Girls, Breaking Hearts
"Oh give it a rest, I could persuade you!"
“If he wasn’t Shane’s brother, I’d fuck him.”
Brooke looked at blonde-haired, blue-eyed Amber and felt a kind of anger she’d never felt before. She was furious, actually, but she hid it well. What the fuck did Amber think? She hated how all of her girlfriends looked at John like he was a piece of meat; something to be pounced on. It was ridiculous how they objectified him, and she hated that, to the point that she hated him for being as good-looking as he was.
Not only that, she hated herself as well for wanting something she could never have. What a stupid cliché. He just wasn’t her friend’s brother, he also used to be her babysitter, and as if those weren’t enough ‘buts’, he was also older than her, so far out of her league. There was no chance he’d look at her like that. No chance at all.
Brooke’s phone started ringing, and she tried to silence it by covering her ears with her pillow, but it was no use. The caller was persistent, and she knew exactly who it was because Tom Petty meant one person to her.
Finally, she gave in, grabbing her phone and sighing in annoyance as she slid it open.
“It’s five in the morning,” she whined to him, and he chuckled in response.
“Babe it’s almost lunch time.” His raspy voice was once again doing wonders, making her smile just a few seconds after waking up- who knew that he could do that, even just over the phone? When she was younger, she had a pet dog who would lick her face until she woke up, and once she did a big smile was already painted on her face. She’d never thought a human could be responsible for her big smiles after waking up, until the first time she woke up right next to John.
“I want to sleep in,” she said, sighing.
“You can’t,” he said. “I, uh, I have something special planned for us today...”
Her smile grew bigger as she sat up on her bed, holding her phone tighter. “Really?”
“Yeah, another getaway.” He laughed, and she could almost picture him rubbing his nape, something he did when he was feeling awkward. “If that’s okay with you?”
“I’ll think of an excuse,” she said softly, thinking what was it this time- a sleepover at Mckenna’s? The guilt was hard to bear, but she’d heard somewhere that guilt was a small price to pay for happiness, and it was easier to believe with John around her. “What time do I need to come over?”
~
Brooke and Mckenna worked at a coffee shop about a block away from the 8123 office, which was pure coincidence. Mckenna had dragged her in there after she said she needed to find a part-time job. John had initially thought she chose to work there to be somewhat closer, which she guaranteed him was pure bullshit, since it didn’t mean that he would pick him up from work or pay her a visit when he had to go the office.
Once, he did, just to taunt her. He’d come in with Kennedy, pretending he didn’t know she worked there, and even having the nerve to flirt with her in front of his friend and Mckenna. She’d managed to act normal then, but didn’t take kindly to him when she came to see him that night.
As they drove past the coffee shop, she ducked her head a little, which made John chuckle a bit. She was already wearing a snapback and a pair of sunglasses; it wasn’t like anyone could see her, especially at the speed they were going, but he thought her overreaction was cute.
“What, I don’t wanna risk it!” she exclaimed, scoffing at him. “If I were you, I would try to hide that face a little too.”
He was only wearing a pair of sunglasses, which were obviously not enough disguise but he figured she was already un-recognizable so it didn’t matter if he was the opposite.
“What if everyone finds out, what are you gonna do?” she suddenly asked, not taunting, just curious. He glanced at her once, smiling as he reached over and grabbed her hand. He intertwined their fingers and he rested their hands on top of the gearshift. She smiled at the action, feeling giddy once more.
“I’ll court your parents,” he said seriously. It was set in his mind that Brooke wouldn’t be able to handle the judgment if ever they publicized it, but now he thought maybe she could, after all. He no longer cared what the people would think about him; honestly he just feared they’d tell him it wasn’t real, or that he was ruining her future- but he worried more about how she would take it. He wasn’t sure if it was easier or harder to keep their relationship that way rather than out it. “Assuming that you still want it to go on, of course.”
Her smile grew wider and she felt her heart skip a beat. “Yeah, I’d want that,” she mumbled softly, mulling it over. “What about your family?”
“Oh, man.” He laughed, then breathed deeply. “Let me think... Well first, I’ll tell Shane that I’m not sorry I stole you away from him.”
She groaned, trying to pull her hand away but he didn’t let her. “John-”
“I’m kidding, I’ll obviously make you tell him since he’s your friend,” he said and she gasped.
“But he’s your brother!”
“Yeah, but you guys are closer, so you tell him.” She rolled her eyes at his response, pouting her lips as she looked out the window.
“What if your fans find out?” she asked, expecting him to go completely silent. Surprisingly, he didn’t. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw him shrug.
“Let it be, you know?” he said. “It happens. Isn’t Bradley Cooper dating a model half his age?” This made her smile, and he went on. “Besides, I think they won’t mind once they see we’re happy. Some people will talk, but if we’re happy, we’re happy.”
“Okay first of all why the fuck are you reading about Bradley Cooper? I thought you’re too cool to follow Hollywood?” she teased, and he squeezed her hand.
“You should take complete responsibility- I heard it at that show you’re always watching!”
“Shows you’re watching with me!”
