First Love
chapter 20
Annie's pov
A couple of weeks later I stepped of the plane into California, after going through customs I collected my luggage and went to meet my family.
My parents stood holding up a 'Welcome home' sign and shouted when they saw me, whereas my sister looked as if she'd rather be anywhere but here.
The drive home was full of my parents's questions about New Jersey, my birthday, and other random stuff like the weather.
When we arrived home my parents made me go up to my room so that they could set up a little late birthday party for me, it felt good to be in my own room. I looked around to reaquaint myself with everything, covering almost every inch of my walls were posters of various bands, photo's of me and my friends rested on the window sill and in one of the corners stood my beautiful baby, a guitar that my dad had had customised for me.
After a while of drinking up the atmosphere my parents called me downstairs for the party/dinner.
"Annie I made you your favourite," said my mum dishing out lasagne, I looked up at my dad who smiled knowing that this wasn't my favourite.
"Thankyou mum, it looks great," I said smiling before tucking in.
After dinner I walked our dog Velma with my dad.
"So you like it in New Jersey," he said putting his arm across my shoulders. "Does that mean you wont want to come home yet?" he asked.
"I don't know," I sighed. "I like New jersey and well there's Frank," I said blushing.
"But," he added, avoiding his usual boyfriend speech about how we're too young to focus on boys blah blah blah.
"But, this is home." I said looking down. "And I miss it. I miss you and my friends, and waking up in my own room, and getting ice cream on the pier and stuff."
"Well you know it's your choice sweetheart, you have to do what you feel is best for you," he said before messing up my hair.
"Dad!"
The few days that I had at home were great, I was able to catch up eith all my friends that I'd been neglecting a little, we did all the crazy fun things that we used to do. It was great to see them again.
Unfortunately time passed pretty quickly and soon I was on the plane back to New Jersey. While I was on it I did a lot of thinking, there was a decision that needed to be made and I was scared that I would make the wrong one.
The day after I got back Frank came over to see me.
"Oh, I missed you sooooo much," he said pulling me into a bear hug.
"I missed you too," I said before kissing him.
"Did you have a good time?" he asked.
"Yeah I did," I replied.
"You could at least look as if you're telling the truth," he said poking me.
"I am," I said looking down to avoid eye contact.
"What's wrong?" he asked holding my hand.
Looking up I saw the concern in his eyes and felt my mouth go dry, I knew I had to tell him what I'd decided but I didn't know how to. I felt my heart slowly breaking.
"Oh my God!" he shouted seeing my expression. "You're leaving aren't you?" he asked moving away from me.
I nodded before bursting into tears.
Frank's pov
I didn't know what to do, I never loved anyone as much as her and she'd just told me that she's leaving. My heart began to beat so fast that I could hear it.
I felt a mixture of anger, hurt and sadness, I wanted to just run home to hide under my covers and pretend this hadn't just happened. But it broke my heart to see her crying, I couldn't leave her like that, walking back over to her I took her in my arms felling her body shudder as she cried. After a moment I felt something fall oonto my cheek and realised that I was crying too.
A while later we sat on her bed and began to talk.
"I'm so sorry Frank," she said putting her hand on my cheek.
"It's ok," I said laying my hand over hers.
"No it's not ok, it's not ok at all," she said as her eyes began to well up again.
"Please don't cry," I said resting my forehead on hers.
"I can't help it," she said sniffing. "It seems like all I ever do is hurt people."
"That's not true, Annie I always knew in the back of my mind that what we have wasn't forever, your life is in California and I can't expect you to stay here because of me." I said wiping her eyes.
"Just because you knew, doesn't mean it's not hurting you," she said holding onto me.
"Yeah but being with you was worth it," I said with a weak smile.
We sat in silence for a little while just holding each other.
"When are you going to go?" I asked not really wanting to hear the response.
"Um I don't know. I guess after new years," she said shrugging.
"So we have a month," I said.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Well then what are we doing sitting around here and being all emo? we should be making the most of the time we have left together." I said jumping off the bed and holding out my hand for her.
That afternoon we went ice skating, we cirled the rink about a million times holding each others hands and then when we began to feel like walking icicles we went to get some hot chocolate and walked through the epark.
As I walked her home it began to snow, Annie began to act like she'd never seen snow beforeI mean it doesn't snow in Californie right? it was pretty heavy and soon we were running around throwing snowballs at each other. I never wanted this day to end.
