These Things Have Changed

“What about this one?” Nick asked pulling up a shirt to my face. “That’s hideous.” I said yanking it down and throwing it back on the rack he got it from. “Ally why am I here with you?? Everything I ask you about you say is hideous!” Nick whined. “Because.” Truth was I didn’t want to be myself. I was scared to be and since Joe pined down Nick while I put cover up on his bruises. You couldn’t even tell they were there.

“Ally what else do you have on the list?” “Um some dresses, you have sweat shirts to spare right?” I asked double checking with him. “Yessss. Hurry up and get the dresses. I’m getting hungry.” Hungry? I haven’t eaten in about three days, and that isn’t an exaggeration. I’ve just been ignoring the light headedness and stomach pains. “What about this one?” He asked pulling out a long red sweater. “That’s actually cute.” I said grabbing it from him. It was a long button up sweater. “Oh I like this to.” I said picking up an oversized grey sweat shirt. “Here, try these on to.” He said throwing a pair of jeans to me. “Is this my size?” I asked him, “Yea same size I got you for Christmas.” He said from the other side of the dressing room door. I pulled on the red sweater, “This is a keeper” I said throwing it over to him, I heard him mimic me in a high pitched voice. I pulled on the jeans, they were big on me. “Hey Nick, can you get these in the next size down?” I asked throwing them over. “You mean a zero?” He asked, “Yea” I said. Grey sweat shirt was a keeper.

A few minutes later he came back. “Here they only had a double zero left.” He said throwing them over. Well these aren’t going to fit. I pulled them on and surprisingly they fit me. “Oh my god.” I said shakily. “What?” I looked at my self. I was standing there in these jeans and they were even a little loose on me. This is can not be healthy. I’m just skin and bones. I started to tear up and sniffle. “Al, what’s wrong?” Nick said in a low whisper from the other side. I just ignored him and kept letting the tears slowly fall. “Ally come on open the door, let me in.” I opened it and he slid in side. “What’s wrong?” He asked hugging me. “This. This is not healthy” I said pointing to my stomach. “Ally it’s fine, really. Look you’ll just start eating normally again and promise not to make yourself sick. On tour it’ll be easier because we’ll be so close so you won’t be able to be alone.” He said rocking me back and forth. “True” I said sighing and he wiped the tears from my face. “So are you hungry now?” “No” I said telling the truth. “Okay well were going to go eat anyway, get changed.” He said walking out after giving me a quick hug. “Kay” I said. I looked at myself once more. I turned away and pulled off the jeans and pulled on my black sweat pants and flip flops and white sweat shirt.

I had on all sweats and my hair in a messy bun. I haven’t been this dressed down in the past four months and it felt great. I walked out and Nick grabbed my hand “You look beautiful today” He said to me as we stood in line, I laughed at him and looked down at what I was wearing and back to him, “It’s true” he said shaking his head yes. I rolled my eyes, He’s been telling me every chance he gets that I look pretty or beautiful. I know he’s only been doing it because of James. But it still feels nice to hear it. “Um exscuse me” I heard from behind us, I turned around, “Oh my god. Your Alison Windle, and Oh my god. That means. Your Nick Jonas!” The girl squealed, I smiled at the girl, she’s probably fifteen. “Yea, hi sorry but could you keep your voice down….i don’t feel like running today” Nick said looking around to make sure no one else heard her. “Oh I’m so sorry. But wow. You're really hot.” She blurted out then turned a dark red. I stifled a laugh and Nick smiled, “Thanks” He said. “Oh no problem” she smiled smirking back. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I busted out laughing. “Sorry” I said covering my mouth. “Sorry about her, she’s a little sick right now, so she’s been delirious lately” Nick said shoving his hand over my face. I licked it and he just kept it there. “NEXT” was shouted by the cashier. Nick turned around and I put all the clothes up on the counter. Nick paid the cashier with the money Mr. Jonas had given the two of us to split for shopping. Joe was with Mrs. Jonas. And Kevin and Lindsey were together, ever since the engagement they haven’t left each other’s site. She’s coming on tour with us to. It’ll be nice to have another girl around. “It was great meeting you” Nick said giving the girl a kiss on the cheek as I waved bye. I think she almost fainted. “So where do you want to eat Mr. hottie?” I asked laughing a little, “Um I don’t care but if we don’t eat soon, I seriously will faint. So how about Applebee’s?” Nick asked pointing to the sign above us. “Sounds good.” I said walking in next to him.

“Ally eat it come on!” Nick said pushing the salad closer to me. “Nick I ate some of it already” I whined. “Come on Al, just finish it. Please?” He asked “Nick if I eat one more bite I will barf all over the place….and not by making myself do it” I said putting a hand on my stomach. “Fine.” He said sitting back in the booth. “Ice cream?” Nick asked cocking an eyebrow at me, “Maybe one of the milk shakes.” I said which made him smile, “If we share it” I said “Alright fine, but were getting chocolate then” He said pointing his finger at me. “Sounds good to me” I said. I’ll just pretend I’m drinking it. And I am hoping to god right now that he doesn’t look under the table where I dumped half of the salad when he turned to get the waiters attention.

