Breaking Code

Bobby leaned backwards, pressing his back down into the soft brown fabric of the couch. He lifted his butt off the cushion, as she grabbed his pants by the front pockets and tugged them down. What are you doing? he thought as he felt his jeans hit the floor around his ankles. He took his eyes off of her pretty little face for just a second, just long enough to see that the only thing between his now obvious erection and his best friend's sister, was a pair of blue boxer briefs. That wasn't hardly enough, but what was a man to do in a situation like this? His brain had handed over control of the ship a while ago, it had clicked over to autopilot, nothing he could do now, except hang on and enjoy the ride.

The harsh white glow of the computer monitor and the flickering of a slowly dying candle lay across her beautiful features, catching her eyes just right. He watched as she let go of his pants and stood up, she grabbed the bottom of her small white t-shirt and tore it off her body with ease. Next came the pants, they were almost skin tight, sliding off and being thrown to the floor beside her with just a little more effort than her shirt. Her body, fuck, it was like she was chiseled from stone, he had never seen a body that tight, that perfect in years... maybe ever.

His best friend's voice started to sneak its way back into his head, at the worst possible time. He closed his eyes just for a second, taking a deep breath, hoping somehow that small pointless gesture would be enough to erase all the reasons this was wrong. It didn't, he felt his brain kick on for one last second, powering up just enough to send out one final emergency message, a message aimed for his mouth. WE..... CAN'T.... DO - and suddenly, she did something that short circuited the last remaining good judgment in his body. She grasped her tight baby blue panties on each side of her hips and slowly, almost painfully, pulled them down - revealing something no straight man could say no to, not even if it meant throwing away a once-in-a-lifetime friendship of over 10 years.

One week earlier...

Bobby clicked off his car, listening to its final gasps, before hearing it die out. He didn't immediately get out, instead, he peered out the passenger's side window, at the dirty white apartment building he was now parked in front of. It wasn't his apartment building, no, it was his best friend Jesse's - who was currently in Las Vegas, doing who-knows-what to who-knows-who. Lucky bastard, friends for almost 11 years and while Jesse was doing his best to find Doug, Bobby was stuck feeding his two cats twice a day. Oh well, on the bright side, maybe Jesse would owe him this same favor down the road, if Bobby ever got his own apartment... or cats.

He opened the car door and got out, attempting to close the door gently failed, it slammed shut, echoing out into the almost too quiet night's air. Jesse lived on one of the quiet back streets, just off the city limits, it was probably the only one that wasn't covered in homeless people's "houses" and garbage - it was actually pretty nice, he had done well for himself. It's because he's single, Bobby thought as he walked around the car and onto the walkway.

He stepped up on the porch, pulling the loan house key from his pocket and making his way inside. He clicked the light on and was immediately greeted by two cats that were probably seconds away from turning to cannibalism. He felt a little guilty, he was supposed to feed them once in the morning and once at night, and at 9:45 PM, he was making his first stop of the day. He had a decent excuse though, he had been dealing with ex-girlfriend drama all day and well, when that's happening, you tend to forget about feeding small animals, especially when they're not even yours.

He grabbed the bag out from under the sink, pouring enough food for ten cats. "There you go, we're even, right?" he asked out loud, over the sound of small pieces of food raining down into the stainless steel bowl. He was greeted by a few 'meows' as he put the food back and filled their water dish. There, he thought, now he didn't have to worry about starving Jesse's cats to death or worse, or giving them a taste for one another's flesh.

He kicked off his shoes back near the front door and walked down the short hallway to the right and into the living room. A 60 inch flat screen sat kitty-cornered in the decent sized room. Jesse had told him to make himself at home, and Bobby planned to make good use of that for the next few days, especially seeing as he was now technically homeless and all. He sat down on the couch and almost immediately felt himself melt away in it, it had been a long, stressful day and this is just what he needed. He now found himself struggling to dig up enough energy to reach for the remote. He did though, clicking on the giant television, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. The sounds of sports analysts were like music to his ears, he blinked, and then again, the next few longer and longer. Eventually, he stopped opening them altogether.

