Carrying my new four books and new library card, Max and I walked to his car. I wanted to see the library and get some books this morning, so since Max wasn't busy, he agreed to take me there. Turns out, he loves books too.
"Books, sports, animals, adventure, is there anything you don't like?" he asked me.
"Hmm... rudeness. I cannot stand seeing someone being rude to someone else who didn't do anything wrong."
Max nodded. "Understandable. And yeah I hate that too."
"What about you Max? What things are you interested in?" I asked looking up at him.
"Books mostly. I also like motorcycles. I don't have one now, but I'm hoping to get one one day soon."
"That's cool," I replied. I wouldn't have guessed that, but now I can totally see it. "That's it?"
"Well.... I'm also partially a theatre and star wars nerd," he admitted as if it were something most people don't know.
"No way me too!" I said.
He looked at me surprised. "Really? Star wars and theatre?"
"Yeah! I was in theatre at my school and my castmates and I would listen to Broadway musical soundtracks a lot. And although I don't know every detail of every star wars movie, I'd still be so down to have a star wars marathon and binge watch Mandalorian."
"Seriously? That's awesome! We should totally do that sometime!" he said excitedly. I was excited now too. "And we can invite Jordan too. He's secretly a star wars nerd too, but don't tell him I told you."
I gasped. "No way!" He nodded and we laughed as we drove home from the library. One of my favorite songs Maniac by Conan Gray started to play on the radio and I started singing along and waving my arms everywhere. Max sang along a little bit too and we were jamming out at the stoplight, and all our windows were down. A convertible next to us full of teenage guys were looking at us, mostly me.
"Yeah! Get it girl!" they cheered. I covered my mouth out of embarrassment and Max started laughing a little bit. I figured I probably would never see them again so I continued to jam out and dance even harder and sang louder. The guys were clapping and cheering for me, and Max and I were laughing as I danced like no one was watching even though like 5 teenage boys were staring at me. Even Max started clapping with the beat and cheering for me.
The song ended and the guys were all applauding and cheering. I could feel my face turning bright red, but I was laughing too. "Hey can we get your number?" one of them called out. I guess they thought I was cute jamming out to one of my favorite songs even though people were looking at me.
Right after one of them said that, I didn't even had a chance to reply when the light turned green and Max accelerated so fast that we left those boys in the dust. I started laughing at the perfect timing of it all. "Max, you didn't give me a chance to answer their question."
"You didn't need a chance. You were only going to hurt their feelings and I helped you let them down easy, right?" he asked and looked at me. I didn't answer him causing him to almost think I was actually going to give them my number. "Right?" he asked again more concerned this time.
"Yes you're right. I was just kidding," I smiled. He then relaxed and smiled again while we drove home.
"Good. There are so many weirdo boys in LA, and there some are more dangerous than others," he explained.
"Oh trust me, I got off a plane to go to a mansion full of boys. I would know that by now. Especially moving in with dangerous ones...."
Max was confused. "Well okay, but we're not danger- oh. Well most of us aren't," he said as if a lightbulb turned on in his head. We were both thinking of the same tall blonde boy (Jordan), and we both laughed.
-
As I lay across the chair on my balcony outside my room reading one of the new books I got from the library, I heard someone from downstairs yell for me. At first I didn't hear him since I was so lost in my book, but then I got up and headed downstairs to where I heard the voice coming from. Josh, Max, and Tyler were the only ones home besides me at the moment, but the other boys would be home soon for dinner. I walked into the kitchen, and Holly followed closely at my heels.
"There's something in the mail for you," Josh said pointing at the stack of mail at the edge of the counter. Huh, my first ever piece of mail at my second home. It was from the state government of where my home was.
"Thanks, I wonder what it is," I said starting to open it.
"Miss Annabelle Lancaster, it is with heavy hearts that we must inform you this. The property in which your family owned was demolished in the large wild fires that our state has been facing, as well as most Rapid City. Your family members have been informed of this as well.
The Rapid City health department has announced that it is dangerous to be in the vicinity as heaps of ashes and smoke remain. We require that you stay with your foster residence until all damaged properties in Rapid City are repaired which will take approximately 4 months. If the persons you are staying with are not able to have you stay during that time, you must contact the S.D.N.D.D. within the next week so you can be relocated.
Your legal/parental guardians will remain where they are until everyone is allowed to return to Rapid City. Until then, as a minor, you will continue the education process in the district that you are staying in currently.
Again, we send our deepest regards and are sorry for the loss of your property and town until it all repairs are made. We wish you good luck as well as you begin the school year in a different area.
