All The Pieces

---Viola---

“Viola,” I hear and someone shook my arm lightly. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw my mother standing above me.

“What?” I jumped and I rubbed my eyes.

She laughed lightly and brushed my hair out of my face. “Well, I am going to go get some donuts for your brother and his friends before they all wake up. Do you want to come with?”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled hesitantly. If I went to the store then I would run into more people. But it was early so maybe it would be safe.

“Come on Viola,” she nudged.

“Fine,” I huffed as I climbed out of bed.

“Brush your hair and meet me down stairs in ten,” she said with a bright smile and was
gone.

I turned and flopped back down on my bed and looked around. I can’t believe I told that to
Nate last night. He must think I am so pathetic, crying about some boy from last year. I mean he must think I am pathetic. But why should I care what he thinks of me. I don’t like him, and really he doesn’t like me either.

I rolled off my bed and slipped on some clean clothes and ran down stairs to great my mom. I peeked into the living room and saw all of my brothers friends sprawled out. I looked everywhere but I didn’t see Nate. Where is he?

“Looking for someone?” someone whispered in my ear I could feel how close they were. I turned quickly my face inches from his. I quickly shook my head and backed up, trying to not to think about how close we just were.

A small smirk appeared on his face as he walked around me and went back to his place on the crowded floor. I just stood there in the doorway for a moment. I can’t let him get to me, I can’t let him see that he really gets to me sometimes.

“Vi?” I jumped; I turned to see my mother smiling at me.

“Second time today you about gave me a heart attack mom,” I huffed as I let out a big sigh.

“Ready?” she asked and tilted her head to the side.

“Yah, ready,” I ran my hand through my hair and fallowed her out the door.

---------

“Hey, about last night,” he started and I looked up at Nate standing in front of me. I sat there
on the porch swing, just wanting some peace and quiet and he shows up, again. I looked around him at the deep blue of the lake and tried not to think of our discussion last night.

“I brought you a donut,” he smiled a goofy grin and plopped down beside me, making the swing go crazy.

“Thanks,” I giggled.

He passed me the donut. “I like that,” he almost whispered.

“What?” I asked with a mouth full of chocolate donut. “Me eating like a pig?”

He laughed. “No, silly. I like to hear you laugh.”

I looked at him. “What? Don’t give me that blank stare viola.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to figure out why you think all these cliché lines will work on
me. ‘Oh, I’ll always be there for you, Vi.’ ‘I love your laugh slash smile, Vi.’ ‘I won’t ever hurt you, Vi,” I replied, putting extra emphasis on the last Vi.

“It’s not cliché,” he shrugged. “It’s true.”

“I’ve hurt that before. I’ve heard it all before,” I told him and i stood up.

“How can you have heard it all, your only seventeen. And look where you live. You don’t know
it all Viola,” he countered as he sat back and flooded his arms behind his head.

“Okay, so I live in a nice neighborhood. So do you. I haven’t traveled around the world, or been everywhere and done everything. But I know enough about people by now to know when they are in for the long run, and when they are just passing through. And I know you are just passing through. And I am not going to get attached to someone I know is not going to be around,” I all but yelled as I paced back and forth in front of him.

“How do you know that? Why do you think I am just passing through. And why not just give it a chance, See where things go?” he asked. “And e even if it is just passing maybe we could learn something from each other.”

“Why?” I threw my hands up in the air. “Why do you sound like your taking you lines out of a romance novel. Why can’t we be real. This isn’t going anywhere, you don’t like me. Your wasting your time,” I sighed. “You’re wasting my time and yours.”

“I thought we got somewhere last night Viola. I thought you were finally starting to let me in. I thought we were going to start being friends, or something,” he asked I looked into his eyes for a brief moment he looked sad. I felt bad, but I knew it was better for the both of us to just let whatever we had fall apart.

“Well, Nate, you thought wrong. I don’t need friends I don’t need anyone. I just need to get out of here.” I said and I ran off into the house and up to my room. I grabbed a bag out of my closet and threw a few things in it. I ran over to Vaughn’s room and grabbed his keys off his night stand and I ran down to the garage.

I knew it was a bad idea to just run away. I knew it was a bad idea to not think about the consequences. I knew it was a bad idea to take Vaughn’s car. But I also knew that if I didn’t do think I would loose my mind.

I ran down the stairs trying my very best not to run into anyone, so I didn’t have to answer and questions. I made it to the front yard and into Vaughn’s car. I threw my bag in the back seat and quickly left the drive way. I flew down the round and made all the turns I knew that would take me to the ocean.

I finally made it. To the ocean and I drove along the coast until the sun started to set. That was when I pulled over. I turned off the car and I walked out to the edge of the water. I stuck my toes in and it was chilly, so I backed up a bit and just sat. This was my beach, a little father down was my grandparents old beach house in which I had a key for. I would run here often, less lately. This was my first visit in a month or two.

I laid back in the sand and tried to forget about the world moving so quickly all around me.

“Viola,” someone yelled. A someone I didn’t want to hear right now.

I turned my head to see Nate running towards me. I didn’t move I just closed my easy and laid still.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, I could hear the worry in his voice. How could someone who has known me for such a little time, pretended to care so much.

“I saw you leave, and so I fallowed you out here. You are a crazy driver,” he laughed nervously. I could sense that he was still standing. When I didn’t reply he laid down near me, so that our arms were lightly brushing. The touch was so light that I almost thought I
was imagining it.

“Why did you run?” he asked. “Why do you keep running?”

I said nothing; I continued to lay there motionless.

“Viola, why don’t you stand up to them. Why do you think you are so weak?” he asked.

I felt a tear starting to drip down the side of my face, I tried to squeeze them back. I can’t cry.
All I ever do is cry. I can’t let him see me like this. It will let him know he has gotten to me.
Another tear escaped from my shut lids.

“Viola,” he whispered and he ran his hand over my tears. “It’s okay.”

“Why are you here?” I asked and I turned to look at him. Now he was the one to not answer, he had his eyes shut. I looked back up and shut my eyes. And then I felt him put his hand in mine.