Riiiiiiiing!

Suddenly he was jarred from his brief nap, all of his senses rushing back to him at once. It took him a second to figure out whether it was the TV or the phone. Another loud ring and it was clear it was the phone. He hesitated, wondering if he should answer it or not. Knowing Jesse didn't have an answering machine, he decided he probably should. He jumped up and made his way back out into the kitchen, grabbing the small white phone off of the wall mount. He peered at the caller ID, not recognizing the number.

"Hello?" he said, seconds after clicking the 'talk' button.

"Hi... is Jesse home?" a girl asked, the voice sounding familiar.

"No, he's actually in Vegas. I'm just house sitting," he replied, still trying to figure out who it was. "Can I ask who's calling?"

"Is this Bobby?" the girl asked.

"Yeah..."

"You don't know who this is, do you?" she had got him, he didn't.

Silence, as Bobby made a last ditch effort to pull the girl's name from his ass. Nothing.

"It's Lacy, Jesse's sister," she said, he heard a small laugh come from the other line.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," he laughed as well, how the hell had he not recognized her voice? He felt like an idiot now. He had known her for years and had seen her practically every day until she had moved. He had heard she had just recently moved back into town after living with her dad for the past handful of years.

"How's it going?" he added.

"I can't believe you forgot my name! Has it been that long!?" she said jokingly. "It's going good. I was just calling because I was going to see if it was alright to come over and borrow something."

"Sure." What was he going to say? No?

"If it's okay? Are you going to be there for a while?" she asked.

"Yeah... actually, I think I'm just gonna crash here tonight." Not like I have a choice, he thought.

"Okay, well, I'll be over in a few... okay? If that's cool?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Okay, see you in a bit," she said and he heard the phone click.

He hung it up and made his way towards the front door. He flipped the blind open and looked out, he had no idea where she lived or when she'd be here. He clicked the porch light on and made his way back towards the living room.

He couldn't believe how much her voice had changed, or maybe it was just the phone. Either way, she definitely didn't sound like that a few years ago. She had been the typical annoying little sister, almost every family had at least one, luckily she was mild compared to Bobby's own version of that. He clicked the channels, half focusing on what was flashing on the screen, half focused on what it was she was going to borrow. He imagined it wasn't a cup of sugar. Exactly what did you come to borrow at 10 pm? He guessed he was about to find out, whenever the hell she showed up.

***

He heard a knock about fifteen minutes later. He dragged his tired body out of what had to be one of the most comfortable couches in the world and made his way towards the door. As he opened the door, standing there was someone he would not have recognized, had she not just called him and told him who she was. Lacy had left an awkward, pale, 15 year old and had returned as something entirely different. She was... well, hot. A small burning feeling suddenly flared up from somewhere deep inside him as that thought ran through his mind.

"Come in," he said, stepping back and gesturing her inside.

She stepped passed him and placed her small yellow purse on the counter. An awkward silence suddenly clouded the room, the type of silence that is always present when two shy people were in a room alone together. It was like a game, who was going to be the first one to grow some balls and say something, regardless of how small or stupid it was.

"So, do I look any different?" Lacy had won and had gotten extra bonus point for starting things off with such a loaded question.

Wow. What was he going to say to that? He had definitely noticed a few areas she had changed in but he didn't think it would be such a good idea to bring those up at the moment.

"You do... definitely... taller than I remember you," he responded half-jokingly. She had actually grown a few inches, but he knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for. "Want something to drink?" he added, hoping to derail this train of thought before it picked up anymore speed.

She hesitated for a second, the beginnings of a smile at the corners of her mouth. "Sure, what does he have?"

Bobby popped open the fridge for the first time. Jesse was definitely a single guy, beer and cheese was about all there was in there. At least there was a choice of beer, either Magic Hat or PBR -- you couldn't go wrong with either. He grabbed two PBR's and closed the fridge.

"You twenty-one?" he joked, popping off the cap and sliding the bottle across the table towards her. He watched as she wrapped her hand around it, holding it there for a second, then lifting it to her lips and taking a sip. He twisted off his cap and followed suit.

