The Middle - Volume Three ✔️

Chapter 12

I roll my eyes and walk past him as he laughs at me. I walk down to the garage with my bowl and spoon in hand, and when I walk in I suddenly don't feel so hungry anymore.

Jay is sitting on one of the sofas, plucking away at his acoustic guitar. And Erin is lying down next to him facing him, with her feet up resting on his lap, just below his guitar. They look unbelievably cute, and I'd totally be "aww"ing them if it weren't for the fact that... Well, three guesses which of the two couches they're sitting on.

Jay's playing one of our songs, Dream Without The E (as in 'dram', a charming Scottish term for 'drink' most commonly used in reference to the consumption of whiskey). Jay wrote this song mostly on his own, with only a little help from me and Joel. It's mostly acoustic, so naturally, Patrick doesn't care for it very much. But it's a good, slow song. It's about trying to forget about unattainable dreams by drowning your sorrows with a bottle of scotch. I know he wrote this song about Erin, like so many others. I wonder how she feels about that now that they're together. Shes always loved the song, anyway.

I sit down on the other sofa, crossing my legs to balance my bowl of cereal in my lap. I try to ignore the fact that Jay and Erin are sitting where, I guess around 12 hours ago now, Patrick and I had sex for the first time... Awkward, but I can't exactly tell them to get up.

I eat my cereal and listen to Jay singing, and Patrick walks into the garage and sits down on the sofa next to me. He doesn't even flinch at the fact that Jay and Erin are sitting on 'our' sofa. Erin is staring lovingly at Jay as he plays, and I can't help but wonder why I never played in front of Noah. Was I too embarrassed? It's not like I lack the confidence, I have absolutely no problem performing in front of a crowded room, or when I'm with a small group of friends, or when I'm alone with Patrick...

"So, Joel's coming home today." Patrick randomly announces.

Jay stops playing. "He is? Why?"

"He misses me, I guess." Patrick shrugs.

"Why would he leave Sarah two days early?" Erin asks. "It's not like there's anything tying him to North Bridge."

"Gee, thanks, Er." Patrick says, pretending to be offended.

We all know what Erin means, of course. Joel has no family here anymore, he just has us. So why would he leave his girlfriend hundreds of miles away to come home earlier than planned, three days before school starts?

"He's taking Sarah with him." Patrick explains. "She's gonna ride back to the City with you." he says to Erin.

"Oh." Erin replies, a little startled. "Sarah hasn't said anything to me. And Jay was gonna drive me back to the City."

"Yeah well, you'll take Sarah too, right Jay?" Patrick asks. "And Joel will probably go along for the ride. I'll be stuck here with Jamie again." He rolls his eyes, like it's such an awful thought to spend time alone with me.

"And Benji." I add, my mouth full of Cornflakes.

"Always a silver lining." Patrick says.

"Seems like an awful lot of driving back and forth." Erin points out.

"Yeah, well, that's what it's gonna be like for you guys from now on. May as well start getting used to it now." Patrick says.

"True." Jay says, looking at Erin.

She shrugs her shoulders then starts tapping away at her phone screen, presumably texting Sarah for further details on this sudden change of plan.

"Nah, I think Joel wants to do some rehearsing before we play at the Grill on Thursday. It's been a while." Patrick explains.

"True." Jay agrees, before resuming plucking away at his guitar.