A couple of weeks later I stepped of the plane into California, after going through customs I collected my luggage and went to meet my family.
My parents stood holding up a 'Welcome home' sign and shouted when they saw me, whereas my sister looked as if she'd rather be anywhere but here.
The drive home was full of my parents's questions about New Jersey, my birthday, and other random stuff like the weather.
When we arrived home my parents made me go up to my room so that they could set up a little late birthday party for me, it felt good to be in my own room. I looked around to reaquaint myself with everything, covering almost every inch of my walls were posters of various bands, photo's of me and my friends rested on the window sill and in one of the corners stood my beautiful baby, a guitar that my dad had had customised for me.
After a while of drinking up the atmosphere my parents called me downstairs for the party/dinner.
"Annie I made you your favourite," said my mum dishing out lasagne, I looked up at my dad who smiled knowing that this wasn't my favourite.
"Thankyou mum, it looks great," I said smiling before tucking in.
After dinner I walked our dog Velma with my dad.
"So you like it in New Jersey," he said putting his arm across my shoulders. "Does that mean you wont want to come home yet?" he asked.
"I don't know," I sighed. "I like New jersey and well there's Frank," I said blushing.
"But," he added, avoiding his usual boyfriend speech about how we're too young to focus on boys blah blah blah.
"But, this is home." I said looking down. "And I miss it. I miss you and my friends, and waking up in my own room, and getting ice cream on the pier and stuff."
"Well you know it's your choice sweetheart, you have to do what you feel is best for you," he said before messing up my hair.
"Dad!"
The few days that I had at home were great, I was able to catch up eith all my friends that I'd been neglecting a little, we did all the crazy fun things that we used to do. It was great to see them again.
Unfortunately time passed pretty quickly and soon I was on the plane back to New Jersey. While I was on it I did a lot of thinking, there was a decision that needed to be made and I was scared that I would make the wrong one.
The day after I got back Frank came over to see me.
"Oh, I missed you sooooo much," he said pulling me into a bear hug.
"I missed you too," I said before kissing him.
"Did you have a good time?" he asked.
"Yeah I did," I replied.
"You could at least look as if you're telling the truth," he said poking me.
"I am," I said looking down to avoid eye contact.
"What's wrong?" he asked holding my hand.
Looking up I saw the concern in his eyes and felt my mouth go dry, I knew I had to tell him what I'd decided but I didn't know how to. I felt my heart slowly breaking.
"Oh my God!" he shouted seeing my expression. "You're leaving aren't you?" he asked moving away from me.
I nodded before bursting into tears.
Frank's pov
I didn't know what to do, I never loved anyone as much as her and she'd just told me that she's leaving. My heart began to beat so fast that I could hear it.
I felt a mixture of anger, hurt and sadness, I wanted to just run home to hide under my covers and pretend this hadn't just happened. But it broke my heart to see her crying, I couldn't leave her like that, walking back over to her I took her in my arms felling her body shudder as she cried. After a moment I felt something fall oonto my cheek and realised that I was crying too.
A while later we sat on her bed and began to talk.
"I'm so sorry Frank," she said putting her hand on my cheek.
"It's ok," I said laying my hand over hers.
"No it's not ok, it's not ok at all," she said as her eyes began to well up again.
"Please don't cry," I said resting my forehead on hers.
"I can't help it," she said sniffing. "It seems like all I ever do is hurt people."
"That's not true, Annie I always knew in the back of my mind that what we have wasn't forever, your life is in California and I can't expect you to stay here because of me." I said wiping her eyes.
"Just because you knew, doesn't mean it's not hurting you," she said holding onto me.
"Yeah but being with you was worth it," I said with a weak smile.
We sat in silence for a little while just holding each other.
"When are you going to go?" I asked not really wanting to hear the response.
"Um I don't know. I guess after new years," she said shrugging.
"So we have a month," I said.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Well then what are we doing sitting around here and being all emo? we should be making the most of the time we have left together." I said jumping off the bed and holding out my hand for her.
That afternoon we went ice skating, we cirled the rink about a million times holding each others hands and then when we began to feel like walking icicles we went to get some hot chocolate and walked through the epark.
As I walked her home it began to snow, Annie began to act like she'd never seen snow beforeI mean it doesn't snow in Californie right? it was pretty heavy and soon we were running around throwing snowballs at each other. I never wanted this day to end.