Status: Slowly but surely.
Olive and an Arrow
dodging the raindrops
I snatched the note from John’s hands and turned my back to him so he couldn’t see what it read.
“Would you like me to leave you alone for a bit?” There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice but I took it for what it was worth.
I waved him off with my free hand and sat down at the kitchen table. John walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He began to strum on his guitar and I tried to focus all my attention onto Alex’s words.
Wow, you’ve never been very observant have you Aria?
I can’t even express the emotions I’m feeling right now to you because I can’t exactly pinpoint them myself. Hearing him pour his heart out to you in such a cheesy way makes me what to rip off his head because you deserve so much better. He is just going to play with your emotions and then tear your heart out.
Well guess what? I’m not going to be the one to pick up the pieces .
I can’t be that guy anymore because we already went through this with Jack. Remember? The guy that proposed to you and then CHEATED on you? Guess what? John is exactly like him, Aria. Remember that. Remember that I warned you, remember that I won’t be here.
Alex.
Tears streamed down my face as I read and reread his harsh words. Each syllable was like a stab to my heart. I gripped the thin piece of paper in my hands and began to rip it to shreds. Tiny pieces of his note fell to the kitchen floor like snow.
The melodic sound of John’s guitar stopped abruptly and I could hear his heavy footsteps approach the kitchen door.
“Aria, are you okay?” His voice was hesitant, like he didn’t know how I would react to his question.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I stood up and wiped my eyes with the palm of my hand. “I’m going to go for a walk, I’ll call you later.”
Without looking back at John, I ran out of my house and into the bitter October evening. Tears leaked down my cheeks and I flipped up the hood to my jacket.
How could he say something like that? We are best friends.
I ran absent-mindlessly down the road, my feet tapping the cold cement as the wind blew my hood off of my head.
A million thoughts swarmed in my head as I approached the only place I thought I would be understood. I slowed my pace and walked up the short driveway to the huge brick house I knew so well.
I knocked loudly on the door and the windows blurred out the petite figure that appeared not to long after.
The door swung open and tears welt up in my eyes. “Bright.”
Brighten took a step towards me and enveloped me in a warm hug. The scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies made my senses go wild as the heat from inside the house hit my cold face.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was sincerely concerned as she led me into her house. She closed the door behind me and I followed her into the kitchen.
We sat down at the kitchen table and she handed me a cookie while I explained to her what happened no more than a half an hour prior.
Brighten just stared at me, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “So, you just left John alone at your house?”
“Oh gosh, yeah I did. Why can’t I think things through for once?”
Brighten shook her hand and took a hold of my trembling hands. “I bet you have so much..crap in your head right now.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “You have no idea.”
“I think I do, look Aria, Alex is a good guy and he will come to his senses soon enough and get over the fact that you make your own choices...your own mistakes..”
“You think me dating John is a mistake?” My tone hardened and I pulled my hands away from hers abruptly.
Brighten shook her head. “No, gosh no! What I’m saying is-is that you are going to make your own decisions and so will Alex. You guys just have to learn to deal with the consequences of those decisions and if him being away from you is him dealing with it...then so be it. But everything is going to be okay, I promise.”
Was that a promise she could keep?
“You’re right, I just need to calm down and wait for Alex to come to me.”
“So, the concert is tonight...are you still planning on going?” She looked expectantly at me and I forced a smile.
“Of course, I’m not going to let Alex think that he scared me off.”
She smiled and patted my hand lightly before standing up and taking the empty plate to the dishwasher. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I spent the rest of the evening with Brighten getting ready for the guys show. My stomach churned as we neared the music venue and Brighten noticed me tense.
“It’s going to be okay, Ar. Just pretend like nothing happened.”
I nodded absent-mindlessly and unbuckled my seat belt slowly. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Aria.” I turned my head to face her. “You have me, okay? Alex doesn’t even matter right now. We are here to support the guys.”
She waited for me to nod before going on. “We are going to go in there and we are going to have the best time of our lives, okay?”
I smiled softly for her sake and nodded. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
__________
The venue was already packed with overly eager fans and we pushed through the throng of sweaty teenagers to the front of the line. We flashed the security guard our VIP passes and they let us through without another glance.
Though my stomach was uneasy I just brushed it off and acted as though everything was fine, for Brighten.
Once we made it backstage, all of my anxiety of seeing Alex disappeared when I saw my brother standing in the wings talking to Rian. I screamed and ran full force into my brothers arms. He enveloped me in a huge bear hug and I sighed into his chest.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had finals this week?”
Brandon smiled down at me and kissed my forehead. “I got them done early, you don’t think I would miss All Time Low’s homecoming do you?”
I could help but smile when I looked at my brother. He was the spitting image of my dad when he was Brandon’s age. Every aspect of him reminded me of dad, his navy blue eyes and the shaggy brown hair that fell just above his dark eyelashes.
Brandon excused himself from Rian and led me over to where Brighten was standing. “So fill me in on what has been going down. Alex has been locked in the dressing room blaring Heartless by A Day To Remember all afternoon. No one can get him to come out.”
