Used

[blatentlyobvious]

Heyyyy!! Chapter seventeen. Dedicated to.....JURASSIC JACK! <333
Thanks for reading!! <3

Seventeen-

Joe was standing outside my front door with a bouquet of flowers. I wrinkled my
nose and narrowed my eyes. I hated cheesy stuff like that.

I saw a look of confusion cross his face and I assumed it was because of the
bandage and bruise on my own.

“How’s your face?” I asked him the very question I’m sure was running through
his mind, but my inquiry was fired at him like ice. He didn’t answer, he just
stuttered. “You come near me and you’re going to have double the pain.” I
threatened. He looked taken aback and before Joe could say anything, I shut the
door in his face.

When I turned around, DJ was staring at me in shock.

“I am not dealing with him.” I said harshly. “I’ll be upstairs.” I stormed up the
stairs and to my room.

I think I heard the door open again and as much as I wanted to ignore everything,
I couldn’t help but listen in. I snuck to my wall and slid down beside the open
door. I missed some of the conversation, and as I started to listen, I caught a bit
about my bruise and another something after that about what I said to Joe.

“Sorry man, but you sort of deserved that.” DJ said with a hint of laughter in his
voice.

“I came to apologize. Can I just go talk to her?” Joe pleaded.

“I would let you ask her yourself, but you heard her. You can’t be here.” DJ
reasoned.

“I need to talk to her DJ. It’s important.” Joe whined. I rolled my eyes. What was
important was the fact that he was a famous pop star. It was way too late for
anything important.

“Back off Joe, alright? You screwed up and you’re not going to fix it now. You
should have just told her to begin with.” DJ warned.

“I'm not going to back off DJ. I really like Chelsea, and I don’t give up easy.” Joe
countered. I tried not to feel anything when he told DJ he liked me.

“I'm a reasonable guy, but if you take one step closer to those stairs, you’re face is
going to look worse than Chelsea’s.” DJ threatened. My mouth dropped. Thank
you, compare my bruise to a messed up face.

“I'm not going away that easy.” Joe said. I dared to poke my head around the
corner of my door and saw Joe and DJ a foot apart, glaring at each other. I couldn’t
imagine this ending well.

“Get out.” DJ ordered. Joe narrowed his eyes and spread his feet a bit. He didn’t
look intimidated but it could have been a bluff. DJ was fierce.

“Not until I see Chelsea.” He growled in return. DJ shoved Joe, sending him back a
bit and yelled at him to get out. Joe shoved him back and before I knew it, they
were throwing punches left and right.

Joe managed to get DJ in the face and the gut but after a few seconds, DJ stood up
and clipped Joe on his jaw. He fell to the ground with a thud and I scurried out to
the landing. Just as DJ kicked Joe in the side I screamed at them to stop.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” I screamed. Joe was rolling on the floor
holding his side while DJ wiped blood from his lip. Joe grabbed the wall to get
himself up.

“Chelsea, I just need to talk to you.” Joe begged.

“No.” I said angrily. DJ gave Joe a smug look.

“Screw you.” Joe said to DJ. “You knew too.”

Oh my god. DJ knew? He knew the whole time and never told me? Great, now
both of my best friends plus the guy I really liked had betrayed me.

“You too? Both of you get out! Right now.” I snarled.

“What?” DJ said in surprise. I opened the front door and pushed both of them out.

“Stay out until you get over yourselves.” I said frowning. I closed and locked the
door behind them.

I needed to run. I just needed to run and get rid of all these feelings. I threw on
my running stuff when I got to my room and went out the back. I climbed the
back fence and hopped down. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail and my chest
was held in by a sports bra plus my breathable tank top. I tightened the laces on
my shoe and walked down the alley until I hit the street. I turned to the left and
started running. I came up around a corner and turned right. It lead me to the
ball diamond. I looked to the bench where Joe had given me my iPod back, where
we really talked for the first time.

By the time I was rounding our street, I had been running for a good forty-five
minutes. Beads of sweat were rolling down the sides of my face and I could see
two miserable looking guys on the front step. They were talking, but they looked
upset.

I slowed my pace as I approached them. They both looked genuinely surprised
when they saw me.

“When did you leave?” Joe asked.

“I went out the back forty-five minutes ago.” I said blankly.

“Oh.” He said. I looked at DJ who was sitting on the step looking humble.

“Can we come in now?” He asked quietly.

“We?” I asked.

“Well, we both have to apologize.” DJ explained. Joe nodded.

“Fine.” I said climbing the steps. While I was facing away from them I pulled my
key from my bra and unlocked the door. “I have to shower first. You two can go
do whatever.” I said eyeing them. They were being too good.

I had finished my shower and changed when I came down to the living room. Joe
was sitting on one end of the couch, while DJ took up the chair. They were both
silent.

“I'm sorry I never told you Chels.” DJ said as I stood, arms crossed, in front of
them both. “I thought I was doing them a favor by not telling you, and I feel really
bad. I'm sorry.” I nodded and looked at Joe.

