Our Sandbox

fifteen - nolan

She is most definitely not fine. 

I plop next to Piper on the bed, shaking my hips so she'll give me more room. Instead, she flops over on her back, her dark hair floating down to her nose. 

I chuckle, brushing it back and out of her face. 

"What's up, buttercup?" I ask, nonchalantly. 

"Ugh, how many times-"

"Too many." I interrupt, gripping her arm playfully. "Now spill, or I'm gonna have to take desperate measures."

She sits up, her dark eyes wide. 

"You wouldn't-" 

But before she can finish her sentence, I've already pounced on her, gripping her by the waist and eliciting shrieks and giggles from her. 

"Okay Okay I give!" I stop tickling her and she breathes heavily, a reluctant smile plastered on her face. 

I settle back into the bed, lying across from her as she sits with her legs crossed, her phone gripped in her hands. 

"Spill." 

She sighs, pushing her hair away from her face, even though it swings back in retaliation, just like always. Her hair is damp from the shower, and the smell of her shampoo, fruity but not too sweet, wafts to my nose. I inhale, but not too deep. I'm crushing, not creeping. 

"Ok, so, you know how Mike came over the other day while you were at practice?"

I do not like where this is going. But I keep my face straight, well, as straight as I can manage, and just nod my head. 

"Ok, so we were practicing for the Romeo and Juliet scene and I don't really know how it happened but um-" She trails off, biting her bottom lip and wringing her small hands together frantically. 

She's so cute when she's frazzled, but I can't even revel in how adorable she looks. The topic of Mike and her brings my blood to a boil. 

"Go on." I say, a little to snappy. 

"Ok ok." She rolls her big eyes. "So um...hekissedme." 

She says the last phrase quickly, as if she's trying to make them incoherent. But I still hear them. My fist tightens against itself, and I grind my back teeth together to keep myself from speaking. 

Of course Mike kissed her. It's hard to leave him alone for five minutes with a female without him making a move. But for some idiotic reason, I felt like he wouldn't go there. Dammit Nolan, if only you'd told him about her longer ago and then this wouldn't be happening. But now you can't say anything cause then she'll wonder why you're upset and you can't use the 'big brother' excuse forever, and then eventually you'll have to tell her and-

"Nolan." 

I look up at her, broken from my mental chastising. I stare at her for a moment, and her confused expression. 

Crap. 

"Um, well," I stutter, trying to form words. Literally any words. "How do you feel about that?"

Great, now I sound like a shrink. She might as well be siting on a reclining chair watching me scribble everything down in a tiny notebook. 

She raises an eyebrow at me. 

"Honestly, I have no idea." But I could tell from her expression exactly how she felt. She liked him. But she's unsure about how he feels. 

I have to choose my next words very very carefully. 

"Listen, Piper." I say softly, grabbing her hand. Ok Nolan, don't get too dramatic. "Mike's a...good guy." 

I trail off, not knowing what else to say. 

"And?" She says, tilting her head to the side. Her hair flows downwards, sending a waft of fruity goodness my direction. 

Don't get distracted, Nolan. Okay, it's the fourth down and we're nowhere near the end zone. You need to focus, right now. 

I clear my throat. 

"I just don't want you getting hurt, and with Mike, that might happen." 

Back to first down. 

"Yeah, maybe you're right." She sighs. But even though she said that, she still looks so upset. Do something, Nolan.

"But you're a great girl, Piper. Any guy would be lucky as hell to get you." 

I would be lucky as hell to have you. 

She smiles at me. "You're just saying that. It's like when my mother calls me beautiful. They're required to say that."

You are beautiful. 

"Eh, you're alright." I wink at her. "Piper, I just don't want you getting hurt, okay? If you like Mike, just take it carefully." 

I hate the words coming out of my mouth. I want to tell her to dump his ass, to never speak to him again. But even I know that's completely insane. 

"But he posted that picture with Florence, and I hate Florence, and she's really close to Melissa and it's just so annoying that he's even associating with her, because honestly, she's no angel and it's just UGH." 

She flops back on the bed, her legs still crossed but her back completely flat on the mattress. Damn. 

"Florence doesn't have anything when it compares to you." I say without thinking. She lifts her chin up, looking at me with a curious look. 

"Thanks." She says, a contemplating frown furrowed on her brows. She sits up, poking a finger into my chest. "Enough about me, why was Melissa calling?"

I sigh, grateful for the change in subject. 

"The usual, 'oh Nolan, please come back to me.'" I imitate Melissa's drawling bitchy tone, and Piper giggles. 

"But Nolan!" She says, initiating Melissa's irritating whine. "It was all a mistake! I thought he was you! You know how I'm legally blind!" 

I fall back onto the bed, laughing so hard my side feels like it's going to split. Piper has always been able to do a spot-on impression of Melissa. 

"Can I be honest?" She says. 

"Of course." 

Don't get your hopes up, Nolan. 

"I'm really glad you're done with her. She didn't deserve a guy like you." 

This sends my heart soaring to the sky. It's small, but to me, it made my heart grow three sizes. 

Piper yawns, and moves towards me to cuddle up to me, ready to fall asleep. 

"One day Nolan, I really hope I find a guy like you."

Ouch. And my heart just broke a little. 

"Yeah," I whisper, grimacing. "Me too." 

Sorry this is just a short little chapter :)