“Molly? Are you awake yet?” Lynn yells from the kitchen. Molly puts her pillow over her head and lies there for just a few minutes. She knows she should get up. She doesn’t feel like it though. She had a late night last night. She was out with a few friends at a party.

She finally decides that she should get up. She rolls out of bed and walks to her mirror on her wall. When she looks into the mirror she wrinkles her nose. Her eyeliner is smudged on her face, her lip stick was messy and her hair looked like she had been through a tornado. She walks over to the bathroom to start the shower. On her way back to retrieve her clothes she had laid out in her room, she hears something. She peers around the bathroom corner to find her brother’s door is open.

She puts the idea that he’s home from the Navy out of her mind. He would have told her in his last letter. They wrote all the time. It just so happens the last letter wasn’t the nicest. He explained to her that his parents were so afraid of losing her that they just give her whatever she wants. Molly knew it was the truth but, she never wrote him back. It just so happens though that she wrote to Pat.

She walked to her room to find Chriss lying on her bed. Not only was he lying on her bed he had her letter box out and was flipping through the envelopes. Every letter anyone has ever written her was in that box. Including the ones Pat has written to her.

“What are you doing?” She squeals at Chriss.
“Well, hello to you to sis.” She pulls the box out of his hand and puts the lid on it.

“Haven’t you heard of privacy?” He laughs a deep laugh. He holds out his arms for a hug and after a little coaxing she gives in and hugs him. She then picks up her clothes and runs to take a quick k shower. After she was out she wrapped herself in a towel and went to her room. She heard her mom, dad, and Chriss talking. Then she heard her name.

She cracked her door open a little wider to hear the private conversation. Chriss’s voice is the first she heard.

“She is a mess mom. Where was she last night? Do you even know? The make-up, the raunchy clothing. For god’s sake she’s only sixteen!” Molly can only imagine what her dads face looks like. No one ever talks to her mom like that. Not even her dad.

“Chriss we can handle this. You don’t need to worry.” Her father says with anger in his voice.

“Obviously you can’t or it wouldn’t have gotten this far! I can’t believe you let her out till god knows what time in the morning then when she does get home she reeks of alcohol and pot! If you’re so worried about losing her you would be checking up on her more and not letting her run her own life!” With that Molly hears the door slam and Chriss’s car peel out of the driveway.

Molly gives a quick laugh and thinks to herself “What does he know?’ and goes back to getting dressed. She pulls on her favorite mini skirt and a more than reveling shirt then walks down the stairs.

“You look nice sweetheart. Are you going somewhere?” Her mom says as she looks up from her dishes.

“Yeah I was wondering if I could go to the mall. I’m meeting some people there.” She replies while chewing on her nail. Her mom just smiles as she takes the car keys and goes to walk out the door.

“Honey,” Her mom says and she thinks ‘here we go’, “Will you be home for dinner?”

“No.” Molly replies. Her mother just nods and goes back to her dishes.

Molly gets into the car and puts sin her favorite CD. She drives around for a while and finally goes to the mall. She meanders around her favorite stores then sits down on a bench. She feels a tap on her shoulder and she turns around. It Pat.

“Omigosh!” She screams as she runs into his arms for a hug.

“When did you get home?” He holds her close.

“Today. I figured when I didn’t see your car in the driveway that you would be here.” She just smiles at him.

“I’m glad your home. Why are you home though? I thought I wasn’t going to see you till Chrisstmas?”

He looks down at her, “I knew it would be odd if I was never home and always with you for Chrisstmas. My parents would start to worry. Plus people might catch on.”

“So you came just to see me?” She says quietly.

He nods then takes her hand in his. She looks up at him. She knows she loves him. He looks at her then kisses her cheek. She thinks back to the first time they started writing. He was home for Chrisstmas last year and he came over for dinner. He looked good when he walked in the front door. Real good. He had a five o clock shadow, a wrinkled button up shirt, and dark jeans. He had a slight tan and it was obvious that he had been working out.

They talked and chatted through dinner with the family. Then Molly said she was going to read on the porch hoping pat would take the hint if he was interested. It just so happened that he was. When he walked out on the porch he said, “Molly, you’ve grown into a beautiful woman. I remember the day we found you. I ran like hell to get you home safe and sound. It meant a lot to Chriss and your parents so I wanted to do it for them. I have taken n notice though that you’re not the same little girl that I carried in my arms that day. You have grown up so much.”

