a/n: ok. new story... obviously. heh. i was going to wait until new years day to post this but i couldn't be bothered. i've written out all the chapter summaries for the rest of dating donnie and the next few chapter summaries for this story, so i decided to reward myself. i hope you like this, review if you want to see more :) thanks!!

1

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Chandler Harris had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Clear and sparkling, almost green around the iris; I could stare into them for hours and never grow bored. It was such a shame, then, that he was an entire two years older than me, went to the university down-town, and thought of me as his younger sister.

He sent me a knee-wobbling smile as he climbed out of his car. “How you going, Gerti?”

Even the use of such a lame nickname couldn’t quench the bright grin that wrapped across my face. “Great, thanks. Yourself?”

His shrug was slow, more pronounced on his left shoulder as it rose to brush the underside of his tilted head. “So-so, I guess. Just finished a mid-year exam.” He made a face, and I grimaced along with him.

“Aw, that bad?”

“Not bad,” he laughed, “just awful.”

The waning afternoon sunlight made Chandler’s hair molten gold as it curled around his smooth, round face; it glowed atop his head like a halo, like a hazy, translucent crown. King Chandler. I liked the sound of that. Stretching out my legs in front of me, I folded my book and placed it on the grass. I wiggled my toes as I thought of something to say. “So…” I bit my lip, glancing over at him. He was busy tapping letters and numbers into his mobile phone. It made me rush to add, “Up to anything tonight?”

He hmmed and looked up. “Tonight? No, no I think I’ll just stay in tonight. Abby’s meeting a friend, so it’s just me.”

Abby. His girlfriend. His tall, sweet, funny girlfriend. I ignored the roll of jealousy in my stomach and nodded consolingly. “Yeah, same here. Well,” I glanced back at my closed front door. “Danny’ll be home from school soon, but other than that, it’s just me.”

Give me an invite, I willed silently, watching as he flashed a smile and looked back at his phone. I tried harder. Invite me over for a movie, for dinner, for a freakin’ cup of sugar! Please, God, please!

And as if willed by my mind, Chandler looked up, a light bulb practically appearing over his head. He pointed a finger at me and I couldn’t have cared if a fairy died with that single action; because he was pointing at me. “Hey,” he began.

“Yes?” I said, leaning forward in my excitement. My pulse was pattering in my chest and my abdomen was wobbling in anxiousness.

“Hey,” he repeated, clicking his fingers. “How about you—”

Oh God, this is it, I thought eagerly. He’s going to ask me out, he’s going to ask me to be His, he’s going to ask me—

“—tell Danny to come over later? I’ve got the new Need For Speed on PS3 and I know your brother’s been dying to play it.” He smiled in waiting, looking angelic and hellish in one; because my heart had been eviled and was sliding down towards my toes with startling heaviness.

“Mmm hmm.” I nodded dejectedly, not trusting myself to say anything other than a simple, “Sure.”

Chandler smiled a smile so glorious it warmed my neck and face; I was sure my paperback novel would spontaneously combust for just being within too close a range. “Thanks, Gerti,” he murmured. He gave me a two-finger salute, his wild blue yonder eyes holding mine so tightly I was sure I could see the horizon. I wanted to melt; I thought I really could melt. Maybe then he would see me as something other than his neighbour, his kid sister?

Yeah, I thought, as a puddle of human mud.

Feeling as though I was falling, I nodded again, like an idiot. “It’s OK.”

“No, really,” he added. To sweep the hair from his brow, Chandler raised a single tanned arm, and his brown man-hands used the most delicate of moves to brush the strands out of the way. When he dropped his arm back to his side, I watched the material of his shirt bunch and stretch, clinging to a broad chest and equally wide shoulders. The hem of his jeans shifted, and I was gifted with a sliver of golden private skin. He was still staring at me and I stared back, swallowing suddenly.

If his eyes were the sky, I’d already be half-way to Jupiter.

