‹ Prequel: Promise Me The Stars
Status: This story is on hold right now as i'm in the process of editing the prequel Promise Me The Stars. Check it out for better chapters!

Rocks Painted Gold

Be There

Hazel sat on the cold uncomfortable seats that airport terminals in California provided. Her eyes wandered around the airport and landed on the large floor to ceiling windows that gave you a view of the runway. Hazel vaguely remembered being in the same airport almost five years ago. But she didn’t remember much of it; other things had been on her mind then. Now that she was here, though, she got a good view of the massive passenger airliners that took millions of people around the world every day.

“Aren’t you excited?!” Jimmy yelled, right in Hazel’s ear, as he slumped into the seat to the right of her.

Hazel glanced at him and felt Zacky, who was sitting to her left, looking past her to look at his friend.

“I suppose, I’m kind of scared actually.” Hazel said quietly.

“Psh, we’ll be fine.” Jimmy said, waving his hand around dismissively.

“Jimmy…what are you doing?” Hazel asked as his hand flopped around like it had a mind of its own.

“I…don’t…know.” Jimmy said, staring at his hand, “I think it’s finally got a mind of its own.”

“What’s that?” he asked, listening intently as if the appendage was speaking to him. A look of horror crossed his features and he pulled away from his hand, holding it away with the other.

“No! We can’t do that!” Jimmy hissed.

“He’s finally lost his mind dad.” Hazel said, looking over at his father as Jimmy continued to argue with his hand.

“He never fully had a mind Hazel. So don’t worry too much about it.” Zacky said, keeping his head down in the magazine he was reading.

“Fine!” Jimmy yelled, standing up and walking over to Johnny, who was listening to music with his eyes closed across the little aisle of seats.

Jimmy sat next to him, grinned over at the rest of the group who watched curiously, and then slapped him with the hand that was ‘alive’.

“What the, Jimmy!” Johnny yelled.

“It was my hand Short Shit! I swear it wasn’t me!” Jimmy said before he went running off, Johnny following behind him, his cheek bright red from the slap.

Zacky sighed and scratched his head as Val and Michelle stood up from their seats on the other side of Zacky.

“Hazel, we’re going to go get something to drink and maybe a snack, want to come?” Val asked.

“Sure,” Hazel stood up and waved to her dad before walking with Val and Michelle to go find something to snack on.

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Hazel sat between Matt and Brian on the plane for some odd reason. She remembered Matt saying something about the tickets getting mixed up and such. Hazel shrugged it off and sighed in content, she felt comfortable in between the two men, like nothing could hurt her or bother her without them being able to help if something happened.

“Oh god,” Hazel sighed when she heard Johnny let out a yell, “They got seats next to each other didn’t they?”

“Jimmy made sure of it.” Brian stated, leaning on the arm on the seat and making a face. Hazel smiled and settled back into her seat, actually a little scared for the takeoff.

“Scared?” Matt asked looking down at the girl he had nearly called his own for awhile.

“Maybe a little.” She said quietly, pulling her seatbelt on quickly when the light came on.

“Don’t worry about it Hazel, we’ve been on planes hundreds of times before.” Brian said, shrugging it off, “You should look out the window.”

Hazel looked past Brian out the small porthole of a window and stared out the runway and such.

“It’s boring right now.” Hazel sighed and stuck her tongue out at her uncle.

“Well of course it is we haven’t left the ground yet.” Brian rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair around a bit, something he had formed a habit of over the years.

“I’m scared of going back.” Hazel admitted when a silence filled their little area.

“Why?” Brian asked as he messed with the little tray that folded down for food.

“If you hadn’t noticed Uncle Brian; One, he doesn’t know we’re coming and Forest doesn’t like surprises. Two, last time we talked we were screaming at each other so we’re not on the best of terms. And three, I’ve done the worst possible thing and betrayed my mother which he can’t forgive, he won’t forgive.”

“Well we’re always here for you Hazel I know you won’t forget that. It doesn’t matter what happens between you and Forest, we’re always here.” Matt said.

Hazel sighed and thought about what her uncle had just said. She knew they were always there for her but there was a part of her that had felt empty since Forest left, since her mother died. They, as horrible as it sounded, were her real family and no one could replace them ever in her whole life. No one could be her twin brother, and no one could be her mother.

