Meant to Be
Happy Birthday Lexie
“Can I please go say goodbye?” David asked when he went down stairs.
“No go back to your room and stay there.” David went back to his room. He climbed out his window and ran to my house. He knocked on the door and my mom answered it.
“David?” She asked. “ I didn’t think I would be seeing you for a while.”
“I have to talk to Lexie. Please may I talk to Lexie?”
“She’s in her room what’s wrong?”
“Are the guys still here?”
“They left a while ago.”
“Ok that’s fine I’d rather talk to her alone.”
“In her room.” David came up to my room.
“Lexie I’m leaving.”
“When will you be back?” I asked.
“I won’t be they are sending me to my grandparent’s. They said I wouldn’t be back.”
“What about Christmas?”
“No. I am not coming back ever. They won’t even come see me. I have to go back on my medication and I can’t bring my bass or that many of my clothes.”
“You’re leaving for good?”
“Yeah I am. I leave in an hour, I’m not supposed to even be here. They said I couldn’t say good-bye. I have to go I have to tell the guys. I’m sorry I don’t have more time to spend with you.”
“Its ok can I go with you to tell the guys.” I was crying.
“lets go before they realize I’m gone.” he gave me a hug and we left through the back door. We went to Seb’s house first.
“what are you doing here? What’s wrong? Has Will been bugging you?” Seb asked as we entered his room.
“I’m leaving I have to go stay with my grandparents I leave in an hour. So I’ll be seeing you at the Dinner in two weeks.”
“how long will you be gone what about the battle?”
“I won’t be coming back and you can have my bass I won’t be needing it. I can’t take it.”
“Isn’t that what keeps you calm at night?”
“I’m back on the meds. I don’t want to go you’re the only one I can talk to after I leave.”
“Why are they sending you away?”
“Because we got into trouble today.”
“When are you coming back?”
“I’m not I’m stuck there for a year until I turn eighteen. And that is only if I’m lucky. I don’t want to go back on the pills, I don’t want to leave.”
“Who all have you told so far?”
“Just you and Lexie.”
“Lets go tell the rest. I’ll call them and have them meet us at Pierre’s.”
“Ok lets go I can’t be gone for to long.”
“ How many bags are you taking?”
“One and it’s not even full.”
“You taking your board?”
“Can’t I’m not allowed to have fun. I have to sit in my room and do my homework I don’t think I can do anything not that I would be able to I’m kind of scared.” We left and met the guys over at Pierre’s. They stared in disbelief when he had told them the news.
“Please tell me your lying you can’t see any of us ever again?” Pierre asked.
“No maybe when I’m allowed to move out.”
“Don’t leave. We need you here.” Jeff said. Chuck looked over at me I was still crying. He couldn’t say anything all he could do was look from David to me. Ten minutes passed where no one said a word or made any noise. That’s not true the only noise was me crying. During that ten minutes David held me in his lap and I cried into his chest. Jeff’s phone rang and that was what had disturbed our silence. It was his mom asking if he was with David his parents were calling everywhere looking for him since he ran away.
15 minutes later we all walked back to my house. It was time for David to leave. He kissed me one last time before heading back home where his grand parents were waiting. Chuck held me in his arms as I cried.
“Did you take your medicine?” David’s dad asked.
“No sir. And I won’t it doesn’t help me.”
“Go in and take it if you screw up here I swear I will send you farther away.”
“I already feel as if I’m dying.”
“Why because of that stupid girl?”
“She is not stupid.”
“Any girl that lets you get kicked out of school for her is stupid.”
“I wasn’t kicked out I had to go home for today only.” David was yelling.
“What do you think you are doing yelling at you father like that?” His grandfather asked
and hit him with the cane.
“Sorry sir. I know it was wrong but I wasn’t kicked out of school and I don’t want to live with you and I want to play my bass and I want to be able to board and I want to be able to date Alexis.” He looked toward my house we were all sitting on the front porch watching him get ready to leave. He waved and was shoved into the car.. We watched the car pull out I ran after it and Chuck ran after me. I collapsed in his arms in the middle of the street. The rest of the guys came up to us and we all sat in the middle of the street. Finally chuck made me get up. He carried me back to my house. I ran into my room and into my bed so I could cry more.
“Are you guys still going to do it?” Mom asked as they came down.
“Yeah we are.” Chuck said then they all left.
In my room Pip crawled under my arm. Under the other arm was David, the cheetah. Pip started licking the tears that fell from my eyes. Mom came up to my room and sat by me while rubbing my back.
“Why would they do that to us? He wasn’t suspended. It’s all my fault. I should have stayed with Will.” Mom sat me up and messed with my hair.
“Go take a shower and I’ll bring you up soup.”
“Ok?”
“Just do it.” I did as I was told.
“David you should be happy here. We made your room to be as comfortable as possible. And I hope you began to feel at home very soon.” His grandfather said.
“I want to see Lexie. I miss mom. I want to play my bass. I want to go skateboarding.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? If you would like to play an instrument we have a
piano you can play. You can go horseback riding. In fact you should start doing that more often so you are prepared for school.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your classes are designed around the horses. And you are on the polo team.”
“Why I haven’t been near a horse since I was 12.”
“And you loved them.”
“I miss my friends.”
“I thought you got ice cream when your heart gets broken?” I asked when mom brought me my soup.
“soup will make your heart warm unlike ice cream which makes it cold.” mom said.
“I like ice cream better.”
“Eat your soup then you can have ice cream.” I nodded and ate my soup.
“Why did they have to make him go away?’
“They never thought you would actually end up together. They didn’t want it. They were fine with you being friends because they thought he would grow out of it or you would get jealous when he got a girlfriend. They especially didn’t want you guys to be together after what happened with your dad. I’m sorry they told me so many time to not let you guy’s play together. I just didn’t listen. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so hurt. They have been planning to send him away for a while almost a year. I should have told you but I couldn’t.”
“He’s not coming back ever. Did they tell you that?”
“Yeah they did.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then. Why did you let me start dating him? Did you want to see
me get hurt?”
“Never I thought maybe if you guys got together and both of you were happy maybe they would change their minds.”
“You were wrong. I want ice cream.” I had only taken 3 bites of soup. She took it away anyway and brought back a pint of ice cream.
“The guys are still taking you out for your birthday. They’re coming tonight.”
“I don’t want to go. I feel so I dumb I was crying in the middle of the street.”
“I think that maybe why they are taking you. I don’t know but I think you should go. Have fun.”
“I want David green day is his favorite. I miss him they shouldn’t be so mean.”
“They aren’t being mean they are trying to protect him.”
“Mean. They didn’t need to separate us when Will was causing all the problems. I bet he’s mad at me its my fault.”
“He’s not mad that is why he told you first. He knew Seb could tell the rest but he had to tell you.”
“He still gets to see Seb. That makes me feel worse.”
“Don’t quit that. You need to go on you and Seb have to be strong. You are the only ones in school for a while you have to protect each other. You have to.”
“How? Don’t the others get to come back on Thursday?”
“No they can’t go back until Monday since they had already been called in for Tuesday Wednesday“
“This sucks I hate that everything went wrong and it’s my fault.”
“How do you figure it’s your fault?”
“If I wouldn’t of let Max and Will and James get my drinks at the parties I wouldn’t of been drugged and I wouldn’t of been raped.”
“It’s not your fault I have a feeling that David will be back anyway he won’t be able to stay there for to long.”
“Ok I hope your right.”
“Grandmother, I’m bored. I want to go skateboarding.” David sat sitting in the living room besides her.
“Christa will be over later today then you won’t be bored.”
“But I don’t want to see Christa she is mad at me.”
“Why on earth would she be mad at you?”
“Because I told her I wouldn’t be her boyfriend.”
“Why would you do a stupid thing like that?”
“Because I already have a girlfriend. Her name is Alexis she is my best friend.”
“That is nonsense. You and Christa can date.”
“No grandmother we can’t I love Alexis. And she loves me.”
“Really she loves you?”
“Yeah she was helping me study for my chemistry test.”
“Or was she studying and you were listening?”
“She took chemistry last year she didn’t have to study.”
“Really and she loves you even though you have that little problem.”
“She knows about my A.D.D. and she helps me out so much. She helped me when I decided to go off my pills. And she helped when mom said I couldn’t even though I had no idea what I was doing half the time, and she helped out the band and she taught me how to board. She’s been there for my entire life and she loves me.”
“I don’t care Christa will be over for dinner wear something nice.”