“Seriously,” continued Chandler warmly. “I owe you one.”

Trying to regain some sense of self, I grinned. “Well, if you say so.”

“I do,” he said. “Anytime you need something, just give me a yell, alright?”

I knew he meant it in a friendly way, like if I need advice, if I needed help with schoolwork, to just ask him. But at that moment I just wanted to pipe up and say: How about right now? I need you to come over here and kiss me senseless. Just thinking about him, Chandler Harris, kissing me, Gertrude Meyers, had my cheeks flaming like the Hindenburg Zeppelin. I had to duck my head to prevent him from seeing the signs of my embarrassment and my fair hair flopped down to aid me.

“Hey?” he said suddenly. “Are you OK?”

I looked up as fast as I could. “Yes, yes I’m fine!”

Chandler watched a moment longer before smiling and glancing down. I released a relieved breath. “That’s good. But I’d better be off. I need to call Abby—” He showed me his phone, as if to back up his comment, and I nodded. “I’ll catch you around?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, and I added, to myself, “hopefully...”

He began walking away and just as I was starting to admire the way the denim clung to his legs with each step, Chandler stopped and I hurried to glance up. He pointed at me again, winking. “Don’t forget to tell Danny!”

I half-smiled, and waved. “I won’t forget. See you.”

“Bye, Gerti,” he farewelled.

Once he was gone, I slapped a hand to my head and groaned. Everything had been going perfectly until Chandler pulled up; sitting out the front of the house, leaning back against the front steps, reading my book in peace. But now my mind was racing at the same speed as my heart and my palms were sweaty and my belly still tingling. It was all so horrible but all so great at the same time.

Because any conversation with Chandler Harris, embarrassment-factor or not, was worth it.

When Danny came strolling down the footpath, with headphones on and his long sixteen year old legs dragging beat-up black sneakers along the cement, I didn’t know how he could be my brother. He had dark hair, almost black, that was pin-straight unless he styled it in spikes, which he usually did; mine was blonde and curly, frizzy on most occasions. He was also taller than me by a few inches, which was an insult considering he was thirteen months younger than me. And his skin was smooth and pale and flawless even when out in the sun; mine was specked with freckles and got sunburnt with the drop of a hat.

“Hey sis,” he greeted, tugging the headphones down to rest around his neck. He nodded in that way teenage boys did. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” I said, shrugging. I slipped a sideways glance at the sleek silver Honda in the driveway next door. “Chandler wanted me to tell you he just got the new Need For Speed.”

Danny’s brown eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Mmm hmm. He invited you over to play with him.”

“Fucking oath,” grinned Danny. “It’s about time.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t swear. It’s unbecoming.”

He rolled his eyes. “Like I haven’t heard you swear before.”

“As if I do!”

“When you kicked your toe last night,” he said with a smirk, “the first word out of your mouth wasn’t anywhere near G-rated.”

I screwed up my face. “That’s different. Spur of the moment swearing doesn’t count, especially when pain is involved. You use swear words more than you use soap.” I eyed his stained school shirt, smeared with dirt and green grass blood . “Did you have to hike through the bush to get home?”

Danny scowled. “No. Mitch and Zach ganged up on me at lunch.”

I smiled. “I bet you deserved it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Uh huh. I’m sure.”

“Well, whatever,” he muttered, brushing past me up the stairs. “Are mum and dad home?”

“Nope,” I said, standing up and following him inside. “They’re meeting up with Swallow and Nance. Said they wouldn’t be home ‘til late.” Danny went straight to the kitchen and dumped his bag on the table, practically burying himself in the pantry cupboard. He came out clutching a large bag of chips, and immediately turned to the fridge, scooping out a two litre bottle of Coca Cola. I eyed his skinny frame suspiciously and stated, “You’re not human.”

He smirked cheekily over his shoulder at me. “Its genetics, babe.”

