Living in your Letters
Chapter 2
By: Pretty in Punk
Three years later, Chrismas eve. Joel and Annie were best friends, and Benji was not friend with Louis anymore, because he was still his immature 11 years old self. Going out with random girls for two days then leave them for another one. It didn't work as well tough now that they were going to a preppy school and he, just like Joel and Annie, was a punk. An outcast. Two, Louis was a prep, and anyway they didn't care, He was friends with Joel, Annie, Paul and Aaron.
Annie was now 13 and Joel was 15. Annie ran in the doorway of the twin's house, and ran upstairs, jumping on both of the asleep guys.
"Joely! Benji!! Wake up! Today is Christmas eve! Do you know what that means?"
"Sorry to make you come back to reality, but Santa Claus doesn't exist, Annie, it's a story made for kids per the Coke Company…" Benji said Through his pillow.
"No way, I would never have guessed that! No, that means you guys come to my house, just like last year, to pass some time with me and mm.. my dog Scarlett and eat until we can't put anything in our throat!" She said happily.
"Good morning to you too." Joel said, finally waking up.
Half an hour later, they headed to her house but Annie's dad was in his car tear running down his cheeks with his mother, who looked inconscious.
"Annie, Mom had another attack. Stay home to tell your brother. Don't wait us for supper."
Annie was in shock. "Okay." She said as the car quickly started and got to the hospital.
All the joy she had had in the morning faded and she just didn't say anything for an hour, until Joel took her in his arms and she stayed there silent for the next hour.
Joel, Benji, Annie and Louis were all sitting in Annie's living room doing nothing, when the phone rang. Annie stopped staring at her mom's picture on the wall and answered. "Hello?"
"Hello Annie. It's me. Your mom… you know, you're not a kid anymore, you are strong… You're mom didn't make it. She's dead, honey. The doctors did all they could, but..."
She didn't let him finish. She dropped the phone on the floor, stood up, and walked slowly to her room, without crying, but with a blank stare. Joel ran after her, worried. She didn't cry at the funeral. She never cried her mother.
It took three weeks in therapy for Annie to go through her mother's death. She had hid all her emotions inside and it had kept hurting her. All along. The night she came back to her house from the therapy, she found Joel sitting on her bed.
"I have something very important to tell you." He took a deep breath. "Dad left us" Is what he said, and a tear ran down his face. It was the first time she had seen him cry.
She held him, just the way he had held her, during the night, in the arms of each other. She talked about her mother, what disease she had and why she didn't make it. He talked about his father, what a jerk he was, always going home drunk and cheating on his mother.
"Joely, my therapist said that the feelings you can't express with words, you can express them with art. I wrote a song for my mom. It's called tearjerker and I want to sing it to you… I wrote a guitar part for it too."
"I didn't know you played guitar.. well go ahead."
She tuned her guitar and looked straight in his eyes while she sang.
"Picture's on the wall
just waiting there to fall
Still remind me that painful holiday
can almost hear you say
Please don't miss me too long
What did I do wrong?
Could've sung a different song you were my tune
Make my heart believe a want is not a need
And I'm all right without you
The days go by the nights don't change
The stars still spell out your name
I will wait for you
The world has let me down
Is it you're just not around
I've lost my reason all the memories
Every smile you gave to me you can keep them
The days go by the nights don't change
The stars still spell out your name
I will wait for you
I will wait for you
I will wait for you
I will wait for you
I will wait for days go by
And still I will wait for you"
Joel looked at her, amazed. He didn't know she had talents for writing, singing or playing guitar. He didn't know either she was starting to teach his brother guitar since some time. "Annie, that was amazing. Do you want to help me to write a song about... my dad?"
"Sure, i'd love to."
They passed the night writing a song they named "Complicated"
---
Two years later, Annie had become a very pretty girl, even if she was only 15. Benji, spending time with her to learn guitar, started to have a huge crush on her. So, Joel was spending less time with her to permit Benji to be with her most of the time. Annie was growing very close to Benji. One day, he invited Annie to a party.
"Come on Annie, it will be fun!"
"I... I don't know.. will.. mm… Joel be there?"
"Mm, if you want to, but I want to have all the dances with you."
She smiled at Benji and he grinned. He was kinda cute in a way. "Deal" She said, smiling and turning away to be ready for the party.
That night, she was dressed with her riot tank top, her pink skirt and her flammed combat boots. She put her dark hair in a simple ponytail, and she had never been prettier. She didn't know why she wanted to be pretty. 'It may be because it's your first date with Benji' She thought, smiling innocently at herself in front of the mirror. Tonight was going to be great.
