I felt like someone had plucked a knife from the silverware drawer and stabbed me in the chest.  I struggled to breathe, leaning on the window and closing my eyes.  Dannon collapsed.  He was in the hospital.  It was like a nightmare coming to life right before my eyes.

“What happened?” I demanded, my voice coming out in a croak.

I could feel Kyla’s gaze on me, but I didn’t look at her.  If I did my emotions would fall out before I could stop them.  I couldn’t afford to cry now.  I had to get information first.

Tom cleared his throat again before replying.  “He was getting ready to leave the house to go somewhere—probably to your house, I’m not sure—and I heard a loud crashing noise.  I went out to see what happened, and I found Dannon was lying on the floor in front of the door, unconscious.”

I sucked in a breath, trying to keep calm.  I could see it now: Dannon lying on the ground looking so peaceful despite the fact that he’d just fallen unconscious randomly.  My stomach hurt so badly that I thought I was going to puke.  “I’m coming over there.  Which hospital are you at?”

Tom told me the hospital Dannon was at and what wing he’d be residing in.  I said a quick goodbye before hanging up the phone and letting my head fall into my hands.  Why did God have to do this to him?  Dannon didn’t deserve this!  He was too sweet, too caring to deserve a fate as shitty as this one.

“What happened?” Kyla demanded softly, the concern clear in her voice.  “Where am I driving?”

“Dannon collapsed,” I whispered, the raw ache growing in the pit of my stomach.  “He’s at the hospital.”

Kyla nodded, fitting her facial features to look emotionless.  She always did this when she was fighting back tears.  She was just as upset with the news as I was.  She was just much better at hiding it.  “Which one?”

“Saint Mary’s.”          

She nodded briskly, pulling over and letting a few cars shoot by before doing a U-turn.  I bit my lip as we passed by the middle school.  We were betting close now.  I watched numbly as students flooded out from the doors, happy that school was finally over.  They had no idea that someone so important to the world was lying in a hospital bed, probably still unconscious.  They had no idea that someone so important to many, many people was running on a short lifeline. 

“He’s going to be okay.”

I shook my head slightly, wishing that Kyla wouldn’t say that.  As uplifting as it was, it wasn’t going to help us in our current situation.  All it was going to do was prove that there was a possibility that he wouldn’t be okay, that he wouldn’t be returning back to school.  Even though I knew this was going to happen eventually, I just couldn’t accept it.  Not now.

We pulled into the parking lot, and slid into a parking lot.  I was already unbuckling before the car came to a stop, ready to hop out while the vehicle was still in motion.  With a great amount of willpower, I forced myself to stay in the car until Kyla took her keys out of the ignition, ready to get out herself.

It was silent on our way to Dannon’s room.  We got visitor passes from the secretary—because, apparently that was mandatory—and hurried down the hall, searching for the right room number.  There were so many ill people there, so many people who were hurting just like us.  I felt for them, I really did.

Finally, we came to stand in front of Dannon’s room.  I took a deep breath before opening it, ready for the worst.  I stepped inside, Kyla not far behind.  I sighed in relief.  Dannon was asleep (that was how I was furthermore going to refer to it as) in the hospital bed with Tom by his side.  Tom looked up as I entered and smiled the best he could.  I could tell that it was hard.

“Hello,” he said softly, heaving himself up from the chair beside the bed and making his way toward us.  He glanced at Kyla.  “And who might this be?”

“This is Kyla,” I introduced, nodding in Kyla’s direction.  “She’s my friend.”

Tom chuckled, holding out his hand.  “You must be the one who told Brianne to throw the apple.”

Oh, so he did remember her name.  Cool.

Kyla blushed, shaking his hand.  “Yes,” she admitted, pulling her hand away and letting it fall back to her side.  She cast me a glance from the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to Tom.

“Well, thanks for that.”  Tom smiled for real now.  “I don’t know what would have happened to Dannon if you hadn’t brought her into his life.”

Now it was my turn to blush.  “Can we please not talk about me while I’m standing right here?”  I sighed deeply, flopping into Tom’s seat.  I stared at Dannon’s motionless figure for a long time before speaking again.  “How long has he been out?”

