Cry Wolf

Brielle didn't speak to anyone for a while after that. A few days passed before she left her house, and even then she took the back roads around town to steer clear from anyone she knew. While not one for appearances, she didn't want to look like the slob she felt. Her hair stuck out everywhere, tousled by her pillow she remained planted to for so long. And much to some people's surprise her skin was pale because, unlike most others, she hadn't spent time outside soaking in the sun to darken it. Not that she cared. Why should she?

She moved along the streets with her head bent low. Her phone buzzed in her palm, but she made no effort to answer it right away. She knew who it would be. Kiefer had tried to get hold of her since she found out about him and Roxanne, and she knew by now they were already dating. It was a shock in itself Kayleigh hadn't busted down her door to tell her that as well. Curiosity drove her to look down at her phone, press enter, and watch the screen illuminate with one of the numerous text messages she refused to answer.

Brie? What's going on. Txt me.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment, then closed the phone shut. He waited this long, he could wait longer. After all, what could she say? “I didn't answer you because I'm too jealous to—because I can't stand thinking about you being with someone other than me?” It didn't work, and it wasn't her. Desperation never helped anything, and she knew it wouldn't assist in her cause now. So she pushed on further, ignoring the looks people gave her as she walked along without a care in the world.

She stopped when she reached the family restaurant, the familiar “Davis Grill” sign glinting in the harsh sunlight. Inside she saw her mother running about, gathering people's orders, while her father manned the register and servers milled about with trays piled up on their arms. If there was one thing she loved about summer's in Centerport, it was the fact that she got to work with her family. They never let her work during the school year, insisting she kept up her grades instead of worrying about making money. According to them, the money would take care of it by itself. And it did. Not only were they living in one of the more wealthy parts of Long Island—aside from the Hamptons, that is—but they stayed afloat in wages for the most part.

It was a common knowledge that people loved Davis Grill. If anything it was a hot spot for most of the teenagers in town, most of which piling up in the general serving area day in and day out, as well as one for families, who were seated in the private back room. From where she stood in front of the window she could see friends from school, all chatting together, their faces animated. Standing there for so long, however, alerted the attention of Kayleigh, who ushered her over with the wave of her hand.

Brielle shook her head. “Oh. No. I...I couldn't,” she said, stepping backward. “I should be heading home. You know, to clean up...and stuff.”

“Sweetie, go have fun with your friends. Go to the beach, work on your tan, or whatever it is you kids do these days. You've been locked up in your room all week, and it's not like you,” Mrs. Davis said who, looking as though she overheard her daughter, stepped out from behind the restaurant's counter and wrapped a warm arm around Brielle's slight shoulders.

Brielle glanced up at her, then shifted her attention back to Kayleigh and began laughing. “Fine, but I won't like it.”

Mrs. Davis chuckled, patted her on the shoulder, and walked away to stand beside her husband and return to the work at hand. Brielle sat down in front of Kayleigh, sending an uneasy smile in her boyfriend, Caleb's, direction. He leaned back in his chair, unfazed. For as long as the two had been dating Caleb only said a handful of statements to Brielle. He didn't speak much, she assumed. At least not when she was around. Not that it was any of her business. So she found herself surprised when he opened his mouth to speak.

“A bunch of my friends are going to the movies. It's too hot outside to really do anything,” he said, tapping his fingers along Kayleigh's shoulder. “Plus, they have air-conditioning.”

Brielle snorted. Caleb's friends were all a bunch of band nuts who did nothing in their spare time besides write music and perform their music. They probably ate, slept and dreamed music day in and day out. All day everyday. Most had heard of the band, but Brielle didn't care much for their music. A bunch of guys singing about girls and love—well, what was the fun in that? And it didn't help that one of their songs was conveniently named “Kayleigh,” which everyone knew to be about the lead singer's girlfriend.

That wasn't to say they were terrible. They were quite the opposite, just not so much Brielle's taste. But when he mentioned going to the movies with a bunch of the band members, she wondered which ones were tagging along. She met a few here and there at school, yet never got to know them on a more personal level. Kiefer, who she spent most of her time with, spent more time with the jocks than not. When she spent time with Kayleigh, it was as though she were entering another world. Sure, the band were popular, but they tended to hang out with different people than she was used to.

