On the Verge

Micah woke up the next morning and stayed in bed for a while. She immediately checked her phone, finding a text from Jonah, which she ignored, and a good morning text from John. Smiling, she responded to John’s text. She rolled onto her side, comfortably wrapped in the blankets.

She stretched out, her over-sized t-shirt riding up her torso. She stayed that way contently, and John texted her back a moment later. They conversed for fifteen minutes, while she stayed curled up in bed.

John was trying to charm her into skipping lunch at her mother’s. He was trying to bribe her with booze and kisses. If she knew there wouldn’t be consequences, she would have taken him up on his offer instantly. She was fully aware that if she skipped out on the lunch, her mother would hunt her down.

Giggling as she read John’s latest text, she left her bed. She didn’t bother adjusting her shirt, since it was going to end up in a pile on the floor in a few minutes anyway. She turned on the shower, sending one last text to John quickly before shedding her clothing.

She took her time showering, working the shampoo and conditioner through her hair. She shaved her legs and underarms before turning the shower off. She stepped onto the cold tile of the bathroom floor and shivered, reaching for her towel.

She tied her hair up, wrapping the towel around her. She brushed her teeth, responding to John’s latest text. Smiling, she walked into her closet, tugging a skirt and a tank top off of their hangers. She examined the clothing, deeming it to be appropriate for the occasion.

Micah’s mother was very strict about nearly everything. She was a perfectionist and had an unofficial dresscode. If she didn’t like what someone was wearing, she’d purse her lips and give them reproachable looks. Several times, she had told Micah to go change.

Micah curled her hair, pinning back the top layer. She French-braided her bangs. She did her make up, continuing to flirt with John through texts.

She thought back to the night before. She bit her lips as she smiled, recalling the feeling of his lips against hers. She wished the kiss would have lasted longer. She was excited to see him again. He had already made her promise to come to the studio house as soon as she left her mother’s.

Staring back at herself in the mirror, she fiddled with the waist band of her skirt. She adjusted the straps of her tank top before spritzing herself with PINK perfume. She searched for her black suede pumps and grabbed a few pieces of jewelry to wear. She tossed her things into a different purse. She contemplated packing a bag of clothes for the next day in the event that she stayed at the studio house that night but decided against it.

She called for her car and rooted through her fridge in search of a water bottle. She came up empty handed and decided to make a quick pitstop at Starbucks to quench her thirst.

Traffic wasn’t as bad as she anticipated, and even after stopping at Starbucks for a Passion Tea, she arrived at her mother’s before Jonah, giving her mother ample time to criticize her and praise Hannabeth.

Micah’s mother, Kat Irving, looked half her age, thanks to her plastic surgeon. Jonah and herself had both inherited their mother’s fair hair, and Jonah had also received her green eyes. Kat liked everything to be perfect and fabulous. She didn’t buy an article of clothing if it didn’t cost less that $500. Kat had won an Oscar when Micah was two, in her last film roll. She had since done a few guest spots on sitcoms and did endorsements, but stayed out of the spot light. After divorcing the father of her children, Kat remarried celebrity attorney, Nick Irving. Nick was good to Micah, Jonah, and Selah, but had a problem with their father, making things tense.

Micah loved her mother, but putting up with her was stressful. Kat only saw the bad in things, rather than the good. As soon as Micah arrived, Kat pursed her lips, examining her daughter’s outfit.

“Really, Micah? Floral?” she questioned, rolling her eyes dramatically. “I thought you were over that hippie floral phase.”

Micah shrugged, rolling the tip of her straw between her teeth. “It’s not really a phase, Ma. I like floral, I’m sorry.” Kat sighed, taking a vase of flowers out onto the back deck, where lunch was going to take place.

Micah dropped her bag to the sofa, kicking her heels off, before sitting down and curling her feet under her. She searched for her phone in the bottomless pit which was her hand bag. She took a sip of her drink before setting the cup on the coffee table. Both Piper and John had texted her. She sent them both an SOS text, sighing loudly as she looked around the pristine sitting room.

Jonah arrived not long after, Hannabeth in tow. Selah came out of hiding with Kat announced that it was nearly time for dinner. Nick emerged from his office, where he was working on his opening statement for a trial that started in two weeks. Micah smiled as her mother scolded him for working on his day off.

They gathered around the outdoor table. Micah was left on the end, sitting beside Selah. Lunch was served, a chicken Caesar salad. Micah rolled her eyes, dipping her fork in her side of ranch dressing. Conversation was light through the meal and Micah gratefully took sips of her wine.

Once their plates had been cleared, it was nearly three o’clock. Micah was still hungry, as the tiny salad hadn’t been enough. Throughout the meal, Hannabeth looked as though she was about to burst with excitement, looking happy rather than disgusted as she normally did.