“I don’t want to eat dinner. I don’t want your stupid food I want to see Alexis. Why can’t
I see her?”
“Sit down, we have very important people coming over tonight and you will be on your best behavior.”
“Important to you. I don’t care I’m supposed to be with Alexis tonight! We are supposed to be celebrating her birthday tonight tomorrow and the next day.”
“You need to act civilly towards these people if you don’t I swear I will.”
“Don’t you dare do anything to me. I just want to see my girlfriend.”
“Why don’t you go and ride your horse.”
“I don’t want to ride my horse. I want to talk to Alexis. I don’t want to have some fancy
dinner I want to have fast food.”
“Why don’t you go find something appropriate to wear and let me approve it before you decided to wear it.”
“Why am I here? I wasn’t suspended.”
“ Go find your outfit?”
“No answer my question!”
“Go now before I get your grandfather in here.” David got up and went to his room. He started throwing stuff around and kicking the walls. His grand father ran in a few minutes after he started.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Grandfather screamed.
“I don’t want to be here. I’m bored let me go home. I want to go home.”
“That is not an option now clean up this mess.”
“No I don’t want to this isn’t my fault I don’t like horses. I don’t know how to play the piano. I want to play my bass and go boarding. I want to hang out with my friends and I want to see Alexis. These are not outrageous demands. Just let me do them.”
“Did your grandmother tell you about the dinner?”
“I’m not going to eat. I’m not going to wear stupid clothes. I ‘m not even going to go down stairs. I will stay up here and listen to my cd player.”
“No you won’t.” The grandfather swung his cane low and hit David’s bad leg.
“Shit that fucking hurts.” David yelled as he fell to the ground.
“Watch your mouth.”
“Don’t hit me with that god damn cane. The doctor said my leg is fucked up it could be
broken but they couldn’t tell. They said if it was it was a tiny hairline fracture but they couldn’t tell to easily since I’ve broken the leg twice before.”
“Get the hell up and apologize for your language.”
“No I won’t do it I want to go home I hate it here.”
“Get the hell up.” He hit him again.
“Stop hitting me. I’ve been beat enough.”
“Say you are sorry.”
“For you hitting me? Never.”
“Then starve in here.”
“I’d rather starve to death then live with you.”
“ Then starve on the streets. you’re just a stupid kid I don’t care what you think.”
“You don’t care about anything.”
“If you don’t like it here you can leave.”
“I can?”
“Yeah you can.”
“Goodbye. You can have these I don’t like them.” He handed his grandfather his pills.
“They prescribe these for a reason.”
“So you’d be happy with me I can’t function when on them.”
“Where do you plan on living?”
“My girlfriend’s mom likes me, my friend’s dad likes me, I have plenty of places I can stay and not have to be what I’m not.”
“Don’t come back.”
“I didn’t want to come in the first place.” David ran out of the house and started the long walk home. His grandparents lived 48 miles away from where we all lived. It was 2:30 when he left. It would take him 9 hours to walk back to my house. We were all asleep. I had gone to sleep around 6:30 and mom had made sure to keep the spare key underneath the mat. The plan her and Chuck worked out so we didn’t have to worry about the door being unlocked. David would sit out there for half an hour before the guys showed up.
“What are you doing here?” Jeff asked as the walked to the door.
“Is it bad to be kicked out of your grandparents house?”
“Yeah?”
“Then I did a bad thing.”
“You got kicked out?” Chuck asked.
“Yeah I did. I just wanted to see Lexie.”
“I don’t get it how did you get here?” Pierre asked.
“I walked.”
“You walked isn’t that like.” Seb started.
“48 miles. It took me 9 hours but I stopped for food.”
“Why were you kicked out?”
“I was bored and I got mad..”
“Please tell me you didn’t throw stuff.” Pierre said.
“I did and grandfather came in and he hit me with his cane in the leg and I started cussing
at him so he kept hitting me.”
“When are you going back?” Jeff asked.
“I can’t I told them I’d rather starve then live with them so they said I could starve on the streets.”
“Where are you going to stay?”
“I don’t know my parent’s is out of the question my grandparent’s is out of the question. So I think the streets.”
“Where is your bag?”
“I had to leave it.”
“Lets get inside. We have to get going.” Chuck said.
“Do what?”
“Celebrate Alex’s birthday. Remember the green day concert. The amusement park it was your idea then we have to worry about the battle then we’ll worry about your living arrangement.”
“Ok let’s go I can’t wait to see green day.”
“You’ll have to wait it starts at 8 in the night.”
“Lets go I want to see Lexie.”
“Let her sleep she wouldn’t stop crying earlier. Her mom kept calling to see if you had a
cell phone but you broke it.”
“Sorry I got mad.”
“It’s not your fault she called me when she got to sleep, told me the key would be under the mat.”
“ Let’s go I just want to see her.” Chuck got the key and they sneaked upstairs to my room. I was knocked out mom had given me some sleep pills because I had refused to do anything even sleep. So it was easy for them to pick me up and carry me to the van. They left a note for my mom and placed it on the counter saying that they had came and got me and David was back. They drove for an hour before I started to wake up a little. That little bit of waking up didn’t affect anything I just shifted positions on David’s chest. David, Pierre, Tabby and I were all asleep in the back seat. Seb was in the middle spread out waiting for Chuck to wake him up to drive. Jeff was asleep in the front seat. It was during Seb’s time of driving about an hour into his driving time that my nightmare begun. We had been driving for five and a half hours.
“Daddy I didn’t do anything. This isn’t fair I didn’t do anything who was it on the phone?” I screamed reenacting the event that had happened so long ago. That woke Chuck up and he turned to see Tabby, Pierre, and David looking at me.
“Wake her up!” Chuck yelled.
“No wait I want to know the truth about what the fight was about.” David said.
“Who was on the phone? Please stop hitting me. I didn’t ask to be born you know. I didn’t mean to screw up your life. It’s raining I don’t want to go outside. Put me down.” I was shaking and crying through my shut eyes. “Daddy let me in this isn’t right I don’t want to be tied to the gate. Daddy I don’t like the rain. I don’t like being alone in the dark. Daddy don’t leave me out here! Don’t go back inside. What are you going to do with your belt?”
“Guys you have to wake her up look at her!” Chuck yelled again.
“No just a little longer.” Pierre said.
“Daddy David is not a retard he is my friend and he will be my friend for always. He might even be my boyfriend one day. Put down the tree branch. Daddy quit I’m just a little kid. I don’t deserve this. Please stop. No daddy I didn’t mean for you to go back inside and leave me alone out here. Let me back inside. Daddy turn the light on.” My voice became panicked and a little louder. “Daddy it’s hailing it hurts. Let me inside I promise I won’t say a word just let me in. Daddy lightening is going off really close.” I stayed quiet for a few minutes. “Chuck Jeff please untie me. I know you don’t like me but I just want to go in and I can’t untie myself. It’s raining and I don’t have a jacket and it’s been hailing on me I just want to go inside daddy won’t let me in. What are you going to do with those?” I started screaming and saying ow.
“Wake her up now!” Chuck said.
“Stop throwing those rocks. I don’t have cooties I’m just a little girl I couldn’t possibly hurt you in any way I just want to go inside and hide in my closet. I’m scared of the storm and I’m afraid of the dark. Those are not dumb things to be scared of. You’re older then me of course you aren’t scared of them anymore. I’m only 6 and I don’t like the dark. Wait come back untie me! At least take the rope off my neck. It hurts me bad I can’t move to much.” I started trying to pull at my throat. “Jeff Chuck come back this isn’t fair.” I screamed again. “DADDY lightening just hit a little ways away from the house. Help me please let me back in.” I curled into a little ball well as well as could seeing as I was in the back seat of a van with 3 other people. I screamed again only this time louder. “Daddy it hit in the yard there is fire in the yard. Come let me go back inside.” I stopped yelling and just continued to shake. I was crying and was whimpering and was trying to shield my eyes. After a few minutes I quit. “ Didn’t do anything. I hurt really bad I’m sorry Mrs. Desroisiers. I want my mommy. Why did daddy have to hit me? He used a tree branch and his belt and his hands and his fists and his feet and anything else he could grab. He even broke mommy’s vase that her mommy gave her before she died. I want mommy. Where’s David can I talk to him? What time is it I thought it was early why is he sleeping? I don’t feel to good. Can you call my mommy or maybe my daddy I want to go home and sleep in my own bed. Your couch isn’t that comfortable just to let you know. I’m not cold I don’t want a blanket I feel hot. I do not have a fever. I just want to sleep just for a little while.” I quit breathing.
