“Car, sweet car!” I cried, throwing my arms around my coal Honda Civic as best I could. “You’re so clean!”

            “Well,” Julius started in a smart tone, his head hanging out the window of his own white Corolla, “it did rain for four days straight…”

            I ignored him, fumbling for my key in my back pocket. My pointer finger brushed against the cool metal and I curled my hand around it, bringing it out of my pocket and unlocking the door. The first thing I grabbed from inside was my iPhone. “And communication!”

            “You had communication my cell phone… Remember? You’ve been calling your brother for the past three days to see if the marshes were cleared up? Then this morning too when you found out they were?”

            “Julius, just shut up.”

            He grinned cheekily. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

            The roar of an engine filled the air, as well as the squealing of tires. Both Julius and I turned our heads toward the sound, which was coming from the other side of the parking lot. I squinted against the sun, raising my hand to shield my eyes. As my gaze landed on the car speeding toward us, I held in a sigh.

            Anthony.

            “Show off,” Julius muttered darkly. “Doesn’t he realize there are like, fifty billion people here? I hope he hits someone.”

            “Julius!”

            “What?”

            “At least say you hope he hits someone else’s car! Don’t let someone else get hurt because of his stupidity,” I scolded him, keeping my eyes glued to the grey Camry. “I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to go over ten miles in a parking lot…”

            Julius snorted. “You think Anthony obeys driving laws?”

            “Er…”

            “He’s an idiot,” Julius said flatly. “I don’t want you driving with him.”

            I frowned, folding my arms over my chest. “For being his best friend, you sure do like to diss him.”

            “That’s what friends are for.”

            “Except not really.”

            Before Julius could say more, Anthony’s car came skidding to a stop in front of us. Rolling down his window, he stuck his head out and beamed. “Ah, it’s nice to drive again.”

            At his words, the hand holding my car key twitched. I really wanted to drive. “Well, since we now know your car didn’t get damaged and works fine, it’s time to try mine. Julius, I’ll meet you at my house, okay?”

            “Sure,” he responded, throwing a smug smile at Anthony. “I’ll be there.”

            Anthony’s expression didn’t falter. “I called Mason earlier. His mom invited me to dinner.”

            Julius tsked. “Damn.”

            “Hey,” Anthony protested, feigning a hurt look. “Don’t you care about me any more?”

            “I do, but I haven’t gotten alone time with Mason in a very long time…”

            “Come to think of it, I haven’t either…”

            The two boys stared at each other, a determined look in both their eyes. Bored with their interaction, I slid into the seat of my car and started my engine. The sound of it roaring to life had never sounded so great.

            “First one to Mason’s gets to spend the night!” Anthony cried suddenly.

            “I’m already spending the night!”

            I cocked an eyebrow at the pair. Why did they think it was up to them about spending the night? It was my mom’s house. She didn’t ever care, but still…

            “Okay then, the first one who gets to Mason’s house gets to sleep in his bed with him.”

            “It’s on,” Julius replied, shifting his car into drive. “See you later, sucker!” he shouted, peeling out of his parking spot.

            Anthony let him go, smirking to himself. “And loser gets to sleep in Ellie’s bed.”

            I shot him a mocking look. “Guess I’ll be the lose then.”

            He laughed. “I’m not really going to stay the night. I only said that because I think it’ll be funny if Julius gets pulled over. There are a lot of police out there.”

            “You’re an ass,” I accused.

            “That’s not very nice,” he replied with a pout. “Anyway. Is it okay with you?”

            “Is what okay with me?”

            “That I come over to eat tonight.”

            I frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

            He gave me a sheepish look. “Umm… You know, I don’t want it to be awkward or anything. With your brother. Or mother. And I know that Julius is staying because of his house…”

            “It’s fine,” I insisted, smiling. “I mean… I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I don’t want my mom or brother knowing we’re dating yet either. I want to break it to Julius first.”

            “About that two week thing,” Anthony started, leaning back in his seat. “Sorry. That was really immature and lame of me. I should wait until you’re comfortable.”

            I shook my head. “No, I get it. I don’t want to lie to Julius either… It’s just…”

            Anthony’s eyes pierced into mine, his gaze suddenly serious. “You’re not sure if you have feelings for him or not?”

            “I don’t,” I said confidently. “Haven’t I said it? He turned me down a long time ago. If he has feelings for me now, it’s too late. I like you. Only you. I just don’t like the idea of him hating you when he finds out.”

            “He won’t hate me,” Anthony told me. “He’ll probably be upset. But he knows you like me, right?”

