Blood

"Tell me how he was. When I left, I mean," Kory said, pulling her knees up to her chest and staring out towards the waves. She was genuinely curious. He hadn't given any clues as to what he had done, and if she was honest, it upset Kory.

Marrissa giggled softly. "Well, he wouldn't stop talking about you the first week. He asked me every day when you were going to visit, and was always disappointed with the answer I gave him. After four or five months, he finally accepted that you weren't coming back and he flaunted this girl named Amelia," she wrinkled her nose and laughed. "I'm positive that everyone hated her. We wanted him to be happy, of course, but not only was she a right bitch, but she also had it out for Melody, for some reason. None of us put up with that for long. And then she had the nerve to try and push me away from the guys. Least to say, they were only together for a week and a half," she said, putting air quotes around the word 'together.' "After that, he kinda gave up on finding someone new I suppose. He moped around a lot and most nights he ended up at our place asking for me to cook something for him," she shook her head, "But Matt and I didn't mind. I guess he spent a lot of time with Jimmy as well, to keep his mind off of things maybe. After that stage was up, he was just pissy all the time. It was really annoying, he'd flip out over the smallest things. He and Melody stopped talking for a few days, and I'm pretty sure it was because she mentioned you and he called you a few names that I'm not gonna repeat. That was as intense as it got, I think. After that he just went back to doing whatever. He wasn't exactly back on track but he was getting there, ya know? And now here we are."

Kory sighed. "I royaly fucked up, didn't I," she mumbled. It wasn't much of a question. She realized that she truly had, and it would take an extensive amount of time to mend things, if she happened to be fortunate enough to even achieve something so improbable.

She shrugged. "I don't know, he still loves you," Marrissa stated, as if it were one of the most casual and obvious things in the world.

At first, the slight possibility of Marrissa's words actually being accurate excited Kory. But then it just tore her down from the inside out. She had hurt him just as much as she had hurt herself, if not more. And that thought hadn't occurred to her until this point in time. She hated herself for that.

She stared at her, wide-eyed. "You didn't even think about that, did you? Oh my god, Kory!" Marrissa scolded.

"What?" Kory asked, defending herself.

She shook her head. "You're too insecure, my dear. He loved you so much, even if he hardly said it. Kinda like you in that way. He still does, he's just hurt is all." Marrissa knew her words to be true. She knew Kory better than anyone on the face of the planet, and Matt knew Brian just the same. They had discussed it on a few occasions, and it was rather obvious from where they were standing. Clearly, the two weren't perfect together. Far from it, actually. But that didn't matter because they loved each other, and if they put their stubborn ways aside, they'd realize that.

Kory sighed again. "Love is stupid," she said, falling back onto her towel and covering her face with her hands.

Just then, Matt came running towards them, both Jimmy and Zacky trailing close behind. "Hey, Rissa? Come walk with me?" He glanced at Kory for a fraction of a second, and couldn't help but smile at her grin. He held a hand out to pull Marrissa up from the sandy ground, and laced his hand with hers before walking away.

"Ohmygod, he's gonna do it!" Kory squealed, placing both of her hands on her cheeks. She looked around, and couldn't stop grinning when she saw Johnny and Brian both walking towards the group. She reached down and grabbed Jimmy's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Wait, wh-?"

"Shh! Just watch!" She repressed the squeal that was threatening to spill from her pink lips, and only grinned. Matt and Marrissa were both far away enough to be somewhat secluded, but were still visible from where everyone was standing. Kory watched intently as Matt's hand reached into the pocket of his board shorts, and pulled out the black velvet box that she had seen just the night previous. He shifted the box around in his fingers a few times before finally turning to Marrissa.

When he got down on one knee, Kory couldn't resist anymore. She made a soft, high-pitched squeal and nestled herself under Jimmy's arm, wrapping her limbs securely around his torso and hugging tightly. She continued to watch as Marrissa's hand covered her mouth as Matt said words Kory could have only imagined. When Marrissa nodded frantically, Matt tenderly slid the ring onto her finger and stood up, holding her face carefully between his palms and kissing her sweetly.

"Shadz is off the market for good now," Zacky said playfully, grinning.

