Vandalized (Sequel to Recovery)

ten.

"I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more

I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved"
__________________

My hands shoot up and cover my mouth as tears fill my eyes. I don't know why I'm crying, all I know is I am and it's too late to stop the tears. Sarah and Dean are the first two I spot from the huge crowd, probably because they're the two in the front. They, along with Mia, hug me as I wipe my happy tears away. "Thank you guys so much," I say.

They pull away, but Dean keeps his arm around my back. "So were you expecting it?" Sarah asks.

I shake my head, "No, I thought Dean made us come to some snobby rich party with his computer geek friends."

"Hey," he says, "I'm right here."

I smile up at him, "I kid, I kid. Thank you guys, again. I would've been happy if it were just us, but I appreciate you guys going all out like this. I love you guys." I hug the 3 most important people in my life and then Mia shoos me away and insists I go mingle with everyone.

As I'm saying hi to old friends from high school, I notice the music lowers and the crowd goes silent. I feel a tap on my shoulder and when I turn, it's Justin. I can't control the huge smile that's spread across my face, so I don't try to hide it. He smiles his perfect, teethy, white smile and I jump into his arms. "You didn't think I'd miss your big two one, did you?" He says, holding tightly onto me.

"Thank you for coming," I say in the nape of his neck, "now I have the 4 bestest people here." I get back onto my feet and like Dean did, Justin keeps his arm around my back.

He looks straight into my eyes and speaks into the microphone that I just noticed he's holding, "I have something for you."

And it was like my eighteenth birthday party all over again. Mia set a chair in the middle of the dance floor and winked at me, before joining the crowd again. I took a seat and Justin took a seat in front of me. He sat on a stool with a guitar in hand and a microphone pointed straight at his mouth. "I wrote this song when I was first starting off with this whole singing thing and I like it not only because it's about this beautiful girl sitting right in front of me, but because it's the first song she ever heard of mine that she said she loved. I present to you, Cassie, She Is Love."

He begins to strum the guitar and I right off the bat know what song it is. It's like I'm taken back to when I was sitting in the studio with him and I smile even wider.

"I've been beaten down,
I've been kicked around,
But she takes it all for me.
And I lost my faith,
In my darkest days,
But she makes me want to believe.

They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need.
She's all I need." His eyes flutter open and he looks straight into mine for the rest of the song.

"Well, I had my ways,
They were all in vain,
But she waited patiently.
It was all the same,
All my pride and shame,
And she put me on my feet.

They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need."

Everyone claps and cheers including me. "Thank you. Now give it up for the birthday girl!" Justin hoots. The cheers get rowdier and the loud music fills the room again. Justin sets the guitar behind the DJ stand and he walks towards me. "Did you like it?"