“Lexie wake up Lexie wake up now!” David said shaking me. “Lexie I’m home it’s me David wake up and see me.” I refused to open my eyes again. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me. You promised. I’m back and I won’t ever leave you again.” He started crying one of his tears fell directly on my cheek. “Lexie wake up I would do anything for you so please wake up we’re going to see green day did you know that. We’re going to see green day and go to the amusement park, then on Wednesday we’re going to win the battle of the bands for you so wake up and and see us. You promised you wouldn’t leave me and I promise I won’t leave you.” Another of his tears fell on my cheek. I woke up.
“David am I dreaming? Shouldn’t you be at your grandparents house?” I asked sleepily.
“I came back for you. I love you.” He quit crying.
“What’s wrong why are you all staring at me?”
“No reason we have been waiting for you to wake up.”
“Mom gave me some sleep pills earlier they knock me out good. I don’t do well with drugs in me.”
“Ok.”
“I’m still tired can I go back to sleep?”
“Go ahead.” Chuck said. He laid back down and I closed my eyes.
“What the hell was that?” Tabby asked.
“That was a nightmare of the most extreme measure.” Chuck said. “ A nightmare for all
who are involved.”
“It was scary.”
“Why didn’t you wake her up when I first told you to?”
“Why did you throw rocks at her?” David asked.
“I told you we did already.”
“I thought you were joking what kind of mean kids would throw rocks at a younger kid
tied to a fence while she is pleading for help.”
“Don’t be mad at me at least your mom helped her.”
“She took her back to her dad. I bet you didn’t know that. After they found out she had her fever they took her back to her dad and god damn if he didn’t put her in the dog house.”
“What?”
“I bet you didn’t know that.”
“No I didn’t just like I have no idea why your mom took your license away.”
“Because we ran away. She came over one night or I guess morning and she was crying
so we ran away. Her mom had been talking to her dad again so. He had been over at her house that night for dinner so she ran to my house when she found out he spent the night.”
“You guys ran away? Where did you go?”
“America.”
“What do you mean America?” Seb asked.
“We just drove and we ended up in America. It was kind of cool until mom found us. She
reported the car stolen.”
“She didn’t know?”
“How could she it was around 3 in the morning when we left.”
“ America huh? What’s it like?” Pierre asked.
“We didn’t get to far there was really nothing in the town we stopped in. There was a little diner where we ate, and a little shop where we bought snacks. And then there was a stupid store where we blew the rest of our money. That is where she got her mood ring. Remember that? And that is where I got the fake gum and the map of America that ended at Iowa. And that is also where we got the water guns and the automatic snowball maker.”
“That didn’t work.”
“That was why it was a stupid store. And we spent all our money on the stupidest things. We ended up running out of gas before we were able to get more money and had to call her mom but my mom got us first.” He was laughing which made everyone else laugh.
“You ran away how many times have you ran away?” Chuck asked.
“ A ton. There was 3 times last year two this year so far. Umm I think it started back when I was 14 so I don’t know for sure how many times.”
“You are on a dangerous road.”
“It looks safe.” David was looking out the window at the road we were traveling on.
“That is not what I mean. your life is on a dangerous track you do realize we won’t always be here to bail you out right?”
“I know that I and I don’t expect you to be.”
“And you realize that Alex might not want to always be in trouble or crying over you.”
“I never meant for her to be.”
“You did hear the part of the dream when she was talking about you. She said you weren’t a retard and then he started hitting her.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Nothing at all.” David looked at Pierre who seemed just as confused as David. They looked towards Seb who was also confused. They were all confused but Chuck who understood that I was hit because of my friendship with David. It wasn’t the hockey contract at all. He heard that and understood that faster then the rest of the guys. With in the next hour or so we arrived at a motel just a little ways away from the amusement park. And a little ways away from the venue for green day. David carried me to our room.
The guys were nice and let us sleep until 7:30 that morning. Chuck called over to our room, the phone woke me up.
“David why are you here?” I asked as I turned over and found him next to me. He woke up to the sound of my voice.
“Don’t you remember last night I came back I had to see you I got kicked out of my grandparents house. It was terrible. Please tell me you’re not mad. I love you.”
“This isn’t my room.”
“We’re in a motel. We kidnapped you so we could celebrate your birthday.”
“Ok.” I kissed him.
“I missed you.”
“You weren’t even gone for a day.”
“I was gone for a long time I walked from my grandparents house to your house. It took nine hours. It was worth it.”
“I couldn’t stop crying mom had to give me sleep pills. I didn’t mean for you to get in to trouble.”
“Did your dad think I was a retard?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I heard something.”
“Yes he did and I told him you weren’t it’s nothing for you to worry about. He’s not coming back ever.”
“How come you never told me Chuck and Jeff threw rocks at you that night?”
“I you guys were friends I didn’t want to wreck that. I just never quite trusted them.”
“They are sorry.”
“I believe you.” We got dressed and went down to the lobby the guys were waiting for us.
“Finally lets get going.” Pierre said. “We called you like half an hour ago what have you been up to?”
“We haven’t seen each other in like a day what do you think we were doing?” I said and
wrapped my arms around David.
“Gross I don’t want to know.”
“Geeze perv we weren’t doing nothing gross just kissing.”
“Oh ok, let’s go we have a lot to do today.”
“Like what?”
“Like we can go to an amusement park like you wanted.”
“Can we really?”
“Yeah.” We left and went to the amusement park. Seb was to scare to go on the roller coasters so I waited with him on a few.
“Lexie come on a roller coaster with me I want to go on a roller coaster with you.” David whined as I missed out on the 4th ride.
“What about Seb who will stay with him?”
“You can go I’m a big boy.” Seb said I got up and went on the ride. We ended up going on a lot of rides and leaving the rest of the guys behind. It was a few hours before they called us to see where we were. They met up with us and we enjoyed a nice lunch.
“Where have you guys been?” Chuck asked.
“Riding rides?” David answered.
“Getting scared.” I answered.
“You were scared?”
“I don’t do good with heights.”
“So you don’t want to go on the bungee jump again?”
“Hell no.”
“Ok I get it.”
“I love you.”
“Guys you are weird.” Jeff said.
“You’re just jealous.” David said.
“Of what?”
“That you don’t have a girl as great as Lexie.”
“You’re right I am.”
“What?” All of us asked at once.
“Did you say I was right?” David asked.
“Yeah who wouldn’t want a girlfriend like Alex. If the girl could put up with your dumb
ass all day and still love you she is a keeper.”
“That is half really nice and half really mean.” Seb said.
“Yep nice to Alex and mean to David.”
“Try being fully nice next time.”
“That isn’t fun.”
“Lets go back on rides before we all get old and die.”
“ Fine lets.” Chuck said. We got up and went on more rides. We stayed at the park all
day. Then around 7:00 the guys came up to me.
“Are you ready for another surprise?” David asked.
“Isn’t you coming home and me getting to go to the amusement park enough?” I asked.
“Not when dealing with us.”
“Ok what?”
“We bought you a ticket to green day.” Pierre said.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah we are look.” Pierre held up the tickets and I let out a high-pitched squeal. “I guess you like them?”
“I thought you were joking when you told me.” I said more to Chuck then anyone else. “I tried to get David a set for his birthday but they were sold out.”
“We got the last ones.” Seb said.
“What are we waiting for lets go.” We left and the concert was great. We went back to
the motel and David and I went straight to bed.
“Why did you guys do this for me?” I asked.
“Because I love you and the others are your best friends not to mention it’s your
birthday.” David said and kissed me.
“We didn’t do anything for your birthday. I didn’t even get you anything.”
“We started dating on my birthday and that is all I wanted. Ask Pierre when we brought
you to my house I told him to leave and he asked what I wanted for my birthday. I told him nothing just you to dump Will and realize that I love you. That is all I wanted and that is what I got. I don’t care about anything else.”
“I feel terrible though I should have gotten you something I should of. But I.”
“Don’t do that. I got what I wanted and you’ve had enough to worry about with Will and me and everything else.”
“I know I just.” I let out a slight cough, “I just feel bad that I didn’t get you anything.”
“Are you ok? Are you sick?”
“No I’m fine I’ve just been battling a small cold for the past few days.”
“Are you sure do you need to go home?”
