Bob's frozen finger reached out and pushed the doorbell to the Moore home. The tintinnabulation was heard echoing in the foyer and he bounced in place, awaiting an answer. The wind whipped through his long sleeved Campus Crew tee-shirt, reminding him to wear a jacket next time. He was shivering by the time Mrs. Moore came to the door.
And now... that's it's begun... We cannot turn back... We can only turn into one...
"Bob!" Ghinger exclaimed, immediately embracing him. "Good to see you! How was your vacation?" she asked, leading him inside.
"It was awesome!" he replied, smiling widely at the memory of overlooking the dark seas everyday. "What about you Ghinger? How did you enjoy your Christmas?" he asked.
"It was pretty cool. Hectic, but cool. I had my two babies in the house with me." she grinned, flashing her two rows of pearls. "You know how that can be..." she snickered.
Bob smirked thinking of the possible situation she could have had. He had never met Timber's older brother, but assumed they fought like any normal set of siblings.
"But I'm back to work today." Ghinger continued. She was clad in her OR scrubs and her mane of corkscrews was twisted up into a messy knot behind her head. "Back to the daily routine."
"Well, vacations don't last forever." Bob pointed out.
"If they did, what would we look forward to?" she chuckled, checking her watch. "And I have to get going! Good to see ya hon. Tim's upstairs in her room. She's been waiting for you."
I won't ever be too... far away to feel you...
Bob smiled, excited at the thought of seeing his best friend for the first time in almost a month.
"Good to see you too Ghinger." he smiled, hugging her once more before she departed through the garage.
He sighed deeply, smiling even wider yet, and began to ascend the steps.
And I won't hesitate at all... Whenever you call...
His gym-shoes were virtually silent on the carpeted steps. He hung a left at the top. Her bedroom door was closed.
And I'll always remember... the part of you so tender...
Bob placed his hand gently on the chrome knob, turning it so quietly it made not the slightest sound. Only silence extended from the space beyond.
I'll be the one to catch your fall... Whenever you call...
He gently pushed the door open a few inches, peeking his head inside.
And I'm... truly inspired... finding my soul... there in your eyes...
His deep brown eyes wandered the familiar area for a moment, re-embedding the scene in his memory. The way she always kept her walls so blank, no posters, no pictures. There was only a clock which ticked away the time noisily. Her furniture was all where it had always been; the large Hello Kitty stuffed animal still looming in the corner. And her inflatable chair strewn with her pajamas, where it had always been by her phone. The bathroom door was closed, as were the shades. She had a neat pile of folded shopping bags sitting on top of her desk. Timber always kept her shopping bags for later use while he never hesitated to chuck his into the trash afterwards. That was just one of the things that made them so different. Yet no matter how different they were, she was his soul mate. She was his everything.
And you... have opened my eyes...and lifted me inside... by showing me yourself... undisguised...
Timber lay on her bed with her back to him. She was wearing a white tank top and a pair of his green checkered boxer shorts. He observed the gentle curvature of her spine... the way her lanky limbs seemed to fit just perfectly in harmony with one another. Her dark hair was tied back, but there were always the unruly wisps that danced on the back of her neck. From what he could see, her headphones were on. She had one arm holding one of her several stuffed cats to her body. She was sleeping.
I won't ever be too... far away to feel you... and I won't hesitate at all... whenever you call...
Her heavy breathing pattern filled the room, in rhythm with the rising and falling of her shoulders. He just studied her for a moment, as if the slightest movement would interrupt her peaceful slumber. Realizing he had been holding his breath, he released it in a sigh.
And I'll always remember... the part of you so tender... I'll be the one to catch your fall... whenever you call...
Bob pushed the door open a bit wider, stepping inside. He re-closed it gently, not wishing to wake her. All he wanted to do was watch her sleep.
And I will breathe for you each day... comfort you through all the pain... Gently kiss your fears away...
She stirred slightly, rolling over onto her back. Her slender hand came to rest on her stomach. He could now plainly see the Discman with the rotating CD on her right side. He wondered what she was listening to.
