In the kitchen, Scott was already sitting at the table and staring out the window. He hadn't slept much that night, and deciding he wasn't going to get any sleep, he went downstairs to watch the sun rise. He knew how Angela loved the brilliant colors, and he felt that maybe she was watching the same sky. He looked up as Dave walked in.
Seeing his older brother there, Dave hesitated, debating whether or not he should continue with his morning routine. Locking eyes with him, he decided that he wasn't going to let anyone stop him from doing what he wanted to do; especially not Scott. So he continued on to the pantry and removed a box of Corn Pops.
Scott watched Dave carefully, not sure what to do. Part of him, a vast majority, wanted nothing more than to get up and beat the shit out of him. However, that tiny five percent of him felt that maybe he deserved what he had gotten. He couldn't go on hurting Angela like that, and time would only have made the blow worse. He pushed that five percent back into the depths of his clouded mind and just looked away.
The sound of the cereal hitting the bowl hurt his ears. He looked back to Dave, getting the milk from the refrigerator, and briefly thinking about how Bob always liked to put the milk in the bowl before the cereal. He had always found that incredibly abnormal.
"Do you want some?" Dave dared to ask, seeing his brother staring.
"Sure. Thanks." Scott replied.
He looked back out the window, wondering why he was even being civil to his brother who had ruined his life. He was too tired to think about that right then. All he could think about was Angela. Dave loved Angela. Since when had Dave even talked to Angela? And why the hell was he being nice to his brother after all he had done to him? Though he deserved it, he was still angry as hell.
Dave eyed Scott with suspicion. His older brother sat at the table, still in his suit pants and black shirt. He was barefoot. The triplet didn't know what to think. Was he supposed to be mad at Scott?
"Here." he said, setting a bowl of cereal before his brother and a spoon.
"Thanks." Scott said, not meeting Dave's eye.
"No problem." Dave sat in his usual chair across the table from him.
Scott ran the spoon through the cereal. He remembered the time when he and Angela had eaten Corn Pops. It was her first taste of the delicious cereal. He had thrown some in her hair to be funny and the sticky morsels had gotten stuck. She was not too happy about that, but he couldn't seem to stop laughing. He had also thrown some down her shirt from across the table. In retaliation to all of his attacks, she had poured her bowl into his lap. His eyes filled up with tears at the recount. He had so many memories of just being with her, the two of them. He loved her. He had to get her back.
Bob walked in the kitchen, exchanging the usual badinage with his identical triplet. They both stopped short, seeing their two brothers sitting in perfect harmony at the table. Dave was wolfing down corn pops but Scott was only moving his spoon in his bowl and gazing out the window sadly.
"Morning... guys..." Bob said slowly.
Scott looked up at them, his eyes glassy and glazed with tears. He looked back at Dave and got up from the table. "Don't talk to me." he growled. "None of you fucking talk to me."
Dave carried an expression of shock, looking at his brother with a drop of milk hanging on his bottom lip.
"You!" Scott pointed to his youngest brother. "You are NOT my brother anymore." With that said, he left the room.
"Um... okay." Clint commented, after his older brother had brushed past him harshly.
Bob sighed sadly. It was as if the whole crew were falling apart. Angela wanted nothing to do with Scott, neither did Kelly. Jeanine wanted nothing to do with Dave for some reason, and Scott and Dave wanted nothing to do with each other. He had to do something. He wasn't going to watch his group of friends fall apart over something so stupid. The only question was what he was going to do about it.
* * *
That afternoon, the triplets trekked the few blocks to Ben's house. The whole group was supposed to meet there, but Kelly wanted to provide moral support for Angela, Scott decided to be a hermit for the time being, and Jeanine made up a lame story about having to wash her hair. So it was just the six group members who could actually stand each other.
"It's cold as hell out here." Clint commented as they turned onto Ben's street. He hugged his grey North Face fleece tighter around his body.
"You should have layered, like me." Bob grinned. He was wearing a blue North Face jacket over a black Hackneyed hoodie.
Dave was silent.
"You okay Dave?" Clint asked, realizing he had no idea how his youngest brother felt about the situation.
"I'm cool..." Dave mumbled.
But the truth was that Dave was angry at Scott. He was angry because his older brother had the girl he wanted. Even though Scott and Angela weren't together, there was no doubt in his mind that they would be getting back together. They were in love. Angela loved Scott and not him.
"I get to ring the bell." Bob informed them, jogging up the front walk.
