chapter three,
the boy

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AS I stand in front of my full length mirror, I admire my outfit. I smile, then pick up my backpack, going downstairs.

"Mornin'." I smile.

"Mornin' baby." Dad smiles. "Sleep well?" He asks.

"Yeah." I smile.

"Y'all know cotton shrinks?" Tuck asks as he comes into the room wearing a very small shirt, that just so happens to be mine.

"That's my shirt, Tuck." I state.

"So?" He asks making me raise my eyebrows and scoff.

"So take it off! Now!" I order. I'm really scary when I have to be. I even scare Dad and Tuck. Its hard to believe, I know.

Tuck puts his arms up in surrender and walks back to his bedroom to get changed. "God, remind me to stay on your good side." Bailey says.

I chuckle. "Please, Cassidy reminds us every day." Dylan says making me nod.

"Its true. I do."

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"HAVE you seen Tim yet?" Izzy asks me as we walk down the hallway. I start to look around frantically.

"Tim's here?" I ask making Izzy chuckle and grab my arm.

"No, that's why I was asking you if you've seen him yet." She says making me sigh.

"God, Izzy, don't be jokin' 'bout that." I state making her laugh.

"What's so funny?" Someone asks as they come up to us. We turn our heads to see Tim walking up to us.

I grab Izzys hand and she winces. "Well? What're we laughing at?"

"Uh, Melissa just said something really funny about a show she watched last night." Izzy says making me nod.

"What'd you watch?" Tim asks. I start to stutter.

"Twilight." Izzy states. I nod frantically. Whenever I'm around Timothee Michaels, I get nervous.

"God – I hate Twilight." Tim says. I nod. It kind of sucks that he hates it because, I kind of like it. "Hey, uh, do you wanna sit with me at lunch?"

"I – I –" I stutter.

"She'd love to." Izzy says. Tim nods and walks away. "Why didn't you say anything?" Izzy asks me.

"Why did you say something? You know how I get around him!" I exclaim.

"Jesus, look, you're a pretty girl that has a crush on Tim Michaels. Finally he asks you to sit with him and you're going to stand here and tell me you don't want to spend your break with the guy?" Izzy asks. I fiddle with my fingers.

"Exactly. Now, go get your books and let's go to class." Izzy orders making me nod. "Trust me, you're gonna be fine."

"Sometimes I don't believe you." I state making Izzy laugh.

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I walk through the cafeteria, my tray in my hands. I look around and see Tim sitting with his friends at a table. I suck in a breath and go to sit down next to him.

"Hey! Guys, you know Melissa, right?" Tim asks as I sit down.

"Yeah, you're Tuck's little sister." A boy says making me nod.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Are you like Tuck too?" The boy asks making me shake my head.

"No, I'm really different to him." I state making everyone at the table chuckle. Izzy comes over and smiles.

"Oh, uh, can Izzy sit with us?" I ask.

"Sure! The more the merrier." Tim smiles. Izzy takes a seat next to me and squeezes my hand.

"So, Mel, who's your favourite singer?" A boy asks.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I think Nirvana." I say making them all furrow their eyebrows.

"I thought you'd be more of a country girl?" Tim asks making me shake my head.

"As I said, completely different to Tuck." I state making them laugh. Maybe I found a new group of friends?

But I like me and Izzy. Just the two of us.

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"I'M home!" I call as I walk into the house.

"Bailey took Mama's guitar and now she lost it." Tuck says as he walks past me.

"She what?" I ask in shock.

"Brody and I are going, stay here." Tuck orders as he and my other brother leave the house.

I walk into the kitchen and see Dylan doing the dishes, a very unusual sight. "The hell are you doin'?" I ask.

"Dishes." He states making me raise my eyebrows.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." I state sarcastically. I go to the fridge and get out a kumbutcha and start to drink it. "You've never done dishes before in your life."

"You've just never seen me do 'em." He states.

"Because I have a life." I sass making him raise his eyebrows at me. "Don't try deny it."

"Hey Dylan. Hey Mel." Cassidy says as she walks into the house, her soccer ball under her arm.