The engines of the aircraft fired up and Hazel gasped lightly at the surprising noise.

“Now’s the time to start looking out the window,” Brian said, leaning back so she could look past him again.

She watched until she got too scared to be leaning over anymore and then sat back, smiling nervously at Matt.

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Colorado greeted the Californians with a cool breeze that swiped at all their exposed skin. It was nearing September in the state so the air had cooled down significantly and the temperatures never rivaled California’s too much anyway in the later months.

“Did I fail to mention it’s colder here in September then it is in California?” Hazel asked.

“I think you did.” Jimmy said. Hazel smiled sheepishly.

“My bad.” She laughed and headed with everyone else to the baggage claim to gather their bags before they made their way to the car rental desk so they could pick up the two cars they had rented for the trip.

“You’ll have to give us directions to your house.” Matt mentioned once everyone packed their things into the two black Escalades. They stood around the back and lingered for a moment, making plans on where they were headed first and what they would do once they got there.

“Why don’t we meet up at the hotel and we’ll make a plan from there?” Hazel suggested.

“That sounds like a good idea. Give us some time to get our heads together and figure out what we’ll do regarding Forest.” Michelle said, her head lying on Brian’s shoulder as they all seemed a bit jet lagged from the flight.

“Then it’s a deal, meet at the hotel and we’ll arrangements from there.”

Everyone agreed and split up to pile into the cars and make the trip to the hotel that was a mere ten minutes from Hazel’s old home.

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The whole gang gathered in the room Matt, Val, Brian, and Michelle were sharing. It was the largest out of the four rooms they had rented and everyone sat around comfortably on the couches and beds that were in the spacious area.

“So should we just go there and show up unexpectedly? Or should we call and ask to see him?” Zacky asked, everyone looked at Hazel after he spoke.

“You want me to decide?” she asked.

“He wanted you personally there Hazel.” Matt said.

“Yeah, we’re here for support.” Jimmy said, as he was sprawled out on the bed with his feet on the wall.

That statement brought back what had been said on the plane. How everyone was there just for her so she could have numerous shoulders to cry on. But Forest didn’t have them, did he have anyone to go to? Was their uncle there for him or was he just some stranger that Forest knew nothing about?

All these questions ran through her mind and she felt a tweak of pain in her heart as she thought about Forest being completely alone for all this.

“Uncle Matt,” Hazel said quietly, looking up at him.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking down at her from his chair as she was positioned on the floor near the middle of them all. She could feel everyone else’s gazes on her as she looked up at her uncle, questions knowing on her insides.

“You were kind of close with Forest before he left right?” she asked quietly.

“I suppose,” he said as Val came over and sat on his lap. Hazel watched as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

“I know you said you would be there for me, that you all would. And I’ll always thank you for that. I mean I have all you people here for me twenty four seven while Forest…” Hazel trailed off and took a deep breath, “Forest has no one, I’ve had you all along and Forest ran and had no one.”

“Well Hazel, he chose that path…”

“No, he had to decide that path because of all of you people, me included. We didn’t want to live with him unless he changed himself to be to our standards and I think that’s the most horrible thing we could have done as his family. I’m not bringing up these things to start an argument. I’m just asking you…” Hazel stopped and looked up at them all, tears glistening in her eyes.

“I want us all to be there for him, no matter how much he pushes us away, no matter how many hurtful words he spits at us. And when he runs we have to go after him right then, we can’t wait a few days in hopes that he’ll come back. We have to be his family, and families don’t just let go. They hold on and take the blows we throw at them, but they keep holding on and they’re always there for you.” Tears ran down her cheeks and she hastily wiped them away before looking in each and everyone’s eyes that were in that hotel room.

“So please, please just be there for Forest. He hates us, I know he hates us, but we don’t hate him and once he realizes that…” she trailed off, not knowing what came after that.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what he does.” Zacky said, smiling at his daughter. She smiled and got engulfed in a huge group hug.
♠ ♠ ♠
So they DO love Forest!!
Oi who loves the new Hazel? The none bitch Hazel?! I do! But ya know...I kinda love Kylie more. Shh don't tell. Yep that's right i'm playing favorites on my female characters. xD

Eh don't know if I like the way this is going, yet I do at the same time in a way. We'll just have to wait and see what happens hehe.

Thanks to the wonderful
sins-97
For all the wonderful comments!