All Again For You

I pushed an asprin and a glass of water towards Charlotte as she stumbled to sit down at the island in the middle of my kitchen. My mom had left for the bakery she ran early. A wedding cake she had yet to put the finishing touches on was due by tonight, and by her means, it wasn't done up until the very last second.

"You look like someone smacked you in the face with a shovel." I tried to suppress a laugh at Charlotte's expression. Her hair was tied into a messy bun and sat on the top of her head, falling slightly to the left.

"Oh, then I can only imagine what I must have looked like last night." She retorted dryly. "Do you remember who took us home?"

"I did. I didn't drink, remember?" I reminded her. I rarely drank outside of my own house, unless if it was with someone I knew well. I didn't at Jared's huge parties ever since the last time I did. I had ended up falling into the pool and taking ten other people with me.

"Nope. I got too shit-faced, remember?" I laughed, opening up the fridge to look for food, only to close it seconds later with nothing. Charlotte put her hands over her ears and her head down on the counter. "Sav, stop your yelling!" She whined. I sighed and muttered a quick 'sorry.'

My phone buzzed on the counter beside me; I checked the caller ID, which read 'Kennedy.'

"Hey, Kennedy!" I sang as I put the phone on speaker. "What's up?"

He let out a laugh. "The guys and I are going to Denny's and then having practice. You guys wanna join?" Charlotte let out a groan, then looked at me. It was obvious she didn't want to hear a bunch of guys play on their guitars and singing into microphones with the sound on their amps up too high.

"I'll be there, not too sure about Charlotte though. She took some pretty strong drinks last night." I tapped my fingers on the marble counter, giving Charlotte a knowing look.

"Oh," Kennedy said with a sad tone to his voice. I knew he was upset about Charlotte not being able to make it, but he understood. "Tell her that I hope she feels better. I'll see you around two, then?"

I glanced at the clock, making a mental note to get dressed. "Yeah, sure. But before you go, do you think one of you guys could come pick me up? My mom took my car today and I have no other way of getting there."

"Sounds good, Sav. We'll see you later!" I hung up the phone, sighing.

"Kenny says that he hopes you feel better, Char." I smiled to myself. They had to be the cutest couple that our group of friends had seen. She muttered something incoherent and turned over onto her side from her place on the couch. "I'm gonna walk you home after I get dressed, kay? I've only got an hour before one of the guys is gonna pick me up."

She agreed, slowly getting over her hangover as she sat up on the couch. I ran up the stairs to my room, sifting through my closet. My mom had left a note saying it was supposed to be cooler today than most others, so I decided on a gray tank with a light blue sweater, and high-waisted shorts. I pulled on my black boots and ran my fingers through my hair. I didn't bother to straighten or curl it today, leaving it with its natural waves.

I headed into my bathroom that was attached to my room, pulling my makeup case out from the cabinet. I lined my eyes quickly, keeping an eye on the clock on my phone; It read 1:45. I brushed my teeth as quick as humanly possible, then bounded down the stairs to Charlotte.

"Let's go!" I called. Charlotte looked more alive, her arms swinging down by her side as she walked through the front door. I locked the door behind us, sliding my sunglasses up the bridge of my nose. We headed down the street and around the corner to Charlotte's house, making it there just before 2:00. I took my time walking back, not thinking about the time.

Before I barely reached in front of my house, a yellow car made its way around the corner. I sighed, knowing that the guys had sent Garrett to pick me up. They were just like my mother, always trying to get me a boyfriend. And the boy that they always tried to set me up with just so happened to be Garrett every time.

"Well well well, I suspected that they would send you to pick me up." I sighed, opening up the passenger side door. I sat down and buckled in to my seat.

"Ha, don't they always." He replied dryly. "Besides, I'm the only one who had a car today."

"Jared didn't drive with him and Pat?" I asked, shifting around to make the tight seatbelt a bit more bearable. I didn't get a response out of him, and if I couldn't get a response out of Garrett, something was up.

At the next red light, I turned and faced him. "Okay, what's wrong?" He looked at me, his icy blue eyes stone cold. He shrugged, keeping his expression reserved. "Garrett, you're my best friend. You can tell me these things."

