Bella’s POV‘IF BELLA LEAVES SO DO I’
‘SHE KILLED HER ANDY, WE CAN’T TAKE HER’
‘IT WAS AN ACCIDENT’
‘NOBODY CAN FORGIVE HER’
‘bitch’
‘asshole’
The door slammed and Bradie stamped down the hall. It was quarter past 9 and being woken up by yelling wasn’t my favourite way of waking up. It was my second morning at Andy’s, waking up on andy’s couch and we only had 3 days until we were leaving on tour again; that’s if I even went with them. My big secret was out. We kept it quiet for years but now it was out. It hurt when I thought back to Andy’s face when I admitted it; he looked at me different, he touched me lighter. Staying at Andy’s for nearly two days had given me time to think. If I stayed, nobody would be happy. They were all better off without me. Going into his room, I tried to tell him. ‘Look Andy maybe it would be better for everyone if I just le——’ he cut me off before I had a chance to finish ‘NO. NO WAY. I don’t care if you killed someone. It was an accident. I need you to stay’ his voice was loud; a mixture of anger and sadness. I owed him so much for not hating me, for understanding it was an accident. I didn’t want to leave him. ‘Andy it’ll be easier for everyone else’ he sat down next to me and looked straight into my eyes. ‘annabelle grace, no way, are you leaving me’ the tone in his voice was confusing, maybe he really liked me.
I was starting to doubt whether I would be able to leave him, whether I could leave Imogen, leave behind the happiest memories I had in years behind. I couldn’t stay here if it meant making everyone except Andy miserable, couldn’t stay and make Jimmy’s life any worse. I’d done enough to him already. That one perfect night, under the stars with andy, kissing him fully dressed in the shower and falling into the pool; it was one of the best nights I’d ever had and I didn’t want to leave it behind. I knew andy was thinking back to that night, it seemed so long ago but it was only a couple of days. I hadn’t heard from Imogen since my big confession; how does a six year friendship fall apart so fast? I kept asking myself that even though I knew the answer, I just didnt want to admit it to myself. Things fall apart fast when they’re based on lies, based on secrets. Without Imogen, I was just a stupid idiot on tour with a band I didnt even like, not wanted by anyone except Andy. I wasnt even invited. Imogen just dragged me away as usual, my parents thought I was at Imogens; they didn’t know I was in a total different state with a 22 year old bass player. I had to get out of here. ‘Andy I can’t do this, you have to let me go. Your tour means so much to thousands of people, I’m just some girl who accidently killed her cousins girlfriend and got dragged here by someone who wont even talk to me’ Fighting to hold back the tears that hardly seemed to stop these last few days, I shoved all my junk into my suitcase and zipped it up. ‘Don’t go, Bella’ Andy pleaded with me but I wasnt staying. My mind was made up. On the way out I banged Bradies door. ‘I’m leaving, happy now?’ I yelled through the hardwood, the door swung open and bradie appeared ‘Stay the hell away from Imogen’ was all he said before shutting the door in my face. At the front door, Andy caught me ‘Let me drive you home?’ he asked quietly jangling a set of keys. It hadnt even occured to me, I didn’t have a way home. ‘Andy, I live hours away and you’re leaving for Melbourne in 3 days’ He grabbed his sunnies off the bench ‘I dont care, I’ll make it’. Before I could argue, he was packing my suitcase into the back of the car ‘At least, tell everyone you’re leaving?’
‘Fine’ I sighed and did up my seatbelt. By the time we arrived at a house I assumed was Jimmys (everyone who had been on tour with us was there); I got a couple of loose hugs and a tight one from Imogen ‘Bella, don’t leave. I’m going to miss you way to much. Don’t leave’ she stuttered out the last two words. ‘Ims you wont even answer the phone’ I replied my voice sharper than I intended it to be. ‘I can get through this. We all can, we just need time’ she was crying now. ‘I can’t stay. I have to leave’
‘bella?’ This was a different voice, someone different. Jimmy. ‘Jimmy, I’m really sorry’ To the surprise of everyone including me, he put his arms around me ‘I’m not angry anymore, I’m sorry too’ he had spent years being angry at me, glaring at me. He made such a fuss over this and now he was SORRY ‘I really am sorry but I’m still going’ I was going to cry again so I walked to the car with andy right behind me. He got in and started the engine ‘you sure you want to do this?’
‘no’ I could only manage a whisper; clearing my throat, I said as confidently as possible ‘let’s go’
After not sleeping much for a couple of nights, I fell asleep after about 20 minutes and when I woke, we weren’t going in the right direction ‘Andy, you dumbass. we’re going in the wrong direction’ He didn’t answer ‘andy?’ I looked at the driver’s seat and did a double take when I saw Jimmy was driving ‘No, we’re not. I know everyone was angry and upset at you but everyone agreed not to let you go this easy. You’re going to melbourne just like the rest of us, we will get through this’. Yawning, I stretched as much as possible in the front seat ‘Why are you forgiving me? You hated me for so long’ My voice shook; He took one hand off the steering wheel and squeezed mine ‘Because I’ve realised it was an accident and I couldn’t stand other people hating on you because of something between us’. Forgetting we were in a car on the highway, I threw my arms around him. ‘Besides, Andy wouldn’t let you go’ he laughed. Turning up the music that was playing in the background and putting down the window, I relaxed properly for the first time since watching the storm with Andy. But now I was different. I was forgiven
