Good Love

It was halfway through December, and Annie had been in Arizona for two weeks.

Things had been getting better. Sure, she was still sickly skinny and couldn’t sleep at night, but things were still getting better. Her bruises had healed up. From time to time she still felt sore, but bore no more physical evidence of the damage done to her. Just a few scars on her arms and hips, and one below her left eye. It was ugly, but she never tried covering that one up. She liked looking in the mirror and seeing it. She felt fierce.

During the day, she’d walk around town taking pictures, or have lunch with Garrett and Pat, or go shopping with Tessa. She even worked a few hours a week at the pub down the road with her newfound friend, Stephen Gomez.

Currently, she was in the middle of a phone call with her best friend from Chicago, Macy. They didn’t go a day without talking on the phone, texting, or skyping. Macy was the one person that Annie was determined not to lose.

“God, I miss you so much, Ann. Do you think you’ll ever come back?” Macy asked. Annie could tell that she was walking down the street; she could hear horns honking in the background.

“Honestly, Macy, no. I don’t ever want to come back. But you can still come visit me here! I miss you a lot, too.”

“Well of course I’m going to come visit you, dumbass. I have the entire month of February off, and you can bet your ass I’m flying down to see you.”

Annie laughed, digging through her closet for something to wear. “Can’t wait. It’s actually not so bad here.”

“Ugh, it’s probably so warm there. What’s the temperature? It’s so fucking freezing here.”

“Yeah, I definitely don’t miss Chicago. I think it’s supposed to be in the 50s today.”

“So not fair. So- oh shit shit shit class starts in ten minutes. I gotta go, baby doll. I’ll call you tomorrow! Tell me how lunch with your parents goes!”

Annie groaned, thinking about how Jared was forcing her into going with him to their family reunion barbecue. It’s not that she didn’t want to see her parents, she just didn’t want a confrontation. And lord knows there were many things that needed confronted..

“Annie, are you ready yet?” Jared yelled from the kitchen. “We were supposed to be there ten minutes ago!”

“Coming!” She grabbed her over-the-shoulder purse and her cell phone and ran out the door, accidentally bumping into John in her haste.

“Hey, blondie. You look nice,” he said, grinning at her.

Despite her annoyance, she smiled and flipped him the bird, making him laugh.

“God, finally. You two are the slowest people I know! We’re already late and we still have to pick up Tessa!” Jared ranted, already walking towards the door.

“Hey, perfection takes time, right Annie?” John smirked.

She rolled her eyes and gave him the sweetest smile she could manage, before insulting him by saying, “Like you would know.”

***

“Annie, dear, it’s so great to see you!” her great-aunt said as she leaned over and hugged Annie, smearing lipstick on her cheek.

“It’s nice to see you too, Aunt Esther,” she replied, discreetly wiping her aunt’s sloppy kiss off her face.

“How’s Northwestern going, dear?”

She internally cringed but forced a fake smile. She didn’t feel like telling anyone anything that had happened recently. “Oh, it’s going great. I’m on break right now, so I’ve been staying with Jared for a while.”

Annie could feel John staring at her, but ignored him. Now was really not the time.

The old lady smiled. “I’m so glad, dear.” She kissed Annie on the cheek one more time, waved to John, and said her goodbyes as she hobbled toward the house with her cane. All Annie could think was that she’d probably be dead soon.

“So college is going good, huh? Not, I dunno, nonexistent?” John asked, the ever-present smirk on his face driving her crazy.

“Oh, shut up. It’s not like you didn’t drop out either, Mr. Rockstar. Sorry I don’t feel like telling my entire family how big of a failure I am,” she snapped.

Her comments didn’t faze him; he could tell by now when Annie was fine and when she was actually pissed.

John laughed, looking at the girl next to him. Her blonde hair was covering up part of her face. Underneath her left eye, John could see a new scar that had formed, leaving him wondering what had happened to her before she moved to Tempe.

