Where You Belong

Two weeks had passed since I'd come back to Huntington, and I'd done well with staying off the radar. It hadn’t been easy; Brian's parents lived right next door, so whenever I absolutely had to go out, I was careful to make sure they weren’t around to see me coming and going. It was only a matter of time before someone came over and asked about the shiny, black sports car parked on the curb every day.

I'd moved my things into my old room. It was a tight squeeze; I had a bit of a shoe fetish and not a lot of storage. My old twin-sized bed had also been replaced with a queen-sized one, taking more space, at my parents' request. They were adamant that I get the best possible sleep because my pregnancy seemed to be rough on my body. Morning sickness for me was all-day-random-sickness. I was exhausted easily, so my mother made sure I was well fed, while my father made sure I was comfortable and well rested. My ankles had recently started swelling for some strange reason, though I still wasn't showing.

After two weeks of rarely moving, I was ready to get out of the house. I'd made a shopping list and decided to go to the grocery store, just to get some fresh air. I'd felt too cooped up for too long.

I woke up and dressed in a pair of Victoria's Secret PINK yoga pants and a random tank top. My ankles made it impossible to wear heels as I normally did, so I settled for some flip flops before tossing my hair up and throwing my bag over my shoulder. Covering my eyes with sunglasses as I left the house, I made a beeline straight for my car in hopes of not being seen.

No such luck, today.

"Well, I'll be damned! Brittany, is that you?" a warm voice exclaimed from behind me. I froze in my spot, knowing I'd finally been spotted. Turning, I was met with a pair of chocolate brown eyes and crooked smile, staring at Brian's dad.

"Hi, Papa," I smiled softly, standing still as he jogged over to where I was standing. He looked me over and grinned, instantly reminding me of his own son. Brian and his dad, Brian Sr., looked exactly alike despite their age differences.

"Well, look at you now!" he chuckled, pulling me into a tight hug, "You've grown up so much! I was wondering who the owner of this fancy little car was; Kenna's been eyeing it for days." he smiled brightly, releasing me from his hold. I smiled back.

"How is she doing these days? She should be in high school by now, right?" I asked, hoping to make conversation. As much as I didn't want people knowing I was here, I couldn't deny that I'd missed Brian Sr. like crazy while I was gone. He was like a second dad to me and the rest of the gang when growing up.

"Yeah," he concluded with another smile? "She's a junior this year and just got her first little boyfriend..." he added with a grumble and roll of his eyes towards the end of his statement. I giggled. He and Brian were just alike.

"You been beatin' them boys off of her with a stick, huh?" I guessed knowingly. McKenna, Brian's little sister, had always been a pretty girl. Now that shed grown a pair of boobs, to put it bluntly, I knew the boys were running after her like flies on dog shit.

"You know it, kid," he answered with a chuckle, "Your dad and I had to do the same with you."

That statement made me giggle. I could clearly remember all of the times he and my dad had teamed up to spy on my dates or completely barge in on them. Any boy who came near the house was thoroughly interrogated by both Brian’s and my dad, and threatened with our dads' shotguns. Needless to say, boys were scared to even look at me.

"Yeah, I know." I smiled at the memories.

"So," Brian began, "What brings you back home? You visiting?"

Shit, I thought, what would I tell him?

I decided on the truth since he was so smart, "Moving back, actually." Hopefully, he'd leave it at that. Guess that was asking for too much.

"You don't say? I thought you were staying with that one guy, what's-his-name? M--"

"I was, but we just weren't seeing eye to eye about some things," I answered quickly, cutting him off. I didn't want to hear his name because I was sure I wouldn't have a handle on my emotions then. I didn't want or need anyone's pity, so I'd keep my problems to myself for as long as I could.

Papa seemed to understand that it was a touchy subject and backed off, "I see. Well, I'll let you go ahead and get to whatever. I'm glad you're back, sweetie; I know everyone around here has missed you like hell!"