“Maybe I could talk to you alone?” He asked softly. DJ grunted. I took Joe’s arm
and pulled him off the couch.

“This way.” I said dropping his arm. There were still tingles running through my
body from the warmth of his skin. We walked up to my room and sat down on my
bed. “What do you want to talk about?” I asked. It was a stupid question, I know,
but I figured it was up to him to start it.

“A lot of things.” He said. “I mostly want to apologize for everything I did.”

“You know, I wanted to believe that there was nothing that could screw things
up.” I looked down at my nails, running over the edge of one with my thumb.
“Wishful thinking I guess.” I looked up and he was staring at me intently.

“Chelsea, you remember when we ran into each other at the airport?” Joe asked.
He pulled one of his legs under him. I nodded. “And I saw you in Milford at the
airport and the baseball field.”

“Yeah. I remember.”

“I know its selfish, but I loved the fact that you had no idea who we were. Then
when we got home from the tour-“

“What tour?” I asked. He chuckled softly making me blush.

“We just finished a tour. Milford was our last stop.” He explained.

“Oh. Okay.”

“Anyways, when we got home from the tour, and I saw you again, it was perfect.
I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid that you would just back away. For a
while I thought that you were pretending you didn’t know.”

“No, I really didn’t. All my life I have avoided society. The way I was raised, it
didn’t really matter.” I told him. He smiled and shook his head. His hair flicked in
his face but he tucked it back quickly. “But if you had of told me, I would have
understood.”

“I was afraid before. When I got you to agree to go out with me, I felt like an idiot.
I mean you didn’t know, and I knew that it was inevitable that you would find out.
I got Kevin and Nick to tell DJ and they stopped him from telling you.” He said.

“Do you realize how much it pisses me off that you went out of your way to keep it
from me, when it would have been a lot better if you had of been honest from the
beginning?” I asked raising my voice. I was at my boudoir now, pacing in front of
it.

“I do now.” He said quietly. He looked ashamed as he hung his head.

“You have no idea how much shit I have had to deal with Joe. You took the extra
step and made everything worse.” I said irately.

“I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me what’s gone on with you!” He retorted. I
stopped, and sat back down on the bed. When I looked at Joe, I wanted to open
up to him so badly.

“I can’t tell you.” I whispered. He threw his hands up.

“Why? Because I lied? I want to know you Chelsea.” He said reaching to my
hand. I pulled it away and held both of my hands to my chest.

“I don’t know if I want you to know me.” I said honestly.

“Please.” Joe begged.

I guess this was what it came down to. I tried to make myself believe that if Joe
really cared, he would understand, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. “I can’t help
what you think of me after I tell you this.”

“I’ll feel the same no matter what.” He said softly.

“You know last year I finished high school?” He nodded. “Well, there was this huge
grad party and everyone went.” I took a breath before continuing. This was harder
to talk about then I thought. “It got really crowded and pretty soon I had lost track
of DJ and my other friend Jen.”

I had to stop. Memories of that night were flooding back. I could feel Noah digging
into me again. The pain between my legs was coming back. The vision of his dark
ominous eyes bearing over me as he stole my dignity, among other things.

I slid off the bed to the floor as tears streamed from my eyes. Joe was beside me
in an instant. He wrapped his arm around me and I flinched. I hadn’t flinched
from someone’s touch in at least two months. He drew his arm back.

“What happened?” He asked concerned. I drew in a few sharp breaths before I
tried to talk again.

“This guy, Noah, he got me a drink, and another.” I started. “Everything just got
out of control.” I was crying and shaking and once again, Joe’s arm was around
me. He pulled me against his chest and held me. “He raped me.” I whispered.

“Oh, Chelsea I'm sorry.” He whispered into my hair. I cried into his shirt and even
though the memories hurt, I felt like I was letting go of some of it.

~

After telling Joe everything, including how my Grandma’s death lead me to
Oakland, he assured me that he wasn’t going to stop seeing me. We’d even
planned to go out tomorrow, to the ice cream place again, and talk more. This
time it was to actually get to know each other.

Before he went home, he left me with a word of relief. He had called Lucy and
convinced her to let me have some time off. He told her that we could set up the
interview outside of work. In return, she expected a phone call for every day I was
off and an assignment per day to show I was keeping up. I had a week to get
things back together.

I knew Joe was trying to help, and though he inadvertently created more work for
me, I appreciated it. Talking to DJ was the only thing I had left to do.

I saw Joe off at the front door, leaving him with a hug. He told me things would be
okay, and if I hadn’t believed it before, I was starting to now. I walked into the
main area searching for DJ. I found him splayed out on the couch, sound asleep. I
sat down on the arm of the couch and gently shook him until he woke up.

“Hey Chels.” He said smiling. I smiled back. He came all the way to California, he
was living with me, he was helping me get through this whole thing, and the
whole time I had only talked to him a handful of times about his issue. “Joe went home?” He asked. Instinctively I looked at his mouth. The blood was gone but it left behind a fat lip.

“Yeah, he went home.” I nodded.

