“I would love to . . .” I still didn’t even know his name.
“Chance,” he said.
“I would love to, Chance,” I said. “Here, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in.”
He quickly fumbled to get his phone and readily handed it to me. I gave it back to him; he had an adorable smile on his face.
“See you around,” he said. I nodded and walked back into my house.
I wasn’t completely over Nash, but he moved on, so why couldn’t I? I could get used to hanging out with Chance, I thought.
Violet
The rest of the weekend literally flew by so fast. I spent the entire time setting up my room and decorating it to perfection.
I took back my light purple room that contrasted nicely with all my white furniture. Hayden helped me string some lights around my door frames and hung up my little lanterns on my ceiling. My closet was completely organized with all my clothes and my dresser was filled as well.
I lit my coconut leaves Bath & Body Works candle and stood back in awe at my now completed room. It looked a lot better than my room back in North Carolina. I was a teenager, though, so I’d be lucky if I could even keep it this clean for a week.
I was snapped out of my thinking when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
KingChance: I’m heading to bed. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow <3
Chance and I had been texting all day and the day before. He was actually really sweet and kind to me. I hoped we became really good friends, or maybe something more.
Violet-Boo: Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite ;)
KingChance: I won’t because you aren’t here to protect me!
Violet-Boo: Oh you are such a flirty little baby, aren’t you?
KingChance: Well of course I am. How could I not be? Anyway good night beautiful!
Violet-Boo: Good night handsome!!
We had been talking to each other like that all weekend. I didn’t know if he was just being friendly or if he was actually flirting with me. I mean, I’m a natural flirt with anybody, so it doesn’t really bother me.
Since it was nine o’clock, I ran into the bathroom to take a shower. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too nervous for the next day since I still remembered most of the kids. I was actually kind of excited because I wanted to show them all what I’d become. I wasn’t trying to show off, I was just happy with how my life was now.
Once I was dressed for bed, I decided I should check up on my social media sites. I hadn’t looked at them at all since I moved back here.
105 Mentions in Nash Grier’s Tweet
What? Did Nash tweet about me?
@NashGrier:
Had the best time tonight with my lucky girl :)
A lot of his followers were asking him if he and I got back together.
@NashGrier:
We are not back together guys. I found somebody new, somebody special.
@NAnnabelle:
Love you babe <3
Well, it was official. Annabelle and Nash were together. My heart felt like it had shattered into a million tiny pieces. Stop it, Violet. You have to move on.
@LovelyViolet:
Midway High, are you all ready to welcome me back?
I instantly got thousands of tweets asking if I moved and why I left Davidson Day.
@LovelyViolet:
Can’t wait to see all my old friends tomorrow :)
I set my phone on the table next to my bed and plugged it into my charger. After setting my alarm clock for six in the morning, I quickly fell into a deep sleep, avoiding all the thoughts in my head about what tomorrow would bring.
Nash
Nashty: Night babe. Love you!
AnnaBae: Good night sexy! Can’t wait to kiss your hot face tomorrow!
Annabelle was always texting me like that. We never had cute, sweet messages. It was always strong and almost hard-core. I felt like she only wanted to get into my pants. I would’ve loved to just wait and enjoy the cute moments we had together, but when I was with her, it was never relaxed. She was always trying to stick her tongue down my throat, and that day she almost touched my package.
Lying down in my bed, I just let all the emotions go away as I closed my eyes. There is always tomorrow, I thought, always the hope for a better day.
Violet
“What would I do without your smart mouth?/Drawing me in, and you kicking me out.”
Today was the day! I woke up to John Legend, then bolted out of my bed and ran to my closet to pick out something to wear.
Looking at all my clothes, I realized my style had completely changed from what I used to wear. Everyone here wore the same stuff and mostly they wore athletic clothes; sports were really big here. Not a lot of people took fashion into consideration, whereas I lived for fashion.
I decided on wearing some high-waisted leggings from American Eagle with a floral crop top I got from Top Shop. Since it was chilly, I added one of my Brandy Melville cardigans with it. No outfit is complete without killer shoes, so I pulled out my favorite combat boots, which I wore almost all the time. I knew I was going to stand out, but this was who I was. I liked to dress like I was from LA. I was popular on Vine, but I was still Violet Burns. This was me.
After I laid out my outfit on my bed, I ran into the shower to wash my hair again so it would be easier for me to style. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, you know, all the usual stuff. Next came makeup, though.
I covered some redness on my face with concealer, as well as the circles under my eyes. I had always had dark circles under my eyes, it’s hereditary. I added a light bronzer to my cheeks and some blush so I didn’t look dead. I never put on too much makeup, though; that was too noticeable. I tried to keep it as natural looking as I could. I applied some winged eyeliner and finished my eyes with mascara that made my eyelashes extra long and full looking. Finally I applied my EOS lip balm, then a light tinted Baby Lips on top. There, perfect.
Next came my hair, which I wasn’t planning on going all out for. Since it was already completely dry, I straightened my whole head so it was perfectly pin straight. I then gathered all my hair to one side and did a simple side braid that complemented me very well.
