Welcome to the Family
Two
Nicole’s fingers worked over the keys as she typed out her message and posted it on facebook. She had told whom ever had created the event that she would be attending and dragging a few of her friends with; that what this person had organized was a great way to show appreciation and respect to their fallen hero.
She reached over for her phone on her desk and scrolled through her contacts, stopping at the letter S and dialing her best friend’s number.
“Hey Nikki, what’s up?”
“Sadie!” Nicole exclaimed into the receiver. “Do you still have those candles from last year?”
“The candles from when we went to the beach?” Sadie questioned, glancing around her kitchen for them. “I think I do, why?”
“We need them for something.”
“What are you planning Nikki?”
“I didn’t plan it, someone else beat me to it,” She said sounding a bit defeated. “I like her idea better than mine anyway.”
“Which is?”
“Go on facebook and you’ll see. I said I’m attending the event so it should be on my page. I have to go though, I need to find that notebook.”
“Nicole,” Sadie groaned. “You know they probably aren’t even going to show up.”
“Sade, I don’t really give a flying fuck. If they’re there, they’re there. If not, then oh well. I’ll text you later or something.”
“Alright, bye hun.”
“Bye.”
--------
“ZACK!”
“What?” He answered, poking his head in to the office that his sister was sitting in, her eyes glued to the screen before her.
“Would you come look at this?” She asked, scrolling up and down on the page.
He furrowed his brow. “What is it?”
“This girl is holding a vigil on the beach,” Amber explained, reading the description, which laid out in detail what was going to happen. “Then she’s inviting everyone back to her house on the boardwalk to listen to the CD’s and share memories.”
“That’s nice,” Zacky nodded, backing away from the screen, not seeming very interested in it at all.
“There’s at least eight hundred people that are going to be there for sure.”
“Your point is?”
Amber spun around in her chair, looking at her brother right in the eyes. “You should go.”
“No.”
“Zack…”
“No Amber.”
“It’d be nice.”
“We’d be attacked!”
“I bet you wouldn’t.”
“You don’t know those people.”
“Are you saying you don’t know your own fans?”
He let out a frustrated sigh fully aware that Amber had just cornered him. “I’m not saying that Amber. I’m saying that you can be anyone on the internet and that even if these people seem like they wouldn’t hurt a fly, they might.”
“You’re just afraid of rabid fan-girls.”
“That too.”
Amber spun back around in her chair and clicked the ‘I’m attending’ button. “Just think about it Zack, that’s all I ask.”
“I’ll think about it, but not for long,” He said before ruffling his sister’s hair and exiting the room.
A new IM from Harley popped up on the bottom of Amber’s screen.
Harley O’Brien: Hey baby :)
Amber Baker: Hey there.
Harley O’Brien: How’s it goin?
Amber Baker: Zack’s in one of his bitchy moods again. Other than that good. You?
Harley O’Brien: Nothin. Just got off the phone with Brian. We’re having lasagna tonight if you guys wanna come over.
Amber Baker: I might just have to sneak over. Haha. You know how much I love your lasagna.
Harley O’Brien: Am, everybody loves my fucking lasagna.
Amber Baker: Shut up. Stop goating.
Harley O’Brien: I believe you mean gloating.
Amber Baker: Fuck off.
Harley O’Brien: Oh I love you too skank!
Amber Baker: Grrr.
Harley O’Brien: Get over yourself. So what’s this event that you have invited me to?
Amber Baker: This girl is holding a vigil on the beach and then wants everyone to come back to her house to share memories and what not. We should go.
Harley O’Brien: Is Zack going?
Amber Baker: No. That’s why he’s in a bitchy mood. I asked him though.
Harley O’Brien: I’ll ask Brian when he comes over. Maybe if he goes Zack will. We should probably ask Matt and Johnny if they want to come too.
Amber Baker: I was thinking that, but I wasn’t sure.
Harley O’Brien: Well Captian PMS can’t refuse if the other three amigos are going.
Amber Baker: This is true.
Harley O’Brien: So, I’ll invite everyone over tonight and we can have some lasagna and talk about this. Sound good?
Amber Baker: Works for me. But did you make enough?
Harley O’Brien: I figured if I invited Brian, he’d tell, so I made extra.
Amber Baker: Oh, alright, haha. I’ll see you later tonight then.
Harley O’Brien: Sounds good babe. Can’t wait to see you!
