The Phoenix ~Louis Tomlinson

Chapter 28

When I walked into the kitchen, Anna was flipping her own pancakes.

"It's the Fourth of July and I refuse to start my day with a burnt pancake. Do you want one?" She asked, stepping to the side to pour herself another cup of coffee.

"I'd love a non-burnt pancake, please," I hoisted myself up onto the countertop near the stove.

A smirk spread across Anna's face, "so how'd it go?"

I rolled my eyes with an overly dramatic sigh, "perfect."

"That's it? That's all I get?" Anna pointed the spatula at me, "you know I need details."

I filled her in on my adventures with Louis, giving her every last detail. I finished telling my story just as she finished cooking our pancakes, and a few extra for our father.

We sat down at the table to eat, and I smothered my fluffy golden flapjacks with real maple syrup. Just as we started eating, we heard a grizzly yawn coming from down the hallway.

"You guys made me pancakes! How sweet of you," our father ruffled our hair and sat down with his plate of pancakes and some orange juice. Taking a heaping fork-full of pancake into his mouth, "these are fantastic! Which one of you made these?"

"I did! I figured you needed a break," Anna said, lightly punching his arm.

"This is because I burn them, isn't it?" My dad joked.

"You said it, not me," Anna replied.

"Are you girls ready for the fireworks, tonight?" He asked, cutting his pancakes and changing the subject.

"Of course! It's one of the best nights of the summer," Anna said, cleaning up her plate.

"And you, Valerie?" My dad asked.

I shrugged, knowing that he was also referring to the short amount of time I had left. "I'm ready. It's always a good show, isn't it?"

He smiled, "always looking up. Such a great character trait."

After breakfast, Anna and I decided to spend the morning like any other; we laid on the dock to sunbathe.

"I don't want you to go back to school so far away. Can't you go to my university?" Anna asked, shading her eyes from the brilliant sun.

"Can't you go to mine?" I nudged her with my elbow.

"I'm not into science," she replied flatly.

"I'm not into art," I replied.

"It's not for the art," Anna replied, quickly.

"What's it for? It's an art school, isn't it?" I asked.

"Liberal arts, I could study history or English," she said, defensively.

"Why don't you play, anymore?" I asked Anna.

Before our parents got a divorce, Anna used to take piano lessons. I'd come home from high school to a house filled with music and tinkling laughter as she and her friends would pound away at the keys.

But once our parents began fighting and the unhappiness between them grew, silence slowly began to fall. Anna eventually quit playing all together.

She lay there, silently staring at the deep blue sky. Searching the infinite beyond for the right words.

"It couldn't help make them happy," she finally replied. "I tried to play between their arguments, when they were in separate parts of the house. I wanted to remind them that there were still great things to be shared in that home."

"But it's not your fault, Anna," I said, gently.

"It felt pointless, and I didn't feel it in my heart, anymore," she replied, quietly.

"But you applied to a school with a strong arts program," I said, cocking my eyebrow.

"Just in case," she said, a small smile finding its way to the corner of her mouth.

She still held onto hope, no matter what. Even after years of silence, piano keys were still on her mind.

"Well, maybe you'll find it helps you. Our passions don't always have to benefit others. If they make us happy, that's what truly matters. If they inspire others, that's just an added bonus," I knew she'd find her love for creating music again. It was only a matter of time.

"Can you believe we have less than a week left?" Anna said, changing the subject.

I sighed, "it's flown by so fast. I don't want to leave."

Anna sat up, "at least I won't have to run into Jonah, anymore. It's awkward seeing him around the lake, he's everywhere."

"I'm sorry, I know it must be rough," I replied, rolling onto my stomach for a more even tan.

"And he acts like I'm the one who disgusts him, like I did something wrong," she sighed.

"Don't ever let him or anyone else make you feel that way. You didn't do anything wrong, I'm proud of you," I said, turning to look her in the eyes.

"I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I'm tired of always feeling like I'm never good enough for anybody," Anna said, quietly.

I sprung up to my knees and grabbed her shoulders, "you look at me, Anna. Don't let him get to you. You're above him and he's just trying to make you feel below him because he doesn't have the guts to act like a respectable human being. You're fierce and you are a force to be reckoned with, he should fear you like the coward he is."

"It doesn't always feel like it," Anna replied, simply. She looked down, slipping her feet into the cool water.

"That's okay. It's okay to not always feel like the fierce warrior you truly are. Just know that I have faith in you, not matter what," I said, sitting beside her.

Anna smiled, weakly, "thanks, Val."

Without another word, she dove into the clear, glassy water.