a/n : I changed a few things. Now Bryce died seven months ago and Parker left town a month after, spending six months in Peru. Sean returned from Military school five months after Bryce's death and spent two months in town before Parker returns for senior year. I hope all this makes sense and no one gets confused. THANKS.

---------------------------------------------------------

P A R K E R

02 | like they used to

SEAN BRYAN, COUSIN of Bryce Bryan. Delinquent of Payne Hills.

I hadn't seen him in over three years and I quite surprised I recognized him, well, Sean Bryan's face isn't the kind of face that you would forget, especially since he has the same eye colour of the guy I happen to be in love with. My eyes leave his and slowly go down to the rest of his body and I'm impressed by the change. He wasn't so tall before and definitely not this buff. Military school sure did him good.

"Aren't you going to let me in or," he flexed his shoulder, the surprise look on his face now replaced by a smile. "Give me a hug?"

I scoffed, "a hug? Why would I do that?"

He sighs and brushes past me, entering the house and leaving me with a loose jaw. "Because you missed me?"

"I didn't invite you in." I say instead of giving an answer to him as I cross my arms in front of me.

He stopped looking around and turn to me, "You didn't?" I give him a duh look and that stupid smile appears on his face again as he takes one long step to me and pulls me into a hug. I gasp as his big strong hands tighten around me. I totally didn't expect that, neither did I expect my nostrils to be invaded with a familiar perfume. The exact same ones from last night.

This hug is strange. Sean Bryan hugs a lot of people but Sean Bryan doesn't hug Parker Holt.

"God, I've missed you Parker."

I don't say anything and after an excruciating long moment he let's go of me, his turquoise eyes searching my face. I step back. "You're Sean?"

He blinks at the absurd question and I shake my head to rehearse that question. "The guy from last night? The guy whose car broke down in the rain and gave me a ride?"

His eyes widen in remembrance and he tosses his head back and laughs. "You? So the name you didn't want to give me was Parker?"

I feel myself blush as a smile fights its way to my face. I quickly swallow it down and look at him. "How did you not recognize me?" Unlike some other people and apart from the two inches I added, I don't think I've changed much now from three years ago.

He huffs, "how did you not recognize me?" He shots back and smiles. "Well I think I almost did but you had this hood on and I didn't know you've returned plus the rain wasn't helpi-- wait, what were you doing out by 3am?"

I frowned. "Visiting a friend, I told you."

He shots me a disapproving look, "Parker--"

"Sean," I cut him off, not wanting to hear any kind of speech from him. If I can remember, his protectiveness is really annoying. "Why are you here?"

His face softens and he shrugs. "I came to see a friend."

No, you came to see how I was coping with the loss.

"I know why you're here and I'm fine. You don't need to hang around. I'm sure you have other friends to visit while you're still in town." I say and he sits on the arm of the sofa, crossing his hands and making his biceps bulge, I see a peek of black ink and before I can look some more, Sean speaks.

"I've got a long time to see anybody I want to see."

"Huh?" I ask looking away from the ink and back to him. He didn't have that before, his skin was spotless three years ago.

"I'm not leaving after a week or month. I got myself registered back into the highschool and I've been around all through summer." He says, his eyes dancing up and down my body.

"What?!" I shout not believing my ears, he blinks and before I can fire on more questions, I hear a knock on the door.

"Knock knock." I whip around to see Trey Holt, my twenty two year old brother step into the house. "Parker, why the hell is the front door wide open? Ever heard of snakes?"

Trust my brother to freak over snakes more than burglars.

"Trey--" I'm about to cook up a reason but his attention isn't on me anymore.

"I know you." He accuses as he snaps his finger in front of him, "but right now, I don't."

Sean laughs standing up to his full height that's an inch away from Trey's. "Sean Bryan, the neighbor."

Oh jeez, the neighbor.

Trey turned to me and opened his mouth surprised as in saying 'whaaat' in a really excited way. I roll my eyes and he turns to Sean. "You're back," they slap hands really loudly and Sean is all smiles. "Long time kid, what's has it been... eight years?"

"Three." I correct.

"Three? That's incredible, you look so grown up. Military school right?" He starts walking towards the kitchen.

"Yea." Sean says with a nod, following him much to my silent disapproval.

"Are you back for good? We are and Margaret could use someone," he stops and turns around. "And I'm sorry about..." He trails off, glancing at me and me then back at Sean.

Sean clears his throat. "Thanks and yeah I'm staying for good."

Trey nods impressed and vomits nonsense out his mouth. "Wanna stay for dinner, I'm making my special enchiladas."

"No!" I say quickly and both Trey and Sean turn to me. "I mean, we just arrived and-- he's really busy... I'm still... settling in."

Sean smirks at me and Trey raises a brow like the dumb brother that he is. "Actually, I have a lot of time to... settle in and I love enchiladas. I'll help you cook."

Dang it.

"Its settled. Parker doesn't help me cook, she's really lazy." Trey say opening up the fridge and bringing out two bottles of beer.

"Up until now?" Sean asks catching a beer bottle.

"I'm still here you know." I announced glaring at them both.

