Keep Me Guessing

As per usual, Cheyenne, Brie, Kara, and I sat on the couch as the guys set up their instruments, getting ready to practice. They were mumbling profanities and some incoherent thoughts, making us girls giggle and roll our eyes at their stupidity. Eight backpacks laid abandoned on the floor behind the couch, and apparently, Brie forgot about them being there.

"Shit!" She cursed, right after we all heard a slight thud. We all turned around and saw her lying face down on the floor; laughs escaped from the rest of us. "Shut up, I hate you all."

"You don't mean that!" Jack cried, placing his guitar down and jumping on top of her.

"Yes, I do believe I mean every word of that."

"Brie," I said. "You know you love me."

"That I do Addie, that I do."

"But you don't love me!" Jack pouted.

"Alright I guess I do."

The two of them started kissing, I turned away quickly as did everyone else. Kara went to go play with Rian's drums and Alex was sitting next to Cheyenne now, flirting carelessly. I sighed and looked back towards where Zach had been, but was in for a surprise. He was standing not even two inches away from me, I jumped and made a slight scream; I get scared easily. Everyone who saw cracked up at what had just happened and I blushed furiously. Zach planted his lips firmly, yet tenderly, on mine and I wrapped my arms around him.

"Okay, we might actually want to practice now!" Alex said loudly. He caught the attention of us all.

Jack, Zach, and Rian all went back to their instruments and got ready to dazzle us girls. I was constantly mesmerized by how skilled these boys were, I only wished I was talented like them. They started off playing Break Out! Break Out! which Jack insisted were about his herpes. There was something so catchy about them that made you just want to stand up and dance crazily. Pulling Cheyenne up with me, we started to dance like you do when you're home alone, the guys smirked at us and kept playing. When that song ended, they went right into another one, We Say Summer.

Practice was going strong until Rian's mother came home and they decided to stop, and go home. We all went our own ways, Jack, Cheyenne and I climbed into the car and he sped off down a few streets and parked, horribly, in the driveway. I jumped out of the car when it had stopped and screamed "land!", I feared for my life most of the time Jack was behind the wheel. Aunt Michelle and uncle Dan were already home, cooking dinner, or watching TV.

"We're home!" the three of us shouted out in unison.

"Come tell us about your day!" Aunt Michelle called from the kitchen. I'm guessing uncle Dan was helping tonight.

"So, kids," she said as we trooped in and sat down at the table. "Tell us how the day went."

"It was pretty cool." I told them. "Lots of excitement."

"What did you do?" my aunt turned around to look at me with a knowing look on her face.

"Me, do something?" I feigned innocence. "Never."

"What did she do?" she turned to Cheyenne and Jack.

"She told off Sarah Miller," Jack said nonchalantly, "Because Sarah was trying to get feisty with Zach."

"Did you get in trouble?" she checked the oven.

"No."

"Then we're good."

"What about you two?" Uncle Dan asked. "Did you kids have a good day?"

"Yes," Cheyenne said. "People were talking bout Ad and me all day because we're new seniors and already popular thanks to Jack here."

"See!" Jack shouted. "I told you people at school think I'm popular!"

My aunt and uncle shook their heads and continued to cook dinner. Jack, Cheyenne and I went to our rooms, each saying for them to call us when dinner was ready. I put my headphones on to concentrate better on the writing assignment that my creative writing class had been given. The task wasn't exactly hard, but I wanted to do a good job. I chose to write a poem about my feelings of the summer. I'm sure Alex was just going to whip up a song of some sort. I wrote a few lines, then erased it all, sighing, I didn't want to let too much emotion get into this.

Last summer had been rather personal, what with James and then Zach and all. Two songs later and I had caught an inspiration of how to write this. Before I knew it words were flowing onto the paper in a flurry, I was smiling and concentrating really hard on this and the music that was flowing into my mind. It shocked me when someone placed their hand on me, I must have jumped twelve feet in the air. I pulled my headphones out and saw that it was my uncle who had interrupted me.

"Sorry to interrupt honey, but dinner is ready."

"Oh, okay uncle Dan." I said.

I walked back downstairs with my uncle and took my place at the dinner table next to Jack and across from Cheyenne. I helped myself to some salad, potatoes, and a fish alternative that my aunt had made, despite me telling her I needed no special attention being as I am pescetarian.

"Aunt M," I said exasperatedly, "how many times do I have to tell you? I'm fine, you don't need to make some alternative for me."

"Nonsense Addison Sophia Rae Barakat." She said sternly. "You need protein in your diet, I don't mind!"

"Aunt Michelle, what am I going to do with you?" I laughed.

"You're going to do the dishes." She replied. "Because it's your turn."

Cheyenne and Jack laughed at me but I shrugged it off, doing the dishes wasn't that bad after all. Sure it was boring and I had to sanitize my hands right after, but it wasn't some deadly deed. When dinner was over, the others piled their dishes in the sink and I put on my headphones once again as I began to scrub leftovers down the garbage disposal, and rinse at glasses before loading them into the dishwasher. As I did this I sang along quietly to my music and even danced a little bit. Nobody was there standing in the doorway, at least that I knew of, so I didn't really care about anyone seeing me. Even if they did it would just be my family or Cheyenne, and they love me no matter what.

"What are you doing Addie?" Cheyenne asked suddenly, laughing.

"Dancing what do you think I'm doing?"

"Being a loser." She smirked. "Almost done?"

"Yeah," I said, taking my headphones off. "Why, do you need something?"

"I have math homework," she grumbled.

"Chey you know I'm not good at math!"

"But you're better than me!" she shot back.

"Go get Jack and meet me in my room."

Not even ten minutes later Cheyenne and I were lying on my bed and Jack was sitting on the chair backwards. We were all trying to make sense of her math homework; you'd think it would be easy, but it's not. Jack at least had a little bit of knowledge about it and was seriously, trying to help. But it is Jack Barakat we are talking about, and needless to say he does get distracted quite a bit. Currently he was attempting to balance a pencil on the tip of his nose instead of answering Cheyenne's question about the Pythagorean theorem and triangles.

"Jack Bassam Barakat!" I said crossly. "Stop being immature and help Chey with her homework!"

"No need to get angry Miss Grumpy Gills."

"Jack, when you're doing something eight year old boys do there is a need to get angry. Now stop talking to me and help her!"

Jack grumbled a few profanities directed at me and I slapped him halfheartedly before he began to really help Cheyenne. While they worked on the math problems I turned on my computer to check my email. There was one from my mom, one from Faye, two junk ones, and one from someone I didn't know. I read my family's first then that last one. What it was shocked me to the point I hadn't even noticed Jack and Cheyenne finish and come see what I was staring at.

"Oh wow."

"Did he really?"

Addison Barakat,

As you must have heard by now James Lucas Macavoy has suffered an early death due to a gunshot wound. Preceding his death he had possessions that have been said to be yours. A box will be sent to your residence as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Kyle F. Johnson

Mr. Johnson had been my lawyer for the whole James ordeal, he was a very nice man. Thankfully he kept his email very short and to the point instead of getting all technical and legal. Cheyenne and Jack were both looking at me now, waiting for my reaction that had yet to come. I didn't know what to say. How did James even have any of my stuff? I never gave him anything of mine that I can remember, but I guess I couldn't be too sure anymore. James was conniving, apparently even after he was dead. I deleted the message and then the junk emails afterwards, not seeing a point in keeping any of them. Why is it that James always seems to come back around? I asked myself this many times, rolling it around my head but never getting a reply. Jack and Cheyenne left my room quietly, knowing that I needed a little time to think. I would have to remember to thank them when I saw them next.