With that she stands up and walks to him. Then before he could say anything else she kissed him. When she pulled away he pulled her closer into a passionate kiss. He lifted her and put her on the porch railing and kissed her deeper. Finally when he had pulled away, both panting like dogs on a hot summer day, he held her close.

They both agreed that night that they would stay in contact and whenever he was in town he would come get her. As the months past the feelings they both felt had deepened. He called her pet names in his letters and told her that he loved her. She did the same in return.

She knew how mad Chriss would be if he ever found out so they promised to each other to keep it secret. Molly was in love with Pat. She knew deep down in her heart that it was more than pathetic puppy love or a simple crush.

Molly and Pat spent the rest of the day walking through the mall hand in hand. As they were walking Molly came up with the great idea to spend the night at Pats hotel room. He agreed and she called her mom concocting a story about how her friend Jess had ran into her at the mall and told her about this new movie that had just cam out and how they should go over to her house for an all-girls movie night. Just like she had planned her mom agreed.

Pat took molly out to a fancy dinner and then took her back to the hotel. They had been getting odd looks all night because of the obvious age difference. It felt like a weight lifted off their shoulders when they escaped into the confines of the private hotel suite. Pat flipped on the TV and lied on the bed with Molly in his arms.

They were fast asleep, having sweet dreams, in each other’s arms until a knock on the door awoke them. Pat slid out of bed; sleep still heavy in his eyes. Not thinking anything of it he opened the door. Chriss ran in and tackled him with a flying leap. Molly sat up at the noise of the two boys on the rolling around on the floor.

Chriss stood up and the first thing he saw was Molly. Not only did he see Molly he saw what she was wearing. She sat on the bed in Pats T-shirt and pajama pants. Chriss took one look at Pat and kicked him in the side. He kept kicking him and screaming ‘How could you’. Molly jumped up out of the bed and ran into Chriss. He lost his balance and fell over.

“Stop it!” she yelled as she fell to Pats side. Chriss was stunned; he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure he could say anything.

“W-why?” He managed to stammer out as he watched his baby sister help up his best friend.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen Chriss,” He explained, “It was last year at Chrisstmas dinner. She’s beautiful Chriss and she is no longer a little girl. I fell in love Chriss.”

Chriss looked at Pat in horror. To Molly he used to be Patty not her love. What happened? Why him? Chriss put his head in his hands.

“Pat, your twenty five years old. She’s sixteen what the hell are you thinking. People get put in jail for this type of stuff!” Pat sat down on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. He wanted to say I’m sorry but, he didn’t think that would cut it. He looked at Molly. God was she beautiful, so full of life, so in love with him. He couldn’t let this go. He couldn’t ever let her go. Ever.

“What are you going to do Chriss?” Chriss was taken aback by this. He just stared at Chriss for the longest time. Molly slinked into a chair in the corner so she wouldn’t be pulled into the middle of this. She saw her future burning and crumbling down around her. She started to cry a silent cry. The tears running down her cheeks as she put her heads against the chair.

Chriss and Pat were at a standstill. They had no idea what they were going to do. Chriss finally spoke.

“She’s my little sister Pat. I mean at one point I’m happy I know they guy she took a liking to. On the other hand she’s sixteen. That’s wrong Pat. Here’s what I’m going to do,” Chriss said as he took a deep breath, “I won’t say a word. You two can do whatever. At some point you will have to tell my parents. Plus you cannot take her out of state.”

Chriss looks at Molly, “Now for you. Don’t get any ideas that running away with your knight in shining armor will happen. It won’t and I won’t allow you to trample our parents’ hearts like that. That isn’t fair to them. As much as I don’t like this, I’ll go with it because you’re happy. Plus now that you have Pat, No more parties, no more alcohol and no more drugs. Understand.”

Molly started to protest but closed her mouth, it could be much worse. He told Pat to keep an eye on her and to make sure she didn’t do anything bad. Then he shook Pats hand, gave a stern look to his sister and walked out.

Pat couldn’t quite comprehend what had just happened. Whatever it was made him happy though. He opened his arms and pulled Molly close, promising to never let her go.