“Are we letting him off the hook?” He asked sitting up. I laughed lightly.

“He knows everything. He gets it.” I explained. DJ looked relieved.

“Good. I was hoping you would figure things out.” He said. It confused me.
Hours before he and Joe were fighting and they were both left with injuries; Joes’
side was definitely damaged, from the way he kept rubbing it, and DJ’s lip was
swelling up bad.

“What the hell was the fight for then?”

“Good measure.” He reasoned. “You know, so if he ever messes with you again, he
knows what he’s getting will be much worse.”

I looked at him as if he was crazy, which, right now, wasn’t a stretch. “You’re
actually okay with Joe and I? After everything?” I asked.

“The two of us had a lot of time to talk. You locked us out for an hour.” He
explained. I shrugged. I supposed it made sense that way.

So instead of talking more about myself, I sat down and talked to DJ about
everything concerning his parents divorce. We talked about his school and how he
loved his courses so far. He was getting his MBA in the . Past that we talked
about being kids. It was like nothing had changed, nothing was different, and DJ
and I were still sixteen year olds freaking out over our marks.

I slept that night peacefully. I didn’t wake up to the thought of Noah violating me,
nor did I dream about my Grandma, but instead I dreamed of a thanksgiving
dinner. My whole family was there; Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Jacob and DJ too.

I woke up in the morning to a quiet house. It was Monday morning and I was
sure that DJ had gone to school. His Leadership class started at nine and he had a
lecture half an hour later for An Introduction to Finance. I was on my own for a
few hours, which felt somewhat relaxing.

When I walked downstairs, I saw the flowers from yesterday. I swept them off the
table in a happy daze and danced to the kitchen. I trimmed the stems, pulled out
a vase and put them in with fresh water. They were tiger lilies and roses with little
strands of Limonium.

A beautiful way to start a perfect day.

[blatentlyobvious]

Wow, it really has been awhile. I MISSED THIS SITE. hahah
Anyway, my holidays are done, and I'm working a lot now so I will post as often as I can. Thank you so much for reading guys! Hope you like this one Cece!! Chapter Eighteen!!!<3

Eighteen-


In the three hours I had been up, I had accomplished a lot.

I called my grandpa, because I was following his wishes. He said he was driving
through Texas. He and his friends had stopped at a diner along Interstate 20 near
Odessa. It was a long drive since he had left, but he had made it. His next stop
was in Little Rock, Arkansas, where they were renting hotel rooms. He said it was
wonderful to see them again, and he wasn’t rushing.

I checked my email after that. I had one from my boss with an assignment on
what goes on during the production of a record. She had a list of references for me.
She wrote underneath them that I could call and set up phone interviews with the
producers. It made me feel important.

I had an email from Jen. I didn’t even want to go there. I deleted it without even
opening it.

The last thing, the one I was most anticipating, was going out with Joe. He asked
me to call him after twelve, because they had a few interviews in LA this morning.
The thought of their voices on the radio, or in magazines seemed completely
obscure to me. I still had to get used to how famous they were. I even googled
“Jonas Brothers.” It came up with pages full of links to fan sites, articles featuring
them, interviews. They were everywhere, and that wasn’t an exaggeration.

I checked my phone again, closing the laptop. It was just after twelve. Good
enough, I thought.

“Hello?” Joe answered groggily after three rings. I smiled at the sound of his voice.

“Hey Sleeping Beauty.” I said with a laugh.

“Chelsea! Sorry. I dozed off. Early morning.” He explained.

“It’s okay. I wanted to call you about this afternoon.” I started. I heard
whispering in the background and paused for a minute to hear. I couldn’t; it was
barely audible. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

“Well, I was looking at one before Kevin decided to take the 405. Traffic is backed
up so I don’t think we’ll be back until quarter to two.” He explained. I realized I
was nodding, then stopped. Obviously he wouldn’t have seen it, but I guess its
habit for me.

“I don’t mind waiting.” I said.

Something was happening on the phone. More mumbling that I couldn’t decipher.

“Hi. Chelsea?” Another different voice was on the phone.

“Yeah.”

“It’s Kevin. I thought I would mention that Joseph was the one who suggested
the 405 in the first place, therefore leaving me free of any blame.” I was laughing
by the time Kevin said goodbye and handed the phone back to Joe.

“My bad. Either way, I’ll see you around two. Is it okay if we just hang out at my
house?” Joe asked.

“Anything is fine Joe. See you then.” I said smiling. I snapped my phone closed
and tried to stop grinning. It didn’t work. I couldn’t help but be happy about
seeing him. It sounds strange but, since we had talked about everything, there
was this bond between us. It wasn’t the same as the one I had with DJ. But it
was intimate between the two of us.

I had two hours before Joe got here. I also had an assignment for work to finish. I
flipped my computer open and wrote down the contacts that Lucy had given me. I
phoned all six of them, though two disinclined my request for interviews.

When one thirty rolled around, I had eight pages written up. I sent them all to
Lucy at the office and sighed. Finished, I thought. Hard work pays off, and now I
had some time to get ready for my “date” with Joe.

