Expect the Unexpected, chapter 3
Things definitely improved after I moved in with Kathy. She had been right about her mom being okay, Mrs. Hall had absolutely no problem with me staying there, even though they didn't have a lot of space and I ended up having to share a room with Kathy. I also found out that the cute boy I had seen Kathy talking to that day was actually her cousin Johnny, who had moved in with them since his parents were gone.
He and Kathy got me listening to a lot of punk, and I liked it a lot better than all that fake pop shit my old 'friends' listened to. So basically I ended up going punk. The first thing I did was dye my hair back to black, Johnny said it looked a lot better on me than blonde did. I also found out that he played guitar really well. He had been in a band a few years ago playing guitar, but they broke up, he doesn't play much anywhere now except around the house. After a few months of watching him I asked Johnny to teach me how to play, so he started giving me lessons, he says I'm a natural, but I don't think I'm all that good.
I don't know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the line I fell in love with Johnny. Nobody knew though, not even Kathy and especially not Johnny. One reason I wouldn't tell him how I felt was because I was sure he was seeing a girl we knew named Natalie, since he was always sitting with her talking about god-knows-what, so I decided that even though it hurt, I would keep my feelings a secret since I figured he didn't like me in that way. What I didn't know was soon, that would all change on the day that would be both one of the best, and one of the worst days of my life.
It was a hot day in the middle of August just two months past my sixteenth birthday. We were just sitting around the house with nothing to do. Johnny was playing his guitar and Kathy was trying to find something on TV. I was just sitting on the couch staring up at the ceiling. Finally Kathy just turned the TV off. "Anyone else bored?" she asked us.
"Yes," said Johnny.
I just nodded. Kathy sighed and looked up at the clock. "Noon," I heard her mutter.
"Wanna go and get drunk or something?" Johnny asked.
"Johnny, I don't drink," I reminded him. This was true; I had found out that my parents were killed by a drunk driver, after hearing that I just couldn't bring myself to so much as touch a beer. Johnny shrugged.
"It was just a suggestion," he said.
Suddenly, the phone started ringing, Kathy picked it up. "Hello... oh hey what's up... no we're not doing anything... oh yeah... great we'll be right there... love you too... bye."
"Who was that?" Johnny asked.
"It was Tyler; he's having a party at his place and wants us to come," Kathy explained.
"Oh, okay, sounds better than just sitting around here all day," I said. Johnny just shrugged.
***
When we arrived at the party twenty minutes later, Tyler was there to greet us, along with twenty of our friends, including (to my displeasure) Natalie. As usual, Johnny immediately ran over to her. I really wanted to kill her. Kathy noticed me watching them. "They're not dating you know."
I looked at her. "What?"
"I said Johnny and Natalie are not dating, they're just friends."
Hearing that made me feel really happy, but I tried to hide it. "Why would I care if Johnny is seeing someone?"
"Liz come on I know you better than that, you've been in love with Johnny for months now," she said.
Damn it, I thought. [/i] how does she know these things, is it that obvious? [/i]
"W-what," I said trying to sound convincing, "I-I am not in love with Johnny."
She just smiled at me with a look on her face that clearly said I don't believe you one bit. "Liz, if you're worried that I would be okay with you dating my cousin then stop worrying, I would have no problem with it, really."
"It's not that," I said, "It's just for the last few months, he always hangs around with Natalie, that's gotta mean that there's something going on between the two of them."
"Did it ever occur to you that they might just be friends?" Kathy asked.
"I guess not" I answered truthfully, now that I think of it, he and Natalie could just be friends, I reminded myself that I had never seen them making out or anything, just talking. Maybe they are just friends. At least that's what I thought before I looked over Kathy shoulder and the one thing I dreaded seeing the most. Johnny and Natalie sitting there making out, the sight almost made me feel sick. I ran out of the room down the hall to Tyler's guestroom. I sat at the edge of the bed and began to cry.
After a few minutes of sobbing I could here the sound of footsteps coming towards the door but ignored it. Then the footsteps stopped, and I heard a knock on the door. "Liz, Liz are you in here?" called Johnny's voice.
He was definitely the last person I wanted to see at the moment, so I yelled at him to go away, but he came in anyway. He sat down next to me but I turned my head away so that I wouldn't have to look him in the eye. "What's wrong?" he asked.
I didn't answer. "Liz, tell me what's wrong, Kathy said you ran in here sobbing, now please tell me what's wrong."
I wiped the remaining tears away from my face, "Why did you come in here, won't your girlfriend get lonely?" I asked him bitterly.
"Girlfriend?" he asked, "You mean Natalie, she's not my girlfriend."
"Oh yeah," I snapped, "Then why where you just in there making out with her huh? I saw you."
"Liz, it's not what you think, I was kissing her but it was to make someone else jealous," he said loudly.
"Yeah, who," I shot back.
He didn't answer right away, "Do you really want to know who?" he asked.
"Yes," I said.
He stared at me of a minute, and then he sighed and said, "You, I was trying to make you jealous."
That was the last thing I expected him to say, me? He did that to make me jealous?
"You see, I've really liked you for a while now, but I didn't think you felt the same way so I never told you," he continued.
