‹ Prequel: Of Hurt and Hope
Status: Active
Let Live
Thnks Fr the Mmrs
"Austin! Austin wait up!" I looked behind me to see Alan following me, a duffel bag over his shoulder. He still looked partially groggy from the plane ride. He literally fell asleep everywhere. "Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?"
"She said she needed me for something," I tried to explain. He turned red, I could tell he was a bit frustrated.
"So after a year of no talking, you're just going to run to her and be at her beck and call only when she needs you?!" Alan challenged, pulling on my arm. I spun around and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"So what if I am?! She's the only thing I even fucking think about, Alan. This is my only chance." He looked at me and blinked, the anger and frustration almost completely disappearing. I got to the ticket counter and said, "One ticket on the next flight to Manchester, New Hampshire."
"Make that two," Alan cut in, laying his credit card on the counter. I looked at him in shock. He looked at me coolly, and added, "You can thank me later. I'm not gonna have to fly across the country to come pick up the pieces of Carlile if things don't work out." I rolled my eyes and got the tickets from the girl behind the counter before going off to wait for the plane at the terminal. There was luckily one in 17 minutes, so I sat down and looked out the window at the dark night sky while I waited.
~*~Time Lapse~*~
-12 hours later-
9:30am
I really hated that I didn't have a bus to use, or my truck. So, Alan and I had to stop by an ATM at the Manchester airport in order to pay for a cab. I shot a text to Kelsey and told her Alan and I had taken n overnight. We barely got any sleep and both of our eyes' were bloodshot.
We stopped by a convenience store and got some Monster Energy drinks, putting some sunglasses on. It was early May, and the weather wasn't bad for a late Springtime in New England. Kelsey forwarded us the address of the apartment she was staying in with a roommate named Erica and when we finally pulled up to the apartment building, I got out of the car and stood on the sidewalk staring up at the second floor window.
Alan paid the cab driver and came over to my side. "You ready?"
I took a deep breath. "I think so." I walked up to the front door and hit the second buzzer from the left, like I was told to.
There was a crackling from the speaker and I heard a muffled voice. "Come in."
The walk up the stairs was slow, though I knew it only took a couple of seconds. My stomach was doing nervous flips, but Alan walking behind me kept me from running downstairs and the other way. My shaking hand knocked on the door.
And it was opened by the same girl I fell in love with over a year ago. Her dark brown hair was longer now, falling in comfortable waves over her shoulders. She was wearing a red Aspire & Create tank top, which made me want to smile, despite my nervousness and anxiety about being there. She looked at me, and then at Alan, greeting us both. I could sense Alan wasn't very happy about seeing her.
"Hey guys! It's nice to see you." She smiled sweetly and slightly nervous.
"Yeah.. you too," I said, as she let me inside. There were pancakes being cooked on the stove, just three, and then there was a smell lurking in the apartment that kind of smelled like sour milk. But I didn't say anything because it might have been one of her neighbors' stenches. Soon, the awkwardness left us a bit, and we talked about things... avoiding the Forbidden Subject. I tried not to sound accusing, and we talked about her life at college.
"So," Alan began. "Why did you need to talk to Austin so bad?" Thank you, Alan, for your bluntness. I could have hit him.
"Well, it can wait for after breakfast, right?" She smiled, trying to ignore how straightforward and protective-like Alan was being. I had to admit, he was being kind of rude, whether it be with eye-rolling or with snappy comments. I was still hurt and watching my tongue, but he had no boundaries for absolutely no reason, and I didn't understand it.
We ate the pancakes, and I kind of appreciated the food in my stomach, but when we finished, Kelsey offered to take us into the tiny living room. She led the way, and before Alan could make a snide remark, I froze in the doorway. There, on the floor. It explained the smell of milk.
There was a baby, laying on the floor, sleeping with his thumb in his mouth.
The smell of milk was from baby formula.
"She said she needed me for something," I tried to explain. He turned red, I could tell he was a bit frustrated.
"So after a year of no talking, you're just going to run to her and be at her beck and call only when she needs you?!" Alan challenged, pulling on my arm. I spun around and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"So what if I am?! She's the only thing I even fucking think about, Alan. This is my only chance." He looked at me and blinked, the anger and frustration almost completely disappearing. I got to the ticket counter and said, "One ticket on the next flight to Manchester, New Hampshire."
"Make that two," Alan cut in, laying his credit card on the counter. I looked at him in shock. He looked at me coolly, and added, "You can thank me later. I'm not gonna have to fly across the country to come pick up the pieces of Carlile if things don't work out." I rolled my eyes and got the tickets from the girl behind the counter before going off to wait for the plane at the terminal. There was luckily one in 17 minutes, so I sat down and looked out the window at the dark night sky while I waited.
~*~Time Lapse~*~
-12 hours later-
9:30am
I really hated that I didn't have a bus to use, or my truck. So, Alan and I had to stop by an ATM at the Manchester airport in order to pay for a cab. I shot a text to Kelsey and told her Alan and I had taken n overnight. We barely got any sleep and both of our eyes' were bloodshot.
We stopped by a convenience store and got some Monster Energy drinks, putting some sunglasses on. It was early May, and the weather wasn't bad for a late Springtime in New England. Kelsey forwarded us the address of the apartment she was staying in with a roommate named Erica and when we finally pulled up to the apartment building, I got out of the car and stood on the sidewalk staring up at the second floor window.
Alan paid the cab driver and came over to my side. "You ready?"
I took a deep breath. "I think so." I walked up to the front door and hit the second buzzer from the left, like I was told to.
There was a crackling from the speaker and I heard a muffled voice. "Come in."
The walk up the stairs was slow, though I knew it only took a couple of seconds. My stomach was doing nervous flips, but Alan walking behind me kept me from running downstairs and the other way. My shaking hand knocked on the door.
And it was opened by the same girl I fell in love with over a year ago. Her dark brown hair was longer now, falling in comfortable waves over her shoulders. She was wearing a red Aspire & Create tank top, which made me want to smile, despite my nervousness and anxiety about being there. She looked at me, and then at Alan, greeting us both. I could sense Alan wasn't very happy about seeing her.
"Hey guys! It's nice to see you." She smiled sweetly and slightly nervous.
"Yeah.. you too," I said, as she let me inside. There were pancakes being cooked on the stove, just three, and then there was a smell lurking in the apartment that kind of smelled like sour milk. But I didn't say anything because it might have been one of her neighbors' stenches. Soon, the awkwardness left us a bit, and we talked about things... avoiding the Forbidden Subject. I tried not to sound accusing, and we talked about her life at college.
"So," Alan began. "Why did you need to talk to Austin so bad?" Thank you, Alan, for your bluntness. I could have hit him.
"Well, it can wait for after breakfast, right?" She smiled, trying to ignore how straightforward and protective-like Alan was being. I had to admit, he was being kind of rude, whether it be with eye-rolling or with snappy comments. I was still hurt and watching my tongue, but he had no boundaries for absolutely no reason, and I didn't understand it.
We ate the pancakes, and I kind of appreciated the food in my stomach, but when we finished, Kelsey offered to take us into the tiny living room. She led the way, and before Alan could make a snide remark, I froze in the doorway. There, on the floor. It explained the smell of milk.
There was a baby, laying on the floor, sleeping with his thumb in his mouth.
The smell of milk was from baby formula.
♠ ♠ ♠
I hope you guys like how I'm incorporating Alan into this more instead of just having him in the background like before. Also, what do you think so far? Comment, Subscribe, and if you haven't already, Recommend!