And Now the Tables Do Turn

Watching the guys and Jess practice was hard. I found my eyes remaining on John until they flickered to Josh, who was still watching me intently. I could always feel his eyes on me, studying me. I disappeared to the kitchen where Dree was sitting at the table, her laptop open in front of her.

"It gets kind of boring listening to them practice constantly, doesn't it?" she asked with a smile as she looked up at me.

I shrugged. "It's not so bad. I slept on my couch last night, so my back's hurting. I just want to sit down."

Dree gave me a strange look. "Why'd you sleep on the couch?"

"I couldn't fall asleep in my bed," I explained with a quiet laugh. I pulled out a chair and sat down, setting my head in my hands. Dree simply nodded.

We sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the music coming from the back room. There was a quick knock at the door before the sound of it opening.

"Hey, oh," a girl said, walking into the kitchen. She tossed her keys into the bag as she set it on the counter before digging around for her phone. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"Hey, Em," Dree said with a quiet sigh, closing her laptop. She stood up, placing it on the counter before hugging the other girl quickly. "Spencer, you remember Josh's sister Emily?"

"Oh, yeah, right," I lied slightly, nodding with a smile.

"Hey," Emily said to me with a charming smile. She pulled a chair out and sat down, resting her elbow on the table. She drummed her fingers on the table and looked around the rather small kitchen.

Upon looking closer, it was easy to tell that she was Josh's sister. They had the same eyes, the same nose, even the same placid expression. Her hair was long and much darker than Josh's, but the resemblance was uncanny.

In an awkward moment, she turned her head, looking at me, and I realized that I was staring at her. I cleared my throat, turning to look in the other direction. I heard Emily let out a quiet laugh and my shoulders relaxed a bit.

We started chitchatting for twenty minutes before all sounds of music ceased in the back room. Soon enough, the boys and Jess walked into the kitchen, each with a water bottle in hand. John stood behind me, kissing the top of my head once before placing his hands on my shoulders. At the same time, Stephen plopped down in Dree's lap and she rolled her eyes.

Josh was the last one to appear in the kitchen and looked rather surprised to see Emily sitting at the table with us. "Hey, Em," he said, unsure what was going on.

"Hey, bro," she responded with a smile.

After a bit of small talk, Brian and Jess had to leave, leaving just the six of us. As soon as the door was closed, Stephen and John both commented about being hungry. We decided against ordering out because Stephen wanted "a change of scenery." After ten minutes of arguing over where to eat, we all settled for Panera and took off.

I drove separately because I decided to go to Melanie's to try to patch things up with her after we ate. On the drive over, I thought about the awkwardness that would follow. Josh hadn't taken his eyes off me since I arrived at Dree and Stephen's, and somehow, I was clinging to John more and more. At a stop light, with John stopped behind me, I rested my forehead against the cool leather of my steering wheel. I mumbled several curse words under my breath just as the light turned green.

We arrived at the restaurant and John parked beside me. I exited my car and walked to his. As soon as he stepped out, I wrapped my arms around him tightly, pressing my face into the fabric of his shirt. I took a deep breath, the smell of his fabric softener filled my nose. He wrapped his arms around me as well, toying with the ends of my hair. I was gripping the back of his shirt when Stephen and Dree pulled up, honking at us.

John laughed, kissing the top of my head as I reluctantly released him. I pressed my lips together and pulled away from him and leaned against the hood of his car. Stephen made a comment that I didn't hear, but John laughed, reaching for my hand. Our fingers laced together as Josh walked across the parking lot to join us. The moment he approached, his eyes flickered to our hands and his jaw clenched.

"Where's Em?" Dree asked, toying with her phone as Stephen put an arm around her shoulders.

"She went to pick up Kennedy just so I can be the seventh wheel," Josh explained, rolling his eyes. "She said that we should just go ahead and order and they'll be here in a little bit."

Stephen didn't need to be told twice, as he took off for the door. Once we were all inside, I could still feel Josh's eyes on me as I stayed right at John's side. Stephen and Dree ordered and John and I ordered next. I ordered my usual mac & cheese and a frozen lemonade. John paid for my both of our orders before I could protest and I scowled at him before muttering my thanks. He winked at me before leaning down and kissing my temple. The cashier handed me my frozen lemonade and a straw as we scooted down to the second counter to wait on our food.

Five minutes later, we were all at a long table eating and waiting for Emily and Kennedy's arrival. I was sitting across from John with my feet in his lap. Dree was to my left and much to my distaste, Josh was to my right.

