Autumn, Bekkah, and Joanne's Adventures

While Joanne was at the funeral, I was at home, watching Dirty Dancing in my pajamas. It was 1:30 in the afternoon, but I didn't care. Although I was feeling better from my stomach, I was still feeling a little groggy from the medication the doctor gave me. I was glad to be as away from the hospital as possible. They were always depressing.

As Baby bared her heart out to Johnny, stating how she was scared she'll never feel the way Johnny makes her feel again, I drank some diet Pepsi and ate my hot Cheetos. Memories were coming back. When Liam and I were around seventeen, every once in a while he would come to my house and watch some movies. We watched Dirty Dancing one night, one of my favorite movies. That movie is definitely in the top eight. Sometimes, he hated the movies I loved, Dirty Dancing being one of them.

"What's so bad about this movie?" I asked casually.

"Johnny looks like a super faggot first of all. His pants scream 'I don't fit you!' Seriously, what kind of guy dances like that?! But Baby's cool. She reminds me of you." He answered, pulling me close to him.

"Well, this movie took place in the 1960's. Dancing was the cool thing. Me like Baby, yeah? How so? Is my hair really that poofy when I don't straighten it?!?" I yelled playfully, tapping him on the chest.

"No. She know what she wants, but isn't afraid of change. She's really smart, and outshines her sister because of it. Not to mention like you, she's the ultimate Daddy's Girl." He smirked, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"Well, I don't care what you say. You're my Johnny and I'm your Baby. Except... Well, we can't dance worth shit." I giggled, gently kissing his lips.

I shook my head, trying to get that memory out of my head. The less I think about Liam, the better. After crying hysterically at the hospital, I was trying to just relax and get better. Suddenly, my phone vibrated, and the ring-tone, "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman came on. It was my dad.

"Hey, Dad." I tried to make my voice as pleasant and as cheerful as possible.

"Hey, baby. What are you doing?"

"I'm alright. I just got massive diarrhea from clotted cream is all." I said jokingly.

My dad gave out a good laugh. He loved laughing at stuff like that.

"Really, you got the shits?" He asked, still laughing.

"Yeah, I did. And right in front of Bekkah, Joanne, Tom Felton, Matt Lewis, and James Phelps!" I replied.

"Who the hell is Tom Felton, Matt Lewis, and James Phelps?" Ah, typical Dad. Super protective and always curious when it came to boys.

"Tom Felton plays Draco Malfoy, Matt plays Neville, and James plays Fred Weasley." I got my dad into Harry Potter, but he didn't know the real life names. Just the characters they played.

"Oh, super gay." He muttered. This was Dad's line.

"I suppose." I giggled.

"Well, I want you to be careful. Stay real close to Bekkah and Joanne. Stay together, and don't let those damn boys know your hotel room. I don't care how famous those boys are. They're still horny men with sick minds. I'll go over there and kill those motherfuckers if they hurt you three. You've seen the movie Taken." Said Dad in his strict Dad voice.

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be fine. We're the inseparable sisters from birth, remember?" I giggled.

"Alright. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And that I miss you and I love you. Tell Bekkah and Joanne I said hi." My dad seems like a hard-ass, but really he's the sweetest person.

"I love you too, Dad. And I promise I'll be home soon." I said shakily, realizing how much I missed my dad.

"Bye, sweetie." Was all he said before hanging up.

Still watching Dirty Dancing, Bekkah came in, needing to borrow my purple Doc Martens, which matched her flannel purple, green, blue and black button down shirt, the shirt I gave her for her seventeenth birthday.

"Mind if I borrow these?" She smirked.

"Oh, you know you don't have to ask to borrow my stuff, Bekks." I giggled.

