The Cheap Bouquet

Annabella silently made her way down the wooden stairs, carefully skipping over step six, for it creaked softly. She had made herself at home; as she did with many new houses. She never took time to ever get to know the place she had slept that night, because she didn't necessarily care. Annabella was a lot of things, but shy surely was not one of them.

She pushed herself up onto the counter, pulling the bottle of whiskey down from the cupboard as Tony had the day before. Drinking it nonchalantly, she thought about the things she could possibly do today. As usual, she found herself thinking about a little white rabbit with red eyes. She imagined the rabbit running into a nearby forest, his coat tails flying behind him. Annabella followed the rabbit, and saw him check the time on a golden pocket watch. He ran faster now, and down a hole that Annabella hadn't realized existed as she followed him. She stumbled down, her shrieking silent.

Annabella shook her head. "Insanity," She whispered, staring at the linoleum floor with no expression on her face. She swung her feet back and forth, becoming bored with her overactive imagination.

"There might be an asylum nearby, I could go with you, if you'd like."

The voice startled Annabella. Tony stood beside her, smirking as he saw the small girl flinch at his voice. He silently sat next to her. He noticed that her shirt revealed the bottom of her stomach.

"Woah, is that a pinup I see?" He asked, pointing to the exposed skin.

She smiled, and nodded excitedly. "Yeah," She replied, laying her head on his lap. She put her feet on the counter, and pulled the white tank top up just below her breasts, revealing the rest of her ink-covered stomach.
"The pinup," She pointed to the bottom of her skin, at the pinup girl; done in black ink to match the rest of her stomach. "She's my favorite. She's kinda' like the girl from the Blink-182 album." She giggled. "And then there's this one," She pointed to her left rib cage. "It's an arrow with a serpent around it––family crest. And then this one, claw marks. I don't even know why I got those, it was more of a drunken tattoo. This ribbon thing goes all the way around my waist, and the piano keys on my hips symbolize the music that's helped me through life." She traced the ribbon.

All of the tattoos were done in black and white, colliding together to create what looked like one big piece. On her right rib cage, there was a trail of scars under the black ink. Not forming anything in particular, just one thick scar under another. They were close together, and about three or four inches long. Tony traced over them with his index finger lightly.

"Did you do that?" He asked, becoming concerned. The tattoos were interesting, but the scars seemed to symbolize more than any of the tattoos did.

"It's nothing," She said quickly, sitting up and pulling her shirt back down.

He had done it again. He touched her and made everything awkward. "I'm sorry," He mumbled. "I just want to get to know you. Even if I knew as much about you as that blond friend of yours, you'd still be a mystery to me." He sighed, licking his lips.

Annabella stood up, and walked into the lounge. She fell onto the sofa, ignoring what Tony had just admitted. "Are we going to do anything today?" She asked, yawning and stretching her legs out.

Tony shrugged, and sat on the floor next to the sofa, lying his head back so it was against her stomach. "Do you want to do anything?" He asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Nope. I just wanna' lay here all day," She answered, smiling childishly.

Tony chuckled lightly, and licked his lips again before speaking again. "Did I do something?"

"What do you mean?" Annabella was concerned about his question. She hoped that she hadn't done anything to offend him. It was the last thing she had meant to do. She wanted to be close with Tony, but was still so scared to get that close to anyone again.

"Did I do something to offend you? Because I can't touch you without you having a panic attack or something," He said, closing his eyes, his head still tilted back. It was much easier for him to say these things without looking at her.

"No, you didn't do anything," She verified. She got up, and sat next to Tony. She sat on his lap, and cupped his cheeks between her palms. "You're cute, you know that?" she bit her lip, and giggled.

Tony turned scarlet, and stared into her bright blue eyes for what seemed an eternity. He didn't mind, though. He would kill to spend the rest of eternity with the beautiful girl that was in front of him at this very moment.

"You're blushing," she smiled, and kissed his nose. She knew exactly what she was doing to him; she seen that kind of lust in so many people's eyes. She was quite an observant girl.

Tony reached up, and pulled her hands from his face. Her touch was electrifying. It sent chills down his spine, and raised minuscule bumps on his arms. The effect that Annabella had on Tony, mirrored the effect that Tony had on Annabella.

"Could I ask you something?" She laced their fingers together, and placed their entwined hands in her lap.

Tony nodded, staring at their hands as she twirled her fingers around his. He couldn't help but smile as she squeezed his hand tighter.

"Would you ever leave me? Even if I did something really bad, and you disapproved greatly?" Her voice was soft, barely audible. Her tone was serious, but still apprehensive.

"I'd only leave if you told me to," He answered, pulling one of his hands away from hers and brushing his knuckled across her cheek bone ever so gently. She seemed like porcelain; breakable and expensive.

"Promise?" The word made the inside of her chest tighten, and made her breath rugged. She hadn't said that word in three years. She didn't want to become close to Tony, but she couldn't help herself. He was so inviting, understanding. He seemed like perfection, like help. Annabella had been numb for the longest time, but she felt when she was with Tony. Whether it was pain, or happiness, she could feel again. At first, she didn't know how to react about these feelings, but she liked them. She liked it when he touched her; and that scared her.

"I promise," He answered, smiling at her. Her eyes seemed to brighten as he answered. There was truth behind his eyes. And, truth, was all anyone could ask for. It might hurt sometimes, but it was better than lies.