            “Right.”

            “And I’m pretty sure I made it obvious I was interested in you too when we talked,” he continued. “I just think it’s best to tell him up front and not dilly-dally.”

            I tapped my fingers against the rubber at the bottom of my window. “I know. I don’t want to ruin your friendship.”

            Anthony gave me a heartwarming smile. “You won’t. Julius and I are best friends. We’ll work through it.”

            “And if you don’t?”

            “Well then he was never my best friend to begin with, was he?”

            Biting my lip, I reluctantly nodded. “Okay. Fine.”

            “How about I give you an ultimatum?”

            “Aren’t ultimatums bad things?”

            He hesitated. “Huh… You’re right. Okay, let me rephrase that. How about I bribe you a little bit?”

            Curious, I returned my eyes to his handsome face. “Which is…?”

            “As soon as you tell Julius we’re dating, I’ll take you on our first official date,” Anthony declared happily, a boyish grin on his face. “Somewhere really fancy. So fancy, you’ll have to wear a beautiful dress.”

            “Okay, deal,” I responded, catching his grin. “If Julius is upset, I’ll by him some chocolate.”

            Anthony nodded. “Sounds good. Now that that’s settled, let’s head to your house now.”

            “Okay, see you there,” I said, shifting my car into drive. “Don’t speed!”

            Smirking, Anthony revved his engine. “I’m a guy.”

            Rolling my eyes, I watched as he roared down the parking lot. One of these days, both he and Julius were going to get into a car crash. I drove much more slowly through the parking lot, putting on my blinker whenever I turned. As soon as I was on the main road, I allowed myself to go five miles over the speed limit. Ahead of me, Anthony was at least going ten over.

            Driving through town, I finally got a sense of how much damage the hurricane had done. It was kind of like I was in a zombie apocalypse. There were absolutely no people out and about. Surprisingly, some houses still were without power. I figured three days was long enough to get it back. Apparently, my thinking was off. Anthony, Julius, and I were lucky enough to have one of those households who owned a generator. Aside from the power outage, there were trees and branches down everywhere. Most of the water that had flooded the streets was dried up now, but there were still massive puddles here and there. I had to swerve to avoid some of the deeper ones.

            Turning down the street that led to the marshes, I noticed a cruiser with flashing lights parked on the side of the road. “You’re kidding me,” I murmured, pressing my foot down on the brake. “No way…”

            In front of the cop car was Julius’s Corolla.

            Sighing, I drove by them, glancing at the driver’s side window of Julius’s car as I did so. His gaze met mine, an irritated expression on his face. I stuck my tongue out. It was his fault for speeding… but it was also Anthony’s for encouraging him to do it. I’d have to reprimand both of them later.

            Ten minutes later I drove up to my two-story house, a smile spreading across my face. Anthony was already there and out of his car, standing at the front door waiting patiently. Immediately I cut the engine to my car and climbed out, not bothering to lock it.

            “Did you see Julius?” Anthony called down to me, his voice full of humor. “I totally called it! He looked so piss—”

            “Mason!” I cried, completely ignoring Anthony and running up to my half-brother who had just opened the front door.

            “Hey Mason!” Anthony greeted, spreading his arms wide. “Long time no see!”

            Mason shoved him aside, opting for my arms instead. “Ellie! Are you okay? Julius and Anthony didn’t try anything on you while you were there did they? If they did, I’ll snap their necks.”

            I laughed, shaking my head. “Nope! It was fine! How were you and Mom?”

            “Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s pretty excited to see you… Oh, hey Anthony. When did you get here?”

            Anthony scowled at my brother. “Tool.”

            “Kidding,” Mason said with a wink. “What’s up, man?”

            “Julius got pulled over for speeding. And I’m sleeping in your bed with you tonight.”

            “Okay…?”

            My brother sent me a weirded out look, but I just grinned at him, skipping into my house. The delicious scent of pot roast met my nose and I inhaled deeply, my stomach rumbling. “Mom! I’m home!”

            “In the kitchen!”

            I stumbled into the kitchen, smacking right into my tall mother. After receiving a face full of her blonde hair, I pulled away, only for her to pull me back and plant a kiss on my forehead. “Mom,” I complained, attempting to liberate myself. “Stop that.”

            “It’s so good to see you unharmed!” she said happily, smiling brightly at me. “I’ve been worried sick!”

            “It’s good to see you unharmed too,” I responded, wiping off my forehead. “And it’s nice to smell real food. We’ve been living off convenience food.”

