Until the End

(Val’s POV)

I closed the door behind me, leaving Michelle alone. Sometimes I didn’t even know how to make her stop and think about her actions. She’s too impulsive. Leaving right now, not telling anyone why, or how long she would be out of town. Ever since we were children she was the impulsive one and I the mature one. I’ve always been her conscience, but right now, I really didn’t know what to say to her anymore. She had officially lost her mind.
I went downstairs and found Matt in the living room playing videogames with McKenna. My little grown child. I smile warmly at them.

“Hey, who’s winning?” I asked, seating on the seat next to Matt and resting my head on his shoulder.

“Matt, off course! He’s like, unbeatable. I’m trying really hard, but I can’t!” McKenna answered not moving her eyes from the flat screen as she moved her remote synchronized with the moves her virtual player was doing

“You know how much time he spends playing this videogames? Hours and hours, so don’t feel bad if you don’t beat him! And I’m amazed he’s not playing ‘Call Of Duty’!” I said giggling.

“Hey, stop talking about me like that!” Matt pouted and I laugh, dropping a kiss on is shoulder.

“I made him play another one, I’m not stupid!” she winked at me and looked back at the screen. “Stop winning every game, Matt!” she was silent for a while “We’ll stop talking about you if you stop winning, right Val?”

“Right, women’s power!”

I watch them play their game for a little while, but I felt a headache coming, so I decided by resting in Matt’s lap. I immediately fell asleep, the lack of rest really taking me to dream land and Matt's hand stroking my hair from time to time also helped. All my peace was disturbed by the sound of high heels down the stairs and a bag touching the ground loudly.

"My plane leaves in two hours, but I still have to do the check-in" I heard a deep breath and pressed my temples, as I raised from Matt's lap.

“McKenna, can you please go outside? We need to have a grown up talk with Chele” Matt pointed the back door to her.

“I’m almost 13 and I already know what you’re talking about, so I’m staying!” She crossed her arms over her chest and hit her foot on the floor stubbornly.

“Please, Mac…” at my serious look, she went out, sitting on the swing that immediately began to rock at her synchronized moves. “Now you!” I turned to Michele “I’m not even bothering lecturing you, you made your decision. I’m only sorry you didn’t think of Brian, only on yourself.” She wanted to say something and I cut her off “No, let me finish! You can go, it’s up to you, but keep in your mind what I’m going to say. If you, let’s say, have a conscience breakthrough, and you decide to come, don’t count on me if everything that you possibly have now, won’t be there for you anymore! With big decisions come big changes, and don’t expect me or Matt to not say ‘I told you so’, because you would fucking deserve it!”

“You’re my sister, you’ll stay there for me!” she spoke, her eyes never leaving her clock. I was so disappointed, and her attitude was making me more pissed off with her.

“I’m sick of this bull shit. If you wanna go, then leave, I’m not even bothering with you anymore!” I shout, in disbelieve, and through my hands in the air and walked to the kitchen to have a glass of orange juice. I heard the sound of the front door being closed and put the glass in the sink with a little more force, causing it to break into small pieces. Before it went down the piping, I grab it up and throw it to the trash.

I felt my husband's warming hands on my waist and pressed myself to his defined chest and breathe deeply.

"I don't know what else to say!"

"You were right baby, only that she is stubborn enough to cope with you." I felt his lips on my neck and pressed myself even more to his chest as he crossed his tattooed arms on my belly. “Just relax, Val! Now she’s out, we don’t need to bother with her. She is the one who chose this, not you, so stop bothering so much.”

“I know…” I turned around, never leaving his embrace and gently united our lips in a quick kiss. “I promise I’ll behave, I’ll put a smile for later.”

“Good, cuz I need you all happy for Brian!” I kissed him another time, my hand traveling to his hair and pulling him closer

“People, please, have some respect, there are kids here!”

“Oh, now you’re a kid!” I smirked and gave a last kiss to Matt before turning to McKenna, only to see her with her eyes covered with her hand and her tongue out. “Do you wanna have lunch?”

“Yes! Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, please!” she pulled a seat on the island of my kitchen, not bothering on having a real lunch at a real table.

“Sorry sweaty, we’re out of peanut butter. Apparently, someone had a midnight wish for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and finished the bottle.” I said, remembering a few nights ago when I catch Matt having a large four pieces sandwich on our bed. “But we can have more, we just need to go to the store!” I quickly said, seeing her smile vanish away.

“Bring some beers too, we only have a few left!” he said with his head on the fridge

”yeah, yeah… you know what? You should text Emma, it would be nice to have her here. She has spent the last few days with Brian in the hospital, I bet everyone would be happy”

“Who’s Emma?” McKenna asked getting out of the seat.

”Just a friend of ours that helped your brother when he fell on the beach

(Emma’s POV)

I was dying for a good hot shower when I came from work, noticing that Elli's car was in the driveway. I didn't notice it was so late. Maybe because I was held captive at work during the entire afternoon, without even having seen a ray of sunshine. Not that it was much hot outside, not less in the middle of winter. But the sun always was shining in Huntington Beach, and that was a good part of my love for this beautiful place. When I went to work this morning, I almost punched myself for wanting that day off on Friday. The amount of post it that were on my computer's screen was startling. Between e-mail that I had to send, photos that I had to upload and correct and article that I had to read before combing on my last photoshoot trying to find the right photo, I almost didn't had time for lunch, so I was glad that Matt asked me to dinner at his an Val's house. I guess it was some kind of 'Welcome home asshole' to Brian. His words.

"I'm home!" I shout from the hall, hearing a bark in response as Luna came to me, her paws coming on my legs as she said welcome in her own way. "Hi beautiful!" I said, picking her up and hugging her.