Annabella leaned against Tony, and nuzzled his neck, wrapping her arms around his body. Tony didn't mind this at all. If anything, he liked how close she was with him. He wrapped her arms around her torso, and felt her flinch but, this time, she didn't move. She stayed in place, and focused on her breathing.

The inside of her chest began hurting again, and the pain was unbearable. She pulled away, and stared at Tony for a moment, before crushing her lips to his. Not because she loved him, not because she liked him, not because she felt pity for him because she didn't feel the same way about him. She did it because she felt invincible. Because she didn't want him to let him go. Because, now that they had spent so much time together, she couldn't let him get away. She couldn't endure that pain again.

"Don't ever leave me," She mumbled, pulling away and looking into his eyes. Tears threatened to spill through her blue orbs, but she blinked them away hurriedly, leaving her eyes glassy. She wouldn't become vulnerable in front of Tony.

"I won't, I promise."



"You're not going out with your other friends tonight?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.

Annabella scoffed. "Well, if you don't want me here, just say so," She said, sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it like that, we love you," He added, laughing softly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Annabella smiled. "Mikey, you're not good with words, are you," She said, it was more of a fact rather than a question. She walked towards the sofa, and sat next to Vic, lying her head on his shoulder.

"No, not really," Mike laughed.

"And, as an answer to your question, I'm with my friends." Annabella smiled, and blushed while looking down at her hands, twirling her thumbs around one another absentmindedly. She adored the people who had saved her from all of the hurt she was due to endure, but there was something about the people around her. An essence that no one before had ever given off. They seemed to help extinguish the pain in her chest. She felt like they had loved her more than she deserved. And, in truth, they had quickly accepted her as one of their own.

"Awe, Anna, you're too sweet," Jaime smiled across the room, winking at Annabella. She blushed, causing Jaime to laugh in accomplishment.

"It's true though, isn't it?" Vic commented, lying his head on top of Annabella's, and smiling.

Anna's cheeks flushed even darker. "Guys," She whined. "Stop! You're making this awkward for me, and I don't like it." She laughed. She didn't mind it, actually. It was something that her brothers friends would have done. What could she possibly complain about that? She was reliving something that she missed out on before.

"Hey, did you guys know that she has tattoos? Really good ones, too," Tony said, interrupting the moment for Annabella's sake. He wanted her to be comfortable, not awkward.

Anna nodded happily. "Oh! I can show you the one's on my thighs, now!" She exclaimed, smiling widely. "Vic, do you mind if I borrow a pair of shorts or something?"

Vic nodded. "Yeah, sure." He stood up, and lead Annabella up into his room. He rummaged through his drawers, before finding a pair or basketball shorts that he rarely ever wore. He tossed them to Annabella, and leaned against the dresser.

"You gonna' watch?" She asked, smirking.

He laughed. "No," He knew Tony liked Annabella, and he would never go after someone that meant something to his friends romantically. "I just want to ask you something."

"Ask away, then."

"Yesterday, you flipped out and fell. What the hell was that about?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't want to seem too pushy for an answer, but he knew damn well that it wasn't the alcohol she had been drinking.

Annabella quickly shook her head. "It was nothing," She lied quickly. She had gotten used to making up lies on the spot lately. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn't necessarily care, either. She would forget this fact by tomorrow, anyways.

Vic didn't want to seem demanding, so he shrugged. "What about Tony, you seem to like him. Do you think there could ever be anything between you two? Maybe you'd fall in love or something," He said, chuckling softly.

Annabella shrugged. "Tony's nice. I like him. But love is a little bit overrated, don't you think?" She sat on his bed, and crossed her legs over one another. She stared at Vic, waiting for his reply.

"Love makes the world a better place," He said, staring at her curiously.

"Love fucks you over, does it not?"

"Yeah, sometimes, but when it's real that doesn't seem to matter."

"But you could fall in love with someone who doesn't fall back. They'll leave you, let you go. So, when there's that risk, why would you take the chance? You could regret it, and forget how to love. You could push it away, and fall into a state of numbness. You can't feel love when you're numb, but you can't feel pain either," She explained carefully.

Vic agreed with her, but still thought that she was wrong. "Anna, have you ever felt love? Not just for a family member, or a friend, but for someone who you were passionate about?" Vic asked, trying to decipher her expressionless face.

Annabella shook her head. "I've never wanted to be that vulnerable," She answered.

Vic shrugged, and decided to drop the discussion. "I'll be downstairs." He walked through the door of his bedroom, closing it behind himself; leaving Anna in peace to get dressed.

Once she was finished, she skipped down the stairs. She left her skinny jeans on the bedroom floor, along with her cell phone. She didn't need anyone while all four of them were here.

She sat next to Tony, and placed her legs on his lap. She pulled the hem of the shorts up, and revealed the images that stained her skin. One, in particular, shone above the rest of them. On her right thigh, in big, bold, italic, letters, the words I Promise... was etched there. Underneath the ink, more scars were visible. All clearly healed, but still there.

Annabella rambled on about what each fragment image meant, but purposely skipped over the words on her right thigh. She thought them irrevocably painful. She wouldn't tell anyone the meaning behind it; not yet, at least. She was content. And, for the first time in a long time, she was sober.