Well...Alright | Buddy Holly

Julia (V.H)

VIOLET'S POV

July 13th, 1959. 11:19 am. Some random train.

Buddy grabs my hand and squeezes it lightly. "You okay?"

I shake my head. "No, no I'm not."

"Doll, it's gonna be okay."

"What if my parents don't even like me? What if they hate me? What if they hate you? What if-"

"Violet, listen to me. It doesn't matter what your parents think. It doesn't matter if they like you or hate you or are indifferent. It doesn't matter if they don't like me. No matter what, we can go back to our lives."

"I don't feel like I can be normal again. I'm Polish."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with Poland."

"But...I liked being French. That was such a huge part of me!"

"You still are French. You were raised in France. You speak French. You like France. I don't see why you can't still be French."

"I wasn't born there!"

"So what? You can be French without being born in France. You grew up in the French mindset."

"I don't like being Polish."

"Then don't think about it. Think about bein' French."

"But-"

"Remember in high school when they tried to make you take that French class and you just refused to speak English to them?"

I giggle. "Yeah..."

"And that you refused to take a simple French class, so you started a mini strike on them?"

I nod.

"And you stopped going to Beginners French and just started going t'that other one?"

"French Literature."

"Then they finally cracked and let you take French Literature?"

"Yeah?"

"All because you didn't wanna waste time on learning simple vocabulary when you coulda been readin' and writin' french and learnin' 'bout their history?"

"Yeah."

"That proves that you're French in my book."

"Why?"

"Because you went t'such extremes in order t'learn about the culture and writin's of France." Buddy smiles. "If you didn't care 'bout your upbringin', you woulda stuck with Beginners. Taken that easy A."

"I guess you're right."

"And the time you lectured a teacher because they said the French were pansies?"

"I-"

"You absolutely destroyed him. He never spoke ill 'bout another country again."

"He was the one being a dumbass! France has won the more wars than any other country in history! We don't surrender! The Nazis only got half of France because we weren't about to sit back and watch our country destroyed! We fought for it and we won!"

Buddy raises an eyebrow. "My point has been proven."

I lean back into my seat. "France is better than Poland."

"And you're allowed to think that. Poland's never been significant t'you."

"I will never, ever, ever be Julia. I am Violet."

"Yes you are."

"Julia Holley." I scoff. "Doesn't even sound right."

"Good thing you're Violet, then."