It Only Takes One Night.

A few hours later, it was finally just me and my brother. I was half looking forward to being with him, half dreading it. Mostly because of what I had to tell him.

He came downstairs with a bowl of popcorn in his hands and flopped down beside me.

I raised an eyebrow. "How are you even still hungry?"

He shrugged, stuffing popcorn in his mouth. "So, what's up, Kailee? I know you didn't just come here to socialize, especially not on a day that you're supposed to be in school. So spill."

I sighed. "I got expelled."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "What'd you do? Sleep with a teacher? Punch someone? Steal someone's work? How does one get kicked out of college?"

"I failed the majority of my classes this term. I tried so hard, Hime Time, I really did. But I hate it! I hate nursing!" There. I'd finally said it, and I wasn't consumed with the guilt like I thought I'd be. It actually felt good to admit it, like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

He sighed, and wrapped an arm around me. "Oh, Kails. How has it taken you so long to figure out that you hated what you were doing? It's been three years." There was no judgement in my brother's voice, just curiosity.

"I guess I've always known, but I figured I could learn to like it."

He eyed me, and awareness flashed across his face. "You didn't want to disappoint Mom and Dad, right?"

I buried my face into his shoulder. He always knew me too well and I hated it. "Right. I'm stupid."

He laughed. "Not stupid, just .... yeah, stupid works too." I punched him halfheartedly but I knew he was right. Doing something I hated just to make my parents happy was stupid. "Kailee, you know you're never a disappointment to me. Hell, you could be a stripper, and I'd hate it, but if it made you happy, I'd deal with it."

I sat up. "That's an idea, I should go apply for a stripping job right -"

He pushed me back down. "Okay, okay, maybe I didn't mean that, but you know what I mean, right?"

Nodding, I sat up again. "Jaime, I have a favor to ask you," I said softly. "Do ... do you think I could move in with you? I can't stay in my apartment because it's considered student housing and now that I'm not a student, I have nowhere else to go ... besides, well ... home I guess," I said, trailing off as I pictured moving back home. The image alone made me shudder. My parents were great, I loved them, but at 22 I could no longer live the way they did.

Jaime didn't even hesitate. "Of course. You're my sister, I have to look out for you! The guys will be here at least once a week for band stuff, and Tony likes to hang around a lot, even more lately since Jaxin and his wife are expecting their baby any time soon."

My face must have dropped a bit at the mention of Tony, cause Jaime put a hand on my arm. "Kailee, is everything okay with you and Tony?"

"Of course!" I said a little too quickly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I dunno," he said. "I just got the impression that something was wrong. Nothing happened between you and him at the bar, right? Like ... he didn't try anything? I know he was drunk and stuff and he never would have meant it, but if something did happen I can talk to him, make sure it won't happen again. You're my sister, he knows better anyway."

My heart was beating so fast that I swore I could hear it over the sound of the TV. "Honestly, Jaime, nothing happened. I guess I'm just worried about being in your way and stuff."

He grinned, obviously appeased for now. "We put up with you when you were an annoying 12 year old, I think we can deal with the 22 year old you being around." He tossed a pillow at me. "Besides, you're more useful now. You can cook and clean and stuff, and not be a nuisance."

Devilishly, I jumped on him, emptying the popcorn on his head, and then ran upstairs, locking myself in the bathroom like I'd always done as a kid. Some things never changed.

******************************************************************

Two days later, I was waiting for Jaime to show up at my place with his truck to bring all of my things back to his place.

I'd packed the majority of my stuff, the only thing that was left was the bed that had to be disassembled before it could go anywhere. I sat down on the edge of it, closing my eyes and trying to remember something, anything, from that night.

All I knew was that I'd slept with Tony that night. All the signs were there - the clothes everywhere, the used condom, the bed that had been almost torn apart, finger marks and bruises that were (thankfully) in hidden spots on my body, and of course, the necklace. But that was it. I couldn't remember the actual sex itself, or what led up to it, and it bothered me no end.

Well, I reasoned to myself, at least you can look at Tony without being too embarrassed. If you knew exactly what he was like in bed, you'd be reminded of it every time you saw him.

But this way, the other, naughtier part of me, reasoned, now you're going to look at him and wonder just what he's like in bed. Isn't that worse?

Groaning, I buried my face in my pillows, willing the voices in my head to stop. I didn't really feel like going insane just yet.

The knock on the door brought me back to my sitting position. I expected to see my brother, and was shocked when I saw Tony standing there.

"Uh, hi," he said softly, sticking his hands in his pockets like he had always done when we were younger and he was the shy, quiet one. I guess that hadn't changed much, either. "Your brother got held up in the studio so he asked me if I could help you move your stuff out."

"Oh, well, uh, thanks," I stammered. "I really need to get it out of here cause there's another girl moving in in a few days."

He smiled slightly. "It's no problem. Let's get started, yeah?"

We moved my boxes, my dressers, my nightstand, and the few odds and ends that were mine in the other rooms of the apartment, and lastly, all that was left the bed. Tony glanced at it and glanced at me, his face slightly red.

"Uh, it needs to be dismantled or else it won't fit through the door," I said. "I didn't have the allen keys to do it, but I know Jaime always keeps his in the truck."

Silently, Tony disappeared down the stairs and reappeared moments later with what he needed. He bent down by the bed and starting taking it apart. The tension in the room was thick enough that it could have been cut with a knife. I sighed, knowing that I had to try talking to him.

"Tony...." I said, willing him to look at me. And then when he did, I wished he hadn't because his eyes were so warm and soft.

"Yeah?"

"About the other night -"

He cut me off. "The other night was a dumb, drunken mistake. I don't remember how it happened but it shouldn't have happened." He looked at me. "I don't want it to change anything between us, Kailee, but if it has to, well, I'll deal with the consequences."

"Consequences?"

He smiled sadly. "You don't really think that your brother would be too happy finding out that his best friend slept with his sister?"

Oh. THOSE consequences.. "God, no, I'm never, ever going to tell him that! I don't have a death wish." Remembering Jaime's words from earlier, and how worried he'd been that Tony had made a pass at me, no, there was no way in hell that I'd even consider telling him. 'Oh, hey, Jaime, by the way, Tony and I had drunken sex the other night'. Or what about 'Jaime, your best friend fucked me when I was drunk but I don't remember it'? I laughed wryly to myself. No way.

"Besides," I said, "I'd never do anything that could jeopardize the band. You guys have worked way too hard for anything to happen."

He smiled. "Thanks, Kailee. You're the best. So, friends?"

"Friends," I confirmed.

Later, on my own at Jaime's while he was finishing up in the studio, I realized I was disappointed and laughed at myself. What had I been expecting? Jaime had even said that if anything happened between me and Tony, that it'd be a mistake. And Tony had confirmed that it had just been a drunken mistake.

And I knew that it was a mistake, too.

Why did some mistakes have to hurt so bad?