With that, he waved before moving back up his driveway as I got into my car. I waved back, cranking the engine and driving off to the store.

Once inside the grocery store, I grabbed a cart for myself and began pushing it through various isles. I picked up foods that the doctor had recommended I start eating more of to get the nutrients I needed, as well as some junk food that I was currently craving. I was just coming out of the magazine section with a couple of maternity magazines in hand when my cart collided with someone else's.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry!" I apologized after having jumped back in fright, placing a hand on my stomach as some means of protection for myself and the fetus growing inside of me.

"No, it was me who wasn't looking where I was going," a familiar voice reassured me, causing my eyes to widen in shock.

I knew that voice anywhere.

I turned my attention from my stomach to a pair of chocolate brown eyes and gasped as they widened at the sight of me.

"And here I thought my dad was making it up when he claimed he saw you today!" Brian grinned as he pushed our carts out of the way and snatched me up into a tight hug. The magazines in my hand dropped to the floor as I quickly hugged him back, taking in his signature scent of cologne, cigarettes, and mint, "You have no idea how much we've all missed you, kid!"

At that, my hormones kicked in without a warning and I burst into tears. I felt Brian stiffen for a second, probably because he knew I never was one for crying, but he then relaxed and held onto me tighter, pressing a kiss to my temple and rubbing his hands up and down my back.

"I never realized just how much I missed you all until I got back into town," I managed to squeak out, feeling my legs give way underneath me. I was so happy and overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't even function properly. "I should have never left in the first place."

"Aww, Britt," Brian chuckled softly, this time pulling me away from him and holding me out at arm's length, just as his father had done earlier, "You did what you wanted to do by moving, and look how successful you are now. But you're back home, and I'm glad you are. Now stop these waterworks and give me a smile."

I giggled as Brian tickled my nose and pulled me into another hug, exclaiming how great I looked. I simply smiled, though in the back of my mind, all I could think about was how I'd look the opposite of great within the next few months. That brought me back to reality in an instant and I sighed softly. My behavior immediately alerted him, and he frowned down at me.

"Britt, you okay?" he asked with concern in his eyes. Brian knew how to read me just by looking in my eyes, so I kept my gaze on the ground. "Britt?"

"I-I'm fine..." I answered quietly, staring at my shoes.

It was then that I noticed the two forgotten maternity magazines by my feet. My heart kicked into overdrive as I tried to think of a way to either divert Brian’s attention or subtly move the magazines out of his sight. It seemed as though I'd been thinking for too long because within seconds, Brian was reaching down and picking them up, eyeing them curiously. He held them up in front of me with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doing with these?" he asked, clearly confused. I moved to speak, but my mouth opened and closed like that of a fish. He continued to stare at me.

"Uh," I stammered, finally getting enough courage to speak, "I-I was just looking--"

"Gates, I leave you alone for five minutes, and you're already terrorizing other people!" a loud voice boomed from behind me, causing me to whip around and face whoever had spoken. The tears started again as I looked and saw Jimmy, who looked just as shocked to see me. "Britt?! Where the hell did you come from?!"

A short reunion soon followed, and the three of us all exchanged a few stories of what'd we been doing since we'd last seen each other. It turned out that all of the guys were still in a band together, having gotten signed just as I was starting high school and came to meet them. Jimmy elaborated on some of the crazy stories from the band's tours, while Brian updated me on everyone's relationship statuses and side projects. Val was happily married to Matt and doing some modeling. Michelle and Brian were still going strong, and she helped Brian with his own clothing line. Johnny was now dating a girl named Lacy, who I was excited to meet, and Jimmy was excited to introduce me to his fiancée, Leana, who he claimed reminded him of me every day.

"And what about Zack?" I asked, noticing he had left one of our best friends out of the equation.