Bekkah took my Doc Martens and put them on her feet. What was so weird about us three was that we wear the same shoe size, which is seven and a half, the same bra size, which is a 34DD, and the same size in clothes. We don't necessarily look the same, though. We each stand out in our own way. Bekkah has blue eyes so blue you could swear you were looking at the ocean at Cancun Beach or some other beautiful beach with clean, blue water. Joanne's curly hair is so beautiful and she manages it well. Most people look crappy with curly hair, but not Joanne. She knows just how to style it. I always hate when she straightens it. Her curly hair makes her stand out. As for me? To be honest, I don't think anything is special about me. I mean, I know I have amazing personality, but my looks are just... Eh. I know I'm not ugly for sure. But I'm not exactly beauty pageant worthy either. But I'm me, and I like me.

"Where are you going?" I asked casually, watching Johnny and Baby dance.

"With James." She said simply, like it wasn't a big deal.

Dirty Dancing was over, and my attention was on Bekkah.

"Is this... I don't know... A date?" I asked, practically hungry for an answer.

"Maybe, maybe not." Bekkah shrugged, smirking.

"Damn it, Bekkah! Tell me!" I said, jumping on my bed.

"Never!" She retorted, getting on my bed, jumping with me, then pushing me off.

"Bitch!" I giggled, grabbing her legs, which were in mid air,and pulled her down, making her fall next to me. She giggled and flicked my head away from her. Bekkah and I have an odd relationship. We call each other "bitch", "slut", and any other profanity. And we hit each other out of love and affection.

"Hey, whore. Do my make up." Bekkah demanded, giggling as she fiddled through my make up, finding my purple eye shadow.

"Yes ma'am." I snorted, bowing mockingly to Bekkah.

As I did her make up, we gabbed about Joanne and Matt. We both agreed how adorable they looked together, and she also babbled about where James was taking her. We also debated on whether or not Tom and I should date.

"I think you guys totally should." Bekkah stated.

"I don't know. I mean, I think I should just be single for a while. Rushing things will make me just end up hurting him, and God knows I don't want to hurt anyone." I shrugged.

"Well, maybe being with Tom will help you move on and finally find happiness." Bekkah suggested.

"Bekks, what are you talking about? I am happy! I have you and Joanne. Who else might I need?" I stated as a matter of fact.

"Autie, no you're not. You've been crying yourself to sleep every night for two months. That's why you didn't want Jo Jo and I to stay with you at the hospital. We both knew you were going to cry and think of Liam. Hun, you can't fool your best friends. You're not happy. You try to be, but something in you is missing, and it's time to move on. At least try. We hate seeing you miserable. Don't get me wrong, we LOVED Liam, like a brother, but he would want you to be happy. Do you think he wants to see you like this? If Liam really loves you, which he does, he would want you to move on." Bekkah told me, placing her hand on my shoulder, on the verge of tears. Her make up was done, and she looked beautiful.

"Don't ruin that make up, now." I giggled.

Bekkah shot me the middle finger as she carefully wiped her tears. I wasn't going to argue with her. This is the only downside of having a best friend. They knew you too well, so it was hard to lie to them. Not only that, but thy shared your pain, and it killed you to see them sad because of you. But the good thing was they were always looking out for you, and they gave you advice to make you feel better.

There was a knock on Bekkah's door. It was obviously James, ready to take her out wherever the hell they were going. She gave me a quick hug and promised to call and text every now and then. When she left my room, I thought hard. Bekkah was no idiot. Her mom died when she was fifteen, and she had to learn how to let go and move on. I'd always admired Bekkah. She was always so strong.

After a while, I rummaged through my suitcase. Some miscellaneous items were in there still, like books to read, my camera, and a scrapbook I made not too long ago. It was a scrapbook of Bekkah, Joanne and I. The scrapbook consisted of pictures taken of us when we went to the Kemah Boardwalk, when we went to school dances, when we went to events, parties, you name it. Hell, we even took random pictures of ourselves when we stayed the night at one another’s' houses. I decorated the pictures with stickers and added some additional comments to the pictures. It gave me a good giggle.

I heard Joanne come in her hotel room. Knowing her, she was changing out of her dress and heels. Like me, Joanne needed to be comfortable. Dresses were nice, but nothing beat shorts and a comfy T shirt.

