Taming Tawnee

"Not really I guess." He grinned a little. "You said you'd never touch me again if I got back with Mandy. Does that mean you plan on touching me?"

"Will! What a dirty mind you have. You know what I meant."

He chuckled and lay back on his bed. "I don't know. I thought you were talking about something inappropriate."

"Maybe I was." She propped her feet up on the bed and ran her toes down the length of Will's jeans on the outside of his leg. "What would you do if I did?"

William went from a half-joking mood to feeling as though he may have been having a heart attack in less than a second. Perhaps it was a panic attack, he wasn't sure, he'd never had either one before. He had unquestionably enjoyed the newfound relationship that he had going on with his sister, but they were right on the edge of stepping morally out of bounds. He didn't care a whole lot about what the rules were on this sort of thing, but he did care about the girl that was sitting in his chair.

"I don't know. If something like that happened, we'd just have to see, I guess."

She stopped stroking his leg with her toes and put her feet back on the floor. "One of these days, maybe." She stood from the chair and moved to the edge of the bed. "Maybe even today. When you came in my room last night, I was kind of hoping that we could talk about some things," she whispered, reaching out as if she was getting ready to climb on the mattress.

Three solid knocks on the door. Tawnee's eyes rolled back in her head in frustration. "What the fuck?" she mouthed, without actually saying the words. Will groaned inwardly, equally as frustrated. He wasn't sure what was about to happen, but thought that he probably would have enjoyed it.

"Will? Do you know where your sister is? She's not in her room and she won't answer her phone. She was just here a little while ago." It was their mother, talking through the door.

Tawnee stood up straight and took a step away from the bed. "Yeah, Ma. I'm in here."

The knob turned and their mother stood in the doorway, looking perturbed. "I thought you were allergic to your brother. Listen, the school just called a few minutes ago and it sounded kind of serious. Have you been having problems with your friend Amanda?"

Tawnee's mouth hung half-open in shock and confusion. "Yeah, I've been having problems with her, and she's not my friend anymore. What did she do now?"

Her mother frowned. "Well, apparently you threatened to kill her today. The school has a strict no-murder policy and they're concerned for her safety. We have to have a meeting in the morning with a councilor. Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Tawnee's mind flashed back to that morning when she had been approached by Amanda. Now things were making more sense. The two girls that were observing the argument were there for witnesses. Mandy had told her about sleeping with Doug while they were still going out because she knew what kind of reaction it would invoke. The girl was good, Tawnee didn't think that she had it in her to be such a rotten bitch. But, she had spent years learning from one of the best.

Tawnee gave her mother the cliff notes of the situation while the older woman stood there and shook her head. Janice wasn't old enough to have forgotten what it was like to be her daughter's age, but she couldn't quite understand why the kids wanted to turn their lives into a soap opera. "For God's sake, Tawnee. What did you do to her? No one just turns on someone like that. You must have done something to really piss her off."

"God, Mom, I swear, I don't know. We were fine, I thought, right up until we saw her and Doug at the bar."

Her mother continued to frown. "And you don't actually plan on killing her do you?"

"Well, no. I can't believe that she told the freakin' school that. You don't think I'll get kicked out or anything, do you?" Tawnee asked. She felt her dinner doing a slow-roll in her stomach.

"I hope the hell not. Especially since you never laid a hand on her," Janice replied. She looked at her son, who was trying to pretend that he wasn't there. "So what do you have to say about all this, Will? What's going on with Amanda?"

Nervously, William swallowed. Normally quite cheerful and mellow, he had seen this other side of his mother before. She was not someone that he wanted to cross. "Oh, I really don't know, Mom. I mean, you can't expect me to figure out what goes on in girls' heads. I'm not even sure what's going on in mine. I never really knew Mandy all that well up until a couple weeks ago, and she seemed pretty nice to me. Right up to the point when we caught her with Doug, I guess. Don't be mad at Tawnee, okay? I think it's pretty amazing that she didn't kill her, you know? I mean, look what Mandy did to her and she walked away both times when she could have did something to get into real trouble. Lots of people would have at least slapped the bitch."

