Chapter 29-31

Chapter 29:

"HA! You just got ditched!" Eric says. Bruno laughs behind me. I quickly pull out my phone and text him:

"Shut up Peter!" ~A

He takes out his phone and (very, very, very, very...) slowly types and then sends:

"We're not supposed to be talking"~B

I text back:

"We're not "talking", Peter" I put my phone away. 

"You guys texting where you're gonna meet so you can fuck?" I glare shoots to Eric.

"Shut up Hernandez!"

"OH that hurts! You said my last name!"

"Ugh!" I turn around and cross my arms.

"Aw whats the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Oh.. okay. Bruno get it out of her."

"Shut up Eric!"

"Oh come on! You get ditched by Julie and now your panties are in a bunch?" I roll my eyes, turning back around.

"No! And shut up! You probably wanna have sex with Julie." He smirks. 

"Here she comes." I look behind me and see her walking towards us.

"Hey."

"Hey Julie, how many guys have you blown today?!" Eric says to her.

"Fuck you!" He smirks at me.

"Please." The bell rings and Julie and I start walking to class.

"So your place or mine?" Eric yells from behind us. Julie flips him off, not turning around. 

"Anytime, anyplace baby!"

***

Throughout the rest of the week, I've heard my mom and dad fight. It became more frequent and I was sick of it. I was walking home on another cold, rainy Friday as I started thinking of the argument last night:

FLASHBACK (TO LAST NIGHT):

"Just tell them"

Mom: No
Dad: They are gonna find out sooner or later!
Mom: They don't need to know yet.
Dad: Oh so in 6 months whats gonna happen?!
Mom: I'll tell them! Just not now.
Dad: If you don't tell them soon, I will.
Mom: Why can't we just be on the same page for once?!
Dad: Because you read too slow!
Mom: No I don't! You turn the pages before you fully read them.
Dad: This can't be my child.. *silence* Are you cheating on me?
Mom: ...No!
Dad: You're lying!
Mom: Don't even start with ME cheating!
Dad: What are you saying?
Mom: That I KNOW you're cheating, stupid!
Dad: And why?! I'm not the one pregnant!
Mom: So! I know you don't HAVE to stay out there at your job that long!
Dad: If you want a fucking roof over your head I do!
Mom: So you get extra money from sleeping around?!
Dad: No! I work! Unlike everyone else in this house!
Mom: Don't lie to me! I see lipstick on your clothes, the messages in your phone, and used condoms in your bag!
Dad: Don't go in my bag and don't go through my phone! If you don't trust me then how could we be together?

My dad walks straight out, grabs the keys, and leaves

END OF FLASHBACK


I'm right in front of the door, not wanting to go in. When I do walk in, I regret it. My mom is sitting on the couch crying next to my dad. Braxton is sitting in the one-seater confused, or better yet, scared.

"Abri. We need to talk." My dad says

"I already know." I walk to the stairs. 

"What?"

"I already know about the baby!" I start to walk up the stairs.

"What baby?" Braxton asks slowly.

"Abri... that's.. not what we need to talk about." I turn around.

"What baby?" Braxton repeats. Oh no. It HAS to be bad news. My mom's crying. Braxton won't shut up, I'm standing here awkwardly.

"What... is it?" My dad sighs, making the suspense kill me as my heart's about to explode. Theres an awkward silence. Scratch that, Tense silence...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...

It felt like years until they say:


"We're moving." My heart drops.

I can't feel anything, hear anything but the voice inside my head. I collapse on the stairs, still conscious but breathing heavy. I said it. 'I don't wanna be here anymore'
I can't believe this. My whole world collapsed with me. It broke. Shattered on the ground in front of me.

"Why?" I manage to say as they gather around me. My dad helps me to the couch.

"We have to move to Florida. Your grandmother is in the hospital and when she gets out next week, we need to be there." I'm quiet. A lot of selfish things run through my head. I just decide to ask,

"When are we leaving?"

"In the next 5 days" I overreact. 

"What?! That's not enough time!" I run upstairs, sobbing. I call Julie. She answers.

"Hello?"

"Julie..."

"Abri what's wrong? Did Bruno do something?" She asks sincerely.

"No. Julie... I-I'm moving." The other end goes silent.

"Julie?" I ask after a while

"Abri that's not funny!" She says with a fake laugh.

"No. I'm serious."

"No.. No, you're not! You are just.. just trying to get me back for something!"

"I wish I was Julie... but I'm not. I'm really moving."

