Forever.

Chapter 1

The first day of school, Christina locked up her car and spotted Liz, her best friend, walking farther ahead in the parking lot.
“Liz! Wait up,” Christina said and jogged to catch up with her. Liz turned around, her brown hair whipping in the wind.
“Hey,” Liz said as Christina joined in step with her.
“You excited for first day back?” Christina asked.
Liz sighed. “Yeah, I guess. Can you believe this is our senior year already?”
“Okay, don’t start getting sentimental on me already. The first bell hasn’t even rung yet,” Christina protested.
“Fine, I’ll shut up,” Liz agreed.
Christina saw Brett and James standing across the parking lot and quickly took off in their direction and Liz followed. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of James leaning against his car. She still wasn’t used to that electric energy that shot through her body at the sight of him.
James and Liz had been together since sophomore year, when he moved to Rowland. His father had passed away and his mother had re-located his family back to her hometown. The first day James was here, he’d caught Liz’s attention. They became friends and starting dating soon after.
“Well, well,” Brett said as they got closer, “You two are still inseparable. Should this surprise me?”
“Not as much as I’m surprised to see you for one minute without your tongue down Tammy’s throat,” Liz teased back.
“Look who’s talking, Miss I have to be touching at least one part of James’ body at all times,” Brett threw back at her. Liz opened her mouth to say something back but Tammy got to it first.
“First day of school and the insult parade has already started. It’s just great to be back and see nothing has changed,” Tammy said, walking up to the group looking fabulous as ever.
Tammy was Brett’s girlfriend and captain of the cheerleading squad. She’d fallen into their group last fall after Christina had her wreck.
“Good to see you too, Tam,” Christina greeted her. Tammy smiled back.
“Looks like we’re just missing Justin now. Do you know where he is, Chris?” James asked.
Christina looked down before saying, “Why would I know?”
Liz, Tammy, James, and Brett all stared at her blankly. “Honestly, Christina. Don’t act like you don’t care. I see past that. No matter what happened in Florida,” Liz told her.
“It’s different this time,” Christina said defensively. Liz just rolled her eyes. Christina could pretend to be mad if that’s what she wanted, but Liz knew better than that.
Just then, a black corvette pulled into the parking space next to them and Justin hopped out. Christina didn’t look at him as he approached.
“Justin!” Tammy said happily and threw her arms around him. “Hey, guys,” Justin said to all of them as he hugged Liz and slapped hands with the two boys. Now only Christina was left. She finally looked up at him.
“Hey, Chris,” Justin said awkwardly, not knowing to hug her or not. He could practically feel the tension coming off her body.
“Hi,” she said evenly. A long silence hung in the air. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the first bell rang and Christina picked up her bag.
“I don’t want to be late. Bye,” she said and walked off quickly. Justin watched her walk away from them and wondered why she was acting so weird.
“What’s her deal?” he asked Liz. Liz shrugged and said, “Florida.”
“Still?” Justin asked. Liz nodded.
“What happened in Florida?” Brett asked.
“We were at this party and I was going to leave and couldn’t find Christina so I just went on. On the way back to the hotel there was some girl that was throwing up in the grass and couldn’t find her hotel so I just helped her to her room and Christina thinks something happened,” Justin told him bluntly.
“And it didn’t?” Tammy asked. “Of course not. You know I wouldn’t do that,” Justin said honestly. Liz gave him a look of sympathy.
“I’ll talk to her. If you want,” she offered.
“Thanks,” Justin gratefully told her. The second bell rang and the group scattered towards the building.
“Did you miss me?” James asked as he and Liz walked behind their friends. She smiled up at him.
“Only a little,” she teased. “That’s all, huh? Just a little?” he asked.
“I missed you every second,” Liz told him.
“That’s more like it,” he replied and leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Liz was overwhelmed by everything she felt at that moment. Hope, love, joy…everything just seemed perfect. She hoped this feeling would last forever. But we all know nothing lasts forever. Everything comes to an end.

Christina felt her blackberry vibrate in her pocket as Mrs. Thompson wrote on the board at the front of the room. She discreetly slipped her phone into her lap and flipped it open. She had one new message. It was from Liz.

Liz S: Still pissed @ J, huh?
Christina D: Why does it matter?
Liz S: Ok. I get it. You don’t want to talk about it. But give him a break, C. He’s trying.
Christina D: Whatever.
Liz S: At least talk to him?
Christina D: Fine.

Christina shut her phone and slid it back into her pocket. She did want to talk to Justin, but she was still upset and didn’t want to say something she might regret later. She sighed and tried to listen to Mrs. Thompson. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull her mind from Justin. She thought about everything that had happened over the past year and wondered if this was just going to be another downhill rollercoaster. She hoped it wasn’t, but with the way it was going, senior year was going to suck.