“What are you staring at, O’Callaghan?”

He shook his head and looked away. He enjoyed spending time with Annie. Though he could tell she wasn’t completely sure about him. Actually, she wasn’t really sure about anyone. Just Garrett and Pat. It seemed like she kept everyone else at a distance. John barely knew her, but that much was obvious.

“So you know that Jared and I are having a few friends over tonight, right?” he asked, changing the subject.

She nodded. “The ones in a band.”

“Yeah. A Rocket to the Moon, amongst others.”

“Will I know anyone?”

“Besides us.. no. Garrett, Pat, and Kennedy’ll be there. And Tessa. And me.”

She shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t sound too bad.”

“I think you’ll get along great with the rest of the guys-” John said, but was interrupted by Mrs. Monaco, stalking towards them to their spot at one of the card tables in the Monaco’s backyard. He had to continuously remind himself that this was where Annie had grown up, too. Not just Jared.

For her, it obviously brought back unpleasant memories, but for John, it was the opposite. The Monaco house had been a second home to him, and Jared’s parents were always great people. They treated John like a son. Now he had to wonder if maybe that was because one of their own children had walked out on them.

“Good Lord, there you two are. Why are you sitting out here being antisocial? Annie, there’s relatives in that house,” she yelled, gesturing towards the house, “that haven’t seen you for three years! Go talk to them this instant!”

Mrs. Monaco walked away as fast as she had come, leaving Annie looking annoyed. John knew that her mother was only being so harsh because she was hurt. She was hurt that Annie left, and John could see it in her eyes.

Annie put her head in her hands and rubbed her eyes, letting out an exhausted sigh. “What a bitch,” she muttered, but again John wasn’t fooled. Annie was her mother’s daughter after all, and he safely assumed that the two were just being stubborn towards each other. Though he couldn’t blame Annie for being weary and annoyed around her parents; they didn’t exactly welcome her home with hugs and kisses.

“Come on, blondie, let’s get this over with. Sooner the better.”

***

“Bye, Mom, I’ll talk to you later!” Jared called as he passed through the living room of their childhood house, patting his passed-out father on the shoulder as he lay on the couch.

“Bye, honey! Drive safe!”

Their mother then turned towards Annie, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Annabelle, I really am glad you’re home. Even if I have a hard time showing it, you know,” Mrs. Monaco said, the motherly tone returning to her voice.

No matter how strong Annie was, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to hug her mother, who she hadn’t seen in over eight months.

“I missed you, Mom,” she said as her mother’s arms wrapped around her. “I won’t stay away like that anymore. Promise.”

“I know, baby, I know. How about we have lunch together on Tuesday? Sound good?”

The blonde nodded, slightly taller than her mother.

Mrs. Monaco smiled and released her daughter, kissing her on the cheek and letting her go, where her brother and friends were waiting in the car.

Annie ran through the house as they honked the horn, her black boots squeaking on the wood floors.

“God, you fuckers, calm down. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ‘patience is a virtue’?” she snapped, slamming the car door behind her as she sat down in the back seat next to Tessa. She wasn’t really angry, but she didn’t like it when people rushed her. She’d take her sweet time.

“Yeah, well haven’t you noticed that there aren’t any virtues around here?” John replied, arrogantly smiling at her from the front seat. “Besides, the guys are probably waiting outside our apartment for us to get home. We’re late.”

She rolled her eyes. So what? “We’re always late. Big deal.”

“Guys, just stop the arguing already! Calm the hell down!” Tessa yelled, scaring even Jared. She wasn’t the one prone to outbursts, though she was normally the peacekeeper.

No one answered her, riding the rest of the way home silently. Annie was glad; she could be left alone her thoughts, which she was thankful for for once. She was glad she’d reconciled with her mother. Even if they didn’t agree most of the time, they had that bond that all mothers and daughters shared. Having that restored made her feel so much better.

