You're My Addiction

“Zacky, I’m going to kill you!” Ellie yelled as she stomped down the stairs into the living room. She found him sitting on the couch next to Brian and Matt trying to look as innocent as possible. It wasn’t working because he looked like he was going to laugh at any moment. “Seriously, it’s not funny to put fake spiders in my shoes.”

“By the way you just screamed about thirty seconds ago, I don’t think you thought they were fake at first,” Matt said with a laugh. Ellie shot him a glare, and Matt brought his hands up in a defensive gesture. For some reason, Zacky thought it would be a good idea to play pranks on her all week, and sometimes the other guys joined in on them. They knew her biggest fear was spiders.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be at something planning your wedding, which is in about five weeks?” Ellie said, with an underlying threat to call Val. They were supposed to be finalizing all of the small details on the reception tonight, but somehow he had convinced her he was too sick to go. She had let him stay home, but Ellie was sure she would appreciate a phone call to hear that Matt had magically recovered in a few hours.

“Yeah, Zacky! What’s your problem? You can’t just go around putting spiders in people’s things,” Matt said, trying to recover from his earlier comment.

“Um, I didn’t do anything,” Zacky said, still trying to play on his innocence. “I was just here, hanging out with Brian the whole time.”

He nudged Brian in the ribs with his elbow so he would back him up. “Oh, yeah, we were just watching the TV,” he answered, motioning to the blank screen in front of him. His face dropped when he saw his lie wasn’t going to work out since the TV wasn’t even on.

“Just wait until I get you back for this one, Mr. Baker. I think you better watch out, too, Brian,” Ellie warned as she threw the fake spider back at Zacky. It hit his chest, and then fell between the cushions of the couch. “I know everything you two hate, so it’s going to be a lot better than some stupid spider.”

“Wow, I’m so scared, Ellie,” Zacky said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to sleep tonight, because you might do something to get back at me then.”

Ellie grabbed the pillow he was leaning on and proceeded to hit him with it. She basically hit every inch of him that she could reach. Zacky crossed his arms over his head to protect himself. “Listen, you won’t know what’s coming until it hits you!” she said between hits.

Zacky jumped up quickly, grabbed Ellie, and pinned her down on the couch. “Quick, Brian, I’ll hold her, you get the pillow. I will not tolerate this physical abuse!”

Ellie struggled against him, but she wasn’t very successful. She was laughing too hard, so all of her energy was devoted to that. Brian and Zacky began hitting her with pillows, gently of course, and Ellie brought her knees and arms in to protect as much of her as she could. Matt just sat on the other side of the couch and watched as everything happened.

“Aren’t you going to help your own sister?” Ellie asked as she deflected a blow with her forearm. He just smiled and shook his head. “Why? Clearly I’m out numbered! It’s not fair, they’re bigger than me, too!”

“I’m not taking any sides,” he said as he got up off of the couch. “You all need to sort this one out yourselves.

“Ha! You have no way out now, Ellie!” Zacky yelled triumphantly. Ellie couldn’t do anything to defend herself anymore since she was laughing so hard. She thought it was at this moment that she knew she was close to healing completely again. Little did she know that in about five seconds, everything was about to become complicated again.

In the kitchen, Ellie heard her cell phone ring. She was a little confused at first since most of the people who would actually call her were in the same room right now. She forced herself to sit up, and Zacky and Brian stopped hitting her.

“I’m sorry, I have to go answer that,” she said as she tried to make herself more serious before going to answer her phone. When she got into the kitchen, the number that showed up on the caller ID was unrecognizable to her. Usually she didn’t answer calls from numbers she didn’t recognize, but something told her to answer this one.

“Hello?” Ellie asked as she brought the phone up to her ear. She didn’t know why, but she always got nervous while answering unknown numbers. More often than not, it always seemed like unpleasant things came from these sorts of phone calls.

“Ellie? It’s so good to hear your voice! I’ve missed you so much. It’s me, Sara!” Ellie almost cried out of joy at the sound of her friend’s voice. She hadn’t seen or heard from Sarah in almost eight months. Sometimes you didn’t realize just how much you missed someone until they were right in your face again. Ellie took a seat at the kitchen table so she could continue the conversation more comfortably.

