A Stranger in my Own Town

"Stephen, I'm really worried about John." Lindsey said, lying on Stephen's chest listening to his steady heartbeat.

They were laying down in the back of Stephen's truck and looking up at the stars. The weather was absolutely perfect.

"What happened?" He asked, stroking her hair.

Lindsey sighed. "I don't know, he's just been weird lately. It makes me upset." She looked up at Stephen who pouted.

"Don't be sad, baby." He lifted her chin up and pecked her lips. She smiled weakly and looked up at him.

"I'm serious, Stephen." She looked down again and rubbed his torso.

He sighed. "I know, it's been four days since his tantrum in the bar. I still don't know what happened." Stephen hadn't told Lindsey about what John said in the bar yet, mostly because it was still nagging him and made him feel guilty.

"He hasn't talked to me since he came over that day." Lindsey sighed. "Did he say...anything to you?"

Stephen sighed. "Yeah, he did."

"Stephen!" Lindsey sat up and looked at him. "What did he say?" Lindsey crossed her legs and sat across from him now.

Stephen sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he looked up at her. "Nothing big..." he trailed off.

"Stephen..."

"Okay, okay." He looked up at her again. "It's impossible to say no to you, you know that, right?"

Lindsey's lips curled up in a smile and she waited for him to tell her.

"Well, at the bar...John said some things to me about...us." Lindsey nodded with a puzzled look on her face. "Uh, well...he just doesn't seem happy about us...getting married."

"Why wouldn't he be happy though?" Lindsey cocked her head to the side with her eyebrows knitted together.

"I have no idea, babe. He just seems...angry and upset." Stephen grabbed Lindsey's hand and played with it with his rough hands.

Lindsey looked down at their intertwined hands and sighed. "I don't get it."

"Me either." Stephen shrugged. "But hey," he lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes. "I'll try to talk to him again. But as for now, we have a beautiful wedding to plan." Stephen kissed her and Lindsey let out a squeal of joy.

She jumped on top of him with a huge grin on her face and continued to let their mouths stay connected as the crickets chirped around them and the stars twinkled above them.

When Stephen and Lindsey eventually pulled up in the driveway of the Gomez household, they saw John's car pulled in. Stephen breathed a sigh of relief and stopped the engine. Stephen and Lindsey walked into the house hand in hand and when they pulled open the door, all the lights were off which was unusal. Stephen shut the door and Lindsey looked up at him with a confused look.

"Wait here." He said to her.

Lindsey nodded as she looked after Stephen who ran up the stairs. He listened closely to hear if he found anything leading him to which room John was in.

He walked down the hallway and heard the faint sound of Ryan Adams coming from John's room. Stephen walked over and knocked on the door. When John didn't answer, he let himself in and saw John surrounded by two bottles of Jack Daniels.

"John..." Stephen shook his head.

"Get out." John said sternly, laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"John, you have a problem." Stephen walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. I'm worried about you." Stephen looked over his brother who took another sip from the bottle and coughed.

"I don't have a problem. Leave me alone."

"John you're being really immature about this." Stephen started raising his voice.

"Stephen just fucking stop."

"John you need help. I'm serious."

John sat up and looked at Stephen with disgust on his face. "I don't need any help."

"Yes, you do. And if you don't stop this then I'm gonna have to call our parents."

"What are we, 5?"

"John cut the shit." Stephen yelled.

John threw a Jack Daniels bottle across the room and watched the glass shatter against the wall. He stood up and went to go walk out of the room but not before Stephen grabbed him by the shoulders.

"John, look at what the fuck you did!" Stephen shook his brother by the shoulders.

John looked at his brother and looked down. He heard someone at the doorway and looked up.

Lindsey stood there with a shocked expression on her face and started to back out of the room. "Um...I heard yelling...and glass shattering, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay..." Lindsey looked at Stephen and went to go walk out of the room.

Stephen grabbed her arm and pulled her back in. "John, talk to Lindsey. I'm fucking done." Stephen looked at Lindsey with pleading eyes and walked out of the room shaking his head.

"Stephen..!" Lindsey called after him but sighed and looked at John. "John..." Lindsey looked at the pathetic boy standing in front of her. Her best friend was slowly turning his life into a wreck before it got better.

"Linds, what the fuck am I doing?" John let a tear roll down his cheek and he pulled Lindsey into a hug.

"John, it'll be okay." Lindsey whispered in his ear and patted his back. "Shh, calm down."

Lindsey pulled away from the hug and led John back to his bed. "John, why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I just...I don't know." John shook his head, letting the tears fall. "Linds, I'm a mess. I guess...I'm just so upset about all the happiness around me."

"But John...you're always happy. What happened?" Lindsey rubbed his back.

"I don't know." John shook his head, laughing without humor. "It sucks. I think I miss Callie too much. And seeing how happy you and Stephen are...I don't know. I'm happy for you guys." John said as his voice broke, knowing deep down that he wasn't happy at all. "But I feel lonely, I guess."

"John..." Lindsey's heart broke at the site of him. She wiped his tears away and kissed his cheek. "Never ever feel not good enough. You're good enough, hell you're even fucking better than good enough, for anyone. Callie didn't see that and if other people don't see that, they're idiots. Anyone would be so lucky to have you." Lindsey gave him a warm smile.

John looked up at her. "You mean that, Linds?"

"I would never lie to my best friend." Lindsey nudged his side, smiling. "Don't waste your life away John, you're young."

"Thanks, Lindsey." John wiped his eyes and tried to smile. "You really know how to make a guy feel better." John pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her back softly.

"Anytime, John. I miss my best friend." Lindsey smiled as they pulled away from each other.

She stood up and looked down at the glass all over the hard wood floor. "John..just promise me you'll never do anything like this ever again?"

John chuckled. "I'll try not to become a pyscho bitch."

"That's all I ask." Lindsey giggled and walked out of the room down the hallway to Stephen's bedroom.

"I think things are all better now." Lindsey smiled, walking over to the bed and laying down next to Stephen.

Stephen smiled and looked at her. "Really?" Lindsey nodded. "You're fucking perfect, you know that?" Stephen pulled her into him and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Eh, I try my best." Lindsey giggled and pulled him in for another kiss, letting their mouths do the talking before they fell asleep holding onto each other tightly.