The Logan Brothers

Chapter 13 - Lip Locking, Spit Swapping

Chapter 13 - Lip Locking, Spit Swapping

Because of my mom's crazy work schedule, I had no idea when she would be home. Elsie passed out about an hour after I gave her the pain meds, so Grayson and I left her in my room while we went downstairs.

I had placed the bone back into what I thought was the correct place and used a board and ace bandage to splint it. It wouldn't last forever, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

"I can't believe you did that," Grayson said, sitting down next to me on the couch. My hands were still trembling. "That was awesome."

"It doesn't feel like it," I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. Elsie refused to tell us what had happened to her, so all I could do was sit and wonder if my friend was upstairs, in my bed, dying. "I hope she'll be okay."

He put an arm around my shoulders, "She will be, don't worry." At any other moment, I would've pushed his arm away and changed the subject as quickly as possible, but I was exhausted and emotionally drained, so I just leaned my head against his shoulder and let out a long sigh. "I didn't even know you hung out with Elsie Evers."

"We just started hanging," I muttered, realizing that I had really only hung out with her a few times. She had a way of wriggling her way into your heart without you realizing it; her sweet, caring attitude saw to that.

Grayson sighed and leaned his head against mine, rubbing circles on my arm with his thumb. It was surprisingly comforting and helped to slow my racing heart. No words were exchanged, we just sat there, soaking in the reality of the situation. Slowly, my eyes started to get heavy, sleep crawling into my veins. I would've fallen asleep if my phone hadn't started ringing.

"Hello?" I answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. Grayson shifted his head so he was leaning on my shoulder, nose nuzzling into my neck. He was tired too, apparently.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you?" Leah apologized, sucking in a breath. "I know it's late, but I just got to thinking and-"

"Leah?!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. Grayson fell over, groaning in protest.

"Thanks for that," He muttered.

"Who's that?" Leah asked, voice becoming stiff. I placed a hand on my lips, telling Grayson to be silent. It had taken Leah days to forgive me, I couldn't have him ruining it now.

"No one," I quickly said, gulping. My heart was pounding furiously; I didn't know if she had called to cuss me out again, or if she really had forgiven me for yelling at her. I had thought about it and she had been right, I should not have let Grayson kiss me. It had been wrong, especially under the circumstances. "Listen, I thought about it, and you were totally right."

"No I wasn't," She sighed, and I heard the unmistakable jingle of her bed springs. "If you like Grayson I shouldn't get in the way of that. I was just jealous, I'm sorry." Grayson gave me an impatient look as if to say, 'who is it?!' I waved him off and hurried into the kitchen.

"You were jealous? Why?" It didn't make any sense. Leah hated Grayson just like I did. She called him a douchebag almost every time he was brought up in a conversation, there was clearly no reason to be jealous.

She let out a long, heavy breath, which told me she was stressed. Leah didn't stress often. "Don't get mad at me, okay?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" I narrowed my eyebrows, lifting myself to sit on the kitchen island. This conversation had taken a turn hadn't seen coming.

"The only reason I said I hated Grayson is because you hated him. I've actually had a crush on him for years."

My jaw dropped.

Leah, of all people, had a crush on Grayson Logan?! I mean I got it; he was super hot, and almost every girl in my school had the hots for him, but Leah? She always went for the quieter, slightly nerdy guys. They worked out better for her since she was so crazy and outgoing.

"Imogen? You still there?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," I quickly shook my head, blinking. "Um..." What was I supposed to say? My best friend had a crush on the guy who had stolen my first kiss, which explained why she had been so pissed about it. The problem was that I was starting to think I liked Grayson too. My stomach twinged with the unmistakable pang of jealousy.

"Don't worry, we're big girls now, I'm not going to b***h you out for liking the same guy I do," She laughed, and I opened my mouth to tell her she was wrong; that's what friends do. But she quickly continued. "Don't even try to deny it, I know you like him. And it's pretty obvious he likes you too."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. No matter how hard I tried it wouldn't go away. Was I the only person who had been oblivious to Grayson's crush? "You think so?"

"Oh, definitely," She scoffed, and I could practically see her rolling her eyes. "So go for it, I'm not going to stand in the way of what is meant to be."

"Oh come on Leah, don't be dramatic," I made sure to lower my voice to Grayson couldn't hear me in the other room. "Besides, I can't date him anyway. I can't hurt Wesley like that."

