us. "New semester excited?"
"I think this is one of our cue's to tell her that we're really not." I told Seth. "Come on." I nodded towards the main building.
"Sure that's one plan." Seth agreed running round me and reaching into my skirt pocket. "Another is you telling us why your ringtone is Sk8er Boi."
"Sk8er Boi?" Marissa smiled at me.
"Gimme that." I sighed at Seth, grabbing my cell from him and flipping it open. "Hello?"
"What are you doing tonight?" Oliver asked me.
"Given recent activities most likely surfing." I sighed down the other end, walking away from the other three.
"You and Marissa still not all that then?"
"Coming from the boy that still hasn't heard from his girlfriend?"
"That would be where you are wrong," I actually heard him smile down the other end at me, "she's flying over for the week I want you to meet her."
"I may have to bring four others." I warned him looking at Seth, Marissa, Anna and Summer all standing awkwardly, no doubt exchanging pleasantries, around Summer's open locker. "But count me in. When's Natalie coming?"
"Tonight."
"Good for me, and most likely the others too. See you later, man." I told him flipping my cell shut. "Oliver wants to know if we want to go over to his tonight." I told the guys walking back over to them.
"I have to baby-sit the step-monster," Summer sighed slamming her locker shut, "Dad's out of town and she's on new anti-depressants." She shrugged.
"And I have to do my French homework." Anna told us.
"You know I could do it for you in like five minutes." I offered.
"Yeah, but then what would I learn from that. Come on," she held out her arm, "we have homeroom."
"See you later," I smiled, kissing Marissa on the cheek, "and goodbye to the rest." I waved at the other two as Anna lead me to registration.
School went by without significance, nothing to suggest that this semester would be any different from the first except for the fact that Bendis had decided to keep ignoring me in History class something that didn't bother me in the slightest.
Marissa and I met Seth in the common room after our last class and headed out to Marissa's car for her to take us to Oliver's.
"Why is Luke giving evils to his back tire?" Seth asked pointing across the carpark.
"Maybe he thinks its gay." I shrugged not really caring. "Come on I want to see Oliver before Natalie gets there." I tried to steer Marissa in the direction of her car but she kept looking a Luke.
"Maybe he needs help." She frowned at him, "Who knows more about cars than you?"
"I'm not helping him." I told her starting to walk over to her car hoping she would follow Seth and I, however, she simply grabbed my arm and not only pulled me back but towards Luke.
"Hey," she smiled at him, "what's up?"
"Flat tire." He took his hand out of his pocket and pointed at hit. "Somebody slashed it."
"Its too bad I have witnesses I would have loved to have claimed this work as my own." I told Seth, but Marissa simply hit me with the back of her hand on my stomach and pulled me aside. "What was that for?"
"Look he no longer has any friends, he's even taken himself off the soccer team."
"Am I meant to be caring?" I asked her, "You're forgetting this boy almost killed me."
"So he has a history of aggression and doesn't have any friends at school-"
"If you finish your sentence with a comparison of him to me I will dump you again." I warned her, my hands now stubbornly folded across my chest.
"Just give him a chance." She pleaded to me with her eyes, "He's reforming."
"He makes one gay joke and-"
"I will personally castrate him." She drew her finger across her heart.
"Hey Luke," I called across at him, interrupting Seth's awkward and forced conversation with him, "you ever seen the pent house of the Four Seasons?"
"Hey you." I smiled as Oliver opened the door. "I bring you Marissa, my pseudo brother and one unexpected guest." I sighed into his ear as we hugged. "So when Natalie getting here?" I asked him walking into his hotel rooms.
"She's not, in her only class today she found out she has a pop quiz to study for." He sighed following me in.
"This is why people tend to date girls there own age." I smiled at him, settling myself down on the sofa. "You guys coming in or what?" I asked the other three still congregated around the door.
"Not really she, uh, had the benefit of not getting kicked out of three schools in three years, makes it a whole lot easier to graduate on time." He smiled at me.