"Go ahead." Clint rolled his eyes. Bob was so tickled by such trivial things sometimes.
The middle triplet pushed the glowing circle on the door jamb, hearing the sound of the bell ringing from inside. He didn't worry about Ben's parent's being home, they never were. They were always away on business. And Ben's older sister, Jame, who was a nineteen year old college dropout was always gone too. She had moved back home after completing only a year of college, but was usually just stopping by, as she was always out with her hippie friends. Jame and Ben looked a lot alike, both having dark hair, but hers was all the way down to her hips.
"Hey guys, what's shaking?" Ben asked, waving them inside.
The small boy had on one of his many pairs of khaki pants with another tight tee-shirt that read: 'Just say no...' Turning around to lead the way to his bedroom in the basement, the triplets were allowed to see the back of the shirt which said: '...t right now.'
"Party's downstairs." he announced.
The lights in Ben's train-wreck of a bedroom were actually on, and it was unusually bright. The Moffatt boys rid themselves of their jackets, draping them over the back of the recliner. Timber and Carmen were there, seated on the bed and chatting up a storm. Bob kissed his girlfriend before squeezing in between the two girls. Dave took a seat on the floor, tucking his knees up under his chin. Clint plopped down on a bean-bag chair, and Ben sat next to Dave on the carpet.
"So what the hell happened last night?" Ben demanded.
"What, too preoccupied with Kiki to see any of the action?" Bob teased.
"Hey, I was getting all the action I needed." Ben grinned suggestively.
"Sicko." Carmen scolded, not wanting to think about Kiki: the red-headed bimbo of the blue lagoon.
Clint grinned. "I bet you got even more action when you went back to her place..."
"Damn right." Ben confirmed.
"Okay, cut it out." Timber said, covering her ears with her hand. "That's enough."
Ben laughed. "So anyway, yeah, what the hell went down?"
"Some shit." Bob said, shaking his head at the memory.
"You guys, let's not talk about that right now." Dave pleaded. "I don't want to even think about it."
Ben nodded slowly, knowing he'd have to ask his best friend later. "It's cool." he rolled to his feet, going to the wooden bureau over in the corner and opening the third drawer from the top. Extracting a blue, plastic pencil box, he returned to his spot on the floor. "You guys wanna have some fun?" he asked.
Timber had gotten up to turn on a cd. "Fun with what?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder from the elaborate stereo system. She plucked a pair of dirty boxer shorts off the top before putting in the Blink182 compact disc.
Ben help up a brown stick. "This." he grinned.
"Ooooh! I haven't had that in a long time!" Carmen exclaimed. "I used to be so addicted to that shit!"
"What is that?" Timber asked, squinting to get a better look.
Ben gave her a strange look. "Gee, I dunno, maybe it's marijuana?" he said sarcastically.
"Sick! I thought marijuana was white." she said, taking a seat in front of the bed on the floor.
"You're talking about a joint. This is a blunt. Same thing, just a blunt is wrapped with cigar paper." Bob explained.
"Do you do that shit?" Timber asked in disbelief.
"Once in a while." Bob replied.
"Oh my God! I don't know you at all! Drugs are so bad!" she told him, as if he didn't already know.
"You should try it." Clint suggested. "It's got a cool effect."
"No. Drugs suck. Never done them, never will."
"Let's spark it." Carmen urged, dying for the taste of some marijuana.
Ben grinned, taking a lighter out of the box then closing it. He lit the blunt and took a drag, shivering slightly. It had been a while. Dave extended his hand for it. His best friend handed him the stick and the youngest Moffatt put it in his mouth, sucking in hard. He waited a moment before taking another drag and passing it on to Clint who did the same.
"I can't believe you guys." Timber shook her head.
"I thought you smoked." Carmen said.
"No! I don't inhale. I only like the taste, and that's only in very rare situations that I'll light up. Only when I'm drunk." Timber pointed out, trying to justify her actions. "I don't even know how to inhale." she admitted.
Carmen took a long drag on the stick, closing her eyes in rapture. "Oh God... It's been so damn long." she breathed, taking another drag. "This stuff makes me so Goddamned horny."
Bob grinned. "Take another hit." he suggested.
Timber rolled her eyes as Carmen did just that, then passed the blunt to her boyfriend.
Bob took two consecutive drags. "Do you want?" he asked, offering it to Timber.