There was an invisible line drawn between us and Josh kept trying to cross it. Several times, his elbow would brush mine and I'd jerk my arm away like I'd been shocked.

Soon enough, Emily arrived with her boyfriend Kennedy in tow. They sat to Josh's right and thankfully he engaged in conversation with them.

Chewing on my straw, I pushed my seat out and stood up before walking to the bathroom. When I exited the stall a few moments later, Emily was leaning against the wall. She watched as I went to the sink and started washing my hands.

"You slept with my brother," she said after a long silence. I looked at her in the mirror and I froze.

I pressed my lips together. "No, I didn't," I lied, my voice catching in my throat a bit.

"Josh told me, and he doesn't lie to me," she informed me. I licked my lips and turned off the faucet.

"It didn't happen," I told her sternly, reaching for a paper towel. She frowned slightly and I threw the towels in the trash before turning on my heel and started for the door.

"Don't hurt him," Emily said when my hand was on the door. "Whether you slept with him or not, don't hurt him. He gets attached easily."

I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath before pulling the door open and leaving Emily standing in the bathroom.

Returning to the dining room, I discovered that our table had already been cleaned off and nobody in our group was anywhere in sight. I rolled my eyes, heading for the exit. I could see John and Josh leaning against the windows of the building, near our cars, and Kennedy was with them. I walked out as John flicked his cigarette to the ground. He smiled when he saw me and took a few steps toward me.

"Thanks for leaving, asshole," I teased, licking my lips quickly. He laughed once, putting an arm around my waist.

"Are you still going to Melanie's after this?" John asked, pushing my bangs out of my eyes. I nodded and his small smile turned to a bit of a frown. "You should just come home with me; my bed misses you."

I smiled, putting my arms around his neck. "I really wish I could, but I have a few things to work out with her. And besides, your parents don't seem to like when I'm over and we lock the door," I joked, biting my bottom lip as I smiled further.

He shrugged. "Well, what about after you go to Melanie's? I can come over and then you won't have to worry about my parents lack of approval," he suggested, slipping his hands into the back pockets of my jeans. I shivered slightly and gave him a sad smile.

"I have so much homework to do, John, I just can't."

He nodded in understanding and hugged me tightly. My face pressed against his t-shirt, I smiled at the smell of smoke I inhaled, mixed with the scents I was used to. He lifted my chin and kissed me softly. "I love you, Spence," he told me, kissing me again.

"I love you too, baby," I said with a smile, kissing his lips before kissing his check. He released me after giving me a final squeeze and I searched for my keys.

Before sliding into my car, I caught Josh's eye and I looked away automatically. John let me pull out of my space first and I avoided looking over my shoulder at Josh who was still leaning against the building.

I arrived at Melanie's twenty minutes later and I knocked on her door softly. I waited patiently for her to answer and when she did, she looked surprised.

"Uhm, hi," I said, awkwardly. Melanie was looking me over and it made me uneasy. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah," she answered with a nod, opened the door further for me to enter.

The awkwardness was slightly overwhelming. I stood barely inside the apartment and she walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of win.

"I figured we'd need this," she said, setting it on the table. "Grab the glasses?"

I nodded, dropping my bag on the counter before grabbing two glasses off the rack. I walked over to the table where my sister was already sitting and she poured a nice amount of wine into each glass. She pushed one my way and I took it eagerly.

"So," she said, licking her lips quickly.

"I'm sorry for being so..." I started, stopping to search for the right word.

"Bitchy?" Melanie suggested, taking a sip of wine with a shrug.

A smile slipped on to my lips and I nodded once. "That works. And you were right, by the way."

"About what?"

"I slept with one of John's band mates," I said, swirling the wine in the glass and watching it intently. My eyes darted up to meet Melanie's and her expression was blank.

"Which one was it?" she after a moment's silence, in which I took a drink.

"Josh, the other guitarist."

"What exactly happened?"

"He was drunk and I gave him a ride home. He took my keys and we started drinking and that's when my mind goes blank."

"I take it John doesn't know?" she clarified.

"Oh, God, no," I said widening my eyes. She nodded, taking a drink. "I just was out with John and everybody, and Josh was with us, and it's such a horrible feeling. I could just feel Josh staring at us the entire time."

"It's only going to get worse if you don't tell John, Spencer," Melanie told me slowly.

"I know, but I just can't do that to him. It's not like I fucked some random guy, it was his best friend. John would never speak to either of us again if he found out," I said, putting my palm against my forehead.

She sighed and pressed her lips together as she looked at me. "I really don't know what to tell you."