After I put on my outfit and did a few touch-ups, I was ready to go. I grabbed my new Vera Bradley backpack and hopped down the steps, taking them two at a time.
Hayden was already eating breakfast and he and my mom both had smirks on their faces. “What? Do I look okay?” I asked them.
“You look great, honey! It’s just . . .” She stopped talking and looked over at Hayden, who was smiling. She turned back to me and continued talking. “I know that you have been going through a lot lately and I wanted to surprise you with something. Hopefully it will make you feel a little better.”
“What is it?” I asked with a smile on my face.
“C’mon, I’ll show you,” Hayden said. He got up and grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. I walked in front of him to see what it was, and I saw the most perfect thing in the world. A brand-new red Ford Mustang.
“Wh-what?!” I stammered, and jumped into my mom’s arms.
“You have had your license for a while now and we thought it was time you got a car of your own.” She gave me a big hug, then let me go so I could see my baby up close. It was perfect. My dream car was right here in front me.
I looked up and saw Hayden run back into the house. He came out a minute later with our bags and tossed me the keys. “We have to get going,” he said as he hopped into the passenger seat.
I ran over and gave my mom another hug. “Thank you so much, Mommy. I love you. You are literally the best.” I ran back over to my new beauty and hopped in. I slowly pulled out of the driveway and waved good-bye before I drove down the road.
“I can’t believe she did this for me,” I told
Hayden. My car ran perfectly and I knew I looked good driving in it. “Now we can arrive at school in style.”
He looked over at me and chuckled. “Today is going to be a big day for you.”
“I know. I’m excited to see all my friends, but let’s face it. I’ve changed,” I told him. “Back in North Carolina everyone talked about me because of Nash. Here, everyone is going to think I’m some sort of celebrity.”
“Well, you basically are, Violet. You have millions of followers on Vine, everyone loves you, you are best friends with everyone, you’re a part of 26 MGMT, and you didn’t just date Nash, you dated the Nash Grier,” he said. “But I’m still a normal person. Nash is a completely normal human being. I never saw him as the Nash Grier, I saw him as Nash the human being,” I explained.
“I know that. I’m just saying, people are going to treat you differently now.”
“I know.” I pulled into an empty parking spot in front of the school. “Ready?” I asked him as I looked over. He nodded and we stepped out. We both closed our doors and I locked the car, then placed the keys in my bag.
We walked down the parking lot, trying to avoid eye contact with people. A lot of kids were already staring at us when we drove into the lot. I guess a red sports car stands out. Everyone here drove pickup trucks or cars that had been passed down for generations.
I remembered my way around the school so it wasn’t hard for us to find the office. The halls were pretty much empty because everyone hung out in the cafeteria before the bell rang. After picking up our schedules, we still had twenty-five minutes to spare before we had to be in homeroom.
The closer we got to the cafeteria, the more students were in the hallway. Everyone was staring at us, which made me feel uncomfortable. I could hear them whispering about us and girls would give me snotty looks. I glanced up at Hayden, who had a smirk on his face. “Yeah, we are going to be the talk of the school,” he said.
“Tell me about it.” I pushed open the last set of doors, which opened up into the cafeteria. Since there were so many kids in there, it was really noisy. All the kids who were seated at the table closest to us immediately stopped talking and stared at Hayden and me. “Is that . . . ?” I heard one of them say.
Hayden and I started walking to an empty table. I saw some of my old friends on the way there and they just stared at me with their mouths open. “Hey, guys!” I said to them.
“Violet?” one of them said in shock. I smiled at them and nodded. “Violet!” They yelled and got up to give me a great big hug. Once they finally let go, I noticed the whole room was silent. I heard a squeal behind me. I turned around and saw Steph running toward me.
“Oh my gosh, Violet! I missed you so much!” she yelled. I gave her a big hug and she practically squeezed me to death. A couple of more kids I used to be friends with came up to me and started talking to me as well.
“What the hell, guys! Can you move away from my table,” I heard someone yell. I could never forget his voice. I turned around and saw my best guy friend in the whole world, pushing past the people in his way to sit with his friends. I managed to make eye contact and I saw a huge grin form on his face.
“My little Violet!” He dropped his bag, ran over to me, and pulled me into a tight hug. I had missed his comfort.
“I’ve missed you, Hunter,” I told him as we pulled apart.
“I’ve missed you, too, a lot actually,” he said, looking down. “So, what are you doing back here?” he asked when he lifted his head up again.
“Umm . . . there were some family issues, and my mom made me and Hayden move back out here again,” I explained to him. I wasn’t in the mood to go into detail with twenty people around me.
“I have to ask.” A girl came up to me and grabbed my arm. I had no clue who she was but she seemed pretty excited to see me. “Are Nash’s eyes as blue as everyone says?”
Everyone around me went silent. My body became really tense and my heart started to race. Gosh, even hundreds of miles away, it still hurt to hear his name. Hunter must’ve known something was up because he pulled me toward him and placed his arm around me.