I scooped up my laptop and phone and ran up to my room. I opened my drawers
and looked for something cute. While I rummaged through my tops I realized I
needed some new clothes. Those would come with time, and money, but for now
I would manage. I pulled out a medium-cut orange cotton t-shirt, a silky blue vest
and a pair of cream colored shorts.

When I was setting my clothes on the counter in the bathroom I heard the loud
buzzing of my cell. I scampered to the dresser and answered it.

“Hello?” I said with a catch in my breath. I was standing naked in the middle of
my room. I knew no one was home, but my discomfort was coming from the fact
that I was talking to someone with no clothes.

“Hey. We’re here.” Joe said with a hint of excitement in his voice. Shit! I wasn’t
even showered.

“At my house?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“What time is it?” I asked thinking out loud. I looked at my alarm clock. It’s little
green numbers read out 1:39. Joe told me the same thing.

“Sorry, I know we’re early.” He said quietly.

“No its okay. Do you mind waiting for like ten minutes?” I asked hopefully. I
could be really quick if I needed to.

“Kevin, can we wait ten minutes?” Joe asked his brother. I heard Kevin say no
problem and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sure.” Joe said.

“Okay, I’ll be down soon.” I said. I threw the phone on my bed and ran into the
washroom. I showered and dressed hurriedly, managing to straighten out my vest
on the way downstairs. I wrote a little note for DJ, made sure I had my keys,
phone and purse and darted out the door.

All three boys were sitting in Kevin’s car, laughing. I ran up to the passengers seat
and tapped the window. Kevin smiled and unlocked the door. I slid in gracefully,
which I thanked God for, and did my seatbelt up.

“Sorry I took so long.” I said half smiling. I could feel my face burning a little. I
looked in the back. Joe and Nick were sitting comfortably on either side of the car.

“It’s not a problem.” Kevin said as he started the car. Joe smiled sweetly.

“How was the interview?” I asked casually, turning back to the front. It was quiet
for a moment before they answered. I hadn’t meant to make them feel
uncomfortable, but apparently one question had done that.

Nick piped up, breaking the silence. “It was good. Lots of the same questions.”

I smiled. “Good.” I said simply.

We talked the rest of the way to their house, about things that had nothing to do
with anything, and things that mattered a lot. They told me about growing up in
New Jersey. We talked about the best places to go for days off. We talked about
the best burgers, the worst pop, the richest people in the world. Everything and
nothing. It only took 10 minutes on a direct route to their house, but we had
stopped for coffee, adding an extra 10.

We pulled up to a cul-de-sac and Kevin parked the car in front of a large house
with a brick walk leading up to the front. The house itself was a light brown with a
foot of brick layering around the bottom and a black door with a lucid glass window.
It was simple, and really nice.

Kevin, Joe and Nick all stepped out, leaving me to do the same. I hopped out and
fell into step beside Joe. He wrapped his arm around me, as we walked.

“Thank you for forgiving me.” He said squeezing me against him. I wrapped my
arms around his body, enveloping him in a full hug.

“Thanks for not turning away from me when you found out.” I said in return. The
whole debacle was fading into the past, as far as I was concerned. He smiled softly
and I let go. I noticed Nick and Kevin had disappeared into the house. Joe opened
the door, holding it for me and I stepped inside. It was just as impressive as the
outside.

“Welcome to my home.” He said haughtily. I narrowed my eyes and punched him
in the arm habitually. But I hadn’t punched him, ever. He looked surprised.

“Sorry!” I said covering my mouth and blushing. “It’s a habit.” I explained.

“I’ll be sure to watch for that.” He said laughing. At least he was laughing. My
face was still red as a brick. “Come on, I want you to meet the rest of my family.”
He said taking my hand. Oh, there it goes. My face just burnt off. I can’t see, I
can’t see. I have no face. Why? Because not only did Joe want me to meet his
family, but his thumb was stroking the back of my hand and my wrist and my
palm, and my face was so hot it sizzled off.

His parents, and the little brother I assume is Frankie are sitting outside chatting.
I can see their mouths moving, I can’t hear anything. We’re separated by a glass
door. Kevin and Nick have joined them and are taking up the other chairs. It’s
fine with me. I'm perfectly content standing beside Joe.

Joe slides the door open and his parents look to us. I glance at Nick and Kevin who
are smiling and nudging each other. Joe’s thumb strokes my wrist again and I
relax a bit. “Mom, Dad this is Chelsea Baker.”

The funny thing is, I know his parents. I ran into them on my first day at Scene.
And Frankie to. He was the one with ice cream all over his face at the gas station.
I knew Joe’s dads name, it was Paul. I hadn’t caught his Mom’s name. They
recognized me too, by the looks on their faces.

“Hi again.” Paul said holding his hand out. I shook it as well as Mrs. Jonas’s. “You
remember my wife Denise?” I nodded smiling. Joe looked confused, so I explained
how we were acquainted.