You can turn to me and cry... always understand that I... give you all I am inside...
Bob crept across the small bedroom, stopping halfway, just at an angle to see the light from the lamp on the opposite side of the bed spill over her features. Her eyelids fluttered. He wondered what she was dreaming, what she was seeing behind her eyelids. Her lips were pursed into that pout she always wore whenever she wasn't paying attention to her facial expression. Even then, she still appeared so happy. She had the most perfect almond shaped eyes...
And I won't ever be too... far away to feel you... I won't hesitate at all... Whenever you call...
He continued deeper into the bedroom, carefully settling down on the bed next to her. Even when he wasn't there, it was as if she always left a space for him. He lay softly beside her, conforming his arm around her waist in the way he was most comfortable. Bob inhaled, drinking her scent; a scent that was only hers. Nostalgia washed over him and he smiled, snuggling closer to her so his head was right next to hers and he could hear the faint strains of Mariah Carey from her headphones. He watched her close up, his eyes sweeping over the gently structure of her cheek. He briefly brushed his lips across her skin; he missed her so much...
And I'll always remember... the part of you so tender... I'll be the one to catch your fall... Whenever you call...
Timber's eyes opened quickly, as she had been startled from her sleep. She immediately looked to him as if she had known he was there all along; as if she had been dreaming of him.
"Oh my God..." she muttered, tearing her headphones from her ears. "What are you doing here?" she whispered; the quiet in the room was too precious to break.
"I missed you." he grinned, still having his arms wrapped around her.
Timber smiled, looking deep in his eyes. "I missed you too."
"I wanted to come see you before everyone else did. I wanted to have some time alone... just to be with you." he stated, his eyes still taking her in in a long breath.
Timber shifted so she was more on her side, facing him. She oddly felt that that was the way things were meant to be. Her cheek was still tingling with the memory of his sweet lips upon them. A mere inches apart and she longed to kiss him. A mere inches apart and he had no idea. But she felt full, now that he was back.
"We have time." she smiled, draping her arm around his slender waist while tucking the other hand up under her ear.
"Not much." he begrudged.
"How much?" she asked, feeling a tug at her heart. She hated it when he left her.
"Well, let's see here." Bob said, beginning to calculate. "We do the Junos in early March... then we go to record the album right away..."
"Two months?" she nearly choked. "How long will you be gone?" she asked.
Bob paused before replying. "Until summer." he replied.
"Summer?" she asked, sadness taking it's toll. She had so much to say at that moment. She couldn't live without him. What was she going to do when he was not within her grasp. "Wha--- how am I---"
"Shhh..." he breathed, knowing she was deeply distressed by this news. It hurt him too. "Don't think about that now." he whispered, his words barely more than a simple sigh.
"We have now." he told her. "Let's just linger in the moment."
A smirk took shape on her lips. God how she loved him so much. He was her world. He was more than her world. Timber drifted into a state of bliss, just feeling him beside her. They lay together for minutes, just existing. Thoughts of his later departure never once wafted into her head.
"What's this?" he asked, his fingers going to the white-gold chain around her neck.
He had never known her to wear any kind of jewelry aside from the ever present studs in her ears. He moved his fingers down the chain to where a tiny cross sat against her shoulder, as she was on her side. The cross was shaped by five tiny diamonds; three vertical and one on either side of the middle. The tiny trinket glittered in the light.
Timber looked down, tucking her chin into her neck to see what he was looking at. He grinned at the way that position made her face look.
"This is pretty." he told her.
"Christmas present." she informed him. "From my parents. They're once again trying to buy my love." she grinned dryly.
"Don't say that Timber." Bob ordered. "You act as if no one loves you." he snickered.
"No one does." she snorted, rolling onto her back.
Bob shifted to his stomach so he could lean over her and further examine her necklace. "People love you." he informed her.
She eyed him for a moment, slightly uncomfortable with him being so close to her. "Like who?" she challenged, her voice barely audible in the solemness of the moment.