Amber Baker: Shut up. You sound like a stalker.
Harley O’Brien: But I’m your stalker.
Amber Baker: Go check on dinner. Bye.
She reached over for her phone on her desk and scrolled through her contacts, stopping at the letter S and dialing her best friend’s number.
“Hey Nikki, what’s up?”
“Sadie!” Nicole exclaimed into the receiver. “Do you still have those candles from last year?”
“The candles from when we went to the beach?” Sadie questioned, glancing around her kitchen for them. “I think I do, why?”
“We need them for something.”
“What are you planning Nikki?”
“I didn’t plan it, someone else beat me to it,” She said sounding a bit defeated. “I like her idea better than mine anyway.”
“Which is?”
“Go on facebook and you’ll see. I said I’m attending the event so it should be on my page. I have to go though, I need to find that notebook.”
“Nicole,” Sadie groaned. “You know they probably aren’t even going to show up.”
“Sade, I don’t really give a flying fuck. If they’re there, they’re there. If not, then oh well. I’ll text you later or something.”
“Alright, bye hun.”
“Bye.”
--------
“ZACK!”
“What?” He answered, poking his head in to the office that his sister was sitting in, her eyes glued to the screen before her.
“Would you come look at this?” She asked, scrolling up and down on the page.
He furrowed his brow. “What is it?”
“This girl is holding a vigil on the beach,” Amber explained, reading the description, which laid out in detail what was going to happen. “Then she’s inviting everyone back to her house on the boardwalk to listen to the CD’s and share memories.”
“That’s nice,” Zacky nodded, backing away from the screen, not seeming very interested in it at all.
“There’s at least eight hundred people that are going to be there for sure.”
“Your point is?”
Amber spun around in her chair, looking at her brother right in the eyes. “You should go.”
“No.”
“Zack…”
“No Amber.”
“It’d be nice.”
“We’d be attacked!”
“I bet you wouldn’t.”
“You don’t know those people.”
“Are you saying you don’t know your own fans?”
He let out a frustrated sigh fully aware that Amber had just cornered him. “I’m not saying that Amber. I’m saying that you can be anyone on the internet and that even if these people seem like they wouldn’t hurt a fly, they might.”
“You’re just afraid of rabid fan-girls.”
“That too.”
Amber spun back around in her chair and clicked the ‘I’m attending’ button. “Just think about it Zack, that’s all I ask.”
“I’ll think about it, but not for long,” He said before ruffling his sister’s hair and exiting the room.
A new IM from Harley popped up on the bottom of Amber’s screen.
Harley O’Brien: Hey baby :)
Amber Baker: Hey there.
Harley O’Brien: How’s it goin?
Amber Baker: Zack’s in one of his bitchy moods again. Other than that good. You?
Harley O’Brien: Nothin. Just got off the phone with Brian. We’re having lasagna tonight if you guys wanna come over.
Amber Baker: I might just have to sneak over. Haha. You know how much I love your lasagna.
Harley O’Brien: Am, everybody loves my fucking lasagna.
Amber Baker: Shut up. Stop goating.
Harley O’Brien: I believe you mean gloating.
Amber Baker: Fuck off.
Harley O’Brien: Oh I love you too skank!
Amber Baker: Grrr.
Harley O’Brien: Get over yourself. So what’s this event that you have invited me to?
Amber Baker: This girl is holding a vigil on the beach and then wants everyone to come back to her house to share memories and what not. We should go.
Harley O’Brien: Is Zack going?
Amber Baker: No. That’s why he’s in a bitchy mood. I asked him though.
Harley O’Brien: I’ll ask Brian when he comes over. Maybe if he goes Zack will. We should probably ask Matt and Johnny if they want to come too.
Amber Baker: I was thinking that, but I wasn’t sure.
Harley O’Brien: Well Captian PMS can’t refuse if the other three amigos are going.
Amber Baker: This is true.
Harley O’Brien: So, I’ll invite everyone over tonight and we can have some lasagna and talk about this. Sound good?
Amber Baker: Works for me. But did you make enough?
Harley O’Brien: I figured if I invited Brian, he’d tell, so I made extra.
Amber Baker: Oh, alright, haha. I’ll see you later tonight then.
Harley O’Brien: Sounds good babe. Can’t wait to see you!
Amber Baker: Shut up. You sound like a stalker.
Harley O’Brien: But I’m your stalker.
Amber Baker: Go check on dinner. Bye.