THAT TEEN LIFE

Chapter Nine

John's POV:

I hadn't done anything wrong, but I still felt terrible. Lily said she was sorry for doing it, but I just needed some time.

I stared at Lily's name, on my cellphone screen, and absentmindedly pressed the call button. I came to my senses, and hung up before it started ringing. Lily was my first girlfriend, and I loved her, but I couldn't talk to her right now. Seeing her at the mall, had cut me hard, especially when Abbie tried to make me look like I was the harsh one and make Lily the victim. I was relieved when Lily defended me, and I almost wanted to say I forgive her, but I rushed off instead.

I flopped back onto my bed, and rolled my soccer ball between my hands. Someone knocked on my bedroom door, and then it slowly opened.

"John, can I come in?"

I wanted to throw my phone at Max's head, as he came through the door.

"Well, you're coming in anyway," I muttered.

Max closed the door and folded his arms. "Can we talk?"

I sat up, tempted to aim the ball at his face, but I dropped it on the floor. Folding my arms, I swung one leg over the side of my bed, and took a deep breath.

"What about?" I asked. "About how you tried to steal my girlfriend? Or about the part where you were dishonest and didn't tell me about it, so Lily had to come clean about it and we nearly broke up!"

Max had the same expression on his face as he did that time I punched him a couple years ago. He straddled the ladder back chair by my desk, and rest his arms on the back of it.

I knew this meant he either didn't care about what I was saying or we were going to have a deep and meaningful conversation, which didn't happen often.

"What do you have to say, Max?" I glared at my twin brother.

Max shrugged. "I don't know. I was stupid to do that to Lily, and to you."

"Is that it?" I asked.

"What do you want me to say, man?" Max got up off the chair and walked towards my bed, sitting down on the corner.

"Well, an explanation is a good start," I snapped. "Why did you do it? She said you kissed her first."

Max nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I kissed her first. Honestly, why I did it? Because I've fallen for her."

Now my hand was itching. I had to hit him. I clenched and I clenched my fists, and my jaw.

"How can you do that? She's mine, Max!" I nearly shouted. "Lily is mine!"

"I know."

"You know?!" I snorted. "Then why the hell would you try to take her away?"

"I told her I liked her, but she tried to go away," Max said. "She didn't like me back, and I guess I hated that. So that's why I kissed her."

"So, first you sweet talk Abbie, rape her, break her heart, and then try to steal Lily from me?" I clenched my fists, again. "You are the worst brother, ever."

I hissed the last word through my teeth, anger burning up inside me.

Max nodded. "Yeah, I know. I am really sorry."

And then I lost it. I stepped towards Max, and drew back my fist, before landing a pinch square on the jaw. And as he fell off the bed in shock, I pulled him back up on his shirt, and punched him again. I felt, and heard, his nose crack under my knuckles.

"What the fuck-" Max started, and then put his hand up to his nose and whimpered.

Blood slowly trickled out of his nose, and he looked a bit dizzy. I flexed my fingers, and looked at Max, slowly getting to his feet. Blood started gushing out of his nose, and he caught it in his hand.

I glared at him. "Go get your face fixed," I growled.

Max hurried out of my room. I went to my cupboard and grabbed a jacket, pulling it on as I stalked out of my room. A drive was what I needed; I wished I could go and see Lily, but that wasn't a good idea. I found myself driving towards the beach I was going to take Lily to, the day she told me about the kiss.

I switched the radio on, searching through the songs on the CD. I turned it high, until it was blaring in my ears and I couldn't hear anything except for Rascal Flatt's 'What Hurts The Most'. I felt so gay, but I wasn't in the mood for anything upbeat.

I just sat there, staring out the window at the crashing waves; I'd said I wanted to spend time apart from Lily, but she was stuck in my head. This was stupid; it was Max's fault, not Lily's. He'd made the mistake, and Lily had probably just freaked out. I wanted to just say I forgive her, but I didn't know how; I was still hurt that she kissed him back.

I couldn't break up with Lily; and I knew I couldn't stay away. I had to see her.

~

Lily's POV:

Abbie and I drove back to my house, from the mall, and went up to my room. We just sat on my bed going through piles of magazines. We were doing all the quizzes and reading the embarrassing situations.

Seeing John at the mall had been strange, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. The look on his face, when Abbie attacked him, made me die a little inside. Abbie was just trying to be a good friend, but I didn't need her to try and sort out the problem between John and I. We needed to sort it out ourselves.

"Oh, you got a message," Abbie said, holding up my phone. "It's...John."

I grabbed my phone off her, and stared at the screen. Slowly I moved my finger across the screen, to open the message.

I can't do this, Lily. I have to see you, he said.

I felt my heart skip a best. He had just looked torn up a couple of hours ago, at the mall, and now he wanted to talk to me?

John, are you sure you're ready to talk to me? I typed the text and hit the SEND button.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Abbie.

Another text came through.

Yes.