“Not long at all.”  Tom sat in the free chair beside me.  Kyla sat in the window seat, rubbing her arms awkwardly.  She didn’t like hospitals.  They made her nervous.  “A half-hour at most.”

“Do you think he’ll wake up soon?”

The weight of the question hung in the air.  There was a frighteningly huge possibility that Dannon would never open his eyes again.  “The doctors said that I’m gradually going to get weaker and weaker.  It’s predicted that I’m going to go in a coma and never wake up.”  Absently I reached and grabbed Dannon’s hand within mine.  It was like I subconsciously thought that if I willed him to wake up, he would.

“Maybe,” Tom said, letting out a long breath.  “We can’t be sure.”

And, thus, the waiting began. 

A few hours later I was still there, all homework forgotten.  Kyla’d left about an hour before, saying that she had to get home to her brother.  I’d let her go, reassuring her that I would call when Dannon woke up.  But Dannon was still sleeping, and it didn’t seem like he was going to wake up any time soon.

Tom turned on the television set hanging up from the wall as a distraction.  We both mutually agreed that we weren’t going to leave until Dannon awoke.  At first Tom tried to convince me to go home, that he would call when Dannon woke up, but I refused to give in.  When Dannon’s eyes opened, I wanted to be there.  End of story. 

Finally, long after the sun had been replaced by the moon, Dannon’s eyes fluttered open.  I sat up in my chair, eyes wide.  Tom had left the room to get us some supper even though it was technically way too late to be called supper.  It was almost eleven o’clock.  I watched as Dannon struggled to sit up, feeling relief wash over me.  Dannon’s eyes had opened.  He wasn’t leaving me.

“Dannon,” I breathed, laying a hand on top of his.

Dannon’s eyes latched onto me and he smiled.  “Hey.”  He looked around in confusion.  “What happened?  Why am I in the hospital?”

The doctor warned us that this would probably happen.  “He’s probably going to be very confused when he wakes up,” the doctor said, his clipboard tucked under his arm tightly.  “You’ll have to explain it to him.”

“You collapsed,” I forced out, resisting the urge to throw my arms around him. 

“I did?”

I nodded.  “Yeah.”

Dannon sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes.  “Well,” he began, letting his hands drop carelessly at his sides, “I hope I wasn’t doing anything important.”

I bit my lip, bringing a hand through my hair.  “You were on your way out the door,” I told him, tilting my head to the side.  “Do you remember where you were going?”

Dannon closed his eyes, struggling to remember the moments before his collapse.  Suddenly his eyes shot open and he looked over to me.  “I think I was going to your house,” he said softly, smiling.  “Not sure.”

“That’s what Tom said,” I replied, tossing him an amused smile.  “Couldn’t wait to see me, could you?”

“Course not.”  Dannon laughed.  “I haven’t seen you since, what was it, yesterday?”

I smiled wider.  “Yeah.”

I turned, watching as Tom trotted in, struggling to hold both my tray and his.  I jumped up to assist him, grabbing my tray with a quick, “Thank you.”  Tom nodded before his eyes landed on Dannon.  “You’re awake!” he exclaimed, almost dropping his tray.

“Hey, Dad,” Dannon said brightly, giving a small wave.

Tom set his tray down on the side table beside Dannon’s bed and sighed.  He was trying to contain his relief, but he was failing miserably.  You could tell how he felt by that little glint in his eye and the way his shoulders and face relaxed.  “You worried Brianne and I to death!” he rebuked, sitting down on the edge of Dannon’s bed.

Love how he said my name first so that he would seem less worried?  Men and their pride.

“Sorry.”  Dannon smiled.  He glanced at the television and chuckled.  “I’m guessing Brianne chose the station.”

I whacked his shoulder playfully.  “Hey!  Your dad picked it, by the way.”

Dannon cocked an eyebrow, his eyes flicking back to the television.  Adventure Time was playing on Cartoon Network.  I would admit that I did find a lot of humor in the show, but I wasn’t going to outright pick it to watch.  There would have to be, like, absolutely nothing else on for me to stop.  And, sadly, there had been nothing on TV.

