This chapter is dedicated to my band director. Enjoy:)
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A month's worth of bucket adventures had quickly come and go leaving us with dozens of cheerful last memories of our time with Jake. The moving date was quickly approaching, so I was determined to make the most of every second that I would have left with him.
Nothing strangely out of character has happened since that first night in the refrigerator, so I quickly pushed the idea of him ever liking me, far out of my thoughts. Well sort of, I still thought about it all the time, but I knew that it would never happen. There was no point in trying to lie to myself.
What almost changed my mind was when Jake, out of the blue, broke up with Erica. Yes, I said he broke up with Erica. I was, well I was psyched just because I no longer had to share my best friend.
~*~
"Ava! Ava look! It's Ms. Nancy!" I shouted, pointing across the craft store.
"No way! That is her!" Ava screamed running towards our band teacher. Peyton, Jake, Holly, Olive, Zach and I quickly followed behind her.
Ms. Nancy was our high school band teacher. Yeah we're band geeks.
We were at the local craft store getting supplies for our next item on the list. Peyton's bucket list idea required more people in order to even out the teams, so we invited some band friends; Ava, Holly, Olive, and of course Zach.
"Ms. Nancy!" Ava screamed running towards her.
"Look who it is! Ava and Violet!" She laughed and set a ball of yarn into her cart.
Yeah, we have a band director that knits! I know you're jealous.
"We missed you Ms. Nancy!" Ava chirped as she rolled on the balls of her feet.
"I've missed you too Ava," she laughed as she shoved her iPhone 5 into her pocket. "What have you guys been up to?"
"Well Violet, Peyton and Jake came up with this awesome idea to complete things on their bucket lists this summer and I've just been swimming and doing bell choir in church like usual," Ava sighed, taking a breath.
"That's actually why we're here now," I added. "It was Peyton's idea to have a paint war and we needed a few extra people in order to make the teams even, but Brielle bailed on us for a dance competition so I guess the teams are still uneven," I sighed as the realization hit me that our game would not work the way it should.
"Well maybe I could help," Ms. Nancy smiled as she made the suggestion.
"Oh my gosh! Violet! Can she play?" Ava pleaded.
"Uh, sure," I replied. Hm, I wasn't quite sure I liked the idea of Ms. Nancy helping us out, but I guess it was really the only thing we could do since Brielle bailed.
"Sweet!" Ms. Nancy smiled.
"Yay! Thank you, thank you Violet," Ava squealed as she ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me in a giant hug. "You're the best!"
Ms. Nancy laughed at our slightly awkward moment before she spoke, "so what is it I'll be doing anyway?"
I recalled Peyton squealing earlier when she has unwrapped the slip of paper that read, have a paint war, and smiled.
"Ms. Nancy, wear some old clothes because we're having a paint war," I grinned.
"Yes!" She cheered but then proceeded to ask more questions, "where are we having this?"
"Violet's house," Ava responded.
"What's the address?"
"901 Apple Way."
"What time?"
"We're planning on starting at one."
"Sweet, I'll be over at one with my play clothes on," she laughed, putting air quotes around "play".
"Yay! See you then, Ms. Nancy!"
"Bye Ava and Violet, see you all later!" She shouted as she rolled her nearly empty cart over to check out.
"Bye Ms. Nancy!" We all replied in unison.
"You invited Ms. Nancy to have a paint was with all of us?" Peyton whispered in confusion.
"Yeah, it'll be fun," I smiled as I began walking in the direction of the balloons and the rainbow assortment of paints.
~*~
"Here's how this is going to work," I started.
All eight players (yes, Ms. Nancy included), were all gathered in clump in the middle of my front yard.
My outfit was quite simple. I wore an old pair of Nike sneakers, a purple tank top (purple is totally my color, I must say), and a pair of dark wash jean shorts. My hair was thrown up into a careless pony tale and of course I had on my signature sparkly eye liner.
Sparkles, you could say, are my passion. If it's got sparkles on it, I already am in love with it. No exceptions.
"Peyton and I will be the team captains. When your name is called stand on whichever side you were called for," I explained. "Everyone understand?" I paused and waited for any follow up questions but when no one spoke I continued. "Okay, Peyton will start since this was her idea."
"Okay I pick," she paused and taped her chin. "Olive!"
Olive shuffled over beside Peyton as she gestured for me to pick.
"We all know she's going to pick Jake," Ava laughed.
"I would object, but I can't. I pick Jake," I laughed, pulling his arm.
"Ava," Peyton sighed.
"You know you're excited to have me on your team. Admit it!"
Peyton just laughed , so I continued.
"Holly."
"Whooo!" Holly shouted as she ran over to hug me. "Yay! You picked me! Now I've got a game plan hanging out right up here," she gestured to her head, "and we're going to win. Just wait-"
"And she is still talking," Ms. Nancy laughed. This statement cause Ava and I to break out in a fit of laughter, causing everyone to give us confused look.