"So, how long is my brother away for?" she asked, she took another sip while running her finger along the ring of condensation that had formed on the fake gray marble counter.

"He should be back in a few days. Sunday, I think? He didn't even tell you he was leaving?"

"Nope. I guess baby sister isn't on top of his list of people to call. Oh well." A shrug of the shoulders, another sip.

Bobby nervously played with his untouched beer on the counter, "Well, it was pretty hectic before he left..." A half-hearted excuse that neither of them bought.

"So, I have to ask. What did you come to borrow? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

He watched as her face turned red.

"Uhm..." Now it was her turn to nervously play with her half-empty bottle of beer. "W-weed," she replied with a stutter.

She was definitely uncomfortable saying that to him. What did he look like? A cop?

"Ohhh, okay," he said with a smile, hoping to ease whatever extra awkwardness she was feeling.

"Do you smoke?" she asked.

"Sometimes, yeah."

"Do you wanna smoke?"

Bobby took a second to think about it.

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay. Hold on, I'll be right back." She stood up out of her seat and headed down the hall to the left, towards Jesse's room.

Bobby took this opportunity to take a large sip of his beer and then another. Was he breaking guy code?

Was he supposed to be hanging out with his best friend's sister, alone, drinking beer and now about to smoke a little pot with her? He was suddenly feeling a little guilty, and even though it was completely harmless, it didn't matter, intentions weren't what got you convicted in Best Friend's Court, the verdict was always based on what it looked like. A system almost as unfair as the actual legal system.

"Bong or pipe?" he heard Lacy call from the other room.

"Pipe." He answered as she came walking back out into the kitchen, a multi-colored glass piece in one hand and a small bag of weed in the other.

She sat back down in her chair and began to break the bud up and fill the pipe, taking small sips of her beer in between. Bobby quickly downed his beer and grabbed another, hoping he was able to drown whatever he was feeling -- guilt, he was sure of it.

"You smoke a lot?" he asked, as he popped the cap off and watched it bounce across the floor, the smaller of the two cats pouncing on it like it was a wounded mouse.

"Lately, yeah. I know, I know -- not good," she said, sticking her tongue out.

"I don't judge," he responded with a laugh.

She smiled without looking up from the pipe.

"You?" she asked, still focused on her mission.

"Not really. I basically only do it when your brother does it."

Another sip.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Lacy busy readying the pipe, while Bobby continued to down the beers -- taking the final sip of beer number two. He weighed the option of having beer three, he wasn't a lightweight, but two beers in five minutes definitely had his lips feeling a little numb. He pushed his chair back and stood up, grabbing his two empty bottles and walking them towards the bin.

"Do you want another one?" he asked.

"Uhm..." she peered up for a second, noticing that only a small ring of beer remained at the bottom of the brown glass bottle. "... sure. We smoking in here or somewhere more comfortable?" she added setting the pipe gently down on the counter.

Bobby grabbed two more ice cold beers from the fridge and took a step towards the living room. "We could smoke in there."

Lacy nodded, grabbing the pipe and following Bobby into the other room. He headed straight for his spot on the couch, parking himself all the way to the right, closest to the TV. He slid two Family Guy coasters out from under a stack of magazines and placed the beers down onto them. Lacy walked around the opposite side of the coffee table and sat down only a foot or so away from. He adjusted a little, not knowing she'd be sitting so close, the Best Friend's Court thought sliding its way back into his head.

She had come prepared, pulling out a small blue Bic lighter from her skin tight jeans. She took the first hit, sucking it in and holding it there as she reached out with the lighter and pipe in her hands. Bobby took a deep breath and convincing himself this was totally fine, for now, heck, they weren't even doing anything that Jesse hadn't already done with her himself. He took his first hit.