“Dad, I’m astonished,” Dannon said slowly, letting his head fall back into his pillows.  He closed his eyes and smiled, breathing deeply.  “These pillows aren’t comfortable.”

I rolled my eyes.  Despite everything, he was choosing to hate on the pillows?  “Get over it,” I said bluntly, standing up and patting my pants.  I smiled at Dannon, saying, “Kyla wanted me to call her when you woke up, so I should probably do that.  I’ll be right back.”

I stepped out of the room, flipping open my cell phone and dialing Kyla’s number.  I leaned against the door and closed my eyes.  I was so grateful, so relieved that Dannon’s eyes had opened, that I could have danced and screamed for joy.  It seemed that every time something like this happened I was going to be absolutely frantic.

Wait—every time?

I mentally slapped myself.  If I started thinking like that then nothing was going to get better.  I was already assuming that we were going to go through this again?  Gosh, I sucked at being optimistic.

“Hello?” came Kyla’s voice through the receiver after three rings.

“He woke up,” I said brightly, my disturbed thoughts diminishing.  “He’s all right.”

Kyla let out a breath of relief.  “That’s good.  Is he going to be out of the hospital soon?”

I shrugged.  “I don’t know.  The doctors don’t even know he’s awake yet.”

As though on cue, the doctor came sauntering toward me.  He smiled brightly, his clipboard clutched tightly in his hands.  He was always gripping it in a way that made him seem stiff, not relaxed.  Like he was always having a bad day.  The strain lines around his mouth and under his eyes only added to that point.  But he had a smile on his face, so I was hoping that maybe his day wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

“Hello,” he said, smiling again.  “I just came to check up on Dannon.”

I nodded, moving to the side so he could pass.  “He just woke up a few minutes ago,” I told him softly.  I turned my attention back to Kyla.  “Hey, Ky, I have to let you go.  The doctor’s here.”

“Ironic.”  Kyla giggled.  “Okay.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I hung up and followed the doctor inside.  He was speaking to Dannon and Tom about how Dannon’s condition was worsening and how he had to start taking it easy.  I bit my lip, easing into the chair besides Dannon’s bed.  Dannon’s eyes tore away from the doctor for a moment, and he smiled at me, reaching to grab my hand.  I clutched it tightly, not wanting to ever let go.  If I did I might lose him forever.

“I hear you play football,” said the doctor slowly.

Dannon bit his lip, nodding.  We both knew what was coming.  Dannon glanced at me and I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes.  I squeezed his hand comfortingly.  If this was what had to happen in order to keep him stronger, it was what had to happen.  Either way, I would be with him through it all.

“Well, I’m afraid that if you don’t want to wear yourself out to the point of another collapse, you’ll have to resign from the team.”

“Isn’t there some other way?” Tom demanded immediately.  “Dannon loves football—”

“Dad, it’s okay,” Dannon murmured.  “Football isn’t as important as keeping myself alive, right?”

I gulped down my discomfort.  It disturbed me that he was speaking so casually about the predicted events.  Then I remembered that he wasn’t really casual about it, that inside he was crying.  I wondered if he’d ever told Tom about his breakdown.  I doubted it.  It made me feel honored that he trusted me, and only me, with how he truly felt about his condition.

Tom stared at Dannon for a long time before nodding.  “Very well,” he grumbled.  “You’ll have to go to your coach when you’re released from the hospital.”  His gaze twisted to the doctor.  “When can Dannon come home?”

We all turned to the doctor then, expectant.  I prayed that he would be able to come home tonight, or even tomorrow.  I wanted him home so we could hang out, could go to Aunt Jill’s together.  But, as the doctor opened his mouth, I knew that wasn’t the case.

“We would like to keep him here over the weekend just to keep him in check.  He’ll be discharged on Monday.”

Dannon shot me an apologetic look.  “Tell Britain I said hey,” he said softly, trying to put on a casual face.  I could tell that he was upset, though.  He wanted to go to Aunt Jill’s as much as I wanted him to.