She eyed the marijuana for a moment then took it. "Now how the fuck do I do this?" she asked.
* * *
On her first drag, she had nearly coughed out her left lung; her throat felt as if it were on fire. But by the time the rapidly dissolving blunt was on it's third round, Timber was a professional, feeling the effects very quickly.
"Whoa..." Dave moaned, laying supine on the carpet. "Dude, my life is so fucked right now..."
"Shit happens." Timber informed him, watching as Ben lit up the third blunt. "Then you wipe it off your shoe and keep on walking."
"Unless you have really expensive shoes." Bob said. "Then you have to totally get pissed."
"I hear ya." Clint agreed. "You gotta break stuff then."
"Yup." Ben nodded, taking a long drag before passing it on to Dave.
"No, you skin the fucking dog that took the turd in the first place." Dave said. "Then you make a nice ladies purse."
"Or a vest." Carmen suggested. "Dog skin vests would be dope. A nice yellow lab. No... a black lab. That would be saweeeet."
"And you can knock the dog unconscious by bludgeoning it with your expensive shoe." Clint added, taking his hit and passing it on.
Carmen sucked on the stick like there was no tomorrow. She was determined to suck all the marijuana out of it in one drag.
"Fuck, Carm, pass it." Bob said, snatching it from her. "Dude, if you hit the dog with your expensive shoe, then you might get blood on your shoe." he took a drag. "I say you just wipe the shit off, kick the damn beast and keep walking. But if that bitch tries to bite you, then you gotta use the shoe and beat the rest of the shit out of it."
"Hey, yo, Bob!" Timber exclaimed, waving her hands. "Puff or pass man, no talking."
Bob chuckled, passing her the brown stick. She took a deep drag.
"Fuck!" Timber suddenly exclaimed, clutching her head. "Fuck!!!"
"What?" Ben asked, his eyes seeming too heavy to keep open.
"I feel like I'm dying!" Timber screamed.
"Welcome to the wonderful world of being high as the fucking birds in the sky." Clint told her, laying back on the carpet next to Dave. "Watch your step and enjoy your flight."
"Ahhh, shit..." the first-timer whined, squeezing her eyes shut. "It's almost like being drunk."
"But you're high." Bob provided, taking the stick back. He took a good inhale, holding the smoke in his mouth.
Carmen leaned over him and attached her lips to his, sucking the smoke from his mouth and inhaling it.
"Whoa, she does get horny." Dave commented, reached up and snatching the blunt from his triplet's fingers. He tapped the ashes off into a small glass bowl that sat in the middle of their circle.
Carmen continued to assault Bob's mouth, pushing him back onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist, sliding his hand down over her butt. She was wearing a pair of very tight jeans.
"Oh God." Timber shook her head. "They start fucking, I'm outta here."
"They start fucking, I'm joining in." Clint snickered.
"I was fucking last night." Ben smirked. "And boy was that some good fucking."
"Never fuck on expensive shoes." Dave commented randomly. "Then you gotta get them cleaned."
"No, never fuck on a pile of dog shit. Then you'll have to bludgeon the dog with your shoe." Ben warned. "And that's not fun, because you'll have to skin the dog to make a cool purse or vest."
"Or you could get someone to skin it for you." Timber reminded him.
"Who would skin your dog for you?" Clint asked.
"If the price was right, another dog would skin your dog for you." Timber pointed out.
"True dat." Dave agreed. "And if you really want it done well, you can get a cat to do it. Cats hate dogs."
"Except Milo." Timber said, glancing back to Bob and Carmen who were still engaged in a heated lip lock.
"Milo?" Clint asked, hogging the blunt to himself.
Timber reached across and plucked it from his mouth. "In that movie Milo and Otis, about the dog and cat who were best friends."
"Did they fuck and make a dog-cat?" Clint asked.
"It would be a cat-dog." Dave corrected.
"No, they didn't fuck each other. They were both boys. But they had babies with other females of their species. And they were all a big family." Timber explained.
"Awwww." Dave smiled pleasantly.
"Hey! You two quit that on my bed!" Ben scolded.
Carmen and Bob pulled apart, both giggling wildly. Bob sat up, Carmen straddling him and nuzzling his neck.
"Sickos." Dave said, shaking his head. "I need a girl."
"Angie?" Clint asked.
"Naw. She and Scott are already married." Dave sighed.
"Yeah right, not right now!" Bob laughed.
"But they're gonna get back together." Dave shook his head. "I want a girl that I can call my own."
