The House that I Grew up In

Quinn knocked on the huge oak door early on Saturday, the sun shining unbearably hot upon his back. His mother’s birthday was the next day, and Annabelle had offered to go shopping with him for a gift. However, his mother had to be at work at noon, so they had to go out first thing in the morning in order to get the car back to her on time.

The door swung open, and Christy stood there in a navy blue and white sundress, looking surprised to see Quinn. “Sorry,” she said. “I thought you were my boyfriend. Come in; Annabelle’s just finishing her shower.”

With complete confusion, Quinn stared at Christy as she returned to the living room. Firstly, because it was rare for her to be awake at that time in the morning. But mostly because she was actually being civil – nice, even. “Come in and close the door,” Christy called from the couch as she took a seat. “It’s, like, a million degrees out, and you’re letting out all the AC.”

Closing the door skeptically behind him, Quinn entered the living room and stood nervously. “It’s a little early for you to be up, isn’t it?” he asked Christy, digging his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He knew this might not be the best conversation starter, but he had never actually HAD a conversation with Christy before. This was all he could think of.

“I’m going into the City today with my boyfriend and his parents,” Christy looked up from the television at Quinn. “We’re doing brunch at the Rainbow Room with some of their family’s friends. What are you and Annabelle doing?”

There was no question about it; this was strange. Christy was being flat-out friendly. “Getting a present for my mom’s birthday,” Quinn replied cautiously, taking a seat across from Christy, a guarded expression on his face. “Annabelle offered to help.”

“She’s great like that,” Christy started to respond, but when the doorbell rang, her expression changed to complete nervousness. “That should be Josh,” she jumped up without another word, nearly breaking into a run towards the door.

Watching from the corner of his eye, Quinn saw Christy swing open the door. On the other side of it stood Josh Myers, one of the most popular boys at their high school and, as far as Quinn could tell, one of the biggest tools he had ever seen. He averted his eyes when he caught sight of Christy throwing her arms around Josh’s neck and kissing him deeply. “I’m so happy your parents invited me today,” Christy was saying as Josh followed her into the living room. “Oh, you know Quinn from school, right? He and Annabelle are hanging out.”

Josh looked just as perplexed by Christy’s demeanor as Quinn had a few minutes earlier. “Hey,” he said simply, rolling his shoulders back in such an obvious show of testosterone, Quinn rolled his eyes.

“Hey,” Quinn retorted in an equally unfriendly manner, but his attention was drawn from Josh as soon as Annabelle entered the room, her hair wet and her skin warm and rosy from the heat of the shower. Rising from the chair, his small scowl quickly turned into a warm smile. “Hey, Annabelle,” he took a few steps towards her and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“Hi,” Annabelle greeted Quinn back, then looked over at Christy and her boyfriend. “Hi, Josh. Looking snazzy.”

Blushing slightly, Josh loosened his tie a bit. “My parents made me wear this,” he said, looking at Quinn as the words traveled from his mouth, as if he was defending himself. “I hate wearing ties.”

“You shouldn’t,” Christy interrupted the uncomfortable conversation, reaching for Josh’s hand. “You look incredibly sexy. Anyway, we should go.” Looking over at Annabelle and Quinn, she gave them a smile. “Have fun today, you guys.”

“You too,” Annabelle called out.

Watching Josh and Christy leave the house, Quinn turned towards Annabelle with a confused look. “What was that?” he asked.

“What?” Annabelle replied with uncertainty.

“THAT,” Quinn motioned towards the door. “I just spent almost ten minutes in a room with Christine – Christy – whatever. And she wasn’t bitchy at all. God,” he paused, completely lost as he shook his head. “She was almost… nice. No, she WAS nice.”

Smirking, Annabelle put her arms around Quinn’s waist and looked up into his face. While she hadn’t been expecting Christy to change her attitude towards Quinn after their conversation at the beach the day before, she had been hoping. And it seemed that Christy’s behavior had lived up to Annabelle’s wildest hopes. “I told you before,” she smiled at the boy in front of her. “Christy is my best friend. She wants me to be happy. And for some reason, you make me happy.”

About to say something else about Christy’s manners that morning, Quinn suddenly caught the playful look in Annabelle’s eyes. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” he asked as he wound his arms around her. Leaning down, he kissed her softly, taking the time to enjoy her hot breath against his lips and the way she tugged playfully at the hem of his t-shirt.

“I don’t think any such thing,” Annabelle grinned happily up at Quinn as their kiss came to a close. “I just know good people when I see them. Like you. And Christy.”

Biting his lip, Quinn studied Annabelle’s face. As always, she didn’t wear a stitch of makeup but still looked more beautiful than anyone he’d ever seen. “Next, you’re going to tell me that Josh Myers is a good guy,” he teased, but frowned when he saw Annabelle nod.

“He’s not the type of person I’d normally choose to hang out with,” Annabelle replied, tilting her head slightly as Quinn’s frown deepened. “But he’s not a bad person. He loves Christy, and that’s what really matters to me.”

Quinn wanted to argue that Josh was an asshole, but seeing the look Annabelle gave him, he just couldn’t. Right then, he decided that she might even be too perfect for her own good. She could see the good in an ax murderer; he was positive.

“Come on,” Quinn decided not to bother pursuing the conversation. There was no reason to argue with Annabelle about someone as inconsequential as Josh. “You promised to help me choose out a present for my mom.”

“Absolutely,” Annabelle smiled and started heading towards the door. As she did, she thought about what she had overheard a few minutes earlier. Christy HAD been being nice to Quinn, and Annabelle truly appreciated that. Now, she just hoped Christy might start trusting her enough to open up to her…

-----

“I thought we didn’t like that guy,” Josh looked confused as he pulled his truck onto the highway, glancing over at Christy. “Why was he in your house? Isn’t he, like, a complete loser? A criminal or something?”

Studying Josh’s profile, she paused for a moment. Although he wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, she loved him more than anyone in the world. And not just because she thought he was gorgeous – which she did. And it wasn’t his popularity, or athletic skills, either.

In truth, it was all the little things Josh did that no one else ever saw that made Christy care about him so deeply. Like how he would rub her tummy when she got period cramps; or make her mix CDs when he couldn’t sleep; or how, after they had sex, he’d sometimes whisper into her hair that he loved her more than anything, even if he thought she was already asleep.

Reaching over, Christy tousled a tiny blond curl that fell onto Josh’s forehead. “Quinn’s not as bad as I thought,” she told Josh, watching his eyebrows crinkle together in confusion. “He’s been really nice to Annabelle since she got here. And that’s important to me.”

Glancing over, Josh still looked perplexed. “Are they dating or something?” he asked, looking back at the road. Before Christy could reply, though, he continued. “Cause The Wiz was asking about her after lunch yesterday.”

Finding it hard to swallow suddenly, Christy felt her heart rate increasing dramatically. “Really? He was asking about her?” She was trying to sound nonchalant, but was failing miserably. “What was he asking?”

As usual, though, Josh didn’t seem to pick up on other people’s subtle emotional changes. “Just if she had a boyfriend,” he shrugged. “I think he thought she was hot. Which was weird, cause I thought she was kind of being a bitch to him during lunch. Maybe he just likes a challenge.”

Trying to laugh, the sound got caught in Christy’s throat and came out mangled. “Maybe,” she said, her voice strained. “Anyway, let’s not talk about any of this anymore. I just want to have fun with you today.”

“Fat chance,” Josh grumbled in response, forgetting all about their previous conversation. “My stuck-up parents and their dicky friends? I don’t even know why you agreed to come with us, when they invited you.”

Leaning over the seat a bit, Christy was feeling better by the second since their conversation had changed course. Placing her hand lightly on Josh’s thigh, she pressed her lips to his neck briefly. “I’m not really concerned with what we’re doing today,” she whispered, loving that Josh’s muscles tightened at the feel on her breath on his throat. “I’m just glad your parents are staying in the City tonight, and we get to come back and have your house all to ourselves.”

Grinning idiotically, Josh looked over at Christy as she slid slowly back into her seat. “You are, like, the coolest girl ever,” he reached one hand from the steering wheel and placed it on her knee. “I’m so lucky you’re my girlfriend.”

“I hope you always feel that way,” Christy said in response, surprising herself and blushing. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

However, Josh didn’t seem to notice her embarrassment. “Of course I will,” he said plainly, smiling wide. “I love you. Nothing can change that.”

“I love you, too,” Christy replied, suddenly feeling scared. “I love you with all my heart,” she added softly, turning to look out the window at the passing suburban landscapes.

-----

Normally, Quinn avoided the mall like the plague. But considering he and Annabelle only had a small window of time to shop for his mother’s present, it seemed like their only real option. “I wish I had been able to think of something to get her before now,” he grumbled, looking at a group of young teens on his right dressed in head-to-toe black, the girls in white makeup with blood-red lips and the boys with black nail polish.

“This isn’t so bad,” Annabelle giggled, reaching for Quinn’s hand and feeling warm when he smiled at the simple action. “Come on. If you bitch a little less and shop a little more, we’ll get out of here a lot quicker.”

Quinn tried to give a disapproving frown to Annabelle, but failed miserably. Something about having this beautiful vibrant girl by his side made it impossible for him not to feel good. “Well, do you have any ideas?” he asked. “I’m drawing a complete blank. I suck.”

Laughing, Annabelle shook his head. “You do not suck,” she replied with a grin. “Come on, all you do is have to think for a minute. What sort of things does Karen like, but never gets for herself? Beauty stuff? Clothes? Perfume?”

“Jewelry,” Quinn said suddenly, noticing a small stand in the middle of the mall. Unlike all the huge commercial stores around them, the small wheeled booth looked quaint. “Not, like, diamonds and pearls,” he explained, frowning a bit. “My dad used to buy her that shit, back when he was cheating on her but felt guilty. No… like, something simple. Something…”

“Pretty?” Annabelle supplied as they approached the stall. An older woman was stringing together some beads and smiled at the teens as they approached. Annabelle smiled back, and then looked down at the selection. “Oh, these are beautiful!”

Looking at the jewelry laid out on fake black velvet, Quinn couldn’t disagree. “My mom always loved simple, handmade, unique stuff.” Suddenly, a necklace caught his eye. It was silver, with a few blue glass beads strung on it. The center bead was slightly larger, and had a hand-painted flower on it. “What do you think of that?” he asked Annabelle nervously, pointing at the necklace.

Lifting it, Annabelle nodded immediately. “It’s gorgeous,” she told Quinn truthfully. “And Karen will love it.” Checking the price tag on the clasp, she grinned even wider. “And it’s also in your price range.”

Taking the necklace from Annabelle, Quinn looked at the tag, too. While it was definitely on the high end of his price range, he could afford it. And he knew that there was no way he would find a better present for his mother, anyway. “I’ll take this,” he told the older woman, who smiled and took the necklace from him. Placing it gently in a small crimson box, she took the money Quinn offered and made change.

As they walked out into the parking lot, Annabelle squeezed Quinn’s arm. “See, that wasn’t painful at all!” she told him with glee. “And you were so worried that today would be awful.”

“No I wasn’t,” Quinn denied immediately. “I thought it would suck to be at the mall, and that I might now find a good present. But I wasn’t worried that today would be awful. It couldn’t be; I’m hanging out with you.”

Blushing, Annabelle was glad they had already reached the car. Taking a seat, she wasn’t sure what to add. “Looks like it’s going to rain later,” she said, looking through the windshield to see some gray clouds moving across the otherwise blue sky. “That’s probably not a bad thing. It’d help break some of the heat.”

Quinn knew Annabelle was just making small talk to cover up for being embarrassed by his compliment a moment earlier, but he wished she hadn’t mentioned the weather. “Well, then it’s probably a good day to stay inside and watch movies on the couch,” he told her as he put the key into the ignition. “Sound good?”

“Sounds good,” Annabelle smiled back at Quinn.

-----

Although the sky was growing more overcast by the hour, not a drop of rain had fallen yet. Despite this, Quinn had been resistant in the late afternoon when Annabelle had asked him to go to the supermarket with her. “We can just order a pizza or something,” he had said, not looking directly at her. “No need to go out.”

“I don’t want to order a pizza,” Annabelle rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch. “Your mom gets home from work at midnight, which will officially be her birthday. I don’t want her eating cold pizza! I want to make something for us that she’ll be able to reheat and enjoy.”

As much as he didn’t want to peel himself off the couch, Quinn couldn’t argue with Annabelle’s sweet reasoning. “Okay,” he told her. “But let’s hurry. I don’t want to get stuck in a rainstorm.”

“You big baby,” Annabelle teased, frowning a bit when Quinn pushed by her without so much as a smirk. She wasn’t sure why, but he seemed annoyed. Not with her, necessarily, but more overall. She hoped something wasn’t really bothering him.

-----

After buying the ingredients for Annabelle’s specialty, a pasta dish that she had made for Karen and Quinn a few weeks earlier that they had loved, they went home to cook. “Let’s go by the playground,” Annabelle said after she and Quinn finished eating their dinner.

Although it was only seven-thirty, the sky was growing darker by the minute. Looking out the window, Quinn scrunched his eyebrows together. “I don’t know,” he replied unsurely. “It’s starting to look pretty nasty out.”

“You’ve been saying that all day. There hasn’t even been a grumble of thunder yet,” Annabelle rolled her eyes and grinned as she rose from the table. “I’d say we have at least another hour before it rains. Come on, let’s just go for a little while. Please?”

Letting out a loud chuckle, Quinn shook his head. There was no way he could refuse Annabelle when she was looking at him so hopefully. “Fine,” he said, rising with a smile. “But if I get struck by lightening, the guilt is all on your head…”

Rolling her eyes again, Annabelle smirked at Quinn. “I think I can take the chance,” she said. “Let’s just clean up in here quickly, and then head over.”

After putting the dishes in the dishwasher and covering a plate of leftovers for Karen when she got home later that night, the two teens left the house. The walk to the playground was fairly short, and they were teasing and playful the whole way. Quinn really couldn’t remember enjoying time with another person this much in his whole life.

Annabelle, however, was beginning to get a bit wary. Quinn definitely seemed bothered by something. He kept glancing skyward as they played on the slide. When they were sitting on top of the monkey bars, just seconds from kissing, he jumped when a bolt of lightening lit the sky in the distance.

Something occurred to Annabelle a few minutes later, as they each took a seat on an adjacent swing at the swing set. Quinn was staring up at the sky once again, looking completely freaked out at this point. “Are you afraid of the rain?” she asked him gently.

“No,” Quinn immediately spit out, looking away, and Annabelle felt in the wrong right away for asking, though she wasn’t sure why. She watched Quinn nervously, hoping he would continue and explain, but not wanting to push him to talk until he was ready.

After taking a few minutes to think, Quinn looked back at Annabelle with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I just sounded like that. It’s just, the night of the accident…” his voice was soft as he looked into her kind eyes. “It was raining. The road was really slippery, and I couldn’t keep control of the bike…”

Suddenly, his nervousness all day made complete sense. “I’m so sorry I dragged you out here,” Annabelle rose from the swing immediately, putting her hand out to Quinn with a guilty expression on her face. “I had no idea. Come on, let’s go back to your house.”

Allowing Annabelle to take his hand, Quinn rose but refused to move. “No,” he said softly, gently pulling on Annabelle’s hand until she was standing right in front of him. “I spent so much time hating myself,” he wrapped his arms around her waist and tried to ignore the booming thunder in the distance. “I thought I could never be happy again. But you changed that. Maybe you can change this, too.”

Winding her arms around Quinn’s neck, Annabelle felt her own eyes fill with tears as she looked up into Quinn’s green orbs. “Are you sure?” she asked softly. “I know that the accident was such a hard thing for you… Are you ready to stand out here in the rain?”

Dropping his head, Quinn rested his forehead against Annabelle’s. “I’m ready to face anything with you,” he smiled sweetly before closing his eyes and tilting his head. Every other time since the accident that he had heard thunder, Quinn felt chills running through his bones. This time, though, he let the sound fade into the background. Instead, he concentrated on meeting Annabelle’s lips with his own and sinking into the warmth of her kiss.

Pressing her body flush against Quinn, Annabelle kissed him softly, her lips pressing against his affectionately. As she felt the first drop of rain hit her bare shoulder, she felt Quinn tense. In response, she tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper. Parting her lips, she traced his upper lip with her tongue, and then nipped at his lower lip. Finally releasing it, she slowly glided her tongue into his mouth to meet his, at the same time sliding one hand into the hair at the nape of his neck.

It was easier than Quinn had expected to ignore the rain as it fell on him. That was because it was so hard to ignore how great it felt to have Annabelle kissing him so passionately. Without thinking, he had slid his hand beneath the hem of her tank top, pressing his fingers against the dampening skin of her back. He barely heard the rumbling thunder moving closer as Annabelle brought one hand down from his neck to his chest, touching it desirously through the fabric.

Annabelle felt Quinn pull her as close as he could, both of them getting soaked by the rain but not caring. His fingers felt so warm against her chilled skin as they nervously moved up her spine. In contrast, his mouth was hot as it pressed against hers. As thunder cracked right above them, though, he jumped, breaking their kiss.

“We should go,” Annabelle said softly, looking with sympathy into Quinn’s eyes, her small hand still pressed against his chest. She didn’t want him to feel ashamed. “It’s raining hard, and we’re getting drenched.”

Everything around them was nearly black, litten up only infrequently by a bolt of lightening that made Quinn’s bones ache each time it flashed through the sky. “It’s so unfair,” he whispered, wiping some damp strands of hair from Annabelle’s forehead as he looked at her face.

Squeezing him closer, Annabelle shook her head as she was overwhelmed with sympathy for all the guilt he put himself through. “It was an accident-” she began, but Quinn cut her off suddenly.

“Not that,” Quinn’s face heated, and he was glad Annabelle could probably not tell in the darkness. “I mean, of course I think about the accident all the time. But right now I was thinking about you. It’s unfair that you’re leaving in a month.”

Biting her lip, Annabelle’s eyes filled with tears. “Why’s it unfair?” she asked softly. “I’m just happy that I’ve gotten the chance to know you this much, at least. It’s so much better than never having known you at all, right?”

Although the rain was pouring down hard now, Quinn barely noticed as he cupped Annabelle’s cheek with one hand. “It’s still unfair,” he explained softly, barely able to make out her features and knowing this was part of the reason he had the courage to go on. “Because I think I’m starting to fall in love with you. And I feel like I might not have enough time left to be sure…”

The tears that had filled Annabelle’s eyes now fell down her cheeks, mixing with the rain. She had no time to say anything in response, as Quinn kissed her once more softly and then released her. “Come on,” he encouraged her. “We should get back home. This storm looks like it’s only going to get worse.”

“Okay,” Annabelle choked out, allowing Quinn to grasp her hand. They began running through the downpour, back towards his house while being pelted by rain, but the whole time Annabelle could only think about the words Quinn had just said to her.

“I think I’m starting to fall in love with you.”

-----

PIKACHEESE: YOU ROCK SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE SUCH LONG REVIEWS. THANK YOU!

NESL247: HEE. I LOVE WHEN PEOPLE GUESS STORY LINES, ESPECIALLY REVIEWERS THAT KNOW MY WRITING STYLE LIKE YOU. BUT I’M NOT LETTING YOU KNOW IF ANY/ALL OF WHAT YOU GUESSED WAS RIGHT. YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP READING!

BORN TO DO IT: THANK YOU SO MUCH! YEAH, NEW READER!

ADAEE: YOUR REVIEW MADE ME BLUSH, GIGGLE, BLUSH MORE, SMILE AND WANT TO KEEP WRITING. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

KINA: HONESTLY, SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO TAKE CRITICISM AS A WRITER, BUT I TRULY DO APPRECIATE IT. YOU’RE RIGHT, THAT SECTION WAS A BIT RUSHED. I WAS SO EXCITED TO GET ON WITH THE STORY, I WAS LAZY AND DIDN’T DEVELOP AS WELL AS I COULD HAVE. PLEASE KNOW I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT AND WILL TRY TO LEARN FROM IT.

WINTER FAIRY: THANK YOU FOR THE AWESOME LONG REVIEW, AND FOR THE OBSERVATIONS OF CHRISTY’S CHARACTER. SHE’S ONE OF THE MORE COMPLEX CHARACTERS TO WRITE IN THIS STORY, AND I’M A LITTLE NERVOUS BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO GO TO ONE EXTREME OR ANOTHER.

THANKS ALSO TO GIRLFIXER, MISTRESS LUNA, JOEE, CHEMICAL ANGEL AND 7 YEARS FOR READING AND REVIEWING. I KNOW I KEEP SAYING IT, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.