By the time they reached their apartment complex, Annie was surprisingly in a good mood. When they got to their apartment on the fifth floor, there actually were a few of their friends waiting, but not many.

Before she could even get inside the door, one of them was already tapping on her shoulder.

“Hey, I’m Austin. Did John pick you up?” He asked, his top lip hidden by a burly mustache. He was cute... for a lanky cowboy. She idly wondered how much he paid for the clunky, dirty cowboy boots on his feet.

“Excuse me?” she challenged, raising her eyebrows. What did he mean by, ‘did John pick her up’? “Do I look like some kind of prostitute to you, cowboy?”

At the word ‘prostitute,’ she saw Jared glance up from attempting to open the lock on the door, but then ignored it. Apparently this guy wasn’t much of a threat, or Jared would be by her side instantly.

Cowboy instantly backed off. “No.. ‘course not. I was just asking, that’s all. Are you a friend of Tessa?”

She shrugged. “Technically, yes. I’m Jared’s sister.”

His eyebrows immediately shot up and his jaw dropped. Annie smirked at him and left him standing in the hallway, following the rest of their group into the apartment. She couldn’t wait to get out of the outfit she was wearing, and into something more comfortable.

“Jared has a sister?!” she heard Cowboy yell as she retreated to her room, smirking as she undressed.

She took her time, not particularly caring to join the party. She didn’t seem to be the party type, anymore. Not now that she’d gotten away from Chicago. Looking back now, she realized that city held more bad than good. Annie had gotten mixed up in a lot of shit that she really shouldn’t have. It was good that she’d gotten out when she did.

She sighed, slipping a black Jack Daniels t-shirt over her head, and leaned against her dresser. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a minute, and then closed her eyes. Sometimes it felt like she couldn’t even recognize herself.

She opened her light-brown eyes, searching her face for the girl she thought she was.

Annie was not your average twenty-one year old. She felt like her whole world was upside down and had been since she was born. She was more familiar with anger than love.

But she was trying. She really was.

Suddenly the overwhelming urge to get piss drunk came over her. Annie was tired of being stuck in her terrible mind. It felt like a prison cell, and god knows she’d had enough of those.

She left the safety of her room, locking her door before leaving, and headed towards the kitchen. There was always alcohol in the kitchen.

She found a short, brown haired boy pouring himself a cup of some kind of liquid, instantly recognizing it as something she wanted.

“Hey, pour me some, would ya?” she asked, holding a red cup of her own.

The boy whipped his head up, revealing his face. It was cute and boyish, like the kind of guy that never quite outgrew his childish grin.

“You want whiskey?” he questioned.

She nodded her head vigorously. “I don’t care what it is. Just give me some.”

He gave her an apprehensive look before tilting the glass bottle and filling her cup.

“Thanks,” she said. “I’m Annie. Jared’s sister.”

“Ahh, you’re the sister that Austin was yelling about. He was convinced he saw a ghost,” he laughed. “I’m Eric.”

Annie shook Eric’s outstretched hand, getting a nice vibe from him already. “So are you one of the band boys?”

He laughed at her choice of words. “I am indeed one of the band boys. I’m a part of A Rocket to the Moon.”

She nodded as they continued their small talk, Annie filling up her cup when needed. She could already feel her head starting to lighten up after the second drink, and she was glad.

***

The next morning, she woke up with a splitting headache. Of course, she knew full well by now what would happen when she reached her fifth drink. It wasn’t pretty, but last night she hadn’t cared.

She groaned as the sunlight peaked through the blinds in her window. What time was it? And how did she get into her room last night? She’d been known to just pass out wherever she was sitting. It surprised her that she actually dragged herself to bed.

She blinked a few more times, her eyes finally focusing.

Oh. She wasn’t actually in her room. She was in someone else’s. Annie prayed it was her brother’s room, and not John’s. She could already picture the smug look on his face when he’d say she’d slept in his bed.

