Dinner was amazing. The company, the food, the atmosphere... I can't possibly describe how I felt at the Delaney's house that night. It was like someone had emptied out all of the awfulness inside of me and left me clean and ready to start again when I left.

Somehow we all ended up in the garage after dinner. The four of us, I mean.

The Delaney Garage is like another room. The green on the walls between the posters and neon signs matches that of the pool table in the center. And at the back of the room is a raised sort of stage where there is a full size, weighted keyboard, several guitars, microphones and stands, a drum kit and a tower of amps.
And the whole place smells like electronics and soda.

I took my shoes off when we entered and curled my toes in the black shag carpet.

"Mmm..." I sighed. "God, I love this carpet."

"I think you say that every time you come over." Nikki rolled her eyes and laughed.

"She's right." Darrin shook his head as he watched me shuffle across the room.

"Soda?" I looked up just in time to catch the cold Pepsi aimed at my head.

"Whoa... Thanks, Andy." I laughed as two more flew past me to Nikki and Darrin.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Mmm..."

"Ready...?" Andrew grinned expectantly, holding a can for himself in one hand.

Slowly, we all counted:

"One... Two... Three!"

Four cans clicked open, and the rush and hiss that followed echoed in the drum heads.

"That was awesome!" Nikki hopped onto one edge of the pool table and sipped ostentatiously, swinging her legs. The rest of us were laughing too hard at the memory to complete the old ritual of Open, Sip, Ahhh...

Then someone turned on the radio and we played a few games of pool before the caffiene began to let us down. Darrin and I won the last one.

"I knew we'd get it eventually. " We high-fived.

"Yeah." Darrin laughed, I stuck my tougue out at his siblings.

"Whoa, it's ten." Nikki's eyes widened.

"Who's up for another round?" Andrew threw up his hands, wrinkling his nose just so to fix his glasses.

"Me!" Echoed thrice around the room and cans were soon flying in several directions.

... Including an extra one, toward the door, where Noah had suddenly appeared.

"One," He grinned without showing his teeth, beginning the ritual before anyone could object. "Two... Three!" The jubiliant hissing was was all the merrier this time for the extra person, and we finished the round with a loud sip and a habitually timed "ahh..." before someone said:

"Noah, man, what are you doing here?"

"Someone told me Marie was back, and I figured this was the best place to find 'er." He laughed. "And don't any of you try to convince me that I was wrong." His index finger hovered long enough to point at each of us in turn before it followed the rest of his hand through sandy blonde hair, which promptly fell right back into his face.