Tawnee looked to her brother and dared a tiny smile in the presence of her mother. Janice saw it while she was digesting the words of her son. Her attitude and tone softened somewhat. She turned to her glossy eyed daughter. "I'm not mad at you, Tawnee, I'm just mad at the situation. I know you're old enough to handle things on your own and I try to stay out of your business. If you need anything, talk to me. Let's not let anything else happen, okay? I'll see you in the morning and we'll go see your councilor and straighten this mess out."

"Okay, Mom," Tawnee agreed.

"Are you okay with what all happened, Will? It sounds like you pretty much got the shaft," Janice pointed out. She wanted to at least let him know that she didn't think it was very nice, what he had went through.

"Oh, I'm all right. Tawnee's been taking care of me," he told her.

Janice smiled for the first time since going upstairs. "Well, she should, she's your big sister. You two don't stay up too late." She left William's room and shut the door behind her. Still not happy as she returned to the living room, she at least drew some comfort that her children had decent heads on their shoulders. Even if one of them was in trouble for making a death threat.

Tawnee sat on the edge of her brother's bed with her head in her hands. She felt his arm come around her shoulders. She also felt rather sick inside after her mother's news delivery.

"Will, I don't feel like...doing whatever I was gonna do before Mom showed up." She realized that a few minutes ago, she had every intention of seducing her brother. That moment of lust had passed.

"Hey, I don't expect you to do anything. I'm not gonna try anything, I promise. I haven't yet, have I?"

"No," she sniffled. "If I hadn't seen it, I'd swear that you didn't have a dick at all."

Will wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or what. It was kind of irritating, really. "You know, sometimes instead of saying exactly what you're thinking, you could probably keep some things to yourself."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, seemingly going on the defensive.

"I mean that you can offend people by saying things like 'you swear they didn't have a dick'. I'm not sure what you even mean by that, but it sounds kind of mean. I think most of what you say is pretty hilarious, but some people take exception. Like when you kept calling Mandy a slut right to her face and in front of her friends. I think she got sick of it."

She shrugged his arm off and gave him a stern look. "I'm not trying to be funny. What I just said about you I said because I think it's nice that I can sit with you and cuddle with you and not have to worry that the only reason you're doing it is to have sex with me. I called Mandy a slut all those times because that's what she is. It's not like I was saying anything that everyone didn't know. I still liked her, she was still my friend."

"Alright, I can understand that you were trying to be nice with what you said about me, and I appreciate it. I don't know exactly what's going on with Mandy right now, but I know for a fact that she didn't like the way that you treated her in front of other people. She's probably trying to get back at you."

"Fuck! You think that's why she's being such a cunt? What should I do? I want to knock her teeth out, but I can't now that she's made a formal complaint. She staged all that this morning just so she could. That bitch!" Tawnee spewed, clenching her hands into fists.

William wasn't sure if anything that he said to his sister at this point would sway her thinking or not. She probably needed some kind of therapy and medication. "Calm down, Tawnee, for goodness sake. She's got you right by the short hair here and getting angry is playing right into her hand. That's what she wants you to do, and look how easy it is to make you mad. She knows better than anyone exactly how to set you off. Just don't fall for it."

Tawnee huffed. "Well what should I do, then?"

"I don't know. You could try apologizing."

"Apologize to her? For what? She's trying to ruin my life."

Will shook his head, laid back on his bed, and shouted to the ceiling. "Did you not just hear anything that I said? Tell her you're sorry about all the mean shit that you've ever said about her. And yeah, even if it was true, at least pretend you're sorry about it. You don't have to go back to being her best friend, but at least show her that you understand that you really hurt her feelings. You do understand that's what you did, right?"

Tawnee wasn't used to being talked to like that by Will. It was beginning to sink in that he was probably right and that he was trying to help her. "Yeah. It's just kind of hard for me to admit it, I guess. But what about what she did to you? I can't just forgive her for that. I don't care about many people, but you're one of them. She deserves to burn. Why didn't you say any of this to Mom when she asked you?"

