Sweet Illusions

The ride to Jared's house was awkward and quiet, nothing but the radio despite John's attempts at conversation Elliot peered out the window staring at the world passing her by. She bit her lip, pining for palm trees and sea breezes. She wanted something familiar, something that at least reminded her of home.

Yeah, we can reschedule our skype sesh, I miss you :) she read from Parker, she missed him too, but she would never tell him. Part of her wanted to just break up with the poor kid, so he wouldn't be wasting his time with her.

"So do you have a boyfriend?" John asked turning his head towards the console to face her, she crossed her leg and raised her eyebrow, only catching the end of what he said. "You know a boyfriend, man friend, friend with benefit or husband? Wait, girlfriend?" John listed before a devious smile crossed his lips.

"Your friend is a creep," Elliot dismissed him looking Kennedy in the eyes through the rearview mirror and John's smile dropped. Kennedy let out a laugh and nodded, completely happy John was getting shot down. She returned to her phone and continued texting random people as he jerked into a stop in a driveway throwing them all forward. Elliot climbed out of the car, shoving her phone in her back pocket and following the boys to the house.

"So you never answered my question," John asked, bouncing back from the minor blow to his ego. Kennedy rolled his eyes before knocking on the front door, waiting for her response, instead she simply gave him a half smile which neither of them knew what that could possibly mean.

"Bros, and lady?" Jared answered the door, his eyes falling onto the girl he'd never seen before. She gave him a small wave before he opened the door wide enough for everyone to come inside the house. "I'm Jared, nice to meet you," He extended his hand before she took it smiling graciously.

"Elliot, I'm Kennedy's step-sister?" She said as she shook his hand, not used to the term quite yet. Jared's eyes grew wide as their hands parted and he shot a look over to Kennedy.

"Dude, I didn't know your dad got married," Jared laughed, walking towards his bedroom and assuming they would follow behind him. John closed the front door behind him and watched Elliot making her way into the house, his eyes focused on her naughty bits.

"Yeah, me either," Kennedy and Elliot both said in unison, it was surprising to both of them and they let out shy laughs. They smiled, realizing that maybe they could be friends since they both seemed bitter about their parents' marriage to one another. Elliot suddenly felt an urge to befriend her new step-brother, he seemed to have attitude which she liked and he had a brotherly demeanor about him.

"Weird, do you guys want something to drink? I'm gonna grab a coke," Jared laughed before standing up from the seat he had just took on his bed. He pointed to where he was going before John stood up with the opportunity to finally talk to someone alone. Kennedy and Elliot shook their heads idly and both awkwardly darted their eyes around the room.

Once John and Jared were in the kitchen, Jared grabbed a coke from the fridge for both John and himself. "Before you say it, it's a bad idea," Jared chimed, cracking open his coke and taking a cool sip. His green eyes narrowing at his best friend, he knew John well enough to know that if there was a girl involved, nothing good could happen.

"What ever do you mean my ginger friend?" John smiled coyly before opening his own coke and jumping up to sit on the counter. Jared scoffed and John sighed, slightly wishing that Jared would've played along. "I'm totally gonna get with her," John smiled cockily.

"First of all, good luck with that because she's one of the hottest girls I've seen who wasn't in a Victoria's Secret catalog. Second of all, that's Kennedy's new step sister, they just met and now they're related don't you think you should give them a chance to get their own complications sorted out before you muddy the water with your filthy little games?" Jared listed out, he had always been the rational, perfect boyfriend friend and John had always been the man-whore friend.

"My friend, your lack of faith is disturbing, and if anything her getting the full O'Callaghan experience if anything is gonna bring her closer to Kennedy," John said trying to act like he knew what he was talking about, with a pseudo-condescending tone.

"Yeah, how? You're gonna fuck her, you're gonna be an asshole like you always are, piss her off, she'll hate you and then she'll hate Kennedy because you're his best friend," Jared rolled his eyes wondering what the hell his best friend was thinking that he could justify acting selfishly.

"Fine, I'll wait till her and Kennedy are buddy-buddy, but believe you, me; I shall rock her world all night long and maybe all morning long too," John sighed, realizing that his best friend's home life was probably more important than his sexual escapades. He followed Jared who started walking back into the bedroom and laughed cruelly.

"You're such an asshole," Jared chuckled before entering the room.

"You have a vinyl player? I've always wanted one of those," Kennedy gushed as they seemed to be in their own world. "I have a Kooks vinyl I bought a while ago, but I forgot at the moment I didn't have a record player," Kennedy laughed slightly.

"I love The Kooks, dude! I actually have a couple of their vinyls, I swear I spend on my money on records," Elliot laughed, she was pleasantly surprised that she was getting along with Kennedy, not only did he remind her of her best friend back home in California, but he was like her long lost brother.

"So, Elliot, you should totally come to our show tomorrow, it's like our big hometown show," Jared smiled politely. He had seemed quite nice to her and she appreciated it after meeting John, she was beginning to lose her faith in Arizona boys.

"Yeah dude, that sounds like fun. The main question would be are you guys good?" She chuckled to let them know she was joking, but it was an honest question. She didn't really feel like wasting her money on a ticket for a show where she would want to claw her eyeballs out.

"Psh, we're awesome," Jared scoffed in a phony narcissistic voice, causing everyone to laugh.

"Well, alright then I guess I could make an appearance," Elliot laughed tossing her hair over her shoulder before her phone began vibrating. She smiled seeing the name on the phone and answered it pressing it up to her ear. "Papa? Salut! Oui, je suis comme ci comme ca, et vous? Ah bien, Papa, peux je vous telephoner a plus tard? Je suis dehors avec des amis. Oui, je t'aime aussi! À bientôt," She smiled brightly before hanging up the phone and seeing three dropped jaws.

"Are you French?" Kennedy asked, wondering where she had pulled that from. She had been surprisingly cool and unbitchy, and he was glad. There was actually a hope that they could be friends and make their parents' lives hell together.John raised an eyebrow at the girl he had just met, she just got hotter and hotter in his eyes.

"Oh no, I'm American, my dad he's French. He's a journalist and he's always traveling around the world which is why I live with my mom. You may have seen him, Henri Grant? He's on CNN," Elliot felt a proud smile growing on her lips. She adored her father, even though his job meant he had to be gone so much of the time, she coveted his life. The constant adventure and traveling, but the same thing she loved about her father's job is what tore her parents apart in the end.

"No fucking way, that's your dad? I always thought he was British, but I guess French makes sense too! He's the guy who was like getting all shot up at in like Afghanistan, but he like ran back to save that kid, right?" Jared's jaw dropped before Kennedy's eyes grew wide. He didn't even watch the news and he knew who Henri Grant was.

"Yeah," Elliot smiled, a sadness growing in her eyes. The day she saw that footage in class, she couldn't contact her father which led her to be in tears for half the day until he sent her a text message saying he would call her when his plane landed in Germany. "So, what do you guys do for fun?" She asked after clearing her throat wanting to change the subject. John held his tongue from saying hopefully you and they boys mouthed off about music and video games.

They continued talking for a couple of hours until Elliot's phone began buzzing again, but this time it was Laura wanting both of them home for dinner. John had drawn back into himself, keeping a promise to Jared not to mess with Elliot until her and Kennedy were bona fide siblings, but learning more about her he couldn't help but wonder if he was getting in over his head.