Look Me in the Eyes, and Promise Me Friendship
Fuego..
Nick had covered for Joe for the rest of the night.
He had somehow gotten into the room, turned the music down, and even knew well enough to peek inside of the closet. He locked the door back up on his way out, and went down for dinner.
They slept for the rest of the night. The next day was Monday. Aubrey was supposed to go to school, but she was in no condition to be seen. They awoke in the closet to a loud chainsaw sound coming from the back yard.
“What in the world?” Joe said out loud. He got up and lifted Aubrey out of the closet with him. He went over to the window. He saw what was going on. “Aubrey, don't look, please,” he begged. She looked anyway.
“NO!” she almost screamed too loud. “Stop!” she cried. It was her father. He was absolutely destroying her tree house. Books flew everywhere, sleeping bags torn to shreds, Joe's shirt ripped in half. The house was no longer IN the tree. Her “father” was sawing up the wood. What an evil guy. Aubrey couldn't contain herself. That was the one thing that kept her sane, it was her safe place, one of the only things that she could depend on. It was all over. “Joey,” she grabbed him, and just held onto him with all of her might. Her whole world was torn to pieces.
“You have me Aubrey, you have me. I'm not going anywhere,” he softly talked to her. He carried her away from the window so she didn't have to look anymore, “I'm not going anywhere,” he repeated.
“He saw me out there Joe. That's why hes doing this,” she shared her realization. “He saw Nick out there with me.”
“Nick?” he asked. He really hadn't heard how things went down yesterday. She was now crying to hard to be able to talk, or explain anything. She didn't say a word. “It's okay sweetie, you can just tell me later.”
The chainsaw stopped. Joe left Aubrey on the bed and went to the window. He saw the many many shreds of wood on the lawn. The papers were blowing around in the wind. All of her work was ruined. Her father lit up a cigarette, and then looked up to the window.
“Shit!” Joe loudly whispered, and jumped from the window. “He saw me,” he was sure of it. “He. Looked. Pissed. Off,” his breathing was abnormal. He was scared. He fell to the ground, and then crawled over to Aubrey. He sat between Aubrey's legs, and tried to catch his breath. He grabbed one of her legs, and kissed the side of her knee. She played with his hair, her crying now down to a minimum.
“Joe!” someone banged on the door. “Joe!” they repeated. It sounded like Nick. “Joe, Its Nick let me in,” he continued to bang. Joe got up quickly and ran to the door. He let his little brother in. Nick was out of breath, but Joe could tell that this was something serious.
“What is it?” Joe asked right away, closing the door. “What happened?”
“Aubrey's house...” he started, then took a deep breath. “is on...” he continued. “fire!” he completed. What? Fire?
“What?” Aubrey gasped. She stood up painfully, and walked over to Nick. He pulled her into a hug. “What else is going to go wrong?” she cried into his shoulder. He rubbed her back in a comforting way. He then lifted her and took her outside of the room, down the stairs and out the door. Joe followed.
“How serious is it?” he asked panicking.
“Its pretty bad, the fire department is outside and everything,” Nick said and ran out to their lawn.
They all just stopped. They stood and just stared. The whole house was up in flames. What was she going to do now? Her whole world was crumbling to pieces. She fainted. Nick handed her off to Joe, and ran inside for a wet washcloth. Joe fell to the ground with her, and just cradled her in his arms.
“Bree...” he said whispering. He slipped a hand on her face, sweeping his thumb over her cheek. He wiped away the tears that she had shed. She was still unconscious. He looked over at the house, and the fire was out of control. The firefighters were trying to extinguish it, but they couldn't seem to get a handle on it. They never gave up. The glass of one of the front windows broke, and the fire wasn't too far behind it.
Nick ran out of the house, Kevin following behind. “What happened?” he freaked out, kneeling beside Joe and Aubrey. He ran his fingers through her hair, and kissed her forehead. Joe didn't like his brothers kissing his girlfriend, but he decided to just ignore it. It was all harmless anyway. Nick, being the caring person he is, blotted her with the wet washcloth, and then laid it across her forehead. She woke up a little bit. She moaned.