"That's nothing," I smiled at him, "I got kicked out Chino Hills, Corona, Mater Dei and had Mr Bendis had his way I would have got kicked out of Harbor too." I smiled at him, as Marissa sat down besides me.
"Bendis is a dick." Luke told me again, sitting down on one of the single seats watching Seth look around the place.
"Dude, I cannot believe you live in a penthouse man this place is redonculous." He smiled at Oliver coming over and sitting with all of us.
"Yeah, its always been my fantasy to live in a hotel, like Eloise." Marissa smiled at me.
"Yeah well I guess but uh as my parents travel so much it can kinda get a little lonely." Oliver sighed, thumbing through a bunch of take out menus. "Moroccan?" We all nodded as he started dialing for the take out.
"Hey man if you ever need any company." Seth told him, still looking around the room from his seat.
"Thanks cause you know they might be gone a while, opening a new hotel in Paris." He told Seth before walking over to the kitchen area to make his order.
"I love Paris," Marissa smiled at me, "I could spend all day walking the Champs-Élysées."
"I like Paris," Seth nodded, "I love baguettes."
"Do you ever think about anything apart from your stomach?" I asked him.
"Dude, French chicks don't even shave their armpits." Luke told us all.
"You ever been to Paris, Alex?" Oliver asked me, dropping the phone onto the coffee table.
"I've only left the country once and we know how that went." He simply nodded at me, whilst Marissa looked between us. "Europe doesn't really interest me much." I shrugged, "Would like to go backpacking through West Asia and maybe Brazil."
"Why Brazil?" Luke asked me.
"Cause it's the only Latin American country that doesn't speak Spanish." Seth told him.
"Me and Amy-"
"Who's Amy?" Marissa asked.
"One of Jodie's ex's," I told her quickly, "we agreed that we would learn to motorcycle and ride down to Brazil. When AJ fell asleep one night-"
"Who's AJ?"
"Her mom's redneck boyfriend." Seth told her. "Yeah?" he waved his arm for me to continue.
"When he fell asleep me and Amy took his bike, we got all the way to Corona before crashing it." I nodded proudly. "And now I have a metal pin in my elbow."
"I never knew any of that." Marissa frowned at me.
"You never asked." I told her simply.
"Dude, that's so cool." Luke nodded at me, before putting his fist out to bump with mine.
"Told you all you did back home was steal stuff." Seth laughed. "What else you do back in Chino?"
"You mean apart from steal stuff and drunkenly get tattoos?" I smiled back at him.
"Why were you with Jodie's ex?" Marissa frowned at me.
"We were kind of fucking at the time." Luke raised his hand for a high five, with I returned not looking at him. "The lesbian world is incredibly incestuous, especially when you're our age. Oh my god," I jumped up and turned up Oliver's stereo, "I love this song." I smiled at him pointing to The Killer's 'Mr Brightside' blaring out of the radio. "They're amazing live."
"You seen them live? That's so cool." Luke smiled at me.
"I love live music. I've seen so many bands play." I smiled at him.
"Who else you seen?"
"Uh, Foo Fighters, Manson, Queens of the Stone Age, uh, Puddle of Mudd, Lily Allen… Saw Eminem once that was dire." I sighed, "My brother dragged me along a couple of years back when he was playing L.A., he didn't have tickets and so we were just standing outside in the rain waiting for him to come out so Trey could get an autograph – I'm telling you it was like the video for 'Stan' just without the pregnant Dido."
"Why did you go then?" Seth asked me.
"Eminem was like his icon." I explained, sitting back down to Marissa. "When dad first got arrested we were forced into a trailer park until my grandparents could find the money to get Mom a house – Trey kind of related to his music."
"I never knew you lived in a trailer?" Marissa frowned at me again.
"Again," I smiled at her, "you never asked."
"You know Rooney are playing at the Baitshop tomorrow night." Oliver told me, side stepping the painful past revelation.
"Yeah I know," I sighed, "tried to get tickets but they're all sold out."
"You wanna go?" Oliver asked me.
"Is this thing on?" I asked Seth pointing to my mouth.
