// C H A P T E R T H R E E //

The wind blew a pile of papers toward me, I tried my best to catch every single one of them, Adam ran over to me, helping. A sudden roaring chimed from the skies, and rain began to pour down.

"Shit." Matty took his guitar strap from around himself and set it aside, manually shutting the garage door.

"Thanks." I handed over the papers to Ross, he'd probably know better than I would what to do with them.

"Thank you." He looked at them and flipped them over to make sure they weren't ruined. I guessed they belonged to him.

"It would start to fucking rain now." Matty complained, pushing his hair back and walking up the three steps which led into the house. I wondered if he remembered I was there at all.

I sat back down on the crate...unsure of what to do. I looked down at my fingers and became interested in picking bits of dirt out of my nails. Dirt rarely built itself up there though, I was very neat about my nails...always.

The room felt empty, I looked up from my nails to see if I was alone. George was still sitting at his drums, looking at his phone.

Should I say something? This is awkward...maybe I can tell him I liked the song...nah, it'll just make me look like a kiss ass...well...I really did like the song though, so why not?

It took every bit of courage in me, I cleared my throat a little, he didn't look up.

"I..." my voice cracked from over thinking it,

He looked up, eyebrows nearly raised as if he were surprised.

"I uh...I liked the song." I smiled.

He smiled too, his smile was youthful. It made me feel like I was in high school talking to one of the cool guys or something.

"Did you really or are you just saying so to be nice?" He laughed softly, so did I.

"I really did." I said, moving around a bit as my ass started to feel basically indented from the holes of the crate.

"Cool." He said.

I guess that was a way of saying thank you? I just nodded, as saying you're welcome would probably sound stupid.

"So uh, are you a tourist or something?" He asked.

"What? Uh, no. I'm...I'm visiting my dad..."

He stared at me, "so...a tourist."

I blushed, feeling stupid, "no, no...I've come here so many times before. I just...now I live here...I actually...live...here...with my dad. I'm trying to get to university as soon as I can and all that."

He nodded as I spoke, "cool, cool..."

Another brief silence.

"Do you go to school?" I asked.

"Me? Nah." He shook his head, laughing as if I had told an actual joke or something. "How old are you? I mean shouldn't you be done with uni already or are you just having a late start?"

"Oh, I'm eighteen." Did I really look that old?

"Oh...wow...I just...I'm sorry I thought--"

"I look older, I know." I reassured him.

"No it's not that it's just that because Matty brought you here is all."

I looked at him, "so?"

"Well, we're all in our twenties." He laughed, "I just assumed you were too."

I suddenly felt like a child...what if after this they wouldn't want to see me again? I mean...I'd be fine with that...but...I rarely meet people like these...I want to keep knowing them...

"George?" I asked, hesitating a bit.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Can you not tell Matty...how...old I am?" I asked.

He smirked, holding back what seemed to be a laugh.

"Sure." He didn't even ask any questions. I felt a sense of comfort around him just from that. "Let's go inside?" He stood up.

I nodded, smiling and zipping up my jacket as I followed him up the stairs.

As we walked in I could see Matty at the kitchen, I looked around and took a seat on the couch. The house was rather messy, but nice. I didn't know who it belonged too...but I figured it didn't have enough black to be Matty's.

I could see George heading into the kitchen, pulling Matty aside and discretely trying to ask him a question.

Great. He's telling him I'm eighteen and to ditch me.

His voice came into sound, muffled, but I could still hear him...

"What are you doing? Don't you have to take Katie home?"

I could make out a beer can in Matty's hand. Damnit, what was he doing? Yes he has to take me home, he better not get wasted.

"Oh shit, I forgot." He said.

Of course. The way he said that made me feel invisible. Why would he remember that he had to take me home? He'd almost forgotten I was even there at all...maybe he really did just want an audience. I'm not really attractive anyway, I don't know what I was thinking.

I turned around and slumped down on the couch, biting my bottom lip to have something to focus on.

George tapped me on the shoulder, "Um...I'm gonna be taking you home alright?"

