Leave the Door Open

“We’re here!” Jordon’s shouted as he led the party of six through the back gate of Sarah’s house. She worked in a small shop nearby the small two bed house with large garden close. The idea of sitting on the beach was out the window as soon as Sarah invited them over.

“And we got all the shit you wanted,” Taylor added following behind Jordon. “Get that fire on,”

“Fire!” Dylan clapped excitedly earning a raised eyebrow from Anna.

“Please tell me someone else is in charge of the BBQ,”

“Fear not us men will deal with it,” George replied bringing up the rear of the group as they piled into the back garden. The house and the garden was gorgeous and perfect for parties.

“Hey dudes!” Matty came out of the kitchen greeting everyone. Matty was part of the band as well, famous for his ridiculously curly hair that today was tied tightly back but was sometimes worn as an afro. He greeted the boys first, waving at the girls as they stepped inside the kitchen. “I’m starting the BBQ then am I?” Matty called after them.

“You’re trusted with a knife?” Taylor joked as Sarah waved it around in greeting.

“It’s not like she’s you,” Anna muttered shaking her head and opening the fridge. “Here drink up!”

“You’re gonna need it,” Sarah’s first words were blunt and Anna heard the concern. Here we go, there was never not any drama.

“We are?” Anna questioned stealing a cherry tomato from the salad and earning a knife wave from Sarah. “It’s for eating,”

“Just not yet!” Sarah muttered shaking her head in annoyance. “I haven’t made my famous punch yet!”

“Oh so we really are getting drunk tonight!” Taylor joked watching Anna as she opened the beers and handed them out. “So what is it?” She sighed, glancing out the window to check what the boys were up to.

“Right this does not go any further than this room ya got me?” Sarah pointed the knife at both of them.

“Got ya!” Taylor and Anna nodded.

“Carla was around,”

“Carla?” Anna questioned, she’d heard the name before she just couldn’t place it.

“Yah you know,” She paused as Matty came back into the kitchen and looked around.

“What? Just getting beer,” Sarah didn’t talk again to he had left muttering something about insane girls.

“Carla, George’s last thing,” Taylor nodded shaking her head and rolling her eyes which Sarah just smirked at. “The one you called a whore in front of him, the one before Lyla,”

“And he did nothing?” Anna questioned knowing where this was going.

“You know our Three Tears!” Sarah smirked, referring to George by his stage name Johnny 3 Tears.
When they were part of the band, Hollywood Undead, they used their names but friends, family and the boys themselves when relaxing went back to their birth names. Taylor ignored their looks.

“Anyway Carla was in the Walmart. She saw me started up a conversation, nothing interesting, but she’s put some weight on,”

“So breaking up with my brother turns people fat?”

“Yep, so…” Sarah nodded smugly.

“That must look weird on her she was tiny, like she’d break if anyone did anything!”

“Yep, so…” Sarah nodded again waiting for someone to catch on.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Taylor finally cracked.

“She’s pregnant,” Anna and Taylor were silent. Anna’s mouth dropped open while Taylor supported a complete straight face.

“You think it’s his?” Anna was the first to manage words. Sarah looked to her with a shrug and a sad smile. “I mean you called her a whore, any actual truth in that?” Taylor was silent her eyes focused on the beer nothing else. “Taylor?”

“Huh?”

“Was she a whore?” Taylor just nodded in reply. “Eh fuck, does he know?”

“If he does,” Sarah muttered looking out the kitchen window to where the boys were dicking around.

“He isn’t letting on,” Anna sighed standing next to Sarah and watching her brother out the window.

He might piss her off, treat her like a child but she knew he did it because he loved her, and she adored him. She did not want to see his life ruined. He would probably make an amazing father, protective, fun and strict all rolled into one cool dad; but he was too young, and that woman was not the one for him.

“Has anyone said anything to him?”

“What and risk him exploding?” Sarah questioned. “No thanks,”

“Great, I guess we leave it for now, maybe I’ll try before I leave,” Anna sighed taking a slow swig of her beer. “You were right I so need this!” She left the girls in the kitchen wondering outside to where to boys were setting bits up. In reality she should have stayed and comforted Taylor but she felt right at that moment she’d say the wrong thing. And the last thing Taylor wanted was to get emotional in front of people. George had taken over the BBQ with Matty who was currently setting fire to different bits of paper for no clear reason; the BBQ was lit. Dylan, Jordon, Jorel (Jay) and Danny were sat around on the garden sofas and chairs; Dylan had brought some weed and was already lighting up.

No different to any other night. She walked towards the back of the garden, Sarah had worked hard on it making it perfect for parties with the top terrace outside the house, and as you walked back there was a small swimming pool; that was why the house was a steal for Sarah, it included the small pool. She’d been left money by her grandparents, and had a lodger to keep up the mortgage payments, plus working at the shop and her own online shop meant she was able to afford this.
Anna stood next to the pool, watching the water, perfectly still and reflecting her figure in the water. She knew in a week and a bit she’d be back at college and her brother’s problems, her friends and life in Hollywood would all be in the background. She’d focus on getting her education. That was probably how her brother saw it as well, he wouldn’t share this with her if he did know; so was it her place to share it with him? She downed the rest of her beer deciding at the moment it was not her place.

