PEUPDM_Ch.4

POUR ÊTRE UNE PARTIE DE MOI

Ch.4_Soco Amaretto Lime_

**I’m going to stay 18 forever 
so we can stay like this forever 
and we'll never miss a party 
cause we keep them going constantly.**

--

Rushing isn’t living, but this certainly is a rush. The rush to save a life, preferably mine, so I can get back to my girl and maybe make something out of us. I’ve been willing to fight for myself and her, but everything keeps getting in our way.

I’ve read books, I’ve written music, anything to keep my mind off the fact that I’m miserably failing at everything that I do. Caring is what I do best, though, I care about her, and us. If it takes everything in the world to get her back with me, then, well, I’ll do it. Even if it means dying.

I’ve thrown pebbles in wells, I’ve picked up pennies, I’ve found four leaved clovers. It’s as if all those things never were true to me, and I’m just false and unlucky. I’ve looked for people who feel exactly the same way, and surely enough. There are people like that, like her, but unfortunately they don’t stay for long.

I have strived for the hardest, best things in life. The most important thing, being able to know and feel that I finally am a part of her.

--

-JOEL’S POV-

—JANUARY—

Reckless as time had always been, and with me moving every five years or so, I arrived at my new home. Right by the ocean, a town like this couldn’t be more appealing to the nose.

The street is empty, suburban, very lonely. The streets cross all over, and children are in the front yards. I start to walk down the street with the sign that says Raleigh Avenue.

I slowly stroll, with my hands in my pockets, taking them out once in a while to play with my hair; mess it up a little. Sliding my feet against the sidewalk - I had no where I had to be.

I walked up to a house, cream colored, with cherry shutters. The trees in the front yard smell like apples, so I assumed apple trees. I kept looking - the most beautiful house on the block - it’s roof steep, and mahogany colored. One thing made it so I couldn’t easily walk by it, like it had a certain tug on it that I knew I had to hold onto.

As I walk by the last window on the far side of the house, I hear a sudden chiming from the very top. I look up, and see some closed curtains; the chiming continues. I closed my eyes and envisioned it in my head. What came to me wasn’t a wind chime or something you would get at a junk store.

I feel the notes drift across the ocean ahead of me, a songwriter. There is a girl in her bedroom playing a cheap upright piano - beautifully - but the piano was still cheap. I can see her fingers pressing the keys as the mood changes from eerie to excited, to elegant.

I absorb the melody for a minute, and continue walking. But then again, something draws me to the house, and I turn around. I stare at the front door for a moment, but then see the closed curtain in the upstairs window flutter in the corner of my eye; I look up, and see a genuine pearl face, with sienna cheeks. Her glamorous eyes and blonde orange hair shining on me like a saint.

And she smiles…

--

My eyes peeled open, and it was very painful. I did not know how long they had been closed, or how long I had been dreaming. All I knew was that I was in a white room, and then I got upset, because I knew where I was. But why was I there?

“Ach.” The pain was horrible, my bones trembled and ached whenever a muscle tightened; I tried to sit up in my bed. Again, it was a miserable fail. As the nurse caught me trying to lift myself, she ran in.

“Hon, you can’t do that—” The woman said, she looked familiar, but I couldn’t reach a name.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?!” I screamed at her, and my throat suddenly hurt more than the rest of my body. I pulled the needle and tube out of my right arm and placed my feet on the cold hospital floor. The woman was frantic - telling me to sit down, sit down, sit down - I had no reason to sit; but everything hurt.

I started to slowly make my way across the room, my back in complete pain, well, everything in complete pain. I got to the door and well, a girl was there with a boy. She was pretty, so was he, but they were blocking my way out of this place that I didn’t want to be in.

“Joel, sit.” She said.

-AUTUMN’S POV-

*Four Days Earlier*

I woke up and realized that we had both passed out in my back yard. The only sad thing was, the pair of ocean eyes had somehow made their way to the kitchen. I smelled breakfast, so I got up and ran inside.

He laughed, “Good morning.” And then I laughed too. I sat down on a stool next to the counter and watched him cook the breakfast. To my surprise, he had an amazing backside. I giggled to myself, and he asked what I was laughing at.

“Haha, you have a nice butt.” I said. And I blushed.  I laid my head on the counter just in case he gave me a horrible look. I then picked my head up, and he was staring at me with a spatula in his hand.