“Is she okay? What happened?” Kevin asked again, thinking that Aubrey had been in the house when the fire started. He felt so bad. He didn't know what to do. He was the only one of them who hadn't known about what was going on, and that she was hiding at the house all night.
“She came over this morning. She wasn't home when it started,” Joe lied about her coming over in the morning.
It was an hour or so before the firefighters had fully gotten the fire out. There were a couple of detectives there as well. They went in after the fire was put out. Mr. and Mrs. Jonas had now been outside, and they were worried as well. Throughout all of this, there were absolutely no signs of Aubrey's dad.
The boy's parents went over to talk to the firefighters to see what all happened exactly.
Aubrey was awake now. “Baby, things are okay,” Joe tried to persuade her. “Things will be okay,” he kissed her forehead, playing with her hair. Nick could hear sort of what was being said across the yard. He was giving everyone the 411.
“They just said something about gasoline...” he made a face like he was trying to hear a little better. “living room... spread out... body inside,” his eyes got wide, so did everyone else's. As bad as a situation this was, a big sense of relief spread throughout Aubrey's body.
Joe grabbed her face. “Whatever happens Aubrey, just know that i'm here for you okay?” he was freaking out. He didn't know why, but he was. As of now, she didn't have a home... or a guardian. Maybe that's why. He looked over, and noticed that there was this worried look on both of his parent's faces. His mother was on the verge of tears. She grabbed her husband, and just held him. Suddenly the detectives, the firemen, and also the Jonas' started to walk over to Aubrey and the guys. Aubrey started to shake.
“Sweetie, are you okay?” Mrs. Jonas leaned over, talking to Aubrey. Aubrey nodded. You could tell that Mrs. Jonas had something that she wanted to say. “There are some things that we need to tell you sweetheart, lets go talk okay,” she carefully pulled Aubrey up and led her to the porch. They were alone. They sat on the rocking chairs, and Mrs. Jonas started to talk. The boys looked over at them from the yard, but couldn't hear what was being said. The detectives and firemen just continued to talk to Mr. Jonas until things were settled.
“Aubrey...” she started. “They said that the fire looked like it was intentional. There were signs of gasoline. Were you in the house?” Aubrey shook her head no.
“I was here this morning,” she told Mrs. Jonas the truth.
He had somehow gotten into the room, turned the music down, and even knew well enough to peek inside of the closet. He locked the door back up on his way out, and went down for dinner.
They slept for the rest of the night. The next day was Monday. Aubrey was supposed to go to school, but she was in no condition to be seen. They awoke in the closet to a loud chainsaw sound coming from the back yard.
“What in the world?” Joe said out loud. He got up and lifted Aubrey out of the closet with him. He went over to the window. He saw what was going on. “Aubrey, don't look, please,” he begged. She looked anyway.
“NO!” she almost screamed too loud. “Stop!” she cried. It was her father. He was absolutely destroying her tree house. Books flew everywhere, sleeping bags torn to shreds, Joe's shirt ripped in half. The house was no longer IN the tree. Her “father” was sawing up the wood. What an evil guy. Aubrey couldn't contain herself. That was the one thing that kept her sane, it was her safe place, one of the only things that she could depend on. It was all over. “Joey,” she grabbed him, and just held onto him with all of her might. Her whole world was torn to pieces.
“You have me Aubrey, you have me. I'm not going anywhere,” he softly talked to her. He carried her away from the window so she didn't have to look anymore, “I'm not going anywhere,” he repeated.
“He saw me out there Joe. That's why hes doing this,” she shared her realization. “He saw Nick out there with me.”
“Nick?” he asked. He really hadn't heard how things went down yesterday. She was now crying to hard to be able to talk, or explain anything. She didn't say a word. “It's okay sweetie, you can just tell me later.”
The chainsaw stopped. Joe left Aubrey on the bed and went to the window. He saw the many many shreds of wood on the lawn. The papers were blowing around in the wind. All of her work was ruined. Her father lit up a cigarette, and then looked up to the window.
“Shit!” Joe loudly whispered, and jumped from the window. “He saw me,” he was sure of it. “He. Looked. Pissed. Off,” his breathing was abnormal. He was scared. He fell to the ground, and then crawled over to Aubrey. He sat between Aubrey's legs, and tried to catch his breath. He grabbed one of her legs, and kissed the side of her knee. She played with his hair, her crying now down to a minimum.