Tammy crossed and uncrossed her tan legs under her desk. Her first period class was History. How boring, she thought. It didn’t help that Mr. Kruger was the most ancient and boring teacher on the planet. He’d been teaching so long that he’d taught her parents even. You would think he would’ve retired, but apparently not.
Tammy’s mind slowly wondered elsewhere, away from History and school. All she wanted to do was go find Brett and let him hold her. She thought about all the nights they’d come so close to going all the way. She wanted to, but she just didn’t feel ready. He never pushed, always just kissing her gently and stopping whatever it was he’d been doing. She loved him for that.
Slowly, she was pulled back to reality at the sound of her name. “Miss Pierce?” Mr. Kruger was saying aloud. She looked at him blankly before responding.
“Mr. Kruger?” she replied evenly.
“Care to stop daydreaming and join us?” he asked. She nodded her blonde head and sunk down into her chair. She was able to catch Justin’s eye from across the room. She waved and he smiled back slightly. Justin had always had a soft spot for Tammy and her nice personality. No matter who got pissed at you or what was going on in your life, you could count on Tammy Pierce to give you a smile or a wave or a hug. It was her special talent to cheer people up. But all he really wanted was Christina.
He wanted to hold her the way he had the night at the beach. He wanted to breathe in the smell of her shampoo and perfume. He wanted to hear her soothing voice whisper in his ear. He just wanted things to be the way they’d been at the beginning of the summer.
Christina looked thin that morning in the parking lot, he thought as Mr. Kruger wrote on the board. Justin hoped she was eating like she was supposed to. The last thing anyone needed, especially Christina, was for her to relapse and go back to therapy. Finally, the bell rang to dismiss class and he stood and walked out of the door.

The bell jolted Brett awake and he opened his eyes to see all the students streaming out of the classroom. He collected his things and followed them. He had been having a dream about Tammy. Where was she, he wondered.
Just as he thought this, he spotted her coming out of Mr. Kruger’s classroom down the hall, followed by his cousin, Justin. He began walking towards them.
“Brett!” Tammy squealed when she saw him and threw her arms around him. He kissed her forehead gently before letting go of her.
“Hey, man,” Brett said to Justin, who was standing next to Tammy. “You okay? You look a little pale.”
Just then, Christina walked by without looking at any of them and Justin watched her until she was out of sight. He looked back to Brett as if to answer his question.
“Oh. Christina?” Brett asked. Justin nodded and watched as James and Liz walked towards them, hand in hand.
“Hey, guys,” James greeted them. “Hi,” Tammy said back.
“What class do you guys have next?” Liz asked looking back and forth from each of her friends’ faces. Justin pulled out his schedule and looked at it.
“English,” he finally said. “So do I,” Liz and James said both at the same time. The three looked at Tammy and Brett for their answer. Tammy began to open her mouth but Brett beat her to it.
“We’re skipping next period,” he announced, sliding an arm around Tammy. She looked at him questioningly.
“We are?” she asked.
“We are.”
Liz sighed. “It’s only second period. You two are that horny, huh?”
Brett grinned and Tammy playfully slapped him in the arm. “No,” Tammy denied. Brett looked doubtful though.
“Let’s go,” he said, pulling her down the hall. She laughed and pretended to object but finally gave in.
“Have fun,” James said and looked back at Liz and Justin.
“Did you talk to Christina yet?” Justin asked Liz. She sighed.
“I tried to. She’s not in the best of moods,” Liz answered carefully. Justin frowned a little.
“I just, I wish she would at least look at me,” Justin said and leaned back against his locker. Liz nodded and James patted him on the shoulder.
“Look, man, I’m sure she’ll come around. Just give her some time,” James said, trying to sound reassuring. Justin tried to give a hopeful smile, but it turned out as more of a frown.
“Let’s go to class,” he said.
They walked down the hall to class together like the great friends they were. Little did Justin know, Christina was already there.

When Christina saw Justin walked through the door her breath caught. She was surprised to see him. And even more surprised when he sat down in the only seat left which just happened to be right behind her. She couldn’t help but notice the sad look in his eyes when he’d seen her. She suddenly felt terrible for ignoring him the past two weeks.
Ignoring him was affecting Christina as much as it was Justin. She hadn’t been eating right lately, although she knew she should be. Having Justin by her side made it so much easier. But without him, she didn’t feel like trying as much. She knew it was a stupid thing to do, but somehow she still couldn’t bring herself to it. Even her sister had called her out on it just the other day.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just fine,” she’d told her, giving her normal response. Lucy had just stared at her blankly and left the room. They both knew she was not fine.
Christina tried to find a small piece of skin to pinch on her stomach. Nothing was there. She wanted that reassurance to convince herself, if not everyone else, that she was okay. The bones in her wrist and hips jutted out, telling her otherwise. She looked up at the front of the room, trying to ignore her problems. But she’d learned the hard way that ignoring something usually just makes it chase you until you face it. Once again, she tried to pinch her stomach. Nothing.

