Status: Active; Trying To Update As Much As Possible
Coffee Shop Soundtrack
Chapter 4: You Can Keep All Your Misery
Alex's P.O.V.
Something was keeping me awake that night. Whether it was fate or destiny or some shit like that, I just couldn't fall asleep. Eventually I gave up on trying and slipped a hoodie over my head before walking off the bus and outside. The night was clear, stars in the sky, and it wasn't that cold out. That's when I noticed to bonfire the boys had put together earlier sitll burning, a shadow casting beside it. I was about to say something, when I caught sight of black, blue, and blonde hair. Why was it always her?
Slowly, I walked over and sat beside Jessica and she turned to look at me. I almost gasped when I saw her beautiful blue eyes rimmed with red and the remains of tears on her cheeks. "Not a pretty sight is it?" she asked and I just shook my head. "Yeah well, no one was supposed to be out here." she sighed and I honestly thought she was going to freak out and just glare at me, but she didn't. Instead I looked to see a photo in her hands. It was a picture of a couple. The girl was clearly Jessica, she looked exactly the same as she did now. The guy I didn't recognize, but I assumed it was her boyfriend, or at least an ex or something.
"His name was Tristan." she said, catching me off guard. "Was?" I asked only for her to shake her head. It was then I noticed the 2 silver dog tags hanging around her neck on a chain. "Yes. Was." and she took her dog tags off, shoving them in to my hands. It took me a second but I could finally read them clearly 'SGNT. Tristan Tylers, 7098-3456-1990, Canadian Forces: Special Tactics'. With that imprint it sunk in, these were army dog tags, but she had them. That could only mean, "What you're probably thinking right now is true." she said, "What is it I'm thinking?" she smirked a bit, looks like I was getting somewhere.
"You want the story? Fine. We met in freshman year, I thought he was an annoying little fuck. He just stared at me all the time, never spoke more than two words to me. Then he finally let loose a little as we got older and we became friends, turns out he was a pretty amazing guy. My family loved him, hell even the band loved him. Tristan was something special, and when he asked me to go out with him it almost felt surreal. We graduated, I went off the school and he went in to basic training, but I was still just as head over heels in love with him. Then came that day. I was at home in Baltimore, and Tristan was supposed to be there in a week. I heard a knock at the door, and I almost fainted when I opened it. There's only one reason a sargent comes to your home, and I knew what it was. He handed me Tristan's tags and took off with apologies and condolences. He's gone. So yeah, his name WAS Tristan."
She finished and a new set of tears were rolling down her face. I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her in to my chest. She took the dog tags back from me and started playing with them. That's when I noticed something on the chain, something that wasn't suposed to be there: a diamond ring. She smirked again, letting her fingers toy with the ring. "Jessica Rae Tylers. Mrs. Tylers. Mr. and Mrs. Tristan Tylers. Jessie Tylers. Jessica Tylers." she stopped and just held the ring in the palm of her hand "My name was going to be Jessica Tylers." her voice was airy, as if it was a realization. That's when it finally clicked in for me, they were going to get married. Her fiancee died in the war. This was why she hated it so much when Jack hit on her, or when we made jokes about her and Zack. This is why she hated me always staring at her, never talking to her.
"I'm really sorry that I'm a bitch to you." she said sitting up and facing me. With one quick motion her hands were on my face, holding me in place to look at her. "You remind me so much of him. I didn't think it was possible." and she let go, laughing a bit. "God they were right. They were so right." and she shook her head, "Who was right?" "All the doctors, the therapists they hired. They told me he'd want me to be happy, and that I could move on and still remember him. Yet no one gets it, certainly not any of the guys I've tried to date. They don't get it and no one does. I wand to move on, I'm sick of being sad all the time, but no one understands that I can't just forget him. I don't know how to explain it, but I just-" and she stopped, at a loss for words. "I understand." I told her, and in reality I did. She was over him and she wanted to be happy, but at the same time she didn't want to forget some of her greatest memories. "How?" she asked, her tone wasn't bitchy or angry, it was simply curious. "I just do. You're not the only one around her messed up enough to be sent to therapy." and I shrugged.
What happened next surprised me, Jess leaned over and hugged me. It took a second but I hugged her back. She pulled away from me, "It's no wonder Zack worries about you sometimes." I looked at her curiously, "You don't think he talks about you guys? Please. Never anything bad, he just talks about you. You though, Alex, he tells me about how he worries about you. He knows you're okay, but he never really knows." she sighed and I took a minute to process what she just told me. She hugged me again and this time it took no hesitation for me to hug her back. She pulled back and stood up. "I really am sorry that I act like a bitch, I guess I'm just blunt." she shrugged "You're not a bitch, don't apologize." she smirked "There it is. Some one learned to talk to me. I told you Gaskarth, hold an actual conversation with me and maaaybe I'll come around. You just have to wait and find out." she had been leaning closer with every word, until she ended and pulled back an she walked back to her brother's bus.
As she disappeared the fire began to burn out, but I noticed something turning to ashes. It was the photo, the one of Jessica and Tristan. That was when I knew that she was telling the truth. She was ready to let go. That was when I knew that maybe I had a chance with her after all.
