If My Heart Was a Guitar

Truths and Threats

It's been six months. I've officially been in a rock band for six months, and almost as long I've been with Braydon. Ricky and Anna-Lee are still together, constantly making out and holding hands. Me and Braydon prefer to keep it on the down low. We have date nights and spend time to get to know each other. Our texts have been intense and goofy, which my parents said is a good sign of love. From sending sickeningly sweet mushy messages ("Hello beautiful" is what Braydon sends me every day, and each time it melts me), to inside jokes, the fire of our love is alive both virtually and in person. I feel like I could talk to him all day, about anything, even as conversations as dull like talking about the weather (he thinks it's adorable when I call the rain "sky tears").

Braydon had a normal, but good, childhood. He once played Little League baseball but wasn't good at it. His parents are still married, Braydon mirroring his father's looks His sisters were blonde like him, the youngest one being only thirteen and had rainbow braces, so adorable. I was worried abut being the daughter of two rock stars would hurt me, but they didn't mind at all, they were just happy to have me there, his dad said. I could totally see myself in a family like this: normal, unknown, and private. They didn't give me special treatment, and they didn't expect anything from me other than good manners. 

My family's a different story. At this point, they knew about my abuse. Nevertheless, they were shocked when I told them. Braydon gently told me to tell them, he was there with me when I made the call. My mother demanded to know why I didn't tell her. She demanded to know why I didn't have an answer. She cried over the phone. She wanted to be down here with me. I told her I'm okay and I have a new boyfriend. Immediately the conversation changed, then she asked the typical mom questions: how old is he? Does he work? How tall is he? What does he look like?

My dad was more hurt. He threatened Bentley on the phone, dropping profanity after profanity. I'd never saw him like that, it scared me. He told me if he ever saw Bentley again, he'll "beat him down and dump his blood into the ocean and bathe in it." It made me wonder why my father wasn't a metal singer with those kinds of thoughts. 

As of Bentley, I still haven't seen or heard from him. Thank god, because I know Braydon, or my dad, would kill him. As much as I hate his breathing self, I'm better off away from him than see him whooped in his own misery, he wasn't worth my dad's beatdown.

Forbidden Hype went to a small club for another weekly fun time. Since hearing of my father's rage towards Bentley, Braydon was overprotective of me, always asking how I was. I love my boyfriend.

"My rock star princess is so strong," he kissed my head.
Me, Anna-Lee, and Claudia sat in a booth, having some girl talk. Claudia was telling of her brief stint in nurse school. She gave it up to be a rock star.

"Could anyone take me serious as a nurse with my neon hair and tattoos?" she winked. Me and Anna-Lee laughed. I instantly pictured Claudia in a nurse's outfit, yet still looked badass with her hair and bullet-biting grin. All I could think of the hot nurse on the Blink-182 album Enema of the State. I heard the nurse got arrested. Yeah, it's probably a good thing that Claudia chose a different occupation. 

"Ricky got a new puppy and I named him Comet," said Anna-Lee.
"Cute," Claudia sipped from her soda. "Like my new tattoo?" she pulled down her shirt to show a black rose tattoo on her shoulder. She smiled at me.
"A black rose?" I asked.
"I forgot to mention that I'm a big fan of your parents. I adore your mother's husky vocals, especially on that ballad 'Tears.'"
I smiled admiringly. "Their most Grammy awarded song." Five Grammys went to that song, including an award for Song of the Year.
"Didn't your mom and dad used to play it when they had sex?" Anna-Lee jumped in. Ugh, why?
"Anna-Lee Harper!" I exclaimed. Why oh why did I ever tell her that?
Claudia smirked. "Is that so?"
I rolled my eyes. "I was nine, and they wanted to have another baby."
Claudia laughed again. "And?"
"No luck," I said, trying to brush it off. "Just me and Natalie."
"How old is she?"
"14," I answered. I started thinking about my little sister. Tallie, we call her, has plump lips like me, brown eyes with a tint of green, olive skin, and dark brown hair. She's always looked up to me, she cried the day I moved out. I remember singing songs with her from Annie and Grease, and how we dressed up in feather boas and fake hair extensions. I hadn't seen her since the summertime. I knew Braydon and the rest of the gang would have to meet my family soon.