Status: Just started~~
Collateral Damage
High School Never Ends
8:34
Dammit.
I rolled my head back, groaning, as I tossed my water bottle on the counter, leaning over it to stretch out my back and side muscles. 8:34 meant that my mile time had gotten worse since the Saturday before. "It was that pizza you had two nights in a row last week," Dad smirked, peering over his newspaper. I scoffed and pulled the coffee pot from its nest, pouring out a cup for myself before adding a little bit of milk. No sugar, of course. It couldn't have been the pizza, I knew that for a fact. I leaned over the counter once more, facing my dad, before tipping the mug back for a sip.
"No, I think I'm just tired... Going into overtime last night killed me." Dad just chuckled and shook his head while he pushed his glasses back up his nose. I gave him a smile and thumbed through the paper that was left on the counter. The news of the big win the night before was on the front page. behind that, a picture of my own blood and his best friends. "Is this from the show they played last week?" I held the paper up to my dad, who nodded, a smile bursting across his face.
Hometown Heroes.
That's what I read but all I could do was chuckle. Don't get me wrong, I loved my brother but we rarely spoke anymore. Given, we usually tried to avoid each other at all costs. Mandatory family dinner night was inevitable though, which happened to be every Saturday night. "More like hometown zeroes," Gracie mumbled under her breath tiredly, low enough for my dad to be oblivious. "Goodmorning daddio," she turned and greeted my father. She had started addressing my parents as her own back in seventh grade, so it was nothing odd for her to still be saying it five years later.
We giggled together and I offered her a cup of coffee. She was still wearing her sweat pants from the night before and a baggy t shirt with Nirvana written across it. I narrowed my eyes, looking from the shirt to her face. She seemed to catch on quickly and a flush crossed her cheeks. Her eyes practically screamed that she could explain.
I told my dad we were going back to my room and Gracie followed me, shoulders slumped. As we passed the living room, I noticed the usual four bodies strung out across the couches. Of course, he just had to have his whole group of awful friends over for the night. They probably didn't even get home until well after midnight.
"Explain," I snapped once we were back in my room, grabbing a towel before I picked out clothes to change into. Gracie groaned and flung herself back onto my full sized bed. I laughed at her softly despite the annoyance ebbing at me.
"It's not that big of a deal, Charlotte." Gracie pouted up at me. "You were out like a light as soon as we got back here. At like, one in the morning I was starving, so I went downstairs to get some ice cream. Luke and his friends were playing video games in the living room." Of course they were. "-and I dropped chocolate ice cream all over the front of my yellow shirt. Your brother just offered me one and I took it. No big deal," her cheeks were flushed, recalling the memory.
Gracie used to have the biggest crush on my twin brother, who was technically half a day older than I was. He was born at half passed eleven at night on July 16th, where as I was born at half passed one in the morning on July 17th. I cocked an eyebrow at her as she fidgeted with her shirt, obviously nervous.
"If you want to date my brother, go for it," I teased, not being completely serious, and pulled my hair from its ponytail.
"Charlotte!"
"I'm serious! We're almost adults now! I'm fine with it!" I shot Gracie a grin as her cheeks darkened. Did I want my best friend dating my brother? Of course not, he was weird as hell and she was my right hand man, but I did want her happy.
"I can't Char, even if you say its okay..." Her gaze dropped and I sat beside her, rubbing her back. If she and my brother dated, it would practically be social suicide for her. Being on the cheer team and having the group of friends we had, they'd never take the idea of her dating my brother with a grain of salt. "It's just... I- no, we worked so hard to be where we are now, I don't want to jeopardize it." I knew that. I was perfectly happy where I was on the social ladder, and she was right, we had worked our asses off the summer before freshman year just to look the part. Now, being senior class president and having a captain position on my team, we were both desperate to stay where we were. I stood back up and grabbed my towel.
"High school ends eventually, Gracie... it'll be okay," when I looked back at her she was sprawled out on my bed once more.
"Didn't Bowling For Soup teach you anything back in middle school, Char?" A sad smile danced across her face. "High school never ends."
Dammit.
