Beautiful Mistake

"Nerd!" Uncle Charlie yelled, jumping on my bed. I screamed and hit my head on the wall.

"Willy Wonka!" I whined, rubbing my head. He rolled off my bed, laughing hysterically. "What time is it?" I groaned.

"Nine thirty. Get up!" He said enthusiastically.

"Go back to bed!" I mocked. He laughed.

"You're hysterical."

"How much coffee have you had?" I asked.

"Three cups!" He said, jumping back on my bed.

"Ugh."

"Are you going with me to the Jonas' today?" He asked, calming down a little.

"I don't think so. I just wanna relax a little." I said, yawning.

"Alright, well, if you need me-I've got my cell phone." I nodded. He kissed my head and walked out, shutting my door. I rolled over, pulling the blankets over my head, trying to fall back to sleep. After about ten minutes I realized that it wasn't going to happen. I got out of bed, grumbling and pulled a sweatshirt over my tank top, walking downstairs. I flopped on the big poufy couch. I let my eyes droop shut, staring that the coffee table. There was a red bow in the table. After a few minutes I realized that bows mean presents. My eyes snapped open and I sat up. Next to the bow was a note.



My eyes lingered on the words 'Welcome Home.' Tears burned my eyes and I blinked them away. I picked up the bow and saw a cell phone. I smiled-it was the one that opened two ways. I gently picked it up and opened it. I grinned, falling back onto the couch. I breathed in, loving how at home I felt. A few minutes later my new cell phone rang. I jumped and looked at it. 'Willy Wonka Calling' the screen read. I answered, smiling.

"Hello?"

"Hi-it's Kevin. You're Uncle told us to call you." He said.

"Ok." I shrugged, not really knowing how to respond.

"Um-would it be cool if Nick, Frankie and I came over?" He asked uncertainly.

"Sure."

"Oh-and our friend-she's really cool-you'll like her." He said and I swore I could hear a smile.

"Alright. When?" I asked.

"In about half and hour?" He guessed.

"OK." We said goodbye and hung up. I laid on the couch for a while, too comfortable to move. I turned on the camera and snapped a picture of myself.

"Ugha." I groaned. I rolled off the couch and went upstairs to try and look better. I brushed my teeth and ran my long hair under the water in the tub, washing it. I threw it up in a messy bun and washed my face. I put on some eyeliner to darken my already chocolate-colored brown eyes, and put on my glasses. I looked in the mirror, satisfied that I looked halfway decent and went back downstairs. I plopped on the couch and closed my eyes. Ten minutes later the door bell rang. I waited a second before rolling off the couch and landed with a thud on the floor. I got up and went to open the door. Kevin, Nick, Frank-who immediately attached himself to my leg-and a pretty girl were on the other side. I cautiously stepped back to let them in, careful not to hurt Frankie. I shut the door and picked up Frankie so I could walk back to the couch.

"This is Ashley, Ash, this is Chrissie, Charlie's niece." Kevin introduced. I sat down and put Frank on my lap.

"Hi." I said nicely. She smiled.

"So you're from Maine?" She asked as I played with Frankie's hair and the boys set up the play station. She moved closer.

"Yeah."

"Do you miss it?" She asked and I shrugged.

"Not really."

"Not your friends, or boyfriend?" She asked. I chuckled.

"My friends deserted me after…something important happened and I didn't have a boyfriend." I said.

"What? I find that hard to believe. Why no boyfriend?" She asked. I was glad she didn't pursue the friend topic.

"Nobody interested." I shrugged.

"I am!" Frankie shouted. Ashley and I laughed. I lightly kissed his cheek and he beamed.

"So what about your family? They just let you move in with your uncle five states away?" She asked as Frankie rested his head against my shoulder.

"They didn't exactly have a choice. I'm over sixteen-I said I wanted out. They won't miss me anyways." I shrugged and she looked sad for a second before Frankie turned my face towards his.

"I'd miss you, Chrissie." He said seriously.

"Thanks, Frankie. I'd miss you, too." I smiled. "So what about you? Have you lived here your whole life?" I asked, getting the conversation away from me.

"No-I lived in Stanton Island until I was about three." She said. I smiled.

"Does your accent come out sometimes?" I asked and she laughed.

"Only when I’m really mad." She said.

"Which is only all the time." Kevin said, not looking away from the screen. She threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up, Kevin." She said and I laughed. He whipped the pillow back and it bounced off my arm.

"Be nice to my Chrissie!" Frankie shouted. Ashley and I laughed.

"It's ok, Frankie-it's just a pillow." I said. He stuck his tongue out before resting against me again.

"Did you drug him or something?" Nick asked, laughing.

"No, why?" I asked, confused.

"Because he never sits like that unless he's sleeping." Kevin laughed. I shrugged.

"Can I use your bathroom, please?" Frankie asked sweetly.

"See! He doesn't do that, either." Nick said. I laughed.

"He just likes me better." I joked. I nudged him to get him up. He jumped up and Ashley and I followed him upstairs. He ran to the bathroom and shut the door.

