One of the Boys.

I knocked on her door, shaking almost violently with fear, my guitar in its case slung over my shoulder. I needed to do this now. It didn’t matter that it was one am, I couldn’t wait any longer.
The door swung open and she gasped, covering her mouth as she saw me. I opened my mouth to talk but she interrupted.
“Brendon, go away. Go see Alex or something.”

She went to shut the door again but I jutted out my foot, so it couldn’t close. She sighed and re-opened it.

“Just hear me out, please?” I asked quietly.
She rubbed her hand up and down her arm, then nodded slowly.

I took my guitar from its case, bent my leg back so I could rest it on that, and leaned on the door frame. She gulped as I put my fingers in the right positions. I breathed out to calm myself, then began to play and sing.

“Hey there Ezmerelda, what’s it like in Vegas city, I’m not a thousand miles away, but if I were you’d still look so pretty,”

I stared intently at her face through out the whole song. Every time her name was mentioned it looked like a flood of tears was about to pour down her face. She didn’t once look away, she barely even blinked. Emma held her hands tightly to her chest and yawned cutely once, after all it was early hours.

“Hey Ezmerelda, this is for you.” I sang, enunciating the last few words as the song finished.

She sniffed and I could see her eyes welling up. I looked up at her and carefully rested my guitar against the outside wall.

“Brendon.” she choked out. “What did you come here to say?”
“Do you still not get it?” I asked quietly, taking a step forwards.
She shook her head solemnly.
I blinked a few times and edged closer, slowly getting down on one knee and holding her delicate hands in my own.
“Miss. Graziella, I’m hopelessly, inexplicably, deeply in love with you.”
One small sob was all it took and she broke down in to tears. I quickly stood up and hugged her tightly, her face burying in to my chest. I felt the tears come for myself as she cried hysterically yet silently. I rubbed her back soothingly and she slowly backed away. As soon as I saw her face, tears fell for me too.
“I’ve missed you so much.” she sobbed. “I didn’t realize how much I needed you.”
“I need you too.” I mumbled, stroking her cheek softly. “So much.”
“What about Alex?”
“He’s great and all, but he’s not you. Every time I kissed him, I w-wished it was you.” I stuttered. “Oh, we broke up by the way.”
“Why?”
“Because, ugh, don’t you see!” I said, becoming louder. “Because I don’t love him! I love you, Emma! It’s always been you! I’ve always wanted you as mine!”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” she asked in the same tone as me.
“I did! But you didn’t listen! Pretty much since we were twelve I’ve liked you, but it’s got worse and worse a-and I just can’t take it anymore.”
She sniffed and looked down at her bare feet.
“Then I started to tell you how much I loved you, through notes.”
She looked up. “You told me that wasn’t you!”
“I thought you loved Henry! Besides, I wasn’t ready to tell you. Emma, you haven’t really said much.”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Bren, I need you so much and I can’t live without you.”
She extended her arm and I held her hand, then frowned when I saw her sleeve ride up. I pushed it further up and gasped.
“Em! What the fuck have you done to yourself?”
“Shh!” she scowled and pushed it back down.
“Why have you been cutting yourself?”
“Because!” she shouted, stepping outside and shutting the door so not to wake up the other members of the family. “Whilst you were out having the time of your life, I was having the worst moments of my life! Do you even know how suicidal I’ve been feeling?”
“But why?”
“Why? You have the audacity to ask why?! Or are you really that oblivious?”
“Emma, I don’t know what you’re on about.”
“Ugh, God!” she screamed, pulling her pajama shirt over her head, revealing bruises all over her torso and shoulders. Some of them looked excruciatingly painful. “I get beaten, okay? And I’ve been fucking who ever I can as an attempt to get over you but it hasn’t worked! Oh, and guess what? I got raped. All as an attempt to get you out of my head, but still, I’m in fucking love with you.”
“I, and you, you love me too?”
She nodded, rubbing her eyes.
“How did you get… raped?”
“Henry’s dad.” she shrugged. “But I’m over it now.”
“How can you be ‘over it’?”
“I mean I’ve come to terms with it and I no longer cut myself to sleep.”
I sighed and pulled her into a soft hug. She sniffed and we sat down, her in my lap. I played with her hair gently, twirling it.
“Brendon, please don’t ever leave me again.”
“Never.” I confirmed, pressing a small kiss to her forehead. “Never again. Plus, I’m getting my own place this summer. Maybe you’d want to live there with me.”
Her whole face lit up as I said that. “There’s nothing I’d love more.”
I smiled and gave her a little squeeze. “We could escape all our problems, and resolve them by being with each other. Everything will be good, I promise. I can take care of you, you can be my girl.”
She pressed her left hand on my cheek and kissed my lips softly, several times. I sighed happily into it and broke away.
“I love you bear.”
“I love you too, Em.”
“And you promise we’ll be fine? Everything will be okay again?”
“I promise baby girl, I promise. Nothing will harm us anymore.”
“And I’m yours now?”
I smiled and kissed her lips once again. “If you want to be.”
“Of course I do Brendon.” she smiled. “I’ve always wanted to be yours, but I thought you’d never want me.”
“Now that’s just silly.” I grinned and kissed her again. “Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted you.”
I hugged her tightly and kissed her again. “And you’ll never leave me either, right Em?”
“Oh, of course not! You’re mine now.” she beamed, playing with the hem of my shirt.
“Emma, how long do you think it’ll be before we can live together? I’ve got the money saved up for an apartment, but it’s only for a few months. I was hoping you’d be able to chip in as well, if you’re parents allow you to go. In my case it’s more like they can’t wait for me to go, I’ve been kicked out already, it’s only a matter of time before I’m out on the streets.”
“There’s no way I’d let you do that, of course I’ll chip in.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and kissed her lips four more times. “I can’t wait ‘till I live with you. Maybe the world isn’t all that fucked up, I have you now. I have you.”