Hollywood ***

Still Brian’s POV

“Get your shit and get out,” Liz snarled as she tossed Kaytee into my house.

Of course, I ended things with her and the girls decided to help out by personally beating her ass and making her get all her shit out of my house. I just sat on the couch with Pinkly in my lap, partially amused with this whole thing. Kaytee deserved this.

I had pulled out all my yearbooks and old photos from the attic and was currently going through them. My parents took a lot of pictures of me with Melody when we were little and my favorite one was the one they took when we were kindergarten, when they first met her. Those were the days. It was so simple back then.

It was a day where the parents could come and spend the day with their kids. Sadly enough, her father couldn’t make it and her mother and step-father didn’t even bother showing up, leaving Melody to just sit there and watch all the other kids with their parents. I wanted my parents to meet my best friend and instantly, they loved her. Dad and Suzy just saw Melody as the adorable girl who oddly enough was the perfect friend for me. So that day, they were her parents for the day. Anyway, Melody and I decided to horde all the building blocks and build ourselves a fort. Of course, it didn’t turn out well but we still were having the time of our lives. Suzy took this picture of me placing a block on the wall and Melody putting a circular block on my head.

Life was so simple back then. But back then, I didn’t know that her mother and step-father beat her. She hid it well. I found out when we were ten. She came to school wearing long sleeves and it was eighty fucking degrees outside. I questioned her and she said nothing until we were in art class and washing up after painting. That’s when I saw a huge bruise on her arm. Melody didn’t say anything but after going home for an hour, she came knocking at my door. We were also neighbors. When I answered the door, she was crying and I saw that she had a red hand print on her face. That’s when it clicked.

Melody didn’t deserve any of that. She deserved happiness. She didn’t deserve getting beaten by her mother and step-father. She got that happiness when she left and moved in with her father.

“Brian, please, I’m so sorry,” Kaytee said, latching onto my leg, “Please, I’m sorry!”

“Get out of my house,” I simply said, rubbing Pinkly’s ears, “Just get of my house.”

“Finally grew a brain, Brian,” Liz smirked, “About damn time.”

With that, she dragged Kaytee outside when Josie pulled up in James’ hummer. With all the time I’ve been spending with James, Josie, Kat, and Mick, I’ve learned to identify all their cars. I guess Kaytee was getting another ass-kicking. Josie has gotten to a point where she has to kick her ass every time she sees her. I knew she was going to stop by today because she makes sure that I’m alive.

“God Damnit,” Josie yelled, seeing Kaytee, “Now I have to kick your ass!”

I thought Melody’s hatred for her half-sister was bad but that was before I saw how violent Josie could get when she saw someone she hated. It was as if the mere sight of Kaytee was enough to make anyone close to Melody snap. Actually it did. The way Liz treated Kaytee was scary. Then again the two of them were both obviously mad at her for what she did to their friend.

“Hey, Josie,” I greeted as she walked into my house.

She smiled at me and handed me a plate of brownies. “Here, thought you could use a happy brownie. Melody loved brownies whenever she was depressed,” she said, “And there are no peanuts in them.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, taking a bite out of one.

Damn, these were good. I could see why Melody liked these whenever she was depressed. Another sigh escaped as I petted Pinkly’s head. Melody was in a stable condition but she still hasn’t woken up yet and I still hadn’t gone to see her. I was scared because I still felt like this was all my fault. I felt like I should have known that Kaytee did something to those brownies.

“James thinks you should visit.”

I looked at Josie, confused. James is Melody’s best friend but for him to want me to come was an utter mystery for me. Why would he want me there? I’d figure he’d want it so that I can’t be anywhere near Melody. I didn’t even think he’d want me in the same building as her but like Mel, he’s also a mystery. I mean, I was dating the girl who tried to kill his best friend and he still wants me to be there. What the Hell goes through his brain….and Melody’s?

As if Josie could read my mind, she answered the question I had been thinking. “He knows it’s not your fault. He also knows that you were there for Mel when no one else could be. He thinks you should visit. As a matter of fact, so does Mick and the rest of the guys. They all think that you should go in and visit.”

“Why,” I questioned, “Why do they all think that.”

“Because you were the one person who got her down from that roof and they’re hoping that you’re the one person that can get Melody back again.”

“You okay, man,” Zacky asked as we sat in on his back porch.

I nodded as I exhaled a poof of smoke. I decided to go to his house to do some thinking as well. He knew how I felt about Melody so I figured talking to him would be best.

“I don’t know,” I muttered, “Josie says that James things that it would be best if I visited.”

“You know,” Zacky admitted, “I think they’re right.”