"I'll call their manager tomorrow," Oliver smiled at me, throwing a cushion in my direction, "they're amazing live."
"Tell me you don't know Rooney because I would have to kill you out of jealousy alone." I smiled back at him, hugging the cushion.
"That would be awesome." Seth nodded.
"I've never heard of them," Luke shrugged, "but, uh, I got nothing – I'll go."
"Marissa?" Oliver asked her.
"Come on, we'll all get to hang out." Seth told her.
"It'll be fun." I smiled at her.
"Since when do you care about fun?" she frowned back at me.
"Since my friend," I pointed across at Oliver, "can get me tickets to see Rooney."
"It'll be fun?"
"According to Rollingstone it will be amazing." I smiled at her.
I walked in for breakfast the next morning and found Seth eating cereal at the counter. "Was Marissa okay to you last night, she seemed a little off." I asked him taking his bowel and eating a spoonful of his cereal before passing it back.
"She seemed alright." He shrugged, "Now can we please get back to the crisis in hand for one second, okay? Anna!"
"She will be coming to the concert tonight so you and Summer better have told her by then." I pointed at him before pouring a cup of coffee.
"Now the way I figure it we've got many, many options at our finger tips."
"You and me 'we've'?"
"Me and Summer 'we've.'" He explained following me to the living room where I put on cartoons.
"Just get Summer to do it," I shrugged, taking his cereal bowl again, "she kissed her last."
"Oh I like that." Seth smiled, taking back his bowl and pulling his spoon from my mouth. "I do like that."
"Well now that that's sorted, can we talk about Marissa again? Cause she was definitely different last nigh; she was quieter than normal."
"Maybe it's in reaction to you dodging her calls."
"'Cept I'm no longer dodging her calls and I though last night went really well. Even Luke and I were getting on – albeit he was making far too much of an effort to kiss my arse."
"So you're over that Hailey thing?" he asked me changing the channel.
"As much as I'm ever going to be." I shrugged at him, changing the channel back. "I'm not watching X-men."
"Because re-runs of Sesame Street is so much cooler?"
"It's a Saturday you have to watch Sesame Street."
"It was weird that the start of the semester was on a Friday." Seth said after a while of silence between us. I simply shrugged as I finished his cereal.
"I should go see her. Maybe get her something." I sighed after a while, Big Bird no longer holding my attention.
"See," he smiled at me, "you do care about yours and Marissa's relationship."
"I've stopped listening to Kate Nash all the time." I shrugged starting to get up.
"Kate who?"
"Nash. British chick, sings a song called Foundations."
"Hey," I smiled at Marissa when she opened her door, "brought you something." I held up the HMV bag and kissed her on the cheek before walking in and sitting myself down on the sofa.
"A Rooney album?" She asked me, sitting down besides me.
"Its not just 'a' album it's the new one." I told her taking it from her and putting it into her stereo. "It will be the formation of their set tonight. Thought you might want to listen to them so you know what you'll be hearing?"
"You know we don't have to go tonight," she smiled coyly at me as I sat back down, "we could stay in," she suggested kissing my jaw line, "make out," she continued kissing down my neck, "I'm sure we can think of something." She smiled continuing to kiss me as she rearranged her body so that she was straddling me.
"Except Rooney will be amazing. I wanted to get tickets off my own back, but Oliver said he can get us backstage passes as well. And Locksley and The Bridges are supporting. When Theresa, Jodie and I went to see Locksley play in Corona, they did this one song 'Those Were The Days'-"
"Sounds appropriate." She sighed, getting off me.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know its just yesterday proved that I don't know you at all."
"If I can get passed that you should be able to." I told her, putting my arm around her and pulling her closer.
"All that came out of your mouth yesterday was either about Oliver or the life you had." She sighed, leaning into my embrace.
"My past life is just that, past," I swallowed hard before I finished my sentence, "that goes for you and Hailey too."
She looked up at me, "But your stories – all you did in Chino was have fun with girls; don't you miss it?"
