Jealous Orchard

It's been three days since I've made a complete fool of myself. And to forget it I spent most of my time with Susan.

The only time I thought of Morgan was when Susan wore a tie dye shirt. And I couldn't help but get mad at her because one I kept on wanting to call her Morgan, and two I kept thinking about Morgan
that day.

When I came home that night my mother tried to ask me about my time, but I told her not to expect her to come over again. After that my mom hasn't brought her up since.

And Adam, I wanted to kill him at one point. He kept asking why I did it. But he didn't get that I didn't mean to do it. And again after that he hasn't brought it up.

But today I was spending it with Brent and Adam later. Brent wanted me to meet with two of his friends, and they all played in a band. Their last guitarist bailed on them so they have been looking for a replacement.

"Brendon, this is Ryan, and this is Spencer."

"Guys this is Brendon."

"So Brent says you can play pretty well," Ryan said walking over and handing me his guitar.

"I'd like to think so."

And then we got down to business.

----------------------------

"Soo?" Brent asked as we were walking to the car.

"That was the best feeling I've had in a long time."

"Does that mean you're going to join?"

"Yeah, if they want me."

"Dude, they probably want you more than Susan," he said laughing.

I laughed too as we came to a stop light.

"So are you hanging out with her at all today?"

"Nah, I'm just staying at Adam's house today," I said stretching my legs out in front of me.

"So I know this whole topic is off limits, but I don't really care, because I'm your best friend and you love me. Do you like Susan more than Morgan?"

"Did Adam tell you?"

"No."

"My mom?"

"Nah, she doesn't even tell me where your spoons are. She goes, 'Brent you have been coming to our house since you were a kid. You should know where they are,'" Brent tried to mock my mothers voice but failed and it was probably the funniest thing ever.

After we stopped laughing the light changed.

"Morgan asked me about you. And I just want to know how I'm the last to know about this crush of yours."

"What did she say?" I asked completely ignoring his question.

"She asked me if you ever talked about her."

"What did you say?"

"Well I said no! Because you never told me and I didn't know you liked her."

"Wait," I paused for a moment. "Why were you talking to Morgan?"

"We walked home together for awhile."

"You're friends with her?"

"Yeah pretty much everyone is. Well everyone but you and Cox."

"God damn it." I exclaimed resting my head against the window.

I didn't know what was worse being placed in a group with Cox, or Morgan thinking I didn't want to be friends with her.

"Well man don't fret it. You'll probably never see her this summer. She's planning on going up to that cabin as much as she possible, and it's just one more year."

"I'll be seeing her all the time. Adam is dating Taylor White."

"White? How the hell did he get her?"

"I have no idea."

We had pulled up into Adam's driveway.

-----------------------
"You're leaving tonight? Why?"

I sat on Adam's bed as he talked on the phone with Taylor.

"Oh that stinks, hopefully you'll beat the storm."

Adam has called Taylor every night, and he knows I want to know what Morgan has been doing but he won't tell me, because I won't talk about what happened.

"Yeah, I'll go out tomorrow."

He looked back at me and then turned around.

"No, I'm pretty sure he's going to a water park with Susan tomorrow."

I looked at him with a questioning face.

"Don't worry, Brendon. Taylor asked not Morgan. But Taylor thinks you and Morgan should talk," Adam said telling me each update.

"She doesn't want to talk to me," I said falling back against his bed.

"He said she doesn't want to talk to him."

"Dude!"

"She said that Morgan feels really bad, and that she wants to talk."

"Can you two stop?" I asked.

"Okay okay, I gotta go. Bye." He hung up and turned to look at me.

"If you're serious about being with Susan than at least try to be friends with Morgan. She's not used to someone not liking her."

"I do like her!" I exclaimed.

"Well, I don't know what to say. You need to pick. You can't be a jerk to Morgan because you can't be with her. And don't be dating Susan when all you're going to do is obsess over Morgan."

"Since when did you fucking become Dr. Phil?"

"I'm just saying. You're fucking around with two girls. One who's probably the nicest girls you'll meet, and the other is well nice."