“I’d rather be with you. I don’t feel like going home.”
“I don’t want you to get sicker.”
“I won’t it’s just a little cold.”
“But…”
“I’ve been sick before.”
“Yeah but whenever you say you’re sick I’m always a little afraid. I always think about that time when we were 6. And how bad you were and how scared I was for you.” He looked at me with big eyes.
“ I haven’t been that sick since I was 6. Don’t worry.”
“ You were pretty sick when your dad came back last year.”
“Lets not mention that again.”
“But you were. You were really sick.”
“I know I was lets not talk of it. I know I was sick and I know I was bad but I’m better
now. I won’t do that again I promise.”
“Ok just are you ok? Or should I get the guys to take us home.”
“I’m fine lets just have some sleep then in the morning we will have fun with the guys ok
I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Ok.” He kissed me again and I took his shirt off. He looked at me weird. I took my shirt off. “What are you doing?”
“I know you want to and no one can walk in on us here.”
“You said it was a bad idea. Didn’t you listen to the guys you could get pregnant. I know
you aren’t ready to do this with me so why are you?”
“I want you to love me.”
“I do love you I love you more then I love anything else.”
“I want to know that you love me and you’ll never leave me. I want to know that you’ll never hurt me.”
“I won’t you we don’t have to do anything for that to make sense.”
“I want you to know that I’ll never hurt you again.”
“I know you won’t.”
“I know you want to so why are you fighting it ?”
“It’s not supposed to be like this. We are supposed to be looking into each others eyes, just gotten done with something very romantic, one of us whispers I love you and then we kiss the most passionate kiss either of us has ever had then we do it without it feeling so forced. With out so many strings attached.”
“I love you so much.” I started to cry and he hugged me. A few minutes later I quit crying but he wouldn’t let me go. I enjoyed feeling so close to him our breathing matched. I kissed his chest and his heart started to pound a little harder.
“I love you too and you know that and you need to believe me when I say I won’t ever hurt you.”
“Your heart is beating fast.” I looked up at him and he smiled.
“It always does when you are close.”
“Mine beats fast when you hold me.” He let me go and kissed me. My cell phone went off. “It’s your mom.” I said as I looked at it.
“Do you have to answer it?”
“I should.” I answered it and immediately she began to yell.
“Where is my son? I have been calling everywhere all day he ran away from his grandparents and seeing as you are the slut you are and will give him anything I know he is with you!”
“Ma’am I didn’t do anything and I’m not a slut.” David took the phone from me.
`
“Mom I’m right where I belong with my girlfriend and my friends the ones who have always loved me. That is more then I can say for you and dad.” He hung up the phone and kissed me again. I broke the kiss and looked at him in disbelief. Never before had he ever stood up to her and never before had he ever said anything bad about her like that.
“Why did you stand up to her why did you tell her that?”
“Because I love you and I know you love me. So why shouldn’t I tell her that?”
“I love that you did that should we go tell the others?”
“Probably seeing as I don’t exactly have a bass.”
“True and you have to worry about the battle.”
“Yep I’m glad you understand that and I’m really glad that you still love me.”
“I could never not love you. You do so much for me I have loved you since we were like 4.”
“That’s good I’m glad that you feel that way. Lets go tell the others.” I called them up on the cell phone and we all met in Pierre and Tabby’s room.
“He stood up to his mom.” I said as they all sat down. They looked at me in disbelief and I looked at them excitement running through my eyes.
“I did really but I don’t have a bass for Wednesday.”
“Actually you do I went and got yours before we left.” Pierre said.
“That’s great.” David was looking at the ground not really talking to anyone. “She must hate me. Why was I so dumb I have to call her back. I have to tell her I’m sorry. I can’t let her hate me or think I hate her.”
“David she kicked you out of your house and sent you to your grandparents’ they don’t like you and they won’t let you be who you are. They don’t understand what it is like for you. You work so hard at what you do and you love things differently then most people would. They don’t care though they only see what you do wrong and they only see you do things wrong they just don’t care about you.” Seb said.
“I know and I think that maybe why it hurts so bad.” David went back to our room. I looked at the guys helplessly I had no idea what to do. Pierre mouthed the word go. I got up and went after David. He was sitting on our bed and he was crying. I went and sat by him. We sat there for ten minutes without saying anything he just cried. After the ten minutes he looked over at me as if he had just realized I was even there.
“Are you ok?” I asked softly afraid to make the first sound.
“I don’t know anymore I hope I am but at the same time I don’t know. Everything feels so messed up just why did Seb have to say that? Why couldn’t he of kept his mouth shut and left my family and me alone? Lexie I’m scared. Honest to god I’m scared how can this be so messed up when it felt as if we should be celebrating. We still get to be together and I don’t have to be on my pills yet I can’t make this feel right?”
“What are you saying are you saying you want to break up? You’re scaring me really bad right now.”
“Lexie I don’t want you to be mad at me and I know you won’t hate me for doing this but
I think we might.”
“No don’t say it.”
“Lexie don’t be mad but it might be for the best if we stop for a little while.”
“No! you don’t mean it please tell me you don’t mean it.”
“I do I know you didn’t want me to know but I know you were beat when you were 6 because of me. I don’t want you to be hurt because of me anymore. I’m sorry I got you hurt and I’m sorry that Chuck and Jeff threw rocks at you and most of all I am sorry that I had to do this that I am very sorry for.”
“You don’t want to and you don’t mean to I know you don’t so please don’t. Just take it back and we will forget this in all entirety. Please take it back.” I was crying now and was holding his shoulder.
“Alexis I think this is for the best we can still be friends.”
“No I want you in all or not at all I don’t want to do the friend thing again. I don’t want to hide my feelings for you any longer.”
“Alexis all I ever did for you was get you in trouble and get hurt.”
“How did you know dad beat me because of you?”
“You had one of those dreams about it.”
“It isn’t like he is around anyway mom said he was gone for good and if he was back I
would need you. No one would understand like you please tell me that you don’t believe I could go on without you.”
“I just get you hurt.”
“You saved me from Will. Did you forget that? It was you who saved me and it is you that I love.”
“Don’t say that I know that you don’t..”
“I do love you I have always loved you and don’t tell me that I don’t”
“Alexis don’t be mad at me.”
“Why are you calling me Alexis?”
“It is your name.”
“Never to you. It was never my name to you.”
“We have grown up.”
“I don’t want to though not if it means leaving you.”
“We don’t have a choice. My parents are pissed at me. They will kill me when we get back. And what if they get the grandparents in on it. I can’t deal with the thought of leaving you again. They told me how you acted. They told me you were crying in the middle of the street for like 10 minutes and then you wouldn’t talk to any of them. I can’t do that to you again. And what if your dad comes back and he gets mad at you again? I couldn’t stand the thought of not being there to protect you. I just want to be there to protect you always but I can’t be. What if Will was to get you again and this time I wasn’t there to help you to save you. Do you know how bad I would feel. To let that happen to you for as long as it did was wrong of me to allow it to happen again is just terrible.”
“It won’t happen again. It can’t happen again. If it was to it wouldn’t be your fault. It would be mine.”
“No it wouldn’t.” He started crying. “I can’t believe I let you get beat back when you were 6 I was right across the street. I heard you scream and yell but I didn’t go check. How dumb could I of been? Do you realize how bad I felt once mom brought you over. She wouldn’t let me see or talk to you. She locked me in my room but I got out and I was watching from the hall. As you shaked and cried and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I saw as you fell and I heard you ask for me. You asked for your dad, you asked for me then you asked for your dad. I couldn’t do anything mom would of beat my ass if I would of walked over to you a held you I wanted to but I couldn’t.”
“ You were there? Are you serious? You heard what I told your mom?”
“Not all of it.”
“David please don’t break up with me. You know I love you and I know you know
because if you didn’t you wouldn’t remember the things you do. Please just tell me we aren’t through.”
“Lexie we have to be. I have to beg for forgiveness just so we can be friends I would hate to see anything else. Please Lexie I’m too weak to go against my mom let alone my dad.”
“David this hurts really bad. I’m going to go for a walk I can’t be here right now.” I ran out of the room and sat in between our room and Chuck and Sebastian’s room. I was crying hard. All curled up in a ball, shaking, hitting the ground as hard as I could. A guy came out of the room on the opposite side of mine and came over to me. He sat next to me and just waited. I fell onto his shoulder and cried into it. He held me close and soon I stopped crying.
