Contagious

Orion reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a piece of gum to distract herself from the yelling upstairs. She glanced over at Parker, who was leaning against the stairs, staring at her boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Then her gaze shifted to Dallas, who had her arms crossed and was glaring a whole straight through Parker. Martin and Paul were upstairs, but the door couldn't even block out the arguing. They couldn't make out all of the words but the ones they did hear were more names than anything—it was Parker every single time.

“I knew I shouldn't have come here,” Parker muttered, finally meeting Orion's eyes.

“Damn straight you shouldn't have,” Dallas said.

Orion rolled her eyes. “Not now, Dallas.”

Parker cringed as she heard heavy footsteps and a door slam. “I don't need you making me feel worse that two friends are fighting because of me.”

“I don't care they they're fighting,” Dallas said. “Do you not care that Martin and I are constantly arguing?”

She paused before shaking her head. “No. No, I really don't care that you two are.” She heard the basement door open and she looked up, frowning when she saw Paul walking down. “What happened?”

Paul shrugged. “Just freaked out.”

“Because you invited her here without his permission!” Dallas told him.

Paul sucked in a deep breath and shot a look at Dallas. “The last time I checked, this is my house and Parker is my friend. So if I want to invite her, I will. And Martin never asked me if he could invite you so don't you dare throw out protocol and etiquette to me.”

“I'm just gonna go,” Parker said, picking up her jacket and pulling it on.

“Parker, you don't have to go,” Paul told her.

She nodded. “I kind of do have to,” she said. “You can stay, Orion. The practice might go on if I leave.”

Orion shrugged. “Text me if you need me.”

“I will do,” Parker said, running a hand through her hair and walking over to Paul. “This isn't your fault, Poolie,” she told him, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

Paul nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I'll call you later. It's a long story.”

“Okay. I'll see you tomorrow.” She withdrew herself from his grasp and took the stairs two at a time, heading towards the front door. She paused at the handle, knowing full well that Martin was pacing outside the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out into the chilly Boston air, shutting the door behind her and stuffing her hands into her pockets.

Martin turned around when he heard the door shut and frowned. “I thought you were Dallas.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

He shook his head.

“Um. I'm leaving,” she told him.

He shrugged, waving a hand towards the road. “Then go.”

Parker's eyes widened briefly before she licked her lips. “Okay. I, uh, guess I'll see you later then,” she said awkwardly as she started walking towards the sidewalk.

“Parker, wait,” Martin said, running a hand through his hair before straightening his jacket. He opened his mouth to say something else but slammed it shut.

She sighed. “Look. I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be here,” she told him.

Martin shook his head. “That has nothing to do with it.”

“Are you sure? Because you sure ran out of the basement fast the second I showed up. I can only assume from your behavior that you don't want to be around me,” she said, pulling her fur-lined hood over her head to protect her ears from the cold wind. She had no idea how Martin wasn't phased by the weather, standing in the driveway in little more than a thin v-neck and a thin jacket while the wind was blowing and the temperature was maybe in the double digits—maybe.

“It's not that I don't want to be around you, Parker, because I do,” he told her. “Just...not near Dallas.”

She bit her lip and shrugged. “I honestly don't see the issue.”

“Of course you don't.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” she asked, feeling herself growing frustrated at his cryptic answers.

“It means that you can't see things from anyone's point of view outside of your own,” he told her.

She scoffed. “Are you kidding me? You'll forgive me if I'm not sympathetic with your cause, Martin. What is this even about?”

“Dallas asks questions. Questions I don't want to hear. And questions I'm not prepared to answer. I feel like I'm on the spot whenever you enter a room and she's there,” he replied. “Understand now?”

“It's not like you have anything to hide,” Parker told him, her voice dropped.

“I'm not trying to hide anything.”

“Then why do you care if she asks questions?”

Martin sighed. “Because our past is no one's business but ours.”

She shook her head. “We don't have a past.”

“Fuck that, Parker, you know we do!” Martin said, muttering curse words under his breath. “You didn't forget. You can't forget everything that happened,” he mumbling, almost as if he was pleading with her.

She looked down, feeling awkward, uncomfortable, the way she felt three years ago when they were in a similar position—standing in her driveway having the most uncomfortable discussion of her life...but she doubted this conversation would have the same end result. “It was a long time ago, Martin,” she whispered.

“Three years is not that long of a time,” he told her, taking a couple steps closer until they were standing toe to toe.

Parker refused to meet his eyes. “It was a lifetime ago.”

“Did you forget?” he asked, nails digging into his palms. He knew she didn't—she was still as transparent as ever, refusing to admit that she remembered just as well as he did.

She bit her cheek and shook her head.

Martin reached a hand up to cup the side of her face, forcing their eyes to meet. “I think about it all the time, Parker.”

“You have a girlfriend, Martin,” she reminded him.

“She's not you,” he whispered, thumb trailing over her cheekbone.

Parker shook her head, tongue running over her lips. She couldn't feel this way about Martin, not again...or, well, still. It had been three years. Three years and she had been doing just fine; he probably had been, too. And now they were thrust back into each others lives and she didn't know what to think, how to feel, what to do. “You can't do that.”

“Parker, I—”

She cut him off. “You can't just say she's not me and expect a positive reaction. You have a girlfriend. And we didn't leave on good terms. And you sure as hell haven't been anything other than a jerk since I came back,” she told him. “So you can't just...get all up in my personal space. It's not a good idea.”