“Get up,” Tammy said, walking into Christina’s bedroom. She was sitting on her bed reading Cosmo wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. Liz grabbed the magazine from her.
“What are you two doing here?” she asked.
“Kidnapping you. We’re going to the back to school party and you are coming,” Liz said, walking into Christina’s closet.
Christina took in her friend’s outfits. Liz was in a jean skirt and simple pink tank top that complimented her dark brown hair. Tammy stood in jean shorts that showed off her perfect legs. She’s paired it with an ice blue tube top that made her blue eyes and blonde hair stand out. Seeing how gorgeous they looked made Christina frown.
“Who said I was going?” Christina asked stubbornly.
“We did,” Liz stated simply.
“Exactly. Now come here and let me do your makeup,” Tammy said and pulled Christina off the bed. It was useless to fight back, so Christina sat down and let Tammy go to work on her.
“I really don’t want to go,” Christina told them.
“Well, you are. And while you’re there, you are going to talk to Justin and the two of you are going to stop dodging each other everywhere you go,” Liz told her sternly.
“Yes, mother,” Christina mocked.
“Damn right. Here, put this on,” Liz replied and held out a jean skirt similar to the one she was wearing and a yellow tank top.
“I don’t like that shirt,” Christina complained.
“You look good in it though. Put it on,” Tammy told her. Christina looked back and forth between her gorgeous friends. It was so easy for them. They looked great, were on a way to a party, with their perfect boyfriends, and their perfect relationships. While Christina was being dragged to a party she didn’t want to go to when she felt like crap only to have to see her not so perfect boyfriend and crappy relationship with him. She felt like crying and was just about to when Liz pulled her to her feet, shoved the clothes in her hands, and pushed her towards the bathroom.
“Get going. We don’t have all night,” she urged. Christina slowly did as she was told and came out five minutes later looking composed. Tammy and Liz exchanged a look and smiled.
“Honey, if Justin doesn’t pass out when he sees you then he’s crazy. You look hot, girl,” Tammy said bluntly.
Christina couldn’t help but smile a little. As persistent as they were, she loved these two girls more than anything. They were there when no one else was. She never had to say a word, they just knew. They kept her in line when she couldn’t even see which way to start walking.
“Okay, now shoes,” Liz said and began raiding through the bottom of the closet before coming back up with a pair of yellow flip flops. She held them out and Christina slipped them on. Finally, Christina looked in the mirror. Tammy and Liz were right, about everything.
“Okay,” Christina said turning to her friends, “I’m ready.”

“You nervous?” Tammy asked. They’d been sitting on a log next the bonfire for almost ten minutes and Christina hadn’t stopped fidgeting since they’d arrived. The boys still hadn’t arrived.
“More than nervous,” Christina admitted. She was so scared she was afraid she might throw up.
“Well, don’t be. Everything will be fine,” Liz assured her.
“Oh, yes. He is definitely fine,” Tammy said. Liz and Christina followed her gaze and saw James and Justin walking towards them. Christina turned back to her friends.
“I can’t do this,” she said, panicking. Tammy and Liz looked away from the two boys and back at Christina.
“Yes. You can,” Tammy said. “I promise. Everything will be okay.”
James and Justin were standing right in front of them now. Liz hugged James tightly and greeted Justin. Silence hung in the air for what felt like forever.
“Well,” Tammy said, breaking the silence, “I am going to find a bathroom.” She shot Liz a look that she quickly understood.
“While you do that, I’m going to get a drink. James, come with me?” she suggested and put an arm around him. He agreed and they all left Justin and Christina alone. Justin sat down on the log next to Christina.
“Hi,” he said. Christina looked at him up close for the first time in almost two weeks. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple days and his blue eyes were shiny like he’d been up all night. Christina had almost forgotten those eyes. Almost.
“Hi,” she managed to say back. Another long silence hung between them.
“So, I take it you’re still mad,” Justin finally said. She thought about this for what seemed like a lifetime.
Christina saw Liz, Tammy, Brett and James a few yards away all talking. Liz was laughing about something. She halfway just wanted to get up and go join them. But then again, this was her chance to fix things with Justin. She needed to do this. She had to do this.
“Justin, I’m not mad. I never was really. I just, I didn’t know what to believe. I mean, you ditched me and I see you coming out of another girl’s hotel room. What was I supposed to think?” Christina told him finally. Justin looked into his palms as if they had some sort of magical answer.
“I know. And I’m sorry for that. But really, nothing happened,” Justin said, looking at Christina. She searched his eyes for some reassurance and she suddenly just knew. She knew he was telling the truth.
“I know. And I’m sorry for that,” she told him. For a minute, Justin didn’t know what he was supposed to do or say next. Instead, he just kissed her. It was one of those long, lingering, romantic kisses that you see in movies. Christina didn’t care who might be watching at that moment. She didn’t care who might be watching, and she knew people were, she just cared about this moment.

Liz glanced towards the bonfire and was happy to see Christina and Justin in a full lip lock. She nudged Tammy, James, and Brett and they all watched as Christina and Justin kissed and held each other for a moment.
“It’s about time they made up,” Tammy said happily. After a few more minutes, the four of them walked over to join Christina and Justin.
“That was quite a make out session,” Liz teased as she sat down next to Christina. Christina only smiled. She didn’t mind the teasing. She had Justin back and that was all that mattered.