            Chuckling, she returned her attention to the counter, where she was cutting up potatoes. “It’ll be done in about five minutes. You guys got here with perfect timing. Wasn’t it worth eating convenience food though?”

            “Huh?”

            “You like him, right?”

            “L-Like who?” I stuttered, surprised by her intuition. How in the world could she possibly know I liked Anthony? I’d never mentioned my crush on him to her! To anyone, for that instance.

            She rolled her eyes at me. “I’m your mother. I can tell if you like someone. Especially Julius.”

            I did a double take. “Wait, what?”

            “You’ve liked him for a while now, haven’t you? I don’t blame you. He’s such a cutie.”

            “No, Mom, I don’t like Julius,” I told her honestly. “I used to. I don’t any more.”

            She frowned, looking at me again. “Really? I swear he likes you too.”

            My cheeks warmed. She was good. “No, no. I doubt it. We’re like family…”

            “Ah, so then it’s Anthony you like.”

            “How do you know?” I demanded, exasperated.

            Laughing, she patted my head. “I just told you. I’m your mother, remember?”

            “Well do you know who Mason likes?”

            A mischievous smile crossed her face. “I do.”

            “Tell me!”

            “I’m not saying anything.”

            “Why not?”

            “Do you want me to tell him you like Anthony?”

            “No,” I responded quickly.

            She nodded. “Well there you go.”

            Puffing out my lips, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Fine. But don’t say anything to anyone, got it?”

            “I promise.”

            “Okay. I’m going to go back and chat with Mason and leave you to your cooking then,” I said, slowly backing out of the room.

            She faced me again, holding up the knife in her hand. “Wait.”

            My eyes widened. “Are you going to kill me?”

            “Huh? Oh,” she exclaimed, noticing she was pointing the knife at me. Lowering it, she grinned sheepishly. “I meant to call you yesterday, but I forgot. School resumes on Monday.”

            I wrinkled my nose. “What? But it’s only been a week since the hurricane! And today’s Sunday!”

            “And Julius will be giving you a ride tomorrow.”

            “But I have a car…?”

            “My car has no gas and a flat tire and I have to go to work, so I need your car. And your brother has morning classes, so he can’t do it.”

            I sighed. Figures. “Does Julius know this?”

            “Not yet.”

            “I’ll tell him then when he gets here,” I responded before ducking out of the kitchen.

            Following the laughter coming from the living room, I found Anthony and Mason on the leather couch. As soon as they noticed my presence, Anthony gestured for me to sit next to him by patting the cushion. Trying to be as casual as I could about it, I plopped down next to him, trying to figure out what the two boys were talking about.

            “And he just took off! He’s so stupid!” Anthony was saying, his sexy laughter filling the room. “And then when I saw the cop— oh my god, I thought I was going to crash. That’s how hard I was laughing.”

            Mason shook his head, grinning widely. “This will make some story for my psych class tomorrow.”

            I stared at Anthony, cocking an eyebrow. “It really isn’t that funny.”

            “You’re a girl,” my brother started, stating the obvious. “You wouldn’t understand.”

            “What? What is that even supposed to mean? What is there to get?” I demanded, insulted.

            Both boys snickered now. “Relax, I’m kidding,” Mason informed me, smirking. “It’s just funny because Julius had it coming. He always passes me in a passing lane. Even if I’m already going over the speed limit.”

            “It’s a mean joke though,” I defended. “He has to pay a ticket. And if he gets too many tickets, he’ll get his license revoked and—”

            “Ellie, Ellie,” Anthony cut me off, putting his hand on my thigh. “Have I ever told you that you worry too much? It’s Julius’s first ticket. He’s never gotten caught speeding before this.”

            My jaw dropped. “That makes it worse!”

            “Actually, it makes it better.”

            “Anthony!”

            “He’ll laugh about it one day,” Anthony stated in an assured tone. “Maybe not today. Or the day he pays his ticket, but he will one day.”

            I flicked his head. “You’re mean.”

            “I’m mean?” he repeated, an amused expression crossing his face. “Well, I suppose I am a monster. After all, I did stay up all night making sure you weren’t scared…”

            I felt a blush forming on my face and I turned away from in a huff. “Never mind.”

            “Am I missing something here?”

            My head snapped back to my brother. “What?”

            His eyes dropped down to my leg, where Anthony’s hand was still lying. Instantly Anthony yanked it back. Mason sat up a little straighter, turning his body so that he was facing Anthony and I. “Well?”

            “We just, um,” I hesitated, my mind racing for an answer.