Sincerely,
The South Dakota Natural Disasters Department"
I covered my mouth with my hand after gasping. Josh looked up from his phone. "What is it? What does it say?" he asked.
I was in shock. I knew the fires were close enough that I had to evacuate but not close enough to destroy my house and ultimately the town I grew up in... my home. My eyes started watering and I didn't want anyone to see me cry, so I ran out of the kitchen and up to my room. Right as I ran from the living room and up the stairs crying, Blake and Ash walked in to see me running away with tears in my eyes.
"Woah, what... Annabelle?" they were not expecting that sight walking in the house, which just made me run faster. As soon as I reached my room, I closed my door and jumped onto my bed. I threw the letter on the floor and covered my face with my pillow.
I can't believe it, my own home. So many memories were made there. I grew up there. That place always has and always been special to me. I thought of the great oak tree in my backyard with the wooden swing that has been there for generations. I remembered the neighborhood park where I learned how to ride a bike. And all of it - burned. Gone. It's all in ashes. They are going to rebuild it, but it will never be the same again. That old oak tree will be replaced, but it'll never be there again. What about the town animal shelter? Are the animals okay? My old school building is burned down too, including every locker I've ever decorated, every desk I've ever used- gone. I cried harder and was even really shaky now.
I reached for my phone and called my best friend Keira from home.
"Did you get the letter yet?" I asked as soon as she picked up the phone.
There was a pause. "I read it an hour ago," she said and her voice sounded shaky and tired like she had been crying too.
"Everything... is..." I broke down crying again and it sounded like she did too.
"The swings in my backyard.." she said.
"Our doodles on the walls of my attic from when we were five..." I mentioned. My tears were dripping all over the pillow.
"The playground where we pretended the floor was lava with other kids at the playground that we didn't know...." that was such a sweet memory. And now that playground was gone.
There was a pause so we could speak clearly without tears getting in the way.
"How is your family doing? Are you going to be able to stay there?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'll be going to the high school about a mile away from my aunt's house. It'll be different, but it'll be okay. What about you? You'll have to go to a high school in LA that's probably huge."
I hadn't thought of that. "Oh. Well, I hate the thought of such a huge new school, but they guys will help me at least," I said.
"That's true. And hey, maybe you'll be popular being with such attractive guys," she mentioned.
I had a small smile. "Maybe. But I just miss home. What about all our classmates we grew up around? Ted, Laura, the ones we've had in our classes since kindergarten?"
"We'll just have to go the beginning of senior year without them." She's right. A few more tears went down my face.
"I miss you Keira! I miss home. I miss everyone back home. Don't get me wrong, I love it here with all my heart, but my heart was raised there, not here. And we just have to go much longer," I said almost choking on my tears a bit.
"I miss you too. Trust me I miss everything too. But even if we are hundreds of miles apart, we are in this together. You can call me whenever you need. We need to be strong together." I nodded my head even if she couldn't see it.
"And you can call me whenever you need." I heard a knock on the door. "I have to go. I love you! Bye!"
"Love you too! Bye Bellie!" and then the call ended. I wiped my tears as best I could and turned on my sad playlist quietly.
"Come in," I said. Josh slowly walked into the room.
"Hey, it's me. Um.." his tone was very gentle and careful. "Are you okay?"
I hugged my pillow and my lip quivered. "No?"
Josh sat on my bed next to me. "Can you tell me why?... What did the letter say?"
I took a deep breath. "It's my house... my hometown... it's gone. It all burned in the fire." I said almost whispering because if I spoke louder, I'm afraid it would cause more tears to come.
Josh's mouth opened out of surprise, then he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me gently into a hug. I leaned into him and it turned into him holding me while I cried a little more.
"I'm sorry I-. I don't want to cry in front of you, or anyone," I whimpered.
"No, it's okay. It's healthy to cry, especially after such a loss. I'm here for you, so cry all you want," he said. He's so sweet it almost made me cry more.
A minute passed of lying there in his lap and his arms when we just listened to the sad songs playing until I spoke again. "The town was a kind where all the children grew up together, where if someone moved in, everyone would know, where you fell in love with the neighbor boy and got married in front of everyone, and you would raise your kids in the same house you grew up in. There were drawings on the walls of my attic that me and my best friend drew when we were little, but beneath those were my mom's drawings when she was small. And they are all gone."
More tears rolled down my face until Josh wiped them away. "Stay strong. The only things that are gone are the actual objects and places, but they made memories that will last forever. With a rebuilt town, of course things won't be the same, but that means new memories. If it weren't for the end of that town, you would have never met us. There are so many new great things to come. I promise. New playgrounds, new memories...."
