Zac jumped backwards onto the kitchen counter in Carter's house and crammed half of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich into his mouth. He sluggishly chewed while he watched Carter opening doors to cupboards, draws, and even the microwave.
"Your dad keeps his condoms in the garage, if that's what you're looking for." He took another bite.
Carter winced and slammed the refridgerator door shut. "Dammit Zac, that's something I never needed to know. And I'm not even going to ask why you know that. By the way. The jelly on your ear? Hot." She sat down on the floor and looked around.
"Seriously, what are you looking for?"
"There's a loose floorboard in here somewhere. Remember we used to hide stuff in it? I can't remember if that's the one mom found and fixed or if that was the one in my closet."
"She fixed both." He shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth. "Free mites!" He yelled, throwing his arms into the air as if he'd just won a prize.
"You're lucky I know you well enough to understand what you just said. But your record was two bites. And I'm looking for my Afrin." She sniffled loudly, resulting in a snort. She was still suffering from a sinus infection that was leaving her miserable.
"Why the hell would you have left your Afrin in a floor board?"
"I didn't." She stood up and stomped her foot. "Taylor hid it from me. He thinks I'm getting addicted."
"So? You get addicted every time you get a sinus infection. The addiction goes away after about 4 months and then you just start all over. He should know this."
"That's what I said. Apparently it's bad for my health."
Zac rolled his eyes. "Did you check the box under his bed where he keeps his porn?"
"Yes. And by the way, you guys need to stop trading. It's kind of creepy."
Zac blushed. "So, changing topics. It's getting worse."
"The crush?" Carter jumped up and sat on the counter next to him. "I've noticed. Last night you spent two hours watching her watch a movie."
"Has she noticed?"
"Nope. Meli is still Meli. Completely clueless to the admiration of men. Luckily she spends ten hours of her day reading, ten studying, and four sleeping. She doesn't notice much."
"So you don't think she notices me?" Zac frowned.
"Wow, you're pretty pathetic. Do you really want her to notice you, Zac? I thought it was just a crush that you didn't want to go anywhere."
"It is. It just... sucks."
"I know." She put her head on his shoulder. After a minute of silent sympathy, she jumped down and pointed her finger in his face. "YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS!"
"What?!" Zac looked frightening. "I know where what is?!"
"The Afrin! Taylor SUCKS at Hide and Seek. He couldn't hide to save his life! And you gave me the darty eyes while I was looking for it. You helped him hide it! You KNOW where it is!"
"I do not! I have no idea! And Taylor's really gotten better at Hide and Seek since he's hit his twenties. I think sucking at it was just a phase."
"Hide and Seek is supposed to be a phase, Zac and we've never stopped playing it. Granted we've added shots of Jager to the game, but we've never stopped playing it. Tell me where it is!"
"I'm not allowed to."
"Oh, come on! Don't be such a pussy!"
Zac scooted further back on the counter. He was predicting pain in his near future. "Taylor said if I told you where it was he'd tell Melissa about the crush. Speaking of which, how does he know about the crush?"
"Come on, Zac. Everybody knows about the crush. You're like a dog in heat." She grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him off of the counter. Then she threw him onto the floor and dropped on top of him, her knees pinning down his shoulders. "Now grow a pair and tell me where my Afrin is before I realign your testicles!"
Zac whimpered. "It's wrapped in a ziplock baggy, stuffed in the pool filter!"
Carter grinned, kissed Zac on the forehead, and let him up. "Wow. Creative thinking. Good boy." She sniffled again and skipped out the backdoor heading for the pool.
"Has she noticed?"
"Nope. Meli is still Meli. Completely clueless to the admiration of men. Luckily she spends ten hours of her day reading, ten studying, and four sleeping. She doesn't notice much."
"So you don't think she notices me?"
