Wrong Number~ The Vamps (Short story)

18

Two knocks hit the door. Jade smiled, knowing it was either Bradley or James to pick her up.

"Just come in," She said, getting up with the crutches she had. But rather than being Bradley or James, it was Connor.

"Surprise, I'm here too!" He cheered.

"Let me guess-"

"And Tristan!" Tristan announced walking in too. Jade just began laughing.

"Hello," She laughed.

"The other two are downstairs," Tristan said, "We came to get you. And I'm so sorry, but you're stuck in the back with Brad and Connor."

Connor picked up the bag of hers, which had been sat on the floor next to her, and the three of them left. But when they got to the stairs, Jade ended up being carried down them by Tristan. Twice in this week she'd nearly fallen down the stairs because of these crutches, she wasn't about to have the third. They got to the bottom of the stairs and James and Bradley were waiting for them.

"Hey Jade," James said with a smile.

"Hi," She replied, getting put back onto the floor, "Can we go now?"

"Yes," He chuckled, "Come on."

"You haven't even said hello to me!" Brad complained, acting offended.

"Hello Brad," Jade laughed, "How're you?"

"Better now," He grinned.

They went out to the car, Jade's bag going in the boot and Jade sitting in between Brad and Connor, her foot propped up on the armrest console. She needed to keep it kept up and this was the best option they had.

"Jade, would you like to choose the music?" James offered.

"Sure," She answered, connecting her phone to the aux cord and looking through her music, choosing to play The Beach Boys, of course. Naturally, they all began singing along to the sixties boy band. But what surprised the boys the most was Jade's voice. They didn't know she could sing, she'd never said anything about it before.

"Jade, you sing?" James asked her.

"Everyone can, " She shrugged, "It's whether you can sing well or not that counts."

"No, you can sing really well," Brad said next to her, "Where'd you learn that?"

"Just do it," Jade replied.

"So you sing and play guitar," James said, "What next? You're a drummer too?"

"I don't play guitar anymore," Jade said, "I told you that. And no, you won't ever hear my play."

"What if I told you I may have a left-handed guitar?" He asked.

"I'd still say no," She replied, "I don't play anymore."

"Why?" Connor asked.

She sighed, and then said, "My brother taught me and I haven't played since he died."

"Why should that stop you?" Tristan asked, turning in his seat, "Yeah, he taught you to play, but I don't think he would've wanted you to stop playing just because you can't play with him anymore."

"But when I play, I think of him," She reasoned, "And I don't want to think of him."

"What?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jade said, not wanting to cry about it in front of them. Her brother's death hit her hard. She blamed herself for it. Then hummed along to Heroes and Villains, another Beach Boys song.

Arriving at James' place, they all climbed out, Jade on her crutches. One of the boys took her bag in for her and she got shown her new room. "Thank you," She said, hugging James, "For everything."

"No problem," James replied hugging her back, but not too tight after remembering the bruises that were still on her ribs. "Now, down to the kitchen for your surprise."

"But I don't like surprises," Jade said.

"You'll like this one," He smiled, "Well, I hope you do."

They got to the stairs, and rather than making her go down on her own, James simply scooped her up and carried her down, while Jade laughed the whole time holding her crutches.

"Took you long enough!" Brad joked as they entered the kitchen.

On the counter was something in a very obvious shape. The obvious shape of a guitar.

"Look, I know you said you weren't going to play, but... I think you'll like it," James said, "It's hard to explain. You'll know when you open it."

With a small sigh, Jade went over a pulled the blanket off the obviously shaped guitar and saw the hard, black case with stickers all over it. Stickers she recognised immediately, making her gasp. Her hands undid the clasps immediately and saw the glossy, black acoustic guitar that belonged to Kieran.

"How?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly, contradicting the smile on her face.

"I asked about," James shrugged, "I didn't think he taught you guitar, but you said he used to play you to sleep."

"That's actually adorable," Connor said.

"I thought they got rid of it," Jade said, her fingers touching the strings, strumming them slightly.

"Who?" Brad asked, opposite her.

"Mitchell and Georgia," She replied, "I knew it went somewhere. I just thought they sold it, like they did to mine."

"They sold your guitar!?" Tristan asked, a little angry

"You seem miffed about that," Jade laughed, "But yes, they did. But they made me do it so I kept most of the cash and claimed I could only get twenty quid for it when I got seventy."

"Was your brother left handed too?" Connor asked, realising the guitar was for a left handed person.

"Yeah," She said, "Meant no one could really borrow it."

"You want me to put it in your room?" James asked.

"Um.."

"It's okay, it's not like you can take it," He said.

"Fair point," Jade replied, closing the case and doing it up so it wouldn't get damaged. James then took it upstairs. "Now the real question. Does James have strawberry jam?"

Tristan opened the fridge, revealing no jam. How sad.