She came into my room, plopping down on my bed. She looked at the scrapbook, giggling at the picture I took of her when she was sleeping. My kitty, Crush, was lying on her back, playing with one of her curls. That photo was taken years ago. We were fourteen.

"I miss kitty." Joanne said, kissing the picture.

"I do too. I wish I could have taken Crush with us. The boys would love him, but kitty wouldn't love them back." I snorted.

"Kitty never really liked boys much. He warmed up to Liam, though." She said simply.

"He was always our pimp kitty." I giggled.

For the rest of the night, Joanne and I watched Mamma Mia! over and over again in her room. We ate junk food and drank diet Pepsi. Musicals is something Joanne and I share together. I mean, yeah Bekkah liked a few of them, but she was never as passionate as Joanne and I are about them. We sang every song and on key. Hell, we even danced to them. Yes, we're aware we're dorks. By the time the credits rolled for the fourth time, Joanne was passed out. I guessed it was time for me to go to bed.

I wasn't tired, though. I couldn't stop thinking of what Bekkah said. She was right. I needed to move on. I just wasn't ready. Tom was an amazing guy. Really, he was. Apart of me wanted to be with him, but apart of me was scared. I didn't want to forget Liam, and I still loved him. I knew he still loved me. He was my guardian angel, my whole world. I lay in my bed, on my back. I pressed my iPod to my ears and played Your Guardian Angel by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I sang the lyrics aloud, and on key.

When I see your smile
Tears run down my face
I can't replace
And now that I'm stronger I've figured out

How this world turns cold
And breaks through my soul
And I know, I'll find deep inside me
I can be the one

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay

Seasons are changing and waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you, I'll be the one

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven

'Cause you're my, you're my, my
My true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away

'Cause I'm here for you
Please don't walk away
And please tell me, you'll stay, stay

Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for a thrill
And I know, I'll be okay
Though my skies are turning gray

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven

I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever

I didn't hear a knock on my door. I was too busy singing. All I knew was that Joanne came in my room, still half asleep, mumbling: "Tom's here!" groggily as she went back to bed. It was midnight. Wondering what Tom was doing here, I gave him a hug and took my earphones out.

"So... What's up?" I asked.

"How are you feeling?" He immediately asked.

"I'm good." I grinned at him.

His eyes were studying me.

"Um, Autumn... Matt told me..." He murmured.

Shock and rage grew inside of me. How dare he?! I should have known better than to trust him. He was a total stranger! And I told him my one secret. He had the nerve to tell Tom?! The prick! Now Tom's going to feel sorry for me and think I'm a train wreck.

"He told you about Liam, didn't he?" I sighed, my aggravation obvious.

"Yes." Tom put his arm around me. Whoa, I was not expecting that.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Really, I am. A beautiful girl like you doesn't deserve this kind of pain." He took the strands of hair out of my face, just the way Liam did.

"I'm fine, really. I'm just.." I opened my mouth, but then shut it.

"Just what?" Asked Tom, his blue eyes piercing my brown eyes.

"Look, I really like you. I mean, you're a gentleman, you're attractive, you're funny, your sense of humor is wicked, and you're a respectable actor. I can see us being together. Really, I can. But... The truth is, I'm not fit for a relationship right now. We can't be together now because I know you probably want to go out with me based on you feeling sorry for me, and you'll never really fall in love with me. Sympathy overshadows love at times. And-" I started, but Tom cut me off with a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Autumn, I don't want you to be my girlfriend because I feel sorry for you. I was going to ask you even before I knew about your ex. In fact, when I was on my way here, I didn't know. But when I arrived to the hotel room, I turned on my phone and read Matt's text about... You know... But anyways, will you?" He held out his hand, practically telling me to hold it.

I took his hand and pursed my lips. I was about to do something stupid and impulsive, but at this point, I had nothing to lose.

"I would love to." I muttered.

And at that, Tom kissed my hand and left my hotel room. For the first time in a long time, I actually slept through the night.