"Yeah, I figured you would, I just wanted to talk to someone. And apologize for being a bitch yesterday morning. I was confused and angry with myself, I mean, I still am." I paused for a quick sip of wine. "You know, he told my sister about what happened. She had the nerve to confront me about it."

Melanie raised her eyebrows. "This guy sounds like a total tool. How did he get you in bed?"

"You're not helping," I grumbled at her, looking up at her through my lashes as I leaned on the table.

She let out a quiet laugh. "I'm only teasing, sis. I hate to like, push you out the door, but I have a few errands to run that if I don't take care of now, they'll never get done."

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," I said, standing up from the table and downing the rest of the wine in my glass.

"I really hope you can work everything out, Spence," she told me with a sympathetic smile. "If anybody needs their ass kicked, send them to me."

I smiled widely. "I think I can handle that."

I crossed the kitchen, setting my wine glass in the sink and reached for my bag near the door. I left without a formal goodbye, reaching for my phone as I walked to my car. I had a text from John, telling me that if I finished my school work early, to let him know. I didn't respond, only tossed my phone back into my bag as I set it in the passenger seat.

I returned home and put on a pair of running shorts and an old hoodie before settling myself on sofa with my laptop and my lit textbook. By that time, it was nearly eight, and my eyelids were already heavy. I finished up my Macbeth essay and took an exam on the English Renaissance. I finished at eleven and I shut my laptop down before setting it on the coffee table and heading to the kitchen for something to eat. I looked through my nearly bare cabinets and was lucky enough to find a box of mac & cheese which I made quickly. I ate in the living room, watching a rerun of NCIS on USA as I did so.

The fact that Josh had told Emily about what had happened had been nagging at me for hours. Tapping my fingers against my thigh, I reached for my phone and scrolled through my contacts for Josh's number. Before I could stop myself I pressed send and anchored the phone between my ear and shoulder.

He answered after a few rings. "This is surprising," he said without a greeting, which bothered me.

"Not as surprising as your sister following me into the bathroom and informing me that you told her about the other night," I snapped back at him, biting down on my tongue.

He was silent for a moment. "Fuck, she told you about that?"

"Yeah, she did. What part of 'keep your mouth shut' don't you understand?"

"It's my sister for Christ's sake, I tell her everything. It's not like she was going to blab to John," he argued on Emily's behalf.

"This isn't about me not trusting her, it's about me not trusting you," I informed him, chewing on my thumbnail.

He sighed. "Fine, I'll call her and remind her to keep quiet about it. Does that please you, your majesty?"

"Stop being a smart ass and make the call," I said before hanging up on him.

I let out a sigh, dropping my phone onto the couch and turning up the volume on the television, trying to drown out the sound of my own rapid thoughts. After a while, my mind relaxed and I pulled myself of the sofa and made my way to my bed. Halfway down the hall, my phone rang. The number wasn't in my contacts, but it was local so I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Spencer? Hi, it's Emily," her familiar voice traveled through the speaker on my phone and I was slightly surprised.

"Hi?" I said, unsure how to react.

"Hey, I know it's late, but I just got off the phone with my brother, and he kind of cockblocked me, but he told me I upset you earlier and I wanted to apologize," Emily explained. I could hear the sounds of a television in the background and I pressed my lips together. I honestly didn't know what to say to her.

"I'm sorry if I came off as a bitch, but right now, my relationship with John is hanging in the balance. I admit that something happened between your brother and I a few nights ago and I can't afford for that to get out, especially to John. I specifically told Josh to keep his mouth shut, and I understand that you're his sister, but there are just somethings I'd really like to keep private," I told her, walking into my bathroom and pulling myself up onto sink counter.

"I get what you mean, and once again, I'm sorry for being so blunt. Discretion isn't exactly my strong suit, and I just don't want my brother to be hurt or unhappy." She paused, hesitating. "I like you, Spencer. You're a good person, and obviously my brother's taken a liking to you. Can I take you out to lunch tomorrow, so we can kind of, I don't know, patch this up?"

"Uhm, I suppose...I work at two, so it'll have to be a little bit early," I told her, rather taken aback.

"Okay, well, I'll text you with the details in the morning. Now if you'll excuse me, my boyfriend has something going on in his pants that I need to take care of."

I couldn't help but laugh as I said goodbye to Emily.

She was definitely Josh's sister.

I climbed into bed twenty minutes later after brushing my teeth and putting my hair up. My body relaxed, and I tried to clear my mind but it didn't go to well.

Emily's words rand in my head. "You're a good person, and obviously my brother's taken a liking to you." Maybe Josh's goal wasn't to make me miserable.