This Is the World We Left for Dreamers and Believers

Annabelle! Get up! It’s the Dirk Mai shoot day!!” Garret said shaking my shoulder.

“But I wanna sleep!”

“Sooooo? You know you want to go.” I groaned and sat up nodding.

“Yes. I want to go. You have to get out so I can get dressed though!”

“You should wear that new dress!” Jared said sticking his head in the door. I giggled.

“Why?”

“You so have a crush on that guy.” Jared said matter of factly.

“Nu uh! Who told you that?!”

“Katy.” I sighed. Of course she would.

“Is she coming?”

“Her and Daray…I think. Daray said maybe if she didn’t miss the ferry over. Which she probably did. She was never good at getting up early.”

“She’s not coming.” I said lifting my phone off the table and reading the txt. “She is meeting the rest of Alex’s fam today. Sounds enthralled about it by this txt.” I said dropping the phone on the bed between me and Garret and standing up. I grabbed the new dress and pushed them both out of the door.

>>

My stomach growled again. Another reminder I had skipped breakfast to finish straightening my hair. We walked past a deserted playground to a small clearing that was circled with wooden benches. I sat down on one while the others went and greeted Dirk. He was even cuter in person.

“Bella! Come say hi!” Pat said running over and grabbing my hand. I followed him over to the others. My arm bumped into John’s, he stepped aside and refused to meet my eyes. I had the urge to kick him in the leg. He was acting like a child. Again.

“Hey, I’m Dirk Mai. You must be Annabelle. Pat and Kennedy won’t shut up about you.” Dirk said offering his hand for me to shake. I shook it, blushing.

“They don’t know when to shut their mouths sometimes it seems.” He laughed.

“Nice to meet you. I have to get these guys done though. I have a flight to catch in eight hours and I’m not packed.” Typical guy. I nodded and backed back up to the bench where Tim sat. My stomach growled again.

“Was that your tummy?!” Tim asked staring at my stomach.

“Yeah. I didn’t eat. Where’s Katy?!” I asked looking around.

“She’ll be here in ten. Justin didn’t wake her. Call her and ask her to get you something to eat. That’s so weird for you!” He said, his face scrunching up. I laughed and placed the phone to my ear watching Dirk arrange the guys on a bench that had neon writing all over it.

“Yo?”

“Hiiiiiii! Where are you?!” I asked.

“Near the entrance of this park. Why?”

“I need food. I didn’t eat so I could get ready. Mind picking me something up?”

“Me too!” Kennedy yelled smiling at me.

“How do you even know what I’m saying?!” I asked staring at him.

“You’re like five feet away! How can I not?”

“Because Garret is beside you. Duh.” I said. Katy laughed on the other end.

“Pshh. He’s only loud when he’s sleeping.” Kennedy said sitting on the back of the bench.

“Yeah. I’m aware.” Dirk laughed and turned to me.

“Excuse me being nosey but how?”

“We’re currently sharing a bed. I’ve woken up more times with him on top of me than I have with a blanket. Oh. Nice.” I said staring at the camera he was holding with astonishment. The Nikon D4. Bitch was beautiful.

“You like?”

“I adore. Anyway. Katy, food, please??!” She laughed.

“Of course. I only see a coffee shop and a McDonalds.”

“Coffee and muffins!!” I said excitedly.

“I want coffee!!” Garret whined. The others muttered agreement. I groaned.

“That means I have to go and pay and help carry stuff and some people think it’s a bad idea to be in New York period so you’ll have to wait.” I said staring at John’s bowed head. He was twirling a flower in his fingers reading something on a bench. I lifted the camera I had forgotten about from around my neck and quickly turned it on before he looked up. I nearly cheered when I saw that it had been taken in black and white like I had aimed for. Dirk came and peered over my shoulder at the shot.

“That’s nice. Pull the glare out from the sun with Photoshop and it’d be amazing.” Dirk said smiling. I melted.

“Thanks.” I said letting the camera drop down from its strap and removed my phone from my pocket.

“You back yet?”

“How did you know I left?”

“You got all creepy silent like you do when you’re seeing something amazing. I can pay for the others if you want I just don’t know if I can carry nine coffee’s and muffins.”

“Timmmm!” He looked up smiling. It soon fell when he saw my pout.

“Yeah. I’m going.” He said standing and heading back to the entrance.

“You have that man whipped.”

“See you soon!!” I said hanging up and sitting down in the grass.

“We’re surrounded by benches and you sit down in the grass? I don’t understand you sometimes Annabelle.” Jared said shaking his head.

“I like the grass. Shut up. You’re doing something more important than me.”

“Pictures aren’t more important than you!” He exclaimed.

“Said the band guy to the photographer.” They laughed. I leaned back and looked up at the sky. It was a blue which was surprising. I’d never seen a New York sky blue before.

snap

I leveled my eyes back with the Nikon that was pointed at me.

