Written by: TVM (mrtvm@mrtvm.com)

Archive: www.asstr.org/~TheVertManArchive/Stories/Mickie/Index.html

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                                               ><> (: ~ :) <>< LYNSEY'S 'point of view' ><> (: ~ :) <><

What would you do if you came upon someone you thought you knew, crying into her hands? Would you stop and see if you could help or would you simply walk past them and hope they didn't recognize you? This is exactly what happened to me and Maria at the 7-11 this morning.

We were on our way to school and by a weird coincidence the shortest route is going by the 7-11 just down from where Taylor and Laney live. We also needed soda, Maria wanted Coke and I wanted Pepsi (she's so pushy). So we stopped and she stayed in the car and made me go in (see what I mean about being pushy?). That's when I saw her, a girl who I thought I recognized as Mickie's EX, Marty Saybrook. Crying softly into her hands and looking like she'd just lost her best friend. I decided to stop and see if I could help.

"Marty?" I asked after having stood there for a long moment. Maria no doubt watching me from the car on the other side of the parking lot and thinking I was losing my mind. The girl looked up and the pain in her eyes told a story that I didn't even need to hear before it broke my heart. Swollen, puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "I thought that was you. Something must be really wrong?"

"Lynsey?" Marty asked as I nodded. "You're Mickie's friend, the one she was always hot for?"

"UMMMMM hot for? I don't know about that but yeh she's a good friend" I said as Marty wiped her eyes and jumped up. "Anyway, why you crying?"

"My life, as is the usual, is in the toilet and the one person in this world that I love just shit on me" Marty said. "Sorry I know you didn't wanna hear that."

"Who's this person who shit on you?"

"Mickie" Marty said. The surprise on my face telling a story itself. "My brother just died and because of some stuff I did she ran me off."

"After your brother died?" I asked. "Damn."

"I deserved it" Marty said and then rambling on. "I tried my best to break her and Taylor up, I even lied about the night Mick and me got drunk down in the canyon. I told her we slept together. Now I don't know where I'm gonna go because I don't have a place to stay or anything. Except my car."

"WOW!" I said. Stunned speechless. The door to the store opening and out stepping a holla! cute blond with a 7-11 uni on.

"Is there a problem?" She asked nervously. Smiling at Marty when she apparently recognized her. "Marty?"

"Sammi" Marty said with a smile. Me wondering how they could know each other.

"Hey girl" Sammi said. "You guys chatting?"

"No Lynsey was just trying to be nice" Marty said as I smiled.

"Somethings wrong? You been crying and if I'm not mistaken you've been here for a while" Sammi said.

"I don't wanna drop my problems on you" Marty said.

"You and Mickie have a fight?" Sammi asked. "I know her and Taylor are dating and all..."

"She doesn't have a place to stay, Mickie ran her off" I inserted into the conversation. Marty giving me a 'shut up' look. "What? You don't and maybe Sammi knows somewhere you can crash. You can't keep sleeping in your car."

"Been there a time or two" Sammi commented as she joined us. Marty grinning at the gorgeous blond now obviously smiling at her. "Back home in Arkansas, I had a fight with my folks one time and ran away and let's just say they didn't exactly miss me. Spent almost a month crashing at one friends house or in my car before they let me come back."

"My parents are so sick of my crap, they moved to another country to avoid me" Marty said as Sammi laughed.

"I can join that club, my parents ran me off when they found out I was dating Maria" I said as both looked to me.

"I'm sorry but that's weird, you and Maria?" Marty asked.

"Yeh and why is it weird?" I asked.

"You're so quite and she's loud and...latino" Marty said as I laughed and nodded my agreement.

"That is true" I said. "But she loves me for some reason. I'm finally in a relationship where both want to be and not just one."

"A stable relationship would be nice" Marty said. "Hell with all the crap I been through and pulled in the last few weeks I just wanna lay down and sleep for a few days and not think about anyone."

"Hey ladies" Alex said as he walked up with his seemingly ever present side kick Ryan. I didn't even know the two were dating until Taylor had filled me in a few days before this. I waved to him, Ryan grinning as he nodded to me.

"Hey Big Al" Sammi said with a challenging smile as Alex stepped in front of her and tried to look menacing before both laughed. "You couldn't scare a 4 year old."

"Of course not I love kids" Alex commented as Sammi laughed. "Are we ready to go home?"

"Uh huh I'm all done" Sammi said. "Any news on the missing check?"

"No and Grandma is having a fit over it" Alex said.

"Alex?" Marty asked to get his attention. "You remember me?"

"Marty Saybrook, Mikala's ex" Alex said as Marty smiled. "You come over that time to play games with Mickie."