"But I loved the old playgrounds..."
Josh looked down at my face and wiped away another tear.
"Oh also speaking of new things..um.. the letter says I have to stay here for a few more...months... Is that okay with you guys? I'd have to go to school here."
"That's totally fine. In fact, I'm happy I have longer until I have to say goodbye to you," he said and gave a gentle smile, which I returned.
"So I'm not a burden of a guest? It's not weird to have one girl living here?" I asked.
"You're not just a girl, you're Annabelle, and we love having you here. Honestly..." he looked up collecting his thoughts. "Annabelle you are one of the best things to happen to this family. I wish you could realize how much you've helped everyone living here. Because of you, Ash has been more open. Max has laughed more. Jordan is more chaotic (in a good way). Blake is overall happier, and Tyler smiles so much more with you, well he smiles a lot anyways, but I think growing up with a bunch of brothers was... well he needed a sister figure. And that's what you are to him. So we would love for you to live with us longer, even if it's years."
I was crying more now for a good reason than before. There was a pause when I took in all that he said and I could hardly see anything through all the tears in my eyes now. "And how have I helped you?" I asked.
"Well, you... you help make me realize how good people can be, and you inspire me with your sweetness and adventurousness. You inspire me to get out in the world more because there is so much good about it."
I couldn't help but cry more, enough that I sat up to hug Josh. We sat there on my bed together while I cried on his shoulder. A sad melody played quietly in the background which helped more emotions come out. I was scared of starting at a new school as a senior, having no where to go anywhere but here because this was my home now, not seeing my parents for another few months, the scary feeling of never actually knowing when exactly I could go home, and when I do how different it'll be. What if there are mean people at the school?
We heard a light knock at the door, and then Blake and Max walked in. "Hey... is everything ok?" Blake asked gently, then saw me crying on Josh's shoulder. Both the guys were surprised, then slowly moved closer and gently sat down on the bed. "What happened?" Max mouthed the words to Josh.
"Her hometown burned down," Josh communicated to them. I felt someone's hand rubbing my back for support.
Blake grabbed some tissues and gave them to me which I was very thankful for. "Is there anything we can do to help you?" he asked. I broke away from my hug with Josh finally. Blake and Max then saw my puffy red eyes and some hair glued to my face by my tears. Blake reached over and put it behind my ear so it wasn't on my face anymore, and I gave a small smile. I shrugged my shoulders in response to his question.
"Um," I choked on more tears. "Because I don't have a home anymore, Josh said it would be okay if I lived with you guys for a few months until they rebuild my town. Is that okay with you guys?" I asked.
"Of course, stay as long as you want," Max said.
"Thanks," I had a small smile. "And then also I'll be going to school with you guys in the fall," I informed Blake. That part was both good and bad.
He gave a small smile. "Maybe we'll have classes together," he said with compassion and hopefulness. He made me feel a little bit better. Then I started thinking of classes and new people I'll have to be near. There are so many different types of people in LA, what if they're mean?
"You guys won't let me be bullied, will you?" I asked already mostly knowing the answer, but right now I was hurt and scared, wanting reassurance.
The three boys looked at each other surprised that I would doubt that they wouldn't protect me even for a moment. "Of course, you can stick with us the entire time if you want," Josh said keeping his arm around me. I gave a small smile. I wiped my tears and was becoming okay again I think.
"I think dinner is almost ready, do you want to come downstairs now or do you still want a minute?" Max asked.
"You guys go ahead. I think I'll eat later. Don't mind me," I said.
"You sure?" Josh asked. I nodded my head. "Okay. Well, we're here if you ever need anything." I gave an appreciative smile, and the three boys started to get off of my bed and walk downstairs.
Once they were gone, I grabbed Holly's ball and Holly followed me downstairs and into the backyard. I walked past the pool and down the patio stairs to the yard. I threw the ball as hard as I could and it almost hit the back fence about 80 meters away. I then climbed onto the patio railing and sat there looking at the yard and beyond it at the view of LA and the ocean in the distance. This yard is not like what my old backyard was like, but whenever I felt stressed I went into my backyard and played with Holly, then I'd take a break to try to climb the old oak tree. Sometimes the ball would go over the fence, but I guess if I were at my house right now I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. Because there is no fence. There's not even a house.
