Open Your Arms

Chapter 7

March 30, 2003

I still haven't spoken to Jenn since the incident. I don't plan on talking to her for a very long time. Ville told me that I should just completely cut her out of my life, but it's not as simple as that. She means a lot to me. She's helped me through so much. Maybe she's just going through a funk right now or she has something going on. 

"You're teaching her how to treat you," Ville had said. "You're teaching her that she can hurt you, but you're allowing her to. You're making up excuses for her. You mean more than that, Larissa."

After hearing that, I was speechless. No one had ever talked to me like that before. I'm still thinking about it as I clean up my apartment for Ville to come over.  

He knows my worth better than I do. He makes me feel like I'm worth something. He doesn't hurt me or degrade me like Jenn does. He's soft and gentle like Hailey is. He has a way with words, too. Considering that he's a songwriter, I would hope that he speaks like that, but he speaks like it, too-he doesn't just write it. 

Ville is a master at love; I can tell by the way that he writes. He values love. He doesn't just throw it around like Bam and Jenn do. He's very cautious about it.

My nose is still sore, but it's getting better. It is bruised, just like my mom had said. It's still hard to wrap my head around everything that happened. I can't believe that she actually punched me. 

Jenn has always had a bad temper. She gets very angry very quickly, but then can change to the happiest person on Earth right after. I know that medication shouldn't be the only solution, but at this point, it's only getting worse. She should go and see someone. 

There's a knock at the door, so I quickly run over to it and open it up to find Ville standing there. 

"Hello," I say and step aside for him to take a look at my apartment. "It's really small, but cozy." I shut and lock the door, then follow him to where he's going. 

He goes into my bedroom and looks around. There's nothing in here. There's just a California-queen sized bed, a dresser, and a guitar. I rarely play the guitar, though. 

He walks out and smiles at me. "I brought the CDs for you to listen to."

He hands me four CDs. One of them is called Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666. I smile at the title. It's very orange and Ville is in the cover arching his back and looking away from the camera while he's shirtless. 

There's another one called Razorblade Romance that is pink. He's on the cover of it with a cigarette in his mouth. His pants are pulled below his waist, revealing the Heartagram tattoo that he has. He is wearing a coat, but his chest is still revealed. 

The third one is called Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. It's purple and shows Ville with one hand on his hip and the other holding a cigarette. His hair is much longer than it is now. 

Lastly, there's one that's just blank. I look at the back and it's called Love Metal. It just has the Heartagram symbol on the front of it. 

"Where did you get these from?" I ask him. "Do you just carry them with you everywhere you go?"

He chuckles. "No. I bought them from a record store."

"Did they recognize you?"

"No. Surprisingly no."

I gasp and my eyebrows furrow. "How did they not? Your face is literally on three of them!"

He shrugs. "I have no idea. You have to listen to these before I leave, alright?"