Carter grabbed her last pair of shoes and placed them with the rest that were lined up around her bedroom. She had so many pairs of platforms, boots, and sandles, and only two pairs of sneakers. Her favorite shoes were of course her two inch combat boots that always magically disappeared from her bedroom and reappeared on Meli's feet.
She sighed and put her clothes away. She was exhausted after a long week of finals. Diana had given everybody their last final that day, and Carter was glad that homeschooling would be over for a couple months. She went to her curtains and opened them. She was about to open the window and breathe some freshair, when she noticed a face in her window, staring right at her. A blood curdling scream escaped her lips as she slammed the curtains shut and jumped back. She continued to scream even after she heard a ladder scrape against the siding and crash to the ground.
Zac and Taylor's voices both came over the moniter. Zac laughed. "I bet she saw a spider."
Carter grumbled at him. "YOU MAKE ME KILL SPIDERS FOR YOU!" She stomped out of her room and downstairs. She slammed out of the backdoor and ran to the side of the house to find Gabi, picking herself up off of the ground. "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING?!?!"
"I had to talk to you, so I found your ladder in the garage..." She tossed her long hair over her shoulder and straightened her shirt, trying not to focus on the huge grass stains on her back and her bleeding hand.
"NORMAL PEOPLE USE PHONES!"
Gabi laughed. "You're so funny."
"Are you going to tell me why the HELL you were staring in my window and HOW LONG you were doing it, or do I have to beat your ass all the way back to your coven?!"
"Wow. You've gotten even wittier."
Carter dug the heels of her hands into her hips. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?! And so help me God if you say you want Taylor, your hand won't be the only thing bleeding."
"You KNOW I want Taylor, Car..."
"Carter."
"You know I do. I'm not going to sit here and tell you to stay away from him. That would just make him mad. But I can threated you. I'm really good at that."
Carter glared at her. "I dare you. Whatcha gonna do? Get your little sister to turn Zac against me?"
"Hmm. Good idea, but, no." Gabi took a step towards her and stretched her arm out, reaching for Carter's throat.
"Take one more step and I swear I'll punch you so hard you'll land in the street."
"I'm sure. You really think you're this big tough, strong person don't you?"
"What?"
"When I, and the rest of the world, knows that you're just another little wussy who uses her MOUTH to get what she wants." Gabi grinned. "And I'm sure you use your mouth for a lot of other things, but we won't comment on that now will we..."
Carter grabbed hold of Gabi's shoulders and shoved her against the side of her neighbors house. "I WARNED YOU!"
Gabi smiled. "Like I said, all talk, no play."
Carter raised her arm and brought her fist down onto Gabi's nose.
"SHIT CARTER!" Gabi grabbed her face and then looked at her hand to see blood. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
"If you even have to ask..." At that moment, Zac ran out of the house. He took one look at Gabi, who's face, hands, and shirt were now covered with blood, and pulled her into the house with him. Carter followed. She slammed the backdoor to his house shut and stared as Zac held a wet washcloth to Gabi's face and asked if she was ok. "What are you doing?!"
"I'm trying to see if you broke her nose."
"So what if I did?!"
"She's my girlfriend's sister, Carter! I can't just let her lay in the yard all bloody."
"Do you even have any idea what she was saying to me and WHY I was screaming in my room?"
"I don't really care. You don't just haul off and punch somebody. Especially not you!"
Carter stared at him in disbelief as he put a few icecubes into a washcloth and handed them to Gabi. Gabi smiled at Carter in a way that was anything but chummy. "Zac..."
"Just shut up and let me clean her up."
Carter's mouth fell open as she left the kitchen. She went upstairs to Taylor's room to find him standing there, waiting. She took her into his arms and hugged her, not saying a word. He'd been watching from the balcony since the minute he heard her scream and run downstairs. He knew something was up and he knew it wasn't good. He watched as Gabi went after Carter first, and even teased Carter into punching her. He knew that Gabi deserved what she got, he was surprised it took Carter that long to shut her up. He even listened at the top of the steps as Zac completely shrugged Carter off as if she'd done something wrong.
Taylor didn't say anything as Carter let go of him and walked over to his bed. She sat down, curled her knees up to her chest and put her head down. He put his hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair. He knew that her best friend just hurt her more than she ever thought he could. He chose her sworn enemy over her. He'd told her to shut up and leave. But worst of all, he'd made her cry. Zac had never made Carter cry, he wasn't even sure if he had ever made Carter cry.
Taylor put his arm around her and pulled her over a bit so that she was leaning against him. Carter continued to look down, not wanting him to see her tears, but she accepted his comfort, for the first time in her life. She knew that what just happened downstairs was the start of a rough patch in her and Zac's friendship. But she was scared to death that it was even more than that.