“Yes, they are the most beautiful color blue you will ever see,” I answered, while staring at my feet. “I have to go.” I started walking away from all of them, but I could feel their eyes glued onto me. I didn’t let myself turn around until I reached the door. Hunter was walking toward me with a sad look on his face. I turned back around and pushed open the doors.
“Wait. Hold up,” he said as he caught up to me in the hallway. “I know we haven’t talked in a while, but I can feel how much pain you are going through right now.”
“People don’t understand how much I was in love with him. He was everything to me and he just slipped away in seconds.” A few tears fell down my cheek but I managed to not let any more escape.
“I want you to know that I am always here for you, Violet. I am never going to leave your side.”
I giggled a little bit. “Hayden said the same thing.”
I turned toward him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He pulled me into a hug and I rested my chin on his shoulder. “I missed your comfort,” I told him.
“I missed you, so much,” he responded.
Violet
The rest of the school day was a blur. Everyone was so excited to see me and I became friends with a lot of new people. They all asked me questions about Vine and 26 MGMT. They were all in shock when I told them stories about what would happen at some of the events. When people brought up Nash, I didn’t talk about him too much. I think people understood that I didn’t want to be reminded, because eventually they stopped asking.
While I was walking back toward my car, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
Hay-Bear: I’m hanging out with some friends so you don’t need to wait for me.
Violet-Boo: Make good choices :))
Well, it looked like I’d be spending my day alone, like always. I unlocked my door and started to climb in when I saw Chance running toward me. I got back out and waited for him to come closer.
“Hey, Violet!” he said, out of breath.
“Didn’t see you at all today,” I said.
“I know, looks like we don’t have any classes together. Well, I saw you at lunch, but you were with your friends.”
“Oh, really? You should’ve come over, I was only sitting with Hunter and Steph,” I told him.
“Yeah, I’d rather not. Hunter and I don’t really get along,” he said, looking down.
“Oh. Well, do you need a ride home? Hayden is with some friends,” I said to him while climbing in. He nodded and ran over to the other side of the car.
“Sweet ride,” he said, admiring the inside.
“Thanks!” I put the car into reverse and looked behind me while pulling out of the parking spot. As I was leaving, some kids waved good-bye to me. I waved back at them with a smile on my face. “So, why don’t you get along with Hunter?” I asked him.
“We actually were really good friends in the beginning of the year. He liked this girl and wanted to go out with her but was too scared to ask. So, I told him I would talk to her about him. Well, it turns out she wasn’t interested in him and ending up kissing me. I was a little drunk so I didn’t quite know what I was doing. Things got more intense and we basically started making out right in front of him.”
I shook my head and looked over at him with disappointment on my face. “That’s pathetic,” I told him.
“I know, I messed up,” he responded. We didn’t talk for the rest of the way home, because he just pouted while staring out the window.
I pulled into my driveway and put the car in park before I turned the engine off. “Do you want to come in?” I asked him.
I saw a smile form on his face while he nodded. I smiled back and led him inside.
“Mom?” I yelled. There wa
s no answer. “She must be at work.” I took my boots off and set them in the coat closet right next to the door. “I’m going to go upstairs to change. You can grab yourself something in the kitchen if you want.” I ran up the steps into my room, shutting the door quietly.
I picked out a pair of Nike shorts from my dresser with an old Davidson Day T-shirt. I guessed I was going to have to get a few new ones to represent this high school now. I grabbed a black Under Armour sports bra and headed into my bathroom.
I quickly realized that I accidentally dropped my shirt on the way to my bathroom. Not thinking, I opened the door to grab it. I saw it still sitting on top of my dresser on the other side of my room.
I started walking to get it when I heard someone clear his throat. “Oh my gosh!” I yelled while jumping backward. There was Chance, sitting on my bed with his mouth open. “Damn you, Chance. You scared the shit out of me!”
He was still staring at me with a smirk on his face. I looked down and realized I was only in my sports bra. “Oh, shit. Sorry about that.” I went into a panic because he saw my scars. I bolted to my dresser and pulled on my shirt before he could say anything.
I was too nervous to turn around and look at him. I just kept my back toward him while looking at my feet. “Did you see them?” I asked him quietly. I turned around with a few tears running down my face.
He immediately got up and walked over toward me. “It’s okay,” he told me, hugging me. We started rocking back and forth while I silently cried into his shoulders. After realizing what I was doing, I quickly pulled myself together and pulled away. I walked away from him and sat on my bed.
“Was that from the accident?” he asked me as he sat down next to me. I nodded and stared down at my hands in my lap.
“They’re disgusting,” I told him.
“No, they aren’t,” he said. “They just show how strong you are.”
“Face it. They make me look hideous,” I snapped at him.
“No, they don’t,” he responded.
I looked up at him with my eyebrows raised. “No wonder I can never keep a boyfriend. It’s just fate telling me that no one will love me because my body is ruined. I’m pathetic.” I looked back down and kicked my feet back and forth.
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