Don't Get Too Close (Justin Bieber Love Story / Fan Fiction)

Seven: Meeting Avalanna

Seven: Meeting Avalanna
__________
Song of the chapter:
Mercy by Shawn Mendes
__________

"Hi, Avalanna!" Justin greeted her in a soft whisper. He crouched down to her level and she grabbed his hand. "See that girl over there?" he asked, pushing his head back so it could be directed at me. "That's Natalie. Can you say hi?"

He lifted her up and then walked over to me.

"Hey, Avalanna!" I said in a quiet voice. When it came to little kids, I had a soft spot for them. My cold, hard exterior was thrown away and I was almost normal. I wasn't frigid and intimidating, I was Natalie again.

The real Natalie. The one that no one had seen since I was probably ten or eleven years old. Ever since my dad had turned to alcohol, I picked up on an act that wasn't me at all. But in that room with Avalanna and Justin, it was me.

It seemed that Avalanna brought something out of me that I missed about myself. I assumed it was because of my dead little sister. The fact that I never had the chance to have someone to talk to and protect made me develop a weakness for kids. My opportunity was ripped from me so quickly.

Justin smiled at her and pressed his lips to her cheek. I didn't know if this was his sister, cousin, or just a friend. Whatever relationship they had, I knew it was a strong one. She seemed to adore him more than anything just by the way she looked at him, and him the same with her.

A smile remained on my lips as my mind wandered elsewhere. Justin really was a nice person, really nice, actually. I guess I hadn't exactly noticed it until then.

Maybe having someone like him in my life wouldn't be so bad after all.

I hadn't even realized I'd been there for over an hour, keeping Avalanna amused with Justin while Pattie and Avalanna's mom talked. That lady who had been sitting on the couch that I didn't know before ended up being her mom, which I kind of expected after a few minutes. Turns out, Justin had no relation at all to that family. They were just friends. How? I didn't know, and I didn't ask. But I guess it didn't really matter.

After Avalanna and her mom left, I found myself telling Justin and his mom that I probably needed to get going too.

"Hopefully I'll see you soon!" Justin's mom called as I reached for the doorknob. I turned around and flashed her a smile-- a real smile, then waved politely. She left to go somewhere else and I looked over at Justin, gave him a half-smile, and walked out the door.

As I moved down the front steps, I heard the door open and close behind me. I stopped and spun around on my heels to see Justin at the bottom of the steps, just a few feet in front of me. He was obviously coming after me, his expression looking as if he had something to say.

I raised my eyebrow and slid my hands in my back pockets. "Hey," I breathed.

"Hi," he replied. I watched as he motioned me to come up the stairs again, so I did. He ended up sitting down on the swinging bench that I had noticed before. The twinkling lights that hung from above illuminated the front porch almost perfectly. It gave off a dim yellow light that allowed me to see all of my surroundings, including Justin, who was sitting beside me on the swing.

My hands were folded in my lap now and I was looking over at him, waiting for him to speak.

"She has cancer, you know. Avalanna," he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground. Although I'd only known her for about an hour, I felt like that hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew there was something wrong, but I didn't want to ask. I figured it was just a disorder. Not that that's okay, but it was better than cancer. At least, to me it was.

I swallowed hard. "Will she be okay?" I asked quietly. I felt like someone was pressing down on my chest with all of their might and like he couldn't answer quickly enough, even though he answered almost immediately.

All it took was the simple shake of his head, and I felt my eyes start to burn slightly. I wasn't going to cry in front of him because I just didn't do things like that. I was thankful that it was dark, allowing me to collect myself before he spoke again.

"They said she won't make it much longer," he added.

I didn't answer, I just looked down and felt something inside of me sink. Why did someone like her have to live with that condition? She was such a sweet little girl who deserved much more than what the world could give her.

I felt his eyes on me, watching as I sat there processing what he had told me with no words to say. Nothing other than "I'm sorry," which I said in a soft whisper. He nodded his head and continued keeping his eyes on me.

"That's why I spend so much time with her. I'm afraid that each time I see her--" he began, but then stopped. I looked up at him to meet his gaze, his brown eyes barely showing any sadness at all. There was some, but that just showed me that he had known about it for a really long time and he probably accepted the fact that she didn't have much time. "it will be the last."

I slowly nodded and only felt worse about the entirety of the situation. I couldn't stop thinking about how she didn't deserve it. I'm not saying that anyone did, but out of anyone on the planet, why her?

"I just felt like I should let you know," he forced a smile.

Again, I nodded. "Thanks."

I stood up from the seat and began to walk down the steps again. I turned around to see Justin still sitting down. I waved to him, watching him as he gave me a smile to show me his perfect top row of teeth and he tossed in a three-fingered wave.

"Wait, Justin," I spun around. He was reaching for the doorknob, but stopped once I called after him. "You didn't happen to go to the park today, did you?"

I figured I'd ask. I was so paranoid about someone watching me, and something inside me told me that it was him.

He shook his head. "No. I don't even know where that is."

You're an idiot, Natalie. It was probably a fucking squirrel.

"Just wondering," I murmured, backing up slowly. "Bye."

"Bye, Natalie," he grinned softly.

I turned around and smiled, continuing to walk home. I had no other thoughts on my mind besides Avalanna. It meant a lot to me that Justin told me about her, though. And the fact that I was given the opportunity to meet someone like her was amazing, and I only had Justin to thank for that.

That night, I lied down on my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about anything and everything except for my problems. Not once did my parents, my self-consciousness, or my screwed up life cross my mind. I had too many other things to think about.

One of the things was something that I never thought I would think in a million years, but I did.

I hope I see Justin tomorrow.

__________

**Super important! :o**
This is kind of short, but I wanted to cut it there. Anyways, as you might be able to see, I'm going for a more emotional approach with this story. This isn't going to be one of those happy, fairytale-like fan fictions that you see. That's what I meant when I said I was going for a different approach.