"B-but you can't leave, Abri! I can't live without you!"

"You have to. We'll see each other again."

"Don't leave me Abri!" She says crying herself now.

"I-I have to Julie!"

"C-can you come o-over my house?"

"Ye-yea I'll be over in a little."

"Ok-k-kay"

"Bye"

"Wait! When do you leave?"

"5 days" she cries really hard.
"Calm down Julie.. I'll be over soon." I hang up, grab a jacket, put it on and run outside.

I see Bruno walking this way. I run up to him, not caring if he cares.

"Bruno. I'm- I'm-"

"Moving.. I know."

"B-but I don't wanna go!" I pull on his jacket and bury my face in his chest. He lifts up my face.

"Abrianna, I know you think I'm a jerk, and you have every right to feel that way, but I didn't mean to hurt you. I got caught up. I don't regret meeting you and I had fun with you. You're great... And.. I guess the game's over. You win."

"Bruno it's not about the game! I can't leave!" It rains a little harder.

"Abri... what do you want me to do?" I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, afraid to say it.

"I've always wanted to be kissed in the rain," I look in his eyes, a few tears, hidden by the rain, falling down my cheek, my breathing unstable again. "Bruno.. Will you.. kiss me?... kiss me for real?" I close my eyes again.

"Can I?" He asks. I feel his breath warm against my lips. I anxiously nod my head before he presses his lips on mine. This time, not only do Sparks Fly, but I feel like I'm being lifted up to cloud 9. I wrap my hands around his neck, feeling his hair for the last time. 

He pulls away slowly. I lean my forehead against his, not opening my eyes, as he sings softly to me:


You know I'll wait for you,
If it takes a lifetime to do.
Girl I will wait for you,
You're the only thing worth holding on to.
No matter how far,
Girl I can't live without my heart. 
I hope you come home soon.
Girl I will wait for you,
If it takes a lifetime to do...

Chapter 30:

Today's the day.
The day I move away.
The day Carol "forgave me"
The day Julie couldn't stop crying.
The day everyone I care about came to see me off.
The day I leave my life behind me...

They were all in line in the order of:
Carol, Savannah, Ambar, Julie, Eric, and... Bruno. 

I start down the line, all the girls sniffling of not crying. First off, Carol.

"B-bye Abri. I'm sorry we fought over "stupid guy"." We both laugh as much as we could.

"I'll still miss you Carol." I say pulling away.

"Me too." I walk to Savannah and hug her.

"Bye Savvy." 

"Bye Abri and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have turned on you like that."

"It's okay, I guess. I mean.. we all make mistakes."

"You're the greatest." I walk to Ambar, hugging her.

"Abri I'm gonna miss you!"

"I'll miss you too Ambar."

"Stay in touch."

"I will." I say letting go and walking to Julie, who couldn't stop crying. She sweeps me into a hug, crying on my shoulder.

"Don't leave me Abri!" She says muffled against me.

"I have to."

"Call me everyday!" 

"I will" She lets go and looks at me, her eyes red from crying. She hugs me again, once again, starting to cry. We rock side to side.

"Please stop crying, Julie. You're gonna make me cry." I say feeling tears burn my eyes. She tries to stop crying. After about 10 seconds, she bursts out crying again. I rub her back, feeling a few tears fall from my eyes now.

"It's okay." I say before letting go. I walk to Eric, wiping the few fallen tears from my cheeks. I hug him, letting a few more fall on his shirt.

"Bye Eric."

"Bye Abri. And don't forget where you came from, ya here?"

"I won't. I can't" We let go. I, once again, wipe away my tears, walking to the last person there: Bruno. The only guy thats ever made me so emotionally confused.
I get this feeling in my stomach as I walk in front of him. I look down at the ground.

"Bye Br-" Before I could finish talking, he swept me up in a hug. It shocks me at first, but then I hug back.

"Bye Abrianna." I love it when he says my full name. I close my eyes, trying to remember his scent.

"Bye Bruno." I whisper.

"Do you still have the ring?" He whispers back. I smile.

"Yea." 

"Keep it."

"Okay but.... Can you say my full first name again? Please?" You can hear the smile in his voice when he whispers,

"Abrianna." in my ear. And once again, it sends chills through my whole body.

"Thank you." I smile again. I hear my dad clear his throat really loud, making us jump. When did he get here? I let go of Bruno, seeing everybody look at us with shocked expressions. I feel my cheeks burn.