She opened the door as Benji and Joel went to rang and smiled warmly. Benji kissed her cheek and took her hand, and she smiled at him, almost forgetting Joel behind. He wasn't really happy about this. At that moment, he thought it was because they were his best friends. His best two best friends, together? No way. He would always be left behind.
When she looked at him, he faked a smile. He wanted her to be happy, but he knew Benji was not the best guy to do that. Dating was a kind of game to him. But he knew Benji liked her more than the other girls.
"You know, Joel." Benji had told him earlier that afternoon "She's not like the other girls. She's funny, she's smart, she's playful, and I don't know if you had seen that, but she is prettier everyday. I like her a lot."
They entered the party, and Joel sat alone on the couch, and some slutty blond girl came to talk to him about her make-up. But he wasn't listening to her. He was watching Annie and Benji dancing. Just when a slow song came, they began to dance closer, and anger came in Joel's eyes. He had just begun to realize he was jealous. Not because it was benji and annie, but because it was someone else than himself with Annie.
He knew he liked her before, but he didn't think that was serious. He would do anything to have her. 'Wait, that's not how i react normally' He thought. After all, maybe Annie liked Benji, she had accepted to be his date to the party. He looked in her direction, and when he saw she was looking in his way and waving the hand, he didn't wave back and looked down. Blushing. 'This is getting serious. I never reacted like that with her before!'
He looked up, and saw she was still dancing with Benji, but looked at Joel with a shocked face. She whispered something in Benji's ear Joel couldn't hear because the music was too loud, and he saw Benji nodding and going for a beer. Annie walked with a concerned face to Joel and sat down new to him.
"Joely, are you okay?"
He didn't looked in her eyes , keep staring at his shoes and said "Yeah, well… no.. I mean, too much beer for me tonight, I'm a little bit sore."
Annie laughed, "Do you know you're very bad at lying? I was right next to the bar tonight and I didn't see you go for a beer. Now tell me Joely, what's wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything."
Just then, the song 'put your head on my shoulder' per Paul Anka came. Joel didn't find the courage to respond, and didn't know what to respond. He was confused. After some seconds of silence, he spoke.
"Do you want to dance?" She looked in his eyes, thinking he was joking and not being serious. If only he knew.
"Sure, I'm sure Benji won't care." She said laughing nervously, seeing him dancing with the slutty blond girl Joel had talked to before.
He took her hand and they walked to the dance floor. He shyly put his arms around her waist and they began to dance. After one minute of hesitation Annie put her head on his shoulder and he smiled as her lips accidentally brushed his neck. A chill ran down his spine.
Without realizing it she took a deep breath and thought he smiled like heaven. She knew she always had been attired per Joel, but she never had the courage to tell herself of it, or worst to tell Joel. That would mess up everything. But for tonight she didn't want to think about that.
As the song ended, they unheartly pulled away and walked outdoors for some fresh summer air, and then they sat in the grass and chatted. "Joely, do you remember when we were younger? Do you remember the first time we met, under the couch?"
He laughed, "How could i forget that? You were a little monster back then, always running everywhere and playing pranks on innocent people."
She laughed. "You were my favorite victim, do you remember when we fought and I pinned you on the ground for like two hours, and you couldn't move because I am stronger than you?"
"You mean, you WERE stronger, I am stronger than you now!"
"You are not!"
"I am!"
"You are not!"
"I am!"
"Okay well prove it to the world!" She challenged him.
He smiled widely and pinned her down on the ground, keeping both her wrists pinned as well on the grass with his hands, so she couldn't fight back, she laughed but she didn't try to get unstuck. He smiled, happy to have won, remembering when they where younger she was stronger than him and she was the one pinning him on the ground.
"See, i won." He said, looking in her gorgeous green eyes and thought he didn't want to be anywhere else in the whole world. He didn't move. She melt as she looked in his soft hazel eyes she had always loved. He hesitated, but couldn't help and lean down to kiss her. His trembling lips meet her warm and soft ones, and seeing she didn't try to pull away, he slowly deepened the kiss. She kissed back hungrily. Their first kiss.
She smiled when the kiss ended and she kissed him for another time. Tonight was like magic to Annie. She didn't care about what would happen next, she only wanted to stay in those strong arms forever.
"Annie, do you want to be my girlfriend?" Joel asked, blushing.
She thought he was really cute when he was blushing. "Yes, Joely, i'd love to." They stayed in the grass for a big part of the night, never letting go.