After Elliot

25: Cat Fight

A/N; It's kinda sucky, buttttt you guys keep asking for updates, so I blame you all for my suckiness.

Thank you.

"Ana. Ana. Ana. Ana. Ana. Ana. Ana. Ana. Ana," My name is chanted repeatedly as I simply curl further into my pillow, not wanting to face the oncoming hangover headache. "Ana, get up! We're gonna be late for school... again," Wyatt whines, and I reach over to pat him on the head, "I'm coming, buddy. Just tell Liam to go on without me." This was what I'd been doing for the last months without Liam.

Wyatt would wake me up every morning, and every morning I would tell him to go on without me. As soon as they'd left, I'd get ready, then catch a ride with Jenna. It was a good system- one I'd like to stick to, since Liam apparently wants to "talk about our relationship." "Ok," The little boy chimes in a disbelieving tone, then skitters off. "Kids," I murmur, then throw myself out of bed.

As if on cue, a brick falls on my head. Ouch. Not really, but thats what it feels like. "Aspirin," I remind myself as I stand up and stumble over to my closet. I blindly grab some random skinny jeans, a Pierce the Veil sweatshirt, and black converse. I quickly strip and hop around the room as I attempt to pull up the impossibly tight jeans. Once they're on, I throw on the sweatshirt, tie up the shoes, then decide to let my hair hang as it may.

Without eating any breakfast, I brush my teeth, then down an Aspirin from the bottle sitting on my bathroom sink. I wipe the sleep from my eyes as I exit my room and flop down the stairs- with fear of course. "I'm getting a ride from Jenna!" I call to the general vicinity, meaning Brian and Jameson. "I'll take you," Comes from my right, and my head snaps over to find Ian. He has two coffees in his possession and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"It's fine," I immediately reject the offer. I don't want to ride with him! "I ride with her every morning." I go for the front door, but his voice stops me again, "Good luck getting to her because she's already left." I grit my teeth, roll my eyes, then turn to see him a couple of feet away from me. "What do you want, Ian?" "Just some time," He holds out one of the Starbucks coffee cups to me, and I warily take it.

"Now, c'mon, we're burning daylight," He passes me, our shoulders brushing, and out to his blue 1973 Volkswagen Thing- LaShonda. I roll my eyes and trudge after him, preferring to walk to school if I have to. He stands by the driver door, about to get in, when he catches my slow pace and apprehensive glare, "Thanks for the coffee, Ian," I begin, plopping down the stairs to the Sanford home, "but, I really just want to walk today-I'm digging the weather."

He cocks an eyebrow, "It's twenty-four degrees outside." I shrug, doing my best not to shiver, "Feels good to me." "Get in the car," He rolls his eyes, then sits inside of his vehicle. I narrow my eyes at his command, but do as he says anyway. Eh, I'm too hungover to fight right now.

I plop myself into the warm interior, then turn to him, spotting a sly smile working itself onto his face. "Don't be so smug," I murmur, "I only did this because I'm too hungover to walk." "Of course," He shakes his head, chuckles, then cranks up the car. More warmth instantly floods my frosted skin, and I quiver from the temperature change. After he's backed out and cruising through the neighborhood, I decide to question him, "So," I shift the hot coffee cup in my hand, "not to be rude, or anything, but what do you want?"

"Just wanted to talk." "...About..." "Liam." Oh god no. "Really? Just yesterday you hated my guts for choosing Liam over you. Are you here to gloat? Tell me that I should've picked you? Honestly, Ian, I don't want to hear it-" "I didn't ask you to ride with me so I could gloat. I wanted to talk to you about Liam." I open my mouth to protest, but he quiets me before I can, "I know what you're thinking- I'm not going to bash him, or whatever. Despite everything, he's still my brother, and I love him- and he loves you."