I rolled my head back, groaning, as I tossed my water bottle on the counter, leaning over it to stretch out my back and side muscles. 8:34 meant that my mile time had gotten worse since the Saturday before. "It was that pizza you had two nights in a row last week," Dad smirked, peering over his newspaper. I scoffed and pulled the coffee pot from its nest, pouring out a cup for myself before adding a little bit of milk. No sugar, of course. It couldn't have been the pizza, I knew that for a fact. I leaned over the counter once more, facing my dad, before tipping the mug back for a sip.
"No, I think I'm just tired... Going into overtime last night killed me." Dad just chuckled and shook his head while he pushed his glasses back up his nose. I gave him a smile and thumbed through the paper that was left on the counter. The news of the big win the night before was on the front page. behind that, a picture of my own blood and his best friends. "Is this from the show they played last week?" I held the paper up to my dad, who nodded, a smile bursting across his face.
Hometown Heroes.
That's what I read but all I could do was chuckle. Don't get me wrong, I loved my brother but we rarely spoke anymore. Given, we usually tried to avoid each other at all costs. Mandatory family dinner night was inevitable though, which happened to be every Saturday night. "More like hometown zeroes," Gracie mumbled under her breath tiredly, low enough for my dad to be oblivious. "Goodmorning daddio," she turned and greeted my father. She had started addressing my parents as her own back in seventh grade, so it was nothing odd for her to still be saying it five years later.
We giggled together and I offered her a cup of coffee. She was still wearing her sweat pants from the night before and a baggy t shirt with Nirvana written across it. I narrowed my eyes, looking from the shirt to her face. She seemed to catch on quickly and a flush crossed her cheeks. Her eyes practically screamed that she could explain.
I told my dad we were going back to my room and Gracie followed me, shoulders slumped. As we passed the living room, I noticed the usual four bodies strung out across the couches. Of course, he just had to have his whole group of awful friends over for the night. They probably didn't even get home until well after midnight.
"Explain," I snapped once we were back in my room, grabbing a towel before I picked out clothes to change into. Gracie groaned and flung herself back onto my full sized bed. I laughed at her softly despite the annoyance ebbing at me.
"It's not that big of a deal, Charlotte." Gracie pouted up at me. "You were out like a light as soon as we got back here. At like, one in the morning I was starving, so I went downstairs to get some ice cream. Luke and his friends were playing video games in the living room." Of course they were. "-and I dropped chocolate ice cream all over the front of my yellow shirt. Your brother just offered me one and I took it. No big deal," her cheeks were flushed, recalling the memory.
Gracie used to have the biggest crush on my twin brother, who was technically half a day older than I was. He was born at half passed eleven at night on July 16th, where as I was born at half passed one in the morning on July 17th. I cocked an eyebrow at her as she fidgeted with her shirt, obviously nervous.
"If you want to date my brother, go for it," I teased, not being completely serious, and pulled my hair from its ponytail.
"Charlotte!"
"I'm serious! We're almost adults now! I'm fine with it!" I shot Gracie a grin as her cheeks darkened. Did I want my best friend dating my brother? Of course not, he was weird as hell and she was my right hand man, but I did want her happy.
"I can't Char, even if you say its okay..." Her gaze dropped and I sat beside her, rubbing her back. If she and my brother dated, it would practically be social suicide for her. Being on the cheer team and having the group of friends we had, they'd never take the idea of her dating my brother with a grain of salt. "It's just... I- no, we worked so hard to be where we are now, I don't want to jeopardize it." I knew that. I was perfectly happy where I was on the social ladder, and she was right, we had worked our asses off the summer before freshman year just to look the part. Now, being senior class president and having a captain position on my team, we were both desperate to stay where we were. I stood back up and grabbed my towel.
"High school ends eventually, Gracie... it'll be okay," when I looked back at her she was sprawled out on my bed once more.
"Didn't Bowling For Soup teach you anything back in middle school, Char?" A sad smile danced across her face. "High school never ends."
♠ ♠ ♠
A/N : Hello loves! Okay, so I don't know what time Luke was born, but the time I listed works for me. This is my new story, but I'm going to be spending more time on Love Bites than this one. I'll still update, just probably not as often!Happy New Year!