"Ahem."
Carter ignored the noise she heard from behind her and continued rummaging through her dresser drawers. Her hair was pulled back a little bit with tiny butterfly clips that caught the light when she moved. Now all she needed to complete the look was her black t-shirt with the purple butterfly on the chest.
"Ahem."
"Meli, have you seen my shirt?" Carter turned around to see a tall, slender girl standing in the doorway. Her hair was dark and layered, dramatically, beginning at the shoulders and ending at the small of her back. "Who the hell are you?" Carter asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"I'm Gabi. I'm Mel's friend. Didn't you hear me trying to get your attention?" Gabi's arms were crossed over her chest.
"Yeah. I thought it was just Melissa, coughing up some flem. Most people get my attention by saying my name." Carter grinned. "What do you want?"
Gabi smiled, a sickeningly sweet smile, and walked forward. "I just wanted to tell you to knock off whatever it is you're doing with Taylor. If you know what's good for you."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said. And by the way, Melissa's moving all of her stuff out of this room. She's officially going to have her room in the attic."
"Oh how nice." Carter rolled her eyes and went back to looking in her dresser drawers.
"But that bed is staying here. For you. You know, for your two boyfriends."
Carter turned around abruptly and glared at Gabi. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well you know, the one that makes you seen like a pediphile, and Taylor."
"Zac's my best friend."
"Oh right. Zac. That's his name. It's so hard to remember names anymore."
Carter rolled her eyes. "How right you are, uhm, Goobie."
"Fuck off." Gabi glared at her and took another step forward, grinding the palms of her hands into her hips. "Like I said before, watch your back."
"And like I said before, what the fuck do you mean?"
"Taylor deserves sooo much better than you."
"You mean, he deserves somebody like you?"
"Exactly. He had the right idea when he was with Mel. But now he's turned to the little people. You know, people like you."
"Wanna get out of my room? I have to change."
"For a date? With my Tay?"
Carter laughed and pulled her shirt out of the dresser. "Your Tay? No. I'm just going out. With nobody."
"Oh that's right, people like you have fun going on dates with themselves. Like I said before, Tay doesn't need the little people. He could have me."
"And like I said before, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!" Carter pushed Gabi's shoulders back and shoved her out the door. She slammed the door in her face and pulled her shirt off to change.
"Well, that was uncalled for." Gabi said from the hallway. Carter could almost hear the "hmmph" escape her lips.
Carter pulled the black butterfly t-shirt over her head and straightened her hair before walking out to the balcony. Before walking into Taylor's bedroom, she knocked. For the first time in her life, she knocked.
"Come in." He said, sounding almost like a question.
"Hi." She sighed and walked into his bedroom.
"You knocked."
"Yup. I'm gonna go check on Zac. Then I'm going out for a while."
"He's in his room eating everything in the house."
Carter laughed. "I guess he's feeling pretty good then."
"Yeah. So where are you going then?"
"I dunno. Out. I wanna get out and do something." She shrugged. "I'm pretty bored."
"I could go with you."
Carter shook her head. "I kind of wanna be alone today. You don't mind do you?"
"Of course not." Taylor smiled. "Now go check on Zac."
"K." Carter left Taylor's room and knocked on Zac's door.
"Come in Booger." Zac always knew when it was Carter.
"Hey Goober. How you feeling?"
Zac shrugged his shoulders and popped a dorito into his mouth.
"Got your appetite back. But you still look like a racoon." She laughed. "You gonna be ok today?"
He nodded. "Why?"
"Cause I'm gonna go out and spend some money."
"Where to?"
"Mall." She smiled. "Get some new clothes or something."
"Cool. Why don't you take Tay with you? He's a fashion victim. He could use some style." He grinned.
"I kind of wanna be alone."
"Oh. Bad day?"
"Something like that. Look, don't tell anybody where I went, ok?"
"Sure. Are you ok?"
Carter nodded. "Yeah. Hey, can I wear your jeans?"
