We're Stuck Halfway

Holly stared back at her reflection on the body-length mirror. She had the elegant red velvet dress she had decided she was going to wear the next day on, but without the fancy makeup and all the jewelry.

The dress fit her body naturally, the curves on her frame prominent. She had never thought of herself as beautiful, but at that moment she actually felt like she was.

Once she had quickly changed out of the dress, her best friend's screams were suddenly echoing throughout the three-story house, announcing her arrival. Holly couldn't help but laugh out loud.

“HOLLY PRICE WHERE ARE YOU I HAVE SO MUCH STUFF TO TELL YOU FUCK!” Charlie continued a long string of curses until Holly ran down the stairs, now in sweats. “Holly!” she shrieked, running up and tackling her bestie into a hug.

Holly, despite how mad she still was at Charlie, hugged back and laughed once more. “Woah there, you have to breathe too, ya know? In, out, in, out, in, out, in out,” she spoke calmly. She waited for Charlie to be the next one to speak, seeing as she seemed so excited to tell Holly just about anything.

Charlie closed her eyes, gripping Holly's shoulders. Her voice came out dead serious. “I. Had. Swag.” She started screaming again, Holly joining in this time. They were hugging each other so tight that they actually fell on the floor. In the matter of no time, both of them were cursing in between laughter, fanning themselves.

“Best night of your life, huh?” It was a rhetorical question; Holly already knew what Charlie was going to say in reply.

Charlie rolled on her side, breathing heavily. “And you know how he has this song about someone with your name?” She coughed awkwardly, and Holly laughed one more. Charlie had been throwing shit at her for three years already because of the song 'Holly (Would You Turn Me On?)' by Alex’s band. “Well yeah... He uhm, he might've changed your name into mine for the show during my stay.” She squealed once more, Holly joining in once again of course.

“That's sweet, dear god.” Holly imagined Charlie at the backstage, smugly watching the faces of the girls in the audience as they wondered who the fuck was Charlie and how the hell she could replace Holly.

Charlie agreed, giggling hysterically. “I swear, I love that guy...” Holly gave her best friend a few moments to regain her composure. “And wait, less on me, more about you. What happened while I was gone? And I'm... I'm sorry for leaving you like that, and not arriving when I told you I would. I couldn't resist the Gaskarth,” she breathed.

Holly stood up and slapped at her butt to wipe it, offering a hand to Charlie afterwards. “Well... yesterday morning, while shopping... I ran into Garrett.”

“No shit,” Charlie whispered. Holly told her the whole story as they brought up Charlie's small bag back into her room. Charlie commented every few sentences, asking who Garrett thought he was for just coming back into her life like that.

“Yeah...” Holly didn't have the heart to tell her best friend that she actually enjoyed spending time with Garrett. Charlie didn't only dislike Garrett ever since he broke up with Holly, she hated him. Saying she actually missed the guy would put Charlie in a sour mood; she didn't want that. Instead, she quickly changed the topic afterwards. “And in case you've forgotten... I'm flying to New York tonight for my date with Jesse the next day.”

“Fuck,” was all Charlie said in reply. It was clear to Holly that she'd forgotten about the whole date itself. “So wait, you have your dress and makeup and all that ready?”

Holly nodded, sitting on Charlie's bed. “Yes, dear. I won't be back 'til Tuesday so you go do whatever you want as long as it doesn't wreck the house.”

“Well you know I can’t promise anything, Holls.”



“John,” she said, her usual soft, brightening voice suddenly husky. He studied her face carefully, the sharp features prominent under the limited moonlight. He watched the sparkle of her glassy grey eyes, the chipped tooth at the left corner of her mouth making that smile she had on her face even more delicate.

He touched his forehead to hers without thinking, replying with a tone so full of lust he was afraid she would get the wrong idea. “Yes, Skylar?”

She laughed sweetly, locking her eyes with his. “Don't. Touch. Me.”

John awoke with a searing headache, his head pounding up to the point his eyesight pounded together with it. He'd been having a lot more nightmares, lately; they all scared him the same because they all had something to do with the same girl.

The nightmares always had something to do with her being out of his league.

John shook his head awake, cursing the pain it brought to his brain. He got up and walked towards his bathroom groggily, mentally lecturing himself about how she was indeed out of his league.

First off, she was just nineteen, him being twenty-three. As if a four year gap wasn't enough, he was legal and she was still a minor to his eyes despite being over eighteen. Next on the list, she had an overprotective twin brother who even made sure that John knew how much he disliked him. The first time John laid his eyes on Tyler Mannings, he was sure the little guy had a bad impression on him already. And last but not least, her past isolated her with almost everyone.

He splashed cold water on his face, his vision blurring then sharpening as he wiped the water from his face using a towel nearby.

The two got a bit closer than close less than a year ago due to her vulnerability, and he learned a lot about her past. It scared him how he knew so much about the Mannings' life, since he himself barely knew his. The O'Callaghan history was always limited to a few Thanksgiving stories at dinner.

He ruffled his bedhead hair as his other hand took a toothbrush off the rack, watching his lean figure on the mirror. He always wondered what all those girls saw in such a lanky guy like him. If even he didn't like himself, how did those girls like him?

