The Bad Boy He Never Was

Chapter 6 Breaths, Bubbles, Brad Nordstrom

It's strange. It seems although that every time I think something is impossible it happens. I never believed for one second hat I would move from my hometown. I never would have thought that I could bare to get a tattoo. I never ever expected to hold my dads hand and watch him die. I never thought any of these things would happen, but they did. You never think it will happen to you till it finally does. I never thought I would ever see the person standing before me again.

"Daniel?" The world spun around me. I couldn't move, it felt like my whole body was being pricked my tiny little needles. My vision was slightly blurry. I was in shock.

"Alice, is it really you? I'm not hallucinating am I." I couldn't reply. I was still taking everything in. The air. My surroundings. The events that were happening. "Al? Com'n Al it's me. Daniel, you remember me don't you?" That's when I snapped back into reality.

"Daniel!" I cried with joy. Quickly I ran over to him and jumped on him with a hug. He was holding me up as my legs were wrapped around his torso. My cheeks got wet with tears and all could hear was muffled sobs. He stood with me clung to him for what felt like forever. Every memory we ever had together came streaming through my head. How much I loved him. How fun it had been to just talk. How it felt when he left. I undid myself from him and looked at in his eyes.

He looked different then when I last saw him. His hair was slightly longer. His jaw was more define and he was in way better shape then when we were together, but his eyes were the same. A stormy blue colour. I wanted to say something but word escaped me. Quiet tears streamed down my face. There was evidence of tears around Daniels eyes. I wanted to take any hurt was away from him. "Alice.." He whispered wiping a tear from my cheek.

"How are you." It came out slightly croaky and Daniel laughed.

"I'm good." Everything we said was short and sweet. Full of meaning. We spoke in low voices wanting to savour every moment we had. "How are you?"

I threw my head back and laughed with a sniffle. "I'm good, what are you doing here?" I wasn't whispering anymore. We were talking like old friends.

"I live here! We moved yesterday so I have been getting settled in." Daniels dad was in the military. He would get transferred every so often so it didn't surprise me that he had moved here. But everything seemed like it wasn't actually happening. Like in five minutes I would wake up and it would all be a dream. I would be 14 in my old house. My dad would be downstairs making a huge breakfast and my mom would be walking around the kitchen with her coffee watching him with her eyes full of mysteries. She always had this look on her face when ever he was doing something fun. Something special. That's how I knew that they loved each other. The look.

"This is crazy. I thought I'd never see you again! I mean you moved across the country." I was.. Flabbergasted. Yes, that was the only word I could use to describe it. I wanted to say so many things. Ask so many questions, but I couldn't get it out. My mind was jumbled.

"I know! How are you how has everything been?" I wanted to tell him the truth. Everything has been crazy since he left. About 3 weeks after my dad died he had to go. It was like everyone who kept me from falling apart in this crazy world was leaving. Gone, never to be seen again. I wanted to tell him that I had changed. That I had become stronger. But I didn't say any of those things.

"Oh fine, the usual. Nothing really worth disguising. What about you? Have you moved much?" The questions continued in my head instead of out loud. I didn't want to overwhelm him.

"The have been good. No only a couple times. Hey, do you wanna get coffee or something?" His words were shy and he looked at the ground. I thought it might be slightly odd if I went for coffee in my running clothes.