"Oh thank you, hi to yourself too" Elli came from her room and went downstairs to the kitchen after slapping my ass. "Do you want pizza for dinner? I've ordered pepperoni for us!"

Oh fuck, I completely forgot to tell Elli that we were having dinner at Matt's.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I sang entering the kitchen and saw her confused look. "Matt invited me, and therefore you too, to have dinner at his place. He said it was a welcome home dinner to Brian!"

"Oh! Well, I guess I’ll have to eat that pizza tomorrow night! I made a sick face. I really didn't like having any kind of food from the day before. One really bad experience once opened my eyes. From then after, only food made on that day. "Ok, ok, I'll disorder it! Poor little pizza guy."

I giggled and put Luna on the floor. She quickly run to the living room, laying on the couch. "I'm going to have a shower, we leave at 8!"

The hot water really distressed me out and by the time I was out of the shower, I was good as new. I pick up a really warm red jersey, it would be cold outside, and some black jeans. I didn't wanna put any make up, so I dried my hair and made a sloppy braid. Pick up my phone and went downstairs here Elli were, watching some food channel.

"Are you ready!" I said grabbing my keys and throwing them in my bag. Elli stood up and grab her bag, ordering Luna to stay sit on the couch. "Oh shit, forgot something!" I ran quickly upstairs, trying not to fall in my heels and looked around. I found my Semi-Pro Sony Cyber Shot DSCHX1 on the nightstand. It was a dinner, I didn't need to carry all the artillery, it was just to take pictures with friends.

"Now, are we ready? Elli said standing in the door way, with her hand on her hip, where her black skirt meet a white girly shirt

"Yeah, yeah, let's go!" I said passing through her into my car. Val's house wasn't far from ours, only 10 minutes away, so we fill those minutes talking about everything and anything. Elli was my best friend since forever, my confidant, and I trusted her my life and my soul. I couldn't hide anything from her, partly because of her powers, being a psychologist, but also because she knew me so well that I couldn't even hide it. The same happened to me, minus the super psychological powers.

"Holy fucking shit, that's a big house Elli's chin was literally on the floor

"C'mon, you silly, we're late!" we went through the driveway, having to walk a little more that we wanted to due to the cars in front of the house. yeah, we really were late.

We were welcomed by a smiling Val that guided us to the living room. I couldn't stop my laughs when I saw the "Welcome Home" sign stick on the wall and a "Asshole" handwritten on a paper. Everyone where chilling out, Zacky was there with Gena, Johnny was there with Lacey and Matt came from the kitchen with beers on his hands and Val came with juice.

"Beer for us..." Matt said, giving them the beers as I hugged everyone."And orange juice for Brian!" he said pressing his lips together containing a laugh.

"Go fuck yourself! Brian said harshly going out on the backyard. A weird silence came to that house when he shot the door loudly. That was to awkward, so I break the ice.

"So... This is Elli, that friend I told you..."

"Actually, best friend!" she said, giving Zacky a hand shake. He pulled her for a hug that caught her off guard. Next were Gena, Lacey, Johnny, Matt and Val, and we seat on the couch next to her.

"What's up with Brian?" I said to Val, glassing my head to the backyard giant door.

"Just Brian and his bad temper! But this time I can't blame him!"

"Shouldn’t someone go and talk to him?"

"That would be much worst, trust me! He wouldn't talk to any of us girls about that and if any of the guys went back there, there would be fist flying around!"

"What if I went back there?" Brian couldn't be much worse to talk to when he was in his black mood than my dad, so I think I could handle him.

"That would be a bad thing too, honey!"

"I'm going anyway, so... I grab my camera from my bag and went outside. I put it on my eye end look for Brian. The lack of light made it difficult, but I found him lying on the swing, always with that little box on his hands.

"What's up? he didn't reply, so I took another shoot, the flash going all over him, making him shine.

"Stop that!" he said with an annoying face.

"What's up?" I spoke again, making him smile a little. My mission was accomplished.

"you're not leaving until I say something, aren't you?

"Nop!"

He stood up and I took another shoot of him, this time by the pool. I followed him until the deck chairs. He was still holding that little velvet box on his hands. That little shineless box seems to be the entire problem.

"Was that for Michele?" He closed his eyes tightly, leaving little wrinkles on display at the corner of his eyes.

"Yes." he breathed deeply.

"You know, I heard your arguing when you were at the hospital..."

"Great, now everybody fucking knows!" He threw the little box against the lamp that gave us the only light in that dark cold night. The box fell opened, showing a ring with a little diamond on the top. I grabbed it a touched the diamond, somewhat trying to figure if it was real. The cold and upright face left me impressed. I had never seen a ring so simple but yet so beautiful.

"Why did she left?

"Because she is a insecure, selfish, coward little..."

"Stop that. She had her reasons."

"What the... are you defending her?"

"Not at all! By the looks she gave me, I suspect that we weren't going to be very friendly."

"She fucking left! I proposed to her and she fucking left! How am I supposed to feel?" I didn't gave him any kind of answer and he sighed. "See? not even a woman can explain that to me. I thought that it was every woman's dream to get married, to start a family, and I was ready for it, I was ready for Michele, and she went after a job that I'm not sure that it's even real!

"It should be every girl's dream! But it's not hers I put my arms around him, almost unable to reach the other side of his body due to his muscles. Are all this guys giant? "what do you say about going inside and enjoy your friends, enjoy this dinner? I look to my watch and saw it was past 9.

"ok, let's go" He got up and went towards the door. I took the chance and take him one last shoot before I went inside as well.

The rest of the evening went very well, we drink, we laugh at each other and at Johnny. I took really good shoots that night, and I was planning on making a little something to thank Val for the dinner.