It was all so emotional and seemed so fast-paced that Kory couldn't remember when she had started crying. "Ohmygod, that was so cute," she mumbled, sniffling. It was so overwhelming to see two people whom she loved unconditionally and unreservedly become even more radiant than they had once been. And they would be the most contented together, Kory was certain.

Unloosening her grip from Jimmy, she patted his cheek. "Sorry, JimJam, didn't mean to almost crush you," she said, laughing softly.

He only chuckled. "There's a lot of strength in that little body of yours," he said, ruffling her hair playfully. It wasn't a surprise to Jimmy that Matt had proposed to Marrissa. He actually had wondered when he'd get on with it just a few weeks back.

Both Matt and Marrissa slowly retreated back to the group, hand in hand. Kory threw her arms around Marrissa's neck as the guys congratulated Matt brotherly. Kory could tell that, on the inside, Marrissa was freaking out. The grin on her face was enough to prove that.

"Look!" Marrissa mouthed, holding out her hand to show Kory the ring. It was a silver band with two smaller square diamonds on either side, with an onyx stone, that was slightly larger than the diamonds, in the center. It glittered under the sun, and it looked as if it belonged on Marrissa's hand.

Kory nodded frantically. "It's gorgeous!" She exclaimed, her grin matching Marrissa's almost exactly. This was happiness that Kory had never felt before. It was more implicit than she would have ever imagined. Her best friend was happy, Matt was happy, and that was one of the best feelings she could fathom into reality. She felt proud, even though she hadn't shaped Marrissa as much as Marrissa had shaped her. She was overwhelmed with affection for the both of them, and was happy enough now to make even the most unfortunate of people smile at the smallest things.

"Should we go to Johnny's to celebrate?" Zacky asked, grinning just as much as Kory was.

All of the guys nodded in unison, singing a chorus of approval. Kory didn't say anything, she only stared at Marrissa.

She gave the younger girl a small smile, and nodded. "It's okay, Kor. You'll be fine," she promised, giving her hand a slight squeeze. Marrissa knew that it would be. Kory wasn't stupid, and if she decided to drink at all she would be careful about it. She trusted that more than anything.



It felt almost off to be sat at the booth across from Marrissa, sipping a Ginger Ale. She couldn't remember a time where she had ever come to a bar and ordered one, and highly doubted that she ever had to begin with. She watched from a distance as all five boys played a friendly game of pool to celebrate. Kory took mental notes on Matt and Marrissa's relationship. They knew when to give each other space, and were both relatively private when it came to intimate things. Matt still came over to give her a quick peck on the lips after a while, before going back to his game. They seemed to time everything perfectly, and Kory wondered how.

"The bachelorette party's on me, right?" Kory asked, grinning.

She only nodded. "Of course," Marrissa answered, laughing softly. "Also, I'll need a maid of honor..." she trailed off, smirking and looking at her glass, "I think maybe I'll choose Melody...or maybe Selena, my cousin," she teased, laughing.

Kory narrowed her eyes. "I must kill to become the alpha," she said, her voice flat.

Marrissa shook her head and laughed at Kory's statement. "Of course you're the Maid Of Honor, dummy."

She beamed at the thought. She'd probably cry more than she ever had when the day finally came. Kory yawned, and checked the time on her cell phone. "I should probably head home.I'm gonna end up staying with Mel tonight, so you and Matt have some time by yourselves," she said, standing up and moving to give Marrissa a warm hug. "Congrats, babe. Seriously, you deserve this."

"Thanks, Kor. Tell dad and Mel the news, alright? Spread it like wildfire," she said, dragging out the 'i' drunkenly.

Kory made her way towards the guys, a small smile on her face. "Hey, I'm gonna head out. Congrats, man," she said, hugging Matt as best as she could with his height. "And don't let her stay by herself over there, invite her to come play with you guys," she suggested, giving him a small smile.

Matt nodded. "How are you getting home?" He asked, concerned. He knew that Kory hadn't gotten her car back yet, not until next week, as far as he remembered. And he didn't think it to be safe for her walking all of the way to Mason's alone.