"Ah, the infamous brother. What are you to do? The two hottest boys in town are in love with you, what a problem." The sarcasm dripping from her voice was almost painful. I closed my eyes, trying not to snap at her.

"I'm serious. Wes is like my brother, and I think I might sorta like him too," I hadn't planned for it to be confession night, especially with one of the Logan brothers in the other room, but with Leah there were no secrets. Plus, I thought maybe she could help me.

"Oh for god's sake, Imogen, just go on a date with both of them."

"What?!" I screeched, eyes bugging out. "I can't do that!"

"Sure you can. Just one or two dates with each so you can figure out who you like more. Simple, piece of cake."

"You make it sound so easy," I muttered, running a hand over my face. Grayson poked his head through the kitchen door, raising an eyebrow questioningly at me. "Listen, Leah, I've got to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright girl, see ya."

I set my phone down but didn't move from the counter. "I can see you over there, you know." Even though I tried to make my voice sound light and joking, it came out as if I was angry. Leah had really got my mind spinning.

He held his hands up in surrender, making his way into the room. "Are you okay?" He asked, placing a hand on my knee. I stiffened slightly. The lights weren't on, so we were pretty much sitting in the dark. My breath hitched. "That was about me, wasn't it?"

"Eavesdropper!" I laughed, slapping his arm. I'm pretty sure my cheeks had turned as red as a tomato; if he had heard me, I would've been mortified.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," He smirked. "But just so we're clear, I do like you Ginny. A lot."

I stopped breathing.

Oh, my freaking god!

He wrinkled his eyebrows together, frowning. "Come on, say something." What was I supposed to say to that?! I could barely breathe, let alone form coherent English sentences. He was already standing pretty close to me, just inches away, so I did the only thing I could do that seemed right in this situation.

I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his lips to mine.

He grunted in surprise but made a quick recovery. He grabbed my hips and pulled me to him, melding his lips to mine. My body was on fire; every sense was heightened and my fingers seemed to tingle. I wrapped my legs around his hips on instinct, because even though I had literally no experience in the make-out-department, it felt right.

All of a sudden, his tongue was in my mouth, and his fingers dug into my sides. His fingers were barely brushing under my shirt, his fingertips touching my bare skin. I pulled on the ends of his hair slightly, attempting to push myself impossibly close to him. Why hadn't I kissed him before?! It was amazing.

Suddenly, the light came on. We jumped apart so fast my hands were still up in the air where his head had been when I saw my mother walking into the room. Luckily she was focused on her phone and hadn't seen us.

And then I remembered Elsie, my poor friend who was upstairs in serious pain. Gosh, I was a horrible person!

"Mom," I exclaimed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I'm pretty sure I had some Grayson slobber on my face. "I'm so glad you're home!"

She looked up, startled, and her eyes flicked between Grayson and I. I really hoped I wasn't blushing. "Hey sweetie, what's going on?"

I laughed nervously. "So, don't be mad at me, okay?" I could see her going off on some rant about how I should've taken her to the hospital immediately, no matter what Elsie said. But I couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to.

Her face fell, and she said seriously, "Are you pregnant?"

"What?!" I exclaimed, falling from the counter. Grayson sputtered in shock, trying to burst out laughing. "Mom, no! No!" At that point, Grayson lost it. There was no holding back the annoying, uncontrollable laughter that poured from his mouth.

She sighed in relief. "Thank god,"

"I do have a slight problem, though. Come with me."

There aren't really words to describe the look on my mothers face as I lead her up the stairs, Grayson following. She looked almost scared, and a tad bit disappointed. She didn't even know what I was leading her to, and already she knew it wasn't good.

When we got to my closed bedroom door, I turned around. "Don't be mad at me. I didn't know what else to do."

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Imogen. What's so bad?" In one step she pushed me aside and opened the door. Elsie was still sound asleep, arm propped up on several pillows, just like I had left her. I had attempted to clean some of the other cuts out, so there were medical supplies scattered all over my bed.

There was a noticeable change in my mom. She turned on her doctor mode and marched forward without any further questions. "What happened to her?" She asked, immediately tending to Elsie's broken arm.

"I don't know," I whispered, still standing at the doorway. Grayson placed a hand discreetly on the small of my back. "She wouldn't tell me."

"Did you wrap this?" My mother asked again, finally pulling away the last of the ace bandage. She started feeling around on the bone, and Elsie woke up with a scream.

