Sister, I'm Not Much a Poet but a Criminal
Chapter 13
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Everything's fine, Frank. Stop worrying."
We were all gathered backstage before a concert, and Frank and I were talking in a corner.
"Seriously, it's okay if you didn't work things out. I just want to know."
"We worked it out. Ariella and I are back to normal."
He finally seemed to accept my response. "Good."
"Five minutes, guys!" a crew member called. Everyone began rushing around, making last-minute preparations for the show. Frank squeezed my hand quickly before following the others from the room.
Ariella and I were left alone. She sat across the room from me, and we sat in silence, gazing at each other.
"This shouldn't be awkward," I broke the silence.
"Then why is it?"
"Maybe it's because we never actually said the words 'I forgive you'."
"Well you know I forgive you. It's you I'm not so sure about."
I sighed. "For everyone else's sake, I forgive you."
"What can I do to make it right? I don't want you to forgive me for the guys, I want you to forgive me because you want to."
"I don't know what you can do. I know you're sorry, and that helps. I want things to be like they used to be, but I need time to let this go. I'm sorry, Ariella."
The silence returned, but it was now broken regularly by cheering and music. The concert had started, and I suddenly wished that I'd given the mosh pit another chance. I realised then that I needed to tell my sister something else.
"I have something I need to say."
She looked up from her hands, which she'd been closely inspecting. "Yeah?"
"It's about Frank."
"What about him? I haven't said anything lately about you spending time with him, so please don't get mad at me again."
"I'm not getting mad. I'm making a confession."
"What?"
"Frank and I are... well, I don't know if we're dating, exactly, but... something like that, I guess."
She went pale. "But... what about that guy back home?"
"What guy? The last guy I dated was Nick, and now everbody here knows how that turned out."
"Didn't you like someone? Brooke's brother?"
I laughed. "No, he was just a friend. He did me a favor by being my date to graduation. That's it."
"But... Frank?"
"You don't see him like I do. Please, just let me be happy. I really care about him, and I know he cares about me. Everyone knows. Ray told me that Frank would die for me. I would die for him, too."
"So, you're serious? You're not just testing me or something?"
"I'm serious."
She didn't speak for a long moment, and it sounded as though she was weighing every word carefully.
"I guess it's not the worst thing in the world. I mean, the two of you do look happy when you're together. Just be careful, okay? No matter how much you like him, there's always a chance that you could get hurt."
I felt a sudden surge of gratitude. Maybe she understood.
"Ariella?"
"Yeah?"
"I forgive you."
This time when the silence settled between us, it wasn't awkward. We were both actually happy. When the guys came backstage later on, I ran to Frank. I pulled him close and planted my lips on his. It took a moment for him to process what was happening and push me back.
"What about your sister?" he hissed anxiously.
"We're good. She knows."
"Am I dead? Is this heaven? Or hell?"
I laughed. "If this was hell I wouldn't be this happy. You're alive, and so am I."
When we kissed again, I heard whispers fly through the room.
"I knew it!" Mikey yelled suddenly.
"You knew what?" Gerard asked, though it sounded as though he wasn't really interested in the situation.
"I knew there was something between those two."
"We all did. They made out on stage, remember?"
"Oh, right. But I knew before that."
"Sure, you did."
"You made out on stage?" disbelief filled Ariella's voice, and I smirked.
"Yeah, remember that night that you exposed my secrets? Why do you think I was so happy before that even though I got beat up in the mosh pit?"
"Okay, I get it, I'm not observant. I probably should have suspected that you guys were together. Anything else I should know about while we're getting things out in the open?"
"I broke your Barbie when I was six."
"What?"
"You remember. I ripped off your doll's head and convinced you that the dog bit it off."
"I knew that was you, Molly."
"The why'd you try to get Mom and Dad to get rid of the dog?"
"Okay, fine. I believed you. But I was the one who scratched your first CD."
My jaw dropped. "Ouch. I blamed the kid down the street for that."
"Yeah, I know. I paid her to take the blame. It was only a dollar. She was pretty stupid."
"Yeah, she was."
Frank wrapped his arm around me and I leaned against him. When we walked back to the bus, it was odd not having to go outside to kiss Frank. The even stranger part was when we both went to his bunk and nobody said a word. I cuddled up to him and immediately felt my eyelids grow heavy. He brushed the hair off of my face and kissed my forehead as I drifted off to sleep.