I glanced over at Brighten who just rolled her eyes. “He is angry with me for dating..”
“John O’Callaghan, yeah I know.”
“So if you know the story then why did you ask me?” I questioned Brandon while peaking over his shoulder at the dressing room door.
“I just wanted to see if the information I collected was legit.”
I couldn’t focus on anything he was saying, what anybody was saying for that fact. My mind continuously went back to Alex and how upset he was.
I’d never seen him that angry before.
“Who exactly did you collect this information from?” Brighten asked while taking a sip of her water.
Brandon blinked and shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Jack.”
Brighten and I both groaned simultaneously and Brandon nodded in agreement. “I know, but honestly who else is going to keep me updated?”
“All Time Low, on in ten minutes!”
I watched as Jack glanced at Rian with a worried look and they both hurried to the dressing room door.
“Alex, seriously man, we are on in ten minutes.”
When no reply came to the boys, Jack threw his hands up in the air and sighed. “I’m done trying to help him, he makes things so difficult.”
Wow, doesn’t that sound familiar.
“If he doesn’t get his butt out here in the next three minutes I am going to break that door down and drag him by his hair to the freaking stage!”
Rian winced at the level of Jack’s voice and Jack stormed off to the wings.
Brandon glanced back at me and sighed, “He really must be tore up about this.”
“Yeah, we know that Brandon so will you please keep your comments to yourself?” Brighten hissed back.
My heart stopped cold and it felt as though the world had stopped spinning. The door to the dressing room opened and Alex stepped out. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and glanced over at me. He stopped dead in his tracks once his eyes met mine and we just stared at each other.
Being best friends for so long, we could just look at each other and know what the other person was feeling. At this point in time I really didn’t want to know, but once our eyes met I could feel the pain he was harboring in his heart.
After what felt like hours of us just staring at each other acknowledging each others pain, his gaze was torn from mine when Jack motioned for him to go on stage.
Without another glance at me, Alex straightened his dark long sleeved shirt and ran out to greet the crowd who now had begun to chant, “Alex”.
Brandon waved a hand in front of my face and I blinked up at him.
“What were you staring at? It was almost like you were totally not in this world for a second.”
A second, it felt like an eternity.
“Nothing important.”
Brighten shot me a curious glance but I brushed it off and smiled softly up at Brandon. “Should we go get our seats?”
Brandon nodded and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “We shall.”
As the three of us walked out into the crowded venue, arms wrapped around each other, all I could think about was Alex.
And oddly, I was okay with that.
“Would you like me to leave you alone for a bit?” There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice but I took it for what it was worth.
I waved him off with my free hand and sat down at the kitchen table. John walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He began to strum on his guitar and I tried to focus all my attention onto Alex’s words.
Wow, you’ve never been very observant have you Aria?
I can’t even express the emotions I’m feeling right now to you because I can’t exactly pinpoint them myself. Hearing him pour his heart out to you in such a cheesy way makes me what to rip off his head because you deserve so much better. He is just going to play with your emotions and then tear your heart out.
Well guess what? I’m not going to be the one to pick up the pieces .
I can’t be that guy anymore because we already went through this with Jack. Remember? The guy that proposed to you and then CHEATED on you? Guess what? John is exactly like him, Aria. Remember that. Remember that I warned you, remember that I won’t be here.
Alex.
Tears streamed down my face as I read and reread his harsh words. Each syllable was like a stab to my heart. I gripped the thin piece of paper in my hands and began to rip it to shreds. Tiny pieces of his note fell to the kitchen floor like snow.
The melodic sound of John’s guitar stopped abruptly and I could hear his heavy footsteps approach the kitchen door.
“Aria, are you okay?” His voice was hesitant, like he didn’t know how I would react to his question.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I stood up and wiped my eyes with the palm of my hand. “I’m going to go for a walk, I’ll call you later.”
Without looking back at John, I ran out of my house and into the bitter October evening. Tears leaked down my cheeks and I flipped up the hood to my jacket.
How could he say something like that? We are best friends.
I ran absent-mindlessly down the road, my feet tapping the cold cement as the wind blew my hood off of my head.
A million thoughts swarmed in my head as I approached the only place I thought I would be understood. I slowed my pace and walked up the short driveway to the huge brick house I knew so well.
I knocked loudly on the door and the windows blurred out the petite figure that appeared not to long after.
The door swung open and tears welt up in my eyes. “Bright.”
Brighten took a step towards me and enveloped me in a warm hug. The scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies made my senses go wild as the heat from inside the house hit my cold face.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was sincerely concerned as she led me into her house. She closed the door behind me and I followed her into the kitchen.
We sat down at the kitchen table and she handed me a cookie while I explained to her what happened no more than a half an hour prior.
Brighten just stared at me, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “So, you just left John alone at your house?”
“Oh gosh, yeah I did. Why can’t I think things through for once?”
Brighten shook her hand and took a hold of my trembling hands. “I bet you have so much..crap in your head right now.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. “You have no idea.”
