Lose the Highs, Spare the Lows [Reese]

[Graham Kerr]

Graham felt like running himself into a wall, head-first, so he could finally stop feeling this way. It was insane. He was insane, and God, all he wanted was to feel Juli's lips on his again - that was pretty much all he remembered of that night.

It wasn't like he couldn't guess what had happened though. It was pretty obvious, especially since he woke up sore and with a large hickey on his hip. Next time, if there would ever -be- a next time, he was hoping that he'd remember it.

But he had to talk to his sister first. Reese needed to help him, and he finally needed to tell her about his being gay and that one night with Juli. She could calm him down like no other, and he really needed that right now. The party was in a few hours.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese was a dance-addict. No doubt about it and pretty much everyone would agree with it. She was always the first to be on the dance floor and the last to leave again. That being a fact during classes, during clubbing and during the times she gave dance class herself. Dancing was in her blood and it was what she lived for.

After yet another two hours of practicing her dance routines she had hopped under the showers. Which would have been her second shower today and the third was yet to come tonight after work when she would be giving street dance class, ballet class and hip hop class.

Walking into the common room with a mug of hot tea in her hand it was time to relax. She hadn’t been getting a moment for herself since she woke up this morning and if she was lucky she could read a dance magazine or something. Those usually laid around everywhere in their common room.

[Graham Kerr]

Graham looked up when he saw Reese enter the room. "Hey sis" He put down his mug of hot chocolate, leaving the candy he'd brought her on the table as he went over to hug her. Reese knew him like no other. She would know immediately that something was wrong. Not that they usually didn't hug, in fact, he was doing the same thing he always did, but still, she always picked up on it. On him being off.

Letting go of her he sat back down on the couch, rubbing at his forehead. "Do you have a minute for me? I need to talk to you about something..." He'd seen him near the music store with Tony earlier in the day, and had turned around on the spot, not wanting Juli to see him. "Are you coming to the party tonight?"

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese held the paper disposable cup in one hand while she was trying to pull her hair from the messy bun it was in. “Hey honey…” soon feeling the arms of her little brother around her in a hug. Although he might as well be her big brother, Reese might be a year older but Graham was a head and a half bigger than her. “Yeah course honey, always for you. What’s the matter?” she replied with a soft voice.

Love. That was what bound Graham to Reese and Reese to Graham. Family love and it was powerful, so powerful that a glance was often enough to see how her little brother was doing. It was more then obvious that something was up with him. The way he walked towards her, the way he hugged her, his eyes, his voice. It was all different somehow.

She followed Graham to the couch and sat down next to him, one leg curled beneath her. “Yeah, you know me. I never skip out on a good party.” She winked at him while taking a few sips from her tea.

[Graham Kerr]

Graham hugged his knees to his chest, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag from it, his eyes closed. "You remember the last party, just before summer break?" Nothing had happened at the party, just some dancing and flirting and drinking. Having fun with his friends, laughing and joking about and playing games in the middle of the room until people passed out.

And then he'd gone to Juli's room to get more alcohol. And ended up pressed against the wall, kissing Juli, the others hands buried inside of his pants as he worked him over enough to make his knees buckle. He hadn't thought twice about giving up his virginity, not with those kisses that made his blood boil.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese leaned back in the couch, her back resting against the backrest. She nodded, slowly, oh yeah she did remember that party. It had been one of the best of the entire year and she had woken up in the bed of one totally hot girl. All and all it had been the start of a great summer.

“How can I not? That’s the one I met Brooke.” The girl she had been having some fun with at the beginning of the summer. “Why? Did something happen Gray?” There was a reason why he would ask her if she could remember the party. He wouldn’t ask her about it if there wasn’t. She frowned, studying his face while he smoked his cigarette.

[Graham Kerr]

Graham nodded. He remembered Brooke. Remembered what Reese had told him about ending up in her bed. It was funny. How different they were and at the same time so similar. Reese was all open and up front about her bisexuality, whereas he was definitely still in the closet. As far as he knew nobody had found out about their night, though there had definitely been rumours. He'd just told him that he passed out in Juli's room, that nothing happened.

"You weren't the only one waking up in bed with someone" He bit his bottom lip, blushing a little. It wasn't that he minded that his sister was getting laid before he was, it was just weird to think of things this way. To think of how he'd kept a secret from her all summer, avoiding to talk about that night because it brought up questions he didn't want to discuss.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese eyes widened a little, her lips turning into a light smirk. “You little devil.” giving his side a playful push with her foot. Graham never told her much about his love life. Not about his crushes, his dates…nothing. Not that she needed to know anything though, Reese knew she was pretty open about her love life. Well, except for Tony. What she felt for him was something she kept to herself. Not even Graham knew it.

