Where's the Good in Goodbye?

Chapter 3: Goodnight and Go

"You only meet your once in a lifetime friends... once in a lifetime."

- Little Rascals

What on earth, or maybe even mars, possessed me to accept his offer of getting in that car with him? I'll tell you what; it was the fact that I didn't want to take three years getting home that got me nodding, that's what.

And I suppose a little part of my brain got kind of fuzzed with the way he was just looking at me. He wasn't glaring at the fact that he would have to give me a ride, (it was his fault, and we did live next door, so it wasn't out of the way). He wasn't looking at me mockingly, amusedly, or even with an impatient face at the fact that I was taking so long to answer.

He was just…looking. And that might have caused me to not even remember what he asked, cause here I am in his really nice car that has that 'new car' smell, (which I love, by the way) my chin resting in my palm, staring out of the window.

You know, they actually have a car spray that's called "new car smell" spray. Well, I don't know if that's what it's called, but it's something like that. Hmm, I wonder if it works.

Sorry, I tend to run off on tangents. Very strange tangents.

If I wasn't so close to him that he could hear me, I would probably be grumbling or muttering to myself right now about how pissed off I am right and what a twit he is. I tend to do that sometimes. Did I forget to mention I was a little on the 'odd bird' side?

"You know, if you want to vent about how stupid I am and the fact that it's my fault you're stuck here with me, go right ahead. I'm not one of those guys that has that whole 'no talking about me in my own car' rules." He said, glancing at me every other word, so that his eyes were on the road. But I could still see that amused glint in his eyes.

"Uh…" Can he read my mind or something? That would be so strange. I stared at him for a good minute before looking at him challengingly.

"What was I just thinking?" I asked, absentmindedly, just testing if he actually was a mind reader.

He raised his eyebrow first, then he chuckled a little, "probably wondering how I knew you were pissed and wanted to 'express your feelings'." I looked at him disbelievingly. He shook his head, "it's not that hard, you had your 'pissed off' face on, and I could only guess as to why it was there, and I do remember a few things about you, y'know. Such as how you mumble to yourself about whatever's annoying you."

"Yeah, well, shows how much you know. I wasn't about to mumble anything." This was a complete lie, because I really wanted to vent, but what he doesn't know won't kill him.

I saw him shake his head again, "I see some people never change."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, looking at him quizzically, now.

"Nothing. Anyway, Summer and Josh are coming to visit next week and they asked me to let you know and to tell you not to plan anything. God knows why they want to see you in the first place, but they made me swear I would tell you."

"Are you serious?!" I almost yelled. Summer and Josh were probably the only people I absolutely adored other than maybe one or two kids at school. They were so down to earth and funny. Hanging out with them just made me forget about everything else. They also live on the other side of the country, but we keep in touch.

They were also, unfortunately, Dominick's cousins.

"I just don't see how it's possible that you guys share genes. Are you sure you weren't adopted?" I asked him, looking at him in a fake questioning glance.

He just rolled his eyes. "I have no idea, since, you know, I actually know what kind of friends to pick and they don't. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about when they come, do you think we can-"

I cut him off and glared at the dashboard, "What, do you think we can split up the days we hang out with them so that you don't have to see me? What are we, like divorced, and we're deciding on who gets custody?"

He sighed, exasperatedly, "Actually, I was going to ask if you thought we could be civil to eachother while they're here. I don't want them to not enjoy themselves because of us bickering the entire time."

I narrowed my eyes at him, I was a little suspicious at his turn of character, "What's in this for you.?" I saw him open his mouth but I cut him off, "No, because I know you too, okay? And I know that there's a reason behind you asking to be 'civil'."

He sighed again, this time in resignation, "Fine, they told me that they wanted me to be civil, but it's not fair that I have to be nice and just take blows to my ego because of you. So, agreed?" He asked, and he had the puppy dog eyes and everything. I was so close to 'aww-ing', but I caught myself in time.

"No deal, but I got a new proposition." He looked at me funny, "How about you have to be nice to me, and I get to say whatever I want." His face turned a little incredulous, "Wait, I'm not done. And then, if I think you deserve it, I'll get you a balloon at the end of the day."

"Oh, wow. Well, that is a proposition I can't let down. Seriously, a whole balloon?" He replied, bitterly.