“Who are you?” I asked as I looked up at his unfamiliar face. He chuckled and smiled at me.
“No go back to your room and stay there.” David went back to his room. He climbed out his window and ran to my house. He knocked on the door and my mom answered it.
“David?” She asked. “ I didn’t think I would be seeing you for a while.”
“I have to talk to Lexie. Please may I talk to Lexie?”
“She’s in her room what’s wrong?”
“Are the guys still here?”
“They left a while ago.”
“Ok that’s fine I’d rather talk to her alone.”
“In her room.” David came up to my room.
“Lexie I’m leaving.”
“When will you be back?” I asked.
“I won’t be they are sending me to my grandparent’s. They said I wouldn’t be back.”
“What about Christmas?”
“No. I am not coming back ever. They won’t even come see me. I have to go back on my medication and I can’t bring my bass or that many of my clothes.”
“You’re leaving for good?”
“Yeah I am. I leave in an hour, I’m not supposed to even be here. They said I couldn’t say good-bye. I have to go I have to tell the guys. I’m sorry I don’t have more time to spend with you.”
“Its ok can I go with you to tell the guys.” I was crying.
“lets go before they realize I’m gone.” he gave me a hug and we left through the back door. We went to Seb’s house first.
“what are you doing here? What’s wrong? Has Will been bugging you?” Seb asked as we entered his room.
“I’m leaving I have to go stay with my grandparents I leave in an hour. So I’ll be seeing you at the Dinner in two weeks.”
“how long will you be gone what about the battle?”
“I won’t be coming back and you can have my bass I won’t be needing it. I can’t take it.”
“Isn’t that what keeps you calm at night?”
“I’m back on the meds. I don’t want to go you’re the only one I can talk to after I leave.”
“Why are they sending you away?”
“Because we got into trouble today.”
“When are you coming back?”
“I’m not I’m stuck there for a year until I turn eighteen. And that is only if I’m lucky. I don’t want to go back on the pills, I don’t want to leave.”
“Who all have you told so far?”
“Just you and Lexie.”
“Lets go tell the rest. I’ll call them and have them meet us at Pierre’s.”
“Ok lets go I can’t be gone for to long.”
“ How many bags are you taking?”
“One and it’s not even full.”
“You taking your board?”
“Can’t I’m not allowed to have fun. I have to sit in my room and do my homework I don’t think I can do anything not that I would be able to I’m kind of scared.” We left and met the guys over at Pierre’s. They stared in disbelief when he had told them the news.
“Please tell me your lying you can’t see any of us ever again?” Pierre asked.
“No maybe when I’m allowed to move out.”
“Don’t leave. We need you here.” Jeff said. Chuck looked over at me I was still crying. He couldn’t say anything all he could do was look from David to me. Ten minutes passed where no one said a word or made any noise. That’s not true the only noise was me crying. During that ten minutes David held me in his lap and I cried into his chest. Jeff’s phone rang and that was what had disturbed our silence. It was his mom asking if he was with David his parents were calling everywhere looking for him since he ran away.
15 minutes later we all walked back to my house. It was time for David to leave. He kissed me one last time before heading back home where his grand parents were waiting. Chuck held me in his arms as I cried.
“Did you take your medicine?” David’s dad asked.
“No sir. And I won’t it doesn’t help me.”
“Go in and take it if you screw up here I swear I will send you farther away.”
“I already feel as if I’m dying.”
“Why because of that stupid girl?”
“She is not stupid.”
“Any girl that lets you get kicked out of school for her is stupid.”
“I wasn’t kicked out I had to go home for today only.” David was yelling.
“What do you think you are doing yelling at you father like that?” His grandfather asked
and hit him with the cane.
“Sorry sir. I know it was wrong but I wasn’t kicked out of school and I don’t want to live with you and I want to play my bass and I want to be able to board and I want to be able to date Alexis.” He looked toward my house we were all sitting on the front porch watching him get ready to leave. He waved and was shoved into the car.. We watched the car pull out I ran after it and Chuck ran after me. I collapsed in his arms in the middle of the street. The rest of the guys came up to us and we all sat in the middle of the street. Finally chuck made me get up. He carried me back to my house. I ran into my room and into my bed so I could cry more.
“Are you guys still going to do it?” Mom asked as they came down.
“Yeah we are.” Chuck said then they all left.
In my room Pip crawled under my arm. Under the other arm was David, the cheetah. Pip started licking the tears that fell from my eyes. Mom came up to my room and sat by me while rubbing my back.
“Why would they do that to us? He wasn’t suspended. It’s all my fault. I should have stayed with Will.” Mom sat me up and messed with my hair.
“Go take a shower and I’ll bring you up soup.”
“Ok?”
“Just do it.” I did as I was told.
“David you should be happy here. We made your room to be as comfortable as possible. And I hope you began to feel at home very soon.” His grandfather said.
“I want to see Lexie. I miss mom. I want to play my bass. I want to go skateboarding.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? If you would like to play an instrument we have a
piano you can play. You can go horseback riding. In fact you should start doing that more often so you are prepared for school.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your classes are designed around the horses. And you are on the polo team.”
“Why I haven’t been near a horse since I was 12.”
“And you loved them.”
“I miss my friends.”
“I thought you got ice cream when your heart gets broken?” I asked when mom brought me my soup.
“soup will make your heart warm unlike ice cream which makes it cold.” mom said.
“I like ice cream better.”
“Eat your soup then you can have ice cream.” I nodded and ate my soup.
“Why did they have to make him go away?’
“They never thought you would actually end up together. They didn’t want it. They were fine with you being friends because they thought he would grow out of it or you would get jealous when he got a girlfriend. They especially didn’t want you guys to be together after what happened with your dad. I’m sorry they told me so many time to not let you guy’s play together. I just didn’t listen. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so hurt. They have been planning to send him away for a while almost a year. I should have told you but I couldn’t.”
“He’s not coming back ever. Did they tell you that?”
“Yeah they did.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then. Why did you let me start dating him? Did you want to see
me get hurt?”
“Never I thought maybe if you guys got together and both of you were happy maybe they would change their minds.”
“You were wrong. I want ice cream.” I had only taken 3 bites of soup. She took it away anyway and brought back a pint of ice cream.
“The guys are still taking you out for your birthday. They’re coming tonight.”
“I don’t want to go. I feel so I dumb I was crying in the middle of the street.”
“I think that maybe why they are taking you. I don’t know but I think you should go. Have fun.”
“I want David green day is his favorite. I miss him they shouldn’t be so mean.”
“They aren’t being mean they are trying to protect him.”
“Mean. They didn’t need to separate us when Will was causing all the problems. I bet he’s mad at me its my fault.”
“He’s not mad that is why he told you first. He knew Seb could tell the rest but he had to tell you.”
“He still gets to see Seb. That makes me feel worse.”
“Don’t quit that. You need to go on you and Seb have to be strong. You are the only ones in school for a while you have to protect each other. You have to.”
“How? Don’t the others get to come back on Thursday?”
“No they can’t go back until Monday since they had already been called in for Tuesday Wednesday“
“This sucks I hate that everything went wrong and it’s my fault.”
“How do you figure it’s your fault?”
“If I wouldn’t of let Max and Will and James get my drinks at the parties I wouldn’t of been drugged and I wouldn’t of been raped.”
“It’s not your fault I have a feeling that David will be back anyway he won’t be able to stay there for to long.”
“Ok I hope your right.”
“Grandmother, I’m bored. I want to go skateboarding.” David sat sitting in the living room besides her.
“Christa will be over later today then you won’t be bored.”
“But I don’t want to see Christa she is mad at me.”
“Why on earth would she be mad at you?”
“Because I told her I wouldn’t be her boyfriend.”
“Why would you do a stupid thing like that?”
“Because I already have a girlfriend. Her name is Alexis she is my best friend.”
“That is nonsense. You and Christa can date.”
“No grandmother we can’t I love Alexis. And she loves me.”
“Really she loves you?”
“Yeah she was helping me study for my chemistry test.”
“Or was she studying and you were listening?”
“She took chemistry last year she didn’t have to study.”
“Really and she loves you even though you have that little problem.”
“She knows about my A.D.D. and she helps me out so much. She helped me when I decided to go off my pills. And she helped when mom said I couldn’t even though I had no idea what I was doing half the time, and she helped out the band and she taught me how to board. She’s been there for my entire life and she loves me.”
“I don’t care Christa will be over for dinner wear something nice.”