“I’m not the only one,” He joked, but then he pointed to me and sent me a devilish grin. “Ghetto booty.” And then we both right about fell on the floor and almost wet ourselves. All I could think was hopefully we don’t do this daily.

“Shut up!” I smacked him, and he continued making breakfast. When it was finally done, he sad down next to me and we started talking.

“So how the hell did we fall asleep in your backyard?” He asked. And he looked into my eyes. I got easily embarrassed because I was about to take a bite, but I answered him anyway.

“I don’t know. You got lost in my eyes.” I said sarcastically, and I smiled. But maybe he didn’t take it so well; I don’t know.

“Hey, it’s not my fault.” He blushed, and it was incredibly cute. The way his smile stretched so far and his cheeks were inflated with red ink. Fantastic.

--

Brian assumed that we were both done with breakfast and he took our plates over to the sink. I again watched him without knowing it, and I emotionally smacked myself; ashamed. He came and sat next to me again, putting one arm on the counter and resting his head on it, and putting the other hand on the seat of my chair.

“So what are we going to do today?” He asked. The light in his eyes made him so hard to resist. I had to. I had to go see Joel. So I had to make Brian go home. Unless he could actually understand me - which he couldn’t - so I played it cool.

“Walking you home.” I said. Completely serious, having Brian around was like having another someone to have to hold onto. If I was going to be with Joel, Brian being there wasn’t the best idea. I was sure he could tell what I was thinking, with sadness in my eyes, and tears just waiting to come out and play.

“Oh come on, Autumn.” He said, putting his hand on mine. “You have to tell me sometime, I can tell you’re not feeling up to anything.” The way his eyebrows pulled together was adorable, but it didn’t make me crack. “I know you don’t know me that well, but you should feel safe.” That did.

“Ok.” I said, with sadness in my eyes. He then hugged my and we stayed that way for a while. “You have to come with me to meet someone then.” That was when the tears came.

--

We got to the hospital after a dreadful bus ride of Brian asking me ‘Where are we going? Where? Are we there yet?’ and things like that - when we finally got there, he fell silent.

I held his hand and led him up staircases and through doors until we entered the Intensive Care Unit. I walked up to the nurses counter and asked if he was still in the same room, they said yes. So, we continued hand in hand until we got to his room.

We put on our white gowns and gloves and opened the door without touching skin to metal, and Joel was there in his bed, with Sharon overseeing him. Sharon gave me her motherly upsetting look and turned her head back to him. Still Brian said no words.

I walked over to the side of the bed and kneeled down next to Joel’s hospital slippers. Sharon looked at me again as I whispered for him to wake up in his ear. I wondered what could have changed in a day that would make Sharon so worried.

“You know him?” Brian asked, and I just turned and nodded, hoping he wouldn’t see the tear that fell down my cheek. He saw it anyways, and was already beside me on the floor wiping my eyes with tissues.

I stared at him, wishing for him to wake up, and his eyes - puffy as they may have been - started to create a gap and slowly open. “Joel,” I said and smiled - with tears, happy and sad - and all Joel did was stare; somehow it felt as if all he ever did was stare now.

His eyes were at full attention now, and Sharon walked over to our side of the bed, grabbing my hand. “I don’t think you should.” She said. I asked why, but she said nothing. Sharon started to cry and I kneeled down beside his bed again, where he lay fully in grasp. He looked at me.

“Joel?” I said again, making sure he was actually awake. He blinked a few times, and I could see the muscles in his face move into a frown, or more like a scowl.

“Who…are…you?!” He screamed, flinging his bed covers over himself and ripping all tubes from his body. “Ouch!” He cried, and so did I. Brian still sat behind me, holding my arms so I would not try and get hold of Joel.

“Joel?” I asked, “Joel, it’s me Autumn.” I grabbed his hand, cold.

“Who are you? Who are you? Get out! Get out!” He screamed the same words over and over again, until I finally exited the room. I sat in the chair outside his room and cried, without the embrace of Brian, I just cried. A few minutes later, Sharon came out of the room, and Joel was silent.

“I’m sorry, I told you, you shouldn’t.” Sharon wept a small tear, and rest her hands on her heart. “They said…” She stuttered, trying to hold her tears in.

“It’s okay Sharon, tell us, it’s okay.” We both said, but I was still crying.

“T-They said…that…h-he - it…g-got to his brain.” And she completely collapsed, followed by me, and then Brian - for he felt my pain - we sat there in grief.