My Favorite Explosion

Two weeks had passed and I still hadn’t spoken to Vic. I had seen him a few times since while I was over at their house with Mike but avoided any possible contact with him unless we were all hanging out. Austin and I were having our own “Welcome Home” party for ourselves. Dad would be there chaperoning us to make sure we didn’t get ourselves into too much trouble. But getting ourselves into trouble is what Austin and I specialized in.
“Mikeyyyy!!!” I sang walking through the front door of the house closing it behind me walking through the house looking for him.
“My room!” he yelled from downstairs.
I walked downstairs opening the door to his room to find a boxer-brief only clad Mike. “Uhh, Mike? Do you plan on putting any clothes on?” I asked covering my eyes.
“Oh hush, you love it” He laughed.
“Michael, put some god damn pants on” I laughed trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation.
“Scar that takes a lot of effort.”
“Michael, either you get dressed or I go back home and we don’t have friend day” I said with my eyes still covered.
“Ugh, fine” he sighed opening drawers to find something to wear. “Alright, I have pants on, relax yourself now missy” He laughed.
I removed my hands from my eyes, opening one first slowly to see that he really did have jeans on, “Okay, good. Much better.”
“I don’t see what the difference is, you’ve seen my brother in less and we’re like the same person, I still had clothes on”
“Michael Christopher! Stop it!” I laughed, “And for the record there is a huge difference!” I laughed clamping my hand over my mouth after I realized what I had said.
“And things just got really awkward” Mike laughed
“Let’s go Fuentes, we have shopping to do so finish getting dressed!”
“Ugh, you need girl friends so you can drag them to do this shit”
“No moron, I won the coin toss so I’m going to the liquor store. Who else better to bring than whiskey hands?” I laughed “Besides, I haven’t seen you in like four days. Not cool bro. Where ya been hiding?”
“We’ve been working in the studio again, Vic’s let us back in since he claimed it as his own a couple months ago. And I don’t know, I’ve been in a funk the past few days”
“Anything you wanna talk about?”
“Nah, just been feelin off. That’s all.” He shrugged. I looked at him with worry on my face, “Don’t worry Scar, I’m good. I promise” He said giving me a hug and kissing the top of my head.
“Okay Mikey” I nodded as we walked up the stairs.
We reached the top of the stairs where I heard faint giggles coming from the living room, Strange, I thought to myself, there was no one home when I walked in before. Mike walked in to see who was there while I followed behind only to stop short slamming into Mike.
“What the fuck Mi…” I began to say as I picked my head up. The sight in front of me is what caused me to stop speaking. Vic was sitting on the couch, but that’s not what bothered me. What did, was the redhead curled into him, his ex girlfriend from high school who had never quite let go of him. Mike and I just stood there, both in shock. I’m not sure who was more shocked. Danielle was constantly hitting on Mike while her and Vic were together and I always had a feeling he never stopped talking to her.
“Hey guys” Vic said with a shake in his voice.
“OH. MY. GOD. Letty is that you?!” Danielle shrieked jumping up from the couch to come hug me as if we had been friends forever.
“Don’t call me that Danielle. And please, don’t touch me” I said holding up my hand.
“Well, isn’t that what Vic always called you?” She said with an evil smirk on her face, she knew what she was doing and she didn’t care.
“It was, but my name is Scarlett, and I’d really appreciate if you called me that. Besides, things change.” I said sending a glare towards Vic. His response was to put his head down.
“I heard, how was South Carolina? Seven years is a really long time, why’d you come back? We all thought you had left for good”
“Well how great would that have been for you, huh? It was good, peaceful. But it was just time to come home. Missed my best friend, dad and brother too much. The random visits just weren’t enough” I laughed causing Vic to look up just as Mike slid his arm around my waist while Vic glared daggers at him.
“Oh no, silly. Remember when we were super close in high school?” She asked trying to force me to remember things that never happened
“Actually, I can’t say I do. But, if you don’t mind, I have to cut this short. I have some shopping to do.”
“Oh that’s right, I heard! You and Austin are have a welcome home party! I can’t wait, I’m so excited!”
This time it was my turn to glare at Vic, “Let me tell you something Ginger, you so much as step foot on my property and you’ll wish you never did. Got it?” I said stepping back from her, “And maybe your friend on the couch shouldn’t come either. You guys can have a cute night at home instead, right?” I smiled in Vic’s direction who just stared at me with hollow eyes. “Mike, let’s go. It’s getting late and there’s still a lot to do at the house.”