I rolled my eyes. “We have the same parents, loser. Your genetics are my genetics.”

“You got all the suck-hole genes, then.” His shrug made it clear he couldn’t care less. “Not my fault.”

“Yes it is,” I muttered immaturely. “And what are you doing with all that junk, anyway? Even you aren’t that sickeningly unhealthy.”

“‘aking it tuh Chand’s,” he said around a full mouth of food. I was disgusted. Danny gave me a wide smile, full of smeared banana teeth and stringy banana lips.

I turned away in distaste. “Lovely,” I said.

“I know,” answered Danny, sliding his backside up onto the bench-top.

While my brother stuffed his face with any food he could grab without moving, I picked idly at my chipped pink nail polish. “So what do you want for your birthday?” I finally asked, glancing up. “It’s next week.”

Danny scoffed. “I know that, genius.”

I grinned. “Could’ve surprised me.”

Another eye-roll, another muttered, “Whatever.”

“Seriously, though, bro. Anything in particular you’ve had your eyes on? A game? A DVD? CDs? Anything. I’m lost as to what to get you.”

His eyes suddenly brightened and he was quick to swallow a mouthful of water. “Anything?”

I narrowed my stare. “Within reason.”

“How about…” he started slowly, looking at me with soulful brown eyes; kicked puppy brown eyes. I grew suspicious. “How about…throwing me a party?”

I snorted. “A party? As if. I wasn’t allowed a seventeenth party, so you aren’t.”

“You didn’t even want a party last year,” said Danny with a grunt. “You only have one friend, anyway. That weird Mini chick.”

“Mia,” I corrected. “And I have other friends, just none as close as Mia. And why do you want a party? You only ever bring those couple of guys around anyway.”

“Mitch and Zach are losers,” he said.

“Whatever,” I laughed, “you’ve known them since you were like a foot high.”

Danny scowled. “So what? I know other people. And I want a party.”

“And I suppose this party would include alcohol? And girls?”

He fidgeted slightly and averted his eyes. “Maybe.”

I shook my head. “Mum and Dad won’t let you have a party, Danny.”

“Mum and Dad won’t even be here,” he cut in, his dark eyebrows rising impressively. “They’ll be at that Uni dinner night.” Both our parents were professors at Hudsonville University and were always out at either after-dark classes or else some event. Danny and I were used to their regular absences by now; we’d been putting up with them for years. “So,” continued Danny, eyeing me from lowered lashes, “it’ll just be you calling the shots.”

I bit my lip. “I don’t know…”

He slipped off the bench, cutting me off with a wave of the hand. “Can you just think about it, Rudey? Please? I’d clean up and everything—”

“No, you wouldn’t. I’d be stuck with clean-up duty,” I said, scowling.

Danny’s eyes widened. “No! I’d clean up! I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah. I still don’t know…”

“Just get back to me, alright?” He gave me a hopeful smile. “I’m going next-door.”

“Oh. Um.” I scratched my chin and started tapping my foot up and down. “Say, ah, hello for me.”

“OK.” He started to walk towards the door.

I bit my lip, hard, before calling out, “Wait! Don’t say anything!” I winced when Danny gave me a confused look. “Just,” I cringed. “Don’t. Please.”

“Fuck,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re weird.”

“Am not!”

“Are so,” he retorted.

“Arse,” I snapped.

He bared his teeth at me. “Bitch.”

“Loser!”

Danny snorted as he left the room. “Speak for yourself.”

I sat alone in the kitchen, staring blankly at the empty doorway. Slowly I lowered my head to the table and gave it an almighty thump! against the hard surface. “Stupid,” I muttered, clenching my eyes tight shut. “‘Say hello for me’,” I mimicked, groaning miserably. “I am a loser…”

chapter soundtrack: 'These Photographs' by Joshua Radin; 'I Want You So Hard (Boys Bad News) by Eagles of Death Metal; 'The Suffering' by Coheed and Cambria.