Before The Storm

What kind of trouble have I gotten myself into?

Am I in some kind of danger? Seriously, who did I offend? Were the questions spinning in my head as I stared at my best friend, throwing her my signature grave look.

"Damn Lorrie, you look like a whole pile of shit." Amelia states in her light Spanish accent, her mock worry evident as she ignores my expression.

"Oh, why thank you." I reply in a sarcastic drawl, rolling my eyes.

Amelia and I have been best friends for the longest time. I really can't seem to think of a time when I didn't know her.

I side-eye her heavily, taking in her features.

"'Melia, why the hell did you bring me here at Eight in the morning?" I finally ask, running my fingers through my very rough hair in frustration.

"Oh, for Christ's sake, stop complaining, and calm down!" She grounds out, rolling her eyes at me.

We continue bickering as an all too familiar voice pipes up from behind me, making me startle.

"Oh, wow. I never thought you'd actually bring her. Thought I'd have to put her on a leash."

"Please don't tell me that you guys planned this." I immediately question. Knowing those two, they're capable of doing the craziest of things as long as they're together.

"Aww, have a little more faith in Amelia," he paused to take his seat, "It was all my idea Looney. She was just my handyman." Carter muses, smirking at Amelia.

"Oh, I should've known that it was you, Macbeth. Honestly, I can't expect anything less from you." I curl my lips into a fake smile, causing Carter's grin to falter.

"You need to quit calling me Macbeth. God, I hate it!" he grumbles.

"Then stop calling me Looney, you know how much I despise that name!" I retort. He gave that horrid nickname to me in junior school, and I've hated it ever since.

"You know I really can't, even if I wanted to." He gives me a lopsided grin, and I flipped him off.

"Suit yourself, Macbeth."

"Okay! shut up and Carter, please explain the reason for this meeting and exactly why you couldn't just do it at our apartment." Amelia exclaims, putting an end to our bickering. She sends a sharp glare at Carter.

"Ah! Yes, well Looney-"

"Don't you ever call me that." I snap at him.

"First of all, none of you would have even woken up if I did it at your place." he said, and we reluctantly nod in agreement. Let's just say, we are lazy.

"Well Looney, I did a bit of searching and I think that I helped you score a date with a friend of mine. His name is Wren-"

"Hold up, I never said I was interested in going on a date. No, not after him." I said with displeasure.

"Could you stop interrupting me? Please," Carter stopped me with mock irritation as I roll my eyes at him.

"Look Looney. He, well - we - just want you to move on from what happened with Nate." Melia coos softly, concern filling her eyes.

"I have moved on! I'm just...not ready to start anything with anyone. At least, not yet." I defended weakly, my voice sounding fake to my own ears.

"Please just give it a go. Try it just this once, for us." Carter said while trying to give me a puppy face, miserably failing as he resembled more of a startled catfish.

"No." I stood my ground.

"Come on, please? I'll buy you cookies and cream." Carter says suggestively, moving his eyebrows up and down.

Damn, they've found my weak point! They both know that I can't deny cookies and cream. Sneaky bastards.

I analyze the scenario mentally. I hope I'm not going to make the same mistake as last time, but it's worth a shot.

"Okay, fine." I finally relent.

"Yes!" they chant at the same time, throwing high fives to each other.

"I really do hope I'm not making a mistake by agreeing with you." I clarify because, in all sincerity, I really don't need anyone to add to my problems. I have enough already.

"Trust me Looney, all or nothing." Carter assured me with a winning smile, and that was all it took for me to calm my nerves. If I know Carter for one thing, it's that he'll always do his best.

"What I can't even fathom is how you've somehow managed to drag me over here for this."

"Let's have breakfast then." Amelia snorted, already leading the way to a local diner.

****

After our little breakfast date, Amelia and I headed back to our apartment while Carter promised to join us later. Opening the door, Brooke came into clear sight, roaming around the living room in clear frustration.

Though I haven't really known Brooke for as long as I've known Amelia and Carter, it's safe to say that we are as close as possible.

"Uh...hey there, Brooke. what's with the long face?" I ask, carefully feeling out my words.

Brooke tends to be fierce when she's frustrated, angry or hears a swear word. I'm careful about bringing her wrath down upon me.

"You want to know why? I leave this house for just five days to my parents, and you've both turned this place to Carter's house! This place is so fudging untidy, it looks like a pigsty. That's my problem!" she shouts, buzzing around in agitation.

I snicker at the mention of Carter's house, and her lack of vulgar language when she glared at me, causing me to clear my throat.

"If you're so bothered, you can start by cleaning it yourself." Amelia states, shooting a sly look at me.

I smile sweetly, settling myself on the couch beside her. "You know, the least you could do is tell us how the party went."

Brooke rolls her eyes at us and speaks in Latin.

"Hey, you know not all of us learned Latin in school." I called out.

She glares at us and we immediately understood what she implied as we got up to clean along with her.

Though she's the youngest, she is definitely the most mature one out of all of us.

Three hours later of cleaning the whole apartment and having a long-deserved bath, I flopped onto my bed and sighed.

Turning my head, I look at the photograph by my bedside and let out a deep breath.

"God, your girlfriend is so damn annoying." I chuckle bitterly.

"I know I'm a lot to handle." Brooke stated weakly, sorrow lacing her tone.

I understood the tone in her voice because that's just how I've been living for a long time.

"I miss him." Amelia says, frowning as she sits beside me while Carter leans against the door.

"We all do." Carter says in a subdued tone, looking down.

The fifth musketeer,

The reason for my endless pain,

My twin brother,