"Yeah, Parker, why the hell are you not wearing a bra?" Trey found the need to ask in front of Sean, "and is that dried foam on your hair?"

I look down at my flannel shirt and not only can i see my nipples jutting out, the button is done wrong leaving my chest half open. Jesus! I look up and Sean is quietly sipping from his bottle, not looking at me. A strangled scream escapes past my gritted teeth and I whip around running upstairs. I can't believe Sean never said anything about my shirt, he's such a pervert.

I shed my clothes and enter back into the shower to complete my unfinished bath. As the warm water poured on me again, my mind wanders back to Sean.

I wasn't expecting him. But his cousin died so I guess I was expecting him but that was over six months ago. He didn't show up and over time, I stopped thinking about it. He and Bryce were very close, brothers even. They even looked alike except for the different hair colour and Sean was more muscular and tanner. I'd like to think we are friends too-- were, before he went over to the military and broke all contacts with me for no reason at all. I've gotten over it but I have this anger towards him that I can't explain.

Maybe its because, no matter how much I begged him to stay years ago, he still kept a deaf ear and went over to a military boarding house. Maybe its because I wanted him here when everything went down, he could have saved Bryce when I couldn't. Maybe its because, I really needed a shoulder to cry on and his would have been extra comfy since we both knew Bryce like the back of our palms and loved him. Yes, Margaret was present but she's the mother and I couldn't completely break down in front of her, she needed some kind of support no matter how little. Maybe if he was here I wouldn't have had to run away to Peru.

It could also be before he left he was a complete arrogant pain in the ass that hated me. While I loved him. The last time I saw Sean Bryan, I was completely and hopelessly in love with him. He didn't feel the same though and never hesitated to rub it in my face anywhere, anyhow. That doesn't matter anymore though because after he left, I got over him and fell for my best friend, his cousin.

I met him when I was eight years old. He was a year older than Bryce and I and an angry kid. His mother and father just got a divorce and he wasn't taking it well. He'd come over to spend the summer with us and that turned out to be the best summer Bryce and I had ever had. Although most of the time he was brooding in silence and glaring at everything that walked on the surface of the earth, the few times Bryce managed to bring him out with us were the best. He had all these new ideas, some dangerous and others not. That was the first time, I realized what a crush was and how it felt to like a boy.

After the summer, he left and returned the next summer. This time his brooding phase was over and he was all smiles and jeers. He'd tease me, annoy me to the point of no return and make all kind of non funny jokes at me. I think he bonded with Bryce more because I usually refrained from hanging out them. All summer Sean came to visit and summers were the highlight of my year.

Then after one summer, he stayed back. He didn't go home again and joined Payne middle school. Apparently his parents were really busy then and he was tired of bouncing back and fourth between them. That's when, I finally fell in love with him. Sometimes he'd be really sweet, other times, he'd be mean. I told about my feelings and we kissed. Sean Bryan was my first kiss but he didn't know that, because right after he kissed me, he made fun of me being so gullible and boasted about how he had my first kiss. I was hurt and I lied that I'd already kissed Bryce.

That's when he shoved me for the first time because his stupid ego couldn't take that I made fun of him. After that he was my enemy for a month or so. Then he calmed again and we continued our hot and cold friendship. Freshman year, he feel into this semi depressed rebellious mood and started saying he wanted to leave.

There's nothing we didn't do to change his mind, well I and Margaret, Bryce had a fight with him and pretended not to care. The next thing we knew, he'd pulled strings with his father and was set for military school. I cried and cried, I confessed my feelings over and over, I begged. He didn't listen. I came to terms with it and was prepared to send him off wishing him all the best, in my heart I was going to wait for him, no matter how long.

But I didn't get to say goodbye because the insensitive jerk up and left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. He denied me that closure. It hurt so badly. Then it hurt even more when he sent a letter to Bryce. He didn't send to me and he didn't mention my name at all. He continued speaking to Bryce without me and that's how I was cut off.

I guess it was for the best though, with my infatuation with Sean I might never have noticed what was right in front of me. Bryce Bryan.

Now he's back after Bryce is gone and I don't know how to act around him. I hope he just leaves me in peace, let's both mourn in our way. Not only Sean though, I don't know how to act with anybody. I thought when I returned back home I'll be fine but no, am anything but.

I finish up my shower and come down dressed on shorts and a big shirt. As I approach the kitchen, I hear Trey and Sean talking, I've been hearing their laughter from upstairs, cooking together is one of the best way to bond.

"So, why weren't you at the funeral?" Trey ask and I stop in tracks.

Sean stays silent then I imagine him shrugging as he answers. "I didn't know about... I didn't know until five months later."

"I'm so sorry. What happened--"

"How's Parker?" Sean asks cutting Trey off. I don't think Trey minds though.

"Parker?" He asks dumbly, "Parker's... Parker's dealing with it the way she knows how. I think Peru did her good, no better way to heal than a six months vacation in a foreign country."

Heal? Yeah right.

The kitchen falls silent and I take that as my cue to enter. They both look up as I enter having a guilty look in their eyes. Sean recovers first and smirks at me. I scowl at him.

"Is this dinner happening or not?"

• • •

What do you think of Sean Bryan? And Trey?

Vote and comment.