"I had fun in Chino because I was miserable. I drank, smoked way too much pot, did tonnes of stupid things to get me out of the house, to escape my life. I don't need to do that anymore. I'm happy with the Cohens, I'm happy with you."
"Yeah?"
"I'm making an effort with Luke aren't I?" I told her. "If I wanted out of this," I pointed between us, "yesterday would have been an perfect opportunity for me to just storm off."
"Does that mean I no longer have care about surfing?" She smiled at me.
"Marissa you are self involved and you generally get what you want; which many people wouldn't consider the most attractive quality-"
"I hope you're going somewhere with this." She frowned at me.
"But they're your qualities and I love you." I said simply kissing her on the nose.
"That was horribly cute." She told me before kissing me.
"I know, not at all like me." I smiled at her. "You know you can go back to turning me on it you want."
She moved so that once again she was straddling me, kissing down my neck pausing when she got to my pulse point and gently sucking upon it. She pulled at the hem of my top before removing me from it entirely and kissing down my breasts. She moved me so that I was on my back and she was on top of me on her dad's small sofa.
I pulled off her top and ran my hands along the bottom edge of her skirt, slowly making their way north.
"Must you girls do that here?" Jimmy sighed from the doorway and Marissa and I scrambled to get our shirts.
"Hey Mr C." I smiled awkwardly at him.
"Hey Dad." Marissa smiled just as nervously.
"So I'll see you later." I told Marissa, quickly running past Jimmy and out to the car.
Marissa knocked gently on my open door before walking in and kissing me on the cheek.
"Hey you." I smiled at her as I straightened out my tie.
"You know Seth's wearing the exact same thing right?" She smiled back at me, pulling me closer to her by my tie.
"And I'm changing." I sighed, "You want to wait in the house I'll just be a couple of minutes." She simply nodded and walked out as I pulled off my tie and changed my shirt and pants. I grabbed my denim mini skirt from my wicker wardrobe and climbed into it before throwing on a Killer's T-shirt and walking into the house to meet Seth and Marissa. "You ready?"
"I think its safe to say I won't wear that." Seth smiled at me pointing at my skirt. "Summer's meeting us there."
"So's Anna and Luke." I nodded at him.
"Come on." Marissa smiled at us, taking my hand and leading me out to the car.
"I don't see him." I told them as I scanned the crowd for Oliver.
"Maybe he's inside." Marissa shrugged, leading me over to the bouncer with the clipboard.
"That's fine." Seth called out to us, "I'll just stand here by myself and wait for the others."
We bypassed the queue and went straight to the bouncer.
"Name?" She asked us not looking up from her list.
"Trask." I told her, trying to peer down at her list which she pulled closer to her chest.
"Nope. But there's a guy over there scouting tickets." She pointed over to one of the water polo players standing by the edge of the peer. "I'd get there quick before the cops spot him."
"You must have miss heard me," I tried again, amazingly she looked up from her clipboard, "Oliver Trask, the dude knows the band."
"Please if I had a dollar every time someone told me that, well, I wouldn't be working here anymore that's for sure. Now either get the tickets from that jock over there or wait for the concert to come out on DVD – either way," she smiled smugly at us, "get out of my line."
"Hilary Clinton called she wants her smile back." I had to yell the last bit at the woman as Marissa was pulling me back towards Seth, now with Summer, Anna and Luke.
"What up dawg." He smiled at me.
"The NAACP called, they requested that you never say that again." I sighed, patting him on the back. "Only ballers can talk like that, and even then its not a good thing."
"You're using that 'Somebody called' bit a lot today." Marissa smiled at me.
"I like it." I nodded back at her. "Come on guys we can try sneak in round the back." I shrugged.
"You try calling him?" Seth asked me delving into my skirt pocket and pulling out my cell. "Look you got one missed call and its from Oliver." He smiled at me passing me my phone.
"Fine, but the sneaking in was a cool plan."
"Oh yeah," Anna nodded at me as I waited for Oliver to answer his cell, "way cooler than say meeting the bands."
"Hey Alex, where are you guys I've been waiting round the back for like ten minutes now."