"Is this your room?" She asked, pushing open my door slightly.

"Yeah." I smiled at the sound of 'your room.'

"It's so bare." She said, laughing.

"I just got here yesterday. Besides-I don't know what to put up there." I shrugged.

"I could help you." She offered. "But we should paint it first." Frankie ran in and jumped on my bed.

My new cell phone rang. I looked at the screen-Uncle Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nerd. Why don't you guys come back here-I need you to do me a favor." He requested.

"Does it involve me putting on clothes to go out in public?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright-we'll be over in a few minutes." I said, hanging up. "Frankie, wanna do me a favor, please?" I asked sweetly. He nodded excitedly. "Go get your brothers ready to go back to your house?" He looked at me nervously. "Yes-I'm coming, too." I said. He jumped up and flew down the stairs.

"I'll meet you down there." Ashley smiled, exiting my room. I quickly changed into a tight legged pair of white jeans and a pair of white socks, slipping on my checkered vans. I put a bra on under my tank top and a bright red polo sweatshirt. I headed downstairs and the boys were ready to go. I slipped my phone in my pocket and we started walking back to the Jonas' house.

Kevin opened the front door and we stepped inside, I shut it since I was the last one in.

"Tina!" Willy Wonka yelled from the kitchen. I winced.

"FYI-I hate being called Tina." I said. They nodded. We walked into the kitchen and saw Joe, his parents, my uncle and a pretty woman who looked like Ashley so I guessed it was her mom.

I waved quietly. Uncle Charlie threw me his wallet.

"There's a list inside. Joe's going with you." He said. I nodded.

"Mom, this is Chrissie. Chrissie, this is my mommy." She said sweetly. I smiled.

"Hi." Joe's mom handed him money and a piece of paper. He stood up off the stool and clapped his hands, making a loud noise. I jumped slightly, but no one noticed.

"Let's go." He smiled and we headed out the front door. "So hi." He said as we started walking. I smiled.

"So hi." I said back.

"He just gives you his wallet just like that? Credit cards and all?" He asked as I slipped it into my hoodie pocket.

"Yeah-why not? He trusts me."

"Really? Just like that?" He chuckled.

"Hey-I'm responsible." I said defensively.

"I am, too and my mom doesn't trust me that much." I smiled.

"I'm sorry. Do you want me to tell him to stop trusting me?" I asked and he laughed.

"No-I'm just not used to it, that's all." We were quiet for a few minutes, but it wasn't uncomfortable. "So, Maine, huh?" He said randomly.

"Yup."

"I've been there a few times-it's pretty nice." He said. I nodded.

"It's gorgeous in the fall. There's some woods behind my old house and just to watch them change color is amazing." I said, smiling.

"I bet. New York is the same way." He said.

"Central New York and Upstate are gorgeous with all the leaves." I said. He chuckled. "My aunt lives there." I explained. He nodded.

"So why'd you decide to move to boring old Jersey?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"It's better than my old home." I said quietly.

"Doubt that." He smirked. I smiled, tugging absent-mindedly at my sleeve. He nudged me into a store. I jumped at his touch and he laughed.

"Sorry." I pulled out the list and grabbed a basket. He got his basket and we started walking around.

"What's all this for?" I asked.

"Um-your Uncle's making dinner at your house for everybody tonight." He said. I smiled-my house.

"Oh-cool."

"Yeah. What are you smiling at?" He asked, looking at me.

"Nothing." I said quickly, wiping the smile off my face.

"Liar-tell me." He said.

"It's stupid. I’m just smiling-in a good mood." I shrugged.

"Alright-liar. I'll let you have your secrets……for now." He said and I laughed.

"Thanks." We walked around getting more stuff.

"Just picked a box!" He said loudly. I laughed. "It doesn't have to be perfect-he's just going to rip it open." He said and I giggled.

"Well excuse me for being picky."

"Why does it have to be perfect?" He asked, picking up and box and handing it to me. It was perfect.

"Because I have OCD." I said, shrugging.

"Do you really?" I nodded.

"Plus, it's nice to have something not dented or broken." I said.

"Alright." He chuckled. We began to walk around some more. He picked up a can of tuna. "Look-it's, like, the chicken of the sea!" He said in an air head, valley girl voice. I giggled.

"Are you always so funny? Or did you have a lot of sugar this morning?" I asked, still chuckling.

"I'm just a funny guy." He said, smiling. "Just wait until I have a red bull." He laughed.

"Oh God." I joked.

"The only reason I wasn't crazy yesterday was because we were out in public-I have to behave." He said dully and I laughed.

"Because behaving is such an awful thing." I said and he laughed.

"No, but it's also no fun."

"Says who?" I asked, teasing him.

"I do." He said proudly, waving to some guys passing by.

"You don't count though." I said, pretending to be confused. He pretended to pout. I giggled and walked ahead of him, looking at him over my shoulder. He smirked. We got everything on both lists and headed for the check out. There was a pretty blonde girls walking towards us and as she spotted Joe she grinned. I heard him groan slightly.