            “We got close,” Anthony finished for me. “Three days together alone really brings two people together.”

            My brother’s face just grew more suspicious. “Yeah. Alone. A twenty year old college student and an eighteen year old girl.” His eyes narrowed at Anthony. “And you two got close?”

            Anthony put his hands up, palms facing him. “Whoa, no. Not like that.”

            “Really?”

            “Really,” I insisted, trying to ignore my burning cheeks. “It’s not like that at all.”

            Grumpily, he pursed his lips. “I hope so. Anthony.”

            Anthony chuckled nervously. “Right, right. After all, you don’t want some idiot dating your little sister, right?”

            “An idiot already dated her.”

            I smiled awkwardly. “He wasn’t an idiot… he just made stupid choices.”

            “I don’t know him, but I agree. He’s an idiot,” Anthony stated.

            “I hate that guy,” my brother added.

            “Did someone say Julius Montgomery?”

            Letting out an overdramatic groan, I turned to the doorway, where a smirking Julius was standing. “Ugh, Montgomery, what do you want?”

            “So, Cauffrey, back for another year at Hogwarts, are you? Maybe this year you’ll wise up and hang out with a higher caliber of wizard.”

            “What are you two talking about?” Anthony interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows. “Wizards, what?”

            “It’s better just to ignore them,” Mason advised him. “They do this all the time. You say one line, and it sets them off. Even if you don’t realize it’s a line.”

            Julius and I grinned at the pair. “What can we say?” we chorused. “It’s a good musical.” Pausing, we turned to each other. “Stop mimicking me!”

            Anthony tapped his chin. “I’ve never heard of it…”

            “You haven’t lived,” Julius and I accused simultaneously.

            My brother cocked an eyebrow. “You guys are good. Did you practice that?”

            “No!” I glowered at Julius and he grinned back. “Stop it!”

            Anthony laughed. “Damn, they’re good. Shoulda had Ellie tell us what he was saying to the cop.”

            “About that,” Julius said suddenly, breaking our duet. “You’re an asshole.”

            Anthony rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who was stupid enough to speed through a hurricane stricken area.”

            “Yeah, but—”

            “How much is your ticket?” Mason interjected, gazing at the blonde curiously. “Seventy-five?”

            Julius turned to him, a smug expression crossing his face. “Actually, I didn’t get a ticket. Only a warning.”

            “Boo,” Anthony complained. “Why not?”

            “Guess I’m too suave to give a ticket too.”

            “Really?” I said skeptically.

            He shrugged. “That and it was only my first offense. And I was only going ten over.”

            “That’s too bad,” Mason sighed.

            “Hey! It’s a good thing!”

            “Well, Julius, I for one am glad you didn’t get a ticket,” I told him, shooting a dirty look at my brother. “You need to give me a ride to school tomorrow.”

            His eyes lit up with excitement. “Seriously?”

            Anthony smirked at him. “Why are you so excited?”

            “I love driving with Ellie. She screams a lot.”

            “I only scream when you purposefully drive into snow banks and fly over bumps so your car will jump!” I defended. “And it’s only natural to scream them!”

            Mason gave Julius a high five. “Been trying to do that to her for months.”

            “Mason, really?”

            He laughed. “Mom would kill me if I did it though.”

            “Guys! Dinner time!” my mom called from the kitchen. “We’re eating at the table today!”

            I grimaced. It would be a day where we had to eat at the table.

            The four of us trooped into the kitchen, taking seats at our wooden kitchen table. In the middle of it was the delicious looking and smelling roast. Carrots and potatoes lined the meat, calling my name.

            “Anthony, you better dig in before Ellie does,” my mom said loudly, sitting across from me. “She eats like a pig.”

            “Mom!” I cried in embarrassment.

            Anthony chuckled. “Eats and drinks like a wildebeest.”

            I kicked him under the table. It didn’t seem to affect him at all.

            As all the others dug into the feast, I patiently waited with my hands in my lap, scowling at my mom. She grinned evilly back at me, helping herself to a healthy portion of meat and vegetables. When I was finally able to fill my own dish, I took half as much as I normally would. Looking like a pig in front of Anthony wasn’t something I wanted to do.

            “So,” my mom began, in an attempt to start up a conversation. “Anthony, I do believe this is the first time I’ve met you.”

            He nodded. “I’ve been to your house like, twice before. But only for a few minutes.”

            “I’m Robin,” she informed him. “Nice to meet you.”

            “You too,” he replied with a warm smile. “I must say you are a fantastic cook!”

