“Well, isn’t this interesting?”
Dannon and I looked up simultaneously. Kyla stood there, a smirk on her face. Her eyes darted between Dannon and I, a knowing expression spread across her face. My stomach dropped. Dammit. She’d seen the pretend-to-almost-kiss moment. Oh goody. She was never going to let that one go.
“What?” I demanded, standing up and brushing dirt off my clothes. “And I thought you were taking a shower.”
In reply, Kyla pointed to her hair. I stared at it for a moment, slowly realizing that her hair was soaked. “I did.” She laughed, gesturing between Dannon and me. “And it seems that you two are getting rather . . . dirty out here.”
I shot her an unimpressed look. A euphemism, really? “Yes,” I drawled sarcastically. “I mean, it’s a lovely day for it.”
Dannon looked between us, an amused smile curling on his lips. “Are you two being perverts?” He chuckled. “I’m afraid I don’t follow the joke.”
I gaped at him. Seriously? Some of the people he hung out with were rather perverted themselves (classes with them proved that). Especially Garner. His perverted jokes in the classroom were always so irritating. And then Shelley would whack him and they’d start arguing, not caring that people were trying to learn. Sigh. This guy was getting stranger and stranger as time went by.
“What?” Dannon shrugged. “I have an innocent mind.”
I snorted. Yeah, right.
“Whatever.” Kyla waved her hand dismissively. “Bri’s parents wanted me to tell you that the guy is here and they want you showered and ready to go by the time he’s done.”
I glanced toward the house. How long would it take to fix the car? I mean, none of us even knew what was wrong with it. “And how long do we have exactly?” I inquired, cocking an eyebrow.
Kyla shrugged. “Maybe an hour.”
An hour. For Dannon and I both to get ready. Were my parents crazy? My shower all in itself took almost an hour! I didn’t know about Dannon, but I didn’t think that I was going to be ready in time.
“Okay,” Dannon said, standing up and patting his pants. “I call the first shower.”
| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |
An hour or so later we were all packed in the car and heading down the driveway. I munched on a Hersey bar that I happened to find stowed away in a fake cook book. I knew instantly when I found it—which is precisely where I looked for it—that Britain hid it there. He thought he was so smart. But, sadly for him, I was the one who taught him that trick.
He was probably going to kill me.
Oh well, I still got the candy bar.
“Brianne, where did you get that?” my mom asked sternly, twisting around and giving me an once-over. Was it just me or did she look irritated? Why was she irritated? Was it because of the car damage? Did it really cost that much? Speaking of which. . . .
“What happened to the car?” I tossed my mom a curious glance, completely disregarding my mom’s question.
“I don’t know.” My mom sighed. “Now where did you get the candy bar?”
I took a bite of the candy bar, munching on it contently. “Britain said I could have it,” I lied smoothly, smiling as I nibbled on the wondrous chocolate. Yummy.
“Well, you really should share.” She stared at me. I swallowed, glancing from my candy bar to her. The tone of her voice showed me that it wasn’t a suggestion. Oh, no. It was an order.
Oh hell no! This was my stolen candy, and I was planning on savoring every single bite. I paused as I was about to take a bite. Oh gosh. I sounded like a five-year-old. I shrugged, deciding that my maturity didn’t really matter at the moment, and took a bite out of the chocolate, chewing it with a broad smile on my face.
My mom scowled at me. “Let me fix my sentence,” she drawled. “Share or you’re grounded.”
Well, wasn’t she Mrs. Sunshine this morning?
I turned and glared at my fellow back-seat members, daring them with my eyes to ask me for some of my chocolate bar. Kyla rolled her eyes, shaking her head while Dannon simply laughed, finding me amusing in some way or another.
“Don’t worry,” Dannon said softly, a smile turning up the ends of his lips, “I don’t like chocolate.”
Oh. My. Gosh. He did not just say that.
My mouth dropped as I gaped at him, almost dropping the candy from my hand. Someone not liking chocolate was like someone not liking to breathe! Life without chocolate was like a star without its nebula. Impossible and unimaginable.
There was something wrong with me. Seriously wrong with me.
Kyla shot me a strange look. “Don’t tell me that you’re thinking about how it’s like to live without chocolate in your diet.”
I paused before saying, “No,” while dragging out the O. “Of course not!”
Kyla shook her head, leaning back in her seat and stretching out her legs. “There’s something wrong with you,” she felt the need to inform me.
“My thoughts exactly.”
It was silent for a moment excluding the crinkling of the Hersey bar wrapper. I felt awkward, being the only source of noise in the vehicle. I had the sudden urge to ask for the radio to be turned on so that I wouldn’t sound so loud. But, alas, that would require me to open my mouth—and that would only make me sound louder. Which, obviously, would not help my case.
As though my mom could read my mind, she slammed her finger onto the AM/FM button, subsequently making the wondrous land of music and creativity bellow out of the speakers. I sat up in my seat, straining to see what station we were listening to. I could recognize the band. Switchfoot. And the fact that my family was rather religious and only listened to Christian stations narrowed down the options considerably.