"Yeah." Ben nodded.
"I want a girl too." Clint agreed.
"So do I." Ben put in.
"What about Kiki?" Bob asked.
"That was just a wham, bam, thank you ma’am." Ben explained. "Her legs are always open to any fucking thing with a dick."
Clint chuckled. "I wouldn't mind that."
"Yeah you would." Timber said. "You're like... impotent."
"I'm not fucking impotent!" Clint exclaimed.
Timber just giggled, the ash from the blunt dropping onto her jeans. "Fuck." she commented, smearing them off.
"Hey, you guys have to kiss again." Bob suddenly said, pointing to Timber. "That shit was hot as hell."
"Fuck no. I'm not making out with your girlfriend. Quit trying to pimp me Bob, I'm sick of it." Timber shook her head.
"Come on! Do it for me!!!" Bob begged. "Sheila took away my pornos."
"Masturbatory material." Timber said, testing the term out as she took another drag.
"Hey, pass that shit." Clint requested, reaching across the circle and taking it from her.
"You guys gotta kiss! Right here on my bed!" Ben begged, laying on the floor now and giggling for no reason at all. He spoke rather slowly.
"Fuck! What are the chances of you all shutting the fuck up until we dike out?" Timber demanded.
"None." the four boys said in unison.
"Come on Carmen, let's get wet and wild." Timber giggled, standing up. She realized just how weak her knees were, falling down onto the bed.
Carmen grinned, unattaching herself from Bob and laying down on the bed beside her best friend.
"Fuck." Timber said. "I've got the biggest buzz." she murmured.
"Kiss!" Bob encouraged.
"Dude, shut up!" Timber shouted, throwing her shoe at him.
"I'm not the dog!" Bob giggled as the red Ralph Lauren canvas sneaker hit him in the head.
Carmen giggled mindlessly, clapping her hands in amusement.
"Come on you guys!" Clint begged.
"Shut the fuck up!" Carmen yelled at him. "See, that almost destroyed my buzz!" she complained.
"You said you'd fucking kiss now hurry up!" Ben ordered.
Carmen rolled her eyes, leaning over and pecking Timber on the lips.
"That was weak as hell." Bob said dryly, still giggling from the shoe incident.
"Fuck, what do you want then?" Timber demanded.
"TONGUE!!!" the boys exclaimed.
Timber rolled her eyes. She and Carmen kissed again, this time she squirmed her tongue into her friend's mouth.
"Now touch boobies!" Dave ordered.
The kiss was botched as both girls began to giggle at his comment.
"Fuck, I'm not doing this anymore. You guys are gross." Timber scolded them. "Why don't two of you kiss?"
"Fuck no!" Clint shuddered. "That's be fucked." He had polished off the rest of the blunt. "Spark another one Ben." he directed.
"Suck my cock, no." Ben replied. "You guys have smoked up most of my stash already, you fucking pot-heads."
"I'm not a pot head!" Timber argued, belligerent suddenly.
"Crack head?" Ben suggested.
"Do you have any?" Clint asked, crawling over to peer into the box.
"I'm so fucking hungry." Carmen commented.
"You could eat Timber out." Dave suggested.
"Shut up penis head." Carmen rolled her eyes.
"You guys are such pimps." Timber commented, stretching out on the bed and closing her eyes. "Pimps, pimps, pimps. Pimp-pimpity-pimp-pimps... I'm sleepy." she informed them.
"Fuck that." Bob said, completely off subject.
"Fuck what?" Timber asked, cracking open one eye.
"I was just thinking about skinning the dog myself. That shit would be fucked. I mean... that would be such a waste of my friggin' time."
"Dude, I know." Clint nodded. He was in a fetal position on the carpet with his eyes closed. "I was thinking that to. I mean, I would totally pay someone to do it."
"Yeah, me too." Dave agreed. "I wouldn't even know how to skin the damn thing. How the fuck do you skin a dog?"
"First you gotta kill it." Carmen pointed out.
"True, true." Ben nodded. He crawled back to the bureau and put his box back.
"But how would you do that?" Bob asked, stretching out next to his girlfriend on the bed.
"You could... shoot it." Timber suggested.
"Use a knife to stab it." Ben added.
"Drop it from a bridge." Clint put in.
"Stick dynamite in it's ass." Dave said.
"No, but then it's blow up and you wouldn't have enough fur." Bob pointed out.