"Hey Cass." Dylan says.

"Wait! You can't go up there." I say as Cassidy starts to go up the stairs.

"Why?" She asks.

"Cause you have to stay down here." Dylan says.

"Why?" She asks.

"We're making Bailey a special dinner." I state.

"We are?" Dylan asks making me glare at him. "We are!"

"Why?" Cassidy asks.

"Cause she let you borrow her special jacket her boyfriend gave her the night he said he loved her. And Daddy always says you gotta show appreciation when a girl let's you borrow their special jacket her boyfriend gave her the night he said he loved her." Dylan explains.

I raise my eyebrows. "I never heard him say that." Cassidy says as she walks past Dylan and I into the kitchen.

"Well, you're not well known for listening." I state.

"Ouch." Cassidy jokes making me chuckle.

"He's famous for saying that!" Dylan exclaims.

"What is wrong with you?" Cassidy asks. Dylan is very easy to break. One wrong move and he'll tell her everything. "Why are you actin' so weird?"

"Why are you actin' so ungrateful?" Dylan asks making me raise my eyebrows once again. "You know what? Bailey's not here. I'm in charge of you right now. Go to your room."

"No, don't go to your room!" I stop her.

"Stop tellin' me what to do. I don't have to do what you say." Cassidy sasses.

"But you do have to listen." Dylan points out. "So listen up, little girl. Bailey picks up after us, helps you with your emotional problems, gives you her special jacket. The least you can do is make her a special dinner to say thank you. But if that is too much to ask, then fine, go upstairs."

I raise my eyebrows at the speech my little brother just made and he smiles at me. "Ok." Cassidy says as she takes her soccer ball and walks to the stairs.

"No!" Dylan says making me raise my eyebrows.

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"OK, a deals a deal. The potatoes are peeled, the chicken is breaded, the squash is cut. Hand over your airpods 'cause I wanna go upstairs and get out of these clothes." Cassidy says.

"Why would you wanna get out of those clothes when you look so dang cute in 'em?" Dylan asks. I furrow my eyebrows and lean in.

"Try not to sound creepy." I whisper to him.

"Dylan, if this is puberty for you, then I'm so out." Cassidy says. Dylan's phone rings and I pick it up.

"Did ya find her?" I ask.

"Mel?" Tuck asks.

"Answer the question." I say sternly.

"Not yet. Did you?" Tuck asks.

"Would I be asking if you found her if I found found her? Look, it's been over two hours. Why didn't she call anybody? Why isn't she answering her phone?" I ask before I realise something. "Oh sweet mercy."

"Oh sweet mercy what?" Dylan asks.

"Did Bailey come back?" Tuck asks.

"No. And if I don't get upstairs, she's never gonna be allowed back." I state.

"And I'll lose my whole roster of client." Dylan says. I furrow my eyebrows and hang up the phone, going upstairs with Dylan to Cassidy's room.

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"UNBELIEVEABLE! Bailey just walks into my room and takes my Mama's guitar? Without askin'?" Cassidy asks in a rage.

"That is not how it went down." Dylan states.

"Oh, really? You just said she had an audition and didn't have her guitar. And now Mama's guitar is missin'?" Cassidy asks.

"Maybe that is how it went down." I nod.

"Where is Mama's guitar?" Cassidy asks the both of us. Now she's getting angry. But it's nothing I can't handle.

"I don't know! Some girl accidentally picked it up at the audition and left with it." Dylan exclaims.

"And Bailey's been drivin' everywhere to find it. And no one's hears from her in over two hours." I say.

"And she's with Chloe. And it's dark. And I think they might be dead." Dylan says as he starts to sob.

The back door opens and Daddy walks in with Tuck, and Brody. "They back?" Daddy asks.

"No!" Dylan says.

"Why are you cryin'? What happened?" Daddy asks.

"Puberty." I state making Tuck push down a laugh.

"I don't know. All I know is Bailey's phone keeps on going to voicemail. And if anything happens to them, it's all my f–" Dylan says before the doorbell cuts him off.

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^outfit^