I laughed at that. He looked so cute when he got all upset. And it was always fun getting my way.

I turned to see his face again, only to see him smiling softly, looking at me.

"What? Is there still water balloon shavings in my hair?"

"No, it's-uh…it's nice to see you laugh."

I would be lying if I said that didn't catch me off guard. Because it did, in a big way. Was this kid bipolar or what? Throwing water balloons at me one minute, and telling me he like seeing me laugh the next.

"I-uh-wait, what?" That, ladies and gentlemen, was my intellectual response. Save the applause for the end of this, though. I'm sure there are more moments where it will be needed, trust me.

He shook his head and laughed, "That was classis. Did you see your face when I said that?" He continued chuckling, just as we pulled up on my driveway.

"You know you're a jerk, right?" I said to him, in a voice containing a little more hurt than I was planning to. This is Dominick Lazlo we're talking about. He is the jerk king. I should know better than feel upset. But…still.

"Only when I'm around you, baby." He said smugly, putting his arms behind his head.

I was about to get out and slam the door to his precious car when he called me back.

"What? No 'thank you for the ride'?"

"Uhh, no. You're the one who broke my window."

"Yeah, after you broke mine."

"Because your music was on too loud and it was distracting me."

"Then why couldn't you just-"

"Can you just stop? Seriously, you are redefining immature." He looked down at this. And I smirked, "It was so obviously your fault, Lazlo." I said smoothly, looking for his reaction.

He slowly looked up and took on a smirk of his own, "Of course, I'm the immature one."

"Hey, you said it, not me." I said, and with that I shut his car door and let myself into my house.

Ahh, the joy of getting the last word.

Of course I had to take a very long, hot shower after that car ride. I mean, I do have to get off all the germs I probably caught from just being in close proximity with him.

Plus, I really, really love showers.

And here's the thing. I'm always super stressed by the end of the day, so these few moments, oh okay, these forty-five minutes of my hot shower relax me and, not to steal the Herbal Essence phrase, but rejuvenate me.

So you can probably understand why I got so angry when the doorbell rang nonstop right in the middle of that cherished forty-five minutes. My house wasn't one of those houses with just a nice 'ding' for the doorbell. It was practically surround sound and it was a whole jingle. And after you hear it for about five minutes straight, you need to do something.

I let out an irritated groan and shut off my beautiful shower and put on my robe before racing down the stairs.

I opened the door ready to give the perpetrator a piece of my mind when I opened the door.

I swung it open mid 'dong' and wrinkled my eyebrows in confusion, "Dominick? What the hell. You know, when someone doesn't open the door for a few minutes, it means they're not here."

"But, you are here, so I don't get it"

"Yeah, but I was taking a shower. Geez, I just needed," I looked down at my watch and widened my eyes, "twenty minutes?! You made me lose twenty shower minutes! You better have a good explanation, Lazlo."

He rolled his eyes at my little performance and said, "I can't find Sal."

Salvador, or Sal, was Dominick's 4 year old brother, and the cutest thing placed on this earth. He is a sweetheart, and I baby-sit him from time to time when his parents need someone. Remember that thing about Dominick being adopted? I'm actually starting to believe it.

"Wh-What?! What do you mean you can't find him? Your house isn't that huge." Actually it is, but you can't lose a person in it. Besides all the rooms have intercoms, so you just use the master intercom so that words come out in every room, and voila, you have found whoever you're looking for.

"No, I mean, he's not at home, and I have no idea where he is. You baby-sit him, so you know his schedule, so I was wondering if you may have any idea where he might be." He said, starting to sound worried.

"Wait, do your parents know he's lost?"

"My parents don't come home till next weekend. Can you help me?"

"Hold on," I went to my fridge where his schedule was magneted onto, and ran my finger down his list. One phrase caught my eye, and I slapped my forehead.

Oh Dominick, how could you forget?

"Dominick, you doofus, you forgot to pick your brother up from daycare!"

"Oh, shit! But I don't even know where he goes. Do you have directions?"

"Oh, just-I'll come with you." I said, grabbing my cell phone and house keys.

We climbed into the car and I told him where to go. I could have let him go by himself, but he is an idiot, and I couldn't just leave Sal there to wait until his older brother found the place and gave id to show that he is Sal's older brother, and then find Sal, himself. So I decided to go with him.