"Man, I know you hate her. Stop trying to be nice."

"I don't hate her, I just don't understand. You were so in love with Morgan. Then you have a chance and you blew it because you didn't want to hurt Susan's feelings. And I know she's a nice girl, but there's a lot of nice girls out there."

"I like Susan, and Morgan and I don't belong together."

"Not even as friends?"

"I don't know," I mumbled into his bed.

"Just at least tell her yourself that you're not mad at her," Adam said turning on his computer.

"Fine. But I'm telling you, she's going to hate me. I've had bad luck with her this whole time."

"Don't worry man, everything happens for a reason," Adam said throwing me a side glance.

__________________________

"You're sick?"

"Yeah, I have the air conditioning cold, and my mom doesn't want me to going to the water park and making it worse."

What the fuck is an air conditioning cold?

"That stinks."

"I guess we'll just plan it again."

"Yeah." I already had my shoes on and the address Adam had written down for me the night before.

I was such a horrible boyfriend. Maybe that's why it didn't last my freshman year. Or maybe it was because I looked like a dork.

"So what are you going to do today?" she asked clearly hinting she wanted me to come over.

"Um, I know my dad wanted me to help him restain the deck, so I guess I'll help him that. It's gonna be a long day."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun. Well, I guess I let you go. Bye sweetie."

"Later." I hung up the phone, not caring she had called me sweetie.

It sounds weird when she says it. It might be because we've only been really dating for a few days, or just because she doesn't have the right voice to say sweetie.

Walking down the streets was like a whole new environment. I never had the need to walk three blocks North of my street, so I had never seen the houses before. When I had finally turned right I stopped in my tracks. I looked on the ground and there was a chalk drawn box with the number one in the middle. I looked ahead and saw the whole row going down the sidewalk. As I walked to down the sidewalk I counted:

one, two, three, four five, six , seven, eight , nine, ten.

I was so busy counting the boxes that I almost had missed her house. Right at number seventy eight her walk way up to her door started. I looked up and saw a box filled with chalk, and a bunch of chalk hand prints on the ground. A rainbow drawn, a tie dye swirl and the name Morgan written in some color design.

I knew I was at the right house.

My nerves almost got the best of me, but I figured nothing worse could happen.

I stood on her front porch and looked to the left of me. I swinging hammock was nailed to the ceiling of the porch and there was a newspaper, and a large book sitting on the table next to it. When I rang the doorbell I almost wanted to run away.

But maybe I didn't have to. I couldn't hear any footsteps coming toward the door and I started to go down the steps when I saw a small sign on one of the post of the porch.

Knock Knock.
Doorbell is broken!

There was a small smiley face at the bottom, almost as if it was there to mock me.

I took in a deep breath and marched up the steps and gave three short knocks on the door. With in seconds I could hear feet running from somewhere, but each second they got louder until the abruptly stopped and the door flew open.

"Brendon!" Her eyes widened.

"Hey, I just came-"

I stopped talking because Morgan had her arms wrapped around my neck. She was hugging me.

"God, I'm so sorry. I know I barely know you, and you probably hate that I'm hugging you right now. But I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you. I was just jealous I guess." She gave me a squeeze and I took that as a sign to hug back.

So I hugged her back.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" she asked pulling away.

I couldn't help but smile when I finally noticed the pink chalk on her face.

"I thought you were mad at me," I said leaning against the post.

She laughed and I watched her long hair fall off her shoulders.

"It seems like we keep running in circles."

"It does, doesn't." I said once I thought about it.

"How about. We just start over and become best friends?" she suggested.

She had a hopefully look in her eye.

"I think that's a good idea."

"Hey! I'm Morgan Lee, and I'm going to be your new best friend!" She stuck out her hand and I laughed while taking her small hand in mine.

"Brendon Urie. I can't wait for us to be BFFs."

__________________

"You play the Ukulele?" I asked picking up the small instrument.

Morgan was on her bed with her head hanging over the edge, trying to eat peanut butter.

"Yeah, I started when I was twelve."