“Joe!” someone banged on the door. “Joe!” they repeated. It sounded like Nick. “Joe, Its Nick let me in,” he continued to bang. Joe got up quickly and ran to the door. He let his little brother in. Nick was out of breath, but Joe could tell that this was something serious.
“What is it?” Joe asked right away, closing the door. “What happened?”
“Aubrey's house...” he started, then took a deep breath. “is on...” he continued. “fire!” he completed. What? Fire?
“What?” Aubrey gasped. She stood up painfully, and walked over to Nick. He pulled her into a hug. “What else is going to go wrong?” she cried into his shoulder. He rubbed her back in a comforting way. He then lifted her and took her outside of the room, down the stairs and out the door. Joe followed.
“How serious is it?” he asked panicking.
“Its pretty bad, the fire department is outside and everything,” Nick said and ran out to their lawn.
They all just stopped. They stood and just stared. The whole house was up in flames. What was she going to do now? Her whole world was crumbling to pieces. She fainted. Nick handed her off to Joe, and ran inside for a wet washcloth. Joe fell to the ground with her, and just cradled her in his arms.
“Bree...” he said whispering. He slipped a hand on her face, sweeping his thumb over her cheek. He wiped away the tears that she had shed. She was still unconscious. He looked over at the house, and the fire was out of control. The firefighters were trying to extinguish it, but they couldn't seem to get a handle on it. They never gave up. The glass of one of the front windows broke, and the fire wasn't too far behind it.
Nick ran out of the house, Kevin following behind. “What happened?” he freaked out, kneeling beside Joe and Aubrey. He ran his fingers through her hair, and kissed her forehead. Joe didn't like his brothers kissing his girlfriend, but he decided to just ignore it. It was all harmless anyway. Nick, being the caring person he is, blotted her with the wet washcloth, and then laid it across her forehead. She woke up a little bit. She moaned.
“Is she okay? What happened?” Kevin asked again, thinking that Aubrey had been in the house when the fire started. He felt so bad. He didn't know what to do. He was the only one of them who hadn't known about what was going on, and that she was hiding at the house all night.
“She came over this morning. She wasn't home when it started,” Joe lied about her coming over in the morning.
It was an hour or so before the firefighters had fully gotten the fire out. There were a couple of detectives there as well. They went in after the fire was put out. Mr. and Mrs. Jonas had now been outside, and they were worried as well. Throughout all of this, there were absolutely no signs of Aubrey's dad.
The boy's parents went over to talk to the firefighters to see what all happened exactly.
Aubrey was awake now. “Baby, things are okay,” Joe tried to persuade her. “Things will be okay,” he kissed her forehead, playing with her hair. Nick could hear sort of what was being said across the yard. He was giving everyone the 411.
“They just said something about gasoline...” he made a face like he was trying to hear a little better. “living room... spread out... body inside,” his eyes got wide, so did everyone else's. As bad as a situation this was, a big sense of relief spread throughout Aubrey's body.
Joe grabbed her face. “Whatever happens Aubrey, just know that i'm here for you okay?” he was freaking out. He didn't know why, but he was. As of now, she didn't have a home... or a guardian. Maybe that's why. He looked over, and noticed that there was this worried look on both of his parent's faces. His mother was on the verge of tears. She grabbed her husband, and just held him. Suddenly the detectives, the firemen, and also the Jonas' started to walk over to Aubrey and the guys. Aubrey started to shake.
“Sweetie, are you okay?” Mrs. Jonas leaned over, talking to Aubrey. Aubrey nodded. You could tell that Mrs. Jonas had something that she wanted to say. “There are some things that we need to tell you sweetheart, lets go talk okay,” she carefully pulled Aubrey up and led her to the porch. They were alone. They sat on the rocking chairs, and Mrs. Jonas started to talk. The boys looked over at them from the yard, but couldn't hear what was being said. The detectives and firemen just continued to talk to Mr. Jonas until things were settled.
“Aubrey...” she started. “They said that the fire looked like it was intentional. There were signs of gasoline. Were you in the house?” Aubrey shook her head no.
“I was here this morning,” she told Mrs. Jonas the truth.