You're Anything but Ordinary

Later that day, after we’d stuffed ourselves with pancakes and downed two cups of coffee each, we were lounging around the bus like the lazy asses we are. I was back in the party room with Stephen, listening to him pluck the strings on his bass.

“Hey Stephen, I got a question.” I was lying on the couch, my head in his lap.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Do you think that Brian and I could ever date?”

He stopped plucking and pushed his hair out of his face. He was silent for a second.

“What?” I asked. He seemed uncomfortable. I’d talked to him about guys before. He never seemed to mind until now.

“Nothing. It’s just… Ahh, forget it.”

I poked his arm. “Come on, tell me what you were gonna say.”

“Alright, fine. Brian? Really? Come on, Abs, he’s a total jerk. Sure he’s a great friend and all, but he’s never dated a girl for longer than like a couple of weeks. He wouldn’t be a very good choice of a boyfriend.”

I was taken aback. “W-well, since Brian and I have been friends for a long time maybe it would be different…”

He sighed and rubbed his eye. This was so not like him. He’d never been up to spilling out feelings to each other, but at least he was usually supportive. I was anticipating an agreement, not a lecture.

“Abby, Brian would be better off as your friend. You may want to find another guy.”

I sat up. “Are you serious?”

He just looked at me.

“You think that you can tell me who I can and can’t date? You are so wrong, Stephen. We aren’t going out, you can’t tell me what to do. Why are you all of a sudden so concerned about me dating Brian?”

“Abby, I didn’t mean it like –”

Brian walked in. “What are you kids up to?” he asked with a goofy smile.

I stood up and walked over by him. He put his arm around me. “I was just leaving.”

***

Later, when the sun began to set, we all gathered in the party room with beer, vodka, and shot glasses. I stuck to Brian’s side, paying no attention to Stephen.

I wondered if I was a little hard on Stephen about the whole thing. But he didn’t have to be so harsh. I liked Brian, and Stephen couldn’t stop that. What I didn’t understand is why he cared so much about it.

I sat cuddled up close to Brian with a beer in my hand. His arm was draped over my shoulders, head resting on top of mine. He was already halfway done with his second beer.

John skipped over to stand in front of us, holding a camera. “Smile!”

I buried my face in Brian’s chest as John snapped the picture. “Bitch!” he yelled as he skipped away to torment someone else.

“So what’s up with you and Stephen?”

I looked up at Brian, whose face was inches from mine. “Huh?”

“You guys just haven’t talked or anything since this afternoon, and I thought it was a little weird. Are you guys in a fight?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sort of.”

He turned his body towards me. “Come on, tell me about it. Who would I tell?” He flashed a brilliant white smile.

I couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s nothing, really.”

He shrugged. “Alright, then.”

As the night went on, more and more beers and shots were downed. I was getting a little fuzzy around the edges, and I could tell that Brian was, too.

“Abby,” he breathed in my face.

I giggled. “Brian,” I mocked him.

He kissed my cheek. “You’re so cute.” Weird. I was usually the one doing the cheek-kissing around here.

“So are you.” We were still cuddled up on the couch. I was sitting on his lap, my arms around his neck.

“Abby, would you be mad if I…”

“If you–“ He leaned in and planted his lips on mine.

I kissed him back gently and pulled away. John was in our faces with the camera. “That’s hot! Gimme something more to work with!” He snapped several pictures of us.

I turned back to Brian, ignoring the camera flashes, and smiled.

“I love that smile,” Brian said.

I kissed him again. People around us were cheering. At that moment, I would’ve loved to see what Stephen’s face looked like.