OUT OF THE RED ↝ dave grohl

nineteen.

"It's mine. It's not like you can keep count of all my band t-shirts no matter how hard you try, Kate."

Reagan wanted to tell her sister about Dave. She really did. But something about confessing the truth to a family member solidified things with Dave in a way that Reagan was unsure she was ready for. Kate would have had a cow, anyways. Reagan getting involved seriously with a guy would have knocked her right off of her Mary Jane-clad feet.

"That's not yours, Reagan. It's also too big on you."

"I wear all my shirts in bigger sizes."

"Just admit it's not yours and we'll be finished with this conversation."

"I highly doubt that."

They came to a standoff, Reagan holding Kody around the waist as he stood and clashed two trucks together in his hands. Kate had both her eyebrows raised, encouraging Reagan to go on.

"If I tell you," Reagan began through gritted teeth, "you've got to keep your mouth shut around Mom and Dad."

"Oh my God. You're dating someone. I knew it!"

Kate jumped off the couch, exhilarated to have somewhat made an accurate guess as to what Reagan was hiding. Reagan snapped her jaw shut to silence the groan she was close to letting out.

"I am not dating anyone," Reagan protested, lifting Kody from her lap and allowing him to toddle towards his pile of other toys.

"Yes you are! That explains the shirt and where you've been going out. I knew something was up."

"You'd be right, but only if you left out the dating part. We're not exactly a couple."

"What do you mean?"

"Well." Reagan's eyes slid towards where Kody stood, pawing through his collection of playthings. She lowered her voice to a murmur, though Kody wouldn't have understood a thing that she said. "We have sex sometimes."

Kate's features twisted and she wrinkled her nose, displeased with Reagan's explanation. Reagan expected this, being that Kate would have probably never in her life slept with a guy unless they were in a committed relationship.

"You're okay with it being just that?" Kate asked.

"Of course I am. That's all I have time for, Kate."

Reagan pushed herself up off the carpet, more than ready to escape Kate and her tirade of questions. She thought that she'd maybe like talking about Dave, but Kate had taken the subject in a direction that Reagan preferred not to think about. She felt enough guilt as it was about the whole thing.

How was she ever going to admit to Dave that she'd never be what he wanted her to be? She was never going to be his girlfriend. She'd just be his . . . good time.

The very thought made her heart sink.

"How do you not have time? You've spent all your free time with him. Wait — who is it?" Kate rambled, following Reagan into the kitchen.

"The drummer from the band I performed with," Reagan said, preparing to make Kody a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She took out enough ingredients for two, remembering that RaeLynn was in her parents' room, napping.

"Broom closet guy?"

"Uhm, yeah. Him."

"Okay. I can't say I approve because I don't know him. Can I meet him?"

Reagan slammed a jar of peanut butter down onto the counter and faced Kate. A storm of irritation was rolling across her face like thunder clouds.