“How?”

“Because you’re Melody’s best friend! You were the one guy who got her off that roof! You were the one who was there when she had to deal with all that shit with her mother and step-father. Brian, you were the one who she’d turn to whenever she had problems!”

He was right. Melody is my best friend and now the love of my life. I loved her, more than I could handle. I wanted her to be okay.

“Ichabod, shut up,” Zacky yelled to his dog that was running around in a circle barking like mad.

A little smile formed on my lips as I saw my friend do that. The same exact way Melody yells at her dog, Lacrimosa. She has that little look in her eyes that says that she’s not mad but she still wants him to stop. I got out of my house because I was trying to avoid thinking of her but thanks to Zacky’s little outburst, I just realized how much I can’t get Melody out of my head.

“Where’s Liz,” I asked, realizing his longtime girlfriend was nowhere in sight.

“She’s at the hospital, hoping that Mel’s okay,” he answered, “Hell, Matt, Jimmy, Leana, Val, and the rest of Mel’s friends are there.”

I bit my lower lip when he said that. Everyone was there for her. I should be there for her especially since I know what happened to her within those years that she was gone. She’s been hurting and she basically forced herself to go through with this alone. Even if she was married to James, Melody didn’t want to be around anyone. She was in pain and alone.

No, not anymore. I was going to be there for her. I needed her and she needed me.

“About time you got here,” Kat yelled as I walked out of the elevator.

I looked up to see Kat and Nikki coming out of Melody’s room. A little nod was my response as I walked towards them.

“Look, just sit there, talk to her,” Nikki said, “That’s what we’ve all been doing.”

“Okay, see you later,” I said, walking into Melody’s room.

I felt my heart shatter when I saw Melody. There she was, laying there helplessly. Wires were attached to her, making her seem so weak. This was not my Melody. The girl I was looking at was so helpless and Melody was far from that. The girl I was in love with was a strong independent girl. She was full of life but now……this just hurt.

My hand immediately went out to hold hers as I sat down next to her. Her skin felt so cold to me.

“Hey, Brian.”

Instantly, I looked to her face to see that she was awake and a little smile was on her lips. She looked happy to see me but why?

“I’m so sorry, Mel,” I choked out, “I didn’t know.”

“I never blamed you,” Mel muttered, sighing and closing her eyes for a bit, “I know Kaytee’s an idiot who is basically Hell bent on making my life miserable. I guess killing me would be what she wanted.”

“I still feel like I should have known.”

“You’re a silly silly. I will never blame you, Brian. You’re a silly person.”

She always called me silly. I was a silly person to her. That was her favorite thing in the world to call me. I don’t know why but she absolutely loved calling me that. I just dealt with it because all I could think about was how happy I was seeing that she was awake. I wanted Melody to be okay and here she was, smiling at me. There was just one little thing that I had to do and it scared the shit out of me.

I mean, honestly, how could I tell this girl that I was absolutely in love with her? I was in love with my best friend.

“How you feeling?”

Okay, I chickened out.

“Better. I can breathe.”

There was that little smile and that little sparkle in her blue eyes. That same little sparkle I saw when we first met, all those years ago. The same sparkle I saw when I asked for that purple crayon when we were in kindergarten. Bright blue eyes, little blond pigtail braids, and that sparkle. I will always remember that whenever I think of Melody.

“What are you thinking about,” she asked, looking at me confused.

“Remember when we first met,” I asked back, a smile on my own face.

“You asked for a purple crayon. Then you introduced yourself, I did the same, and you said I had a funny name.”

“Then you snorted that I had a funny name.”

We both laughed a little. Those were the days. I don’t even know why I said that Melody had a funny name. Maybe because I was used to girls named “Jane” or “Sarah” or something to that caliber but she still had a hint of that attitude that she has today when she replied back that I was the one with the funny name.

I looked her, seeing how happy she was just being with me. I didn’t see it before whenever she was with anyone else or in a group with our friends. Melody had this look that was present when it was the two of us and no one else.

“What are you going to do,” Mel asked as I tucked one of her blonde locks behind her ear, “I mean, what have you been doing? I don’t know what I’m talking about…..”

“You amuse me, Mel. Well, I’ve been looking at all the high school yearbooks with you in them,” I admitted.

“That’s a random song,” Melody said, listening to the song that was playing on the radio.

Be my bad boy, be my man
Be my weekend lover
But don't be my friend
You can be my bad boy
But understand
That I don't need you in my life again

I think the world is mocking me. I want to be with her so badly but I know that she really doesn’t need me in her life, unlike how I need her in my life.

God, why do I have to be such a chicken around her?