The three of them left the establishment in a hurry, hopped into Caleb's car, and proceeded to head toward the movie theater. Anything to get Brielle's mind away from the inner turmoil she suffered from. From where she sat in the back seat she could see Kayleigh's worried face tugged into a frown that didn't fit her joyous face. Much to her surprise Caleb glanced back as well, passing her a foreign looking smile. The last time she'd seen him smile he asked Kayleigh to be his girlfriend, and that was way back in tenth grade. She made a mental note to spend more time with them.

When they pulled up in front of the movie theater Caleb got out of the car right away, while Kayleigh demanded that Brielle stay where she was. Before Brielle could protest the blonde began twisting her hair behind her head, french-braiding it to make it look less unappealing than she was more than sure it was at the moment. Brielle thanked her as they clambered out of the car together, grinning upon seeing the guys walking over.

“Tell me their names again?” Brielle asked, talking out the side of her mouth as she watched them come closer.

“The one with the blond hair—that's the drummer—is Jayson; call him Jay. The one next to him is the bassist. His name is Brody. The one next to Brody is the guitarist and his name is Raymond. He's Jayson's twin, and like Jay, prefers to be called Ray.” She giggled in amusement. “That way they can go by Ray Jay.”

Brielle's lips quirked at the sides. She gave the guys a quick once-over after hearing what Kayleigh had to say, shocked that she forgot what they all looked like. They were all attractive for starters. Brody, with his windswept, chocolate colored hair. Jayson with his rugged jaw, and Raymond with his broadened shoulders. The twins, Jayson and Raymond—or “Ray Jay”--held her attention the longest, though. Their eyes glinted a wonderful green in the sunlight, but behind them lingered an emotion she couldn't put a name to.

They approached then, swept up in claps on the back from Caleb, and hugs from Kayleigh. Brielle stood off to the side, eyes locked on the ground. Laughter met her ears, followed by what seemed to be the sound of Kayleigh calling her over. Brielle walked up to the couple's side, waving to the guys standing in a line before them.

“Well, are we going to see a movie or not?” Jay asked, chuckling.

-.-.-

The movie turned out good enough. Romantic comedies were never Brielle's favorites. She'd seen way too many over the years with Kiefer that she could predict the ending halfway through the movie. The plots were always the same. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy. Boy and girl end up somehow falling in love. There is a climax, and one of the two end up leaving or finding out something which would cause irreversible damage to their relationship. Or so they thought, because by the last ten minutes of the movie they always breach a realization: they cannot live without each other.

Life wasn't like that. People didn't meet by chance—or stumble into their lives, so to speak—and fall in love. Love took time. Building a relationship to work up to love took more time. Everything in life took time. And yet these couples in the movies made it look so easy. A little mishap here and there, a little fumble, but the outcome was always the same. Brielle wished she could have that outcome with Kiefer, but somewhere along the way something shifted. Somewhere along the way he decided he much preferred a model-pretty cheerleader over his best friend.

The guys decided they wanted to go to some kid named Darren's house party. A kick off to the summer season was what they called it. Brielle agreed to go, but first desired a change in clothes. They headed back to Kayleigh's and the girls slipped into bathing suits, then dressed themselves over it. Brielle chose a simple tank top and shorts, while Kayleigh chose something a bit more...risque. Her shirt reached just above her belly button, while her shorts were so short Brielle wondered if they could be considered shorts at all.

“Who are you trying to impress?” Brielle asked, poking fun at the blonde. “Isn't your boyfriend waiting outside in the living room? Isn't your boyfriend going to be mad if you become eye candy for everyone in the room?”

Kayleigh shrugged. “He'll like the outfit,” she said, “and he's sexy when he's jealous.” With a wink the girl bounded over to the door and pried it open, calling to her boyfriend and disappearing down the hall.

Brielle walked over to the mirror, twisting her newly curled hair around her finger. Kayleigh insisted on “prettying her up” but this...wasn't her. She never went to parties with Kayleigh, but instead with Kiefer, meeting up with Kayleigh. Now the roles were switched. How had that happened? Kiefer, who used to tell her everything, and yet he'd kept something as huge as a new relationship secret. Secrets were never kept between them. This—it wasn't like him. Her jaw clenched at the thought, the figure in the mirror imitating her every move.