“Why not? Because you want to kiss me?”

“Because I'll junk punch you,” she told him, pushing him away.

Martin smiled, briefly. “I...” he trailed off.

“You what?”

“I...lied to Paul,” he said softly.

“That sounds like something you need to discuss with him then,” she replied. She nodded slightly and turned around, walking towards the sidewalk and endured the walk home without looking back.

+

Orion opened the front door and leaned against the doorway, watching Parker walk away and Martin stare after her. She wasn't eavesdropping and didn't hear their conversation—it wasn't any of her business. She kept her mouth shut as Martin turned around and his eyes landed on her.

“Did you...?”

She shook her head. “Just wanted to make sure there was no bloodshed. It's hard to clean up in the winter.”

Martin laughed. “Yeah, I believe it,” he told her, walking slowly towards the front door. “Um...”

“It's none of my business, Martin,” Orion told him. “Though between you and me... You could do a lot better than my cousin.”

He looked down. “Dallas is...great.”

“Great is not a word I would use to describe her. Not that she totally deserves to have her heart broken, just, you know, maybe her face,” she said, only half-joking. “But something tells me you aren't over her.”

Martin froze. “What makes you think there's something to be over?” he asked, unsure of what Parker had told her and he really hoped it wasn't the whole story. That was one part of his past he wanted to keep to himself.

She shrugged. “The way you look at her suggests unfinished business,” she told him.

“Everyone has a little bit of that,” he said, stepping past her and back into the warm house. He headed towards the basement door before he stopped and looked back at her. “You won't...say anything, will you? To Dallas? Not that there's anything to hide, I just. I don't need her yelling at me because I spoke to another girl.”

“You can talk to whoever you want, Martin,” Orion said, zipping up her jacket. “I honestly don't care what you do. But I'm not going to prance around and tell everyone who you converse with. It's their business if you make it their business. And that call is up to you,” she told him, waving goodbye, before she stepped out the door and ran to catch up with Parker.

Martin headed down the stairs and was met with a distraught Dallas and an annoyed Paul. He picked up his bass and looked at his best friend as they waited for the other two band mates to arrive. “You're right.”

Paul frowned. “About?”

“I'm not,” he said simply.

+

Parker brought a pillow over her face, resisting the urge to scream into it as Orion rubbed her shoulder. “I hate him,” she muttered.

Orion shook her head. “You do not,” was all she said. She had been filled in on their entire conversation—not by choice. Her friend needed advice and, well, that's what friends were for, right?

“I don't know what to do,” she whispered, rolling onto her side and holding her pillow to her chest. “I mean, who the fuck pulls that card? It was three years ago, Orion, three years! And he's acting like I should still be all up his ass because he was interested in me three years ago.”

“He was a little more than interested from what you're telling me,” Orion said.

She groaned. “He has a girlfriend. I mean, what kind of a jackass has a girlfriend and is still hitting on other girls?”

“A jackass?” she offered.

Parker sighed. “We've covered that already.”

“Look, it's not that big of a deal,” Orion said.

“How is it not a big deal?”

“That's what Martin wants. He wants to get under your skin,” Orion told her. “He wins if you let it bother him. What you need to do is date someone supremely hotter.”

Parker paused. “That's a good idea.”

“I mean, it might be hard to find. Let's face it, the guy is sexy as hell. But I'm sure there's someone else out there who can take your mind off of him,” Orion said.

Parker was about to respond when her cell phone rang. She reached for it off of her nightstand and smiled when she saw Poolie flashing across the screen. She held it up to show Orion, still smiling.

Orion laughed. “His best friend? That's harsh.”

She shrugged. “I didn't say anything. But you gotta admit... He's cute.”

She laughed again. “You gonna answer?”

Parker set her phone down. “Let's see if he calls back.”

+

Paul paced back and forth in his room after band practice, cell phone glued to his hand. It was wrong. He was breaking all sorts of rules in his Bro Code but he couldn't help it. Martin was his best friend, fact. Martin wasn't over Parker, fact. Martin was dating Dallas, fact. Paul had feelings for Parker for over four years, fact.

Martin was trying to guilt him into not asking her out. Paul saw right through it. It had less to do with Paul dating Parker and more to do with Martin not wanting anyone else to have her since he couldn't. The last thing Paul wanted to do was hurt Martin—they were best friends. But just because Martin was bitter and refused to break up with Dallas to be with Parker didn't mean Paul had to be miserable and bitter as well.

He had two choices. One: he could be the ultimate best friend, ignore his feelings for a girl he had liked since before he hit puberty, and stay on Martin's good side and never ask her out. Or two: he could take the risk of Martin being mad for a few weeks, ask Parker out, and see if that convinced Martin to step up.

He really did like Parker. He had for the longest time. And his mind was battling with itself: was he asking out Parker because he liked or...or was he asking her out to make both of his best friends see how much they wanted each other? And more than that, if Parker agreed (and it was a big “if”), would she be agreeing because she genuinely was interested in Paul or because she wanted to get her mind off of Martin?

There were a lot of “ifs” running through his mind but he pushed them all aside as he pushed the call button one last time. He paced around his room, his heart pounding when she finally answered.

”Hey, Poolie. What's up?”

“Parker. I have a question for you...”