"f**k," Elsie hissed, yanking her arm away as a reflex. Tears streamed down her face involuntarily as she bit her lip. "Get the hell away from me."

I leaped into action, running to my friend's side. "Elsie, this is my mom. She's a doctor, don't worry," I handed her the washrag from earlier. "You might want to put this in your mouth again."

My mom shook her head. "This needs surgery, you need to go to the hospital."

Elsie stiffened. "I'm not going to the hospital. He can find me there!" The second the words left her mouth Elsie turned pale like she hadn't meant to say it. I gulped, closing my eyes momentarily. So some man had done this to her.

"Honey, if you don't go you'll lose function in your arm. You may even lose the lower half of your arm entirely. In my professional opinion, you need surgery." Mom said sadly, wiping some of the hair away from Elsie's face. It was amazing watching my mom work; she treated each patient like her child, even if they were older than her.

Maybe that's why Elsie's face softened and she whispered, "Okay."

Now, why couldn't I have done that?

Elsie stood up slowly, with the help of my mom. She was still doped up on painkillers, so she only whimpered slightly when she clutched her arm tightly to her chest.

"Jesus, Imogen, what did you give her?" My mom hissed when Elsie wobbled on her feet, giggling.

"That leftover stuff from when I got my wisdom teeth out," I answered, chewing my bottom lip. It was amusing to see Elsie like this; it was so unnatural. My mom's only response was a shake of her head and a tired sigh.

Grayson and I helped Elsie down the stairs, making sure she didn't trip and fall flat on her face. She almost did a couple of times, but thanks to Grayson's football skills he caught her before any serious damage was done. In no time at all we had her buckled in the back seat, and my mom was hopping in the front.

I turned to face him, and suddenly I had butterflies. Not five minutes before I had been making out with him, and he hadn't even been the one who had made the first move. What had gotten into me? Leah must've made more of an impact than I thought.

"You don't have to come with us," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "It's late, and you're not even friends with Elsie."

"No," He confirmed, smiling at me. "But I'm friends with you, so of course I'll come to keep you company."

"Are you don't have something else you'd rather do?" I asked just to make sure. Secretly, I wanted him to come with us because I knew my mom would probably be performing the surgery on Elsie's arm, which meant I would be alone all night. It would've been nice to have someone with me. But if he needed to get home or had something better to do, then I knew I wouldn't be his first choice.

He grabbed my shoulders, looking at me seriously. "I'm here for you, Ginny."

My mom cleared her throat from the car. "I don't care who comes and who stays, but if you're coming then get your ass in this car."

"Do you want front or back?" Grayson asked, looking at me expectantly. It was hard for me to believe that he was choosing me over a good night of sleep. Could things really change that quickly?

"I'll sit with Elsie," I croaked, hopping into the car before he could see the emotions running through my mind. I was so confused.

So Grayson got into the front seat next to my mom, and we were off. My mom was usually a cautious driver, and she was speeding down every road. Something was wrong, I just didn't know what. It was my mother who finally broke the tense silence. "So, Elsie, hun, can you tell me what happened to you?"

Elsie was barely awake, but at the sound of her name, she lifted her head slightly. "No, you can't keep a secret."

"Oh come on Els," I gripped her good arm, squeezing for comfort. "We're friends, and friends are supposed to tell each other everything." She looked at me doubtfully, as if assessing my emotions. This had to work, I was genuinely afraid for her.

"We're friends?" She croaked, a small, pained smile forming on her lips.

My mom was watching me carefully through the rearview mirror, and Grayson was staring at me. I nodded, "'Couse," I confirmed, smiling widely at her. It didn't sound like a very convincing lie to me, not that I was lying exactly. We were friends, I suppose, but I couldn't promise to keep her secret. Not if it put her in danger.

She giggled, "Are all of you, my friends?"

"Oh my god, just tell us what happened!" Grayson snapped, losing it. I flinched, giving him the ice glare that he deserved. My mom slapped his head, muttering a few curse words under her breath. His eyes widened in surprise as he gazed at my mother

Under any other circumstances, it would've been hilarious.

"Els?" I tried to coax her, but she was just staring blankly at Grayson. He seemed to have startled her into silence because even when I waved a hand in front of her face she didn't blink. "Great, thanks, Grayson."

"I didn't mean to-"

"My dad," Elsie yelled, lips trembling. "My dad did this to me."