"I'd much rather tell you than Mom. And Tawnee, I love the fact that you'd be willing to avenge my hurt feelings by setting another girl on fire, I do. It's one of the weirdest and sweetest things that anyone has ever said to me. It's just that it won't do anyone any good if you end up in prison or kicked out of school or something like that. I want you to be around, and I want you to be happy. Just let it go," he advised.

"And let her win?"

"Don't think of it like that. You'd just be putting an end to things before something ridiculously terrible happens. Besides, I feel like I'm the one that's won out of all this. I've got to really get to know you and get close to you. Beyond that crazy, beautiful shell on the outside and all the dark energy just under the surface, I know there's something even more beautiful in there. Not many people have gotten to see it, but I have and I think it's the most wonderful thing in the world. I know you probably think that's dumb or cheesy, but that's how I feel."

"God, Will," she said with a sigh. "That did sound pretty cheesy, but I appreciate it. How come when you say things like that, even when they're dumb, that it makes me feel so good? I'll go along with whatever you say, but I 'm worn out inside. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Can we watch a movie and just sit together?" she asked.

"Sure. Pick one out. Something that'll cheer you up."

"How about 'Saw'? That always makes me feel better when I'm feeling sad. I'll grab it from my room."

"You need to see a doctor."

*****

The meeting that Tawnee had with the school councilor the next morning was a short one. She explained her position and made known her intentions of trying to smooth things over with Amanda. Janice, obligated to be there since she paid the bills, asked the councilor if the two girls were the only ones in the history of the school to ever have an argument. She also pointed out that she was having to miss work for the little meeting and thought that it was absolute bullshit. Tawnee didn't know if her mother was helping her case or not, but she admired her for the stance that she took.

The councilor, a tall, balding man of indeterminate age was not there to cause problems, he told them. He was just trying to make sure that the environment that the students had to endure was a peaceful one. They were all adults, after all. Sometimes he had to make a friendly reminder so that people behaved like one. Tawnee was advised to settle her differences or stay away from Amanda completely.

Tawnee thought that the whole process was a huge waste of time. She imagined that Amanda probably knew what she would think of having a meeting with a councilor about getting along with people. Amanda probably thought that she would lose her temper and would tell the guy to take his bald fucking head and go find an oven someplace to stick it in. She didn't though, she kept her cool. On the outside at least.

After saying goodbye to her mother, Tawnee was able to track down Amanda before she got to her first class. She was walking down a corridor with the pig-faced Molly. An audience again, yay.

"Mandy, we have to talk."

Amanda had seen Tawnee approach and was waiting for her with the tiniest of arrogant grins. "What?"

"I know what you've been doing, and I think I know why you've been doing it."

"Oh? I've got to get to class, so say what you're gonna say."

Tawnee had already felt pretty much humiliated before she started talking to Amanda, now she felt like the girl was just rubbing it in.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch to you and I said a lot of things that I shouldn't have. I probably deserve what all's happened. I don't want things to get real bad between us. You were my best friend for a long time and I fucked it up."

Mandy pondered Tawnee's apology. The words were all right, yet it still didn't sound authentic. She would have liked to have heard something that sounded like it came more from the heart. "Impressive, but who told you to say that? I can't imagine that all of a sudden that you realized what a terrible bitch you've been all on your own."

Tawnee was beside herself. Here she was, trying to suck it up and apologize to this twat, but Mandy just kept twisting the screws. "Will did, okay? You were right, he is fun to talk to, and he helped me figure out what the fuck is going on because I was too stupid to figure it out on my own," she spat. Mandy raised her eyebrows. Now it sounded like Tawnee was getting a little more real. "I lost my boyfriend and my best friend and I'm trying to say I'm sorry but it's fucking hard! Now I'm losing my mind. You win, okay? You fucking win." Tears were starting to form, though it was hard to tell if they were from guilt or anger.

Amanda was satisfied that there had been some sort of a breakthrough. Perhaps Tawnee had learned something, after all. It was a terrible way to have to be taught a lesson, but if anyone had deserved it, it was her. Still, she felt a touch of regret that it had to be that way. If only she had never seen her with Doug in the bar...oh well. What was done was done.