Deciding to make the best of the night, she sighed and walked out of the room, nearly knocking over Jayson in the process. The two stumbled for a bit, arms and legs a tangled mess, before catching their bearings and pulling apart. Brielle more so to keep an extended chunk of space between the two. She couldn't lie in saying that Jayson wasn't attractive, but she didn't want to admit that he was, either. No other man could fill the void of Kiefer. Not when she'd gone so long relying on him for everything.

“O-oh—sorry. I thought the bathroom was this way,” he said, steadying the smaller girl.

Her eyes locked on his emerald ones for a moment, breath catching in the back of her throat. She shook her head, ignoring the way her heart raced in her chest. “It's all right. The bathroom is one more room down on your left.”

He dipped his head, casting her an apologetic grin. “Thanks.”

She walked down the hallway, glancing over her shoulder at the now closed bathroom door. Jayson...well, how hadn't she noticed him before at school? He was handsome, in a more rugged kind of way. She could see the stubble lining his face from up close, the contours of his high cheekbones, and the little flecks of blue in his eyes when he lowered his face to hers to steady her. And it worried her that Kiefer reminded her of Jayson, when she knew in the back of her mind she needed to move on from him. Would everyone grow to resemble Kiefer?

Shaking her head, she continued down the hall and lingered at the door-frame leading into the living room. Ray and Brody were talking in the kitchen, further in the distance, but it was not them who grabbed her attention. No. It was Kayleigh and Caleb lay curled up on the couch, their hands intertwined who caugh her attention. For a moment she felt like she should turn away, that this wasn't something meant for her eyes.

They'd been dating a long while, and yet she failed to realize the love echoing from their voices and resounding in their eyes and mannerisms. She pondered for a moment what it would be like to experience love like that. Love in which they started off as two barely sixteen year old teenagers, blossomed into adults along the way, and here they were, the product of true bliss. She wondered if all love was that way.

Brielle remained frozen at the door until she felt something warm and solid against her back. She didn't need to turn around to tell Jayson found his way back from the bathroom. He didn't speak, however. Instead he looked ahead, as if thinking the same thing she was, with an odd expression lining his features. It wasn't jealousy or disappointment, but something in the middle. Longing, maybe, though Brielle couldn't quite tell. Still, he stared ahead with a stony expression, closed off from all that surrounded him.

The couple moved from the couch then, and they both stepped into the room, ready to leave for the party. Jayson, clearly not one for uncomfortable situations—or, in this case the curious looks they gave them—explained Brielle had shown him the way to the bathroom, then the two bumped into each other as they were about to enter the living room. Nothing too crazy or embellished, much to her pleasure. There were way too many times when Kiefer lied for them, because everyone assumed friends like them had to be more than just that, and ended up digging the couple a deeper hole.

Satisfied, the couple headed toward the door, Brody and Ray catching on and bounding behind. Brielle glanced over at Jayson, who kept a distance between Kayleigh and Caleb, but also herself and the others. It was then when she felt Brody and Ray curl their arms around her shoulders, that she let her attention wander to something other than the odd teen and move onto something more trivial. Like conversations about how she should be a groupie for the band.

“Groupie's are sluts,” Brielle said, folding her arms across my chest. The boys shook their heads, though she could see them sniggering regardless. “Oh, so they're not? And yet they're practically expected to be used for sex. You know, after a long concert, they screw the band members? No thanks.” She stuck my tongue out at them, then upturned her jaw and acted hurt.

“Aw. Come on, Brielle.” Brody dragged out the name for as long as possible, that childish grin of his forever plastered on his lips.

Ray leaned in closer, a grin lining his mouth as well. “Not all groupies are sluts.”

“Just most,” Brody said, high-fiving his friend.

Brielle rolled my eyes at their immaturity, though failed to keep her laughter at bay. “Fine, fine, fine. I'll be a groupie, but one that sticks to wearing your band tees and goes to shows. No sex. Not now. Not later. Not ever. Got it?”

The boys proceeded to fist pump all the way to the car, excited over their new groupie. When Brielle hopped into Caleb's car she pressed her head against the glass window, wondering just what kind of night was ahead of her.