She was gone. There was nothing they could do.

"Joe!" Kevin kinda yelled. I clutched my head and groaned.

Kevin... headache... ughhh...

"Sorry, Carly. Joe, I thought I told you to sleep on the couch!"

"Budissallumpyyyy..." Joe whined.

"Would you rather sleep on the couch... or the garage floor?" Kevin threatened. They started arguing, the volume of their voices topping the other's with every word.

Really, I don't mind, I mean I'd have woken up if Joe had tried anything, and besides that, I have a HEADACHE!! That made them stop quarreling real quick.

"Okay, Carly, " Kevin responded. "We're listening. Now could you please repeat that... without the yelling part?" he added gingerly.

I really couldn't care less if Joe shares a bed with me, as long as he doesn't try anything. Which he hasn't, because I would have woken up. Seriously, Kevin, the bed's big enough. It's quite all right.

"So you really don't mind?" they said at the same time. Kevin's voice was skeptical, but Joe's was incredulous and ecstatic.

No, I really don't mind. Now, would someone please point me to the aspirin?

"It's in the bathroom medicine cabinet," they said simultaeously. They do that a lot, I mused in my head.

I paused. I also need a shower. I started towards the bathroom, but Kevin stopped me. "Your clothes need washing. They smell like..." He hesitated. "Joe's room." He wrinkled his nose and Joe shot him daggers. Kevin grinned. "Get your clothes together and Joe will do a load."

Joe looked pissed at being volunteered to do somoene else's chores, but then I interjected just as he was about to argue. I can do my own laundry, I mean, it's the least I could do. What with you kinda giving me a semipermanent home and all.

Kevin looked as if he was about to contradict me and tell me someone would get it done for me, but then he realized that he and Joe had been relieved from doing more laundry than was necessary. I rolled my eyes and smirked. Men, I groaned jokingly as I left the room to get my stuff.

I started pulling stuff out of my bag and realized Kevin was right- they did smell wonky. I gathered it all up in my arms, albeit with difficulty, brought it all downstairs and tried to pile it all in the front-load washing machine. I was vaguely aware that Nick, who lived downstairs and was about thirty feet from me, had his game of Halo three on pause and was watching me try to shove everything into the washer, not worrying about sorting. I couldn't have cared less about blotches on my clothing, especially when everything I owned came from thrift stores and I could easily replace my entire wardrobe with only a few bucks.

"My brother really likes you, I can tell."

Now that was out of the blue.

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

"I can tell he really likes you."

Really? I asked, not quite believing itbut at the same time hoping it was true. How do you figure this?

"The way he looks at you."

Now, Nick, if that's not cliche. If you can come up with a more convincing reason than that, maybe I'll believe you. Nobody ever "liked" me. No-one even took note that I existed, much less have a crush on me.

"Has he used baby-talk around you yet?"

I thought about when Kevin woke us up, how Joe had said, "Budissallumpyyyy."

Did that constitute as baby-talk? I figured it did, and nodded. I started over to the ugly, puke green, boxy couch where Nick was sitting and, upon reaching my destination, sat down gently.

"And where did he end up sleeping earlier, when you and he went to sleep more?"

As if you don't know. You probably watched him come into his room, where I was. How do you know he didn;t sleep on the floor?

"Please. If he passed up the couch, he wouldn't sleep on the floor. Stop trying to convince yourself he doesn't like you. Seriously, he does."

Actually, you have to stop convincing yourself that he does! You're acting like a shrink and it's just so you can tell yourself that your brother Joseph Jonas likes me! I got up and stormed over to the washer, poured soap into the dispenser, twisted the knob to start it, and stomped upstairs, but not before shouting hysterically, You're really pissing me off, now I know why we aren't friends at school.

"Are you okay? I hared you yelling at Nick. What happened?" Kevin tried to ask as I raged past him toward Joe's room. "Carly?" He called after me. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

I ran and flopped stomach-first onto Joe's bed and screamed NO! before promptly burying my face into one of his crimson-cased down pillows. I wasn't crying, though. I had just been majorly stressed out the last few days, and Nick had only added to it.

Joe got up quietly from his computer and sat down on the edge of the bed, and reassuringly placed his hand on my arm.

"Tell me what's going on, what happened downstairs?" he asked sympathetically.

Not a chance, I growled, the pillow muffling my voice. I hesitated, then sat up and brushed my bangs out of my eyes.

Actually, it's stupid, really.

"Tell me," he replied. Joe was pretty intent on getting an answer out of me.

While I was doing my laundry, Nick kept trying to tell me that you like me and asking me all these questions, I guess trying to prove it. Pretty blunt, huh?

He laughed nervously. "Wh-where would he get that idea from?"

That.

"What?

The stutter. The nervous laugh. You know what I mean. I think I see his point. You;'re not very subtle, you know.

"No way, he's delusional, we've been trying to send him to the nuthouse for years, I mean no offense but I'd never.. okay, maybe he's right. I do like you. A little."

He sighed. "Actually..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I, Joseph Adam Jonas, am absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt smitten with you." He let out the rest of the breath in his lungs with a low whistle.

"I cannot believe I just told you that."

Then he kissed me. I kissed him back for all of about two seconds, then realized evrything was just going way too fast for me, and pushed him off of me just as he was trying to make it deeper, more passionate.

I really would like more, butWow that was amazing

No. Joe, you can't just... kiss someone like that. At least give 'em a little warning. And anyways, we've only known each other for all of... about three hours. Two of those were spent sleeping. That was really too blatant and just... out of nowhere.

"Oh. Okay. So if that's how you feel... I guess I understand." He didn't look understanding though, he just looked hurt. He got up from his place next to me and left the room, closing the door silently after him.