Bob's eyes shot up to meet hers. He grinned, just staring into her eyes for a moment. She honestly didn't know. He would have to say it more often.
"Okay, you know I love you Babe." he laughed, returning his eyes to her necklace.
Timber raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected that response at all.
"Dork." he added, snickering to himself.
"Shit face." she shot back.
"Boner biter."
"Ass rammer."
The two continued on with their badinage, not noticing the bedroom door open.
"Hey Tim, I'm borrowing your Dave Matt---" Chandler halted halfway through his sentence, stopping in his tracks. "What the fuck are you doing to my sister!?" he demanded of Bob who was in a rather compromising position, as his arm was nicely rested on her chest.
She had opted not to say anything; she hated to call attention to her lack of breasts. Bob looked up at Chandler obliviously, not having a clue as to why the situation would be questionable at all.
"Oh GODDD!!" Timber rolled her eyes. "Get out! Beat it!"
"What the fuck are you two doing? Why are you in bed together? Who the fuck are you anyway? Do Mom and Dad know you have boys up in your room?" he spewed out.
Timber pushed a completely confused Bob off of her, getting out of bed. "This is Bob! Idiot." she said.
"Well what the hell is Bob doing in your room? And yet again, I return to the subject of him being in bed with you!"
"One more time Chandler." Timber said. "This. Is. You with me so far? Bob. Shall I write it down?"
"I don't care if that's the friggin' Pope! Does Mom know you're in a closed room with him?"
"Actually, Ghinger left already." Bob piped in.
"You shut up kid." Chandler pointed at Bob who was now seated on the edge of the bed.
"Ughh! Chandler! Will you just get lost!" Timber snapped. "Go play on the freeway or something! Jesus! I mean, OBVIOUSLY this is Bob and did I mention that this was Bob or...?"
"I'm Bob." Bob smiled, still having no clue what was going on.
"And I'm... going to kill you." Chandler grinned.
Bob gave Timber a helpless look, still confused.
"He thinks we were doing something." Timber clarified, providing a synopsis of the previous moments.
"Something like what?!" Bob asked. "No, no, no. You don't understand. I'm Bob."
"The next person who says that looses an arm." Chandler clarified. "Now who the fuck are you?"
"Bob. Who are you?"
Timber stepped in front of Chandler. "Let me formally introduce you two." she smiled cheekily. "Bob, meet my older brother Chandler. And Chandler, meet my best friend Bob."
"Ohhhh..." Chandler said, the obvious finally dawning on him. "You're Bob!"
Timber smiled wryly. "Really???"
"Yeah, well... still." Chandler continued, sizing up the boy before him. "What are you two doing in here?"
"I was just..."
"Are you messing around with my sister and my mom just doesn't know it?"
"NO!!!" Bob promptly replied. "I have a girlfriend!"
"She lives across the street." Timber added, though the thought of Carmen and Bob together still agitated her.
"Yeah. Tim and I are just friends, so don't hit me!" Bob pleaded.
Chandler just nodded slowly. Timber and Bob watched him, not sure what his next response would be. "Isn't she a little ass hole?" he finally asked Bob, continuing into the room and grabbing her Dave Matthews CD.
Bob just laughed.
Timber glared at her brother. "Shut up."
"Later." Chandler said, exiting like nothing had happened.
"He's pretty cool." Bob nodded. "A bit protective, but it's all good."
"He's not protective at all. He doesn't give a shit about me." Timber informed her friend, going to her closet for a sweatshirt. "What time is it?" she asked.
"Almost seven. That's when everyone else is coming, right?" he asked, plopping back onto her bed.
"Yeah. Is Scott coming?" she asked.
"I dunno, but do you want him to come?" Bob asked. "He's really depressed about the whole Angela thing. It was horrible. All vacation, he just moped around and barely talked to anyone. At first I thought he deserved to be shafted by her, but now I honestly feel bad for him."
"Me too." Timber agreed, pulling on a navy-blue hooded sweatshirt. Bob recognized it as one of his, but didn't mind, considering how many of her tee-shirts her swiped. "And that's why me and Clint have a plan." she continued.