They passed the pipe back and forth, smoking a couple bowls before eventually turning what was left of their attention to an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that had just come on. Bobby's mind was twisting in circles, thoughts of Guy Code and hot teenage sisters were long gone, replaced with a calmness and the occasionally sensation of his tongue falling off. As weird as that was, he much preferred it to what he had been thinking before her semi-planned visit. His mind sent out a message, he could almost feel it run down the back of his neck, taking the sharp corner and headed for his mouth. He opened it, smacking his lips a few times, damn was his mouth dry. No words exiting him. False alarm he guessed. It was way too quiet in there, why wouldn't someone just say something?

"How long are you staying here?" It was almost as if she had read his mind. Wait, had he just said that all out loud? Oh man, he hoped not. That would be embarrassing.

He took a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. "Uh, well, I kind of don't have a place to live. So, yeah, probably for a while." The words were not coming out of him like he had wanted them to.

"Why don't you have a place to live?" she asked bluntly.

"Long story," he replied with that terribly clichéd answer that everyone gives when they're too lazy to tell a story that isn't all that long.

"Spill it. I'm all ears." She wasn't buying it.

"Well, I had a place with my girlfriend -- well, ex-girlfriend and now I don't." And for no reason at all, he just started to laugh. He caught her face out of the corner of his eye. She had an eyebrow cocked up, a smile on her face. This is why he didn't smoke that often. A few seconds later she found herself laughing with him.

The laughing died down a few seconds later. The house falling completely silent except for the ramblings of Charlie Kelly and the rest of The Gang. He glanced at the TV screen for a second, then towards Lacy. His night had definitely turned around. Had she not shown up, he'd be passed out on this very couch right now, drooling the night away.

"So, where are you living now?" Bobby asked, breaking the silence.

"With a couple friends, right down the road a little."

"Nice. You like it?"

"It's okay," she replied, reaching into her pocket and whipping out her pink cell phone. She clicked a button, looked at the screen and quickly set it back down on her lap.

"I probably should get going though. I got a couple of classes in the morning," she added, slowly making her way to her feet.

He did the same. "Yeah," he didn't really know what to say. This time he followed her as she made her way towards the kitchen, the pipe in her hand.

She placed the pipe and bag of weed in her purse and slung it over her shoulder. A few steps and she was putting on her shoes or clogs, Bobby really couldn't tell. All women's shoes looked weird and ugly to him.

"So..." she started, hesitating for a second and then another. "Can I give you my cell phone number?"

Bobby took just a fraction of a second too long to answer.

"I mean, if that's okay? Like, just in case I need to get a hold of you or something. You know," she said quickly, doing her best to back track and explain.

"Yeah, of course. I know what you mean," he said, reassuring her and himself. That's the only reason she would give it to him. I mean, what else would need it for? Nothing. Right? "What is it?" he asked.

"Do you have a pen or your..."

Bobby reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which was black, not pink. He clicked a few buttons and was into the contacts menu. He looked up, catching Lacy's gaze, letting her know he was ready.

"2-7-2, 1-9-9-0."

He punched the numbers in and hit save. A small electronic beep and Lacy Givens was now in his phone.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"No problem," she returned it.

"You gonna be okay to walk home?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I can text you when I get there, if you want? Just so you know I'm safe and sound," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah. Do that."

"Okay, well... I'll talk to you later then. Have a good night," she said, grabbing for the door handle. He watched her step out on the porch, she gave him a small wave as she walked down the stairs and past his car. She made it as far as he could see, before he turned around and headed back inside. The warm breeze felt nice for this time of year, especially this late at night. He could smell the last remnants of nature, just a few months before everything would be choked out in a cold white blanket. He closed the door behind him and went straight to bed.

***

The morning came quickly, Bobby could feel the sun beating through the window and down onto his face before he was even awake. He fought the feeling, rolling over and throwing the blankets over his head. Why should he get up now? It was his day off and he had absolutely nothing to do. Sleeping until noon or one o'clock sounded like a good idea to him. Although, now that he thought about it, the sun sure did feel a little too hot for the early AM. He threw the blankets back off his head and stretched out to grab his phone that sat at the edge of the coffee table, his eyes squinting from the beam of sun that landed smack dab on his chin. It was 11:45 and he had 3 unread text messages.