“Oh my gosh, don’t even go there! That was 7th grade, babe,” Tammy squealed. Brett laughed. “No seriously. Brace face was totally in back then,” he told her.
Tammy scowled before busting up laughing with the rest of them. “Well, it’s not as bad as Justin’s pants ripping in 8th grade,” she said and looked over at Justin.
“Can we forget about that now? Please?” Justin asked, embarrassed. “Sorry, but we don’t forget things. Those loony tunes boxers were hot, J,” Liz told him. He just shook his head.
“How about you, Miss Perfect? Remember when Lena Martin threw up on you?” Justin teased. Liz wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“Unfortunately, I do. Thanks, Justin,” Liz replied and Justin smiled widely.
For the past half hour, the six friends had been recalling embarrassing moments and funny things that had happened to them. Some were good to remember, some not so good.
“Oh, I’ve got one!” Christina said suddenly. “When Liz and Josh O’Hara got caught in the Janitor’s Closet. Now that was a classic,” Christina recalled. Liz and Tammy burst out laughing.
“I’d almost forgotten about that. That was a good one, Liz,” Tammy teased. Liz rolled her eyes.
“Why haven’t I heard about this?” James asked defensively. “It was the end of 8th grade. You hadn’t moved here yet,” Liz told him. “Why do all the ones about me have to be the bad stuff?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you just have bad luck,” Christina offered. “Thanks. I love you, too, C,” Liz said.
“Oh, do you guys remember James’ first day here?” Brett asked. James shot him a warning look and Liz laughed.
“Oh, you mean when he was trying to talk to Liz and totally fell down?” Justin asked. “Hey man, I’ve got dirt on you so you better be careful,” James warned him. Justin held his hands up as a peace signal.
The friends continued bringing up old memories as they sat next to that bonfire. Tammy laughed loudest, Brett couldn’t keep his hands off her, Liz smiled as James would kiss her lightly on the forehead, and Justin and Christina held each other tightly. From the outside looking in, they were just six people in this world that cared about each other. But only if you were one of them would you see everything else underneath the skin.
Inside Tammy you might see how much she loved Brett, how excited she was for the new cheers she’d choreographed, or maybe how worried she was about her parents’ upcoming divorce. If you looked inside Brett you’d see how excited he was for the first game of the season or how glad he was to be next to the girl he loved.
You would see that Liz really wanted James to come home with her after the party or that she wanted more than anything to get accepted at Yale the next fall. Looking inside James, you would see the leftover scares from his father’s sudden death, how he worried about his mother being alone, and how much he loved Liz.
Inside Justin you might see how happy he was to be back with Christina and how worried he was that she wasn’t eating. In Christina, you would see all the things she’d been struggling with: recovering from the car accident, dealing with her eating disorder, making herself get out of bed every morning so she didn’t just rot in her room. You’d also see a glimpse of happiness somewhere in there that she was back with Justin.
Inside each and every one of them though, you would see how scared, loving, worried, and excited they felt. How they felt like their lives where about to take off and change, not knowing if they would survive it. But they would, and they’d have each other for the times when it felt like nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter 2

“So, I was thinking that maybe we could turn Marcus’ old room into more of a storage/game room. When he comes home he can stay in the guest bedroom I guess. He could fix it up however he’d like. It’s actually a nice room. What do you think?” Tammy’s mother was saying, standing in the doorway to Tammy’s room. Tammy looked at her mother blankly.
As soon as her father had moved out into the apartment he’d rented, Tammy’s mother immediately began rearranging, fixing things that had been broken, and cleaning. The once ever dusty coffee table was now spotless. Anything left out on the counter was thrown away. If you wanted to keep it, you had to make sure you kept it out of sight where it wouldn’t make a mess.
Tammy wanted to tell her mother exactly what she thought about all of it. That she thought her mother needed to slow down, that she was mad at her parents for divorcing, that she missed her brother who was away at his first year of college, and how much she hated the constant sound of the vacuum or the smell of paint. Instead, she kept silent. If this was the way her mother wanted to cope, Tammy was not about to stop her.
“Why don’t you just turn the guest bedroom into the storage/game room and let Marcus keep his old room? That would be easier,” Tammy finally suggested. Her mother stood and contemplated this idea.
“Well, I hadn’t thought about that. What a smart idea. Good girl,” her mother said and left the room. This didn’t surprise Tammy much considering her mom never thought about anything. Tammy had only suggested it because it’s what her brother would’ve wanted and because Tammy liked having her brother’s room right next to hers, even if he was gone away to college.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Tammy’s mother said, reappearing in the doorway. “Chocolate Brown or Forest Green?”
She was holding up two different paint samples. Tammy raised an eyebrow. “You’re painting your bedroom?”
“Well, yes. Why not?” her mother asked, almost sound hurt. Tammy felt a pang of sympathy, but only for a moment. She shrugged.
“Chocolate Brown?” she asked, hesitant.
“That’s exactly what I thought! Chocolate Brown it is,” her mom decided and walked off quickly, on to her next project.
Tammy sighed and returned to looking at the ‘Glamour’ magazine laid across her bed. She didn’t want her brother’s room to change, she didn’t want her dad moving out, she didn’t want her parent’s bedroom painted a different color, and she did not want her parents getting a divorce. Unfortunately, all these things were happening either way.
Tammy didn’t adjust to change well. Especially not when it was something she cared about so dearly and had grown up around. With her brother and father gone, Tammy was left alone with her obsessive, Martha-Stewart-loving mother. No offense to Martha Stewart.
Rain beat down hard against her window that looked out onto the street. She looked at the clock on her bed-side table. It was twelve o’clock sharp on Sunday afternoon. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
When Tammy was upset, she did one of two things: sat on the roof outside her window or talked to her brother. The rain excluded the first option and her brother was away at Cornell having parties and doing whatever college kids do. She picked up her phone anyways.
Ring once. Ring twice. “Hello?” a voice answered on the other end.
“Marcus?” Tammy asked.
“No. Just a second,” the voice said again. There was some static, what sounded like some papers ruffling, then silence.
“Hello?” another more familiar voice finally said.
“Marcus!” Tammy squealed into the phone.
“Hey, Tam. What’s up?” he asked. She could just picture him settling into the couch, waiting to hear what his sister had to say.
“Oh, not much. Just watching mom try to move room to the guest bedroom until I protested. Now she’s currently painting the walls of her bedroom chocolate brown,” Tammy informed him.
“Chocolate Brown?” Marcus asked.
“I know. That was my first thought too. Who knew there were different shades of brown? Let alone that mom actually knows about them,” Tammy complained, grateful to have someone to listen to her.
“So, it’s final, huh? Dad’s gone?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah, he left last weekend,” Tammy said sadly. Why was everyone gone, she wondered, not for the first time.
“Well, you going to be okay?” he asked. She considered.
“Yeah, I will be. I don’t know about mom though. I’m really trying to save your dignity around here,” Tammy told him.
“Well, keep up the good work, sis. Listen, I gotta run. I’m sorry. But call me later, okay? Keep me posted,” he told her.
“I will. I miss you,” she told him, sad that he had to go.
“I miss you, too. Talk to you later,” he said. Then, click. He was gone.
Tammy hung up the phone and laid it down on her desk. Slowly, she got up and went over to sit in her window seat. For the next half hour, she watched the rain pour down and cars go by. Her eyes became so trained on the drops of rain; she didn’t notice the drops falling from her own eyes. She reached up and felt her wet eyelashes and hugged herself.
This was the part she hated the most. The part where you realized life is passing you by and changing all around you and nothing you can do is going to stop it. You just have to compose yourself, stand up, and go along with it. This was the hard part.

