Look for the Girl With the Broken Smile

The next day, SJ didn't mention what happened the day before, and Dougie seemed to take his cue from her. SJ had kinda wanted to visit her father's grave on his birthday, but since they were nowhere near where he was buried she let it go. They were halfway through the tour that night. Before the second soundcheck, SJ was back upstairs with Dougie, working on his portrait.

He was quiet. SJ found herself wondering what he was thinking about as she worked on drawing his jawline. It was coming out all wrong. His chin didn't look right. Frustrated, SJ leaned close to her paper to fix it, glancing up at his face every couple of seconds to perfect it.

"Why do you hate me?"

SJ looked up, startled. He had an interested, almost puzzled expression on his face. "Pardon me?" SJ said.

"Why do you hate me?" he asked again. It wasn't his usual tone of angry and aggressive, which was what completely surprised SJ.

"Er...why do you hate me?" she asked back, once she had recovered from her initial shock.

"I asked you first," he replied. He smirked. Yeah, that was more like the Poynter she knew.

"Er, well..." Suddenly, momentarily meeting Dougie's crystal clear blue eyes, she couldn't remember anything she'd always complained to Harry about. Why did she hate Dougie? She looked away from him. It was just because he was putting her on the spot, she convinced herself as she remembered. "Well, you're rude, obnoxious, and annoying. And mean."

"Wow, all those things? You're flattering me." His eyes sparkled as he laughed.

SJ went on, "Also, the first time I met you, you tripped me down the stairs and I broke my wrist. And..." She paused for effect. "You never even apologized!"

Dougie actually had the nerve to laugh again. "Is that it?"

"It wouldn't have killed you to say sorry, Poynter!" SJ snapped.

"Yeah, well..." Dougie was defensive. "You made me nervous!"

"I—what?" SJ looked up at him, astonished. He flushed, as though he had said something he hadn't meant to say. "I made you nervous?"

"Yeah, I—never mind," he said quickly.

SJ shrugged and dropped it. Then she said, "So why do you hate me? You didn't answer."

"I only started hating you after you started hating me," Dougie replied.

They fell silent. SJ was thinking about this. Why, exactly, did she hate Dougie so much?

"Doug! SJ!" Danny called from downstairs. "We have to go soundcheck."

Neither of them moved. "You can go, you know," SJ told him. "I'm not holding you hostage."

"I'm waiting for you." Dougie gave her a quick grin.

SJ rolled her eyes and stood up. For some reason, his smile gave her a flutter in her stomach. Wait—what?

Dougie got up, too. "Is it done?" he asked about his portrait.

"No, not yet." SJ gave him an exasperated look. "You keep distracting me."

Dougie shrugged unapologetically. Then he said, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever. I just need another day or two." SJ turned to head down the stairs.

"No, I mean—I'm sorry for breaking your wrist."

SJ turned back and stared at him. "You're apologizing now?"

"Better now than never, right?" he said with another grin. He passed her to go down the stairs. "By the way, it really was an accident," he called over his shoulder.

"Accident, yeah right," SJ responded as she followed him. But she smiled to herself. Maybe, this time, she believed him.