"Just coming, see you in a sec." I told him flipping my phone shut. "Round the back."
"We're not actually sneaking in are we?" Summer asked the group as they followed me round the corner.
"Hey." Oliver smiled at as all.
"What's up?" Luke smiled as he shook hands with Oliver.
"Thank god you didn't say 'Dawg'." I laughed at him.
"We thought you were a no show." Seth smiled at him.
"What happened? I-I thought I said back door?" Oliver pointed behind him.
"No you didn't!" Marissa frowned at him. "You said you were on the list."
"Coop it doesn't matter, the band's here," Summer started jumping up and down as men with guitars started exiting vans, "its all happening."
"What up guys?" Oliver asked as the band passed. They each mumbled a reply as Luke looked between them confused.
"Which ones Rooney?"
"They're all Rooney members." Summer explained laughing as we approached the gate that the band had just walked through.
"Hey man," Oliver greeted the door guy, "this is my posse."
"Don't say 'Posse'." I told him, as I slapped him on the back and followed him past security. "So still no Natalie?"
"Yeah we had another fight, this whole long distance things tough, looks like I'm dateless tonight."
"You can be Luke's date." I suggested. "Whatever floats your boat. We're very excepting."
"I'd rather be dateless." He laughed at me as we walked into the back room, packed with various band members, drinks everywhere and guitars and drum sticks scattered about the room.
"Well be mine and Marissa's date then."
"Are we going to miss the start of the show?" Seth asked looking round at the 'backstage'.
"Hardly, the band's here!" Anna smiled at him.
"Not for long." Oliver said looking at his watch, "it's bout to start. You guys cut it fine."
"Yeah? I wonder whose fault that is?" Seth looked at me before following Summer and Anna out into the front room.
"He'd have been complaining if we'd come to this thing looking like fucking twins." I smiled at Marissa before taking her hand and leading her out to the front of stage so we could see Locksley open.
As I heard the familiar cords of 'Those Were The Days' I moved so that I was behind her, my arms around her my chin resting on Marissa's shoulder, holding her close to me. People always talk about pivotal moments in lives, in days, in just being and just holding Marissa in my arms, feeling her body close to mine I knew in that instant that it didn't matter about Luke, about Hailey all that mattered was us. I fell for Marissa for a reason and just holding her, letting the band's music just wash over me, all those reasons came flooding back to me.
"Want a drink?" I had to shout in her ear to be heard above the music.
"Diet Coke."
"You got your magic flask?"
"You know it." She smiled at me, turning round in my arms and kissing me slowly. "Now go." she pushed me away with the palm of her hand on my chest.
I saw Seth at the bar trying to get served and slapped him on the back pushing in between him and some other guy so I could lean on the bar.
"This is ridiculous." He sighed, as another barman ignored him.
"What getting served?"
"That and the fact that I feel like I'm third wheeling with my girlfriend and her-" he waved his hand around, "You know I don't even know what Anna is."
"Where are they?"
"In the toilets bonding over the Golden Girls no doubt." He sighed.
"I'll grab Anna, have her hang with me and Ris so that you can spend some time with Summer." I told him, slapping him on the back again before forcing my way through the crowd and joining the queue for the ladies. "You know I just want to see if my friends are in here." I told the girls waiting ahead of me.
A couple of the girls moved so I could pass them, the one at the head of the line simply stood there with her arms folded.
"You're going to be waiting all fucking day no matter where you stand there's a pair of fucking dykes fucking in one of the stalls."
"You serious?" She simply nodded. "SUMMER! ANNA!" I pushed past the girl and banged on all the stall doors until Summer sheepishly opened their one followed by Anna.
"Like finally, fucking dykes." The girl pushed past us and went to go into the cubicle.
"You want to quit with the homophobia bitch?" I asked her, blocking her way. "My friends are sorry for the line they caused, that cool with you straighty or would you prefer I call you hetty?"
"Whatever." She sighed, forcing her way past me and into the now vacant stall.
"Uh Anna can you go check on Marissa and Oliver for me, I get the vibe that she doesn't like him."