“Hey, mom?” James called out, stepping inside the house out of the rain. He’d been out running when it started pouring down rain. Now, he stood inside his house dripping. He slipped off his tennis shoes and grabbed a towel from the laundry room.
As he stepped out of the laundry room, his mom was walking past with his little sister on her hip. Katie was only two and a half. His mother had been pregnant with her when his father passed away. Behind his mom, his six year old brother was running after her.
“James! Thank God. Can you take Katie? Thank you so much,” she said, shoving the little girl into James’ arms before moving on into the kitchen to stir something on the stove.
Katie put her small arms around her brother’s neck and rested her tired body against him. Gently, he rubbed her back and followed his mother to the kitchen.
“Mom, are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied quickly, “I am fine. I just need you to watch the kids for a little bit so I can finish dinner and try to clean up a little bit. Can you do that for me?”
James nodded and pulled Mike by his hand out of the kitchen. He laid Katie down on the couch and dug around for a movie or a game for Mike.
“Here, how about ‘Cars’?” James suggested, holding Mike’s favorite movie out to him. Mike slowly nodded and plopped down in front of the TV. James put the movie on and then picked Katie back up.
Just then, James’ other sister, Abby walked into the room. “Hey,” she said coolly. James looked up at her.
“Hey,” he replied.
“Liz called. Where were you?” she asked him.
“Went for a run. When did she call?” he asked.
Abby shrugged. “I don’t know. Hour ago?”
“Thanks. I’ll call her,” James said.
“Whatever,” Abby said and sulked out of the room.
Abby was thirteen and, for some reason, thought she was too good to actually do anything around the house. It pissed James off sometimes, but for his mother’s sake, he put up with it. Sometimes, though, he really just wanted to scream at her for being so inconsiderate. She complained constantly and when asked to help just completely ignored the question and went off to her room. Once, James had asked his mother about it.
“Is that normal?” he asked. She’d just looked at him and slightly smiled.
“It’s a girl thing. They get like that at that age. It’ll wear off,” she explained. James wasn’t sure, but he didn’t ask about it anymore.
Katie was still on his hip when he picked up the phone and dialed Liz’s number. After about four rings, she picked up.
“Hey. Abby told me you called. Sorry, I was out running,” James said into the phone.
“In the rain?” Liz asked.
“No. It started raining on my way back. What’s up?” he asked her.
“Oh, just the usual, I guess. What about you?” she asked.
“Entertaining Mike, being ignored by Abby, tending to Katie; the usual,” he said.
Liz smiled on the other end. She thought it was cool how James took care of his family. Most teenage boys didn’t even care and were rarely home. With James, though, it was different. She knew he felt responsible to do what his dad’s job would’ve been and she admired him for doing it without complaints. Besides, Katie was probably the cutest little girl she’d ever seen.
“Want some company?” Liz offered.
“You sure? You might get drooled on or lured into watching ‘Cars’” James warned her.
“Sound like fun,” Liz said sarcastically.
“See you in fifteen,” James said and hung up the phone.
“Mommy,” Katie said to James and reached towards the kitchen. James sighed.
“Mommy is busy. Here,” James told her, picking up one of her Barbie dolls, “Want to play with these?”
Katie looked at the Barbie doll and back at James. “Mommy,” she said again, a little stronger. Kids, James thought and sighed.