"I'll call Mel, it's fine," she said as she hugged Jimmy, Johnny, and Zacky. She didn't dare try and be affectionate with Brian. She was positive that he was still angry with her.

That was, until he piped up. "I can drive you home," he suggested, staring at his hands.

No one said a thing as they waited for Kory to respond. They could have cut the tension in the room with a knife.

Kory forced a smile, but shook her head. "No, that's not necessary," she said, looking at her feet and wringing her fingers together. She was unsure of what exactly his angle was. Surely, he wouldn't have just offered to spend quality time with her, that much was a given.

"No need to wake Melody up," he said, placing his pool stick on the table and walking towards Kory, denying her the option to question it any further.

It was completely silent as Kory followed him out of the bar, and even after she had gotten into his familiar car. It still smelled of cigarette smoke and cologne, which she adored. if she was being completely honest.

They didn't speak a single word until they had arrived in front of Mason's house. Brian completely shut the car off, taking the keys out of the ignition and nervously running his thumb over the ridges of his house key. "We have a minute, now. Explain."

Kory was thankful that it was completely dark in the car. She didn't have to worry about his disappointed eyes or degrading gaze while she talked. "I never knew that it was possible for the human body to crave another human soul until I met you. And, that terrified me. I had taught myself from an early age that, no matter what happens or who you meet, you have to be okay without them. You're not allowed to get close to anyone because one way or another, they'll leave you. Do you know how terrible that is? How many friendships and opportunity's I've missed out on because of that? A lot, Brian. More than even I realize. You just happened to be one of them. And I wish it wasn't that way, but it is.

"Call me sick or twisted, but I've always had this thing for power. I've always thought it best to have power over someone as opposed to them having power over you. And, it didn't work that way with you. I tried so hard to tell myself that if I left, that you'd be upset and that you'd care. But, no matter how many times I told myself that, I could never quite believe it. This isn't the first time I've come across this sort of problem, either. But it didn't matter, because I thought it was best for me to leave. You couldn't have any power over me if I wasn't yours, right? So I left. And, when I was alone, that's when I realized how stupid and naive and completely selfish I was. I hated what I had done, I truly did. And I still do, whether you believe me or not. And I know that saying sorry isn't even going to touch base with how much I owe you, but I won't stop trying. I know that I don't deserve forgiveness, but I won't stop asking for it. I guess I'm still a bit selfish in that way.

"I'm just, I'm sorry. Really, really fucking sorry," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself as best as she could. She hadn't even admitted all of this to herself yet, but she felt like he deserved the truth. He deserved it even if she herself didn't.

"That's not everything. You're still hiding something. Tell me," he demanded, though his voice was gentle and almost caring. He had to remind himself every second that she had left him, that she had made his life a living hell for eight months straight, that she really didn't care about anyone but herself. If he had told himself that she deserved to be forgiven, that what she had done was excusable, he probably would have caved right then and right there.

Kory sighed, and bit her lip. She bounced her knee nervously, before finally giving in. "I went a bit overboard on the mixed drinks which eventually turned into hard vodka and whiskey and ecstasy and there was a rumor about crystal too, but I can't remember if it was true or not," she confessed, closing her eyes. Her words were fast, hardly a breath between them. She just wanted to get it all out before her selfconscious told her otherwise. For the first time since she had arrived back in California, she wished she could see his face, to see how he reacted before he spoke.

Brian was more than surprised at first. Kory didn't seem like the type to resort to something like that. But, then again, she didn't have Marrissa or Melody or Mason or Jimmy or anyone else for that matter to turn to in New York. Still, that wasn't any excuse for her actions. His first instinct was to protect her, to build up a wall from the part of herself that she hated and the part that she loved. But then he reminded himself again. She left. It was her choice.

"I have to go," she mumbled, fumbling with her seat belt and trying her hardest to get out of proximity. She couldn't hold herself together much longer. She knew that, and she refused to fall apart here. Not now.

Just as her feet hit the pavement, Brian spoke up.

"Kory," he said, sighing, "I still want you. That's what you need, right?"

She ran her hand through her hair tiredly. The entire day had been exhausting. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

And with that, she closed the door and, with careful placed steps, walked into the dark and empty house she had never been so upset to see.