Hope for Better Weather

December obviously wasn’t my month. Maybe all those chain emails I never forwarded were actually coming true or maybe karma decided to take every single bad thing I had ever done and make me pay for it. I wasn’t sure, but what I did know was that I was on the verge of going crazy. I stared at my ringing phone and contemplated whether I should answer it or not. Gabe’s name flashed on the screen and as much as I wanted to talk to my step-brother, I was worried about what he might tell me. Gabe usually didn’t call me unless it was an emergency or something major had happened.

I found some extra courage from somewhere and answered the phone. “Hey Gabe, what’s up?”

“Did you and John fix things?”

“No. Why?”

“Oh, well it sure seemed like you guys had made up since he came to Flagstaff yesterday to talk to your mom and Carys,” Gabe told me.

“He what?!”

“Wait, you didn’t know he came up here?”

“I had no clue. We haven’t talked since he told me he was working things out with Laci,” I fumed. “Why was he there?”

“I’m not sure if I should tell you. This may be one of those things that you should talk to John about,” Gabe cautiously said.

“Gabe,” I growled. “You’ve already brought up the subject so now you have to tell me.”

“Ok, ok, no need to get so hostile. He talked to mom and Carys about how they treat you.”

I was going to kill John O’Callaghan; I really was. Then, when I was done killing him, I was going to kill Henley and Tim too.

Gabe was still talking so I tuned back in to what he was saying. “The talk was actually just what they needed to hear though. He told them about how awesome you are and how they don’t see it just because you’re not what they want you to be. He then went on to say no one deserved to be treated like that but especially not you. Oh, and before he left he yelled at Patrick and told him what an asshole he was and how he lost one of the best girls in the world.”

“Oh my gosh. Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh.” I was honestly incapable of saying anything else at the moment.

“Well it’s obvious that he still has feelings for you,” Gabe said. I think he was trying to make the situation better but him saying that didn’t help.

“No, what’s obvious is that he’s putting his nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“Clark, no one drives over two hours to tell someone’s family how awesome they are if they don’t still have feelings for that person.”

“Whose side are you on?” I snapped.

Gabe sighed. “I’m on your side, you know that. I’m just saying maybe John deserves a second chance.”

“Well he’s still with Laci so I don’t think he really wants a second chance from me.”

“Well I’m a guy and I’m telling you guys don’t act like that for someone they just see as a friend,” Gabe argued.

“Whatever,” I mumbled. “I have to go.”

“Don’t go yell at him, Clark.”

“I would never do such a thing. Bye,” I sweetly said and then hung up before Gabe could talk me out of my plan.

I marched out to my car and sped over to John’s house, making it in record time. As soon as the car was off I was out of it and knocking on John’s door.

“Clark?” a confused John answered the door.

“We need to talk.”

“Yeah, I think we do,” John suddenly got extremely serious. “Why did I get a phone call from Joel telling me that he’s going with you to some New Year’s Eve party?”

“Oh, you want to talk about phone calls?! Guess what phone call I just got. Gabe called to tell me that you had gone to Flagstaff yesterday to confront my mom and sister. What the hell were you thinking? You had no business doing that.”

“I had no business doing that?! I was trying to help you! And stop changing the subject…I want to know why you’re taking Joel to a party as your date.”

“Why the hell do you care?” I yelled out.

“I don’t. I just thought that I was supposed to be your date to your family holiday gatherings and parties.”

“Yeah, you lost that job when you decided to start dating Satan’s daughter again.”

“Are you kidding me?!” John gave an exasperated yell. “You barely know her so maybe you should get to know her before you listen to what people say about her.”

“First of all, everyone says stuff about her, John. Shouldn’t it be a warning sign when you’re the only one in town who actually likes her? Secondly, the few times I’ve talked to Laci all she’s done is insult me so I think I have a pretty good idea of what kind of person she is.”

Insult you? What has she said to you?”

“Why do you care?” I sarcastically laughed. “Oh, that’s right. You like to get in other people’s business and put your nose where it doesn’t belong…like talking to my mom and Carys.”

“I heard about what they said to you at Christmas and that’s bullshit. You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“Oh that’s rich. You’re talking about how I should and shouldn’t be treated.”

“I still care about you, Clark,” John argued.

“Well you have a funny way of showing it.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Whatever you want it to mean. I don’t even know why you yelled at them anyway. I mean you’re just as bad as Patrick.”

“Don’t you dare compare me to him,” John spat.

“Why not? You abandoned me just like he did.”

“We weren’t actually dating though.”

“I know, and thank goodness we weren’t. What you did to me still hurt though.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” John cried out.

“What was I supposed to say?! Don’t get back without your ex because I want you to keep pretending to date me.”

“You should have told me you had feelings for me,” John softly said.

“I didn’t – I mean I don’t.”

Suddenly John was angry again. “You can’t keep pushing people away and ruining relationships because of what Patrick did to you. I understand that it was terrible but you’re going to be lonely your whole life if you keep living like this. No one can get through to you, and believe me, people have tried. Hell, I tried!”

“I hate you. You think you know so much about me. My biggest mistake was the day I asked you to be my fake boyfriend. Even Gibbs would have been a better choice than you.” I started to walk away back towards my car.

“Well it looks like you have a new scapegoat,” John called after me. “You’ll blame me and what I did to you for the next relationship you ruin.”

I didn’t take the time to call out a reply to John, choosing to simply throw my middle finger up in the air instead. I got in my car and thankfully made it home before I lost all control and just sat in my car crying.