“Liz! How good to see you,” Mrs. Perry exclaimed, opening the door. Liz smiled at her sweetly.
“Hi, Mrs. Perry,” Liz greeted her. James’ mother opened the door wider for Liz to come inside and she did. Just then, a scream echoed through the halls from the living room.
“Mike, how many times do we have to tell you not to run around the coffee table? You always fall,” Liz heard James say. She looked from the living room back at his mother who was rubbing her temple tiredly.
“Little boys,” she began, “Never listen. I mean never.”
“Well, it can only go uphill once it’s that bad. Right?” Liz said encouragingly.
Mrs. Perry gave her a slight smile before saying, “I guess so. Well, knock yourself out. They’re in the living room.”
Liz watched her go back into the kitchen, dishtowel over her shoulder and hair in a messy clip. She hadn’t ever noticed how tired James’ mother looked but at that moment, it was right on her face.
She was a pretty woman, either way. She had dark curly hair, the bluest eyes, and olive skin. She was tall and thin and her figure looked great considering she’d had four children. Liz only hoped that when she was a mother, she could handle things in the mature way James’ mother did.
Liz walked slowly into the living room where James was putting a bandage on Mike’s knee while Katie sat unhappily watching.
“Hi,” Liz said finally.
“Oh,” James said, looking up at her, “Hi. I didn’t know you were here.”
“Yeah. Well, I am,” Liz told him. For a moment, silence hung in the air and Liz studied James.
“Liz,” Katie finally said, reaching out with her small arms. Her almost navy baby blue eyes stared up at Liz expectantly. Gently, Liz lifted the child up and held her on one hip.
After bandaging up Mike’s knee and getting him settled on the couch, James stood up. He watched as Liz was able to get Katie to play with her dolls.
“I tried to do that and she cried,” James commented.
“Maybe she just likes me better,” Liz teased and smiled.
James smiled back and hugged her tightly. “I missed you.”
“You saw me Friday,” Liz told him, giggling slightly.
“Mmm, but that’s too long,” James protested. Liz laughed as James slightly tickled her sides. She was probably the most ticklish person he knew and loved to use it as an advantage.
“Stop it,” Liz giggled. Finally, James gave up and plopped down in the recliner. Liz gently sat down in his lap and leaned against him.
“Where’s Abby?” Liz asked curiously.
“Her room. Of course,” James said and rolled his eyes.
“She’ll grow out of it,” Liz told him. James laughed slightly.
“That’s exactly what my mom has been telling for the past year and a half. I don’t see it happening,” James said.
“You’re a guy. Guys don’t see anything,” Liz told him. James pretended to act offended which made Liz laugh.
“Kids! Dinner is ready,” his mother called out. Mike slowly got up and went into the kitchen and Liz picked Katie up. She walked into the kitchen at the same time as Abby, who sullenly apologized for bumping into her and went to her seat, earphones in her ears.
“Abby, take your earphones out,” Mrs. Perry told her and slowly, Abby obeyed. She made a gruff sound under her breath and Liz was pretty sure she heard a “Shit” in there somewhere as well. Liz just ignored this as James’ mother sat their plates down in front of them.
“This roast looks great, Mrs. Perry,” Liz said.
“Please, call me Judith. Or even mom. But Mrs. Perry sounds so old,” James’ mom protested.
“Okay,” Liz said and smiled.
James said the blessing and then they all began eating. Mike complained about his knee hurting until Judith told him to stop and that she’d put some medicine on it after dinner. Katie dropped her spoon she’d been eating macaroni and cheese with and began wailing until Liz was able to get her to calm down and got her another spoon. Just another day at James’ dinner table, Liz thought.
Some people might’ve thought it was weird or annoying with the constant complaining from Mike, crying from Katie, and complete silence from Abby. Liz somehow found peace in it though. It was better than eating alone at home, as her parents were gone more than half the time.
“What about you, Abby? How’s school?” Judith asked.
“Fine,” Abby said, not looking up from her plate where she’d been arranging and re-arranging her food.
“Abby, eat your food. Don’t just play with it,” Judith told her.
“I don’t want to,” she said sullenly.
“Aren’t you hungry? You’ve barely eaten lately,” her mother countered.
“No, I’m not. God, can you just leave me alone?” Abby said, her voice breaking.
“Abby, don’t talk to mom that way. She’s just trying to make sure you’re eating okay,” James told her, cutting in. Liz could sense at that moment that sparks were about to fly. She just knew.
“What does it fucking matter?” Abby said finally, a little louder. Liz glanced at James’ mother and saw the serious expression on her face.
“Do not use that language, especially not in front of your younger brother and sister. Do year hear me?” she said to Abby. Abby nodded.
“Good. Now, we’re going to continue eating as a family and you are going to have a major attitude adjustment,” Judith said.
“What family?!” Abby burst out saying.
“Excuse me?” Judith asked. Liz looked down, feeling completely out of place now.
“What family? Do you see dad here anywhere? No!” Abby screamed. Judith looked like she’d been slapped and Liz could see the anger on James’ face.
“Abby, don’t scream,” Judith warned.
“Whatever. Ever since he died and we moved her this family has been fucked up,” Abby said.
“First off, I’ve told you not to curse. Second, I’m doing everything I can to keep this family,” Judith said sternly, “You have no idea what it is like to cook, clean, take care of you four, provide everything you need, and keep you safe and healthy. I work myself to my bones for this family, Abby. If I could have your father back, I would do anything. We all would. If you can’t appreciate that then I don’t know what your problem is.”
For once, Abby didn’t say anything back. Instead, she picked up her headphones and stormed up to her room with a slam of the door.
Judith dropped her head down in her hands. Mike was looking around, obviously confused. Katie was tossing macaroni onto the table. Liz didn’t know what to do or say, so she just sat still.
“Mom,” James said carefully. Judith wiped her eyes and looked up.
“I’m fine. I’m going to talk to her,” she said, standing up. “Watch the kids?”
James nodded and Judith left the room. Finally, he looked over at me. “I’m sorry about all that,” he said.
“It’s okay,” Liz told him, “I should probably go I guess. I don’t want to intrude. Unless you need me.”
“Yeah, you can go. I’ll walk you out,” James said, standing up. Mike and Katie were still content eating.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” Liz said and James nodded. He hugged her tightly and breathed in the smell of her perfume.
“Tell your mom thanks for dinner. It was delicious,” Liz said.
“I will. Love you,” James told her as she got into her car.
“Love you, too,” she said and backed out of the driveway, into the street, then she was gone.