“You’re basically forcing me to watch them!” His smile grew bigger as he looked over at her, who had the same expression. “Especially those crime shows which are legitimately giving me anxiety attacks-”
“What, I love those shows,” she said, smiling at him. “They’re very interesting, excuse you.”
“Yes, and thank you, now I’m paranoid and always looking behind me when I’m alone or driving at night.”
She laughed, bringing her free hand over his, so now it was sandwiched between both of hers. “I definitely have to give you a good scare sometime.”
“I’m not scared!” he huffed, shooting her a glance. “Just paranoid- it’s different!”
“Sure, whatever you say.” She smirked, planting a kiss on the back of his palm. They continued to bicker for a while, until there was a moment of silence and they let Ryan Adams dominate the stereo. As her favourite song played, she let her mind drift away.
“You’ve really grown so much,” he told her casually as they stood backstage, catching up; at least that’s how John had worded it. He was a wee bit drunk and he saw it as harmless flirting, meanwhile Brooke thought of it as a conversation, nothing more.
The thing that changed it all, was Amber.
Brooke didn’t understand why she felt that way, territorial, about to explode, but utterly helpless, until she thought What the hell, and grabbed the liquor from John’s hand and drank it.
Surprised at her action, John chuckled nervously and straightened up. “Damn girl, you’re gonna get me in trouble.”
“I’m not that young, John,” she said with an eye roll, and he tensed a little. He liked the way his name rolled off her lips, which was stupid since it was a common name and she’d pronounced it casually. Get a grip, he thought to himself, you’re old.
“How’s your family, by the way?” he asked, attempting to swerve the conversation to something innocent; he didn’t want to flirt anymore. He wasn’t luring her, just merely flirting at first but now that she’d picked up the hint it was time to stop.
“They’re great, Bailey’s in New York now- how’s your girlfriend?”
The way she’d asked it bluntly caught John off guard. He let out a shaky laugh, rubbing his nape awkwardly. “I don’t really have one,” he answered with a chuckle.
“Oh.” Her tone was significantly higher, she noticed, and she cleared her throat. “Sorry. Just, you know, you’re in a band and girls are supposed to come in herds.”
“Well, I’m not lucky enough I guess,” he said with a laugh.
She smirked, looking up at him and he saw the glint in her eyes. “Sorry about that.”
He chuckled once more, getting even more nervous by the second until finally, he thought of a way out. “Well we gotta load in,” he said. “It was nice talking a bit.”
She moved forward to give him a hug, but he was quick to block her by ruffling her hair awkwardly, making her feel instantly and utterly embarrassed.
“I’ll see you later, kid.”
No chance, she thought, scowling as she watched him walk away. Absolutely no chance.
Brooke looked at blonde-haired, blue-eyed Amber and felt a kind of anger she’d never felt before. She was furious, actually, but she hid it well. What the fuck did Amber think? She hated how all of her girlfriends looked at John like he was a piece of meat; something to be pounced on. It was ridiculous how they objectified him, and she hated that, to the point that she hated him for being as good-looking as he was.
Not only that, she hated herself as well for wanting something she could never have. What a stupid cliché. He just wasn’t her friend’s brother, he also used to be her babysitter, and as if those weren’t enough ‘buts’, he was also older than her, so far out of her league. There was no chance he’d look at her like that. No chance at all.
Brooke’s phone started ringing, and she tried to silence it by covering her ears with her pillow, but it was no use. The caller was persistent, and she knew exactly who it was because Tom Petty meant one person to her.
Finally, she gave in, grabbing her phone and sighing in annoyance as she slid it open.
“It’s five in the morning,” she whined to him, and he chuckled in response.
“Babe it’s almost lunch time.” His raspy voice was once again doing wonders, making her smile just a few seconds after waking up- who knew that he could do that, even just over the phone? When she was younger, she had a pet dog who would lick her face until she woke up, and once she did a big smile was already painted on her face. She’d never thought a human could be responsible for her big smiles after waking up, until the first time she woke up right next to John.
“I want to sleep in,” she said, sighing.
“You can’t,” he said. “I, uh, I have something special planned for us today...”
Her smile grew bigger as she sat up on her bed, holding her phone tighter. “Really?”
“Yeah, another getaway.” He laughed, and she could almost picture him rubbing his nape, something he did when he was feeling awkward. “If that’s okay with you?”
“I’ll think of an excuse,” she said softly, thinking what was it this time- a sleepover at Mckenna’s? The guilt was hard to bear, but she’d heard somewhere that guilt was a small price to pay for happiness, and it was easier to believe with John around her. “What time do I need to come over?”
~
Brooke and Mckenna worked at a coffee shop about a block away from the 8123 office, which was pure coincidence. Mckenna had dragged her in there after she said she needed to find a part-time job. John had initially thought she chose to work there to be somewhat closer, which she guaranteed him was pure bullshit, since it didn’t mean that he would pick him up from work or pay her a visit when he had to go the office.
Once, he did, just to taunt her. He’d come in with Kennedy, pretending he didn’t know she worked there, and even having the nerve to flirt with her in front of his friend and Mckenna. She’d managed to act normal then, but didn’t take kindly to him when she came to see him that night.
