Tragically Beautiful

Tragically Beautiful

Chapter Twenty Three

They were sitting dangerously close at the dinner table, Nick and Kevin were eying them the whole time. At one point Joe moved a bit to his left, away from Annie. He flashed his brothers dirty looks as he went back to eating his lasagna.

Their father was deep in a speech about their band, and all three brothers pretended to be listening as they continued their dirty look war all through dinner. After dinner all the guys left while Danielle, Annie and Denise cleaned up.

“Did you see the way they were looking at each other?” Danielle asked Denise, as they cleared the plates. Annie felt her heart start racing, hoping she wasn't talking about her and Joe.. this hiding stuff is so hard.

“Yes, what's wrong with them?” Denise asked, as she and Danielle walked into the kitchen where Annie was standing.

“I don't know.... but, I wanna know” Danielle said, the talk stopped as they reached the kitchen, and Annie looked at them widely.

“What, dear?” Denise asked.

“MAYBE THEIR IN LOVE” Annie yelled.

“Joe, Nick and Kevin are in love?” Danielle asked confused.

“Oh....” she suddenly felt dumb, they were talking about how Joe, Nick and Kevin were having a stare down during dinner.

“I seriously don't think so...” Denise laughed a little.

“Do you know why their fighting?” Danielle asked. “Joe tell you anything?”

“Uh... Joe who?” This was the first time her and Danielle and Denise had been alone, and she was scared she may blurt out something.

“Are you feeling alright, dear?”

“I...I'm a little tired...”

“Aw, stay up to late?”

“NO” she bit at them.

“Ok....ok, just askin'” Danielle said in defense.

“Maybe you should go find the boys” Denise looked over to Danielle with a worried look. “I think their in the game room.”

“Ok....” Annie sighed, walking out of the kitchen, she felt much less nervous when Joe was there, he would catch her if she was about to f*ck up. She walked into the game room to find Joe on the floor playing a video game with Frankie, Nick and Kevin were behind them, watching.

Joe looked over at her and smiled, she smiled back but then looked up to see Nick and Kevin watching them both.

“YOU LOOSE” Frankie yelled.

“No fair... I wasn't even looking” Joe whined.

“To bad for you.”

They bickered back and froth as Annie went to sit down, but just then Nick stopped her.

“Can I have a word?”

“NO...” she said flatly.

“NOW” he barked at her. She rolled her eyes and fallowed him out of the game room.

“So....” he trailed off, as if wanting her to spill her guts.

“So...what?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“What the hell is up with you and Joe?” he asked. “Not give me that whole nothing bull, everyone can tell.... just out with it already.”

“What do you mean everyone can tell?” she barked back.

“You two were sitting so close at dinner, and the way you look at him... the way he loo.”

“I've always looked at him the same way... nothings changed.”

“YEAH?” Nick yelled. “so, if I told you I called him the other day and caught him in bed with some girl, and he told me that he met this blonde chick at the mall and he didn't want you to be mad so he went back to her house to have sex...”

“So?” she chocked out.

“That doesn't bother you... at all?”

“No...” she lied it did bother her.... her insides felt like they were on fire, she felt like she wanted to cry.

“Not at all?” he smirked, seeming to think she was lying.

“IT DOESN'T.”

“Ok... sure...” he trailed off, walking back into the game room. Annie sighed, she went to walk down the hall but Nick's voice stopped her. “If it doesn't bother you why aren’t you coming back in here?”

“I need a drink” she mused, then quickly walked away. She went and sat down at the kitchen table watching Danielle doing the dish's and Denise putting them away.

“You alright, dear?”

“Yeah...” Annie trailed off. She didn't know what to do, should she believe Nick? He's never lied to her before, sure he's a jerk at times, but would he lie about something like that? And if was the truth did Joe think he was going to get away with seeing girls behind her back? He wasn't, that was for sure, she wasn't just going to be his sex toy, she wanted to be in a relationship with him.... a real one.

“I've been dying to do this all night” Joe said, as they stopped in the drive way, he leaned over and kissed her softly, but she didn't kiss back. “You looked so hot in that dress."
He kissed her lips again, yet she still didn't kiss back, in fact she pushed him away.

“What's wrong?” he asked, concern growing in his eyes.

”Nick told me about your little blond chick.... so you think you can go behind my back and sleep with someone ells?”

“WHA...”

“Don't even.... maybe I was just being dumb, maybe you don't want a real relationship, maybe Nick was right, you say things to get down peoples pants... well you've done it... HAPPY?”

She jumped out of the car, slamming the door then stomped up to the front door, Joe must have left it unlocked because she twisted it open without unlocking it, she kicked the door shut as hard as she could and ran up to her room.

“ANNIE” she could hear him yell. “ANNIE.... YOU BETTER TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOUR TALKING ABOUT.”

“F*CK YOU.”

“ANNIE...”

“OH WAIT..... EVERY GIRL DOES.”

She felt so stupid, she would have never done the things she did the night before, if she knew that he wasn't going to just stay with her. She felt the tears start to well in her eyes. He still banged on her door, yelling her name and other things she stopped listening after awhile, just put on her Ipod and curled up into her cold lonely bed, the tears falling fully now.