"A plan?" Bob asked.
"A plan." Timber confirmed. "We're going to get them back together."
* * *
Clint gently knocked on Scott's bedroom door. He had not seen his older brother since they returned from the mall hours ago and was very concerned by his behavior. He knew Scott had seen Angela that day and figured that was the stem of his lachrymose state, but fully intended to remedy that. He and Timber had devised the perfect plan to get their two estranged friends back together.
There was no reply to his knocking at Scott's door, so he entered.
"Scott?" Clint called softly into the darkness.
His older brother was curled up on his bed with the sheets wrapped around him.
"I know you're awake." Clint stated.
Still no reply.
Clint entered the room, going around the bed to where Scott's was facing. Just as he had thought, he was met with a pair of morose grey eyes rimmed with red. At that moment, in those grey eyes, he saw just how much Scott actually did love Angela.
"Hey buddy..." Clint said gently, patting his older brother on the arm.
Scott blinked slowly, wrapping the covers tighter around him.
"You doing okay Scott?" Clint asked. "I'm really worried about you."
"Just go away." Scott murmured, rolling over so his back was to his brother. "I just want to be alone."
"No Scott." Clint continued in the same gently and even tone. "I can't do that. I care about you."
"Please Clint!" Scott seemed to whimper. "I just want to be alone." he repeated, his voice straining. It was obvious he was getting very emotional. "Can you just go? Please??" he sniffled, pulling the covers even tighter around him.
"Scott..." Clint whispered, growing sad himself. "I'm not going to let you do this to yourself. You're going to make yourself sick. You're coming with me."
"What?" Scott whined, looking up into Clint's eyes.
"We're going to go to Timber's place." Clint said. "You either come with me, or I drag you. I'm not joking either."
"Clint..." Scott whimpered.
"Come on you big baby. She won't come back to you like this!" Clint exclaimed. "Let's go."
Scott decided his best bet would be to completely ignore Clint, doubting if he would actually yank him from the bed. Sure enough, he was proven wrong when in a flash of his sheets, he ended up on the floor.
"Clint!" Scott exclaimed, annoyed as hell. "What the fuck was that for?!?! You little prick! What the fuck are you doing, coming into my fucking room and fucking pulling me off my fucking bed!?!?!"
"Nice to have you back Scott Moffatt. Let's go." Clint grinned.
* * *
"... are you guys having sex?" Denise asked with wide eyes, toying with the phone cord in her hands. She lay back on her bed with her long mane of dark blonde curls splaying out around her head like a halo.
"No we're not having sex!" Jeanine exclaimed, also in her bedroom a half mile away from her friend's house. "He's my teacher!!!"
"So? That doesn't stop you from sucking his dick now does it?" Denise demanded.
"You shut up!" Jeanine giggled, rolling onto her back on her own bed. She held the cordless to her ear with one hand while examining the fingernails on the other.
"How far have you guys gone then?" Denise persisted.
"Pretty far." Jeanine replied with a grin.
"Has he gone up your shirt?" Denise asked.
"Ages ago!" Jeanine laughed. "I went down on him." she supplied. "And he went down on me too."
"At the same time?" Denise exclaimed.
"No! Not at the same time!" Jeanine cried. "But he's really big."
"Did you let him put it in you?" Denise asked with peeking curiosity.
"NO!" Jeanine shrieked girlishly. "It would hurt so bad if he did that!" she pointed out. "But I let him finger me. He has really thick fingers and he knows how to do it right. One of the differences between high school boys and real men."
"Yeah, I know." Denise agreed. "High school boys rarely know what the hell they're doing."
"Oh, but he does."
"So he ate you out???!!!" Denise inquired. "What was that like? Was it gross?"
"Not really gross. At first it was. But then it felt really good. I mean REALLY good."
"Did you cum?"
"Oh yeah." Denise's friend replied intensely. "A lot too."
"Did you have an orgasm??!"
