I'll Meet You There

Chapter 14

It was getting cooler and there was frost and your breath came out in puffs of cloud. Winter was coming, but Ally loved the winter. She loved when it would lightly snow and the sun would make it sparkle. Or when frost would coat the bare trees and it became a wonderland.

Since it was getting into the winter season, Griffin no longer rode his motorcycle to school, which meant Ally could walk to her appointments. It was Thursday, a week before Christmas break, which meant physical therapy.

She had just finished one of her last appointments, Jace said she was getting stronger and would no longer need help. Ally was standing in the parking lot waiting for her mom when a familiar car drove in. She realized why it looked familiar when the passenger window rolled down.

"Ally please come with me so we can talk." Griffin pleaded.

"I have nothing to say Griffin. Please just leave, my mom's going to be here soon." Ally said, trying not to look at Griffin's eyes.

"Actually she's not. I called ahead and told her we had another English assignment and that you could come over and work on it." Griffin said, softly smirking. It made Ally's heart ache.

"Why would you do that Griffin?" Ally demanded.

"So we could talk. Please just come with me." Griffin asked, actually getting out of the car and walking over to Ally.

"Griffin I can't." Ally said, looking away.

"You can't or you won't?" Griffin said, moving a step closer

"Okay, I'll go with you, but you have to let me borrow your record player for as long as I want." Ally finally said, figuring that she might as well get something out of it.

"Deal. Absolutely deal Ally." Griffin said, testing a smile that Ally had missed.

When they had both gotten into the car, Ally was worried about timing but she found out she didn't have to. Needless to say, Griffin drove his car like he drove his motorcycle. And then they were in his room like nothing had happened, but everything had happened.

Griffin went to close his door,

"Why are you doing that?" Ally asked. It's not like she felt uncomfortable, Griffin had just never closed the door before today.

"My dad's home." He said, sitting against his bed.

"Where was he the other times?" Ally asked curiously.

"Tell you what, we'll play a sort of twenty one questions game." Griffin said.

Ally raised her eyebrows.

"See, we both want answers so we'll take turns and the person can either ask a question or say something." Griffin explained.

"Okay," Fair enough, Ally thought, "I'll go first. where was your dad all the other times we were here?"

"I don't know. Either working or visiting the petting zoo." Griffin said with no hesitation. "My tur-"

"Why would your dad be there?" Ally asked, cutting Griffin off.

"You only get one question per turn." Griffin said.

"Fine, continue." Ally said, sitting down on the floor beside him.

"The girl you saw-" Griffin started.

"Julie." Ally interrupted.

"Julie, she didn't mean anything. I mean, she did, but not in the way that counted. I was just frustrated because Romeo got to take you home and I heard some rumor about him asking you out or something." Griffin said, with complete honesty.

"He did ask me out. But I beat him to it." Ally said, recapturing the night.

"Wait, are you guys going out?" Griffin said all of a sudden.

"Well no, we aren't." Ally said.

Griffin nodded, "It's your turn."

"Why did you think it was okay to just sleep with someone because you couldn't drive me home." Ally asked, staring at the photographs.

Griffin sighed, "I don't know Ally. I just needed you and I couldn't have you. I get it was wrong but I was being impulsive and I don't know..."

Griffin's hair was sweeping down in front of his eyes and Ally fought the urge to tuck it back.

"Okay." She said.

"Okay. Now I have one for you. Why didn't you say yes to Romeo?" Griffin asked, looking at Ally.

"I just never felt that way about him." Ally said.

"Did you feel anything for me?" Griffin asked leaning in closer to Ally.

Ally didn't answer right away.

"Ally?" Griffin asked.

"It's my turn, you can't ask two questions in a row. Where's your mom?" Ally asked.

It was Griffin's turn not to answer.

"You have to answer." Ally said.

"I-I can't." Griffin stuttered.

"Why?" Ally asked.

"It's too hard."

And at that point Ally decided to let it all out,

"No. Do you know what's hard? Losing your brother in a car accident and having to live without him. Having to not have your parents laugh the same way ever again. Then to have to go to a therapist and physio because it's too hard without any help. That's too hard Griffin. Then to meet a guy and fall in love but realize he's slept with someone else. So tell me Griffin, what's so hard you can't tell me?"

"My mom died when I was fifteen from a brain tumor." Griffin said quietly.

Ally took that all in, "I'm so sorry."

Griffin shook his head, "Thanks, but don't be, it was a while ago. That's why my dad goes to the zoo. It was her favorite place."

"That's nice he still does that." Ally said, not knowing what else to say.

Griffin shrugged, "He still needs closure. I guess that's how he's getting it."

And then it was silent and they were both leaning against the bed. After a few minutes Ally got up to turn on the record player. She played whatever was already in there. On the way back, she grabbed one of Griffin's Polaroid cameras.

"I want to take your picture."

"Do you have to?" Griffin complained, but straightened up to pose anyways.

Ally nodded and aimed the camera. As it was clearing up, Ally looked at it. It was crap quality and the lighting was off. But at the same time it captured who Griffin was. The smirk of a smile. The little light in his eyes. The cocky tilt to his head. The picture was perfect.

"Ally," Griffin continued slowly, studying her studying his picture, "Do you still love me like you said you did?"

Ally nodded, looking up to his eyes. And Griffin was leaning in. And they were kissing. It was hard to believe it was raining somewhere else. They were both a little broken but somehow, their pieces fit together.