Liz was on her way home when she remembered her mother had asked her to please, please pick up a gallon of milk at the grocery store. She sighed and turned around, headed back into town. It had stopped raining and a cool breeze swept through the town. Liz rolled her window down about half way and turned on the radio.
Rowland was one of those towns that wasn’t exactly a big city, but yet it wasn’t a tiny town either. There were strip malls on either side of the main road, a post office, the grocery store, a few car dealerships, and restaurants. There were two main high schools and then an alternative school on the outskirts of town. Liz liked the way the town was set up. It wasn’t overwhelmingly huge but it wasn’t just dead either. The people were friendly and always greeted you warmly.
As Liz walked into the local grocery store, Mrs. Higgins smiled at her and waved. “Well, hello, Liz. How are you?” the old woman asked sweetly.
“I’m doing good. How are you? How’s your family?” Liz responded.
“Just fine, thank you. What brings you around today?” Mrs. Higgins asked.
“I have to pick up a couple things for my mom,” Liz told her.
“Oh, well, tell her hello for me. I’ll let you get on with your business,” she told Liz, turning to a grumpy looking customer in the check-out line. Liz smiled and walked further into the store towards the back where the milk was.
Just as Liz reached in to pull out a gallon of milk, she heard her name a couple feet behind her.
“Liz? Is that you?” the voice asked. Liz spun around and her jaw dropped slightly. It took her a minute to register before answering.
“Tyler, what are you doing here?” Liz asked, trying to sound calm.
“I moved back to town. My dad got his old job back down at the car dealership,” Tyler told her and smiled widely.
“Oh,” Liz managed to respond. So, Tyler was back. Liz thought back to the last time she’d seen him. It was about a week before she’d met James, it was the night before Tyler moved. Liz had been almost happy to see him go, hoping she wouldn’t have to see him anymore. Apparently, she’d been wrong.
“So, how have you been?” Tyler asked eagerly. He was glowing, that’s how happy he was. Liz tried to give off the same energy but failed.
“I’ve been alright. How about you?” she asked and fidgeted with the ring James had given her for her birthday.
“I’m great. Especially now that I’ve seen you,” Tyler said with a cheesy smile. He held his arms out to hug Liz and by instinct, she stepped back away from him. She realized what she’d done and looked down slightly.
“I’m sorry. I, um, I should go,” Liz told him quickly. She grabbed the milk and headed to the front. She practically threw the five dollar bill at the cashier telling him to keep the change.
As soon as she got to her car, she locked the doors and drove off, not even bothering with the seatbelt until she was two blocks away.
On the way over, Liz had been thinking about how much she liked this town and everything in it. She’d thought all the people were sweet and friendly. But now, she had a feeling her hate for this town was coming back. And all of this was because of Tyler Howard.