"It's an inside joke," Ava panted.
Ava, Holly, and I all play the clarinet so it really gives us a lot of bonding time. Ms. Nancy encouraged us all to do solo fest last spring, so of course we didn't refuse. Well, long story short, we were always getting extra help, and bonding with Ms. Nancy. Lots of people were intimidated by her, but we weren't. Ava and I would eat lunch in her office almost every day since neither of us had very many friends in the same lunch as us.
From band trips, Ms. Nancy quickly came to the realization that Holly never stopped talking to take a breath. Never.
"I'll choose Ms. Nancy, since I am ninety nine percent sure that if I don't, Ava will cry," Peyton giggled. Ms. Nancy quickly made her way over to Ava giving her a high five.
"Mssss. Nancyyyy. Looks like your stuck with me," Ava teased.
"Ah man. You guys had to leave me with Ava?" Ms. Nancy said. Ms. Nancy loved Ava and I, so I caught the sarcastic twist to her voice.
"You love me," Ava reassured her.
"I do love you Ava, but of course in a school appropriate way," Ms. Nancy reminded her. That statement was pretty much her catchphrase she says it all the time.
"Zach you're with us," I gestured for him to join my team.
I laughed at Ms. Nancy and Ava's conversation continued to explain the rules. "Okay, so now you all are hopefully aware that there are four people to a team," I giggled. "Here's how this is going to work, each team will get fifty balloons, Peyton's balloons will be the pink ones and my team's will be the purple, each-"
"Um excuse me! Purple is my favorite color! I want the purple ones!" Ava whined.
"Too bad, I want the pink," Peyton pouted. I heard Ms. Nancy chuckling in the background. That's what she gets for agree to help out a bunch of high school kids during the summer.
"Ava, I promise it will be okay," I reassured her.
"No it won't!" she complained.
"Ava, just shut up you're not getting the purple balloons," Holly chimed in, obviously getting fed up with the immaturity level of our friend. But hey, that's why I love these people. After Holly said this Ava grew quiet.
"Okay like I was saying, there's four people on each team yadda yadda yadda, there really is no way to win, so basically just go out there and start smacking people with balloons and paint!"
"Whooooo!" Peyton squealed.
"My team has claimed the backyard as our territory and you guys can have the front. Everybody ready?"
"Yeah!"
"Go!" I shouted, immediately darting towards the backyard. The others followed close behind me.
~*~
I don't remember who but someone came up with the genius idea that our team break up into two, but it was perfect. That is why at this very moment Jake and I were hiding underneath the deck, balloons in hand, ready to pounce.
"Where do you think they all went?" I whispered.
"No clue, it seems way too quiet."
"It really does," I agreed.
A few silent minutes went by before I first heard Jake sigh. I glanced over at him and I noticed that there were silent tears filling up his eyes. The deck was high enough off the ground that I could comfortably sit up, so I took advantage of it and turned over to sit. He followed.
"What's wrong?" I whispered, a few tears of my own filling my eyes. He sniffed a few times before he answered.
"It's just, I'm just, I'm really going to miss all of this. I'm going to miss you so much," his voice cracked and his eyes never left mine.
My voice came out shakier than I had hoped for it to, "I'm going to miss you too, Jake."
"The moving date is coming up really quick too," he reminded me, trying desperately to keep his throat from cracking.
"I know it is," I whispered as I leaned forward to hug him.
"Violet, things are going to be so different next year. Things are going to be so different without you," his eyes crystallized. "At least you'll still have Peyton when I'm gone," he sniffed. "I won't have anyone."
"Jake don't say that. I don't even know how I'll ever handle life without you," I reassured him. "Remember how broken I was all those weeks when we stopped talking?" I asked. "Well that's how my entire senior year will be like."
The move was going to stab me in the heart big time. How was I supposed to get through senior year without him? It's not even possible. Jake is my entire life, I spend most every second talking to him or just having him in my presence.
Worst of all, I love him.
How would you feel if boy you were in love with moved away from you?
I can't live my life without him because he is my life.
"V you really have no idea how badly this is going to affect my life. Those were the worst few weeks of my entire life."
"I do, this is going to affect me the same way. You're my best friend, you always have been and you always will be."
This was starting to cause tears to overflow in both of our eyes, but we tried our hardest to stay strong for each other. We both needed someone who could stay strong for us.
"Got ya!" Two voices screamed from behind us.
And before we could react there was Ava and Ms. Nancy standing behind us with balloons in hand.
Within seconds of turning to face the enemies my whole world turned an assortment of splattered colors.
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An that would be chapter six! We are nearing the end of the short story just in time for the wattys! Hope you guys like it! Don't forget to vote! Thanks;)
~Keeks02