Well, he reminded himself, he did create songs out of words that saved people’s lives, as he was told.

But nevertheless there was nothing else in his body but a soul lost and in need of some love from a girl who was as good as untouchable to him.

Short afterwards he took a short shower, the hot water awakening him fully. He exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, his headache gone, and an alarm clock that read 9:36 AM. Band practice for the upcoming tour wasn't until 11.

He sighed, grabbing for a random shirt and ripped jeans. He ached to be back on tour, to get his life exciting and going again. Not one show seemed the same. Off tour, the days seemed to clash against the other. They blurred until he couldn't tell what he ate the day before, due to the fact that almost nothing special happened.

He couldn't admit to himself that the big factor that made him want to go back on tour even more was the thought of seeing Skylar every day.

He trotted down the stairs, smiling for the first time that day when he saw his youngest brother, Shane, sprawled across the floor with a phone in his hand.

“Mornin',” John greeted him, hastily taking a pancake from the small pile. “Mom make these?”

“Hey.” Shane ended his call, standing up from the carpet to return the phone to its stand. “Yeah, she made those this morning before she left for some community thing.”

John nodded as he poured maple syrup on the pancake. His mom already talked with him about the community outreach. She even considered asking John if his band could play a show to raise funds. That all happened a month ago; ever since then his mom never brought the plan up. “So who were you talking to?” He grinned as he watched the pink go up to his brother's cheeks. Sadly for him, he got their mom's bad habit of blushing when teased.

“No-no one you know, John,” Shane stuttered carelessly. John knew he was going to go up the stairs, and being the giant he was, he was able to block his brother from escaping.

“Look Shane, you can't hide forever; What's her name?”

Shane glared at him, crossing his arms. “If I tell you, will you please back off?”

John shrugged. “Does she like my band?”

“Not entirely, and that's only one reason I like her,” he answered.

John snickered, raising his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay I'll back off.”

“Nicole. Now may I please-”

Shane was cut off when John carried his brother off the ground, his shouts ringing through the house. “Shane has a girlfriend! Shane finally has a girlfriend!” he sung, ruffling his younger brother's hair as his brother, in turn, kicked at him.

“Will both of you SHUT UP!” someone screamed from the upstairs. John couldn't help but laugh so hard as he put Shane back on his feet.

“Holy... You've woken Ross up, where's the good in that man? You know he's always in a bad mood nowadays.” Shane gruffed, running a hand through his hair.

“You've got it going man, just like your charmer here. I'll have to meet her before I leave for tour alright?” John told him.

Shane shook his head. “I don't really have a choice, do I?”

John laughed, shaking his head too. “Nope you don’t.”

After Shane ran up the stairs, John went to finish his pancake. After a while he was looking for his car keys, but apparently they weren’t on the hook. He hit himself on the head as he remembered he left his vehicle at the band house, Jared using his own car to drive John over to his family house because he was drunk.

“Hello?” Jared, quite sleepily, answered from the end line.

John scolded Jared for still being asleep, reminding him that they had practice within the next few couple of hours.

Jared groaned, and John heard Jared slap himself on the face. “Fuck John, don’t you remember Garrett’s going to be gone for three days to be in NY with Selina? Man, you are too excited to see Skylar.”

John ended the call without another word, because he couldn’t deny what Jared said.



Kennedy smiled at Leighton, digging into the soft mush people loved to call oatmeal. Pat would visit the Keeves' residence just to eat it most times. Kennedy couldn't blame him because the Keeves' oatmeal was practically an equivalent to heaven on earth.

“So... How's tour planning? Venues coming up easy or...?” Leighton asked him. The silence wasn't awkward, but she broke it because liked being updated from time to time about the boys' band lives. It comforted her to know that they were still living the dream.

Kennedy swallowed the oatmeal, shrugging. “We've got at least three-fourths of the dates cleared up and ready to go. That's more than what we could do how many days before the tour actually starts.”

Leighton's shoulders relaxed, and she flashed him a big smile. “That's great.”

“That's great!”

Kennedy's eyes lingered on Leighton's for a moment, and he titled his head to the side. He awfully resembled a lost puppy.

He suddenly recalled the night two days ago, the night of the wedding of Leighton's sister. They were dancing together, and Leighton had something important to say.

“Ken, will you please understand what I'm about to say. I'm going to say it slowly, carefully, because this is so important I-” she was cut off when one of her littler cousins approached them, telling her how much they needed her beside her sister for a short family photo op. “That's great!” she replied, the sarcasm in her tone conspicuous. She locked her eyes with Kennedy's and she told him softly. “My important words will have to wait.” She sighed. “See you later Kennedy.”

When Kennedy reminded her that she was going to tell him something really important, she snorted so hard she chocked on her oatmeal.

Kennedy panicked, standing up from his chair, but sat back down when Leighton kept the oatmeal down with a glass of water. “So Leigh, are you going to tell me your wonderful, really important news or what?”

Leighton laughed heartily. “Maybe one day, but not now.”

“Why not?!”

Leighton shook her head. Just then, Kennedy's phone started to ring. He felt his cheeks suddenly warm once he read the name flashing on the screen, together with the picture that always sent his heart aflame.

Veronica Nickelsen.