“I ran into your parents when I had to ask your parents for directions on my first
day of work.” I said. He made a thoughtful face, and it seemed like something
clicked.

“That’s so weird.” He said finally. I nodded slowly. Frankie was standing by his
mom, and I felt I might as well introduce myself to him. There was no sense in
leaving one person out. I leaned down and held out my hand.

“Hi, Frankie?” He nodded smiling. “I'm Chelsea.” He shook my hand, his little one
in mine.

I stood up again and Joe was beside me with an arm around my shoulder. I smiled
to myself at the comfort I had around his family.

“Chelsea, are you staying for dinner?” Denise asked kindly.

“I’d love to, but my Grandpa is out of town and my best friend DJ would be on his
own at the house.” I explained.

“Why don’t you invite him over?” Nick asked. I looked at him curiously and he
shrugged.

“Sure. He can come over if he wants.” Paul said nodding. I looked at Joe. Had he
said anything about the fight? If he had of, I doubted that his parent would invite
DJ over. Joe nodded.

“I can call and ask.” I said smiling uncomfortably. I wasn’t sure if this would be a
good idea. But then, DJ had said that he was okay with Joe and I. Maybe he
would be okay with this too.

I gave Joe a look, and he guided me back inside the house.

“Should I call him now?” I asked thinking about whether or not he would be out of
'class. It was twenty after two now.

“Sure.” Joe said.

“Are you okay with him coming over? I mean, he sort of kicked you around last
time he saw you.” I said half teasing.

“Chelsea, it will be fine. He can hang out with Nick and Kevin.” He assured me. I
nodded and pulled out my phone. Joe motioned to the couch for me to sit down
on. I smiled thankfully.

“Hey Chels.” DJ said when he picked up his phone.

“Hey Beast. Are you home?” I asked smiling. I looked down at the leather of the
couch while I talked to him.

“Yeah. Got your note.” He said laughing. “I had to fax it to the professor of
languages to interpret it, but I understand it now.”

“I was in a hurry.” I said laughing back. “Anyways, you’ve been invited for dinner.”
I said hoping for the best.

“Seriously? By who?” He asked obviously shocked.

“Joe’s family.” I answered.

“Oh. Should I come?” He asked a little baffled.

“That’s up to you.”

After a few minutes of DJ deliberating, he decided to come. I gave him the
address, he said he would be here soon and I hung up.

“He’s coming.” I said turning to Joe. He was sitting on the couch beside me. He
simply nodded. He was looking at me oddly. “What?” I asked. It was just like
when DJ had looked at me in the car, coming out of the theater parking lot. This
was more intense.

“Nothing. You up for some video games?” He asked smiling now.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked mischievously.

~

“What was that?” I exclaimed as Joe’s kart knocked me off the track. Kevin, Nick,
Joe, DJ, Frankie and I were having a showdown on Mario Kart in their basement.

Joe, Kevin, DJ and I were currently racing on Bowzer’s Castle, while Nick and
Frankie waited to switch in with whoever trailed in third and forth.

Joe was focused completely on the game. “It’s the best move he’s made yet.”
Kevin said smugly.

I laughed. “You’re just jealous.”

“My Mario is going to leave you both in the dust.” DJ threatened. I chuckled again
and smiled as my Luigi rounded up beside Kevin’s Toad, Joe’s Donkey Kong, and
DJ’s Mario. Right as I came up to the finish line, I got hit with a shell and started
spinning. Three karts flew by me and I grimaced as I crawled in seventh.

The guys were laughing as I dropped my wheel on the couch between Joe and I.
“That was so messed up.” I complained.

Nick came over and squished down beside me. “I believe this is mine.” He said
taking the wheel. I smiled at him and took the seat where he was sitting before.
Frankie hopped up and pushed Joe (the second loser, fifth place) out of his seat
and towards me. There was only one seat, which I was in, so Joe parked himself
on the arm of it.

“Hey.” He said smiling. I grinned back.

“Hey loser.” I chuckled.

“Only for you.” He smiled. What did that mean? It clicked and my face went red.
He noticed; he laughed; everyone else stayed focused on the game; everyone but
DJ.

~

Dinner was done, and everyone was laughing, even DJ at the stories that Paul and
Denise were telling about the boys. Nick was louder than usual, Kevin laughed and
told a few of his own. Frankie sat picking at his food until it was finished. DJ and I
listened and laughed and every so often, I would feel something brush my hand.
It was light and soft touch and only for a second, but every time I looked up, Joe
would simply smile and turn back to the conversation.

The conversation had ended, and when Denise got up to do the dishes, I followed.

“Chelsea, you don’t have to do that. Nicholas and Frankie can help me.” She said.

“Denise, I really don’t mind. It’s no trouble.” I said.

DJ stood up too. “Sure. We can do the dishes.”

“No. My boys can do it.” She insisted. “You too are guests. Another time.”

“Chelsea, you want to go for a walk?” Joe asked. I knew it really wasn’t much of a
question. I looked at DJ. He gave me a look and I knew he wanted me to go.

