The Story of Us

by Rebecca Harner

  By the time I got home, it was already three o’ clock. I was meeting Annabelle at the park at four thirty and we were going to walk around for a little bit. I was then planning to take her out to eat before heading to the movies. Sometime after the movie, I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend. I hoped she’d say yes.

  Violet

  The moving truck was already at my house, loading up the furniture that my mom was taking. She waved to us as we pulled into the driveway. She must’ve been watching the movers to make sure they didn’t break anything. She was extremely picky about her furniture.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said to her as she squeezed me to death in a hug.

  “I know you are upset now, but trust me. It’s going to be worth it,” she told me.

  “Where’s Dad?” I asked her.

  The smile on her face dropped and she looked down. “At work, like always.”

  I was about to apologize for bringing him up when I was interrupted. “Violet?” I heard.

  I turned around and saw Hayes running up to me. “I’ll be right back,” I told my mom before walking up to him.

  “What’s going on?” he asked as we walked into my backyard.

  “Umm . . . my parents got a divorce. Soo . . . my mom is forcing Hayden and me to leave with her,” I said quietly while looking down at my feet.

  “You’re moving?” he asked. He grabbed my arm and forced me to stop walking and look at him. I nodded and jerked my arm out of his grasp. “I’m so sorry, Violet, I had no idea your parents had issues.”

  “Yeah. I never told anybody. They fight constantly and my dad, well, he isn’t exactly loyal to my mom.” He didn’t respond, and we just kept walking until we made it to his back door.

  “When are you leaving?” he finally asked.

  “Early tomorrow morning,” I responded.

  “Does Nash know?” Gosh, why did he always bring him up in our conversations?

  “Like he would care. He has Annabelle now,” I told him. “Look, I have to go, Hayes.” I pulled him into a hug. “Tell your family that I love them and I’m going to miss them so much. Tell Skylynn to take care of her horse Violet and to never forget me. Tell Nash that I hope he can find someone he truly loves and I wish him the best of luck in everything. I love you all so much.”

  He pulled away and I saw a couple of tears running down his face. Of course I started to cry, too. “Thank you for everything, Hayes. You mean so much to me. I love you so much.” I gave him one more hug and let my tears fall into his shoulder.

  “I love you too, Violet. You are such an amazing girl and one day you are going to find someone who loves you to the moon and back,” he said.

  I pulled away and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Good-bye,” I told him as I walked back up to my house.

  I never liked saying good-byes. They were always so emotional for me, but this good-bye was definitely the hardest. There was something about that family that made me a stronger person. They were so accepting and loving toward me, something that my family couldn’t always be. They showed me that there was always hope and to never give up.

  Well, look at me now. I was giving up.

  Nash

  I pulled into my driveway and looked behind me to see a moving truck at Violet’s house. I wondered what was going on. I walked into my house and saw Hayes pouting on the couch. Skylynn was sitting next to him, holding his hand. She had tears running down her face.

  “Hayes, are you okay?” I asked him. He looked up at me and stormed over to where I was standing. I saw that his eyes were red and puffy. “Hayes, what’s wrong?”

  He slammed me up into the door. “This is all your fault. You had to lose your stupid memory, Nash. You messed up everything! You broke her heart and now she is moving. She has no reason to stay here.”

  “Look, I’m sorry, Hayes, but seriously, do you think I wanted this to happen to me or even her?” I pushed him off me and he fell on the floor.

  “She was family to you, Nash. We all loved her, she loved you! The reason she stopped seeing us was because she still cares about you and she didn’t want to annoy you.” By now he was back on his feet and moving closer to my face. “Now we’ll never see her again. You couldn’t have tried to be friends with her. No, you had to go after that slut Annabelle. I hope you have fun with her, because we will never accept her into this family.” He spit at me. He then pushed me out of his way and stormed upstairs.

  He stopped halfway up. “Oh, and by the way, Violet wanted me to tell you that she wishes you the best of luck.” I rolled my eyes. “Also, she hopes that you find someone you truly love one day.” He turned back around and slammed his door shut.

  Forget him. Forget Violet. I didn’t even like her, I liked Annabelle. That was who I truly loved.

  I stormed up into my room and slammed the door shut. I had a date that was starting in less than an hour.

  Violet

  “Well, that’s the last of it,” one of the movers announced.

  “Thank you so much. I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow evening,” my mother responded. She shook the guy’s hand and waved as they pulled away with our belongings.

  After my mom walked back into the house, I sat down on my front porch steps and stared out into the sky.

  A couple of months ago, I was sitting just like this at my old house. Thinking to myself that I would never be there again. Well, I guess I was wrong. At least I wouldn’t have to make friends all over again. I still remembered the kids at my old school. I had a good life there, I hoped nothing had changed. I mean I’d changed a lot. My style, my appearance, my attitude, my social life. I was not the same person I was before. Nash changed me, he made me into someone who I wanted to be. Me.

  I heard a truck start up and saw Nash pulling out of his driveway. He must’ve gotten his license again. He slowed down as he passed me, waving to me with a small smile on his face. I waved back before he rolled up his windows and drove away. Away from me, running into Annabelle’s pathetic arms.