“I don’t want to eat dinner. I don’t want your stupid food I want to see Alexis. Why can’t
I see her?”
“Sit down, we have very important people coming over tonight and you will be on your best behavior.”
“Important to you. I don’t care I’m supposed to be with Alexis tonight! We are supposed to be celebrating her birthday tonight tomorrow and the next day.”
“You need to act civilly towards these people if you don’t I swear I will.”
“Don’t you dare do anything to me. I just want to see my girlfriend.”
“Why don’t you go and ride your horse.”
“I don’t want to ride my horse. I want to talk to Alexis. I don’t want to have some fancy
dinner I want to have fast food.”
“Why don’t you go find something appropriate to wear and let me approve it before you decided to wear it.”
“Why am I here? I wasn’t suspended.”
“ Go find your outfit?”
“No answer my question!”
“Go now before I get your grandfather in here.” David got up and went to his room. He started throwing stuff around and kicking the walls. His grand father ran in a few minutes after he started.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Grandfather screamed.
“I don’t want to be here. I’m bored let me go home. I want to go home.”
“That is not an option now clean up this mess.”
“No I don’t want to this isn’t my fault I don’t like horses. I don’t know how to play the piano. I want to play my bass and go boarding. I want to hang out with my friends and I want to see Alexis. These are not outrageous demands. Just let me do them.”
“Did your grandmother tell you about the dinner?”
“I’m not going to eat. I’m not going to wear stupid clothes. I ‘m not even going to go down stairs. I will stay up here and listen to my cd player.”
“No you won’t.” The grandfather swung his cane low and hit David’s bad leg.
“Shit that fucking hurts.” David yelled as he fell to the ground.
“Watch your mouth.”
“Don’t hit me with that god damn cane. The doctor said my leg is fucked up it could be
broken but they couldn’t tell. They said if it was it was a tiny hairline fracture but they couldn’t tell to easily since I’ve broken the leg twice before.”
“Get the hell up and apologize for your language.”
“No I won’t do it I want to go home I hate it here.”
“Get the hell up.” He hit him again.
“Stop hitting me. I’ve been beat enough.”
“Say you are sorry.”
“For you hitting me? Never.”
“Then starve in here.”
“I’d rather starve to death then live with you.”
“ Then starve on the streets. you’re just a stupid kid I don’t care what you think.”
“You don’t care about anything.”
“If you don’t like it here you can leave.”
“I can?”
“Yeah you can.”
“Goodbye. You can have these I don’t like them.” He handed his grandfather his pills.
“They prescribe these for a reason.”
“So you’d be happy with me I can’t function when on them.”
“Where do you plan on living?”
“My girlfriend’s mom likes me, my friend’s dad likes me, I have plenty of places I can stay and not have to be what I’m not.”
“Don’t come back.”
“I didn’t want to come in the first place.” David ran out of the house and started the long walk home. His grandparents lived 48 miles away from where we all lived. It was 2:30 when he left. It would take him 9 hours to walk back to my house. We were all asleep. I had gone to sleep around 6:30 and mom had made sure to keep the spare key underneath the mat. The plan her and Chuck worked out so we didn’t have to worry about the door being unlocked. David would sit out there for half an hour before the guys showed up.
“What are you doing here?” Jeff asked as the walked to the door.
“Is it bad to be kicked out of your grandparents house?”
“Yeah?”
“Then I did a bad thing.”
“You got kicked out?” Chuck asked.
“Yeah I did. I just wanted to see Lexie.”
“I don’t get it how did you get here?” Pierre asked.
“I walked.”
“You walked isn’t that like.” Seb started.
“48 miles. It took me 9 hours but I stopped for food.”
“Why were you kicked out?”
“I was bored and I got mad..”
“Please tell me you didn’t throw stuff.” Pierre said.
“I did and grandfather came in and he hit me with his cane in the leg and I started cussing
at him so he kept hitting me.”
“When are you going back?” Jeff asked.
“I can’t I told them I’d rather starve then live with them so they said I could starve on the streets.”
“Where are you going to stay?”
“I don’t know my parent’s is out of the question my grandparent’s is out of the question. So I think the streets.”
“Where is your bag?”
“I had to leave it.”
“Lets get inside. We have to get going.” Chuck said.
“Do what?”
“Celebrate Alex’s birthday. Remember the green day concert. The amusement park it was your idea then we have to worry about the battle then we’ll worry about your living arrangement.”
“Ok let’s go I can’t wait to see green day.”
“You’ll have to wait it starts at 8 in the night.”
“Lets go I want to see Lexie.”
“Let her sleep she wouldn’t stop crying earlier. Her mom kept calling to see if you had a
cell phone but you broke it.”
“Sorry I got mad.”
“It’s not your fault she called me when she got to sleep, told me the key would be under the mat.”
“ Let’s go I just want to see her.” Chuck got the key and they sneaked upstairs to my room. I was knocked out mom had given me some sleep pills because I had refused to do anything even sleep. So it was easy for them to pick me up and carry me to the van. They left a note for my mom and placed it on the counter saying that they had came and got me and David was back. They drove for an hour before I started to wake up a little. That little bit of waking up didn’t affect anything I just shifted positions on David’s chest. David, Pierre, Tabby and I were all asleep in the back seat. Seb was in the middle spread out waiting for Chuck to wake him up to drive. Jeff was asleep in the front seat. It was during Seb’s time of driving about an hour into his driving time that my nightmare begun. We had been driving for five and a half hours.
“Daddy I didn’t do anything. This isn’t fair I didn’t do anything who was it on the phone?” I screamed reenacting the event that had happened so long ago. That woke Chuck up and he turned to see Tabby, Pierre, and David looking at me.
“Wake her up!” Chuck yelled.
“No wait I want to know the truth about what the fight was about.” David said.
“Who was on the phone? Please stop hitting me. I didn’t ask to be born you know. I didn’t mean to screw up your life. It’s raining I don’t want to go outside. Put me down.” I was shaking and crying through my shut eyes. “Daddy let me in this isn’t right I don’t want to be tied to the gate. Daddy I don’t like the rain. I don’t like being alone in the dark. Daddy don’t leave me out here! Don’t go back inside. What are you going to do with your belt?”
“Guys you have to wake her up look at her!” Chuck yelled again.
“No just a little longer.” Pierre said.
“Daddy David is not a retard he is my friend and he will be my friend for always. He might even be my boyfriend one day. Put down the tree branch. Daddy quit I’m just a little kid. I don’t deserve this. Please stop. No daddy I didn’t mean for you to go back inside and leave me alone out here. Let me back inside. Daddy turn the light on.” My voice became panicked and a little louder. “Daddy it’s hailing it hurts. Let me inside I promise I won’t say a word just let me in. Daddy lightening is going off really close.” I stayed quiet for a few minutes. “Chuck Jeff please untie me. I know you don’t like me but I just want to go in and I can’t untie myself. It’s raining and I don’t have a jacket and it’s been hailing on me I just want to go inside daddy won’t let me in. What are you going to do with those?” I started screaming and saying ow.
“Wake her up now!” Chuck said.
“Stop throwing those rocks. I don’t have cooties I’m just a little girl I couldn’t possibly hurt you in any way I just want to go inside and hide in my closet. I’m scared of the storm and I’m afraid of the dark. Those are not dumb things to be scared of. You’re older then me of course you aren’t scared of them anymore. I’m only 6 and I don’t like the dark. Wait come back untie me! At least take the rope off my neck. It hurts me bad I can’t move to much.” I started trying to pull at my throat. “Jeff Chuck come back this isn’t fair.” I screamed again. “DADDY lightening just hit a little ways away from the house. Help me please let me back in.” I curled into a little ball well as well as could seeing as I was in the back seat of a van with 3 other people. I screamed again only this time louder. “Daddy it hit in the yard there is fire in the yard. Come let me go back inside.” I stopped yelling and just continued to shake. I was crying and was whimpering and was trying to shield my eyes. After a few minutes I quit. “ Didn’t do anything. I hurt really bad I’m sorry Mrs. Desroisiers. I want my mommy. Why did daddy have to hit me? He used a tree branch and his belt and his hands and his fists and his feet and anything else he could grab. He even broke mommy’s vase that her mommy gave her before she died. I want mommy. Where’s David can I talk to him? What time is it I thought it was early why is he sleeping? I don’t feel to good. Can you call my mommy or maybe my daddy I want to go home and sleep in my own bed. Your couch isn’t that comfortable just to let you know. I’m not cold I don’t want a blanket I feel hot. I do not have a fever. I just want to sleep just for a little while.” I quit breathing.