Micah found herself on the porch swing, swinging slowly, as she texted John. He laughed at the fact that she was still hungry, and when she said that she was craving grilled cheese, he promised to make her one when she arrived. She couldn’t help but smile.

Hannabeth, Jonah, their mother and step-father were all at the smaller table, drinking champagne. Micah could see Jonah’s eyes light up when he said that they had an announcement to make. Micah’s heart sank when she saw the enormous rock of a diamond on Hannabeth’s ring finger. Kat was thrilled because she now had a new excuse to spend thousands and thousands of dollars.

Micah faked a smile for her brother’s sake, taking a glass of champagne to toast with. She congratulated the couple, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as Hannabeth gushed about looking forward to going dress shopping and picking the flowers.

She stayed a while longer, to be polite, but excused herself at the first possible opening. She shook her head as she walked to her car. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she called Piper.

“Jonah’s engaged,” she stated as soon as her friend answered.

“To whom?” Piper questioned, shocked.

“To Hannabeth, unfortunately,” Micah told her, rolling her eyes. She reached for her tube of lipstick, applying another coat before turning the car on. “Everything sucks.”

“Well, not everything. I mean, you’ve got that hottie John barking up your tree, so life can’t be all that bad,” Piper said. Micah could just see her shrugging and she cracked a smile.

“Feel up to a small house party?”

“Hmm, where at?”

“The studio house. A few of the guys’ friends from home are coming up for a day or two and there’s going to be a lot of booze and Arizona boys. I already asked John and he said that you were welcome to come if you wanted to,” Micah explained, pulling out of her mother’s driveway.

“Aww, that’s cute,” Piper cooed. “You say his name like you’re already fucking him.”

A blush rose to Micah’s cheeks as she rolled her eyes. “I’m going to head over there in a little bit. You know how to get there, right?”

“Of course, moron. I’ve partied at Jonah’s with you before,” Piper reminded her.

“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you there later,” she said with a sigh.

“Yeah, alright. See ya,” Piper said before hanging up.

Micah drove in silence the rest of the way. She had texted John before she’d left, so he was expecting her. She arrived at the studio house twenty minutes later after stopping at her suite to freshen up a bit. By the time she turned off the engine, John was already on the front porch. She smiled, biting her lip as she opened her door.

When she reached him on the porch, his arms wrapped around her quickly. “Hello,” she said, giggling, just before his lips brushed over hers.

“Hi,” he responded with a wide smile. His fingers moved over the fabric of her tank top, along her back.

“You promised me grilled cheese,” Micah reminded him, smiling playfully. He rolled his eyes dramatically before winking. He lead her into the house and paused to allow her to kick her heels off.

“How was the lunch thing, or whatever it was?” John asked. Micah slid onto one of the stools at the island, curling one foot under her. She shrugged indifferently as he opened the fridge, pulling out butter and a slice of American cheese. He set the pan on the stove top, turning the burner on before reaching for the bread.

“Jonah asked Hannabeth to marry him,” she told him, tracing patterns on the granite counter. John looked back at her in surprise as he buttered the bread.

“Wow,” he said under his breath.

“Yeah.” She nodded silently. The house seemed too quiet. “Where is everybody?”

“Uhm, Em and Kenny are taking a nap. Jared and Pat went shopping for tonight, and Garrett’s around here somewhere,” John said, shrugging. He flipped the sandwich and they slipped into a comfortable silence.

He cut the sandwich diagonally, how she liked it, and put it on a plate. He placed it in front of her before asking if she wanted something to drink. She asked for a water bottle, and he sat down beside her once he got it from the fridge.

“Thanks,” Micah said with a quick smile, pulling him to her to press her lips against his.

After she ate, they moved over to the sofa. Micah sat at the opposite end of the sofa from John, much to his protests. She put her feet in his lap, smiling as she texted Piper.

“So, who’s going to be here tonight?” she asked, toying with the hem of her skirt. She smirked as John’s eyes roamed over the skin of her legs.

“Kennedy’s best friend, Stephen and his girlfriend, my little sister, Amanda, Em’s brother Josh and his girlfriend,” he said, trying to remember everyone with a sigh. “Let’s just say that there are going to be quite a few people here.” Micah giggled, pressing a hand against her mouth. John put his hand on her knee and she gave him a warning look.

Within twenty minutes, John had persuaded her to scoot closer to him, her legs still in his lap. His hand was on her thigh now and every minute, his lips moved closer to hers. Micah couldn’t explain her attraction to John, but it was most likely due to the fact that John reminded her a lot of Cain. They were both cocky and charming, with smiles to match.