"Oh yeah." Dave mumbled, closing his eyes as well.
"You could... hit it with your car." Timber continued, always one to think of sadistic ways to go about doing things. "Or a bike."
"Break it's legs and skin it alive. "Clint snickered.
"Sick!" Carmen said.
"What are other ways..." Ben asked. "Feed it chocolate."
"Yeah! Or wine." Bob giggled.
"Or lock it in a car in a closed garage and turn on the engine." Timber grinned.
"Or throw it on your back and wear the dog as a vest anyway." Carmen suggested.
"Slit it's gut, nail the end of it's intestines to a tree and chase it around the tree until all the intestines are unraveled." Timber said, pleased with her suggestion.
"GROSS!!!" Carmen and Ben cried.
"Cut off it's head!" Dave said.
"Choke it with it's own balls." Clint snickered. "Or cook it on a grill. Have a hot dog!"
Everyone laughed at his completely inane way.
"Oh wait! You can always..." Bob began.
"Bludgeon it with your expensive shoe." everyone put in, knowing just what he was going to say and thinking the same thing as well.
* * *
Scott strummed in a few chords on his guitar. He didn't even know what to sing, he just knew he needed to vent his feelings somehow. What song would really reflect how he was feeling right then? Sighing in defeat, he placed the guitar down on the bed beside him, standing up and going to the full length mirror in the corner. He ran his hands through his greasy hair. A shower would be nice right about then.
He didn't even bother to unbutton his shirt before pulling it over his head and chucking it into his dirty-clothes pile. Standing before his mirror, her silver ring caught his eye with a glint of sunlight. He sighed, an arrant feeling in his gut. Something would have to be done. He couldn't go on like this forever.
By the time he was completely undressed down to his underwear, he decided what he needed to do. He needed to talk to her in person. She wasn't going to talk to him on the phone. If he could just tell her how sorry he was, maybe she would take him back. Maybe she would forgive him.
But a shower to clear his head would have to come first.
* * *
Kelly gently stroked Patti's soft arms, the little girl seated in her lap. Angela sat in front of her mirror, brushing her hair and in deep thought, as she had been for the past hour or so.
"Angie." Kelly began, breaking the silence.
Angela looked at her friend in the mirror to show she was paying attention.
"You aren't doing fine. Say something."
"Kelly... I really am okay. I'm sorry I'm not such good company right now." the accented girl began to apologize.
"Don't be sorry Angie." Kelly said firmly. "You have every right to be mad. You should be breaking stuff right now. You should be upset that the jerk hurt you!"
"Kelly, please." Angela pleaded. She was too numb to provide any voice inflection. "Can we just not talk about this?"
Kelly heaved a sigh. "Wanna go get some ice cream? We can walk to the store around the corner." she suggested.
"Ice cream!!!" Patti exclaimed, clapping her hands.
"In the winter?" Angela asked.
Kelly shrugged. "Ice cream is a year round thing." she grinned. "Especially chocolate."
Angela managed a weak smile. "Why not? Let's go." she agreed, setting her brush down. Without it in her hand, she suddenly felt naked.
"Piggy back?" Kelly suggested to the two year old girl.
"Yeah!" Patti giggled, standing up on the bed while Kelly crouched down and hoisted her on her back.
The three girls headed downstairs.
"I have to go get our coats." Angela said, going to the laundry room where the coat closet was located.
"Okay." Kelly nodded, setting Patti down on the floor.
Angela came back into the foyer with her little sister's tiny winter coat, her own, and Kelly's. "Let's go." she said, assisting Patti in putting her arms in the sleeves.
Kelly smiled, happy to see her friend smiling again. Upon opening the front door, Angela paused, automatically noticing a tiny white envelope on the door mat.
"Come on Patsie!" Kelly giggled, tickling the little girl lightly. "Ice cream!"
Angela looked on the back of the envelope and was slightly surprised to see her name written in handwriting she'd know anywhere. Should she open it? Did she really want to subject herself to his wrath again? Against her better judgement, she opened the envelope. She pulled out a note.
My Angela,
I leave in two days and won't be back until January.
Please, please, please let me talk to you. I need you
Angela. I love you, and I'm more sorry than you can
even imagine. But I was stupid. That was so long ago.
I know now how much I need you. Don't make me leave
without talking to you. I have so much I need to say
that needs to be said in person, not on paper.
I love you,
Scott
The familiar silver ring dropped into her palm.
* * *