“Lexie wake up Lexie wake up now!” David said shaking me. “Lexie I’m home it’s me David wake up and see me.” I refused to open my eyes again. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me. You promised. I’m back and I won’t ever leave you again.” He started crying one of his tears fell directly on my cheek. “Lexie wake up I would do anything for you so please wake up we’re going to see green day did you know that. We’re going to see green day and go to the amusement park, then on Wednesday we’re going to win the battle of the bands for you so wake up and and see us. You promised you wouldn’t leave me and I promise I won’t leave you.” Another of his tears fell on my cheek. I woke up.
“David am I dreaming? Shouldn’t you be at your grandparents house?” I asked sleepily.
“I came back for you. I love you.” He quit crying.
“What’s wrong why are you all staring at me?”
“No reason we have been waiting for you to wake up.”
“Mom gave me some sleep pills earlier they knock me out good. I don’t do well with drugs in me.”
“Ok.”
“I’m still tired can I go back to sleep?”
“Go ahead.” Chuck said. He laid back down and I closed my eyes.
“What the hell was that?” Tabby asked.
“That was a nightmare of the most extreme measure.” Chuck said. “ A nightmare for all
who are involved.”
“It was scary.”
“Why didn’t you wake her up when I first told you to?”
“Why did you throw rocks at her?” David asked.
“I told you we did already.”
“I thought you were joking what kind of mean kids would throw rocks at a younger kid
tied to a fence while she is pleading for help.”
“Don’t be mad at me at least your mom helped her.”
“She took her back to her dad. I bet you didn’t know that. After they found out she had her fever they took her back to her dad and god damn if he didn’t put her in the dog house.”
“What?”
“I bet you didn’t know that.”
“No I didn’t just like I have no idea why your mom took your license away.”
“Because we ran away. She came over one night or I guess morning and she was crying
so we ran away. Her mom had been talking to her dad again so. He had been over at her house that night for dinner so she ran to my house when she found out he spent the night.”
“You guys ran away? Where did you go?”
“America.”
“What do you mean America?” Seb asked.
“We just drove and we ended up in America. It was kind of cool until mom found us. She
reported the car stolen.”
“She didn’t know?”
“How could she it was around 3 in the morning when we left.”
“ America huh? What’s it like?” Pierre asked.
“We didn’t get to far there was really nothing in the town we stopped in. There was a little diner where we ate, and a little shop where we bought snacks. And then there was a stupid store where we blew the rest of our money. That is where she got her mood ring. Remember that? And that is where I got the fake gum and the map of America that ended at Iowa. And that is also where we got the water guns and the automatic snowball maker.”
“That didn’t work.”
“That was why it was a stupid store. And we spent all our money on the stupidest things. We ended up running out of gas before we were able to get more money and had to call her mom but my mom got us first.” He was laughing which made everyone else laugh.
“You ran away how many times have you ran away?” Chuck asked.
“ A ton. There was 3 times last year two this year so far. Umm I think it started back when I was 14 so I don’t know for sure how many times.”
“You are on a dangerous road.”
“It looks safe.” David was looking out the window at the road we were traveling on.
“That is not what I mean. your life is on a dangerous track you do realize we won’t always be here to bail you out right?”
“I know that I and I don’t expect you to be.”
“And you realize that Alex might not want to always be in trouble or crying over you.”
“I never meant for her to be.”
“You did hear the part of the dream when she was talking about you. She said you weren’t a retard and then he started hitting her.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Nothing at all.” David looked at Pierre who seemed just as confused as David. They looked towards Seb who was also confused. They were all confused but Chuck who understood that I was hit because of my friendship with David. It wasn’t the hockey contract at all. He heard that and understood that faster then the rest of the guys. With in the next hour or so we arrived at a motel just a little ways away from the amusement park. And a little ways away from the venue for green day. David carried me to our room.
The guys were nice and let us sleep until 7:30 that morning. Chuck called over to our room, the phone woke me up.
“David why are you here?” I asked as I turned over and found him next to me. He woke up to the sound of my voice.
“Don’t you remember last night I came back I had to see you I got kicked out of my grandparents house. It was terrible. Please tell me you’re not mad. I love you.”
“This isn’t my room.”
“We’re in a motel. We kidnapped you so we could celebrate your birthday.”
“Ok.” I kissed him.
“I missed you.”
“You weren’t even gone for a day.”
“I was gone for a long time I walked from my grandparents house to your house. It took nine hours. It was worth it.”
“I couldn’t stop crying mom had to give me sleep pills. I didn’t mean for you to get in to trouble.”
“Did your dad think I was a retard?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I heard something.”
“Yes he did and I told him you weren’t it’s nothing for you to worry about. He’s not coming back ever.”
“How come you never told me Chuck and Jeff threw rocks at you that night?”
“I you guys were friends I didn’t want to wreck that. I just never quite trusted them.”
“They are sorry.”
“I believe you.” We got dressed and went down to the lobby the guys were waiting for us.
“Finally lets get going.” Pierre said. “We called you like half an hour ago what have you been up to?”
“We haven’t seen each other in like a day what do you think we were doing?” I said and
wrapped my arms around David.
“Gross I don’t want to know.”
“Geeze perv we weren’t doing nothing gross just kissing.”
“Oh ok, let’s go we have a lot to do today.”
“Like what?”
“Like we can go to an amusement park like you wanted.”
“Can we really?”
“Yeah.” We left and went to the amusement park. Seb was to scare to go on the roller coasters so I waited with him on a few.
“Lexie come on a roller coaster with me I want to go on a roller coaster with you.” David whined as I missed out on the 4th ride.
“What about Seb who will stay with him?”
“You can go I’m a big boy.” Seb said I got up and went on the ride. We ended up going on a lot of rides and leaving the rest of the guys behind. It was a few hours before they called us to see where we were. They met up with us and we enjoyed a nice lunch.
“Where have you guys been?” Chuck asked.
“Riding rides?” David answered.
“Getting scared.” I answered.
“You were scared?”
“I don’t do good with heights.”
“So you don’t want to go on the bungee jump again?”
“Hell no.”
“Ok I get it.”
“I love you.”
“Guys you are weird.” Jeff said.
“You’re just jealous.” David said.
“Of what?”
“That you don’t have a girl as great as Lexie.”
“You’re right I am.”
“What?” All of us asked at once.
“Did you say I was right?” David asked.
“Yeah who wouldn’t want a girlfriend like Alex. If the girl could put up with your dumb
ass all day and still love you she is a keeper.”
“That is half really nice and half really mean.” Seb said.
“Yep nice to Alex and mean to David.”
“Try being fully nice next time.”
“That isn’t fun.”
“Lets go back on rides before we all get old and die.”
“ Fine lets.” Chuck said. We got up and went on more rides. We stayed at the park all
day. Then around 7:00 the guys came up to me.
“Are you ready for another surprise?” David asked.
“Isn’t you coming home and me getting to go to the amusement park enough?” I asked.
“Not when dealing with us.”
“Ok what?”
“We bought you a ticket to green day.” Pierre said.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah we are look.” Pierre held up the tickets and I let out a high-pitched squeal. “I guess you like them?”
“I thought you were joking when you told me.” I said more to Chuck then anyone else. “I tried to get David a set for his birthday but they were sold out.”
“We got the last ones.” Seb said.
“What are we waiting for lets go.” We left and the concert was great. We went back to
the motel and David and I went straight to bed.
“Why did you guys do this for me?” I asked.
“Because I love you and the others are your best friends not to mention it’s your
birthday.” David said and kissed me.
“We didn’t do anything for your birthday. I didn’t even get you anything.”
“We started dating on my birthday and that is all I wanted. Ask Pierre when we brought
you to my house I told him to leave and he asked what I wanted for my birthday. I told him nothing just you to dump Will and realize that I love you. That is all I wanted and that is what I got. I don’t care about anything else.”
“I feel terrible though I should have gotten you something I should of. But I.”
“Don’t do that. I got what I wanted and you’ve had enough to worry about with Will and me and everything else.”
“I know I just.” I let out a slight cough, “I just feel bad that I didn’t get you anything.”
“Are you ok? Are you sick?”
“No I’m fine I’ve just been battling a small cold for the past few days.”
“Are you sure do you need to go home?”
“I’d rather be with you. I don’t feel like going home.”
