You Drain The Life From Me.

"Leigh, I-"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to. That's what I took you here for."

I looked down at the leftover bits of my pancakes and used my fork to move them around aimlessly.

"Um, guys, I think we're gonna go. Thanks for the company," Stephen mumbled. He threw two twenty dollar bills on the table and took my hand, leading us out of the restaurant.

The car ride home was painfully silent. I refused to speak. A month without Stephen? Things were just starting to get good.

I needed to talk to someone. "Stephen," I said through gritted teeth, "Drop me off at home."

"Home as in your house?"

"Yes."

"Um, okay."

He made a u-turn and headed for my house, all the while fidgeting and sighing repeatedly.

When he pulled into my driveway, I popped my seatbelt loose and opened the car door.

"I'll see you tonight," I said.

"Y-yeah. I'll see you then," he stuttered, surprised that I was talking to him.

I walked up the familiar pathway, going up the two steps and knocking on the door that I had come in and out of about a thousand times in my life.

Shane opened the door, rubbing at his eyes, probably expecting a Girl Scout or something because all he said was, "Look, I know you have delicious cookies and stuff but my mom said that if I bought anymore behind her back, she would take away my Xbox-"

"I don't have any cookies," I interrupted, "But I brought hugs!"

He finally looked up and his eyes widened. "Leigh!"

I chuckled. "Hi, Shane. Did you just wake up?"

He nodded. "I went back to sleep after John woke me up. You missed him, actually, he went to IHOP with the guys."

"I'm not here to see John, Shane."

"You're not?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"Nope, I'm here to see mom. Is she home?"

"She went to the grocery store. You can wait for her, though. I don't think she'll take long."

He stepped back and let me inside.

"How's the baby doing?" he asked curiously.

"The baby's doing fine, thank you for asking, dear."

"Is it starting to kick yet?"

"Not yet, kiddo. But when I feel a kick, I'll tell you right away."

"Sweet! I can't wait to see if the kid's a boy or a girl. And I wonder if he'll have your eyes. And your hair! And your freckles!"

"You sound way too excited about this baby for a kid who just woke up, Shane."

"I'm not a kid!" he defended with a pout.

"Okay!" I said, holding my hands up in defeat.

"Wanna play Halo with me?"

I hadn't played Halo in a while. Stephen didn't really have a fondness for video games, and I couldn't bring the PlayStation or Xbox with me to the apartment because I knew John, Ross, and Shane needed them more than I did.

As we set up, I noticed someone was missing. "Where's Ross?"

"With his girlfriend," Shane replied easily.

I, on the other hand, didn't take it as easy. "Girlfriend?! When did this happen?"

"Like, last month. But he only announced it on Monday. I think he's bringing her to Sunday dinner."

A girlfriend? My little brother had a girlfriend?

"Have you met her?"

He shook his head. "Ross tells me about her. Her name is Julianna or something, and I think he actually really likes her. He said he's not in it for the pussy, he's in it because he likes her."

"The pussy?! Shane, do you even know what that means?"

"Leigh, I'm not a baby, you know. I'm going to eighth grade next year. Of course I know what it means."

I just laughed. "Alright, let's get this game going!"



I was making Shane a grilled cheese when my mother stepped through the door, arms full of plastic bags. Shane made an immediate move to help her just as I slid the sandwich onto a plate and set it on the kitchen island.

"Leigh, what a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to drop by and hang out with Shane, and I kind of needed to get my mind off things." I shut the stove off and Shane took this as a hint to take his food elsewhere.

As soon as I heard the opening credits to the Powerpuff Girls (why  on Earth was that boy watching the Powerpuff Girls?), I sat at the island with my mother and she looked at me with a slightly worried expression.

"What is it honey?"

I sighed. "Stephen's going on tour. He's leaving me in the apartment alone."

"How long is he going to be gone?"

"A month." A pout formed on my lips.

"I assume you're not too happy with him at the moment?"

"No...well, I'm not...mad, well, I am I guess, he didn't even tell me. He  said he was going to, but we ran into the guys at IHOP and..."

I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"I know you're upset," my mother started, "But maybe this could be a learning experience. I'm sure that Stephen isn't happy about leaving either, but this is something he has to do. It's his job; it's his life and what he lives for. And it's quite obvious that you're a part of his life as well, and he would obviously take you with him if you weren't in the condition you're in. Maybe since he's leaving, you can learn how to function without him because I'm sure that he'll be going on more tours in the future. Just try to make the most of the time you have with him before he leaves. Don't spend it feeling anger towards him, then he'll leave on a bad note and that's never good."

I jumped off the stool and hugged my mom tightly. "Thanks, mom. I really appreciate the advice."

She kissed me on the forehead and squeezed me back just as tight. "Go get 'em, tiger."



I shoved the key into the lock and took a deep breath. I was preparing to suck up my pride and apologize to Stephen for getting angry. I had no right to get worked up. It's not like he was trying to hide it from me. He was just waiting for the right time, and the right time just wasn't in front of the boys.

"Stephen?"

"Leigh, you're back?"

I nodded. I walked up to him timidly and stared at the floor as I talked. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. I had no right to. In all shameful honesty, I have no idea why I got mad. I'm upset, that's for sure, but I shouldn't be upset with you."

He opened up his arms and I willingly walked into them. "I forgive you. And I get why you got upset. Don't worry about it, baby."