“I’ll be right out Scar, I’ll meet you in the car. I just need to talk to my older brother real quick.”
I nodded walking out of the house and down the steps to Mike’s car. I always knew Danielle had never really left the picture, or maybe she did and Vic was just that lonely that he went back to her. But it’s not like him and I were ever official, at least it was never said out loud until our argument a few weeks ago.”I wasn’t expecting to walk into my house to find my ex-girlfriend who up and left me seven years ago without so much as a good bye.” Those words still haunted me, still unsure as to what he meant by it.
Mike walked out of the house slamming the door behind him, their conversation couldn’t have gone too well. Mike got in the driver seat lighting a cigarette with one hand and putting the car in reverse with the other.
“Everything okay, Mikey?” I asked quietly not wanting to send him into a rage.
“I can’t fucking believe the fucking nerve of him, Scarlett. He had the fucking nerve to accuse me of sleeping with you! Honestly, does he think I’m that shitty of a person? Number one you’re my best friend and I would never want to do that to our friendship but he’s my fucking brother! Where the fuck does he get off thinking that’s okay to ask me? Because I would really love to know.”
“Mike I don’t think he actually thinks that” I said managing to gain my composure quickly after that comment.
“But he did, Scar. I know the difference with him when he’s just trying to get a reaction and when he actually thinks something. He really actually thinks something is going on.”
I shook my head letting it fall and taking a deep breath, counting to ten before I lost it. “I don’t know Mikey, we’ll figure something out.” I said putting my hand on top of his.
He lifted up our hands to kiss the back of mine, “You’re the best Scar, I’m not sure what I would do without you. I’m so happy you’re home”
“Me too Mikey, me too” I nodded as we pulled into the liquor store.
Three hundred dollars later we left the store with what we hoped would be enough for the night. We went back to my dad’s where Austin was still busy cleaning.
“Aus, I’m home and I have booze” I laughed walking in the door with a box in hand.
“Awesome” He smiled grabbing the box from me kissing my forehead. “So, Scar, I gotta tell you something”
“What’s up big brother?” I asked with confusion on my face.
“So, I met this girl a while ago, and she’s going to be coming tonight because I wanted you to meet her before I made things official”
“Aww, Austin has a lady friendddd!” I sang laughing.
“Oh stop it” he laughed punching my arm lightly. “Have you and Vic made up yet? The tension is disgusting”
“Well actually, about that” I started with a nervous laugh.
“I’m gonna run home and shower and get dressed. I’ll be back over in a little bit” Mike said quickly interrupting me obviously not wanting to be here for this conversation. Couldn’t say I blamed him.
“Well he excused himself from this conversation pretty quick. Something going on I don’t know about, Scarlett?”
“No Austin. Nothing is going on between Mike and I. Unless you ask Vic, who is convinced that I’m fucking his brother.”
Austin’s mouth hung open from shock, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me”
“I wish. And to top things off, his ex-girlfriend Danielle was sitting on the couch with him”
“That’s the redhead he was dating before you right?”
I nodded refraining from crying as Austin walked over to me pulling me into a hug, “Just let it out little one, I know it hurts” He cooed rubbing my back as I cried into his shoulder.
“I still care Austin, seven fucking years and I still fucking love him. I just don’t know what to do” I sighed as I continued to cry, “He obviously doesn’t care, I was only someone to mess around with because it’s not like I ever got the official title of girlfriend. But that fucking whore who did nothing but cheat on him and stomp on his heart was able to actually call him hers. But me, the one who’s stupid enough to be there for everything and anything he needed gets nothing. God, this fucking sucks so much Aus. I can’t stand it and he doesn’t even fucking realize it! And then he has the nerve to think I’m sleeping with his brother, honestly how fucking low can someone be?”
“He’ll figure his shit out soon enough Scar, he just doesn’t realize what’s right in front of him. You gotta give it time, you were gone for seven years Scarlett. That’s a long time, he’s probably still in shock. I doubt he ever expected to see you in California again. I know I didn’t” I laughed pulling me in tighter. “What made you come home anyway, Scar?” he asked. I knew this conversation would come one day. It was just a little sooner than I was hoping for.
“That’s a conversation for another day, Aus. Let’s just have an awesome time tonight, ok?” I asked still clutching to his chest.
“You got it little one, let’s do this right like every Carlile party” He smiled holding up his hand for a high five, I happily accepted and we continued to make sure everything was set up for that night. As much as I didn’t want Vic to be there, I was hoping he’d show up anyway. No one can miss a Carlile party.

Notes