[Graham Kerr]

Graham grinned, looking at her. He wondered if she knew anything about his preferences. Oh well, there was no better way than asking to find out, was there? "Think you can guess who I ended up with?" He knew most about Reese's love life, about her dates, crushes and adventures, but in return he was pretty quiet about his own relationships. He guessed that she knew he was a virgin, though they'd never spoken it aloud.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Reese took a few more sips from her tea, frowning again when she tried to think who had dragged her brother in her bed. Or, his bed. She knew that was an option too. And it might be the only option but she wasn’t really sure about it. Graham had never said he liked boys but he had never said he liked girls either. “Ehm…Michelle? No not her.” Running a hand through her hair she kept her eyes on Graham, trying to read it from his face.

What would be his type? Not something sweet, perhaps something dangerous? A fun person who had this something that would drive him insane. “Daisy? Mimi?” she then took her eyes from him to take a slow sip from her tea. “Juli?” Graham could try to keep things hidden but his eyes gave him away. Especially when Juli was around.

[Graham Kerr]

Graham listened to her list girls, and wondered if he had managed to fool not just the world but his sister as well. He was almost relieved when she mentioned Juli, and blushed a little. "I'm that obvious, aren't I?" Biting his lip he picked up his cocoa and took a sip, closing his eyes for a moment or two. It was weird, talking about this, he'd never done it before, but at the same time he knew that Reese would accept him the way he was, no matter what.

"Yea, it was Juli. Not really something I'd expected to happen. I mean...he doesn't like me that way. I'm sure of that. So it was just alcohol and drugs and lust that night.." He shivered a little, remembering the way he'd felt when Juli kissed him that first time. "God, I'm so stupid."

[Reese Mackenzie]

Finishing her tea Reese shook her head, leaning towards the table to put her cup down. “Gray I just know you. That’s all.” Graham was the type who could keep things to himself pretty well. Only the ones who really knew him could see all the signs, knew what to look for if that wanted to know something about him. She smiled, of course not bothered with him being gay, or bisexual. She was the latter herself, course she would not mind. Nor would she mind if she was straight. He was her brother, she loved him no matter what.

But her smile fell from her face when he mentioned something about drugs. “You’re damn right you’re stupid. What the hell Graham?! Drugs?” Dammit! The whole Juli thing could wait cause right now she needed to lecture her little brother for a moment. Reese knew what he had done in the past to get money but she had thought he had quit that. Had stopped it all but he was still using? “What is the matter with you?!”

[Graham Kerr]

Graham winced when she sounded like that. It reminded him of their mother. "It's not like I'm using heavily. And I'm not selling it either. Just...get some stuff for parties. Relax a bit, you know?" Yeah, sure, it was bad and stupid but he knew all the people, he knew how to get the best drugs for the littlest amount of money and besides, he still had his summer job. So she shouldn't be so uptight and pretend this was new.

"I just needed to relax a little. I'd been feeling uptight. Guess Juli took care of that" Gray couldn't help but grin at that. Oh yeah, there was definitely something about the dancer that intrigued him. Juli used as well and it always gave him a reason for hanging out with him.

[Reese Mackenzie]

Without any warning Reese suddenly hit him on the back of his head. “Relax my ass Graham! That you sold drugs to get money for mom is one thing but using them?” she hissed, getting upset with him. “I don’t work my ass of every week at the studio so you can get drugs, selling them, using them or what the fcuk you’re doing with them.” Graham needed to focus on school, his friends and apparently Juli. Not about anything else.

She sighed, rubbing her hand over her forehead for a moment. “Make music. Hang out with your friends. Go to the beach. Do those things Graham. No drugs. I mean it.” Her voice filled with a hint of disappointment. She was supposed to look out for him and now he was using drugs right under her nose? “Not even for mom.” Reese made sure their mom had it alright. She didn’t want her little brother to hang around in the drugs scene.

[Graham Kerr]

"Christ, Mack" Graham rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not some junkie, alright? I promise" He turned towards her, catching her hand and noticing the disappointment in her voice. "I'm just a teenager. I drink, I party, on occasion I use something other than alcohol. It's not a big deal." She could say whatever she wanted, but he wasn't going to give up on his summer job. Aside from the money he made for his mother he needed to work his ass of trying to stay in school.

"I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to look out for me, Reese. I've been doing it all my life. Before you knew it. Where did you think the money came from when I was eleven? It's been the same place as all these years, and I'm good at it. I'm good at making the money we need. Don't you want Arthur to go back to painting?"