I turned around, "because Matty forgot that I'm here?" I said, not really asking for an answer...I don't even know what made me ask in the first place.

George just looked at me, unsure.

"I'm ready to go home now." I stood up.

"...alright." He said, taking a pair of keys from his back pockets and grabbing a white jacket from the hook against the wall. I waited for him to put it on, looking around for Matty. He was still in the kitchen.

George watched me, waiting for me give him for the okay to go, "oh I'm ready." I said, sighing.

He opened the door, "alright on the count of three, run to the white bug over there. Got it? I mean...unless you wanna get rained and poured on."

I looked at him, smiling, "alright..."

"One...two...three!" He ran outside, I laughed trying to get to the car he'd shown me. He unlocked the doors, "HURRY UP!"

"I'M TRYING!" I laughed, pulling my hood over my head and got in, sitting down and shutting the door.

He did the same, "Snail."

"Excuse me?" I pulled my hood down, my hair had luckily barely gotten wet at all.

"That's your new nickname." He laughed.

"Oh screw you." I pushed him playfully, he started up the car.

The radio had automatically come on, playing a Michael Jackson tune, Human Nature.

"I love this song!" I said, reaching for my seat belt.

"Really? Yeah, classic. So where do you live?" He asked, reaching for his also.

"Not too far from here actually, I don't know the exact address but I know how to get there if you follow where I tell you." I said.

"You don't know your own address?" He laughed.

"Well...I usually don't go anywhere when I'm here so..." I shook my head sighing, "stop teasing me so much."

He chuckled, starting onto the road, "alright, alright, I'm sorry."

I looked straight ahead at the road, singing along to the tune, then pausing, "on the next block make a left."

He nodded, keeping straight until the next block, "so, do you like Matty or something?" He asked.

I looked at him quickly, "huh? No...I uh, I just met him today."

"Oh...really? I thought--"

"No."

He made a left and continued.

"A then you're gonna keep straight here." I said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Okay...sorry about asking that...I just...thought since you didn't want him to know your age and all that. Where did you two meet?" He asked.

"It's fine." I sighed, "we met at uh, the psychology office."

"Oh...you work there or something?"

I looked out of the window, I was a horrible liar...what was the point in lying anyway, he'd get the truth from Matty.

"No." I said, sighing heavily, "that's my house right there." I said, pointing at any random house out the window.

"This one?"

"Mhm." I said, unbuckling my seat belt.

"Alright, well, see ya. It was nice meeting you." He said.

"It was nice meeting you too." I got out, shutting the door behind me and watching his car drive off before continuing on my way, pulling my hood up over my head again. I couldn't take the pressure. He was asking too many questions, it overwhelmed me. What if he thought I was crazy now?

It was freezing, the rain came down even harder than it did before. I crossed my arms for warmth, holding them up tightly to my chest. I saw his car reversing, what the hell is he doing?

He stopped next to me, I leaned down, looking at him through the window as he unrolled it, "where are you going? It's pouring, isn't that your house?"

I just looked at him.

"This isn't your house is it?" He asked.

Out of no where tears began to stream down my face, I couldn't hold it in...usually I was good at holding back tears, and knowing what they came from...but these...just fell.

"Get in the car," he said.

I closed my eyes tight, feeling embarrassed, shaking my head no.

He got out of the car and shut the door, walking toward me.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked.

I shook my head, "no..."

"Then why are you crying...what's wrong?"

"You probably think I'm a lunatic now."

He laughed, how could he be laughing?!

"Why would I think you're a lunatic?" He asked, looking confused.

"Because I see a psychologist."

He laughed even harder, "no way...look just get in the car, please..."

I wiped my face and got in as he said.

"Thank you." He said, walking around to the driver's side and getting in. He waited for me to buckle up, then did the same. "Listen, I don't think you seeing a psychologist makes you a lunatic, maybe Matty, but not you." He smirked.

I laughed slightly.

"Just kidding, he's my best mate. Loads of people see them it's not a big thing. Why should you care what I think anyway?"

I just looked at him.

"Exactly." He started up the car, "please, say something."

I looked out of the window, then back at him, "thank you."