"Everything's fine, Frank. Stop worrying."
We were all gathered backstage before a concert, and Frank and I were talking in a corner.
"Seriously, it's okay if you didn't work things out. I just want to know."
"We worked it out. Ariella and I are back to normal."
He finally seemed to accept my response. "Good."
"Five minutes, guys!" a crew member called. Everyone began rushing around, making last-minute preparations for the show. Frank squeezed my hand quickly before following the others from the room.
Ariella and I were left alone. She sat across the room from me, and we sat in silence, gazing at each other.
"This shouldn't be awkward," I broke the silence.
"Then why is it?"
"Maybe it's because we never actually said the words 'I forgive you'."
"Well you know I forgive you. It's you I'm not so sure about."
I sighed. "For everyone else's sake, I forgive you."
"What can I do to make it right? I don't want you to forgive me for the guys, I want you to forgive me because you want to."
"I don't know what you can do. I know you're sorry, and that helps. I want things to be like they used to be, but I need time to let this go. I'm sorry, Ariella."
The silence returned, but it was now broken regularly by cheering and music. The concert had started, and I suddenly wished that I'd given the mosh pit another chance. I realised then that I needed to tell my sister something else.
"I have something I need to say."
She looked up from her hands, which she'd been closely inspecting. "Yeah?"
"It's about Frank."
"What about him? I haven't said anything lately about you spending time with him, so please don't get mad at me again."
"I'm not getting mad. I'm making a confession."
"What?"
"Frank and I are... well, I don't know if we're dating, exactly, but... something like that, I guess."
She went pale. "But... what about that guy back home?"
"What guy? The last guy I dated was Nick, and now everbody here knows how that turned out."
"Didn't you like someone? Brooke's brother?"
I laughed. "No, he was just a friend. He did me a favor by being my date to graduation. That's it."
"But... Frank?"
"You don't see him like I do. Please, just let me be happy. I really care about him, and I know he cares about me. Everyone knows. Ray told me that Frank would die for me. I would die for him, too."
"So, you're serious? You're not just testing me or something?"
"I'm serious."
She didn't speak for a long moment, and it sounded as though she was weighing every word carefully.
"I guess it's not the worst thing in the world. I mean, the two of you do look happy when you're together. Just be careful, okay? No matter how much you like him, there's always a chance that you could get hurt."
I felt a sudden surge of gratitude. Maybe she understood.
"Ariella?"
"Yeah?"
"I forgive you."
This time when the silence settled between us, it wasn't awkward. We were both actually happy. When the guys came backstage later on, I ran to Frank. I pulled him close and planted my lips on his. It took a moment for him to process what was happening and push me back.
"What about your sister?" he hissed anxiously.
"We're good. She knows."
"Am I dead? Is this heaven? Or hell?"
I laughed. "If this was hell I wouldn't be this happy. You're alive, and so am I."
When we kissed again, I heard whispers fly through the room.
"I knew it!" Mikey yelled suddenly.
"You knew what?" Gerard asked, though it sounded as though he wasn't really interested in the situation.
"I knew there was something between those two."
"We all did. They made out on stage, remember?"
"Oh, right. But I knew before that."
"Sure, you did."
"You made out on stage?" disbelief filled Ariella's voice, and I smirked.
"Yeah, remember that night that you exposed my secrets? Why do you think I was so happy before that even though I got beat up in the mosh pit?"
"Okay, I get it, I'm not observant. I probably should have suspected that you guys were together. Anything else I should know about while we're getting things out in the open?"
"I broke your Barbie when I was six."
"What?"
"You remember. I ripped off your doll's head and convinced you that the dog bit it off."
"I knew that was you, Molly."
"The why'd you try to get Mom and Dad to get rid of the dog?"
"Okay, fine. I believed you. But I was the one who scratched your first CD."
My jaw dropped. "Ouch. I blamed the kid down the street for that."
"Yeah, I know. I paid her to take the blame. It was only a dollar. She was pretty stupid."
"Yeah, she was."
Frank wrapped his arm around me and I leaned against him. When we walked back to the bus, it was odd not having to go outside to kiss Frank. The even stranger part was when we both went to his bunk and nobody said a word. I cuddled up to him and immediately felt my eyelids grow heavy. He brushed the hair off of my face and kissed my forehead as I drifted off to sleep.