Even from the deep tan she had I could see her cheeks turning a Rosie color from all the blood rushing to her face.

"You're going to choke."

"Nah, I do this all the time, Bren. No worries." She shoved a spoonful of peanut butter in her mouth.

"I joined a band yesterday." I said lightly strumming the Ukulele.

"Ge ouw! ca I saey you paly?" I could hardly understand her considering she still had peanut butter in her mouth and she was still trying to swallow it down.

"Will you eat that first before you talk to me? All I see is you trying to talk and the peanut butter getting lodged in your throat.

She sat up on her bed, sitting on her legs as she tried to finish the peanut butter.

"Can I see you play?" she asked after almost a minute of her trying to eat the peanut butter.

"Well, I just joined yesterday."

"What's the name?"

"Well, we don't have a name."

"No, name! Man I have some many names. Technically Taylor and I are probably in twenty bands that only consist of ourselves. But they had the rads names."

"What does Taylor play?"

"Nothing. We just liked coming up with names."

"Give me one."

"Slurpin'' Grape On Melancholy Days."

"I'm not going to lie that was the most fucked up name ever," I said laughing.

"I know, but we liked it. And it was so true."

"Where did it come from?"

By now she had fallen back on her bed and was staring at the ceiling.

"You never had a Slurpin' Grape?" she asked shock.

"I can't say that I have."

"Well, I have to take you to get one!" She sat up and looked at me.

"What is it?'

"It's basically a Slurpin' Grape." She went to her closet and disappeared for a good minute.

I sat on her window bench. I looked around and smiled. Everything in her room was white except for one wall that had the this rainbow tie dye circle thing on it. Her room was clean. It looked like she had cleaned it because family was coming over. But I knew she was just a clean person. Her floor was hardwood, unlike the other rooms of the house. Also her bed frame was a white wooden frame with four post sticking up. It was just the kind of room you think she would have.

"Okay let's go, my man." she had changed.

Right in her closet, with the door open. If I had just leaned forward a few inches I would have been able to seen. Yeah, that was the first thoughts going through my mind. Her hair was pulled back and was wearing a beach boys t- shirt and shorts. She had a bag that hung across her body, and she had on Aviators. Those were new.

________________

"So were do we get this Slurpin' Grape?" I asked as we walked down the street. The numbers were going backward this time.

"At Al's local drugstore," she said linking her arm with mine.

We walked at a slow pace and soon the numbers stopped showing.

"So am I ever going to be able to see your band play?"

"Well, it's not really my band. But once I actually learn their songs, then yes. I'll let you come."

"Neat, I get to be your first groupie."

"You're too sweet to be a groupie."

"Aww. Oh, Oh oh! There it is! Slurpin' Grape here we come!" she skipped forward a few steps causing me to drag behind.

"Come on!"

"Hold on."

"Okay." She stopped walking and looked at me with a big smile.

"You're really excited aren't you?"

"Yeah." She bit her lip making me laugh.

___________

"You didn't have to pay," I said as she held onto both of the Slurpin' Grapes.

"Shit." She looked at me with a worried look.

I was shocked. I have never heard her swear before. I never even heard of Morgan Lee being able to swear.

"What's wrong?"

"They're going to melt before we get home to drink them, and I don't want to run."

"Why do we have to go home?"

"Because Taylor and I would always drink them on the hammock under the porch on our melancholy days."

"Well then," I started as I took one of the Slurpin' Grapes. "We'll just have to find our own spot to drink ours."

"We need to find it quick. They're no fun, all melted."

____________________

"Was that not the best drink you've ever had?" Morgan asked me from her side of the tire swing.

"It was basically the best drink I've ever had," I said spinning the tire swing with my feet.

Morgan had already thrown out both of our cups in the recycling can and was holding on to the chains.

"Don't spin too fast. I don't want to vomit purple all over you."

"Yeah, I think that would put a strain on our BFFness," I said.

She smiled and leaned her head back. She pulled up her feet so they were on either side of me.

"I like our spot."

"I do too."

"You know I'm going to make you come back here all the time."

"I won't mind."