Not Your Typical Good Girl x Bad Boy Story

CH 22 - Sudden Plans - Part 1

Brandon is telling Justin stories about his mischievous pets Bonnie and Clyde. Justin is playing with the two ferrets in question while laughing at tales of their failed escape attempts and successful thieving missions. Brandon is smiling while telling these stories, but his smile never reaches his eyes.

"Don't forget about that one time Dad had to go to work with two different socks because he couldn't find a single pair," Lisa says.

"The little devils either really love or really hate our dad. They steal from him in 90% of cases," Brandon explains.

Brandon's ribs and fingers are healed and his balance issues are under control. But his head is still a mess. He passes out often. The doctors doubt that would change. He'll never be able to drive a car. He'll never be able to swim in the ocean unsupervised. He'll never be able to achieve his dream of becoming a theatre performer. He tries to hide how much it hurts to have his future stolen. He pretends to be the same fun and engaging person he used to be. But there's an infinitive pool of sadness in his eyes that betrays the true depth of his pain. I wonder if there's anything that I could do for him.

My gaze falls on Lisa. She's playing with her Empty Aviary necklace. She often does that. They're her heroes. Their songs got her through some tough times. Seeing them live wouldn't fix anything that's going on. But it would make her happy. Which would make Brandon happy. I stare at my phone. Not sure why I haven't done it before. I guess it felt awkward. But it's been two years. I type out the e-mail. If there's ever been a right incentive... it's this.

Hi, Amy!

It's weird writing to you like this since we haven't talked in so long, and the way we left things was super awkward, but I need to reach out to you, and I feel equal parts excited and nervous about it. I'm not angry with you anymore. I was stupid and a child for being angry with you in the first place. I know it's not your fault. I know you didn't know. I know you would have never hurt me on purpose. I've been through some shit in school (the popular group targeting me after I had enough of their bullshit behavior and left them) that made me rethink the difference between real and fake friends. It also made me miss you. If you're ever back in the city, text me, and maybe we could meet and see about rebuilding our friendship (assuming you don't hate me for shutting you out).

Love,

Melanie

P.S. My friend Lisa is a big fan of the band. Her family's been through hell and back the past few months and they weren't able to afford the tickets. Is there any way you could get a hold of two? (She's a minor so she needs to go with her dad). It would mean everything to them.

I send the e-mail. I feel good about it. Amy might not see it. I don't know if she still checks her old e-mail address. Even if she does see it, there's no guarantee she'll be able to get the tickets. I don't know if it's possible with how soon the concert is. But at least I tried. I feel good knowing I tried.

A/N: It's confirmed. I can't write without an outline. That combined with me being super anxious while awaiting college results (I failed to get into college of my choice last year so I'm trying again this year) makes for bad writing grounds. This means I'll write 500 - 1000 words weekly fragments until I get my shit together. I hope that won't take more than a few weeks.