Before I saw him react, we took a sharp turn down the next street and into an empty parking lot. He kept the car running, putting his head down on the steering wheel. "Garrett?"

"She called me last night. She fucking called me!" He raised his voice, and I instantly knew who he was talking about. "She was talking like we were going to have some sort of tea party!" I let him rant on for however long he needed to. When he sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, he was done with his banter. We sat in silence for a few minutes, not the awkward kind, but the comfortable kind that you get every once in a blue moon.

"Thank you." He whispered after a good ten minutes.

"For what?" I felt like I was shouting after the yelling and the immediate silence that had just happened.

"You're the only one who would take me seriously. That's another reason why the guys sent me. You're basically the only one who will listen to my problems instead of try to tell me 'Dude, it's gonna be fine.'" He sighed, pulling back out of the parking lot and into the street. My mouth formed an 'o' shape as my phone buzzed in the cup holder beside me. It was a call from John.

"Yo, where are you guys? You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago." He sounded slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, we'll be there in five, okay?" I told him. John muttered a incoherent sentence and hung up.

"Well, we're in deep shit when we get back to John's, aren't we?" Garrett smirked, navigating his way through traffic.

"Oh, you have no idea."

&&

I sat on the couch in John's garage as they played "Shake It." John motioned to my boots at the first few words, and I did my best not to laugh and make him screw up.

"You would point at my boots, John Cornelius." I crossed my arms over my middle, sitting back on the couch.

"What can I say? I love your boots." He winked. I tossed a half-full water bottle at his head, which missed and hit Jared instead.

"Sorry Jar!" I clasped my hand over my mouth trying not to laugh again.

"Dude! That hurt like a bitch!" He rubbed the spot on his neck where the bottle had hit him.

"And don't take it out on my water bottle!" Pat screeched, tucking his hair behind his ears. He got down on all fours and started climbing all over the couch, tackling me into the cushions. "Rat Boy does not approve!"

"Oh God, Savannah, what have you done?" One of them asked. I felt Pat's weight be lifted off me and another set of arms sitting me upright. I brushed my hair out of my face to see Garrett smirking, and Pat sitting back on his drummer's stool.

"Thanks, guys." I laughed, tucking my legs underneath me.

"Sav, can you help me with something in the kitchen for a second?" John asked suddenly. I shrugged and followed him up the stairs to the kitchen.

"Alright, what do you need?" I asked, leaning back against his fridge.

"I need answers." He stated simply. I nodded my head, signaling for him to continue. "Do you, or do you not like someone at this point in time?" He made his way to the fridge, opening it up and taking out a can of already opened Coca Cola.

"Not really?" I bit my lip as he leaned in close to me. My answer had come out as more of a question rather than a statement.

"Because I know someone who- Oh shit." He muttered. I turned to see Garrett standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and fists clenched at his side. I immediately recognized how awkward the situation John and I was in, and slipped away discreetly. Before I could make my way towards the door, Garrett slammed it shut. I heard the roar of his engine come to life and his tires screech as he turned the corner.

"What was that about?" I asked, following John back down to the garage.

"Nothing. Practice is over, guys." He rubbed his eyes in frustration, sitting down on the couch.

The guys cleared out of the basement, all going upstairs to the O'Callaghan's kitchen.

"You need a ride home, Savannah?" Jared asked as he put his guitar back in his case.

"Nah, I'm gonna visit my mom in the shop for a bit. Thanks, though." I exited the garage and took off down the street towards the Tempe Marketplace. It took me a good hour to make it there, and by the time I had reached McClintock Drive, my feet felt like they were going to fall off. I took a right down the street and headed into Barnes and Noble, calling my mom as I sat down at a table.

"Are you busy right now?" I asked into the receiver. I slumped back in the chair, pulling my hair into a high pony tail.

"No, hun. Why?" She asked, sounding concerned. My mom always knew when I was tired or upset. She told me I had this 'tone of voice,' I specifically used.

"Can you come pick me up at the Barnes and Noble in the Marketplace?"

"Sure thing, love. I'll be there in a few." I waited in the shade of the building, fiddling around on my phone until she pulled up alongside me. I got in the car as she drove me home, making me promise to talk to her later on that night about what had happened.

"I promise, mom."