I sat there as the setting sun shone on my face and tears made the ocean seem closer than it actually was. As sad as it was, at the same time, I get to stay with the Swaylers for months now instead of just another week or two. I get to go to school with them. I get to have my mansion master bedroom for a few months. I get to get ready for school in my huge closet and massive vanity. I get to celebrate my birthday with the boys. And although it was sad having to do all these things without my parents or friends from home, this is my life now. And after all it isn't permanent. Josh is right, I have the memories of my old house and now it's time to make memories of a new one. Plus, school with the Swaylers could be lots of fun and interesting. How could it not be?
I was so deep in my thoughts sitting by myself in the backyard that I didn't even notice an hour had gone by. The boys were probably all done eating dinner now. I was about to go outside when Tyler walked out and joined me.
"The view is pretty great, huh?" he asked looking out at LA and the ocean where I was looking.
I smiled. "Yeah, it's really cool." Holly gave her ball to Tyler and he threw it.
"I heard about what happened. I am so sorry for your loss."
"Thanks, but it'll be okay. I get to go to school with you guys," I said. "And that'll be really cool. I get to come to some of your soccer games now."
"That'll be lots of fun!" We both smiled. I felt so much better now, although still grieving inside, I was doing alright thanks to the amazing guys who live here. "So... there's a rumor that Jordan felt really bad for you and went out and bought gallons of ice cream..."
"What? Seriously?" I laughed. "No way! Aw that's thoughtful."
"Yeah, so if you come inside, you can have some. And everyone has agreed to let you pick a chic flick tonight and we'll all watch it with you in the movie room." I smiled.
"Aw you guys are the best! I should be sad more often!"
"No! This is all so that you aren't sad!" Tyler laughed. I laughed too. In fact we both laughed pretty hard. We the got up and went inside. The rest of the boys were all waiting for us inside as if they had sent Tyler out there to get me. If they did, I'm not mad because it worked after all. The boys who had not comforted me yet, Jordan and Ash, walked up and hugged me. I blushed a little bit by feeling so loved.
"Did you tell her about the movie and ice cream?" Ash asked Tyler who nodded his head.
"Do you want any dinner first?" Max asked me.
"Eh, we have plenty of ice cream to be my dinner and dessert," I said and they laughed. We then all went down to the movie room and I chose that we all watch To All The Boys I've Loved Before which was a rom-com. I sat front row between Jordan, Blake, and Ash while the other three boys squished in the back row.
There were times when the guys rolled their eyes and I thought the scene was cute, other times Jordan, Tyler, and I started arguing and yelling at the characters in the movie giving them dating advice. Whenever the main characters kissed though, both Ash and Jordan reached over to cover my eyes.
On the last final kiss scene, I moved Jordan's hand out of the way to peek and instead of trying again to block my view with his hand, he got up and was about to sit on me to block my view that way instead. I started screaming for Blake and Ash to help so that he wouldn't crush me. They pushed him away from me, but then Ash and Jordan started getting in a play fight. I gasped and told Blake to break it up, but he couldn't. So I stepped in. I had already seen the movie before so I ignored the ending as I tried to jump on one of the guys that was on the ground tackling the other.
"Jordan! No! Release! Jordan release!" I said jumping onto his back when he was almost on top of Ash. Tyler, Josh, and Max all were in the back row being entertained and occasionally cheering someone on. Blake was trying to make sure one of the guys didn't actually hurt me.
I held onto Jordan's back as much as I could but he was like a bull in a rodeo and I couldn't stay on for long because Ash pried me off of him in order to tackle Jordan himself. I thought that was unfair so then I tried to tackle Ash. Somehow I was able to get him on the ground and I grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the floor while I was sitting on top of him. "Aha!" I said thinking I had won, but then before Jordan or Blake could stop him, he flipped me so that I was the one pinned to the ground. How does he do that?!
Ash's face hovering over mine, I was a little bit scared and pretended to yell for help, but on the inside I had extreme butterflies and was intimidated but also felt safe and scared at the same time. Despite the extreme army of butterflies that arose inside me, I was able to think fast. My moved myself lower on the ground and raised my hips as quickly as I could underneath him which threw him forward, forcing him to let go of my wrists. I took that chance and grabbed onto him like a tree, which caused him to not be able to get up. While he was struggling, I then was able to maneuver my feet in a way that flipped us so I was on him now and he was back on the ground.
All the boys decided that they wanted to see who could win the fight, so Jordan and Blake didn't bother separating me and Ash, especially wanting to know for themselves who could win. While the happy ending music during the credits was playing, I pretended to punch Ash when he stopped my fist with his hand. I then quickly jumped up letting him get up from the ground.