Once we got the milkshake to go and the bill we made our way back to the car. “So are you excited to go on tour again?” I asked him as we pulled out of the parking lot. “Yea I love it. Are you?” I nodded my head yes as I looked out the window. We passed the rite aid and then Burger King, next was Walmart. “Hey Nick?” “What?” He asked glancing over at me then back to the road. “Want to go mess around in the Walmart? Like we used to?” “You mean when Kevin would drop us off and then go on his date?” “Because your parents made him watch us…yea.” “Alright, well what do you want to do in there?” “I don’t know but let’s go, come on” I said. He turned the car into the almost empty parking lot and parked the car. We walked in and I looked around, almost no one was here. “Come on let’s go” Nick said grabbing a cart, I jumped in and he started running down the baby food isle. So lets say our night in the Walmart resembled the Gavin Degraw music video to I’m In Love With A Girl. We had fun just like the old days, before all this mess with James and basically all the bad things that have happened to us, when we were care free and didn’t know anything bad could ever happen from our actions. When we lived with out fear. Man those were the good days. We were laying in the bed section when Nick’s voice interrupted my thoughts of how nice it was when we were little. “You alright?” “Me? Yea, just thinking about life before everything got screwed up” “What do you mean?” “Before when life was easy, we didn’t have to worry about what we did in public because it could end up in the news, before when we didn’t care what people thought of us, when we could just do stuff with out thinking about the consequences. You know the good days” I said sighing, “I miss those days” “Your not the only one” I said sitting up. “Well we should probably get back.” He said real quick shooting up to his feet and reaching for my hand. “Woah calm down Nick” I said laughing a little, “No come on let’s go Ally, ready I’ll race you to the front” He said all jumpy. “Okay wow, what do you not want me to see?” “Ally….why haven’t you been answering me??” It was James. I could tell by his voice. I looked at Nick and I knew my eyes probably showed how scared I was.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him, protective mode taking over. “What do you want?” Nick said as I grabbed the back of his shirt and wrapped my fist in it. “Um I wanted to talk to my girl friend, not you” He said stepping closer so he was in Nick’s face. “To bad she’s not your girl friend anymore” Nick said getting even closer to his face. “Nick please, let’s go” I said pulling him back by the shirt, “Woah Ally, come on I just want to talk about this!” James said shooting his hands up in the air like he was surrendering. “Talk about what?!” Nick harshly whispered. His vein on his neck was starting to bulge from anger. “About how you brainwashed her into thinking I’m hurting her!” James yelled shoving Nick who stumbled back onto me. “Please Nick, I just want to go home” I whispered quietly, James always has this affect on me like I can’t talk or anything with out his permission. “What did you say?” James asked coming closer. I closed my eyes and tightened my fist by habit I guess. “Back up man” Nick said shoving him back. “Nick please, before something happens come on” I said just as quiet. “I can get as close to her as I want to. She’s MINE.” James bellowed for the whole store to hear, sure there wasn’t many people in it but the few that were here turned to us. I bit my lip and closed my eyes tighter. “No she isn’t!! She’s not a piece of property, you can’t own her!” Nick shouted back while grabbing my hands and turning around and starting towards the door, Thank you god for not letting anything happen.

I felt someone pull on my other arm and I was whipped around, my eyes closed in the process and could feel him breathing on face. “SHE’S MINE JONAS” James bellowed again. I tried to rip out of his grip but I already knew it’d be to strong for me. I just stood there as the two pulled me back and forth. “Stop guys please” I begged, but I couldn’t my voice over a whisper. I tried, I really did but it just kept coming out as a whispering plead. “ATTENTION ALL SHOPPERS, THE STORE WILL BE CLOSING IN SIX MINUTES. PLEASE BRING YOUR ITEMS TO THE CHECK OUT NOW, THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AT WALMART, WE WILL BE OPENING TOMORROW MORNING AT SEVEN AM” the manager’s voice boomed over the intercom and caught the attention of everyone including James. I took this as my chance and I ripped my arm away from him and Nick’s hands and I ran. I ran to the front of the store when I heard people starting to shout. I stopped and whipped around knocking over the tiny pyramid of dog food in the process. James and Nick were once again beating the shit out of each other. I ran back over but they didn’t stop. I didn’t know what to do I reached for the fire alarm and punched the glass as hard as I could and it shattered. I pulled it and the alarm went off followed by the sprinklers and screams of innocent customers. They both stopped hitting each other and looked around. Both there eyes landed on me, “What the hell ally!?!” James shouted. “Al, your hand. It’s bleeding.” I looked down at it and my hand was tinted red and itthe blood running from it was mixing with the water from the sprinklers. “Damn it ally I had a dinner date after this!!” “Wait what?” I asked, he had a dinner date? But we were still together?? Or that’s what he just said to Nick. “What?!” He asked annoyed. “Where were you going??” Nick asked realizing what he said. “A dinner date.” He said like we were retarded. I bit my lip and looked away, he was cheating on me? For how long? Why is it that I get stuck with the cheaters!?! I pinched my wrist. That’s when I noticed my hand had a huge piece of glass sticking out and was gushing blood.

“Dude your cheating on her??” Nick asked getting up in his face again, “And what if I am!?!” He shouted. I can’t believe this. I mean why? Why me?! Every time!! I started getting dizzy. I brought my hands to my head and a surging pain went through my hand. I started to loose my balance and I started to fall; last thing I saw was Nick raising his fist to hit James…yet again. I blacked out as I felt a stabbing go through my side.