“I dare you to move!” I sang along with the song, falling back in my seat and ignoring my chocolate for a moment. “I dare you to move like today never happened.”
Kyla sang with me too despite her self-consciousness about her voice in front of Mr. Barone. I thought the stuck-at-my-cousins’-house scenario really did her good. Maybe she wouldn’t be such a fan-girl anymore. Fan-girls were so annoying.
I glanced over at Dannon. He was looking out the window, his chin resting on his hand. There was a troubled expression on his face, like he was incredibly stressed out about something. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but then I realized that it was probably just the appointment that he’d missed and decided against it. He did sound upset on the phone when he was conferring with his dad.
“Air 1,” came a masculine voice—probably Ashton’s. “This is Ashton.” So called that! “That was Dare You To Move by Switchfoot.”
He continued to talk, followed by the mini “commercials” that the station contained. Of course they weren’t actually commercials. The station was completely listener-supported. No annoying commercials you get on those other stations allowed—thank goodness.
I clapped, squealing excitedly as the next song came on. This song was not only totally amazing, totally awesome, but it was my happy song! Whenever I was down the song would always play. Every. Single. Time. It was times like those when I knew that God was actually listening.
“I’m not about to give up because I heard you say, ‘There’s gonna be brighter days. There’s gonna be brighter days.’” I bounced up and down in my seat, shouting, “Turn it up, turn it up!”
Dannon glanced at me, a smile idling on his face. All signs of inner turmoil were gone. I turned, grinning at Kyla, who simply rolled her eyes, not even close to as enthusiastic about this amazing song as I was. As I said before, she’s not a very religious person—so she doesn’t know half of the songs on this station.
As the song continued, I couldn’t help but notice how considerably Dannon’s mood lifted. I couldn’t help but smile as it dawned on me that the song wasn’t for me today.
It was for Dannon.
| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |
“Home sweet home!” Kyla exclaimed as we turned onto my street. I grinned, shaking my head. The excitement she had for a house that wasn’t hers was quite amusing. Though, I had to admit, I was pretty damn happy to get out of the car as well.
I shook Dannon, who’d fallen asleep over an hour ago, one the shoulder as gently as I possibly could. I wondered if he ever made it through a car ride without falling asleep. I doubted it. “Dannon,” I muttered, becoming extremely annoyed that he wasn’t awake yet. “Wake up!”
He remained motionless. A few stray hairs fell into his face. I resisted the urge to push them gingerly away, like they did in the movies. What could I say? Stray hairs annoyed me. “Dannon!” I whined, irritated that his eyes weren’t opening. I pushed him harder—in vain of course.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dannon’s eyes fluttered open, and he smiled blearily, stretching out his arms. “We home yet?” he murmured, his voice a whisper.
“Yeah,” I replied shortly, scooting over toward the door Kyla’d left open. “Let’s go so you can get home to your dad. He’s probably missing you, yeah?"
Dannon paused for a moment, realization slowly filling his expression. Then he smiled, a real wide one, as though excited by the prospect of returning to his dad. There was something about the relationship that he had with his dad that I couldn’t put my finger on. Even though I hadn’t met his dad, and probably never would, he seemed to respect Dannon in a way that no parent I’d ever met did. It was pretty cool. “Oh yeah,” Dannon murmured. “I should probably just pack and go.”
I smiled slightly, ignoring the small disappointment sprouting at his words. What was I expecting? For him to stay all day? He wasn’t even supposed to be here today. “Okay,” I replied, hopping out of the car and shutting the door behind me. I decided to be nice and wait for Dannon to get out of the car. Unlike my family, who decided to ditch the girl trying to awaken the unconscious boy, I would stay! Brownie points with my mom? I think yes.
Dannon emerged from the other side of the car, shutting the door so softly that for a moment I thought it didn’t close tightly. Apparently it did because Dannon trotted towards me, his hands in his pockets, thumbs hanging out the sides.
When we entered the house, Dannon bee-lined for the guest room, grabbing his sleepover stuff. I leaned on the kitchen counter, munching on an apple, scowling at Kyla as she winked at me. Was I not allowed to eat apples now that one collided with Dannon’s head? That hardly seemed fair.
Suddenly, my mom called, “Bri, walk him to his car, will you?” I could just picture her lounging on the couch next to my dad, her legs propped up on the coffee table. “Oh, honey, come back any time!” she gushed, her voice obviously directed at Dannon now. “We just adore having you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Ni—”
“Julie!” my mom scolded.
“Thanks, Julie,” Dannon corrected himself, his voice closer now. “I’ll be sure to come back soon.”
Uh-huh. Sure he did.
It was amazing how cynical I was even though he’d pretty much proved he wasn’t going to leave me alone any time soon. It was like I had to disagree with everything he said. Oh gosh. I was in one of those moods. That wasn’t a good sign.
Dannon appeared in the kitchen doorway, smiling. “Apple, huh?”