“I will.”  I smiled.  “When you get discharged maybe we can bring them to you, eh?”

Dannon chuckled.  “You can’t bring the whole crew.  They would never fit in my house comfortably.”

I laughed, shaking my head.  It wasn’t until the doctor cleared his throat that I stifled my laughter.  I struggled to make the laughs die in my throat, covering my mouth with my hand.  For a short moment I’d actually forgotten the adults were in here.  “Dannon, try and keep it easy all right?” the doctor drew out as though he sensed we were full of energy—too much energy. 

Dannon nodded, smiling.  “Sure thing, doc.”

The doctor chuckled as he shook his head and left the room.  I sighed as the door shut behind him, knowing that it was time for me to go home.  I turned to Tom, signaling that it was time for me to leave.  Tom nodded, heading toward the door silently.  Dannon glanced between Tom and me in confusion.

“I’m sorry, I gotta go,” I said with a sigh.  I wrapped my arms around his neck in an embrace.  Dannon hugged be back tightly.  “I’ll come and visit sometime this weekend, okay?”

Dannon smiled.  “Okay, hon.”

I smiled back.  I was about to pull away, but Dannon pulled me back, kissing me.  I really hoped that Tom didn’t mind that we were kissing in front of him.  I wasn’t about to pull away, but still.  I hoped he wasn’t uncomfortable.

Dannon pulled away, the smile returning to his face.  “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.”

I pecked him on the cheek before following Tom out of the room.  I felt incredibly guilty leaving Dannon in there by himself.  I was tempted to go back in there and announce that I would be staying the night, but I continued walking beside Tom as we headed outside.

“I’m sorry that he’s not able to come with you to your aunt’s,” Tom said softly as we got into his car.

“It’s not your fault, and it’s not his.  There’s nothing we can do about it.”  I shrugged.  “He can come next time.”

Tom gave one, short nod.  “Yeah, next time.”

From his tone you could tell that he didn’t know if there was going to be a next time.  He thought that Dannon might leave us before we had the chance to go to Aunt Jill’s again.  I bit my lip, not allowing myself to cry.  I was so sick and tired of being emotional.  What happened to me being strong?  I never cried.  I hated crying.  But now that was all I seemed to be able to do.

“There will be a next time,” I whispered.  “There will be.”

There would be.

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“Where’s Dannon?”

Instead of answering Britain’s question, I flopped onto the couch and closed my eyes.  I couldn’t bring myself to explain that Dannon was in the hospital because he was weakening due to a terminal illness.  At least, I couldn’t right now.  Not with all these little kids in the room.

“Yeah, where’s Boogie Man?” Vincent whined, plopping heavily onto my stomach.

I lurched, gasping in shock at the sudden weight of my cousin.  “He couldn’t come today, sweetie,” I said softly after I recovered.  “He had . . . other plans.”

Vincent seemed convinced, but when I glanced up at Britain I could see the skepticism in his eyes.  He mouthed, “We’ll continue this conversation later,” before turning to Garrett.  Garrett, who’d just pranced into the room, was holding his arms out expectantly.  “Garrett!” Britain called out with a grin.

“Britain!” Garrett shouted.  “My man!”

They hugged in a “manly way” as they talked about how much they missed each other.  Men pretended that they were much better than girls, but in reality?  They were exactly like us.

“You know, you, Bri, and I should go talk somewhere private,” Britain said softly as they pulled away from each other, shooting a meaningful look in my direction.

Oh, so I guess it was later then.

Garrett’s eyes shot between the both of us confusedly before nodding.  “Okay, let’s go to your room.”

I sighed, pushing Vincent gently off me before following Britain and Garrett out of the living room.  The younger kids stared at us as we left, clearly wondering what the heck was going on with us.  We were usually the loudest in the room, the most obnoxious.  We liked to goof off.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Garrett inquired as he pulled open Britain’s bedroom door and stepped inside.  He threw himself onto the bed, almost toppling over the side.  I followed pursuit, almost colliding with him as I fell back onto the comforter.