"What? Let's go! We can't just sit here..." I say walking to the car looking at the ground. I get it the car, looking at all of them one more time.

'Ugh! Why does Bruno look so hot right now?!' I think while checking him out. 'With those white shorts and that red and white Aloha shirt. The sun in his eyes making him slightly frown. Theres just so many things I wanna-'

"Abri!" My mom yells.

"YES!?" I say irritated. 

"Close your door and buckle up!" I do as told.

So I develop these feelings once I'm leaving? That good and bad.

We start driving away as I watch them moving slowly:

Ambar and Savannah hugging, Julie crying into Eric's chest, and Carol hugging Bruno.

Yep.. They'll be fine without me but ya know what? I won't...

Chapter 31:

What do you do when you move away from loved ones? You move on. What else can you do? If they were meant to be in your life they'll come back, right? Like the saying goes:

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was."

7 years later:

The last 7 years have been exciting, sad, fun, crazy, you name it. But mostly, they've been... life changing. 

Remember why I moved away? Yeah... She passed away when I was 18. I moved to California that year for my full scholarship at UCLA. No joke! I'm studying to be a lawyer in law school now. 

I'm 22 now in the middle of July of '08. I've met friends, lost them, found true ones and all. Julie, my best friend from high school, moved out here to study fashion. We stayed in touch. Me and Eric for a while too. 

I went to visit out in Hawaii when I had just turned 18. Eric was there... but not his brother. He said he had moved. I think the only thing I was thinking then was "So much for waiting for me" 

Well, enough of the past! On to the present! Yep, life changes. Sometimes for the better. How? I'm sitting across from the most perfect guy ever for lunch. He's been my boyfriend for 2 years! We're at our favorite cafe. Everything's perfect! Except... there's a guy in the next isle thing, kinda behind me, that keeps looking at me.

Josh, my boyfriend, gets jealous easily and I think it's cute. But when it takes away from our date... No.

Whenever I would turn and look at him, he'd turn and look away. 

"What the hell?" I say looking back at Josh. He reaches across the table and grabs both my hands and squeezes them in his.

"Babe?"

"Huh?" I turn back around from looking at that guy again.

"Can we please just forget about him and finish our lunch?" I sigh.

"Okay." I smile at him reassuringly and continue eating. After a while, I see his once happy face turn into an annoyed face as he looks up. I follow his eyes to look that guy in the eyes. He walks towards us. Uh oh... He walks up to our table.

"Abrianna? Is that you?!" He asks. I look at Josh then back up. He looks familiar.

"Uh... Y-yea.." I say standing up to accept his hug. I don't want to ask him who he is. He might be hurt I don't remember him.

"Wow! It's been 7 years!"

"Wow... Yea!" He looks at me and smirks.

"Do you even remember me?"

"Yea... not really"

"High school... Roosevelt. I was you best friend's brother..." My eyes widen from realization. 

"Oh my gosh! Bruno?!" I say excitedly, jumping a little.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

"OMG! Look at you!"

"No, looks at you!" We both laugh, going in for another hug.

"Wait," I start to think as we pull away, "I know why I didn't recognize you! The hair! You had a.... BIG afro!" He laughs.

"Yea, I thought it was time for a change." He says lifting up his hat and running his hand through his short hair.

"And the hat?" I question.

"Oh. My head felt light, ya know. Cutting off like 10 pounds of hair," We laugh. "So I found this hat and just started wearing it."

"Ya know, a little while after I graduated high school, I came back to Hawaii. But you weren't there." I say remembering that fact.

"Oh.. I had moved to L.A."

"Really.." I hear Josh clear his throat behind me. I look at him.

"So you guys... dated... in high school?"

"No.." I start when Bruno decides to finish.

"Dated? No. But she was in love with me!" Bruno smiles.

"Oh really?" Josh looks at me with a lifted eyebrow.

"No Josh. This is Bruno, my friend from high school," I put extra emphasis on 'friend' "Bruno this is Joshua. My boyfriend." They shake hands as I sit back down.

"Nice to meet you." Josh said with a smile but I could tell he was lying. He wanted him to go away.

"Nice to meet you too." Bruno returns the smile. "Well uh.. I'll leave you two to your... date," He looks at Josh, "Sorry for intruding."

"It's all good man."

"And Abri we should catch up soon."

"Will do!" I smile and he walks back to his seat.

"He's uh... cool." I laugh at his adorable attempt at being nice.

"Just stop." I shake my head, taking a sip of soda....