  Nash

  “Annabelle, can I ask you something?” I grabbed her arm so she would stop walking. She turned to me and I stared into her beautiful eyes.

  “Yeah. What do you need?” Gosh, even her voice was perfect.

  “I—I need you.” Why did I always stutter when I got nervous?

  “What?” She giggled and grabbed my hand.

  “Annabelle, will you be my girlfriend?” There, I dropped the question. That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?

  “Nash, I would love to be your girlfriend,” I heard her say.

  A huge smile formed on my face and I had to look down at my feet because I was blushing. She lifted my head up and slammed her lips onto mine.

  I guess a kiss is a kiss. I wanted to kiss her, but I felt no sparks. Something was wrong. We didn’t quite move in sync and she was taking control of everything. I tried to act like I was enjoying it, but it was not how I thought it would be. It felt wrong.

  She pulled away, gasping for air. “Caught you off guard, I can tell.” She giggled and grabbed my hand as we headed to the restaurant.

  I smiled as we walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand. She was obviously happy, so why wasn’t I? She said yes, I should be thrilled. Maybe this was just how relationships were now.

  Violet

  I didn’t tell any of my old friends that I was moving back. I hadn’t talked to any of them since I moved here. Well, that’s a lie. I talked to Steph every now and then but she’d made new friends. I didn’t expect her to be a loner and wait for me to return.

  I wanted to surprise her but I had to tell somebody. I didn’t want to start my first day alone. I was already signed up to start back up on Monday and I was not ready to see everybody.

  Violet-Boo: hey girl! I haven’t talked to my best friend in a while.

  Was that too much? I mean calli
ng her my best friend already. Well, it was already sent, so there was no turning back now.

  Stephie: omg violet! Haven’t heard from you in forever! I’m good! How are you? P.S. I miss youuu!!!

  Violet-Boo: I’m good. Haha I miss you too! I actually have some news to tell you.

  Stephie: oh honey I already know about Nash. I’m so sorry I can’t imagine how much pain you must be feeling. Everyone has been talking about it here.

  Violet-Boo: oh. Well that wasn’t actually what I was going to tell you. It’s been hard but I’m managing. Life goes on.

  Stephie: oh! well then what is it sweetie?

  Violet-Boo: well you know how my parents were constantly fighting? Well it escalated and they got a divorce.

  Stephie: omg! I’m so sorry!! That probably is the worst thing that could’ve happened to you right now.

  Violet-Boo: well that’s not it. My mom is forcing Hayden and me to move with her and . . . We are coming back!

  Stephie: omg!!! I’m so happy! I mean what’s happening is terrible but I missed you so much. Everyone here misses you too. Man you are going to be so popular now that you are famous!

  Violet-Boo: I gtg but I’ll text you later. Love youu Stephersss.

  Stephie: Lol! Can’t wait to see you.

  I was sleeping on the couch that night since my bed was gone. Hayden was sleeping in one of the guest rooms while my mom slept in my parents’ bed. My dad didn’t come home from work until early morning, so they never saw each other.

  Walking into the kitchen to get a drink, I saw headlights coming down the street. The truck pulled in to the Griers’ driveway. It must’ve been Nash. The clock on the stove said 11:00 p.m. and he had left around 4:30. He and Annabelle must’ve been busy. I rolled my eyes and plopped onto the couch, pulling the covers up over my head.

  Nash

  Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time with Annabelle. Something just didn’t feel right, though. I didn’t feel any sparks between us when we kissed. She always took control and tried to turn every kiss into a make-out session. She wasn’t even that good of a kisser! Oh, well, we were dating and that was all I cared about.

  “Hey, Hayes,” I said to my brother, who was sitting at the kitchen table on his phone.

  “So it’s official,” he announced. I looked at him with my eyebrows scrunched together. “I saw Annabelle’s announcement on Twitter.”

  “Ohh . . . yeah, we are dating,” I said, pretty proudly.

  “Whatever.” He pushed his chair out and walked out of the room.

  “You know, you have to be nice to her, because I like her,” I said as I caught up with him on the steps.

  “Like hell I will,” he said sarcastically.

  I don’t know why he was so hooked on Violet. If he loved her so much, then why didn’t he just date her?

  I pulled up Twitter on my phone since I hadn’t checked it in a while. There were a lot of tweets to me, asking if I was any better and when I was coming back. I hadn’t been able to post a Vine or tweet or anything since I came back from the hospital.

  @NashGrier:

  Had the best time tonight with my lucky girl :)

  It immediately uploaded and I got bombarded with a bunch of questions about whether Violet and I were dating again.

  @NashGrier:

  We are not back together guys. I found somebody new, somebody wonderful.

  There. That should clear up some of the mess.

  Violet

  “Violet, wake up,” I heard Hayden say as he shook me.

  “What?” I pulled the covers over my head, wondering why he was waking me up so early.

  “We are leaving soon. C’mon or Mom will get mad.” After he said that I jolted upward.

  “Oh my God. I totally forgot.” I turned to him and could tell he was still half-asleep. I looked at my phone; it was four in the morning. “Hayden . . .” My voice cracked, trying to hold back tears. “I don’t want to go back.” He pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back while I lay my head on his shoulders.