Britain, who’d decided not to join us on the bed, stared at us for a long time before sighing.  “Why isn’t Dannon here, really?”

I bit my lip and cast a glance in my brother’s direction.  Garrett’s eyes widened a fraction, but he didn’t say anything.  For once his mouth remained shut.

When I was about to find the strength to tell him the story, my phone rang.  Britain laughed at the ring tone, Garrett simply smiling.  I couldn’t help but smile, too, as I plucked the phone from my pocket and answered it.  “Hey, Barone.”

“Nichols!” Dannon called out cheerfully.  “You at your aunt’s yet?”

“Yeah, we just got here.”  I glanced at Britain.  “Britain is obsessing over your absence.”

Dannon chuckled and then sighed.  “He wants the full reason, doesn’t he?”

Ah, so now he got it.  “Yeah,” I said softly, my eyes locking on the floor.  There was this odd spot on the rug that looked flatter than everywhere else.  It was quite peculiar.

I looked up and cocked an eyebrow as Britain abruptly stopped mouthing something, his mouth frozen half-open.  What was he saying about me?

“You can if you want,” Dannon replied.  “Just please don’t let the news get to the little kids.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

I scowled as an official voice suddenly cut through the receiver.  Stupid doctors taking my time away from Dannon.  First they wouldn’t let him leave the hospital, and now they were going to make him hang up on me.  I didn’t understand why I felt so bitter toward this doctor.  I mean, he was only doing his job.  But, still.

“Hey, hon, I’ve got to go,” Dannon said finally, letting out a long, disappointed breath.

“Okay.”  I paused for a moment.  “I love you.”

Dannon chuckled.  “I love you, too!  Hit Britain with a water balloon for me.”

I laughed.  “Sure thing.”

“Bye.”

I hung up with a deep sigh.  My eyes shot up to Britain, mentally preparing myself for the conversation we were about to have.  Except, when I saw Britain’s face, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.  He reminded me of Bugsy from one of those Adam Sandler movies, Bed Time Stories.  “What?” I asked, the laughter still in my voice.

“Are you two dating?” Britain demanded, his eyebrows so high that I swore they were touching the tip of his forehead.

I nodded, smiling.  “Yeah.”

Britain’s mouth dropped open.  Garrett guffawed then, looking thoroughly amused.  “They’ve been dating for a while, man.  Where have you been?”

“I’ve been left out!” Britain complained.  He sighed.  “Whatever.  Now, why isn’t he here?”

Back to biting the lip again.  I paused for a moment, considering my words.  What way could I go about this gently?  “He’s in the hospital,” I settled on, my voice soft.

Britain looked taken aback.  “What?” he demanded, his voice rising.  I could see the intense worry in his eyes.  “Why?”

I sighed deeply, knowing that trying to let him down gently was not going to work.  He was just going to tell me not to sugarcoat things, to get my point across before I scared him to death.  That was what happened a few years back when Uncle Rick had to explain that the dog had died.  Britain had loved that dog—so much.  “Britain, I’m going to tell you something, and you have to promise not to tell anyone.”  I paused.  “Well, not the kids anyway.”

Britain, looking scared now, nodded.  “What’s going on, Bri?”

I brought a hand through my hair, hating that I was the one who had to tell him this.  Then again, I didn’t want anyone else—except for Dannon of course—to tell him.  I didn’t know why, but I felt obligated.  “Dannon has terminal cancer,” I said after a long intake of breath.  “It’s predicted that he’s going to die within the next three months.”

Britain stood there, staring at me for a long time.  I watched him carefully, trying not to let any tears fall.  That would only make the situation worse.

“Dannon’s dying,” Britain said after a while.  Garrett and I watched him silently.  He seemed to be trying to put the pieces together.  “But—but he was fine the last time he was here.”

I smiled sympathetically.  “Looks can be deceiving.”

“Are you doing okay?”  Britain asked softly, his eyes meeting mine. 

I nodded slowly, deciding that I was doing okay.  Sometimes it was hard to tell.  “Yeah, I’ve been handling it all right I suppose.”