“Wow, Sara, I haven’t spoken to you in so long,” Ellie replied. “How have you been? I feel really guilty for not calling you first. I’ve just been so busy with getting settled an adjusting to an actual adult life. It’s kind of surreal.”

“You sound really good, El. I think I even detect a little hint of happiness in that voice of yours. I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical about you moving back home, but I guess it did you good,” Sara said. “And I’ve been just as good as ever. How is California, by the way?”

“It’s actually been really good. I’m kind of surprised, just like you are. I mean, I have had my ups and downs, but I guess that’s kind of normal. In these past couple of weeks, everything seems to actually be going in the right direction.”

“I’m really glad to hear that,” she said. “But listen, I called you because I have some really exciting news to share with you. I’m actually come out to visit California in a few weeks, and right in your area, too. I thought it was time that I saw you because I just miss you so much. I plan on seeing what this new life you have is like.”

“That’s exciting,” Ellie said. It was always good to catch up with an old friend. Sometimes, when you are surrounded by the same group of people for a long period of time, it feels good to spend time with other people. “I know you’ll love it here. There are girls just like you everywhere. Plus, I know it’s still cold where you are, so you’ll have a chance to wear all of your summer clothes when you come. I know that’s why summer is your favorite season. You’ll also get to meet my brother.”

“Oh, Ellie, you know me too well. You would think I have been to California a thousand times before, but I’ve never been there. So, when I thought of where I could get away to for a little while, I thought of you and the fact that you’re in California only makes it that much better. Will can’t come, though. He just got this new job, so it’s impossible for him to get any time off. There is something else I have to tell you, though.”

“What is it?” Ellie asked. She originally thought this phone call could only mean good things, but with Sara’s last sentence, she knew something she didn’t want to hear was going to be said.

“Chris is coming, too,” Sara said hesitantly. She didn’t know how Ellie was going to react to the information. “He is coming out here for something business related, but he’s going to be here for almost three weeks. There’s some project he has to work on out there. I told him about my plans, and then we realized the dates we were going to be there overlapped. He suggested we come out there together, and I couldn’t say no. Plus, when I said I was going to visit you, he got really excited. He really misses you Ellie, and I think he wants to see you, too.”

Ellie sighed. She knew that was the bit of information that was going to mess her life up again just as she was getting it back on track. She knew that it seemed harmless, but there was something about having the only two men she cared about in the same state that made her a little bit uneasy. Plus, the fact that neither of them knew the other existed didn’t help, either.

“He doesn’t feel anything for me anymore, does he?” Ellie whispered into the phone. The guys were still in the other room, so she didn’t want them to hear this part of the conversation. She crossed her fingers as she waited for Sara’s answer. She was silent for a moment before answering, which was never a good sign.

“We’re just coming out there for different reasons and to see you,” she said. Ellie knew she was trying to side step around addressing the actual issue at hand. “Everyone over here misses you, and I can’t wait to see you. Living with a boy is not the same as having you as a roommate.”

“I know, I live with three boys,” Ellie replied. “I promise I won’t assume the worst when it comes to Chris, but I make no promises. At this point, I’ll just keep thinking he’s coming here primarily for business, and it just so happens that I moved not far away from his work priorities.”

“I know how you get, Ellie,” Sara said before pausing. There were noises in the background, and Ellie could tell she was no longer alone. “Listen, Will just got home for work, so we’re about to go out to dinner. I’ll call you soon with more details, and don’t worry about you know who coming along. I can’t wait to see you!”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later, Sara. Tell Will I said hi.”

Ellie hung up the phone and sighed. She knew one thing for sure: the next few weeks were going to be interesting and emotionally stressful. Matt and Val’s wedding was just around the corner, and Ellie’s two very different pasts were about to meet and clash together. She knew it wasn’t going to be pretty because two things that were as different as oil and water never mixed well together.

Ellie put a few different pictures into a box that contained a bunch of textbooks. Finals were going to be over in just a few days, which meant it was just about time to move out again. She couldn’t believe that college was over already and that it was time to go out into the real world and be an adult. She was planning on staying in Pennsylvania. She felt like there was no real reason to go back to her hometown.