"Sure." She nodded at me looking between Summer and me.
"You and I, outside now." I told her, I went to grab her hand but thought better of it. "Wash those first." I said pointing at them.
"Perv." She hit me round the back of the head. "Nothing like that happened." She told me before leading me outside.
"So what you going to say?"
"Summer." I sighed, "Normally I wouldn't care but when you're screwing both my fake brother and one of my best friends – I'm kind of forced into caring."
"I don't want to hurt one of them." Summer said eventually, changing her stance from defensive to leaning on the edge of the peer, looking out at the ocean.
"Love, relationships – its always about hurt. But they'll get over it. You just gotta choose before they find out about each other and fucking kill you. I heard about Thanksgiving." I smiled at her.
"I'll, I'll – I'll choose." She sighed turning round and looking back at the club. "Hey who's Oliver talking to?" She pointed at him talking to some guy round the corner from the club.
"I don't know." I shrugged. "I'll see you back in there." I told her walking over to Oliver, I watched him struggle against the force of the guy. "Hey," I stepped in between them and shoved the guy backwards. "Hey."
"Get off of me." The man said gruffly.
"I think that's what he said!" I said pushing him away from Oliver.
"I'm a cop." He pulled badge out from his back pocket and flashed it to me before spinning Oliver round and starting to cuff him.
"What?" I looked between them, confused by the situation I'd just found myself in. "There's got to be some kinda mistake."
"Yeah, he just tried to buy three grams of coke from me."
"Yeah I can see how that would be a mistake." I said watching him lead Oliver to his car.
I stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds not knowing what the hell to do. I scratched the back of my neck nervously, the hairs beginning to prickle. I pulled my cell out of my pocket and dialled the home number watching Oliver be driven off in the back of an unmarked car.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kirsten, is Sandy in I need some legal advice." I sighed.
"So, they're gonna let him go." Sandy told me as he sat down next to me in the waiting room.
"Really? I was worried 'cause you were like forever in there."
"Half an hour can seem like forever in this place."
"Believe me I know." I told the white washed walls opposite me, rather than looking as Sandy. "How'd you do it?"
"I'm just that good, and I use to play poker with these guys."
"Thanks for doing this," I smiled sadly at him, "you didn't have to really."
"Is this kid a friend of yours?"
"Yeah," I nodded at him before going back to staring at the opposite wall, "and you were worried about Marissa being a bad influence on me."
"Well they busted him trying to buy coke, and then he told me that his parents are out of the country for a month, can you believe that, apparently the kid lucked out on his own."
"Yeah imagine that, huh, cause parents never abandon their kids." I smiled weakly at him.
"I'll never understand it."
"I hope not."
"I'm glad you called me."
"Me too." I turned at the sound of rusty hinges creaking and found Oliver being led out by a couple of guards.
"I'm gonna finish up your paper work," Sandy told Oliver, standing, "you sit tight, I'll be right back."
"So," Oliver sighed out sitting in Sandy's vacated seat, "thanks, your dad seems cool."
"He's not… He is cool isn't he?" I shook my head. "So what the fuck man, you were doing so well. Eleven months man."
"Uh," he leaned forward, staring at the blank wall, just as I had done with Sandy. "I don't know, Natalie didn't show and then I saw you and Marissa…," he sighed and looked down at his shoes, "my parents are gone, my friends," he laughed bitterly, "if you can even call them that," I looked at him, "they all disappeared when I got clean," he explained, "now I..." he shook his head, "huh."
"Well you got me now. And Seth, Summer, Anna… You've got all my friends. You're gunna wish you were friendless." I smiled at him.
I walked into the house and was instantly hit by a wave of noise coming from the family room. I grabbed a soda from the kitchen before joining everyone in the front room. I smiled at Marissa before kissing her and picking her up from the chair and sitting down in her place, pulling her down so she was sat on top of me.
"So what we playing?" I asked them smiling around the group for the first time in a while really appreciating them all.
As always please read and review. Thank you, Circus.