"Yeah!" Jeanine exclaimed, thinking back to the experience she spoke of.
She had been seeing Mr. Richards regularly, at least twice a week for the past month, since the time she found out Dave was in love with Angela. It seemed that her trysts with Mr. Richards took her mind off the growing pain that the love she harvested for the Moffatt boy was not reciprocated. He was her addiction. He made her feel better about herself. Yet at the same time, she only seemed to hurt herself more. All she wanted was Dave. Why couldn't he see that? Why did he make her keep going back to Alan?
"You there Jen?" Denise asked.
"Um... yeah." Jeanine replied, brushing away the tear that slowly coursed down her cheek. "I have to go to Timber's now Denny. I'll call you back later okay?"
"Are you okay?" Denise asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. Bye." Jeanine said brusquely, hanging up the phone.
* * *
"Okay, I'm only going to do this once so listen carefully." Timber said in a monotonous drone, entering the kitchen with the Moffatts and Kelly behind her.
Chandler looked up from where he was perusing the contents of the refrigerator.
"ThisisClintDaveandScottandyouknowBobandyouknowKelly." she said pointing to each of them respectively. "GuysthisisChandlerWowlookhowtimeflieswhenyou'rehavingfunwemustbegoingnowgoodbyebrotherdear."
She ushered them out of the room.
"Nice to meet you guys!" Chandler called after them, going back to the refrigerator.
"Hey Scott," Timber began, once they were all in the living room. She exchanged a brief look with Clint. "I want to give you something." she said, taking his hand. "You guys chill, we'll be back in a second." she smiled, pulling the crestfallen boy up the stairs.
"What is it?" Scott asked, following her into her room.
"Umm... hold on. Lemme find it." Timber said, pretending to rummage in her drawers. "Wait, I left it somewhere else. Just stay put. I'll be back in a second." she rambled, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
Scott eyed her with suspicion before plopping down on the bed with his head in his hands. Upon her absence, her gradually curled up into a fetal position, sulking again, as he had grown accustomed to over the past month.
* * *
Timber reached the bottom of the steps just as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" she announced, dashing through the foyer and swinging open the door.
"Hey." Jeanine smiled.
"Hey guys." Timber grinned, not able to conceal her happiness.
"Angela, you made it!" Clint smiled, appearing in the doorway. "Good to see you again."
The second born Moffatt exchanged another secret look with Timber.
"Glad you came too Ang." Timber continued. "You left your green Gap sweatshirt here. You know, the one with the big grey writing?"
"I did?" Angela asked. "I don't remember having a shirt like that."
"You do." Clint confirmed lamely.
"Yeah. It's upstairs." Timber added. "Let's go get it, shall we?"
* * *
Scott's eyes were trained to the blank ceiling as his thoughts seemed dead on arrival. He was going crazy. He was so positive he was going crazy. Why did all his thoughts lead to her? He must have really been in love because this was definitely a heartbreak. His heart felt as if it had been torn out and was left in bloody shards on the floor. She changed him. He needed her so badly. He had gone from someone who never even entertained the thought of love, to a poor sap. That was it. He was a poor sap. He knew love, and he knew loss. And now he knew misery.
As the incessant tears ran down his cheeks, he continued to stare at the ceiling, realizing he had been thinking for the past few moments. Just as he joined the rest of the human race on their realm of consciousness, the door opened. He didn't even bother to look up, figuring it was just Timber returning with whatever she had been rambling on about before.
The door slammed.
"Timber! What's going on!" Angela shouted then turned around to face him.
Scott looked up at her in blatant surprise. He instantly swiped his tears away, not wanting her to see what a wreck he actually was. "Wh-- what are you doing here?" he asked gently.
She stared at him intensely. "I haven't a clue." she replied, trying the doorknob without breaking her gaze.
Just as she had thought, it was being held from the outside.
Scott sat up, just taking every inch of her in, the way he had done the first time he had seen her alight from the stairs so many months ago. He yearned to touch her.
"Can we talk?" he asked gently, still feeling so fragile with his emotions.