Within minutes of being in that position, John’s lips brushed over hers. She didn’t pull away, instead, her hands moved to his neck, keeping him close. His hand slid up her thigh, under her skirt. His other hand roamed over the skin of her shoulder, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. Her hands slid down his neck, to press against his chest. After a minute of their lips moving together, Micah pulled away, her heart and breathing rate increased. She licked her lips quickly, smiling.

They heard footsteps in the hall and pulled away quickly when Garrett appeared in the living room. He looked half-asleep, his hair messy and his shirt stretched out. He looked disoriented and unaware of John and Micah’s previous actions.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” John asked, sending a nervous glance towards the bassist.

Garrett blinked twice before answering. “Manda just called. She said they’re about half an hour away. She also said that Cori and Josh are being gross. Her exact words were, ‘on a scale of one to Em and Kenny, they’re at a six.’” John laughed and Micah blushed further as Garrett looked her over. “When did you get here?” he questioned her.

“Forty-five minutes ago, maybe?” Micah answered, licking her lips nervously.

Garrett shrugged, wandering into the kitchen. “Are Pat and Jared back yet?” he asked from the kitchen.

“Not yet,” John responded. He kissed Micah quickly before standing up to join Garrett in the kitchen.

Micah could hear their quiet conversation and reached for her phone. Piper had texted her several times in the last half an hour and she hadn’t responded to any of her best friend’s messages.

John returned to the sofa a few minutes later and sat at the opposite end. Micah was about to move towards him when Garrett came into the living room, a can of Dr. Pepper in hand. He took the open seat between John and Micah. She couldn’t help but laugh, disguising the sound as a cough.

Jared and Pat returned ten minutes later and Garrett went out to help unload the van.

Kennedy and Em came out of hiding at that point. Em’s hair was sleep matted and she was wearing one of Kennedy’s t-shirts along with with her jeans. Em took Garrett’s vacated spot on the sofa, yawning loudly.

“Hey, Micah,” she said with a lazy yawn.

“Hi, Em. How was your nap?” Micah asked, smiling as Em yawned again.

“It was nice. So was Kenny. Is my brother here yet?” Em looked to John to answer her question.

“Nah, they should be here in ten minutes or so,” John answered her, rolling his eyes. Em only nodded.

They made small talk for a while, letting the men put away the groceries and the booze. It wasn’t long before there was the sound of a horn honking outside. Em’s face lit up and she headed towards the door, dragging Micah with her.

A van remarkably similar to The Maine’s was now parked in the lot and people were climbing out of it. Em was quick to embrace a guy with white blonde hair, wearing a black t-shirt and tight jeans. Micah could only assume that he was her brother. Em hugged the girl to his right next, a tall girl with wavy auburn hair.

Micah simply stood there awkwardly, her arms wrapped around her. A cool breeze had picked up and she shivered, goosebumps rising along her skin. John exited the house and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him as he led her towards a tall girl with dark wavy hair. She looked remarkably like John.

“Manda!” John roared when they got close enough. He released Micah momentarily to throw his arms around the girl. She laughed, wrapping her arms around John as well. “Micah, this is my little sister, Amanda. Manda, this is my friend Micah.”

“Hi, nice to meet you!” Amanda said with a wide smile. She extended her hand to Micah, and Micah shook it, returning her smile.

The group started to make small talk when Em came over and pulled Micah over to where her and Kennedy were standing. They were talking to four of the new arrivals, which she was introduced to. Emily’s brother Josh was the one she had hugged when they first arrived. His girlfriend Cori was by his side, their fingers laced together. Kennedy’s best friend, Stephen, was there as well, with his girlfriend Dree. Cori and Dree, Micah concluded, were just like Em: giggly and talkative.

Once all introductions had been made, everybody returned inside and Garrett phoned for a pizza. Everybody took seats in the living room, most people sitting on the floor. Micah managed to get her seat on the sofa back. Kennedy sat down beside her and Em dropped into his lap, Amanda sitting on the opposite side of them. Cori and Josh took the love seat, and Pat the arm chair. Everybody else took seats on the floor

Everybody started talking at once and Micah felt out of place. She vacated her seat and joined Garrett in the kitchen, just as he was finishing up the phone call. He raised his eyebrows, acknowledging her when she entered and she sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Garrett asked, frowning slightly. She shrugged.

“Just a lot of new people,” she responded nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry, Cori and Dree will take you under their wing soon and you’ll never be the same,” he informed her, rolling his eyes.

Micah giggled. “What do you mean?”

“They’re evil and psychotic, like Em. Amanda’s cool, she’ll love you.” Micah only smiled, tapping her fingertips on the counter top. “Once everybody gets boozed up, you’ll fit right in.” Garrett gave her an assuring smile. She licked her lips and nodded, taking his word for it.