Garrett draped his arm over my shoulders.  “She’s been nice and strong,” he said, giving me a squeeze.  He was going for the humorous route, knowing that Britain functioned better when people were joking in hard times.  “Though, now you’re able to tell that the girl has feelings.”

Even though that was for Britain’s benefit, I was still insulted.  Glaring, I slapped his arm.  “Hey!” I shrieked, shaking his arm off.  “I take offense to that!”

Garrett stuck his tongue out at me.  “Good.”

I was about to say something else, but suddenly Aunt Jill opened the bedroom door and popped her head inside.  I turned with the boys to face her.  “Hello, my lovely teenagers,” she said cheerfully.  Her eyes flicked to Britain, brightening with concern.  “Hon, are you okay?  You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Britain nodded vigorously, hiding his despair very well—in my opinion, anyway.  “I’m fine, Ma.”

Aunt Jill shot him a skeptical look before nodding.  “All right.  Now, let’s stop being anti-social and come outside, shall we?”

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“Brianne, what the heck was that for?”

I laughed, almost falling to the ground and rolling in the grass.  I’d just filled a regular balloon up with water and chucked it at Britain as hard as I could, hitting him smack in the chest.  For a girl with sucky am, I’d done a pretty good job.  The glare from Britain only proved my point.  That and his clenched teeth as he wiped at his shirt in disgust.

“This is fricken cold!” he whined to anyone who would listen.  Which was no one, by the way.

“Britain!” Aunt Jill rebuked.  “Language.”

Britain shook his head, not even bothering to apologize.  The only little kid hanging out with us was Vincent, and he was a few feet away chasing what looked like a butterfly.  He kept screaming something that didn’t sound remotely like English as he chased it, looking so determined that it was comical. 

“Dannon told me to!” I defended myself, throwing my arms in front of me as Britain sauntered menacingly toward me, looking royally pissed off.

“Of course he did,” Britain snapped, lunging forward.

I screeched as he began to tickle me.  “Stop it!” I gasped out, trying to whack his head as hard as I could.  Britain grinned, dodging me.  “Britain, stop it!”

“Tickle fight!” someone shouted in the distance.

Little brats.

I mean, you see someone screaming for another someone to stop it, and you don’t help?  That was just cruel.

“As amusing as it is to see my sister get her butt kicked,” Garrett drawled, pulling Britain away from me, “I think it would be better for us all if the tickle fight came to a close.”

Britain laughed, shoving Garrett off him.  I shoved my hands into my armpits, annoyed.  I hated being tickled with a passion.  I wished Kyla was here.  Then we could attack the idiotic boys together.  But no.  She couldn’t come. 

A few minutes later Aunt Jill called us all in for supper.  She’d cooked up a ton of mac and cheese.  Seriously.  It was like twenty boxes!  I seated myself beside Garrett, leaning forward on the table.  I could remember the last time I sat at this table—it was impossible not to.  It was the time when we were stuck here, and I finally seemed to realize that Dannon wasn’t a fake like I’d always thought he was.

Was this the place where our relationship took its turn?

Hm, maybe.

“So, we’re going to go around and say one fact about ourselves that no one else knows!” Aunt Jill called out.

Aunt Jill liked to do this once and a while.  In order to keep the family consistent with news about each other, we were ordered to divulge during dinner.  I was surprised that she hadn’t done something like that last time.  Maybe it was because Kyla and Dannon were there.

“I tried eating a lady bug yesterday,” Lexi announced proudly.  “She didn’t taste like a lady.”

I snorted into my chocolate milk, almost succeeding in choking on it.  Lexi was so weird.

Except for the fact that Vincent found a magical raccoon named Steve that had a tail of a giraffe, everyone else said things pretty normal.  Hartin got a “B” on a quiz that week, and he’d been so ashamed that he didn’t want to tell anyone.  Maria broke a nail, and apparently her screaming it over and over again to the household didn’t count as anyone knowing. 

When it was my turn, I was stumped.  I mean, I would feel totally shallow if I just blurted, “I have a boyfriend now.”

“Brianne has a boyfriend?” someone, I think Uncle Rick, gasped.