Jordan started narrating the fight. "Annabelle lets Ash get up off the ground. Ash gets up ready to face her. Either someone will get punched or- oh! And just when Ash was about to get her, she ducks and goes under his legs! Ash goes at her again and sweeps her off her feet. And I mean literally ladies and gentlemen. Annabelle is like a sack of potatoes swung over Ash's shoulder until, wait, Annabelle grabs his leg causing him to not go anywhere! She then somehow - uh- what. She fell off his shoulder somehow! She did it! She got out of his hands and is now - um- grabbing onto both his legs like a Kawalla bear! Ash is confused and doesn't know what to do until- Oh! He did a somersault forcing Annabelle to let go before she dies! Annabelle leaps at Ash with- I have no idea what her intension was. And Ash catches her which she didn't like and then throws her to the grou- ASH! What are you doing?!"
I screamed right as I was bracing for the hard impact of hitting the ground when suddenly Ash stopped me just inches away from hitting the carpet. When he threw me, I wasn't too far away from his arms to catch me again before getting hurt, although it did scare me and the rest of the boys.
"Ash! You almost hurt her! Badly too!" Max said jumping up.
"But I didn't," he laughed. "Right?" he asked looking down at me just to be sure.
"No, but you scared me so bad," I said smiling big. He helped me stand up again.
"Sorry about that. But does this mean I won?" I gasped and was about to tackle him again when he put his arms up. "Okay! Okay! We'll call it even."
"I don't know. I think she won because she was able to get you even after you pinned her to the ground," Blake said. Some of the others nodded. I smiled big and looked at Ash who then looked down at me and sighed.
"Alright," he said. Tyler then ran over to me and raised my arm like a champion who had just won the fight. I laughed.
-
I sat in my bed now in my cozy pajamas and headphones in. I had some dinner after Ash and I play fought. That was so much fun trying to tackle him. There were some moments I got the biggest butterflies ever though. Ash has and always has been so attractive, but it's different when either he's grabbing your wrists or you're trying to be stronger than him, even though he is probably the strongest Swayler. The way he laughed when I was winning, the way he challenged me to be stronger when he captured me.... I bet no girl at the high school he went to has ever had that much of an experience with the Ashton Swayler. But I did. And I loved it.
There was a light breeze blowing through my windows, and the moon was so bright that it lit up my room. I left my curtains pulled back so that I could enjoy the light of the stars too. As I scrolled through my playlists on my phone, I came across one called "One Direction", a boyband which I loved when I was younger and still do. I pressed play and let the lyrics I used to sing along to fill my head. Memories of dancing in my living room singing along to words I didn't know the meaning of came back to me, taking buzzfeed One Direction quizzes online to see which member I was most like on my mom's computer in the kitchen, singing their songs loudly in the shower... They were apart of my childhood just like my house was. And they're gone too.
More tears managed to get out and onto my face without permission. I leaned my head back on the wall behind me lip syncing the words to the song playing in my ear buds that I thought was the sweetest and saddest song ever when I was eight. "If I let you know I'm here for you, maybe you'll love yourself like I (you sing!) love you! Oh!" Whenever Niall Horan sang that line of Little Things I pondered over what that meant exactly and what it would be like if it were true to me.
My throat and chest felt like it was tightening from all the emotions. It was just so much to process. It wasn't until "If I Could Fly" played then my face and pillow were soaked from tears and I was a mess. Even Holly was concerned. I missed my home, my hometown, my favorite band, my childhood, my old school, all the old playgrounds, everything that was a part of what made me who I am today. Including our town's ice cream truck.
That night I cried myself to sleep, but I guess now a new door has opened for me.
Author's Note: Hi! I'm sorry it was such a sad chapter, I hope it didn't make you feel sad if you didn't want to. That's why this chapter is being published after Christmas even though I finished writing it on Christmas Eve.
Also [no] surprise, I'm a directioner! There's even a 1D inside joke in the title of this chapter if you didn't catch it. As I was writing the end of the chapter, I was listening to One Direction songs and started to miss them so much since they are my favorite band ever, so I hope you don't mind I included it in the story how Annabelle is a Directioner too!
Are you excited that Annabelle has to go to school with the Swaylers now? Wonder if she'll make new friends? Will everyone like her? Will she be popular since she lives with the hottest guys in school? Will any guys there have a crush on her? Or will she like a new guy she meets? Keep reading to find out! (well once I write/publish the next chapters). And I know mostly what will happen! Oh the power I hold as an author hehehe!
I hope you all are doing well and are excited for 2021 to come. Only God knows if it'll be better or worse than 2020, but let's hope it is.
Until next time,
BlueSky910