Collide: A Jonas Brothers Love Story

Chapter 24 (THE END)

JOE’S POV

I sighed as I began to flip through the clothes in my closet. Beks could be so dramatic. She finally stopped pounding on the door and began to shout empty threats through it.

“They’ve probably already left. Would you please stop yelling?” I asked as I pulled a t-shirt from the closet. She finally fell silent and I turned to see her watching me. “Could you turn around please? I want to change. Not all of us can put on our clothes without dropping our towel.”

“Oh please,” Beks said with a smirk. “You’re a guy it’s easy. You only have to cover one area.” I winced as she looked down at that particular area. I twirled my finger in a circle until she turned her back to me, then quickly pulled on jeans and a t-shirt.

“You can turn around now,” I said as I plopped down onto the closet floor. There had to be some way to get out of here. If we couldn’t bust open the door then maybe I could remove the door. I stood again rifling through drawers in search of a screwdriver to remove the hinges.

“What are you doing?” Beks asked walking over to me. I could smell her perfume as she drifted closer.

“I’m looking for snacks,” I said sarcastically. “What does it look like? I’m trying to find a screwdriver so I can take the door off its hinges.”  I finally found a screwdriver in the drawer and held it up triumphantly. I brushed past her and went to work on the hinges.

“Is it really that awful being in here with me?” she asked softly. I refused to turn my body not wanting to look into her eyes.

“Weren’t you the one pounding on the door earlier?”

“Good point Jonas.”

“Joe,” I said whirling around. “My name is Joe. Stop calling me Jonas just so you don’t have to say it.”

“Fine. J—Joe. Are you happy now?”

“Yeah, I’m just deliriously happy. I’m stuck in a closet with the girl who blatantly rejected me for one stupid mistake!”

“You went after me as part of some sick revenge plan! That really hurt Joe.”

“For someone so willing to push her friends into forgiveness you sure aren’t very forgiving yourself.” I turned back around and released another screw from door hinge.

“You’re right,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that now?” I asked as I took out the last screw and pulled the door to the side. I smirked at the chair they had propped up under the doorknob. “We’re free now.” I turned to look at her, but she was rooted to the spot on the floor. “I got the door open. You can leave now.”

“Why is it too late?” she asked moving closer to me and the open door. “Just hear me out.”

“Yeah, because I would just love to stand here while you reject me again. I get it. You want nothing to do with me. I’m not good enough for you.”

“Stop acting like you know how I feel! Like you know who I am!” Beks shouted marching past me into the bedroom and sitting at the foot of the bed. “You don’t know anything about me. If you did you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Then tell me about you,” I said sitting next to her. No matter how I tried I could never stay mad at her for long.”

“Reda is an amazing baker. Faye can sing beautifully. I never had any of those things. Then I started to write. Little stories here and there. I got a column in our school paper. The magazine here read my column because Reda sent it in to them. I was floored when they offered me this job. I had finally found my talent. And now it’s all going to go away. They’re going to fire me Joe. I won’t be able to be me anymore.”