“Yeah.” I said smoothing out my vest. I took his hand and we walked to the front.
It was dark out now. I looked at my phone. It was already quarter after seven,
and for September, it was dark early. I didn’t mind though. I looked down at our
entwined fingers and smiled. “I like this.” I said looking up at Joe. He was
beautiful; the perfect face; the perfect body.

“Me too.”

It was quiet from there on out. The most comfortable silence I have ever
experienced. We came around a corner, and there was the ball park. It was
beautiful at night. There were no lights to make the field glow, only a few dim
lamp posts along the path behind it.

“It’s nice at night huh?” Joe asked breaking the peaceful quiet.

“Really nice.” I answered. We walked to the bench and Joe let go of my hand. He
sat down a ways out from the seat and laid down on the grass. “Comfy?” I asked.

“Mhmm.” He mumbled. He closed his eyes and I sat down beside him quietly. I
studied his body as he breathed. His chest was toned, his arms strong. He looked
incredibly peaceful, rested and one hundred percent normal. He wasn’t Joe Jonas,
the Megawatt Star; he was Joe Jonas, my guy. At least, he could be.

I laid down beside him, leaving half a foot between our bodies. He sensed my
presence and opened his eyes. He turned towards me, and I mimicked him. He
smiled, I smiled. He laid back down, so did I. It became a game as he propped
himself back up on his elbow and I did the same.

“Are you copying me?” He asked. His face was serious, but the laughter was
shining through in his eyes.

“Nope.” I said and rolled over onto my stomach. I fiddled with the grass in front of
me and looked at Joe. He was staring at my back, or lower, I wasn’t sure. I tried
to follow his stare but I found myself turning over on my back again.

“Damn.” He cursed quietly. I looked at him curiously… that wasn’t a
“dayummmmm” damn…I hoped. “Because do you know what I was going to do
next?” He asked. Good, it was a displeasure damn, not an offensive one.

“No, what?” I said rolling onto my side. He was staring at me intently.

He leaned in a little closer. “Well…”

My heart was beating rapidly.

I’m waiting Joe.

[Anna]

sooo i finally started reading this after many, many times of saying i would, and i got to chapter 4 before my eyes got tired of reading haha.
loving it so far nat!
but...im not gonna say a whole lot but i was planning a similar thing to happen in...another fanfic...i wont give it away, but if you see it i didnt just read this and think "oh, thats a great idea, lets add it to my story!" haha

[blatentlyobvious]

Oh gosh, no problem hun!
I know what you mean.
Sometimes when I have a story going, I run into the same thing Im writing about in someone elses story and I have to think "crappppp. they're going to think I copied their work."
I wouldn't think that about your story.
haha
Which one is it?
Just out of curiosity.
By the way, thank you so much for reading it!

[Anna]

hmm...youll see
its one that i know youve read, so if youre still keeping up, youll figure it out eventually, im gonna try to write some this week.

[blatentlyobvious]

I figured it out Anna! Haha. You did a fantastic job writing about her explaination. (a lot better than mine haha)
Chapter nineteen!! I hope you like it guys! I am pretty happy with it.


Nineteen-

“I was going to ask you if you wanted to play catch.” He said sitting up abruptly. I
narrowed my eyes for a minute. You’ve got to be kidding. But maybe he was
being smart about us, we hadn’t known each other that long. No, it’s been at
least a month and a half. That stupid child, I thought to myself. But he looked so
innocent that I couldn’t really be mad at him.

“Sure.” I said getting up. My bare legs were itchy from the grass and I was sure I
had been bitten by an ant in the midst of the game of copycat. I watched as Joe
ran a little ways over near the dug out and grabbed two gloves and a ball. I
thought about it for a minute. That must have been what he was staring at.

“Where did those come from?” I asked curiously. Joe tossed me a glove. He
threw it too much to the left and I had to jump up and out to catch it. It only took
one hand, but to be honest, he threw it hard enough to make my hand sting after.

“I guess someone left them behind. There’s three gloves, two bats and two balls.”
He enlightened.

“You go out in the field a little ways.” I instructed. He ran so there was about ten
feet between us.

He threw the ball better than he’d thrown the glove. I watched as the little white
sphere came through the air at me. It thudded against my glove. I scooped it out
and sent it back in a steady line.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Joe started. The ball came back to my glove and I
sent it off again. “Why is DJ here?”

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Joe, but DJ’s parents’ divorce wasn’t mine to talk
about. “School. He’s at Berkley School of Business.” I said.

“Oh. That’s awesome. Before we got signed, I think Kevin was looking at the
School of Music.” He told me as he caught a hard throw from me.

“Sorry.” I muttered. “So, what’s in the future for you guys?”

“Tour at the end of this month.” He said. My heart sank. Tours lasted months, I
knew that much. Maybe I would be so busy with work that I wouldn’t have time
to worry about it.

“Wow.” I said still stunned.

“I know. I’m excited though. There is this feeling you get every time you step on
stage that just takes over every part of your body.” He said enthused. He threw
the ball back and I wasn’t paying attention. It was light when it hit my thigh, but it
had enough power to hurt a little.