Then I did something that not only shocked Johnny, but me as well. I reached up and kissed him, after a few seconds I felt him begin to kiss back, after that we both must have lost all common sense, because the next thing I knew, we were lying in bed together, our clothes strewn across the floor. He held me close to him afterwards and the last thing that I heard before falling asleep was him say, "I love you."
He and Kathy got me listening to a lot of punk, and I liked it a lot better than all that fake pop shit my old 'friends' listened to. So basically I ended up going punk. The first thing I did was dye my hair back to black, Johnny said it looked a lot better on me than blonde did. I also found out that he played guitar really well. He had been in a band a few years ago playing guitar, but they broke up, he doesn't play much anywhere now except around the house. After a few months of watching him I asked Johnny to teach me how to play, so he started giving me lessons, he says I'm a natural, but I don't think I'm all that good.
I don't know exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the line I fell in love with Johnny. Nobody knew though, not even Kathy and especially not Johnny. One reason I wouldn't tell him how I felt was because I was sure he was seeing a girl we knew named Natalie, since he was always sitting with her talking about god-knows-what, so I decided that even though it hurt, I would keep my feelings a secret since I figured he didn't like me in that way. What I didn't know was soon, that would all change on the day that would be both one of the best, and one of the worst days of my life.
It was a hot day in the middle of August just two months past my sixteenth birthday. We were just sitting around the house with nothing to do. Johnny was playing his guitar and Kathy was trying to find something on TV. I was just sitting on the couch staring up at the ceiling. Finally Kathy just turned the TV off. "Anyone else bored?" she asked us.
"Yes," said Johnny.
I just nodded. Kathy sighed and looked up at the clock. "Noon," I heard her mutter.
"Wanna go and get drunk or something?" Johnny asked.
"Johnny, I don't drink," I reminded him. This was true; I had found out that my parents were killed by a drunk driver, after hearing that I just couldn't bring myself to so much as touch a beer. Johnny shrugged.
"It was just a suggestion," he said.
Suddenly, the phone started ringing, Kathy picked it up. "Hello... oh hey what's up... no we're not doing anything... oh yeah... great we'll be right there... love you too... bye."
"Who was that?" Johnny asked.
"It was Tyler; he's having a party at his place and wants us to come," Kathy explained.
"Oh, okay, sounds better than just sitting around here all day," I said. Johnny just shrugged.
***
When we arrived at the party twenty minutes later, Tyler was there to greet us, along with twenty of our friends, including (to my displeasure) Natalie. As usual, Johnny immediately ran over to her. I really wanted to kill her. Kathy noticed me watching them. "They're not dating you know."
I looked at her. "What?"
"I said Johnny and Natalie are not dating, they're just friends."
Hearing that made me feel really happy, but I tried to hide it. "Why would I care if Johnny is seeing someone?"
"Liz come on I know you better than that, you've been in love with Johnny for months now," she said.
Damn it, I thought. [/i] how does she know these things, is it that obvious? [/i]
"W-what," I said trying to sound convincing, "I-I am not in love with Johnny."
She just smiled at me with a look on her face that clearly said I don't believe you one bit. "Liz, if you're worried that I would be okay with you dating my cousin then stop worrying, I would have no problem with it, really."
"It's not that," I said, "It's just for the last few months, he always hangs around with Natalie, that's gotta mean that there's something going on between the two of them."
"Did it ever occur to you that they might just be friends?" Kathy asked.
"I guess not" I answered truthfully, now that I think of it, he and Natalie could just be friends, I reminded myself that I had never seen them making out or anything, just talking. Maybe they are just friends. At least that's what I thought before I looked over Kathy shoulder and the one thing I dreaded seeing the most. Johnny and Natalie sitting there making out, the sight almost made me feel sick. I ran out of the room down the hall to Tyler's guestroom. I sat at the edge of the bed and began to cry.
After a few minutes of sobbing I could here the sound of footsteps coming towards the door but ignored it. Then the footsteps stopped, and I heard a knock on the door. "Liz, Liz are you in here?" called Johnny's voice.
He was definitely the last person I wanted to see at the moment, so I yelled at him to go away, but he came in anyway. He sat down next to me but I turned my head away so that I wouldn't have to look him in the eye. "What's wrong?" he asked.
I didn't answer. "Liz, tell me what's wrong, Kathy said you ran in here sobbing, now please tell me what's wrong."
I wiped the remaining tears away from my face, "Why did you come in here, won't your girlfriend get lonely?" I asked him bitterly.
"Girlfriend?" he asked, "You mean Natalie, she's not my girlfriend."
"Oh yeah," I snapped, "Then why where you just in there making out with her huh? I saw you."
"Liz, it's not what you think, I was kissing her but it was to make someone else jealous," he said loudly.
"Yeah, who," I shot back.
He didn't answer right away, "Do you really want to know who?" he asked.
"Yes," I said.
He stared at me of a minute, and then he sighed and said, "You, I was trying to make you jealous."
That was the last thing I expected him to say, me? He did that to make me jealous?
"You see, I've really liked you for a while now, but I didn't think you felt the same way so I never told you," he continued.
Then I did something that not only shocked Johnny, but me as well. I reached up and kissed him, after a few seconds I felt him begin to kiss back, after that we both must have lost all common sense, because the next thing I knew, we were lying in bed together, our clothes strewn across the floor. He held me close to him afterwards and the last thing that I heard before falling asleep was him say, "I love you."
