Imperfect (a TBNRfrags/Pack fanfiction)

Brendon? (Chapter 17)

Annalee's POV

I laugh, relaxing as we all sat down to eat in San Antonio for dinner. Tomorrow was the PAX South weekend and I honestly couldn't wait. I felt close to the people surrounding me at this table despite the fact that I've only know a few of them for about a week or two.

I felt more confident in myself and I really enjoyed being around these weirdos. I hummed as Rob put his arm around my shoulders as the waiter approached us.

If anyone told me in high school that I would be here in 2016 laughing my ass off at some "Fish fish fish" or "Bannable" joke, I would have called bullshit.

"Annie, whatcha thinking about?" Preston's whisper startled me out of my thoughts. I look to my left and Preston's was staring at me.

"I'm thinking about this. If you had told me in my junior year that I'd be here in 2016 and laughing my ass off at these strange jokes of "Fish fish fish" or "Bannable", I would have honestly called bullshit." I whisper, shouldering Rob's left arm and he got the message, dropping his arm from my shoulders.

"Seriously?" Preston whispered back. I couldn't even imagine that Preston could whisper but here we are.

I nod. "Want to see something?" I ask quietly and he nods.

I take a deep breath in then pull back the sleeve of my hoodie to expose my semicolon tattoo. I showed Preston my right arm and he gingerly held on to my arm while he poked at my small tattoo.

"What is this for?" He mumbled.

"A message. To always keep going; and that my story isn't over yet." I admit, blushing slightly. In high school, especially in my junior year, my mental stability went to shit.

Before I could continue, the waiter reaches me. "I'll have a water. Thank you." I say, before looking at the menu.

"I'll have a Coke." Preston says before the waiter moves on.

"Is there an intense story behind it?" He asks me. I pause.

"It's a long story; one that isn't appropriate for the dinner table." I murmur, running a hand through my hair. I had abandoned my SnapBack and it was now laying in the hotel room.

"Why do you say that?" Preston whispers after a moment. I take a deep breath in.

"The last two years of high school involved a lot of melt downs, panic attacks, anti-depressants and worse things." I mumbled, looking at a different waiter that had our drinks and was handing them out to us.

"And a water for the...princess." The waiter said, a smirk forming on his lips and my blood ran ice cold.

No one called me princess anymore. Except one person.

"B-B-Brend-don?" I squeaked, feeling bile start crawling up my throat and leaving my throat feeling scorched.

"You got that right, Princess." He laughed and his cold, China blue eyes that I used to love oh so much now bear something I'm not too sure what it was.

Suddenly, Rob looked up from his conversation with Mitch and he tensed, seeing Brendon as our waiter.

"You!" Rob hissed, curling his hands into fists. Nothing got my brother rallied up more than Brendon. Rob knew the story. And to summarize it, Brendon broke me into a blubbering, depressed mess of a newly graduated high school student.

Brendon just laughed and walked away but not without a word to me, that was meant for my ears only.

"I would watch that boyfriend of yours if I was you. Never know when he could leave."

Shivers rolled down my spine. "Is he threatening Preston?" I ask myself, wrapping my arms around my torso.

"Was he a part of the problem?" Preston suddenly asks and I can't help but let out a laugh.

"You don't even know half of it." I say, shaking my head.

"Annie, I'm going to get the manager!" Rob seethed and I sighed, placing a hand on his arm.

"It's no use. They can't do anything about it. He's just a cold and heartless bastard that seems nice until you do something he doesn't like. A manipulative fucking psychopath." I tell my brother wearily. He sighs and runs a hand through his curly hair.

"Wait. What?" Mitch asked at the same time Kayla did.

"It's a long story. Rob and I will explain it later. After dinner perhaps. At the hotel so hold your questions. It's going to be one hell of a story." I answer, sighing again.