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"Is he still following us?" And she looked behind her to see. He'd been following you since the show on the beach, when your girlfriend had caught his eye. He was tall. A brunette with curly hair just like Star. Though, even with the fire-lignt, you saw that his eyes were a light blue. You didn't blame the kid. You were well aware that she was gorgeous. 

With long, curly brown hair and natural beauty that she only accentuated with red lipstick. Her skin was sun-kissed light brown. Her eyes matched her hair. They were the eyes you'd stared into many times, ones that could speak everything she felt with just a look. You'd watched them lighten in the glow of candle-light, but never once from the exposure of sun-light. Part of you wished you could. Not to mention that her flowing, glittery skirt and tank top made it look like she'd walked out of a slow, sad love song. Everything about her, from the way that she walked, talked, and felt made her seem like she'd been conjured up in a dream. Like she'd disappear in a gust of smoke. She'd caught your eye just the same a few months back. The only difference was that you'd caught hers. Her dark brown eyes crinkled as she tried to suppress her laugh, and her own happiness brought a smile to your lips. She said,

"He is." And you couldn't help your snicker. It had been nearly an hour. At least his little brother had found something else to do, or else you'd worry about how they were being raised. It had been Stars idea to ditch the concert. She'd decided exactly that when you had not so subtly pointed at the brunette and told her to go talk to him. You'd teased her some more, calling out the words 'oh, loverboy' in a sing-song voice the one time you'd almost lost him. You were even sure it'd managed to make him somewhat embarrassed. But, this game could only go on for so long. Laddie looked up at the pair of you, before trying to glance to see what you were laughing about. You placed a hand on top of his head, smoothing down his hair.

"It's nothing, bud. C'mon, you wanna go on some rides?" You offered. While you and Star spent all your dates on the boardwalk, you didn't mind having Laddie tag along. She and Dwayne would take turns watching the little boy, and you liked having him around. It made it so any particularly unpleasant passerbys would ignore you. Two girls and a little boy holding hands and being affectionate was one thing, while two girls just by themselves was another. Laddie looked around, before he shook his head. "Well, then what? Some games?" You suggested, but Laddie shook his head again. You watched as Star got a worried look in her eyes, her hand brushing the hair from his face before resting on his forehead.

"You feeling okay?" Star asked, and Laddie glanced at you before back at Star. You'd always been amazed with how easy it was for Star to care for others. It was like a switch in her head, one that flipped with ease. She was naturally motherly, and you didn't mind the fact that it lead to her doting onto you as well. Laddie bit his lip, before he quietly said,

"I'm just tired." And you knew that wasn't it. You'd seen him when he was tired. His eyes got heavy and he'd get irritable. One of you would end up picking him up so he could sleep on your shoulder in-between the ride back to the cave. You tilted your head at him, about to ask him what was really wrong, before Star said,

"You wanna go see the boys?" And Laddie gave her a nod. The pair of you shared a look. It seemed that your night together would be cut a little short, but you didn't mind. Maybe the sight of the boys would get her stalker to stop following you. As your eyes lingered on Star, you thought she looked a little drained too. You didn't push, knowing the girl would tell you if she wanted to. That was one of the best things about Star. She was honest. You gave her hand another squeeze, feeling it's warmth in your own.

After the three of you agreed, your pointless wandering had a more set destination in mind. You walked down towards the end of the boardwalk, towards the open street. When you finally broke away from the crowd, Paul jeered at the sight of you. 

"Back so soon? What, did the show suck? Or did you just miss me?" And you ran a hand through your hair as Star let Laddie go to Dwayne, scoffing lightly at his words. The brunette pulled him onto his lap from where he was sitting on the stone wall, smiling lightly as he watched the pair of you. Regardless of the boy, their favorite pastime was either bantering or watching some banter. You shook your head, leaning close to the other girl. She let out a small sigh, letting her head fall onto your shoulder. She didn't seem in the mood to play along, but you weren't surprised.