It had just rained the night before, so the air was a little cool. It was a nice change because the weather was starting to get a little hot in the past couple of weeks. Ellie was pretty much ready to start working whenever she wanted to. She already had a couple of job offers lined up, so there was no need to stress. That was one good thing about being a nurse. They were in such high demand lately that it was so easy to get a job right out of college. Sara had been frivolously searching for the past month or so, but she still had not gotten many leads.

Ellie placed a book that was on her bed onto her nightstand, which was littered with assorted junk. Off of the edge, a pile of pictures fell to the ground. She bent over to pick them up, and the top picture made her pause to look at it.

The picture had been taken only a few years ago, and it was of her, her brother, Zacky, and Brian. She ran a hand over it and sighed. She smiled in remembrance of the way her life had been like throughout high school. It was a bittersweet feeling. She was sad that it had ended in such a bad way, but when her relationship with all of them had been at its best, there was no doubting it had been the best time of her life.

Just as she was starting to run her thumb over Brian’s face, her cell phone danced to life on the nightstand, right next to the book she had just placed there. She watched it for a second, and something told her that someone important was on the other line; someone from her past. It couldn’t have been fate, because she didn’t believe in that sort of thing. She believed that things happened because you either made them happen, or because you didn’t stop it from happening.

The cell phone was about to fall off of her table right before she picked it up. She flipped it open and brought it to her ear while she listened to who was on the other line.

“Ellie?” the voice asked. She could recognize that voice anywhere, even though she hadn’t heard it in a very long time. It was her brother.

“Matt?” she answered back. “I haven’t talked to you in years. Is there something wrong?”

“No! There’s nothing wrong, but I did call you to talk to you about something important,” he said. “Actually mom and dad were going to ask you this, but they thought it would be better if I called you.”

“What is it?” she asked. Ellie noted that they didn’t even ask each other how they had been in the past couple of years. It was just how they always were, though. She and her brother never were phone people, and they never liked to be overly emotional with others. They always liked to get straight to the point.

“Well, I know they don’t really want to bother you with this, but you must have had some idea that they miss you a lot. They were really crushed when you said you weren’t going to move back to California after graduation,” he said. “They think it’s because you want to be on your own, so they asked me to do them a big favor. I just bought a new house with Zacky, and they thought it would be a good idea for me to extend an invitation to you to move in with us. It’s hard to get started on your own right out of college since you won’t have much money, but if you moved back, you would be able to get on your own feet easier.”

“I already have my plans set up for what I’m going to do after graduation,” she said. She didn’t want to be rude, but she was starting to feel guilty and it was making her upset. She didn’t want her plans to change. She had worked so hard to set them up in the first place.

“I know, but mom and dad really miss you. They haven’t been the same after you went away to college, and it would mean a lot to them if you came back home,” Matt said. He paused and it sounded like he was trying to decide how to phrase what he was going to say next. “It would mean a lot to me if you came back, too. I miss you, Ellie. I want my sister back.”
Ellie sighed. Although she didn’t like it, she knew what the right thing to do was.

“Alright, Matt. This sounds like an offer I really can’t refuse. You know I hate it when I make mom and dad unhappy,” she replied. “I do miss California a little bit, and I do miss most of the people I left behind. Sometimes, I miss my brother, too.”

Something told her she had made the right decision. Her future was waiting for her in California, not in Pennsylvania. It was where she had to pick up everything she had left behind in a hurry so long ago. She was starting to realize you never could run away from your problems, but you had to face them head on to make them better again. She had to go back to her home and get her heart back before she would be able to move on with her life again; before she could be truly happy again.

“I’m glad you’re coming back” Matt said. “I hate to cut this conversation short since it’s so important, but I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll call you tomorrow with more details about the house. You’ll have to ship most of your stuff back, too, so we can sort that out then.”

They said their goodbyes, and Ellie hung up her phone. She thought it was amazing how the course of your life could change with a five minute phone call. Everything had been turned upside down, and Ellie hated that. She always liked to plan ahead, and she got paranoid when change happened too quickly. She never had liked to live day by day, but maybe that was about to change. She knew she had to do this though, as much as it would be so much easier to stay where she already was.

She also never thought that just one phone call was going to lead her back to her broken heart and the man she still loved. She had to face the truth: she was going to see Brian again, and she was going to have to prepare herself for when that time came around.