"Oh yeah" Marty said with a blush. "You said something about a missing check..."

"It's nothing, just family stuff" Alex said firmly. "We'll make it through."

"Hey that means I'm family" Sammi said with a bright smile as Alex nodded. Sammi looking to Ryan and asking, "He likes me more than you. Ha."

"Shut up before I tackle you" Ryan said with a mean looking finger point as he and Sammi started pushing each other and laughing. A shocking offer from Marty to Alex bringing all action to a stop.

"I'll pay you if you let me crash for a few days" Marty said. "You said you guys were having trouble. I can help."

"Sweetheart we're talking more than a few dollars" Alex said.

"Two thousand bucks" Marty said as she produced a roll of cash from her jeans pocket that could choke a horse. Shoving it into Alex's hand roughly. "Take it I don't want it."

"If you've got two thousand bucks then why are you having trouble finding a place to stay?" I asked.

"Because no one will rent a hotel room to a sixteen year old girl, let alone an apartment" Marty said.

"I can't take this" Alex said firmly.

"I don't want that money, I stoled it from the guy who killed my brother Seth" Marty said and began to cry.

"Hey, hey, it's OK" Sammi said as she rushed to Marty's side and hugged her. One that Marty was eager to except.

"Baby is everything OK?" Maria asked as she walked up.

"Yeh I think so" I said as I hugged her.

"We'll work something out" Sammi said softly to Marty before looking to Alex and saying, "We could use that money and I've just got a good feeling about her, can't we at least talk to Mavis? Please Alex?"

"I think that sounds like a good plan" Ryan said as he massaged Alex's shoulder. Alex obviously not wanting too but after a few moments giving in as he simply nodded.

                                               ><> (: ~ :) <>< MICKIE'S 'point of view' ><> (: ~ :) <><

So rising this morning and knowing that Taylor was leaving for Arkansas with Laney, I just sat there on my bed and felt like crying but nothing came out. I looked at the phone one last time before I got up to take a shower and left the room. Jessie just coming out of the bathroom, soaking wet and wrapped in a towel. That girl is gorgeous, have you not noticed this? If she wasn't a member of my extended family (cousin by marriage) I'd jump it.

"Morning Mick" Jessie said as she fished some panties out of the clean laundry basket and slipped them on under her towel.

"Morning" I said in a depressed voice.

"You want some advice from someone who's been dumped?"

"Shoot Cuz"

"Move on, don't let her do you this way" Jessie said. "I know easier said than done, but if you show her you're just moving on she's gonna realize what she's missing by dating that slut Raegan."

"True, what does she see in that girl?"

"It's new and exciting and Laney mentioned something about them liking to fight about politics" Jessie said.

"Yeh Taylor wanted to hang out with Raegan a few nights ago to watch some show on Fox News with Ann Coulter" I said.

"Who?"

"Beats me" I said as we both laughed. "Need a ride to school?"

"Got my bug, I miss Laney already" Jessie said as I smiled and hugged her. Getting a sniff of her bath gel and grinning. "What?"

"You smell good" I said as she pushed me away as I laughed. "What?"

"I got a girlfriend" Jessie said with a smug smile. "Is that the phone?"

"If it was they hung up" I said and whistling at Jessie as she ducked back into her room a few moments later. I took my shower and headed off for school feeling a lot better and as weird as it sounds I was gonna try and do exactly what Jessie said. And wouldn't you just know that a girl who just might help me do that was standing in my path when I got out of my car in the school parking lot. Darcy Mulder that is, well more to the point she was sailing towards me on her skateboard and still unable to stop as she crashed into the back of the car. I laughed as she grabbed onto the bumper to keep from falling and grinned at me sheepishly. "Do you even know how to ride that thing?"

"I'm beginning to think I don't" She said as I extended my hand and helped her to her feet as she smiled. She's adorable in a VERY unique way I noticed in those few moments. She dresses like a skateboard chick, long baggy pants and colorful t-shirts, a Harley Davidson ski cap, and cute tennis shoes. "I'm telling you I need breaks."

"I know, I know, like air breaks on a rooster right?" I asked as she laughed and nodded. "How about staying off it?"

"Then how would I get to school?" She asked. "I don't got a fly ride like yours I is a poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks with no way to school other than this."

"To protect you from yourself I'd give you a ride to school" I said.

"I accept" She said with a smug smile. Slipping back onto the board and rolling away from me and towards the curb. She went airborne with her board doing a full 180 under her and landed a split second before she came crashing down onto it perfectly. Me watching with bottom lip dropped open as she skidded to a stop and smiled back at me as if to say 'gotcha'. She rolled back over to me and stopped and I knew I'd been had, at least partially. "Did I just do that?"

