"So," said Annabelle later on that day when we were finally alone. We were trying to locate the position of MTV on the beat up old television in the living room so we could watch the hills; and this process was punctuated by screams and shouts from outside. The guys were out there, apparently playing 'snowball wars,' and it was getting pretty serious.
"They act like little kids," I commented, glancing out of the window, where I saw Frank 'stealthily' stuffing snow down the back of Ray's jacket.
"Yeah," agreed Annabelle, following my gaze. Now Mikey was the one getting 'snowed' by Frank. I studied her slightly freckled face and saw a small, fond, smile upturn the corners of her mouth. For a moment I marvelled at how different Annabelle was sober than drunk. Sometimes, at parties, you would be forgiven for believing that Annabelle was a single woman – her true emotions for Mikey seemed to just fly out of the window. But here, in that moment, I could see laid bare that she loved him more than any other boy she had ever known.
"Anyway," she said, turning back to me,
"Hm?" I asked, pressing the buttons on the remote agitatedly in my desperation for my hills fix.
"I was hoping to get the scoop on the cuddling,"
For a moment I was severely wrong-footed; "what?" I asked, bemused, "do you mean Frank and me last night? Trust me there was no cuddling, but there was a lot of kicking and hitting,"
"No!" sighed Annabelle, taking the remote that I was focusing on right out of my hands, "I was actually talking about you and the Geemeister,"
"Annabelle?" I asked seriously, grinning delightedly when I saw that she had somehow got the hills up on the screen,
"Yeah?" she asked, leaning closer to me, looking pretty eager,
"Never call him the Geemeister again,"
She rolled her eyes and turned the sound down so I couldn't hear the words Spencer was emitting out of his bearded mouth.
"Whatever," she said, shaking her head so that her vibrantly red hair shook a little, catching the light, "how did you end up curled up in his arms on the couch this morning?"
I thought about it seriously, biting my lip. "I don't know," I answered honestly, "I was really tired on account of Frankie being a selfish sleeper..."
"And?" asked Annabelle eagerly, leaning closer towards me,
"I walked out to sleep on the couch at like 6am," I felt bizarrely like I was issuing a statement to a police officer, "and then Gerard was sitting there, so I went and sat next to him, and we talked for a bit..."
"And?" interrupted Annabelle in her eagerness to get more information,
"And nothing!" I answered, "I just fell asleep on his shoulder..."
She narrowed her eyes as though she was thinking hard about something, and I could already see what was coming. She was coming up with some off the wall reasoning that allegedly 'proved' Gerard's 'feelings' for me.
"And he conveniently wrapped his arms around you and let you lie on his chest?" she asked, with a smirk and raise of the eyebrow,
"I was asleep wasn't I?!" I said rationally, "I don't know what happened..."
"He likes you!" said Annabelle in a sing-song voice, "I can tell!"
I shook my head, "Annabelle," I said in my warning tone, but she was resolutely ignoring me.
"When are you going to make your move?" she demanded.
Uh, how about NEVER?
"I know!" she answered her own question, "you could kiss him on New Years! That's the perfect excuse – and the best part is that its only a couple of days away!"
I had no intention whatsoever of kissing Gerard when the ball dropped at New Year.
"Annabelle," I started to say in my serious voice,
"Oh no, here comes Miss Scepticism," she said, raising her eyebrows,
"Come on, let's be realistic!" I protested, "he doesn't like me!"
"He does," she kept up her argument, "and I can tell from the way he-"
The door suddenly flew open and in tramped 5 boys who not only looked like they had been dragged through a hedge backwards, but through a waterfall too.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Frank cheerily, carefully taking off his boots. His whole nose had turned bright red.
"Nothing!" said Annabelle quickly, "we're just watching the hills,"
I nodded mutely and turned my attention back to the television screen. The trouble was, a small part of me was sort of yearning to know just what Gerard did that made Annabelle so convinced he liked me...