Something was keeping me awake that night. Whether it was fate or destiny or some shit like that, I just couldn't fall asleep. Eventually I gave up on trying and slipped a hoodie over my head before walking off the bus and outside. The night was clear, stars in the sky, and it wasn't that cold out. That's when I noticed to bonfire the boys had put together earlier sitll burning, a shadow casting beside it. I was about to say something, when I caught sight of black, blue, and blonde hair. Why was it always her?
Slowly, I walked over and sat beside Jessica and she turned to look at me. I almost gasped when I saw her beautiful blue eyes rimmed with red and the remains of tears on her cheeks. "Not a pretty sight is it?" she asked and I just shook my head. "Yeah well, no one was supposed to be out here." she sighed and I honestly thought she was going to freak out and just glare at me, but she didn't. Instead I looked to see a photo in her hands. It was a picture of a couple. The girl was clearly Jessica, she looked exactly the same as she did now. The guy I didn't recognize, but I assumed it was her boyfriend, or at least an ex or something.
"His name was Tristan." she said, catching me off guard. "Was?" I asked only for her to shake her head. It was then I noticed the 2 silver dog tags hanging around her neck on a chain. "Yes. Was." and she took her dog tags off, shoving them in to my hands. It took me a second but I could finally read them clearly 'SGNT. Tristan Tylers, 7098-3456-1990, Canadian Forces: Special Tactics'. With that imprint it sunk in, these were army dog tags, but she had them. That could only mean, "What you're probably thinking right now is true." she said, "What is it I'm thinking?" she smirked a bit, looks like I was getting somewhere.
"You want the story? Fine. We met in freshman year, I thought he was an annoying little fuck. He just stared at me all the time, never spoke more than two words to me. Then he finally let loose a little as we got older and we became friends, turns out he was a pretty amazing guy. My family loved him, hell even the band loved him. Tristan was something special, and when he asked me to go out with him it almost felt surreal. We graduated, I went off the school and he went in to basic training, but I was still just as head over heels in love with him. Then came that day. I was at home in Baltimore, and Tristan was supposed to be there in a week. I heard a knock at the door, and I almost fainted when I opened it. There's only one reason a sargent comes to your home, and I knew what it was. He handed me Tristan's tags and took off with apologies and condolences. He's gone. So yeah, his name WAS Tristan."
She finished and a new set of tears were rolling down her face. I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her in to my chest. She took the dog tags back from me and started playing with them. That's when I noticed something on the chain, something that wasn't suposed to be there: a diamond ring. She smirked again, letting her fingers toy with the ring. "Jessica Rae Tylers. Mrs. Tylers. Mr. and Mrs. Tristan Tylers. Jessie Tylers. Jessica Tylers." she stopped and just held the ring in the palm of her hand "My name was going to be Jessica Tylers." her voice was airy, as if it was a realization. That's when it finally clicked in for me, they were going to get married. Her fiancee died in the war. This was why she hated it so much when Jack hit on her, or when we made jokes about her and Zack. This is why she hated me always staring at her, never talking to her.
"I'm really sorry that I'm a bitch to you." she said sitting up and facing me. With one quick motion her hands were on my face, holding me in place to look at her. "You remind me so much of him. I didn't think it was possible." and she let go, laughing a bit. "God they were right. They were so right." and she shook her head, "Who was right?" "All the doctors, the therapists they hired. They told me he'd want me to be happy, and that I could move on and still remember him. Yet no one gets it, certainly not any of the guys I've tried to date. They don't get it and no one does. I wand to move on, I'm sick of being sad all the time, but no one understands that I can't just forget him. I don't know how to explain it, but I just-" and she stopped, at a loss for words. "I understand." I told her, and in reality I did. She was over him and she wanted to be happy, but at the same time she didn't want to forget some of her greatest memories. "How?" she asked, her tone wasn't bitchy or angry, it was simply curious. "I just do. You're not the only one around her messed up enough to be sent to therapy." and I shrugged.
What happened next surprised me, Jess leaned over and hugged me. It took a second but I hugged her back. She pulled away from me, "It's no wonder Zack worries about you sometimes." I looked at her curiously, "You don't think he talks about you guys? Please. Never anything bad, he just talks about you. You though, Alex, he tells me about how he worries about you. He knows you're okay, but he never really knows." she sighed and I took a minute to process what she just told me. She hugged me again and this time it took no hesitation for me to hug her back. She pulled back and stood up. "I really am sorry that I act like a bitch, I guess I'm just blunt." she shrugged "You're not a bitch, don't apologize." she smirked "There it is. Some one learned to talk to me. I told you Gaskarth, hold an actual conversation with me and maaaybe I'll come around. You just have to wait and find out." she had been leaning closer with every word, until she ended and pulled back an she walked back to her brother's bus.
As she disappeared the fire began to burn out, but I noticed something turning to ashes. It was the photo, the one of Jessica and Tristan. That was when I knew that she was telling the truth. She was ready to let go. That was when I knew that maybe I had a chance with her after all.