As they drove past the coffee shop, she ducked her head a little, which made John chuckle a bit. She was already wearing a snapback and a pair of sunglasses; it wasn’t like anyone could see her, especially at the speed they were going, but he thought her overreaction was cute.
“What, I don’t wanna risk it!” she exclaimed, scoffing at him. “If I were you, I would try to hide that face a little too.”
He was only wearing a pair of sunglasses, which were obviously not enough disguise but he figured she was already un-recognizable so it didn’t matter if he was the opposite.
“What if everyone finds out, what are you gonna do?” she suddenly asked, not taunting, just curious. He glanced at her once, smiling as he reached over and grabbed her hand. He intertwined their fingers and he rested their hands on top of the gearshift. She smiled at the action, feeling giddy once more.
“I’ll court your parents,” he said seriously. It was set in his mind that Brooke wouldn’t be able to handle the judgment if ever they publicized it, but now he thought maybe she could, after all. He no longer cared what the people would think about him; honestly he just feared they’d tell him it wasn’t real, or that he was ruining her future- but he worried more about how she would take it. He wasn’t sure if it was easier or harder to keep their relationship that way rather than out it. “Assuming that you still want it to go on, of course.”
Her smile grew wider and she felt her heart skip a beat. “Yeah, I’d want that,” she mumbled softly, mulling it over. “What about your family?”
“Oh, man.” He laughed, then breathed deeply. “Let me think... Well first, I’ll tell Shane that I’m not sorry I stole you away from him.”
She groaned, trying to pull her hand away but he didn’t let her. “John-”
“I’m kidding, I’ll obviously make you tell him since he’s your friend,” he said and she gasped.
“But he’s your brother!”
“Yeah, but you guys are closer, so you tell him.” She rolled her eyes at his response, pouting her lips as she looked out the window.
“What if your fans find out?” she asked, expecting him to go completely silent. Surprisingly, he didn’t. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw him shrug.
“Let it be, you know?” he said. “It happens. Isn’t Bradley Cooper dating a model half his age?” This made her smile, and he went on. “Besides, I think they won’t mind once they see we’re happy. Some people will talk, but if we’re happy, we’re happy.”
“Okay first of all why the fuck are you reading about Bradley Cooper? I thought you’re too cool to follow Hollywood?” she teased, and he squeezed her hand.
“You should take complete responsibility- I heard it at that show you’re always watching!”
“Shows you’re watching with me!”
“You’re basically forcing me to watch them!” His smile grew bigger as he looked over at her, who had the same expression. “Especially those crime shows which are legitimately giving me anxiety attacks-”
“What, I love those shows,” she said, smiling at him. “They’re very interesting, excuse you.”
“Yes, and thank you, now I’m paranoid and always looking behind me when I’m alone or driving at night.”
She laughed, bringing her free hand over his, so now it was sandwiched between both of hers. “I definitely have to give you a good scare sometime.”
“I’m not scared!” he huffed, shooting her a glance. “Just paranoid- it’s different!”
“Sure, whatever you say.” She smirked, planting a kiss on the back of his palm. They continued to bicker for a while, until there was a moment of silence and they let Ryan Adams dominate the stereo. As her favourite song played, she let her mind drift away.
“You’ve really grown so much,” he told her casually as they stood backstage, catching up; at least that’s how John had worded it. He was a wee bit drunk and he saw it as harmless flirting, meanwhile Brooke thought of it as a conversation, nothing more.
The thing that changed it all, was Amber.
Brooke didn’t understand why she felt that way, territorial, about to explode, but utterly helpless, until she thought What the hell, and grabbed the liquor from John’s hand and drank it.
Surprised at her action, John chuckled nervously and straightened up. “Damn girl, you’re gonna get me in trouble.”
“I’m not that young, John,” she said with an eye roll, and he tensed a little. He liked the way his name rolled off her lips, which was stupid since it was a common name and she’d pronounced it casually. Get a grip, he thought to himself, you’re old.
“How’s your family, by the way?” he asked, attempting to swerve the conversation to something innocent; he didn’t want to flirt anymore. He wasn’t luring her, just merely flirting at first but now that she’d picked up the hint it was time to stop.
“They’re great, Bailey’s in New York now- how’s your girlfriend?”
The way she’d asked it bluntly caught John off guard. He let out a shaky laugh, rubbing his nape awkwardly. “I don’t really have one,” he answered with a chuckle.
“Oh.” Her tone was significantly higher, she noticed, and she cleared her throat. “Sorry. Just, you know, you’re in a band and girls are supposed to come in herds.”
“Well, I’m not lucky enough I guess,” he said with a laugh.
She smirked, looking up at him and he saw the glint in her eyes. “Sorry about that.”
He chuckled once more, getting even more nervous by the second until finally, he thought of a way out. “Well we gotta load in,” he said. “It was nice talking a bit.”
She moved forward to give him a hug, but he was quick to block her by ruffling her hair awkwardly, making her feel instantly and utterly embarrassed.
“I’ll see you later, kid.”
No chance, she thought, scowling as she watched him walk away. Absolutely no chance.