            She waved him off, giggling. “Aw, shucks.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Don’t giggle, Mom. It’s creepy.”

            Ignoring me, she switched her attention to Julius. “How’s your internship going, Julius?”

            “Good!” he said excitedly.

            I frowned at him. “Internship? What internship?”

            “He’s been an assistant teacher at his college, right Julius?” my mom responded for him.

            He nodded. “Yep. For the first years.”

            “I didn’t know that…”

            “I didn’t tell you,” he said with a grin.

            I pressed my lips together. “Why not?”

            “I didn’t think it was important.”

            “Of course it is! Isn’t that one step closer to your dream of teaching Spanish? I’d like to know stuff like that!”

            Mason and my mom exchanged amused glances while Julius just stared at me. I felt a blush coming onto my cheeks and let my gaze drift to the floor. Maybe it wasn’t as important as I made it out to be…

            “I feel bad for those freshmen,” Anthony sighed, breaking the silence. “They must have the worst TA ever.”

            Julius made a face at him. “Actually, they love me.”

            “Really?”

            “Really.”

            “They must be blind and deaf then.”

            Julius picked a potato up with his fork and flicked it at Anthony’s face. “Oh, be quiet.”

            “Don’t throw food,” my mom scolded. “If anything lands on the floor, you have to clean it up with your mouth.”

            “But—”

            “You know the rules, Julius.”

            The look Anthony was giving my mom caused me to burst out laughing. “Anthony! You should see your face!”

            He did a double take at me. “What about it?”

            “You were disgusted!”

            My mom grinned at him. “Don’t worry Anthony, I keep our floors clean.”

            He wrinkled his nose. “But still… That’s nasty.”

            “Hence why no one throws food.”

            “Right” he responded, lowering his fork closer to his plate. “I’ll have to be careful…”

            Mason laughed. “Don’t worry, if you drop food, you can use your hands to pick it up.”

            “That’s good—”

            “But you’ll still have to eat it.”

            “Gross!”

            “Guys, leave him alone,” I interjected, frowning at my family. “You didn’t scare Julius like this one he first came over…”

            “That’s because we barely knew Julius,” Mason clarified. “Since Julius and I have been friends with Anthony for awhile, we can tease him more.”

            “I love you too,” Anthony said flatly.

            “Oh I get it!” Julius cried suddenly. “That’s why we’re having such a fancy dinner! Because Anthony is here!”

            My mom nodded. “Yep, that’s a part of it.”

            “A part of it?”

            “Well, because of the hurricane, there’s a lot of people with injuries. My hospital is already filled up, but the one in South Dartmouth is even worse, so I’m being sent there tomorrow for a few days. I thought I’d make a nice dinner before I forced you to fend for yourselves.”

            I gaped at her. “That’s why you said you were taking my car! You’re keeping it for a few days?”

            She gave me a begging look. “You have three guys right here who I’m sure will drive you places! One of them, I’m positive, because if he doesn’t, he’s sleeping on the streets.”

            My brother glowered at her. “Gee, thanks, Ma.”

            “But—”

            “I’ll happily be a taxi service!” Julius offered.

            I shook my head at him. “No! I like driving—”

            “You’re not driving my car,” all three boys said immediately.

            “Mom!”

            She half-smiled at me. “You’ll be fine, Ellie. It’ll only be for a few days.”

            Next to my mother, an impish smile was growing on my brother’s face. I didn’t like the look of it. He was obviously planning something that he could only do if our mom was out… Something that would probably involve a bunch of college kids at my house. The words he mouthed to Julius, and then Anthony, next confirmed my suspicions.

            Party.

_________________________________________

This is late, but at least it's an update :D Hope you enjoy it!

P.S! Check out my new story, Love at Last Sight! :D

Ellie's last name, Cauffrey, is the last name Jake choose for her... So I'm using it :P He says it's pronounced "co-free" Co as in the beginning of cold.

Facebook in external link, like always :)

Today's song is The Drug In Me Is You by Falling In Reverse! And today's story is Finding Dylan by CleCleisCool! Here's the description!

A teenaged girl lies in suspended animation, teetering on the brink between life and death. She is in a deep coma from an overdose of household pills, but there is no question that this was intentional. How can you dispute evidence on film, when the girl made a live tape of her suicide attempt? 

Now, even though she is in a coma, Dylan has more effect on the people she knew more than before. Everyone is changing their perspectives and asking questions that cannot be answered. The biggest being why, and will Dylan ever wake up to answer?