I rolled my eyes, taking a huge bite and chomping down obnoxiously. “Want me to chuck it at your head?” I suggested, my mouth still half-full.
Dannon chuckled, shifting his duffel bag on his shoulder. “I don’t think I can really afford anymore brain damage.”
I snorted. “I’ll say.”
We stood there silently for a moment. Well, Dannon was silent. I chomped on my apple. I gave him a weird glance, wondering why he wasn’t leaving. I mean, he wanted to see his dad didn’t he? “Um,” I murmured under my breath.
Dannon’s eyes met mine, a smile on his face. “Hmm?”
I took the finishing bite of my apple and tossed it into the trash can, wiping my hands on my pants. “Aren’t you leaving?” I asked, gesturing toward his duffle bag as though for emphasis.
Dannon stared at me for a moment. Then he chuckled, shifting his duffle bag on his shoulder again, bringing a hand through his hair. “Yes,” he said with a huge smile. “Walk me out?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “What are you, three?”
“Indeed.” Dannon nodded. “And your mom said to walk me out, so. . . .”
I groaned, pushing off the counter and following him out of the kitchen, ignoring Kyla’s giddy expression from her newly found spot on the couch next to my mom. I trudged after him as we headed down the porch and toward his car parked in the driveway. Dannon unlocked the driver’s door, opening it and chucking his stuff into the passenger seat. He twisted around, leaning on the door and smiling at me. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I nodded, shoving my thumbs into my jeans pockets. “Yeah.”
He opened his mouth as though he was going to say something then shut it again. Without another word he settled into the driver’s seat, shutting the door as quietly as it would allow whilst shutting it tightly. Dannon’s eyes caught mine and he smiled slightly, giving me a small wave. “Bye, Bri.”
I gave a small wave back as he pulled out of the driveway, disappearing down the road.
| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |
After Dannon left, the day seemed to pass rather slow. It sucked to admit it, but it was much less fun around here without him. Kyla calmed down (I guess it was Dannon’s fault she was so hyper) and began her usual complaining about how she hated school and how she didn’t want to attend the next day. I wouldn’t put it past her to feign illness so she wouldn’t have to go.
I felt a flash of annoyance. I didn’t really understand why. This was so normal, so mundane. Usually I would join right in. But, today, all I could think about was how much I hated civilization.
Oh. No.
Why me?
I scowled. Of all times for this to happen. . . .
“Brianne, are you even listening to me?” Kyla snapped.
“Yes,” I snapped right back.
Kyla stared at me in a shocked silence for a moment, not understanding my hostility. And then, as though a hidden picture just appeared before her eyes, she realized. “Say hi to Mother Nature for me, all right?”
My scowl grew. “Sure thing.” I paused as an uncomfortable feeling churned in my lower stomach. “I’ll be right back.”
With that, I rushed into the bathroom, throwing open the sink cabinet and grabbing a pad. I ripped the package open, praying I’d made it in time.
As it turned out, I made it in the nick of time. Call me pathetic, but I was feeling mighty proud of myself for that! I actually gave out a small shriek. “Yes!”
I heard Kyla laugh from the other room. I ignored it, pulling up my pants and sighing. It made so much sense now. Why I was so moody the past few days and why my hatred for Dannon seemed to heighten. That also explained why I was so rude to him when usually I would at least contain it a little.
I ventured into the living room, finding Kyla still sitting on her spot on the couch. She winked at me, gesturing to the TV. I turned, surprised to see that it was on, playing a re-run of The Big Bang Theory.
“Bazinga!” Sheldon cried from the show as he popped up from the ball pit Leonard was chasing him around in.
Kyla and I laughed hysterically as the hilarious scene took place. No words could express how much I loved this episode!
“Oh my gosh, he’s crazy!” Kyla sputtered out as she laughed her ass off.
“Bazinga!” Sheldon cried again.
I plopped onto the couch, guffawing with my friend. I leaned back, thoroughly enjoying myself. How could I not when the most amazing show on the entire planet was playing?
“Glad to see that you girls are enjoying yourselves,” my mom said as a commercial came on, “but it’s getting late and Kyla should probably think about going home.”
“Trying to get rid of me, Julie?” Kyla teased, sitting up. “I’ll call my mom.”
And ten minutes later I was sitting on my couch all by my lonesome.
Sometimes it really sucked having a brother in college.
Oh gosh, here came the depressed thoughts. I was totally screwed. School tomorrow was going to suck. If I was even going to be able to go. Cramps hit me pretty hard, and most of the time I ended up taking the day off. Cowardly, yes, I know, but that was how it had to be done. I’d rather have make up work than a failed test.
The cramps were really starting to kick in, so I decided to go to bed early. After downing two Pamprin, I went straight for my bed, nothing even bothering to take off the clothes I was wearing—which made me realize Kyla, Dannon, and I still had borrowed clothes. Oopsies. I made a mental note to get the clothes back to them some other time.
A flash of pain cut off any other thought that might have been growing in my head.
Dammit.
I really hated Mother Nature.