I picked up the ball carefully and chucked it back. I watched as his hand came
back a bit and heard the smack against his glove. I'm pretty sure I heard an “ow”
too.

He wound up his arm, trying to look intense and the ball slipped from his hand.
“Sorry. I’ll get it!” He said as the pop fly was up. I didn’t pay mind to the fact that
he was running for it as I was and the inevitable happened. We both missed the
ball but smacked into each other and collapsed to the ground. I looked at him for a
minute before I burst out laughing. Our heads had managed to avoid collision, and
though my arm was sore, I thought it was hilarious. At first, I couldn’t hear Joe
laughing, but a few minutes and I could.

I hadn’t laughed that hard in the longest time. It was the kind that came right
from the diaphragm. I could hardly breath as I laid back on the grass. Finally my
hysterics subsided and I had steady breaths. Joe calmed down too.

“I’m sorry.” I chuckled.

“My bad.” He said.

We were silent for a few minutes. I looked at the stars. It was good to know my
Grandma was among them now. Joe turned to me. “Chelsea can I kiss you?” he
asked. I smiled and closed my eyes. Finally.

“Yeah.”

He leaned forward so that his body was closer and he brought his lips to mine. He
stopped right before and pulled back. “I'm not going to make you do anything.”
He said and held up his left ring finger. A band that I hadn’t noticed was wrapped
around his finger. “It means I’ll wait.” He explained.

“Well, wait for that, but my lips are getting impatient.” I said boldly.

He grinned and closed his lips around mine. They were soft as they moved against
mine. I moved my hand to his dark hair and pulled him closer. His hand was
holding my body against his. I kissed him harder. He moved his lips to my neck
for a minute and the heat pulsed through my veins. His lips moved back to mine
and I let his tongue in. He pulled back to breath.

“That was amazing.” I smiled. He flashed a grin that made my knees even
weaker.

“Yeah.” He returned. That was more than amazing; it was perfect. He looked at
his watch. “It’s nine. We should go.” He said softly. The smile never faded.

I shook my head and smiled devilishly. “Not yet.”

Joe’s smile brightened and he pressed his lips to mine, sending me into a state of
ecstasy once again.

~

“Will your parents be mad you weren’t back?” I asked as we walked hand in hand
to his doorstep.

“No. They’re pretty easy going about that kind of stuff. And I’m not breaking
curfew.” He said with a shrug.

“Oh, the rock star has a curfew?” I teased.

“And the big shot journalist has grass in her hair.” He countered. I laughed as he
brushed it out of my hair. His hand stopped on my neck as we stood on the
doorstep. “Does this mean you’ll be my girl?” He asked shyly.

“Only if you promise to be my guy.” I said chuckling. He asked me why I was
laughing. “I don’t know. It sounds funny ‘My guy, your girl.’ But I like it.”

He lightly kissed me before opening the door to the house. We stepped inside and
saw Paul and Denise on the couch. Denise was fast asleep in Paul’s arms.

“Hi Dad.” Joe said as he closed the door behind us. I slipped off my flip-flops and
smiled at Paul.

“Hey kids. Everyone’s downstairs.” He said quietly.

Joe took my hand, which I’m sure his dad noticed and lead me downstairs. DJ was
on someone’s guitar, strumming something kind of pretty while Kevin hung back
on the phone. He was in his own corner, laughing about something with whoever
was on the other line.

Nick was sitting quietly writing, while DJ would occasionally ask him if what he was
doing was right. Nick and DJ looked up as Joe and I strode into the room. “Hey
guys.” DJ said quietly, eyeing our hands.

“Hey.” I said happily. I’m sure DJ picked up on my nod to our hands, but I wasn’t
sure about Nick. “We should go soon hey?” I asked quietly. Joe’s finger was
making circles on my wrist and it was driving me crazy.

“Yeah. Nick was just showing me some chords.” He explained looking over at his
fingers on the neck.

“Just work on B.” Nick said pointing to a book in front of DJ.

“Dude, I don’t how I’m going to get my fingers up like that.” DJ said twisting his
hand in an attempt to fit the chord.

Nick laughed. “Practice.” Kevin hung up the phone and hopped over the couch.
He swept up the remote and flipped the channel to MTV.

Joe’s hand slipped around my waist under my vest and he smiled down at me.
“Who was that Kevin?” Joe asked sitting us down beside his brother on the couch.
I leaned into him.

“Meghan. She’s in Seattle. She said she’ll be home the week before we leave.”
He informed us all.

“Who’s Meghan?” I whispered to Joe.

“Kev’s girlfriend. She used to live where we did in LA, before we moved here last
March. She’s a singer, she’s on tour and apparently home before we leave.” He
explained quietly. I knew Kevin heard because he peered around Joe and added
“She’s amazing.” I chuckled at his expression.

“Nick, Terry says ‘Hi’.” Kevin said casually. Nick flashed a huge smile and his face
went pink but he didn’t look up from his work.