"Con artist" I said as she laughed and nodded. "I take back my offer."

"Oh come on I seriously don't have a ride to school" She said. "I'm only looking to be friends."

"Well...on one condition" I said and trying my best to keep a straight face as a I hopefully extracted a small measure of revenge. I stepped closer and took hold of her belt loop as she looked at me curiously. "I'll only give you a ride to school if you do it with me."

"P...P...What?" She asked in a shocked voice.

"Yeh my girlfriend is gone for a few days and I need it bad, so what you say?" I asked as she swallowed deeply and backed away a step or two. Prompting me to laugh.

"You were kidding?" She asked as I leaned against my car laughing. Imitating her as she had backed away. "OK, very funny you got me back."

"MMMMMMM baby" I said in a giggle as she blushed and gave me a look that could kill. "Be ready tomorrow around seven?"

"No thanks" She said as she rolled off on her board and forced me to jog to catch up.

"I'm serious" I said as she slowed, stopped and smiled at me. "No big deal, you don't live far?"

"See that house on the corner?" She asked as she pointed off in the distance. "The one with the red tiles on the roof?"

"Uh huh" I said as I looked back to her. "You turn there?"

"No that's my house, duh" She said as I blushed and groaned. This girl was a serious goofball, sorta like me. "Is that too far out of your way?"

"I'm gonna stop talking to you if you keep treating me like this" I said as she grinned. Very cute dimples.

"Why? You can't take it when someone can be as goofy as you?" She asked as she stepped directly in front of me.

"How do you know I'm goofy?"

"Come on Mickie everyone knows" She said. "You're speech at the dance is famous. Besides your girl Taylor is very chatty."

"When did you talk to Taylor? And Why?"

"I didn't talk, I listened when she would talk about you in class" Darcy said as I smiled. "That's why I crashed into you. I wanted to meet you finally."

"Odd"

"Yeh but once you get to know me you'll realize that's not the only weird thing about me" She said as I laughed. "What do you say Mikala?"

"How do you know my name?" I asked and got the weirdest feeling that this girl knew more about me than she was letting on.

"It's written on your book bag?" She asked as I looked down and blushed when I realized it was. "Paranoid much?"

"No more weird stuff please?"

"You're taking away all of the fun stuff" She said in a whiny foot stompin voice as I smiled. "But OK."

"Bell" I said as I pointed up and she slammed her foot on the edge of her skateboard and flipped it up to her hand and smiled smugly at me. Joining me for the final walk into the school. The first one that I could remember without Taylor by my side and honestly it was lonely but not so bad.

"So you giving me a ride home after school or what?" Darcy asked as I stopped and looked at her and she grinned smugly as I laughed and shook my head. Wondering in that moment what I was getting myself into by being friends with her.

                                               ><> (: ~ :) <>< TAYLOR'S 'point of view' ><> (: ~ :) <><

"Dad we are fine, we're on the ground in Little Rock" I said into my cell phone as we stood in the main lobby of the airport. Laney gone into the crowd to get the bags and me doing the required phone call home. Something tells me she has the easier job.

"Has Purvis come yet?" Dad asked from the other end of the phone.

"No but he called and he was about ten minutes south" I said as Laney emerged once again from the crowd with two arms full of bags.

"I gotta go Dad, Laney's back with the luggage" I said.

"Call me when you get to Hal's young lady" Dad said.

"Dad you're at the office..."

"Tay...lor" Dad said in his best 'fatherly' voice. Warning me not to test him on this.

"Yes Dad, is a phone call on the way there required too?" I asked in my best 'smart ass' voice. But Dad laughed instead.

"Call me when you get to Hal's."

"Bye"

"Bye"

"Purvis is outside, I just saw him pull up and you won't believe who I saw" Laney rambled as she arrived back in front of me and dumped the bags in between us. Her going on before I could even get my phone closed and back into it's holder, "Becky Sue Martin, the whore of Langston South High."

"Ohmigod, let's try and avoid her" I said and remembering back to our days at the aforementioned school and Becky Sue pestering us over every little thing. Lord I can only imagine the reaction she'd have if she knew both Laney and I were dating girls now. A small smile crept across my face as I pictured her shocked/repulsed response and it made me wanna run after her and make sure she got the news. "On second thought, why not pay our friend a visit?"

"Why?"

"Can you imagine the way that Southern Princess would react if she knew we were...you know? Girls?"

"Probably" Laney said as we both laughed.

"Laney McCoy? Taylor Raynewater?" Came that annoying southern drawl and I knew instantly she had spotted us even without our attempts to find her. She came bouncing over excitedly. "What a small world it is, how are my two best girlfriends doing?"