Melissa stepped away from the kitchen door as quietly as she could and made her way out the front door. She sat down on the porch swing and stared out at the swing across from her on Zac's porch. She missed most of the conversation and she walked away the second she felt she was eavesdropping but she definitely heard the disappointment in his voice when he asked if she noticed him.
Zac was ... Zac. He was goofy, awkward, composed, secretive, loud, shy, funny, smart, ditzy, deep, and completely confusing. Melissa had stopped trying to understand Zac when she was 6 years old and he got her a marble for her birthday and cried when she lost. He told her it was a magic marble and she was supposed to save it forever because it was going to give her good luck. She spent weeks looking until she finally found it at the bottom of the pool. She still had it in a box somewhere with her old journals. She had planned to pull it out at Zac and Carter's wedding. That was before she finally realized Carter and Taylor would be getting married instead.
She sighed and pulled her blonde hair into a quick ponytail. Recently Zac had done something nobody ever expected him to do. He had grown up. But then again, so had she. She had spent most of her life feeling invisible. Yes, Carter always said Melissa was the pretty one, the desired one. But Melissa knew the truth. Nobody really saw her. Carter had finally started to get to know her a few years ago and now... now Zac... She had no idea what to think.
Suddenly the front door flew open and she jumped so hard she felt like the swing was going to flip backwards. "Holy shit!" She gasped when she looked up at Zac. "You scared me."
"Wow." Zac laughed and sat down on the swing next to her. "Sorry. Where were you just then?"
"Jupiter. Possibly" She smiled and cursed herself silently when she felt her cheeks growing hot. Luckily, Zac's face was completely red as well. "So have you told Carter where Taylor hid her Afrin yet?"
"How'd you know about that?"
She smiled again and Zac noticed that she always blushed when she smiled. "Earlier when I was sitting on your couch reading and you and Taylor were plotting. I listen to everything everybody says while I'm reading. It's a multi-tasking thing. I notice more than you think." She almost stopped herself from saying that last sentence. Luckily, Zac didn't falter.
"So you definitely know about the porn stash then. Anything else I should know about?"
"Hmm." Melissa lifted the bottom of her light blue tanktop up slightly to reveal her stomach. There were two tiny studs there, one above her navel and one below. "That's two out of the three."
"Well, we're making progress."
"Hey." Melissa leaned forward and patted his knee. "I'm thinking of getting another tattoo next week. I almost have enough money saved up. You want to come? Jesse might be done making fun of you for crying by now." She reached forward and touched his labret piercing lightly.
Zac almost melted. "Sounds good."
"Cool." She smiled. "See ya."
Zac watched her walk away and waited before she disappeared into her house before leaning back and letting out the breath he was holding. "She knows."
Melissa ran up the stairs to Carter's bedroom and pushed open the door without knocking. She had once again moved back into the attic leaving her sister on the second floor with their dad. She found Carter laying on her back on the bed with her bottle of Afrin on her stomach. She was smiling and breathing through her nose. "Hey, since you're done snorting your legalized cocaine and you look like you're in a better mood than earlier when I used your last tissue and you tried to bite me... I need some guy advice."
Carter sat up and grinned. "Thank GOD you know. I was sick of watching his one sided mating ritual."
"He hasn't been that obvious, has he?" Melissa sat down on her sister's bed.
"Actually, no. But he did walk into a wall yesterday when you guys passed on the way to and from the kitchen. Did you notice the bruise on his chin?"
"Huh." Melissa laughed. "I thought that was jelly."
"Probably a little of both." Carter smiled. "Do you like him?"
"It's Zac. I mean... Zac."
"Yeah, I know his name. He's my best friend. I saw him naked just last week when he lost yet another bet. I think I helped changed his diaper once when I was 2. Things have definitely changed in that department."
"Thanks for the visual."
"Anytime. So what advice do you need?"
Melissa sighed. "How do I tell him that I've been hiding the fact that I've been completely in love with him for about three years now?"
Carter stared at her sister with her mouth wide open, at a complete loss for words for the first time in a long time.