[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Nick looked down at his watch – it had been thirteen minutes. Three minutes past the time he told her to meet him. Worries swirled in his head about her dad catching her sneaking out the window, about her having second thoughts…even about him having second thoughts. He wasn’t sure if he could do this. He watched the second hand begin to make another round when he heard foot steps approaching him. He got up from his waiting spot on the edge of the neighborhood dock and saw Bree coming towards him.

“Hi.” She greeted him softly.

He took one look at her and didn’t want to leave. Stupid singing group – who needed that? Not him. Not when joining the group made her look like this. It was only recently in the past year that he had began to look at his best friend differently – the way she began to fill out, how shiny her hair looked, how bright her eyes were when she laughed. She smelled nice, too. He didn’t use to notice that she smelled nice.

He took her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” She whispered into his ear. “It’s not going to be the same with you gone. I’ll be in high school next year and it’ll be weird not to see you in the halls. I’m going to miss your family, too..”

“You can still go visit my house,” Nick pulled back and told her. “You can still go visit my mom, you know she loves you. Plus, you’re going to have to keep an eye on my room and make sure my sisters or Aaron doesn’t take it over.”

Bree’s laugh made Nick smile. “You’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.” Bree said and Nick didn’t know if she was saying that to convince him or her self. Maybe both of them.

“Why does this feel like the end of the world?” Nick asked.

“It’s not. You’re fourteen years old and ready to take an amazing adventure…” Bree started.

“Without you, though.” Nick finished for her.

Nick watched Bree bite the bottom of her lip and then simply say to him, “You’re my best friend. You always will be. Nothing can change that. Not distance, not another country, not anyone.”

Nick could see though her rational words to a Bree who didn’t want someone else that she loved to leave her again. But she wouldn’t tell him that. Nick knew that she always put the people whom she loved interests in front of her own, when it called for their true happiness. Nick always loved music; it was his…nature. It came as natural to him as breathing; when he sang, he felt like he was all kinds of free. He was never one to sit still in school, although he had the potential to be bright. But if he could, every day, do the thing he loved the most and do it successfully, to make money? He couldn’t see it any other way. Leaving Bree behind was the only downfall – if not a huge reason not to follow through with this. He had just as much trouble leaving her as he did his own family. His dream and talent had always conflicted with what he pictured to be a “normal” kid’s life – playing out in the street until the gas lamps came on, getting in trouble for doing the stupid things that boys do, waiting all grade school to make it to high school with the big kids and then taking off to college. But that wasn’t going to happen now. He wasn’t going to be around anymore.

Nick didn’t want to cry in front of her, but it seemed as if he wasn’t going to be able to help that. To preserve his manhood and her image of him, Nick draped her arms around her waist and pulled her in close to him. Unable to see her face, Nick was able to let a couple of tears roll down his cheek before he found some way to wipe them off.

“Carter,” Bree spoke. “Are you – are you crying?”

She broke away from him and Nick found her studying his face.
“No,” He cleared his throat. “No, I am not crying.”

“Yes you are,” Bree began to break out into a smile and wiped away a stray tear with her thumb.“You are crying.”

“I’m not crying.” Nick stated. “Crying would include, you know, a lot of tears or, a, or sounds coming out like, you know, sobs or something, and sniffles, lots of sniffles, which clearly I am not doing and therefore not crying.” His stuttering defense was a weak one.

Nick saw Bree’s lips press together in an attempt not to giggle. “It’s okay if you’re crying because you’re going to miss me.”

“I’m not crying!” He repeated, a little bit louder. “Damn, Bree – would you just shut up and dance with me?”

“Dance with you?” She asked.

Nick took her back into his arms after he had placed her arms respectfully around his neck. There wasn’t any music, but he didn’t need any. If he would’ve thought this through and didn’t have to think of it on the spur of the moment, he would’ve brought a radio or something. He doubted the radio could’ve played the song he wanted to hear, anyway.

“Any requests?” He asked before they began to sway to the sound of Tampa Bay waves crashing against the sea wall. “Actually, forget that. I know what song I want to hear.”

“Fine,” Bree replied with a playful jut of her chin. “I bet you can’t guess what song I was going to say anyway.”

Nick cleared his throat again with much more emphasis, eliciting a laugh out of Bree. He licked his lips and felt completely relaxed. This was their moment, and only their moment, and before he had to walk her back home, it was going to make it worth his absence.

“Won’t you / Come see about me / I’ll be alone / Dancing and you know it baby.” Nick began to sing softly yet strongly and he felt Bree tighten against his body.

“You’re lucky you got it right,” She whispered to him. “Or else I would’ve been very insulted.”

“Think of the tender things that we were working on / Slow change may pull us apart / When that gets into your heart, baby / Don’t you forget about me.”

Nick pressed his forehead up against Bree’s, not giving a thought to the peaking Florida humidity. He couldn’t even feel the heat; he just cared about his friend. He continued to sing to her a song that he knew was her favorite – not only that, but it fit the moment and everything he couldn’t say with just words. When letters and words and speeches failed Nick, music never did.

They stayed out there until three in the morning, until Nick finally had to walk her home. Rain let loose from the sky on the way back to her house and he reluctantly picked up his pace as he guided her through the street with his hand. A simple goodbye was all he could muster with her; anything more and he knew it would ruin the night. As he let go of her out of his arms and watched her disappear back into the darkness of her house, Nick stood out the rain and stared up at her bedroom window. The light was still on – she must have forgotten to turn it off when she left. Although getting soaked to the core, Nick waited out in the street for the light to go out.

When it did, Nick took a deep breath, turned around and walked home. He couldn’t bring himself to look back.


I’ll put us back together at heart / Don’t you forget about me