“Sorry. It was so tempting. Unexpected shots are always the best.” Dirk said shrugging and turning back to the guys. Katy and Tim soon joined us. The guys all rushed off their bench ruining the picture Dirk was about to take. I grabbed a latte and a chocolate chip muffin and sat down in a secluded spot alone. Katy got the hint and joined me. The others stayed on the bench joking around.

“So, what’s wrong?” She finally asked.

“I messed up again.”

“With…”

“Yeah. With that. It wasn’t even a big thing. I was just being me and suddenly I’m the most fail-ish human on earth.” I said sipping my coffee.

“He’s fast to judge. You know that.” I shrugged.

“It’s not like he hasn’t ever done something stupid.”

“I’m going to be brutally honest best friend; you don’t do just one stupid thing. You do multiple.” She was right. Time after time after time I had always followed one bad deed with another. In this case, it was more important, more remembered than any other time.

“How do I not make a fool of myself? I’m too awkward to have friends this amazing. And, we only ever talk about what I think; what I’ve done; How are you and Justin?” Her eyes lit up at the mention of his name.

“We’re amazing. He’s really the best thing that has ever happened to me. As cliché as it sounds; he completes me.”

“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” I whispered leaning my head on my knees.

“That was so cheesy.” She said rolling her eyes. I shrugged and watched them finish the shoot in silence. Dirk was extremely nice, giving me tips while the others played football in the field adjacent to the clearing.

“I think you’re in good hands.” Dirk said standing and stretching.

“You classify good hands as The Maine?”

“They’re good guys and they obviously adore you.” He said laughing.

“Unfortunately.” I muttered.

“You should call yourself lucky. I know people who would trade their first born sons for this position.” I sighed. If they only knew.

“I know I’m lucky. This is- will probably be the happiest period of my life.” I said smiling at him reassuringly.

“Your good kid. Don’t let anything get in the way of that talent.” He said hugging me.

“Thanks. You’re leaving?”

He nodded “Yeah, I’m going to say bye to the guys and go pack. Gotta get back to Cali!”

“Awesome! I don’t want to go home just yet. Tour is where I belong.” I said smiling. He nodded understandingly and waved.

“Are you raping him with your eyes yet?” He asked. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Halvo laughed and sat down beside me.

“Dude! So uncool. You scared the hell out of me!” I said smacking his arm. He laughed and hugged my shoulders.

“Why don’t we ever talk anymore?” He asked settling back against the bench and crossing his legs.

“Stuff happened and we’ve somehow avoided each other ever since.”

“I think we should just forget that stuff. What do you say?” He asked smiling. I couldn’t hide the smile that was forming on my lips. Eric was one of my closets friends and I needed him to be there when everything around me went crazy. He knew exactly what to say and how to put it.

“I’m glad we’re past everything, Halvo.”

“Hey, its Hurricane Halvo!” I giggled.

“Hurricane what?”

“Some girl at a show called me it and well its just kind of stuck.”

“That’s so awful. How are things though?” His face fell.

“Here they’re awesome. Back home though…..I don’t know. Me and Dad got into it and now the whole families mad at me.” He said leaning his chin in his hands, a soft breeze blew his hair into his pouting face. I reached out and tucked the loose hair behind his ear. He softly smiled. The smile sent my heart racing. Of all the times.

“Aw. Don’t let that get you down. Your all too far away to fight over small stuff.”

“He thinks I should go back to school in case something happens with the band.” He said meeting my eyes. I pulled my legs up onto the bench and turned so I was facing him.

“Do you want to go back?”

“I don’t know what I’d study if I did. The music was all I ever cared about. I neglected so much back in high school for this dream. And, that’s all I thought it would ever be but look at me now. I’m on top of the world.” He said smiling and looking at the sky.

“You sound like every single teenager in the world who ever had that dream. I was so scared I was going to have to settle with becoming some dopey old nurse like my mom wanted but now I’m out on tour and I haven’t caused that much trouble.” He gave me a doubtful look “Well nothing that’s made it to the gossip boards anyway. The fact that I’m even here sometimes….I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.” I said shrugging.

“You aren’t dreaming. I’d be so pissed if you we were having the same dream because meeting you was one of the most pleasant things in my life. Sure you bring drama everywhere you go and every girl who sees you at a show wants to rip your hair out and smash your camera.” My eyes were the size of quarters. He laughed. “But, you’re also a beautiful, talented girl.” I blushed and played with the bottom of my tights.

His hand lifted my chin up, our eyes locked and like so many times before when I’d imagined back home before Arizona, before The Maine, before John; our lips met. This time there was no running away. He was exactly what I needed not bipolar John who got mad if a guy even so much as looked at me the wrong way. We weren’t aware of the audience watching us only that he was finally getting what he wanted and I was settling for the safe one.