"Which ones?"
"The patchy ones."
"Sure."
"Cool." Carter grabbed his patchwork jeans which were laying on the ground in a corner of his bedroom and went to the door. "See ya. I'll be back later tonight."
"Cool. Have fun."
"Yeah." She smiled and left.
Later on, Carter stepped out of the dressing room in Deb, with a black satin dress in her hand. She sighed, looking down at it, and put it back on the rack. When she turned around, she ran right into Taylor. "Whoa." She muttered.
"Hey. I didn't know you were here."
"Yeah you did." She smiled. "Goober told you."
"You're wearing his pants."
"Yeah I like them."
"Oh." Taylor ran his hand across the dress on the rack and smiled. "I like this too. Did you try it on?"
"Yeah. But... it was too long. Just like these damn jeans." She laughed and kicked at the her ankle.
"Wanna go get something to eat?"
Carter shook her head. "I have to find a dress. I want a dress. I don't know why. I just have the urge to buy a dress."
"Can I help you pick one out?" Taylor asked, eyeing a very skimpy, very bright blue dress.
"As long as you don't say, 'How bout something like this' and point to that ugly as hell thing." She grinned and pulled him away from the dress.
"Fine fine."
After about 15 minutes of shopping, Carter finally stepped out of the dressing room wearing a bright red dress. It had tiny straps that hung on her shoulders and was very tight. "Don't laugh." She muttered, trying to cover herself with her arms.
"Whoa..." Taylor whispered, looking her up and down.
"Ok... I'm not getting this."
"NO!" He shouted and jumped up. "You HAVE to get this."
"Why? I'll never wear it."
"So. Get it."
"Why? It makes me look like Melissa."
Taylor laughed. "Melissa could never look this good in this dress. It's you!"
"It's red."
"So?"
"I like the black one. Or the white one."
"This one."
"No."
Taylor pushed her back into the dressing room. "You get this one." He grinned from the other side of the door.
"Fine. Geez. I don't know what it is with guys and skimpy red dresses."
"Shows off your legs."
"Yeah, and my boobs." Carter rolled her eyes. "Ow."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Taylor laughed. "Hurry up. Geez."
Carter pushed open the door. "Alright alright. Let's go pay for this damn..."
Taylor interrupted her by putting his arms around her waist and pushing his lips against hers. When they separated, Carter stared at him in shock. "What was that for?"
"I dunno. I just did it."
"Oh. Ok." Carter smiled. "I'm gonna go pay for this. Then we'll get something to eat."
When Carter and Taylor made their way to Mcdonalds, Carter seemed distant, staring at the dress in her bag, and frowning.
"What's wrong with you today?" He asked, sipping on his Coke.
"Nothing."
"You're lying."
Carter nodded. "You know what today is?"
"Monday?"
"It's Tuesday."
"Oh."
Carter laughed. "But uhm, it's... Mom's birthday."
Taylor looked at Carter sympathetically.
"Nobody else remembered. Not even Dad."
"Lacey's birthday.. that means.."
"Yeah. The anniversary of her death."
"Are you ok?"
Carter nodded slowly. "That's why I got the dress. The week before she died, she was telling me how she hardly ever saw me in a dress and... that we'd go shopping on her birthday."
"So that's why..."
"Yeah. Why didn't Zac remember?"
"He has a lot on his mind. With him being sick."
"Yeah. I guess. Maybe I'll just remind him."
"Maybe you should." _______________________________________________________
Later that night, when Carter went to see Zac, she was surprised when he threw his arms around her and hugged her. "I forgot. Now I know why you wanted to be alone. I'm so sorry, Are you ok?" He whispered into her ear.
"I'm fine."
Zac let go of Carter and brushed his lips against hers, surprising her and making her jump. "What was that for?" She asked, touching her lips lightly.
"Just because. You've been great to me since I've been sick, and I wish I could have done something to make you feel better today."
Carter hugged him and put her head on his shoulder. "You have, Zac. You have."