“I think I do, look Aria, Alex is a good guy and he will come to his senses soon enough and get over the fact that you make your own choices...your own mistakes..”
“You think me dating John is a mistake?” My tone hardened and I pulled my hands away from hers abruptly.
Brighten shook her head. “No, gosh no! What I’m saying is-is that you are going to make your own decisions and so will Alex. You guys just have to learn to deal with the consequences of those decisions and if him being away from you is him dealing with it...then so be it. But everything is going to be okay, I promise.”
Was that a promise she could keep?
“You’re right, I just need to calm down and wait for Alex to come to me.”
“So, the concert is tonight...are you still planning on going?” She looked expectantly at me and I forced a smile.
“Of course, I’m not going to let Alex think that he scared me off.”
She smiled and patted my hand lightly before standing up and taking the empty plate to the dishwasher. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I spent the rest of the evening with Brighten getting ready for the guys show. My stomach churned as we neared the music venue and Brighten noticed me tense.
“It’s going to be okay, Ar. Just pretend like nothing happened.”
I nodded absent-mindlessly and unbuckled my seat belt slowly. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Aria.” I turned my head to face her. “You have me, okay? Alex doesn’t even matter right now. We are here to support the guys.”
She waited for me to nod before going on. “We are going to go in there and we are going to have the best time of our lives, okay?”
I smiled softly for her sake and nodded. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
__________
The venue was already packed with overly eager fans and we pushed through the throng of sweaty teenagers to the front of the line. We flashed the security guard our VIP passes and they let us through without another glance.
Though my stomach was uneasy I just brushed it off and acted as though everything was fine, for Brighten.
Once we made it backstage, all of my anxiety of seeing Alex disappeared when I saw my brother standing in the wings talking to Rian. I screamed and ran full force into my brothers arms. He enveloped me in a huge bear hug and I sighed into his chest.
“What are you doing here? I thought you had finals this week?”
Brandon smiled down at me and kissed my forehead. “I got them done early, you don’t think I would miss All Time Low’s homecoming do you?”
I could help but smile when I looked at my brother. He was the spitting image of my dad when he was Brandon’s age. Every aspect of him reminded me of dad, his navy blue eyes and the shaggy brown hair that fell just above his dark eyelashes.
Brandon excused himself from Rian and led me over to where Brighten was standing. “So fill me in on what has been going down. Alex has been locked in the dressing room blaring Heartless by A Day To Remember all afternoon. No one can get him to come out.”
I glanced over at Brighten who just rolled her eyes. “He is angry with me for dating..”
“John O’Callaghan, yeah I know.”
“So if you know the story then why did you ask me?” I questioned Brandon while peaking over his shoulder at the dressing room door.
“I just wanted to see if the information I collected was legit.”
I couldn’t focus on anything he was saying, what anybody was saying for that fact. My mind continuously went back to Alex and how upset he was.
I’d never seen him that angry before.
“Who exactly did you collect this information from?” Brighten asked while taking a sip of her water.
Brandon blinked and shoved his hands into his front pockets. “Jack.”
Brighten and I both groaned simultaneously and Brandon nodded in agreement. “I know, but honestly who else is going to keep me updated?”
“All Time Low, on in ten minutes!”
I watched as Jack glanced at Rian with a worried look and they both hurried to the dressing room door.
“Alex, seriously man, we are on in ten minutes.”
When no reply came to the boys, Jack threw his hands up in the air and sighed. “I’m done trying to help him, he makes things so difficult.”
Wow, doesn’t that sound familiar.
“If he doesn’t get his butt out here in the next three minutes I am going to break that door down and drag him by his hair to the freaking stage!”
Rian winced at the level of Jack’s voice and Jack stormed off to the wings.
Brandon glanced back at me and sighed, “He really must be tore up about this.”
“Yeah, we know that Brandon so will you please keep your comments to yourself?” Brighten hissed back.
My heart stopped cold and it felt as though the world had stopped spinning. The door to the dressing room opened and Alex stepped out. He ran his fingers through his messy hair and glanced over at me. He stopped dead in his tracks once his eyes met mine and we just stared at each other.
Being best friends for so long, we could just look at each other and know what the other person was feeling. At this point in time I really didn’t want to know, but once our eyes met I could feel the pain he was harboring in his heart.
After what felt like hours of us just staring at each other acknowledging each others pain, his gaze was torn from mine when Jack motioned for him to go on stage.
Without another glance at me, Alex straightened his dark long sleeved shirt and ran out to greet the crowd who now had begun to chant, “Alex”.
Brandon waved a hand in front of my face and I blinked up at him.
“What were you staring at? It was almost like you were totally not in this world for a second.”
A second, it felt like an eternity.
“Nothing important.”
Brighten shot me a curious glance but I brushed it off and smiled softly up at Brandon. “Should we go get our seats?”
Brandon nodded and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “We shall.”
As the three of us walked out into the crowded venue, arms wrapped around each other, all I could think about was Alex.
And oddly, I was okay with that.
♠ ♠ ♠
sorry this took so long, and it's not that good of a chapter. :/it will get better, promise!
<3