Angela paused for a moment, ceasing her tugging of the doorknob. She dropped her hands to her sides weakly. Looking back at him, she felt a knife twist in her heart. She could see how much he hurt in his tear streaked eyes. She wanted to take him back. Then why didn't she? Part of her just couldn't. She sat down beside him on the bed.
She had come at just the right time. He had called out for her in his soul and she had just appeared as if by magic. She had a habit of always being there when he needed her. At that moment, he realized he was staring at her so intently that it hurt his eyes... and his heart. He felt something rush through him that he couldn't explain. It felt like he would faint, it felt like he was floating.
"I don't even know how to tell you that I'm sorry..." he whispered. "Because, Lord knows, those two words aren't enough..."
She nodded.
"You've... you've put up with me for so long Angela... I just don't know how you do it." he breathed. "But please, I'm begging you, don't give up on me. I need you like I've never needed anyone before. I love you and you know that."
"Scott... I... I love you too." she told him. "As much as I hate you right now for what you did... I still love you. I just want to know why!" she cried angrily, though her sadness was dripping from each of her syllables. "Was I not enough for you? Did I not give you what you wanted? Why did you go to someone else? Please tell me." she begged.
"I--- I don't know." he whispered, feeling the tears well up in his already sore eyes. "I don't know why I do the things I do Angela! It's like I'm allergic to good things!"
She shook her head stubbornly. "I hate you so much!" she screamed at him, observing the look of longing on his face.
He looked so fragile. His face was flushed completely, his eyes red and washed over. And as he cried, she just watched him, feeling like she was going to cry too. She had never seen Scott cry before and it hurt her so much.
"I hate you!" she screamed again. "I hate you!" she continued, pulling him to her and holding his head to her chest.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding tightly to her because he knew she would walk away from him again. He knew this time wasn't it. He knew she was going to leave. But he knew it wasn't over.
"Why did you do this to me?" she cried, stroking his hair back. "Why did you make me love you so much to the point where I'm totally blind then hurt me?"
"Don't give up on me Angie! I may be a lost cause but don't give up!" he begged, sobbing into her shirt front.
He had waited for this moment for what seemed like forever. He needed her so much right then, he felt he had to inhale her and store her away before she left him.
"I--- I love you so much!" he whimpered. "I can't live without you! You make me have these emotions that I can't control..."
"I hate you!" she said again, still stroking his hair back. "I hate you so much!"
Scott turned his face up to hers and looked into her eyes, seeing his whole world in them. He found himself in them. She was his future, she was his everything. He moved his face closer to hers, wanting to kiss her.
"No..." she begged, pulling back. "Don't Scott."
"Please Angela, it's been so long..." he breathed, attempting to kiss her again.
He successfully brushed his lips along hers for a brief instant before she tried to resist him again.
"Don't Scott." she said firmly. "It still hurts. Just please... don't."
"I need you." he whispered.
"Just leave me alone. I hate you. I want you out of my life." she told him before taking his collar in her fists and kissing him deeper than he had ever been kissed before.
His eyelids fluttered in utter amazement as he felt her move her lips on his. He felt his heart might explode at that moment, responding fully and accepting her tongue in his mouth. The two star-crossed teens fell back onto the bed, wrapped in one another's arms and kissing as if they were sucking the life from one another. Angela promptly shoved him off of her, preparing to get up from the bed.
"No, please!" he begged. "Don't leave!"
"I have to go Scott." she told him. "I have to go."
"No! Angela!" the tears came again. "I need you! I need you!!! Please don't leave me!" He grabbed locks of his hair in his fists. She was driving him crazy.
She shook her head, closing her eyes to stop the tears. "I want to stay Scott, I do. Please believe me, I do." she told him gently.
"Then don't walk away..." he whispered.
Angela shook her head again. Just as he had thought. This wasn't the time. She was going to leave him.
"Don't walk away..." he murmured, his grey eyes beseeching her.
She swallowed, her hand on the knob. It was unlocked. "I have to."
* * *