Annie reluctantly got out of bed, cursing as she tripped over the rug covering the wood floors.

Despite her hungover discomfort, a smile spread on her face when the smell of bacon and waffles hit her. She walked faster towards the kitchen, happily noticing a room full of her friends.

Sitting at the bar was Garrett, where she took a seat next to him. Standing by the stove was Tessa and Jared, where it looked like she was trying to teach him something from the cookbook in her hand.

“Morning, sis,” Garrett said, getting a smile out of her. He’d taken to calling her ‘sis’ because he heard Jared say it so often. She didn’t mind, though.

“Morning,” she grumbled. “Was I really trashed last night?”

She heard a laugh from the living room behind her, and spun to see Eric sprawled on the couch.

“You were so trashed, Annie!” he hooted. “I lost count of how many drinks you had after the sixth one.”

She groaned, feeling like crawling into a black hole. It certainly felt like she’d had more than six drinks. More like twenty, with the way her entire body was throbbing.

“Painkiller’s in the bathroom cabinet,” Tessa said, giving her a sympathetic smile. Thank god no one was guilting her for drinking last night.

Annie trudged to the bathroom, forcefully pushing open the door out of frustration at herself.

“Heeey there! Occupado!” John yelled as the door swung and hit him. “Ow,” he mumbled.

Annie let out a tiny laugh. “Sorry. I just need the aspirin.”

He tossed her the bottle, which was already in his hands. “You drink too much last night too?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I uh, got a little carried away I guess.”

He laughed. “Oh, trust me, I know. Jared and Garrett tried to get you into your room so you could pass out in there, but they couldn’t get the door unlocked. So they dumped you in my room.”

She instantly felt her insides tighten up. The distress must have been apparent on her face, because John laughed again and added, “I slept on the couch. Actually, I think I passed out on the floor. So no worries, princess.”

She let out a sigh of relief and swallowed a few painkillers. She was about to walk back to the kitchen, when she stopped herself.

Princess? “Did you really just call me ‘Princess’?” she snapped. She hated frilly nicknames, especially from people she didn’t particularly like.

John chuckled. “You kept saying last night that when you grew up, you wanted to be a princess.”

“God, you’re never going to forget that one, are you?”

He shook his head, and she laughed despite herself. Leave it to Annie to say stupid, drunk things.

When she returned to the kitchen, Jared spoke up.

“Hey, sis, can I talk to you for a second?”

She nodded, partially frightened. What’d she do this time?

Jared walked her over to the couch, pushing Eric off and telling him to go eat something.

“So, uh, see, you know my band? The Maine?”

She nodded, wishing he’d continue. The Monaco siblings were never too good with words.

“Well, we kind of have this little west coast tour set up for us, and...”

“Yeah, Jared? Spit it out.”

He gave his sister a sweet smile, hoping she wouldn’t resist. “And I want you to come with us. We’ll be gone for about a month and a half, and I don’t want to leave you here all alone.”

Her jaw dropped; really? “What do you mean, you don’t want to leave me here alone? I can take care of myself! I’m a big girl, Jared.”

“Ann, please don’t fight me on this. I really want you to come with us. I know you’re still not feeling too good, and I think maybe a little vacation would be good for you.”

“But I don’t want to spend a vacation on a bus with a bunch of smelly boys!” she whined, feeling childish.

He laughed sympathetically. “I promise we’ll shower. Please? It would really make me happy if you came. I know that you’re still feeling really depressed, sis,” he said, his voice lowering so no one would hear. “I don’t want you to be all alone. It’ll get lonely.”

“What about Tessa?” she argued, even though she knew she’d lost the argument. Her brother was one her weakness.

He shook his red head. “She’s got to work all the time. She’s busy. So you might as well cave in now, Annie.”

She groaned, accepting defeat. “Fine. But on one condition.”

He laughed. “What?”

“You guys are buying all of my food.”