"Okay," Ike said leading the drunken kid over to a line that he had drawn on the driveway with a rock,"see if you can walk this line."
The kid took two steps and fell. Isaac sighed,"Good enough, just drive carefully." he picked the kid up off of the pavement.
"Thanks Doc." the kid slurred as he fell into his car. He turned on the car and hit the gas. The car flew in reverse.
"Put it in drive asshole!" Isaac cried.
The kid saluted him and sped away down the street.
Isaac shook his head and headed for the house.
Inside the house Stacie and Erica were arguing as Taylor watched.
"Geez Stacie, I thought you were cooler that this! Why'd you have to break up my party?" she yelled.
"Erica grow up! Half of those kids were drunk and the other half were wrecking the house! You're lucky I broke it up before a neighbor called the police or something!" Stacie screamed.
Erica crossed her arms,"Taylor, tell her she's being unreasonable!"
Taylor shook his head,"If one of those kids gets in a car accident you could get sued."
Erica dropped her arms and groaned,"It's just kids having fun! What's the big deal?"
"Fun? They were drunk! Drunk isn't fun!" Stacie yelled.
"She's right Erica." Isaac spoke up.
Stacie grabbed a garbage bag from under the kitchen sink,"Go to your room Erica. I have to clean up and I don't want to see you."
"Oh screw you! You can't send me to my room! When did you become an angel? I must have missed it! Don't act like you're better than any of this! You're not! You used to..." she was cut off.
"I swear to God Erica, if you don't get out of my face I will punch you!" Stacie yelled.
Erica pushed her,"Well come on then! I'm not afraid of you!"
"Erica stop it! You're drunk!" Taylor yelled.
"I am not, I know exactly what's happening. Stacie is backing out of her responsibility to tell Isaac her secret. Come on," she pushed her again,"we're all ears! We're listening."
Stacie punched her in the face,"I told you to shut-up!"
Erica tackled her to the floor and pulled her hair,"You're such a bitch!"
Taylor ran over and pulled Erica off of her,"Stop it!" he held onto her. It was then that he realized that blood was gushing from Erica's nose.
Stacie leapt up and pushed Erica,"Come on, you wanted to fight!"
Erica wriggled away from Taylor and punched her in the face. Stacie grabbed a hold of her hair.
Isaac and Taylor pulled them away from each other,"Grow up! You guys are cousins!" Isaac yelled.
"Yeah, not by choice though." Erica glared at Stacie.
Stacie growled,"Come on! I'll kick your ass!"
Isaac tightened his grip on Stacie,"Taylor take Erica upstairs now!"
"Damnit Taylor, let me go!" Erica tried to pull away.
Taylor dragged her from the room,"Fat chance." he muttered.
Taylor dabbed at Erica's nose with a cottenball again,"You'd think you'd have to be the one cleaning me up after a fight."
"Yeah well, I've done that before." she said quietly.
He took a wet washcloth and wiped off the dried blood,"You shouldn't fight with your cousin." he lectured.
She sighed,"Are you done yet?"
Taylor's eyes burned into hers and then he turned away,"Yeah."
"Good." she said standing up and looking in the bathroom mirror.
Taylor crossed his arms and leaned against the wall,"You can hardly tell." he mumbled.
"Good." she replied again before heading from the bathroom.
Taylor followed,"How long do you plan to keep this up?" he asked walking behind her into her bedroom.
"Keep what up?" she asked.
"You know what." Taylor said frustrated with her and the entire situation.
She pulled her bed sheets down,"How long am I going to keep this up?" she repeated,"Do you mean how long am I going to be me? How long am I not going to conform to what you envision a girlfriend to be? Well pretty much forever Taylor, so don't keep wondering." She snickered,"You shouldn't even wonder at all because according to the interviews you give, I don't even exist!"
Taylor shook his head,"If you even think that you are going to turn this around on me you better forget that idea pretty damn quick! I'm tired of feeling bad about what you do! You did this, it's your fault and if you don't feel bad about what you put all of us through tonight then you don't have a conscience."
"I do feel bad Taylor,"she said as she kicked her shoes off,"but why make everyone around me miserable? It's my problem, I deal with it and move on."
Taylor fiddled with his wallet chain,"I hope that's not really how you see things."
"Well it is." she shrugged,"I mean that's just the way it's always been and probably the way it always will be. And that's also my problem to deal with."
Stacie was throwing paper plates and cups and things in a garbage bag furiously,"Just like it's always been, she makes a mess and I have to clean it up."
"So don't clean it up this time." Isaac suggested.
Stacie snickered,"Yeah right."
Isaac picked up some various items on the floor,"It was just an idea." he muttered as he shoved them in a garbage bag.
"Ya know, sooner or later I won't be around to pick up her mess. Then she'll be sorry. I'm not going to live forever." Stacie huffed.
"No, you're not." Isaac agreed quietly.
Stacie plopped onto the couch and ran her hand through her hair,"But it's not like I don't completley understand her feelings. I just wish she would have the brains after she saw..." she trailed off.
"Saw what?" Isaac asked genuinly interested. She was going to spill it, oh it's so close! he thought.
Stacie shook her head,"I don't know, I guess I'm just babbling." she stood back up and grabbed the garbage bag.
Isaac's shoulders slumped. Why couldn't she just spill the damn secret!? He wanted to know, or he thought he did. But he wondered if when she told him, he wouldn't want to know.
The door upstairs slammed and Taylor came trudging down the stairs,"She's asleep." he announced.
"Good, she can do less damage that way." Stacie said sharply.
"Why don't you get off her back about it? Just leave her alone." Taylor snapped at Stacie.
"You didn't feel that way a half an hour ago." Stacie pointed out.
Taylor narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her,"Well that was a half an hour ago."
Stacie searched his eyes before turning away to clean up. She saw it in his eyes, he knew her secret.
"Okay Tay, we better get home before mom has kittens." Ike said pulling his jacket on and surveying the now clean living room.
"Yeah I know." Tay said,"Are you going home too Stacie?" he aksed.
"Uh yeah..." Stacie said hesitantly. Part of her was telling her to sleep there and talk about things with Erica tomorrow morning. And the other part of her didn't even want to look at her.
They all walked out of the front door and Stacie used the spare key to lock it. She would return it when she saw Erica again.
Isaac quickly kissed her and said goodnight. Then in his best Forrest Gump voice he said that he had to pee and hurried across the street. Taylor started to follow when Stacie grabbed the sleeve of his jacket,"She told you didn't she?"
Taylor looked away,"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't play stupid," Stacie said releasing his sleeve from her grasp,"I saw it in your eyes when you came downstairs. That condescending look of disapproval. A look that I have come to know well."
Taylor stared at her,"How can you keep something like this from him? He is such a nice guy and he would never judge you by your past." Taylor said quietly.
Stacie gave him a sad smile,"Just like you wouldn't?" she asked stepping off of the porch and towards her car.
Taylor followed her,"If you don't tell Ike in two weeks, I will tell him for you." he threatened.
Stacie glared at him,"Don't even! This is none of your business!"
Taylor narrowed his eyes and walked past her,"I'm making it my business."
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