“I don’t want you to get sicker.”
“I won’t it’s just a little cold.”
“But…”
“I’ve been sick before.”
“Yeah but whenever you say you’re sick I’m always a little afraid. I always think about that time when we were 6. And how bad you were and how scared I was for you.” He looked at me with big eyes.
“ I haven’t been that sick since I was 6. Don’t worry.”
“ You were pretty sick when your dad came back last year.”
“Lets not mention that again.”
“But you were. You were really sick.”
“I know I was lets not talk of it. I know I was sick and I know I was bad but I’m better
now. I won’t do that again I promise.”
“Ok just are you ok? Or should I get the guys to take us home.”
“I’m fine lets just have some sleep then in the morning we will have fun with the guys ok
I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Ok.” He kissed me again and I took his shirt off. He looked at me weird. I took my shirt off. “What are you doing?”
“I know you want to and no one can walk in on us here.”
“You said it was a bad idea. Didn’t you listen to the guys you could get pregnant. I know
you aren’t ready to do this with me so why are you?”
“I want you to love me.”
“I do love you I love you more then I love anything else.”
“I want to know that you love me and you’ll never leave me. I want to know that you’ll never hurt me.”
“I won’t you we don’t have to do anything for that to make sense.”
“I want you to know that I’ll never hurt you again.”
“I know you won’t.”
“I know you want to so why are you fighting it ?”
“It’s not supposed to be like this. We are supposed to be looking into each others eyes, just gotten done with something very romantic, one of us whispers I love you and then we kiss the most passionate kiss either of us has ever had then we do it without it feeling so forced. With out so many strings attached.”
“I love you so much.” I started to cry and he hugged me. A few minutes later I quit crying but he wouldn’t let me go. I enjoyed feeling so close to him our breathing matched. I kissed his chest and his heart started to pound a little harder.
“I love you too and you know that and you need to believe me when I say I won’t ever hurt you.”
“Your heart is beating fast.” I looked up at him and he smiled.
“It always does when you are close.”
“Mine beats fast when you hold me.” He let me go and kissed me. My cell phone went off. “It’s your mom.” I said as I looked at it.
“Do you have to answer it?”
“I should.” I answered it and immediately she began to yell.
“Where is my son? I have been calling everywhere all day he ran away from his grandparents and seeing as you are the slut you are and will give him anything I know he is with you!”
“Ma’am I didn’t do anything and I’m not a slut.” David took the phone from me.
`
“Mom I’m right where I belong with my girlfriend and my friends the ones who have always loved me. That is more then I can say for you and dad.” He hung up the phone and kissed me again. I broke the kiss and looked at him in disbelief. Never before had he ever stood up to her and never before had he ever said anything bad about her like that.
“Why did you stand up to her why did you tell her that?”
“Because I love you and I know you love me. So why shouldn’t I tell her that?”
“I love that you did that should we go tell the others?”
“Probably seeing as I don’t exactly have a bass.”
“True and you have to worry about the battle.”
“Yep I’m glad you understand that and I’m really glad that you still love me.”
“I could never not love you. You do so much for me I have loved you since we were like 4.”
“That’s good I’m glad that you feel that way. Lets go tell the others.” I called them up on the cell phone and we all met in Pierre and Tabby’s room.
“He stood up to his mom.” I said as they all sat down. They looked at me in disbelief and I looked at them excitement running through my eyes.
“I did really but I don’t have a bass for Wednesday.”
“Actually you do I went and got yours before we left.” Pierre said.
“That’s great.” David was looking at the ground not really talking to anyone. “She must hate me. Why was I so dumb I have to call her back. I have to tell her I’m sorry. I can’t let her hate me or think I hate her.”
“David she kicked you out of your house and sent you to your grandparents’ they don’t like you and they won’t let you be who you are. They don’t understand what it is like for you. You work so hard at what you do and you love things differently then most people would. They don’t care though they only see what you do wrong and they only see you do things wrong they just don’t care about you.” Seb said.
“I know and I think that maybe why it hurts so bad.” David went back to our room. I looked at the guys helplessly I had no idea what to do. Pierre mouthed the word go. I got up and went after David. He was sitting on our bed and he was crying. I went and sat by him. We sat there for ten minutes without saying anything he just cried. After the ten minutes he looked over at me as if he had just realized I was even there.
“Are you ok?” I asked softly afraid to make the first sound.
“I don’t know anymore I hope I am but at the same time I don’t know. Everything feels so messed up just why did Seb have to say that? Why couldn’t he of kept his mouth shut and left my family and me alone? Lexie I’m scared. Honest to god I’m scared how can this be so messed up when it felt as if we should be celebrating. We still get to be together and I don’t have to be on my pills yet I can’t make this feel right?”
“What are you saying are you saying you want to break up? You’re scaring me really bad right now.”
“Lexie I don’t want you to be mad at me and I know you won’t hate me for doing this but
I think we might.”
“No don’t say it.”
“Lexie don’t be mad but it might be for the best if we stop for a little while.”
“No! you don’t mean it please tell me you don’t mean it.”
“I do I know you didn’t want me to know but I know you were beat when you were 6 because of me. I don’t want you to be hurt because of me anymore. I’m sorry I got you hurt and I’m sorry that Chuck and Jeff threw rocks at you and most of all I am sorry that I had to do this that I am very sorry for.”
“You don’t want to and you don’t mean to I know you don’t so please don’t. Just take it back and we will forget this in all entirety. Please take it back.” I was crying now and was holding his shoulder.
“Alexis I think this is for the best we can still be friends.”
“No I want you in all or not at all I don’t want to do the friend thing again. I don’t want to hide my feelings for you any longer.”
“Alexis all I ever did for you was get you in trouble and get hurt.”
“How did you know dad beat me because of you?”
“You had one of those dreams about it.”
“It isn’t like he is around anyway mom said he was gone for good and if he was back I
would need you. No one would understand like you please tell me that you don’t believe I could go on without you.”
“I just get you hurt.”
“You saved me from Will. Did you forget that? It was you who saved me and it is you that I love.”
“Don’t say that I know that you don’t..”
“I do love you I have always loved you and don’t tell me that I don’t”
“Alexis don’t be mad at me.”
“Why are you calling me Alexis?”
“It is your name.”
“Never to you. It was never my name to you.”
“We have grown up.”
“I don’t want to though not if it means leaving you.”
“We don’t have a choice. My parents are pissed at me. They will kill me when we get back. And what if they get the grandparents in on it. I can’t deal with the thought of leaving you again. They told me how you acted. They told me you were crying in the middle of the street for like 10 minutes and then you wouldn’t talk to any of them. I can’t do that to you again. And what if your dad comes back and he gets mad at you again? I couldn’t stand the thought of not being there to protect you. I just want to be there to protect you always but I can’t be. What if Will was to get you again and this time I wasn’t there to help you to save you. Do you know how bad I would feel. To let that happen to you for as long as it did was wrong of me to allow it to happen again is just terrible.”
“It won’t happen again. It can’t happen again. If it was to it wouldn’t be your fault. It would be mine.”
“No it wouldn’t.” He started crying. “I can’t believe I let you get beat back when you were 6 I was right across the street. I heard you scream and yell but I didn’t go check. How dumb could I of been? Do you realize how bad I felt once mom brought you over. She wouldn’t let me see or talk to you. She locked me in my room but I got out and I was watching from the hall. As you shaked and cried and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I saw as you fell and I heard you ask for me. You asked for your dad, you asked for me then you asked for your dad. I couldn’t do anything mom would of beat my ass if I would of walked over to you a held you I wanted to but I couldn’t.”
“ You were there? Are you serious? You heard what I told your mom?”
“Not all of it.”
“David please don’t break up with me. You know I love you and I know you know
because if you didn’t you wouldn’t remember the things you do. Please just tell me we aren’t through.”
“Lexie we have to be. I have to beg for forgiveness just so we can be friends I would hate to see anything else. Please Lexie I’m too weak to go against my mom let alone my dad.”
“David this hurts really bad. I’m going to go for a walk I can’t be here right now.” I ran out of the room and sat in between our room and Chuck and Sebastian’s room. I was crying hard. All curled up in a ball, shaking, hitting the ground as hard as I could. A guy came out of the room on the opposite side of mine and came over to me. He sat next to me and just waited. I fell onto his shoulder and cried into it. He held me close and soon I stopped crying.
“Who are you?” I asked as I looked up at his unfamiliar face. He chuckled and smiled at me.