  “Violet, everyone is going to love you. And I’ll be right there with you the whole entire time. I won’t ever leave your side.”

  “I love you so much, you know that, right?” I asked him.

  “Of course I do. I love you more, though.” He squeezed me real tight and started shaking me like I was his teddy bear.

  “Hayden. Can’t. Breathe.” I gasped for breath as he hugged me tighter.

  “If you couldn’t breathe, then you couldn’t talk,” he responded. He finally let me go and helped me off the floor.

  He walked into the kitchen and tossed me a Granny Smith apple. He honestly knew me better than I knew myself. I gave him a not-so-pretty but funny face and ran up the steps.

  Examining myself in the mirror, I decided to take a quick shower and wash my hair. After, I washed my face and brushed my teeth and all that fun stuff. I already had leggings and a sweatshirt picked out to wear with my UGGs. I threw my wet hair up in a bun, covered some red marks on my face with concealer, fixed my eyebrows, and put on mascara. There, no need to get fancy for a car ride.

  I managed to pull my small suitcase down the steps without making a huge scene. My dad came home literally seconds after I got down to the last step.

  “Daddy!” I yelled, and jumped into his arms.

  “Hey, baby girl.” He hugged me back before I let go.

  “I’m going to miss you so much,” I told him.

  “Not as much as I’m going to miss you, sweetheart. Remember, you and Hayden can spend the summer with me. Also, anytime you are on a break and want a change of scenery, I’m only one car ride away,” he said.

  “I’m probably going to convince Mom to let me come out for winter break.”

  “Let’s hope. Good luck at school,” he said.

  “Thanks. It shouldn’t be too bad, though.”

  “Violet! C’mon, we have to go!” I heard Hayden yell from the car.

  “Coming!” I yelled back at him.

  “I love you, Dad.” I gave him another hug and he squeezed me tight.

  “Love you too, sweetheart. See you soon,” he responded. I finally let go and pulled my suitcase across the sidewalk to put in Hayden’s car. I waved to my dad again before getting in. I then turned around and looked at the Griers’ house one more time before shutting the door. It was time to leave all these memories behind. Good-bye, Grier family.

  Nash

  I woke up around four forty-five to someone yelling outside. I looked out my window to see Violet pulling a suitcase across the sidewalk before tossing it into someone’s car. She waved to a man standing on her front porch, then turned around to look at my house. I was worried she might see me, so I quickly moved away from the window and waited a few seconds before looking back out. I heard a car door close and watched the car drive down the street. Good-bye, Violet. Good luck.

  Violet

  After an extremely long and boring car ride with my brother, we finally made it to my old house.

  It looked the same. It was definitely a lot smaller than the one back in North Carolina. We lived in a private neighborhood with only about ten more houses. Our yard definitely needed some professional maintenance and the house could use some touch-ups.

  Across the street, some kids I used to go to school with were out playing basketball. I think they were one year older than me, so they were juniors.

  I stepped out of the car and the cold air hit me. Damn, it was a lot colder here than in North Carolina.

  I suddenly felt like I was being watched, so I turned around and caught the guys staring at me. All of their jaws had dropped, which made me smirk. I gave them a small wave before Hayden stepped out.

  “Yo! Is that Hayden?” one of them yelled.

  “Hey! What’s up, man?” he yelled at them before walking
over. My mom wasn’t here yet, so I felt obligated to go with him.

  When Hayden and I got to them, they did that bro hug and patted each other on the back. “What are you doing back here?” one of them asked.

  “My parents got a divorce, so my mom decided to drag us back here,” Hayden explained to them. I was staying silent because honestly, I didn’t want to speak.

  “Oh, man, I’m sorry. The team will be looking forward to having you back this spring. Your replacement sucks!” one of them said.

  “Well, I’m happy I don’t have to fight for my spot, then,” Hayden said.

  They all nodded and then they focused on me. “Well, you changed,” one of them told me. They were all staring at me and I felt extremely uncomfortable.

  “Surprised you even remember me.” I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head. “I don’t seem to remember talking to you guys.”

  “Everyone in this school knows who you are, honey. You’re little miss famous pants.” They all laughed but stopped when my brother gave them his ever-so-famous death glare.

  “Look, I’m not famous, I’m a normal human being,” I snapped back at them.

  “Please. You already have millions of followers on all your social media sites.”

  “So you’ve been stalking me,” I said to them with a smirk on my face.

  “If I said no, I would be lying,” he said. You know, he wasn’t all that bad looking. He had blond hair and blue eyes, but they weren’t as enchanting as Nash’s eyes were. He was average height for someone his age and was very muscular. He had the perfect sculpted face and was naturally tan.

  I chuckled a little bit before responding. “Well, that’s nice to know. Anyway, Hayden, we should probably get going.” I grabbed his arm and put my sunglasses back on.

  “Yeah. I’ll see you guys around,” he said. They all said good-bye and we started walking up to our house.

  “Wait, Violet!” I turned around and saw the blond boy running toward me. Hayden was already back in the house so I walked toward him. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” he asked.