Oops.  I guess I did say that out loud.

“Oh, someone is actually attracted to you?” Maria asked meanly.

Vincent, being the little sweetheart that he was, slapped her arm.  “Stop being mean to Bri-Bri!” he shrieked.  “Just because you don’t have a boyfriend, doesn’t mean she can’t!”

That was probably the meanest thing that had ever come out of his mouth.

I loved it.

“Calm down, you two,” Aunt Jill ordered sternly.  She turned and smiled at me.  “Who’s the lucky guy?”

I smiled back.  “Dannon.”

Maria looked intrigued now.  “That sexy guy who came with you?”

It sickened me that Maria called him sexy.  I mean, he was, but I didn’t like it coming out of Maria’s mouth.  “Yes,” I said slowly, trying to contain my irritation.

Mira nodded, impressed.  “I thought he would be one of those guys who goes for the cheerleaders.”

“I’m friends with the cheerleaders.”  I smirked at her astonishment.  What?  I liked taking that triumphant look off her face.  She didn’t know everything, and she needed to stop acting like she did.

“Brianne seems to be very social this year,” Aunt Jill mused, her face beaming.  She continued to smile at me.  “You’ve made a new group of friends I suppose, yes?”

I smiled, nodding.  “Yeah, Dannon introduced me to new people.”

Maria smirked again.  “So, Dannon introduced you to the cheerleaders.”

“Yes, and unlike you, they’re not snot-nosed brats that only care about themselves.”

It was childish of me to feed into her games and to spew out these hurtful words in front of the little kids, I knew that.  But I couldn’t stop.  Maria made me want to rip things apart. 

Garrett elbowed me lightly in the side, and I looked down.  I snickered softly, slapping his outstretched hand. No one liked Maria.  I didn’t even think that Aunt Jill or Uncle Rick liked her and they were her parents.  That was just sad.

“Moving on,” Aunt Jill said lightly before Maria could snap a retort.  “Garrett, what’s new with you?”

Garrett smiled brightly.  “I’m still not gay!”

Everyone, including the young ones, laughed.  I knew for a fact, however, that the little kids didn’t understand what the heck Garrett meant.  “That’s lovely, Garrett,” Aunt Jill said after recovering from her laughter.

Garrett smiled childishly, plopping a spoonful of mac and cheese into his mouth.  He chomped on it, looking like that kid from Matilda that had to eat a whole chocolate cake.  Slob.

As soon as everyone was done with their facts about themselves, Maria instantly went back to the conversation that we were having earlier.  “So, Brianne,” she drawled.  I forced my eyes in her direction.  It physically pained me.  Like, seriously.  “Have you two done it yet?”

All conversation ceased.

I stared at Maria in disgust.  “Excuse me?”

The adults said nothing.  They seemed to know that I was able to handle this situation by myself.  Though, you could tell that Aunt Jill was pissed.  Maria was going to be grounded, that was for sure.

“You heard me,” Mira said, her smirk still placed on her face.  She obviously wasn’t fazed by the gazes she was receiving.  “Have you?”

“No,” I spat, more furious that I had ever been with her.  Asking if  Dannon and I were having sex while we were still in high school?  What did she take us for?  And, besides, talking about copulation at all at her age?  Who the hell did she think she was?  “I’m sorry,” I drawled sarcastically, “but if you want tips because you sucked the first time, you’ll have to go ask someone else.”

 I was probably going to pay for that one later, but at the moment I didn’t really care.  I continued on, about ready to bite Maria’s head off.  “Get off your high horse, Maria.  Not everyone dates for two days, dumps, and then dates someone else. People actually date for personality.  Do you know what that means?  It means that they don’t care that they have abs, that they have sexy facial features.  It’s what’s on the inside.  I know it may be a foreign concept to you, not dating someone because they’re hot, but it’s actually an occurrence.”

I glared at her.  “If you ever ask me about Dannon and I doing something so unholy again, I will see to it that you live the rest of your life in misery, all right?”  I smiled sweetly.  “Are we clear?”

Yep, I was totally grounded.