The Way I Loved You

Once I got half way comfortable with Alex being there, I started talking again. I hope no one noticed that I was hanging on Connor more than before. I was acting like a clingy whore.

"So what should we do?" I asked, looking at Jack.

"We could watch a movie, I guess," he responded.

"You guys are so boring. I haven't seen you in so long and now that you're back you don't want to do anything," I said, sticking out my lower lip.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Rian asked me.

"Hmm.." I said, thinking. "Oh! What about flashlight tag!?!"

Everyone stopped and thought about it before finally deciding it seemed interesting enough. I walked down the hall to the closet where Jack had an extra flashlight.

"Okay, everyone. Foot in," I said. Everyone put there foot in a circle and I did the little saying.

"Eeny. Meanie. Miney. Moe. Catch a tiger by it's toe. If it hollers, make it pay fifty dollars every day. My mother told me to pick the best one and you are it," I said, landing with my finger on Connor's foot.

"Looks like you're it, pretty boy," Jack said, patting him on his back. I laughed before standing up and handing him the flashlight. We walked outside and started to separate to hide.

"Wait! What should I count to?" he shouted.

"Umm...how about 200?" Alex shouted back, grabbing Lisa's hand.

Connor nodded and turned towards the house before everyone broke off and went in different directions. I took off towards Jack's backyard and searched for something to hide behind. The only thing there was a giant oak tree. I ran straight for it and scaled it slightly to grab the lowest branch before flinging myself on the branch and climbing up higher. Once I got comfy on a well hidden branch, I heard someone starting to climb up the bottom. I couldn't tell if it was Connor but really hoped it wasn't. I realized it wasn't Connor when I noticed this mystery person had no flashlight.

"Hey! This hiding spot is taken!" I whisper yelled. The person ignored me and kept climbing up. Once they got closer, I realized it was Alex.

"Are you deaf or just stupid? I said this spot wa-" He cut me off by putting his hand over my mouth. It was then that I noticed the light that was searching up into the tree for hiders.

Once the light disappeared, I pulled away from his hand and scanned the yard, or what I could see of the yard.

"Uh, sorry. I didn't want to get caught though," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. A clear sign that he was nervous.

"It's fine," I replied starting to move away from the branch.

"Brynn, I know it's going to be awkward now since you're planning my uh...wedding, but can we get past all of this crap we went through. I'm sorry about the way things ended, but we have to move on. We can't just be awkward like this all the time," he said, glancing around the trees.

"Fine. But this is only for Lisa. You're dead to me," I said, starting to climb down the tree after I heard Connor yelling that he found someone.

I walked out to the front lawn and saw Jack arguing with Connor.

"I totally found you, Jack! Just admit it!" Connor yelled.

"No, you didn't! Rian was in front of me!" Jack yelled back.

"Jack! I was behind the car in the street! Admit it! You lost!" Rian yelled.

"Okay, guys. I don't think it really matters. What matters is that it's freezing balls out here and this was a horrible idea," I said, heading towards the front door. I went inside and grabbed a blanket before curling up into a ball on Jack's couch. Soon enough, everyone else followed me and came into the living room.

"Okay, so now what?" Zack asked.

"Oh! How about we watch a movie!" Jack said.

"Is that all you ever want to do?" I asked. He nodded his head. "Fine, but I get to pick it."

I walked over to his shelf of movies and picked out Mean Girls. I put it in before anyone could even see it. When the title screen came up, I heard everyone groan except for Cassadee, Lisa, Jack, and myself.

"Fine, then. I'm going to sit on the floor. My fellow Mean Girls fans should follow my lead," I said.

Jack, Cassadee, and Lisa all slid off of their seats and came to sit with me on the floor. We pulled all of our blankets together and cuddled up together. So warm!

The order of people went Cassadee, Jack, me, then Lisa. I laid my head on Jack's shoulder and he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Wait. You're Jack's sister aren't you?" Lisa asked.

I nodded my head slowly.

"Oh, wow. I feel so stupid for not figuring that one out. Sorry, it's just you two don't look that much alike," she said, rambling like an idiot.

"It's okay, Lisa. You're not the first one to do that," I said, smiling at her. She laughed it off and turned back to the movie.

"Trang Pak is a grotsky little biotch," Jack said along with Gretchen in the movie. I laughed so hard as Jack did this. This continued for the rest of the movie.

The movie ended around midnight and I was woken up to Jack shaking my shoulder.

"Hey. It's time for you to go home," Jack said, smiling at me.

"I don't want to go anywhere."

"Fine. You can just stay here," he said, explaining the plans to Connor who was getting up.

"Bye, Brynn. I'll text you tomorrow," Connor said bending down and kissing my forehead. I nodded before he left.

Jack helped me up off the floor and I walked to "my room". I got changed into some pajamas I had left here and climbed under the sheets. There was a knock on the door. In walked Alex.

"Were you serious when you said that I was dead to you?" he asked with a hint of sadness.

"Dead serious. G'night, Alex," I said, as he turned around and left.

Finally. A night where I can sleep.