“His girlfriend.” Joe whispered into my hair. I nodded and sat up.

“I should get home. I have to call my parents.” I explained. Joe got up with me
and gave me a long hug. I didn’t want to kiss him in front of my best friend and
his brothers; well I did, but it could be weird. “DJ. Come on. You’re my ride.” I
said.

“Thanks man.” He said handing Nick his guitar. Nick set it gently back in the
stand and flipped the chord book shut.

“Bye guys.” I said. Kevin got up and gave me a big hug, and Nick did the same.

“See you soon!” Nick said beaming. I walked upstairs behind DJ, with Joe following
me. We got to the door and I slipped on my shoes. DJ was waiting arms crossed,
but I hung around.

“DJ..um…” I started.

“I’ll be in the car.” He said in strict tone, but I saw the smirk on his face as he
turned away. He closed the door behind him and left Joe and I.

“Night.” I said quietly. I was holding onto his hands when he pulled me into a
warm hug. His hands were wrapped around my waist. I could see Paul over his
shoulder, smiling in my direction. I gave a little wave and pulled out of our hug.
Joe brushed a kiss across my lips and opened the door for me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked slipping his hands to my waist.

“Anytime.” I laughed. I reached up and kissed his cheek before skipping down to
DJ’s car. I put my seat belt on and turned to DJ.

“Hi.” I said smiling.

“Hey.” He gave me a curious look. “You two…official and all that jazz?”

“Yes.” I said quietly. DJ ruffled my hair and I chuckled. “Dibs on the phone when
we’re home. I'm supposed to call Mom and Dad tonight.”

“I don’t think they’re expecting a phone call this late, but it’s all yours.” He said as
he shoulder checked and backed out of the driveway. He glanced at the map and
drove away from the cul-de-sac. “I'm happy for you Chels.” He said as we pulled
out to the main road.

“Yeah, it’s awesome how things have turned around.” I said. “Here’s hoping
nothing gets screwed up now.”

~

DJ was asleep as soon as he hit his bed. I can’t imagine how much stress all the
schoolwork was putting on him. I changed into a tank top and slipped under my
sheets with my cell phone and the chord-less.

“Good evening.” My dad said politely when the phone picked up.

“Hi daddy.” I said quietly. I pulled the blanket closer to me, though it had to be at
least 89 tonight.

“Baby girl! I haven’t heard your voice in such a long time.” He said softly. I felt
myself choke up a little but took a few deep breaths.

“Dad, you’re going to make me cry.” I admitted.

“Sorry sweetheart. You’re Mom and I have been making plans for thanksgiving!”
He said happily.

“Really?”

“We’ve been talking to Jacob, and he wants to hold it in Milford.” He explained.

“You mean have our thanksgiving there?” I asked a little confused.

“No, you can fly up here in October. We’ll just fly down to Milford in November.
Anyway sweetheart, how have you been?” He asked changing the subject.

“I’ve had a rough week Dad. I fell coming home from work and I smashed my
nose. I’m healing and in the meantime, I’m working at home. DJ’s busy with
school, and I don’t want anything to do with Jen.” I started to unload all these
issues on him.

“That sounds like it hurt. What happened with you and Jen?” He asked me when I
stopped.

“She’s hanging out with Noah.” I said bitterly.

“The one who hurt you?” He asked silently.

“Yeah.” I paused. Now was a good time to bring up flying home. “Dad, I want to
press charges.” I waited for his reaction.

“We have an amazing lawyer.” He said after a moment of thought. “And I think
that’s the right thing to do. We’ll fly you home for thanksgiving and maybe you
can do it then.” He surprised me with the willingness to help.

“He could face two years in prison in Vancouver.” I added.

“He deserves more than that.”

“Thanks Dad.”

“Get some sleep Chelsea. I’ll talk to you later this week.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I hung up the phone and laid back in bed. I could face Noah again. I would make
sure that he got what he deserved. I had about a month to get ready for it. It
was enough time for me to do what I needed, and talk to the lawyer.

My cell phone buzzed against my arm and I reached over to pick it up.

“It’s Chelsea.” I said quietly.

“Hi.” Joe’s voice was deep when he whispered. I smiled.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing?” He asked. I heard some ruffling in the background.

“I'm laying in bed. I just got off the phone with my dad.” I told him.

“Awesome. Did you tell him about us?” He asked. He sounded hesitant, which I
found to be very cute.

“No, we were talking about me coming home for thanksgiving.” I said. I left out
the part concerning the trial. “I’ll tell him soon, I promise.”

“There’s no pressure.” He assured me.

“Hey Joe?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“This is embarrassing but… I googled you guys and it didn’t mention anything
about girlfriends. But you said Kevin and Nick are both dating someone.” It had
been a thought at the back of my mind since it was mentioned. Joe laughed.

“How about I tell you a bedtime story.” He offered with a laugh.

“I would love one.” I said chuckling.

“Last Spring, when we lived in LA, we met these girls, Alicia, Terry and Meghan.
Terry and Meghan are sisters and they are really cool people. