Leather & Lace ✔

• 5 •

"What are you doing?"

I jumped and turned around to face Luke.

"You scared me." I said quickly.

"That's not the response to my question."

"You're mom is crying...I'm no good in the situation."

"Neither is your sister." Luke said, tipping his Pepsi can toward the window.

Mrs. Hemmings held Melanie in her arms, fresh tears still streaming down her face.

"Oh...I, I didn't realize."

"Yeah, I see that."

He pushed past me and went outside. Kneeling in front of his mother, he held her close.

/////

"Heard you made Liz cry. Nice going idiot." Mara snorted.

"I didn't know." I said quietly, nervously tugging the end of my dress down so it looked longer.

"They've been trying for a girl and it hasn't been working." Oliva, one of Mara's friend's who lived two houses down, whispered.

"How can you tell?" Tyler asked.

Another fourth of the band. There was Hyland, Olivia, Tyler and Mara or as the band acronym, HOT METAL. Nobody made the connection until you explained it or you told them the names then the overall band name.

"Is it like the time Karen started crying when Frankie came over?" Hyland asked.

Olivia nodded, "pretty sure."

"Do you know where the drinks are?" Tyler asked.

"Yes."

"Can you go get me a Coke?"

I nodded and went back into the kitchen. I opened the red cooler on the floor and grabbed the can. Going back to the group, I handed him the cold drink.

"Thanks."

|Luke|

Mom gave me Melanie so she could calm down. As I let her play in the kitchen, she goes to the cooler and starts playing with the ice. She giggled and hopped over to me.

"What are you-" she slipped the ice down my shirt and ran back to the cooler.

"Hey.." I teased, picking her up. "That wasn't nice."

I took the new piece of ice and put it on her arm, "it that cold? Huh, is that cold?"

Melanie laughed, takinthe ice and putting it down my shirt.

"That's cold." I laughed, moving her to my other hip.

Michael came into the kitchen and headed for the cooler. As he bent down, his skirt rose up and I could see his baby pink lace panties that covered his perky bum. He left and I stood there biting my lip.

Damn.