Status: Complete
Turning A Page
-01-
I paced around the room, trying to figure out what I should do. The life I had thought was going so well had just crumbled around me. Picking up my phone, I called my best friend, knowing he would be able to calm me down and help me think.
"Susie's Massage Parlour. You're speaking with Susie, how may I help?" was the greeting I received from a deep, distinctly male voice. It wasn't the voice I was expecting, but it had me almost laughing anyway.
"Um, hey Susie. Is Johnny around?"
"I think he's around here somewhere... Let me go look for him. What's ya name anyway?" I could hear voices in the background, interspersed with clips of music.
"It's Sarah."
"Ah, so you're the infamous Sarah! Oh, here's Johnny." I could hear the two guys talking quietly for a few second before Johnny was on the line. After explaining everything that had gone wrong in the last 24 hours he reminded me of the pact we had made when we were younger.
~***~
Tears were pouring down my face as I clung to my best friend since I was 5.
"We're moving back, JC." I had just found out that my family was shifting back to our native New Zealand.
We'd been living next door to Johnny's family for the last 8 years. From the first night, when I caught Johnny making faces at me through his bedroom window, I knew he was going to be fun to live next to. That had been proved over the years when we were nearly inseparable, and always getting into mischief. It hadn't mattered that he was a year older, or that his brother and my sister wouldn't even talk to each other.
"But. You. Can't. Go," Johnny was crying, the first time I had ever seen him do so. We spent the rest of that night cuddled together in his bed, talking until we both fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning Johnny was watching me with a sad smile.
"I've decided that when we're older you're coming back to live with me. Promise me, ok?"
"Ok JC. I'm gunna miss you. Who's gunna get me in trouble if you're not around?" We both laughed at that.
~***~
That was almost ten years ago. We'd managed to keep in touch all this time, usually catching up every month or so. It constantly surprised me that we had kept as close as we had always been.
Three days later I was arriving into the organised chaos that is LAX. After clearing customs I made my way through to the Arrivals area, looking for anyone who looked remotely like the boy I had grown up with. One thing we had never done over the years was swap photos, however I knew he had several portrait tattoos over his right arm. I always loved hearing his stories of why he had gotten the tattoos he had. I really couldn't wait to see the cowboy skull he had on his neck. After glancing around for a few minutes I spotted two guys lurking near the back of the crowd. Even though he had long sleeves on I could tell the slightly shorter one was Johnny. His brown eyes that I had looked into so many times before were easily recognisable. As I made my way towards them the black haired guy next to Johnny noticed me and pointed me out. He turned to look at me, his eyes searching my face before lighting up with excitement. His smile grew to match mine, and as I got closer his arms opened up to engulf me in a hug.
"It's good to see you again JC."
"Susie's Massage Parlour. You're speaking with Susie, how may I help?" was the greeting I received from a deep, distinctly male voice. It wasn't the voice I was expecting, but it had me almost laughing anyway.
"Um, hey Susie. Is Johnny around?"
"I think he's around here somewhere... Let me go look for him. What's ya name anyway?" I could hear voices in the background, interspersed with clips of music.
"It's Sarah."
"Ah, so you're the infamous Sarah! Oh, here's Johnny." I could hear the two guys talking quietly for a few second before Johnny was on the line. After explaining everything that had gone wrong in the last 24 hours he reminded me of the pact we had made when we were younger.
~***~
Tears were pouring down my face as I clung to my best friend since I was 5.
"We're moving back, JC." I had just found out that my family was shifting back to our native New Zealand.
We'd been living next door to Johnny's family for the last 8 years. From the first night, when I caught Johnny making faces at me through his bedroom window, I knew he was going to be fun to live next to. That had been proved over the years when we were nearly inseparable, and always getting into mischief. It hadn't mattered that he was a year older, or that his brother and my sister wouldn't even talk to each other.
"But. You. Can't. Go," Johnny was crying, the first time I had ever seen him do so. We spent the rest of that night cuddled together in his bed, talking until we both fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning Johnny was watching me with a sad smile.
"I've decided that when we're older you're coming back to live with me. Promise me, ok?"
"Ok JC. I'm gunna miss you. Who's gunna get me in trouble if you're not around?" We both laughed at that.
~***~
That was almost ten years ago. We'd managed to keep in touch all this time, usually catching up every month or so. It constantly surprised me that we had kept as close as we had always been.
Three days later I was arriving into the organised chaos that is LAX. After clearing customs I made my way through to the Arrivals area, looking for anyone who looked remotely like the boy I had grown up with. One thing we had never done over the years was swap photos, however I knew he had several portrait tattoos over his right arm. I always loved hearing his stories of why he had gotten the tattoos he had. I really couldn't wait to see the cowboy skull he had on his neck. After glancing around for a few minutes I spotted two guys lurking near the back of the crowd. Even though he had long sleeves on I could tell the slightly shorter one was Johnny. His brown eyes that I had looked into so many times before were easily recognisable. As I made my way towards them the black haired guy next to Johnny noticed me and pointed me out. He turned to look at me, his eyes searching my face before lighting up with excitement. His smile grew to match mine, and as I got closer his arms opened up to engulf me in a hug.
"It's good to see you again JC."