We were driving in a worried silence when a smirk formed on Dominick's stupid face.

"What? What is it now? You know, I'm helping you find your brother, you should be nice to me."

"Oh, nothing. It's just…you know you're still in you bathrobe, right? Not that I'm complaining, at all" He snickered.

I turned bright red. How did I forget? This is humiliating beyond words. I had nothing on underneath this robe.

It's weird that I felt fine when I was oblivious to the fact that I only had a robe on. But now that I knew I only have a robe on, I felt a chill and goose bumps, but also line of heat going up my spine from embarrassment.

I tried the knot a little tighter and crossed my arms.

Dominick shook his head, a small smirk still plastered on his face.

I was about to tell him off, when he pulled over to the side.

"What are you doing? The daycare's the next street down."

He didn't answer me. He just took off his jacket and passed it over to me. He was looking straight ahead too, so as not to make me embarrassed.

Please tell me we're in Lala Land. Because it certainly feels like it.

I put it on wordlessly and gave him a quiet 'thanks'.

The smirk was back on his face. "No problem."

And that was all. No quip, no wise crack about me in only a bathrobe in his car, (because I know he probably had to do a lot to resist saying something along the lines of me being underdressed in his car so that we could do something in the backseat) no nothing.

Thank god, for small favors.

As soon as we pulled up at the daycare, we both jumped out of the car and jogged inside.

It was probably a funny sight. A hot (not that I would ever tell him) guy with a girl in her bathrobe with his jacket/sweatshirt thing on top.

The lady at the front desk glared at us, "No wonder he hasn't been picked up. I always believed teenage pregnancies caused problems." She said eyeing my stomach. "You need to learn to resist yourselves, you are both attractive children, but that doesn't mean you couldn't wait. Now your poor child is sitting in the back by himself."

Cue reddening of face, again.

"You must be new here. I'm his baby-sitter and this is his doofus brother who forgot to pick him up. You should probably be reprimanding him" I replied, my face still hot.

An attendant went to get Sal as we waited in the front.

The receptionist turned her glare on Dominick, and it stayed there.

I patted myself on the back…in my mind of course, ahem.

"What are you doing?" Dominick asked with a curious glance at my hand patting my back.

"Uh, nothing!"

"Mac! Dom!" Sal yelled, running across the room and hugging both of our legs.

Didn't I tell you he was a cutie?

Sal was singing some songs in his car seat in the back while we drove home.

There was silence in the car, but it was a comfortable silence…definitely not awkward.

I got out and gave Sal a kiss goodbye (which he wiped off with his sleeve but kissed me back anyway), when Dominick pulled up to my house, only to hear his car door shut as well as mine. I turned around to find him walking me to my door.

"What are you doing?" I asked, more than a little shocked.

"Walking you to your door, smarty." He said in a 'duh' sort of tone.

What exactly do you say to that?

"Well, good to know you aren't a total sleaze to your dates. I mean, if you can walk me home, I'm sure you'd be quite the gentleman with them."

And let me tell you, Dominick isn't one to take his looks and charm lightly. He takes advantage of it which basically guarantees him a date every other night. It pretty much makes me sick, really. Not the fact that he dates too often, but that girls could be stupid enough not to see through him.

He doesn't usually have a girlfriend, per say, but he has his fair share of the bimbos.

He chose to ignore my comment as we reached my porch, "Thanks for helping me find Sal. It's good to know there's at least one Lazlo brother you would do anything for." His voice made what he said sound as though he was amused, but his eyes held some other emotions I couldn't really place.

I brushed it off and replied, "Maybe next time your parents leave town, you should pay attention to what they tell you. We don't want to lose the cuter Lazlo brother again, now do we?" I asked in a teasing voice.

He chuckled at that, "Trust me, you won't ever lose me."

Is it just me, or did I hear a double meaning there?

I was about to tell him I wasn't talking about him when he cut me off.

"I'll pick up at seven tomorrow morning. Be ready or I'm leaving you." He said as he jogged down the stairs and drove down to his house.

And he never ceases to surprise me.

A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write. But I honestly had no idea what to write, so I hope this isn't too horrible. I'll try and look over it and change some things later, but I'm pretty sure I know what I'm writing for the next few chapters. And trust me, they will be up sooner than this one was. Let me know if you find any mistakes or if you have any suggestions. Thanks for reading, please review!