"Listen, Tee. I've done a bunch of shit that I'm not proud of, too. I don't want things to get real bad, either. I'm done, alright? I didn't fucking win, neither one of us did. Want to just call a truce?"

Part of Tawnee did not want to call a truce. It was the part that would have rather called the Four Horsemen and brought on the Apocalypse. She had come too far to allow that part of her to come to the surface, however.

"Okay. See ya around."

"Yeah."

The rest of the day ticked by at a snail's pace. Tawnee thought that she would experience some sort of relief after apologizing to Amanda. Instead, she was experiencing a kind of mental indigestion. It would flare up every now and then, making it rather difficult to concentrate in class. It was a mixture of guilt, anger, sadness, and loss. For some reason it was all hitting her at once. By the time she got home, her head was aching and she was an emotional wreck. She had the house to herself, so she was able to lay on her bed and weep in peace.

*****

Tawnee had a hard time opening her eyes, they were nearly glued shut by the salty crust of evaporated tears. She was pretty sure that she hadn't ever cried like that in her entire life. It was hard enough and long enough that she had exhausted herself and fallen asleep. Sitting up and looking at her alarm clock, she saw that it wasn't too late, but she had slept for quite a while. She also got a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror on top of her dresser showing her how terrible she looked. As luck would have it, Will stuck his head in the door at that exact moment. He could tell that something was going on there.

"Hey, you're up. You missed dinner, but I went out and got some ice cream. I got you a milkshake if you want it. Strawberry," he told her.

She was hungry, she decided. Breakfast and lunch had been skipped due to nervous tension. Her first meal of the day might as well be a milkshake. Will even remembered what kind was her favorite, something else that made her feel guilty because she had never paid any attention to what kind of ice cream that he liked. Never cared much about anything but herself. She started crying again.

Will frowned. "What's wrong, Tawnee?"

"I don't know what kind of ice cream you like," she whined.

"What? I like chocolate, but I don't think that's anything to cry about." He walked over to her bed and held out her milkshake. "Do you want it?"

She took it from him and sucked down a mouthful. "Thank you."

"So what's really going on?"

"I realized that I've never paid attention to much more than myself. You can remember that I like strawberry milkshakes and I didn't even know that you were dating a girl for six months. I had a bad day and I feel terrible," she admitted.

"Well, you can tell me about it, if you want."

Tawnee went on to describe everything that had gone on that day, starting from the very beginning. She didn't leave anything out, even all the guilt she was feeling. By the time that she was done with her story and her milkshake, she wasn't crying anymore, at least. She still seemed quite sad, though.

"So, do you think I've lost my mind or what?" she asked him.

Will had been laying across the foot of her bed and had listened to every word with interest. He was taking his time in answering, he wanted to say something to cheer his sister up, he just wasn't sure what that would be. She poked him in the side with one of her feet. "Will?"

"What? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he told her.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked, having just poured her guts out.

"Yes, I'm kidding. I heard everything. I don't think you're crazy, you're just stressed out. I'm proud of you for what you did and said. Mom will be, too. I know that couldn't have been easy for you. I've never had to go through anything like you have. Just because you've been mean to some people doesn't mean that you're a terrible person. Terrible people don't apologize and feel so guilty that they cry themselves to sleep. Take a breath and keep going. You've got a clean slate with Mandy and a clean slate with me. And you never had anything to worry about with me, I love you."

"I don't know why. Why would you?"

Will shrugged while still laying across the bed. "I can't help it, I guess. I think I just like being with you. Kind of like what you said yesterday."

Oh yes, yesterday. She was about to jump her brother's bones when her mother had knocked on the door and brought a halt to that. She had been feeling about the way that she was now. Somehow, her little brother was able to charm his way into her heart. He wasn't really that little, she supposed, she had seen him half-naked. Looking at the clock again, she noted that it was still pretty early. It would be a while before she could count on her parents going to bed.