"Hi Becky Sue" I said. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? To say hi to my friends, long time no see"

"Friends?" Laney asked Becky Sue. "Do even know who we are?"

"Well what kinda question is that? Of course I do"

"Then maybe you'll remember that you were never our friend" I said.

"Well..." Becky Sue started and being caught off-guard by our reaction.

"Yeh well we didn't get along" Laney said. "And just because now we're living in Cleveland don't change things."

"Well OK, I've grown up a lot" Becky Sue said. "I'm not living here anymore either, I'm just coming back for a visit with the parents."

"Really?"

"I moved to New York about two months ago" She said. "I got a role in a play that's about to go on Broadway."

"Who are you living with?" I asked.

"On my own actually" Becky Sue said.

"Your parents allowed you to move to New York by yourself?"

"I've got 6 brothers and sisters you know, it wasn't really that big of a deal" Becky Sue said as I laughed. "Anyway, look, I know we weren't friends when you lived here, either of you but now maybe we can be. I still live down the road from your Grandpa Laney. Stop by sometime and bring Taylor. We'll hang out and...who knows."

"Yeh maybe..." I said in response

"There's my ride, bye" Becky Sue said as she smiled and without another word she was off to catch her ride. Purvis appearing at the entrance to the main lobby and carrying a sign that read "Laney/Taylor". I smiled at his creative approach, both of us greeting him with a hug a few moments later.

"Nice to see you again" I said to Purvis a few long moments later as we stood by the trunk of Grandpa Hal's limo.

"You two child, been a while since I saw you and lord have you grown up in those months" Purvis commented as I blushed.

You know you don't realize how much you miss a person until you can't see them anymore, Purvis being the one in this case who sparked this feeling. I use to love spending time with Purvis as he tinkered on the car in the McCoy's more than spacious garage. He tells such great stories when you get to know him and not to mention funny. Laney and I listened all the way home about his latest adventures around the house, including a hilarious story about his catching of a ferret in the basement. I missed him more than I thought. Which brought up a whole new bought of missing, that being one for Laney's Grandpa Hal, who unfortunately now was at death's door.

"How is Grandpa Hal?" I asked a few minutes outside of our hometown and watched Purvis suddenly grow quiet and pretend not to hear us. "Hello?"

"We'll be home in a few minutes and you can see for yourself" Purvis said in his most mysterious voice. Laney getting a really worried look on her face as she grew quiet with that announcement. I touched her shoulder and was about to try and make her feel better when my cell phone started ringing.

"Damn it Dad I'm 16 almost 17 not 12" I said before even looking at the phone as I flipped it open and said, "What?"

"You missin me yet?" Raegan asked as I smiled instantly. "Or no?"

"Course I miss you" I said excitedly. Laney giving me a puzzled look.

"Really?" Raegan asked.

"Yes" I said, "We're almost back to my hometown now."

"Yeh?" She asked as if she were hanging on my every word.

"Yeh it's good to be back home for a few days" I commented. A long silence developing as I looked to Laney and saw her staring at me with a pointed look in her eye. One that I've seen before and knew instantly that she knew it was Raegan and she didn't care much for me talking to her. I snapped my eyes away from her glaring stare and asked into the phone, "Why you so quiet?"

"You talk to Mickie?" Raegan asked bluntly. My stomach literally dropping out at the bold bluntness of that question. I was, for a moment, tempted to not even answer. "It's ok if you have and you don't have to tell me but I'd just like to know where I stand."

"No, just you" I said softly.

"Lucky me" She said and got me to smile.

"Yeh lucky you spaghetti head" I said as she laughed.

"Ann Coulter" She shot back.

"OHHHHH you're gonna get it for that one" I said, "You won't even read her book miss idealogue."

"No reason too I got you to brainwash me" She said and giggled knowing she had gotten me good.

"I'm gonna handcuff you to the bed and read that damn book to you" I said and heard the giggling stop. "Every word."

"If you were reading it I'd listen" She said softly in a seriously 'for your ears only' tone. "Want me to jump in the car and meet you in Arkansas? Langston right?"

"Uh huh, 12556 West Laurel Road" I said in a daze. A smile plastered across my face and a warm gooey feeling coming over every inch of my body. I knew then that I was falling in love with this amazing girl no matter how much trouble it was gonna cause me. "So what are you waiting for? Come on down."

"Wouldn't you be shocked if I really did show up" She said as I laughed and agreed. Grandpa Hal's coming into view over the horizon as I said into the phone, "I would at that. Listen we're almost there I'll call you in a few hours after I get settled in, K?"

"OK..."

This is gonna be interesting folks.

for a complete archive, please visit: www.asstr.org/~TheVertManArchive/Stories/Mickie/Index.html