Zack was just as close to me as Johnny was, if not a little closer in some way. We connected emotionally, somehow. We could often understand each other better than we understood ourselves, and were extremely aware of one another's emotions and feelings. As I spoke, Brian and Jimmy eyed each other, clearly engaging in a silent conversation. I watched as Brian nodded at Jimmy before Jimmy stepped forward, gingerly placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Britt," Jimmy started seriously, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Before you get yourself too worked up, Zack's going through a bit of a hard time right now--"

"What do you mean?" I demanded, cutting him off as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Is he hurt or sick? What's wrong?"

"No, no," Brian intervened, pulling me from Jimmy's grasp and into his side, "Physically he's fine, but mentally, he's a little stressed."

"Well, what's he stressed for?" I asked impatiently. They were clearly sugarcoating things and beating around the bush, much to my annoyance.

"He's just got some relationship issues," Brian answered vaguely, sending me a soft smile. I narrowed my eyes. He wasn't telling me the entire truth, and we all knew it. I began tapping my foot, alerting him to my frustration. I was extremely protective of all the boys, but especially Val and Zack because I understood their emotions so much better than the others. "He's dealing with them, don't worry, it's just--"

"What kind of relationship issues?" I interrogated, looking him dead in the eyes. I knew he had a weakness when it came to the looks I could give people, and he would cave instantly. Well, normally. I was surprised when Brian looked over at Jimmy, shaking his head.

"It's not for us to say, Britt," Jimmy took over, this time pulling me away from Brian and back into his own arms. What was this, tug-of-war with Brittany? I mumbled a couple of vile, incoherent words and stared both men down. Jimmy sighed, "Just know that he's in an on and off again relationship, and lately, he's just been down in the dumps, okay?"

"Down in the dumps?!" I finally exploded in the middle of the store, causing both men to visibly cringe, "You mean to tell me he's stuck in a relationship with some rat-faced bitch who's making his life a living hell? Is that what you're telling me?!" I shrieked, tossing my hands into the air. Brian quickly shushed me, while Jimmy looked at me oddly, most likely because of my outburst.

"Well--" Brian started, but I quickly cut him off.

"That better not be what you're trying to tell me, Brian Elwin!"

It was clear to anyone that had ever known me that my emotions were running a little haywire at the moment. Sure, I'd always had a temper that I fought to keep in check, but unless I was royally pissed, I'd never used to fly off the handle over anything, the way I was doing now.

"Look, he'll work things out and he'll be fine, Britt," Jimmy assured me, knowing just how protective I could get over my best friend, "But on the bright side, Leana and I are having a barbeque at my place tomorrow afternoon; it'd mean a lot to me if the two of you could meet each other. Also, everyone else will be there, and you know we all have some catching up to do. Will you come?" he asked gently, with a soft smile.

I thought about it. As much as I didn't want many people to see that I was back quite yet, there'd be no point in hiding away in my parents' house. I couldn't hide forever, and now that both Brian Sr., Brian, and Jimmy had seen me back here, it would only be a matter of time before all the people I used to know would come hunt me down. I sighed and looked at Jimmy before nodding.

"Yeah, I'll go," I answered softly, casting my gaze to my feet. With a chuckle, Jimmy swept me up into a bone-crushing hug and swung me around, much to my protests. He set me down and then tore a page out of a random book on the shelf next to him, scribbling his number and address on it. "Jimmy, if they saw you do that, you're totally paying for that book." I pointed out with a giggle, causing him to smirk down at me.

"Guess we'll just have to make a quick exit," he grinned, handing me the paper before walking back over to the cart he and Brian were sharing. Brian quickly hugged me and pressed another kiss to my head before waving, leaving with Jimmy, "Don't forget! My house at one!"

"Yeah, and if you don't show, we'll come find you!" Brian hollered as they both disappeared down the other end of the isle.

With a soft giggle, I grabbed two copies of the maternity magazines I'd been looking at before and made my way to the registers for checkout. I began placing all my items on the conveyer belt, allowing the cashier to ring everything up for me. I paid with my card and left after that, a smile plastered on my face the entire way home.

As much as I had been dreading seeing anyone, a day with my old friends was something I knew I needed.