Rules for Enduring the Sweenys

Prologue: June 21st, 1998

A/N: First romance-y story. I'd love some feedback. :) Thank you!

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"Stop! Do not take another step, young man! Where do you think you're going?" my mother asked as I jumped down the stairs, trying to sneak passed the kitchen. She was glaring at me, but I could see the smile playing at her lips. I glanced down at her round belly, unsure if it was one of her good days or not.

"Exploring," I answered half-heartedly. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at me, shaking her head.

"This is beginning to become an unhealthy obessession," she began. She'd been saying the same thing for weeks, months even, but I didn't care. "Where are you off to this time?" The sigh that escaped her lips, almost made me feel guilty. Here she was already worrying enough about my dad and my little brothers, did she really need to be worrying about me too?

"Denver," I answered. Her eyes grew wide, and she opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. "We're just putting up flyers ma."

"You and Jake? I don't think so! You're not going!" I slumped my shoulders, with her and dad all tight with some of the cops, there was no way in hell I'd get outta town. Fuck.

"Ma, I'm not just gonna sit around and wait. I'm sick of waiting! I have to find her!" I shouted, and then, in a small, barely audible whisper, I added, "It's all my fault." That day played over and over in my mind. I couldn't seem to get rid of it. It haunted my nightmares, and sometimes, even my daymares.

"Jeez, there you are, I've been looking all over for you," she said, grinning at me, and rolling her green-blue eyes. Her messy brownish blond hair was blowing around in her face. I wanted to tell her to shut up, because all the guys on my hockey team were standing right there, and being teased by a girl a little younger than me, wasn't necessarily something I was okay with.

"Liar," I replied, poking her arm. "Let's go." She followed me out into the blinding sun, and away from the middle school we both hated.

"Whatever. Oh! Guess what!" And then, before I could even say anything, she was rambling on and on about some new book that was coming out. I was barely even listening, I just liked the sound of her voice. But that wasn't something I was ready to admit then, or maybe even ever.

The late May sunshine felt warm against my skin, and the breeze was nice, but all I could think about was trying to not think about the girl standing next to me. I wasn't stupid, I was willing to admit when I had a crush, just not when she happened to be the younger sister of my best friend. I'd tried so hard to stay away from her, and avoided her like the plague, but somehow, she always ended up at my side again.

She was nice, but in the pain in the ass, I'll-kick-the-shit-out-of-you, kind of way. She was stupid tough, and beautiful. And man, she was funny. But she was smart too. She was great. Perfect, even. But she was off-limits. And there was no way in hell that I'd ruin my friendship with her brothers, over a girl.

Thinking about her like that, right beside her, made me nervous and jittery. I glanced down at her, and she was still chattering away about some stupid book that I didn't even care about. She didn't even know that I wasn't listening. "Shut up!" I snapped, cringing a little. There was something nagging at the back of my head. Fuck. I knew I'd forgotten something. My stupid science book. I could've left it at the school, and just forgoed doing the homework. But it would've been nice to get away from her for a few minutes, besides, we were barely even off the school grounds.

She looked up at me, her eyes narrowed. She'd been around so many hostile people in her life, that my snapping at her, probably only hurt me. "Don't be a jerk," she grumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Just shut the hell up for a sec. I gotta go grab something. I'll be right back. Wait for me. No walking home by yourself or Frankie and Oliver and the rest of 'em will murder me. Got it? Wait right here." I pointed to the spot she was standing in and she crossed her tiny arms.

"I'm not going anywhere, moron. You're stuck with me." She stuck her tongue out at me, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes.

"I wish that wasn't true," I replied, turning around and running away. I was lying. I was glad she was stuck with me. I grabbed my science book in my locker and glanced out one of the huge windows in the hallway that was normally filled with kids. I saw her hanging out of the plum tree by the fence. It looked like she was talking to somebody, but I couldn't see who it was.

I was getting ready to go back outside, when Miranda Hodgins, blocked my way. Not now, I thought irritably. The chick never left me alone. But jeez, what terrible timing! I had to get her home, before her siblings went bat crazy and killed me. Lynched me, even.

When I finally tore myself away from Mental Manda, I ran outside, opening my mouth to call for her. But I stopped short. She was gone. I felt my heart stop for a second, before it slammed against my chest crazy fast. I was given one task, one simple task. And I'd failed. I looked all over the school grounds, hoping she was just playing a nasty trick on me.

I finally gave up about an hour later, and called Jake. He was gonna kill me. I knew he was. I couldn't believe I'd fucked up so bad. And I couldn't believe how scared I was.

They hadn't killed me. But we all knew it was my fault. She was gone and it was entirely my fault. But I would find her. Everyone else thought she was dead, but not me. It's my fault that Jake, Bryce, and Zane didn't show up for school all year. It was my fault. All my fault. Why had I been so stupid? I should have just stayed.

Thirteen months and two days. That's how long she'd been gone. Thirteen months and two days. And there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't feel miserable. I knew that Jake and his brothers and all their adopted siblings were in more pain than I was. But I'd known her since I was seven, and I couldn't bear the thought that something had happened to her. That just wasn't possible.

I promised my ma I wouldn't go to the city, and instead went to find Jake. I knew where he was, so it wasn't hard. He was sitting on "his rock", facing the only road outta this town, toward the city. He was staring at it like she was gonna magically appear. I could smell the smoke before I was even in ear shot of him. I climbed up to sit next to him.

We started talking a little bit, but it was superficial. We were both just trying to make the pain go away at our loss. My eyes wandered off toward the meadow. I watched the dry, yellow grass sway with the warm wind as storm clouds blanketed the sky.

I started to ask him if he was going to go back to school when the summer ended, but he wasn't paying any attention. His eyes were trained on the narrowed road that snaked out of our town, it still smelled like fresh tar.

All of a sudden, Jake grabbed his pack and started running, just as I spotted her. I jumped off the rock too, but I was frozen. Tears were streaming from my eyes. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't cried since I was a really little kid, and yet, there I was. Fourteen years old and crying like a baby. I had to wipe at my eyes before I could shout at him to wait up, and run to catch up with him.

Thirteen months and two days, and there she was. Alive. Limping toward us. She looked like hell, but she was there. Anger, love, happiness, and relief were all swirling inside me, fighting each other like monsters, to see which one would break free first.

Thunder rumbled above us, and lightning flashed across the sky. She jumped and screamed, looking more terrified than I'd ever seen her before. The clouds opened up, and I couldn't help thinking that they were crying too. For all of us; relieved that she was finally home; thirteen months, two days, and three hours later.