Chapter 2

Carter sat by herself on the balcony of her house in a large, black leather loveseat. She wrapped a maroon flannel blanket around her shoulders and leaned back. It was her favourite spot to be at night. There was only a small yellow banister that divided her side of the house from Zac's. She liked that. She could look down and see the moon reflect off of the pool. She could see the yellow, peeling paint of the garage. She could even see the rusty old swingset that she and Zac used to play on. It now sat next to the garage in a little ditch.

Most of all, sitting alone on the balcony, she liked to talk to her mother. "Taylor is finally gonna get it mom. After Isaac sets all of those traps in his bedroom. I sure hope he came through for me this time." Carter pulled out the small wallet sized picture of her mother from the pocket and smiled.

She was beautiful. With long blonde hair, just like Melissa's. But it was obvious that Carter's radiant blue eyes came straight from her mother. Carter wished she was more like her mom. It was a tragedy when she died. She had the accident and suffered in the hospital for three days before she finally left. Carter sighed in relief knowing that her mother wasn't in pain anymore.

"I wonder if he's gone to bed yet. It is like, midnight. Unless he's still daydreaming about Melissa. Don't get me wrong mom, I love my sister. She's just nothing like me." Carter shoved the picture back into her pocket when she heard Taylor walk onto his side of the balcony.

He sat on the ledge casually, his hair soaking wet and sticking to the sides of his face. His jeans and shirt were stained with little splotches of red and white. "You know, you really are a bitch."

Carter smiled at him. "Well gee, Taylor. What happened to you?"

Taylor smiled, annoyed. "Yeah well, you know what I always say. Never walk into your room when the door is opened just enough to hold a bucket full of water, ketchup, and mayonaise. Especially right after you dumped paint into your neighbor's hair the week before."

Carter laughed. "He put everything in the same bucket? Nice touch Isaac."

"Ike did it?"

"Oh of course. I couldn't have gotten into your room. Nor did I want to." She grinned and wrapped the blanket more tightly around her shoulders.

"You cold or something?"

"No. I'm fine. How about you?" Carter grinned down at his soaking wet clothes.

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Well I'm going back inside. I'll leave you to talk to your mother."

"Go to hell."

"I'll see you there." He smiled and went back inside.

Carter pulled the picture out of her pocket again. It was only a matter of moments before she shoved it back inside with the sound of a doorslam.

"I told you to go to hell." She sighed.

"No you didn't." Zac leaned over the banister and smiled.

"Oh sorry. I thought it was your brother."

Zac jumped over the banister and stood in front of her. "Scoot over."

Carter moved to the side of the loveseat and let him sit down next to her. By force of habit, he put his head down on her shoulder.

"You know, you've been doing that since you were 3."

"What?"

Carter tapped the top of his head with her finger.

"Oh. I dunno. You have comfy shoulders."

"Gee thanks." Carter laughed and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Did you do that to Tay?"

"Uh huh."

"Cool. He deserved it. He's been a total dickhead lately."

"No kidding. So has Mel. They're too glued to eachother to even talk to me."

"And that bugs you?"

"Kind of." She shrugged. "Not really. I guess not. I just hate being left out."

"You think you're left out?"

"No."

Zac laughed. "You never make any sense."

"Neither do you."

"So?"

Carter pulled the picture out of her pocket and smiled. "Wasn't she pretty?"

"You look like her."

Carter shook her head. "Melissa does."

"You have the same smile as Lacie. Same eyes, same nose. All Mel has is the hair."

"She even had a pretty name."

"Yeah she did. I miss your mom."

Carter smiled. "Me too."

"Is that why you talk to her all the time?"

"Yeah. I think so. It's hard to believe that she's gone. Even though she's been gone for 2 years."

Zac sat up a little bit. "Remember when she used to make us those cookies, and she wouldn't give any to Taylor cause she called him the little brat?"

"Yeah. She was just like a mom from t.v. Always wearing that dumb white apron."

Zac laughed. "It looked cool on her."

"Why do you think my dad never cried?"

"I don't think he could." Zac shrugged.

"What do you mean?" She asked, staring into his eyes.

"Your dad isn't the kind of person to cry. I don't even think he knows how too. I'm surprised you cried."

Carter laughed. "Three days straight. Did I ever thank you?"

"For what?"

"For like... putting up with me?"

"Nope."

"Well, thanks."

"No problem." Zac smiled and put his arm around her. "I wish it wasn't so cloudy. Maybe we'd see some shooting stars."

"I always see one when I talk to my mom."

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

Zac stayed silent for a while, watching the only tiny clear spot in the sky. Carter watched it too, holding her mother's picture in her hand.

"Well, I guess you're not gonna talk tonight." Shee sighed.

All of a sudden, Zac pointed to the clear patch of sky. The tiny white line flashed through the clouds for only a second. "Did you see it?"

Carter grinned. "I saw it. Goodnight, mom." She smiled and leaned against Zac.

It wasn't the first night that they would fall asleep together on the balcony. In the summer they would sleep outside almost every night. They were teased by Melissa, Isaac, and Taylor, but they didn't really care. Friends were supposed to spend a lot of time together. Especially best friends. Zac had been there almost her whole life, and Carter had been there for all of Zac's life.

Carter even remembered when Zac's mother, Diana, first brought Zac home from the hospital. She was only 2, so she was forced to sit down on the couch before holding little Zachary in her arms. Even then, Taylor, who was also 2 years old, came over and smacked Carter on the arm. "MY BROTHER!" He would shout to her everytime she touched Zac. Even though she was 2, she had been taught by her father to scream "go to hell, Taytay" in his face.

Things were still basically the same. Taylor was still playing "my brother" and Carter was still playing "go to hell, Taytay".

"Are you gonna give me some of your blankie?" Zac asked, grinning up at Carter.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." She stretched it out over both of them.

"You were gone there for a little while. What were you thinking about?"

Carter laughed. "My brother!" She shrieked, mimicking Taylor's high pitched, 2 year-old voice.

"What?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"You're weird."

"You're ugly."

Zac laughed. "You're uglier."

"So."

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