"No, Laddie said he was tired." She said softly, her voice nearly covered by the sound of the music playing from the boardwalk. She sounded tired, but none of you mentioned it. You wrapped an arm around her waist, before a smile came to your face. You instantly knew that Paul, and probably the rest of the boys, would get a kick out of Stars little admirer. You glanced over your shoulder, your eye catching the sight of the brunette and his own little brother.

"And Star caught a stray." You said, gesturing with your head. The boys all leaned to see, and Paul laughed when he saw the face the brunette was making. He looked like a kicked puppy, especially when the seven of you could hear his brother say,

"C'mon, she stiffed ya." And you shook your head slightly. The boys started to snicker, while the blondes quickly asked for details. Paul even reached out, tugging the brunettes arms to emphasize. Star rolled her eyes, shaking off his arm. She definitely wasn't in the mood to humor him. She gave your side a pinch, and you let out a small,

"Hey!" As she went to sit behind David on his bike. She gave you a small stare, one that you quickly replied to with a, "What?" You lifted your arms. She replied by rolling her eyes as she wrapped her arms tight around David's waist, turning her head away from you. You went to get behind Marko on his bike, grumbling something about not knowing what you'd done wrong. Paul slapped your shoulder, and said a simple,

"Women." While making a sympathetic face. And you gave him a fake laugh before leaning over to sock him one in the shoulder. It earned a laugh from the blonde you had wrapped your arms around.

"Ow! What the hell!" He yelled, reaching for his shoulder. He gave you a dejected look, one that Marko responded to for you,

"Oh, shut up, man. You deserved that." He said, before he was revving his bike. Paul shook his head, muttering something not far from what he'd said to you, before he was revving his bike and dashing off away from the boardwalk. Marko followed, as well as with the rest, and you all headed to finish your night off in the cave.

You'd ended up visiting Star in her room, hanging by the entrance with the curtain bunched near your shoulder. You didn't push by pressing any closer, and you watched as she lifted her eyes from her book. You lifted your eyebrows, silently asking if you could come in. She sighed, putting her book aside and you stepped inside. 

"You mad at me?" You asked, moving to sit on the bed. She shook her head, opening her arms for you to crawl closer. You curled up into her, resting your head on her chest and nuzzling the spot under her neck. Her bed was warm, and as were the arms she wrapped around you. She brushed your hair from your face, before cupping your cheek. She ran her thumb over your bottom lip, and you looked up to meet her eyes.

"I'm just tired, and," She paused. She pursed her lips, like she didn't know what she was going to say. "The boys can be mean sometimes." And you tilted your head. You supposed, but it was mostly all in good fun. Plus, it wasn't like they didn't make fun of anyone that didn't deserve it. But you weren't going to say that.

"What, you want us to go easy on loverboy?" You asked, a teasing tone in your voice. You sat up, hovering over her for a moment. "You don't like him, do you?" You teased further. It was to hide the tinge of jealousy you felt. She wasn't really upset over him, right? You watched the way she bit her lip, the way she glanced away. Your mouth fell open, and you stared at her. Suddenly, she laughed.

"I thought you weren't the jealous type." She said. She was mimicking words you'd told her awhile ago, when you'd proposed including the boys in your relationship. The boys had their own thing, and you had yours. That didn't mean you had to keep it completely separate. Star had agreed, having her own thing with David. You suspected she had something with Dwayne too, but you didn't ask.

"I'm not." You said, truthfully or not. It was a quick defense, and you cupped her cheek. You stole a kiss, one you'd been waiting for all night. "But should I be?" You asked, and you watched as she looked away again. As she thought.

"We'll see. He might be nice." She said, shrugging under you. You shrugged back. Honestly, you were surprised sometimes that Star hadn't ended up the armcandy of a surf nazi. Stalking wasn't a red flag for her? Then again, you knew Star was pretty forgiving. Always looking for the best in others.