“So you’re the little sister,” She turned intrigued to find him talking to her.

“And you are the new guy,”

“Eh something like that,” Danny muttered passing her the second beer he had in his hands. “So you’re sadistic and funny,” He added catching the smile on her lips. She welcomed the distraction from her thoughts; he was new, someone different, he knew nothing about her yet so she had the air of confidence, when he got to knew her more she’d become more self-conscious. She got the feeling the new guy might be hanging around a bit; there were people who would usually be here who weren’t.

“Sadistic that is a strong word!” She took a slip of the beer and looked around the garden. It was nice to be surrounded by friends once again.

“You told your brother I’d seen you naked, I presumed you wanted to watch my pretty face beaten to a pulp!” Anna just laughed and shook her head.

“I wouldn’t have let that happened, and hey I thought you could hold your own if it did,”

“Thanks,” Danny chuckled watching the brunette. Maybe he was the sadistic one still chatting to the sister of the man he was trying to impress, to keep in a good mood. George wasn’t known for his great moods but for the last few weeks since things had been in motion George had been okay with it. He’d kept calm and been pleasant to Danny; chatting to George’s sister probably wasn’t the best idea.

“I’m sorry though,” She added sincerely curling her hair behind her ear as she talked and turning her body slightly to face him, opening up to him a little bit. He spied her ear piercings, a scaffold bar through the top of her ear wasn’t what he expected from her. “You do have a pretty face, it would be a shame. I just like to remind my brother that I’m not a child, he can’t stop me doing things,”

“What exactly would he stop you doing?” Danny questioned his eyes fixed on her this time. Anna just smiled sweetly with a shrug. Danny couldn’t help but chuckle taking a long chug of his beer. “So you’re home from college?” She nodded. “What do you study?”

“Politics and international affairs,” Danny raised his eyebrows.

“And that gets you were exactly?”

“I become a queen at having affairs with internationals,”

“Excellent,” He chuckled. “I have a bit of Spanish in me, where does that get me?” She just shook her head and laughed. “Seriously, what do you wanna do with that?” She shrugged.

“Escape,”

“From?”

“You ask a lot of questions,”

“Just trying to get to know you,” He smiled back, he was being nice, so she should be nice back. She wanted to ask why but knew it would sound rude.

“Honestly,” She gave him a little bit of the real her. “I loved history and geography at school, I wanted to be the woman from The Mummy after watching that film, I love learning about other countries and the things that happen both human and physical,” She noticed the smile on his face, he appreciated what she was saying. “International affairs, with some science modules seemed to be the course for me, and I wanted to go to college to be me for a little bit,”

“Be you?”

“Eh being Johnny 3 Tears kid sister ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, the teachers at school were waiting for me to fuck up, people were expecting me to be a huge party animal or really sporty, you should have seen the PE teachers face when she realised I wasn’t anything like George,”

“So your escaping your brother?”

“Nah, he’s just part of it, I love him to bits don’t get me wrong, it’s just everything that comes with him and my family, I-“ She paused finally looking at Danny wondering exactly why she was telling him all this. He pushed his sunglasses up off his face and back into his thick hair. He looked like he was about to say something but was interrupted.

“Hey dude ya wanna do a beer run?”

“Already?” Danny turned to Jay who rolled his eyes.

“Alright kid,” He squeezed Anna’s shoulder before continuing his conversation with Danny. “Yah someone didn’t exactly check the fridge when they said they had enough beer!”

“Fuck me,” He muttered putting his beer on the ground and nodding. “I’ve only had half I’ll drive,”

“You want company?” Jay questioned as Danny pushed his sunglasses back down and shook his head.

“Nah dude I’m fine,”

“I’ll come,” Anna heard the words come out before she’d even spoken. “I want to get some umm-“ She paused trying to think of something intelligent, though Jay seemed unfazed by her statement it was Danny that was staring at her in amazement.

“Whatever, you might wanna check with Sarah that nothing else is needed,”

“I’ll go do that,” Anna muttered getting herself out of the situation of thinking of something she needed. She finished her second beer as she wondered to the kitchen where Taylor and Sarah were sorting out food. “I’m going on the beer run does anyone want anything?”

“We need some more mixers,” Taylor said going towards her bag to grab some cash.

“Plus Dylan has been smoking for a while now, we’re gonna need more cheese puffs for when the munchies hit, he will not eat me out of house and home again!” Sarah added.

“Oo I do love cheese puffs,” Taylor muttered turning to Anna and taking the empty bottle from her.
“Why you going on the run?”

“Anna you ready?” The two girls looked towards the door as Anna winced knowing it would take 0.3 seconds for the girls to get the idea in their head. And when they got an idea it was impossible to get them to drop it, the analogy of dogs and bones didn’t even get close to what the girls were like.

“Yep,” She took the cash as the girls stared open mouthed at Danny. “Don’t even think it,” She muttered before pushing Danny out of the door way.

“Hey, hey, what is with you?” He exclaimed losing his balance slightly.

“You’re giving the girls ideas,” Anna muttered walking towards the gate and hoping George didn’t notice.

“Me? What have I done?” He questioned as she followed him out the gate and towards Jorel’s truck. Anna just shook her head getting in the passenger side.