Christina and Justin were in her room pretending to watch a movie while really making out when the doorbell downstairs rang.
“Got it!” Lucy called out, practically bouncing down the stairs towards the door. Christina sat up and waited to hear who was at the door.
“Oh. Hi, Liz. Yeah, Christina is upstairs in her room,” Christina heard Lucy say. Crap, Christina thought. She straightened out her shirt and quickly ran a brush through her hair. Justin sat up and put his tennis shoes back on right before Liz opened Christina’s bedroom door.
Instantly, Christina knew something was wrong. Liz’s face was almost white and she was staring blankly at Christina. Her hair was slightly tousled.
“That. Stupid. Idiot. Is. Back. In. Town,” Liz said, accenting each word. Christina looked at Liz questioningly.
“Who?” Christina finally asked.
“Tyler. Fucking. Howard,” Liz said. Rarely, did Liz ever curse. But at that moment, she didn’t really care.
“Oh my gosh,” Christina said, jumping up off the bed and going to her friend. She wrapped her arms around her tightly.
“Did you see him? Did he see you? What happened?” Christina asked. Liz had slowly started crying and plopped down on the bed.
“Yes, I saw him. He saw me in the freaking grocery store buying milk for my mom,” Liz told her in between tears.
“Is he back in town for a visit?” Christina asked her gently.
Liz shook her head. “He said they moved back. His dad got his old job back at Steve’s Automotive.”
“Wow,” was all Christina could say. She sat on the edge of the bed next to Liz and put a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”
Liz shook her head and began crying harder. Justin remembered who Tyler was. Just hearing that guy’s name made him angry. He’d caused so much hurt and pain for not only Liz, but for all of them. Justin half way wanted to go find him right now and just beat the living hell out of him, but he got up and got a box of tissues for Liz instead.
“Thanks,” Liz said gratefully, taking the tissues from Justin. She even tried to smile but instead just started crying more. Christina pulled Liz towards her and held her while she cried.
Over Liz’s shoulder, Christina looked at Justin. “We need Brett,” she mouthed silently, “And while we’re at it, we might as well call James and Tammy.”
Justin nodded at Christina and picked up his cell phone. Quietly, he went downstairs and called first Brett, then James, and finally Tammy. Brett and James answered almost immediately and Justin explained the situation to them. Brett said he’d be right there and James said that he’d had some family drama but would be there as quickly as he could. Tammy, however, didn’t answer.

Tammy must’ve fallen asleep at some point because she awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. Slowly, she stood up from the window seat and walked over to her desk where her phone was. It was Justin.
“Hello?” she answered groggily.
“Hey. Listen, we need you to come to Christina’s house. There’s some stuff going on. We’ll fill you in later,” Justin’s voice said on the other end.
“Is it Christina? Is she okay?” Tammy asked, suddenly panicked. Please tell me she hasn’t collapsed like she did when we first found out about her anorexia, Tammy prayed in her mind silently.
“No. It’s Liz. Just get here,” Justin told her. Tammy didn’t have to be told twice. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and slipped on some flip flops and was in her car within about two minutes.
The whole way over to Christina’s house, she wondered what was going on. She couldn’t imagine what it could be. Liz wasn’t sick nor did she have any major problems going on that she knew of. Either way, Tammy was determined to find out and be there. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the driveway.
She saw James getting out of his car as well and she joined him mid way up the walk.
“Hey. What’s going on with Liz?” she asked quickly.
“Hell if I know. She was at my house like an hour ago and she was fine,” James said, pushing open the front door. The two made their way up the stairs and to Christina’s bedroom.
“I swear, I could kill that idiot,” Brett was saying as James and Tammy walked into the room.
Tammy quickly surveyed the room. Liz was sitting on the bed, crying in a way Tammy had never seen Liz cry. Christina was next to her, gently rubbing her arm in a soothing nature. Justin and Brett were practically pacing the floor angrily.
“Who?” James asked.
“And to just come up to her like that, like nothing ever even happened. Like they were just old friends or something. What an asshole,” Justin said. Tammy was slightly surprised by the dialogue. Justin never talked about anyone in that way. He was everyone’s best friend.
“Who is an asshole?” Tammy asked, her turn to be ignored.
“God, if I’d been there. If only one of us had been there,” Brett said, shaking his head.
“What is going on?” James asked again, a little louder. Finally, Brett and Justin looked over to him.
“Sorry. I didn’t even hear you guys come in,” Justin said.
“Obviously. What the hell is going on in here? I feel like I just stepped into a soap opera,” Tammy demanded.
“What is going on in here is that Liz’s worst enemy basically is back in town and came up to her in the grocery store and just acted like nothing had ever happened. Like hell it didn’t,” Brett said.
Again, Tammy just stood there feeling confused and looked around the room. Neither James nor Tammy knew of Liz having an enemy and felt slightly dazed from the sudden drama.
“And who is this we’re talking about?” James asked.
“His name is Tyler Howard. He moved away from here about a week before you moved into town, James,” Christina told him, a bit more calmly than Justin and Brett had been talking.
“Okay. So why do we hate him again?” Tammy asked.
Brett just looked at Liz sadly before saying quietly, “Well, basically he attempted to rape Liz but didn’t get charged.”
James was stunned and Tammy let out a small gasp. James looked at Liz at Brett said this and saw her flinch. Slowly, he walked across the room and moved her over on the bed some before sitting down next to her.
Immediately, Liz leaned into James and put her arm around his waist. He pulled her closer and ran a hand through her long hair.
“It’s okay,” James said softly in her ear. Behind Liz, Christina put a hand on her back gently. James rocked her back and forth softly.