These Things Have Changed

My deep conversation with myself was broken when I noticed the rain not falling over me anymore. I looked up and saw Joe standing there with an umbrella. “Ally come on.” He said holding out a hand. I bit my lip and faced back towards the water. I heard him sigh and knell down beside me. “Ally what’s wrong?” “Nothing” I said to quickly. “Ally. I’ve known you forever. You can trust me.” I looked over towards him, “It’s just my dad Joe.” He put his free arm around me and gave me a tight squeeze. “Ally he understands. He’s so proud of you. Everyone makes mistakes and forgets things now and then” “But Joe I feel so bad. It was his forty second birthday” I said crying a bit. Joe just held me and let me cry for a few minutes. “Joe I have a question” I said wiping my tears. “Yea?” He said looking down. “Do you think my dad would even recognize who I was anymore if I went to heaven right now?” “Of course. He’ll always know who his little girl is” He said. “But I’ve changed so much, I’ve gotten so much weaker….physically and mentally.” I said ashamed of myself. “Ally, your not weak. You’re just going through a rough patch. But Al you have to remember you don’t have to do this on your own. You have me, Kev, Nicole, and Nick to back you up. We're here for you girl.” “Not Nick. He said he was done saving me.” “In his defense you told him not to.” “Joe I was mad. We always say things we don’t mean when we're mad.” “Well how do you know he meant it then?” “Joe you know how I get those horrible nightmares?” I asked. “Yea” “Well he promised me last tour that no matter what he’d never make me go threw that alone and he's always kept it….well it’s been four nights now I’ve woken up screaming and he hasn’t been there….I really drove him away Joe.” “Ally that’s not like him. He’ll come around” “I don’t think so Joe. This time it’s real. Nick’s fed up with me for good.” I said still crying. Joe shifted his weight like he was looking over his shoulder then he went back to his normal position. “Ally come on. You don’t need a boy to get threw this. Let’s go. Your stronger then this. I know you are. Get up come on. Were going inside.” He said standing up over me. “Joe I don’t want to.” I mumbled looking back out over the ocean. “Ally get up now!” He shouted at me. I jumped.

Joe’s never really yelled at me before. Okay he has but it’s been awhile and he totally caught me off guard. “Sorry Al but come on. LET’S GO!” He said pulling on my arm forcing me to stand up. “Fine!” I said loudly. “Ally how skinny are you?” He asked suddenly. “Why?” I asked. “I want to know.” He said simply while grabbing my hand dragging me along. “I’m a double zero, but please Joe. I’m not in the mood” “Ally” He said stopping me. “What?” I asked with a sigh of annoyance. He can’t tell me anything anyone elsehasn’t yet. “I know you’ve heard this. But Al you need to stop this.” “I know Joe.” “No you don’t. I’d tell you to promise me, but I know you’d just lie. Ally do you want to be known as the next Mary Kate Olsen? Cause it’s going to happen. Some paparazzi is going to find an old photo and snag a shot of you now, and easily notice.” “I know Joe.” “No you don’t. You don’t realize that your hurting us to by doing this Ally. Every day we see you. You're not fooling anyone anymore Ally. Do you know Frankie has asked me a hundred times if you seem to be loosing a lot of weight? Ally I’ve been lying to him for a few weeks now. You know I’m not good at lying and that I don’t like doing it. So please ally. For not just you, but for all of us. Stop.” He said shaking me. I didn’t know what to say to that. I never thought of it that way, I never noticed I was hurting them to. And that Frankie knows?! My head was spinning and I was now more upset then ever. “I’m sorry Joe, I didn’t mean to be such a problem for everyone.” “Ally that’s not what I meant” “But it is.” I said walking again. “No I swear. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself anymore!” “Okay.” I said taking a deep breath. “Ally?” “Joe I’m really going to try. I mean it this time. I’m gonna change my ways, instead of always being weak.” “I’m here for you ally. Even if Nick isn’t, I am. And once he sees you coming back around, he’ll change. I promise.” “Hope you’re right Joe.” “Aren’t I always?” He asked lightening the mood. “No you’re actually never right” I said laughing, “Well just forget that tiny detail….” He said making a funny face as we walked up the stairs. “Your such a dork Joe” “I know. But don’t be hatin.” He said making me laugh again. “Hey Joe” I said quickly before he opened the door, “Yea?” “Thanks for bringing me back, not only from the rain but to reality” “No problem Al”. So Joe was the lifeline I had been waiting for.

I wrote two songs in an hour. One is called Tears In Heaven (written by Eric Clapton) I wrote it for my dad. The other is called Believin Me (written by Demi Lovato) and Joe was the one who inspired me for that one. I love that boy, he truly is one of the best brothers/friend I could have ever asked for. I sighed as I pushed the two sets of paper filled with cross outs and rips away from myself. “Finally” I sighed again. “Finally what?” Joe asked walking over towards where I was sitting on the ground in my bedroom. “I’m done.” “Done what?” He asked laying down on the bed so his head was over hanging the end next to mine. “I wrote two songs” I said handing him the papers. “Aw these are good!” He said looking them over, “Thanks you inspired me for that one” I said pointing to the paper with Believe In Me scrolled across the top. “Can you play them for us?!” He asked standing up. “Uh for you. I don’t think the others would really care.” “Ally you're playing them for everyone else. Grab your guitar.” “Joe….” “What?” he whined from the doorway. “There’s no music to them. Nick usually does that part” I said looking down. “Oh, well I’ll go get him!” “Joe no, I don’t want to ask him that.” I said “Okay then I will!” He said running out of the room. “JOE!” I shouted chasing after him.

We were running around the whole place shouting at each other and laughing. “What are you two doing!?” Nicole shouted laughing a bit at our behavior. “JOE STOLE MY SONGS!” “Joseph give them back” Kevin said not looking away from the news paper he was reading. “Oh okay Kev, since you said so” He said stopping and handing them out towards me. “Really?” Me and Kev said at the same time Kevin looking over at us now. “HELL NO!” he shouted laughing and running away from me….again. He was running up the steps towards I’m guessing Nick. “Hey Nick I need your help!!” Joe shouted. “JOE STOP!!” I yelled but I could hear Nick coming. “What is it?” Nick said from the end of the hall we were now in. “Ally wrote some songs and needs you to put some mus-“ I tackled him to the ground and pinned him down. “Woah!” Nick shouted shocked. I’m guessing he didn’t know I was behind Joe chasing him. “Ally get off!” Joe yelled. Nick bent down and grabbed the papers Joe had in his hand. “What do you need me to do Joe?” He asked looking at them. I slumped in defeat and Joe easily pushed me off of him and stood up. “Al wrote some awesome songs and needs you to write the music to go with them.” “Um okay.” He said shrugging. “Thanks” I piped in from under them. They both looked down and Nick put out a hand. “My room then?” He asked. “Sure” I said standing up. “Don’t be long! I wanna hear them!” Joe yelled as he ran down the stairs as we walked into a room.