"Fan?" I asked, smiling. He shrugged.

"Hey, Joey." She greeted excitedly.

"Hey, Rachel." He said back, smiling.

"When do you leave?" She asked. She seemed fake.

"Next week." He said. She pretended to pout.

"I'll miss you." She said too sweetly. I almost gagged.

"Yeah-you, too."

"Call me everyday?" She asked.

"When I get a chance." He said politely. She gave him a big hug and said goodbye-smirking at me. I chuckled. We headed to a check out and he went first.

"Hey, Tony." He said, sighing as he greeted the cashier.

"Hey, Joe." He said, before looking at me and smiling.

"This is Chrissie, Chris, this is Tony." He introduced.

"Hi." Tony said happily. I smiled. Joe paid and it was my turn. We started to walk home and Joe was staring at the ground, not talking.

"You ok?" I asked, nudging his arm. He moved away a little, but just enough to let me know he was mad. "Joe, talk to me. What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." He said gruffly.

"Liar. Joe-"

"Just drop it!" He shouted, walking faster. I sighed and let him go, wondering what I did. Every time I turned around that boy was mad at me for something.

I reached their house and felt weird just walking in, so I knocked. Nick opened the door, looking apologetic.

"What happened?" He asked as we walked into the kitchen. I shrugged.

"No idea." I set the bags down and gave back the wallet. Nick grabbed a red bull and led me into the living room. He sat me down and handed it to me. I took it, smiling.

"You guys love this stuff, don't you?" I asked. He smiled.

"It's addicting." He said and I nodded in agreement, using my teeth to open it. He chuckled. "So wanna tell me what happened?" He asked. I looked around. "Joe's upstairs, cleaning the bathroom."

"We were fine until we started walking home-he was really quiet-"

"Joe? Quiet? Wow." He joked. I smiled. "Sorry-go ahead."

"So I asked what was wrong and he got mad." I shrugged.

"Anything happen at the store?" He asked. Kevin came in from the back deck and sat next to me.

"No-we were walking around, joking and laughing and he saw this girl he knew and then we checked out, said hi to this kid, Tony, and then we left." I said. "And then he got all mad-and I don't know why." I said, shrugging. Kevin sighed.

"What did the girl look like?" He asked. I thought back-picturing her in my head.

"Um, blonde, small, preppy-"

"Rachel." They said in unison. I looked at them.

"Yeah-he did say her name. Who is she?" I asked.

"His ex-girlfriend." Nick said.

"You know, the type that doesn't like to let go." Kevin added. I smiled.

"So you two don't like her?" I guessed.

"Ha-no. She almost-" Nick started, but Joe could be heard coming down the stairs.

"So what time is this dinner thing?" I asked as he appeared in the doorway.

"Six, I think." Kevin said. I looked up at Joe for a second before Frankie ran in and jumped on my lap.

"Let's play guitar hero." He said excitedly.

"How about you play and I watch?" I suggested. He nodded and got off my lap to set it up. Joe walked into the kitchen to put the stuff away. Frankie jumped up next to me and Joe came back and sat on the other side. I wasn't going to play games-if he wants to be mad at me everyday-fine. I wasn't going to let it get to me. He looked at me, but I continued to stare at the screen watching Frankie play.

"Chrissie!" Willy Wonka yelled from the kitchen. I quickly got up and walked into the kitchen where Ashley was cutting up celery with her mom. "That was fast." He commented. I shrugged. I was used to doing that.

"What do you need?" I asked, changing the subject. Ashley gave me a funny look.

"Do potatoes, please?" He asked, gesturing to a bag of potatoes on the counter. Mr. Jonas got out a Dutch oven pan for me. I picked up the vegetable peeler and began to peel potatoes. Ashley and I were standing next to each other.

"You ok?" She asked quietly. I nodded. "You sure?" I nodded again.

"Yup. I've learned not to let things like that get to me." I said, hitting my finger with the peeler. I bit my lip.

"He didn't mean to do what he did-" She started and I shrugged.

"It's no big deal, I'll live." I said, nicking my finger again.

"Stop that." She said and I laughed.

"Sorry."

"You better live-I like not being the only girl." She laughed.

"Yes, ma'am." I said and she giggled. Kevin came into the kitchen and Ashley's knife slipped, slicing her finger. I saw the swearwords wanting to come out. Her finger started to bleed and I took the knife away, pushing her towards the sink.

"Cold water." I instructed. Kevin came over.

"Is she ok?" He asked worriedly. I nodded, wiping off the knife. I noticed something in his eyes as he watched her.

"Why don't you go take care of her-I'll finish this stuff." I said. He nodded and walked over. Nick walked in and came over.

"You ok?" He asked quietly. I nodded, smiling.

"Ow." Ashley said loudly.

"Sorry." I heard Kevin whisper.

"What happened?" Nick asked.

"Ashley cut her finger and I think Kevin's trying to help, but from here it doesn’t sound that way." I joked.

"Listen, you-" Kevin laughed over his shoulder. Nick took the knife from me to finish the celery and I finished the potatoes.