Bad Habits

"I'm a little scared to sit down on the bed."

I woke up to John sitting up in bed, talking to Eric. He ran his fingers up and down his bare chest, and I smiled. I rolled over, yanking the covers off of him, and fell to my floor. I groaned as Eric and John laughed, and I sat up, keeping the covers around my body.
"So, what happened last night? You're covered in bruises."
"Oh, yeah, some assholes from our school were down at the park and shot the shit out of us with some frozen paint balls. It hurt like a bitch."
"Ouch, sounds like it hurt."
He said, sitting on the edge of my bed. I stood, then walked to the other side of my bed, glancing at Eric.
"Turn around, Eric."
I said, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Turn around."
I said again, and he turned. I took the covers from me and threw them on the bed, before leaning down and kissing John.
"I'm gonna take a shower."
I said and he nodded.

I turned and stepped into my bathroom, closing the door behind me, before turning on my shower. I took off my bra and undies, throwing them in the dirty clothes hamper, then got in the shower.

"I gotta use the bathroom."
I heard as my bathroom door opened.
"'Kay."
I said as John walked in and to the other side of my bathroom, closing the door to the small room that had only the toilet in it. He flushed, then came out. As he walked passed, he tugged on the glass door of my shower, pulling it open.
"John!"
I scolded, and he chuckled as he walked out, closing the bathroom door behind him.

I finished rinsing my body off, then got out, dried off and wrapped the towel around myself. I stepped out into my room and grabbed a clean bra and a pair of underwear, then grabbed a pair of black jeans and my Nirvana tank top. I went back in the bathroom and got dressed, then brushed my teeth, put on some make up and did my hair. I blow dried it, keeping the curls in.

"Can I take a shower?"
John asked, and I nodded.
"Do you wanna use my parents shower? There's that Irish Spring soap that my dad uses so you don't have to smell like a girl."
I snickered, and he nodded.
"Eric, go get me some clean clothes. I need a clean pair of boxers, too."
He said, and I smiled. Eric groaned, then stood from my bed and headed out of my door. John smiled, giving a small chuckle, before standing and stretching.
"I love how you can comfortably walk around my house in just your boxers."
I laughed, and he chuckled, then shrugged.
"I sure as hell wouldn't do it if Donna and Ted were here."
He said, following me out of my room. We went downstairs to my parents room, and I sat down on their bed as John got in the shower. I turned on the TV, leaning against the headboard. A few minutes later, Eric walked in, and I called him into my parents bedroom. He laid John's clothes down on the bed, then sat down next to me.

"So, you and John got busy last night."
He said, nudging me with a wink.
"That's personal, Halvorsen."
"Oh, come on, you don't just wake up half naked and not have done anything the night before. What happened?"
"Nothing happened."
"Stop lying, Kat, I know you."
He said, and I sighed, throwing my head back.
"I saw the condom in the garbage."
He said, and my eyes widened a little and I looked over at him.
"That was his first time, I'm sure you know."
"Yeah. It was mine, too."
I mumbled, and Eric raised his eyebrows skeptically.
"Kennedy was your first time."
"No, he wasn't. I lost my virginity to John."
"You totally had sex with Kennedy!"
"I really don't want to explain this again. Eric, you walked in on us almost doing it, he was never actually... Inside of me."
"What?"
"We fooled around, a little foreplay, but nothing serious."
"So you really lost your virginity to John last night?"
"Yes."
"Sick, bro."
He snickered, and I rolled my eyes, slapping his arm.
"Shut up."

John came out with a towel wrapped around his waist, and he grabbed his clothes.
"Those fucking hips, though."
I mumbled under my breath, eying him as he walked back into the bathroom and closed the door.
"What?"
Eric asked, and I raised my eyebrows, looking at him.
"What?"
I said, and he narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?"
"His hips. They're magical."
"Oh, God, I didn't need to know that."
"Okay, you've seen him without a shirt, those fucking hips are as magical as a unicorn."
I said, and Eric laughed.

Within a few minutes, John came out all dressed, looking gorgeous, as usual. I smiled, and he grabbed my hand pulling me up from the bed and into his arms. He pressed his lips to mine, forcing my stomach to do flips. Eric stood, then started walking out of the room.
"Where are we going?"
I asked as John tugged me out of the room by my hand, following Eric.
"We're gonna go get some ice cream."
"Mmkay."
I said with a smile as we went upstairs to my room. John pulled on his vans, and I grabbed a pair of my Toms. As I reached for my wallet, John snatched it from my hands.
"No, I'm gonna pay."
He said, and Eric gave a big grin.
"Sweet."
"Not you. You're paying for your own shit."
John said, pointing to him. Eric laughed, and I pulled my wallet back from John's hands.
"It's okay, I'll pay for my own."
"No."
He said, pulling it back from me and throwing it on my bed. I groaned, and he put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me out of the room with him.

The three of us walked down the hot Arizona road to John's house. We got in his truck, me sitting in the middle, and drove down the road. We arrived to a strip center with a bunch of different little shops in it. John laced his fingers with mine and we went into a pizza shop.
"I thought you said we were getting ice cream."
I said, and he nodded.
"After pizza."
"Alright, then."
I said with a chuckle. Eric ordered the pizza and paid as John and I went to sit down at one of the tables.

"So, uh, how are you feeling?"
John asked awkwardly once we were alone. I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, then my eyes widened.
"Oh!"
I said and he nodded, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm fine. A little sore..."
I said quietly, and he gave a nervous chuckle.
"Same. My back hurts like hell from those paint balls, and my neck... You have some claws, Kat... No pun intended."
He said, and we both laughed.
"Sorry!"
I said through my laughter, and he gave a huge grin, grabbing my hand from across the table.
"It was amazing."
He said, and I smiled as we stared into each others eyes.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
He said, and Eric walked up, setting the pizza box in front of us.
"Aww, how cute. Shut up and stuff your face."

When we finished with our pizza, we went next door to Marble Slab. The boys ordered their ice cream, and I got my usual.
"Coffee ice cream with chocolate sprinkles in a medium cup."
The man made my ice cream, then handed me the cup. Eric paid for his and John paid for ours, and we headed outside and back into John's truck. A few minutes later, we arrived at a park that had a big hill way off in the distance. We went to the hill and sat down, eating our ice cream, as the big, bright orange sun fell behind the horizon. For that moment, I forgot about everything. The drama, the loneliness, the heartbreak of loosing my closest friends. Everything. This moment made me feel invincible. Nothing could have ruined it. I was watching the sun set with John and Eric, eating ice cream, and for once in my life, I could finally say;
"It feels good to be alive."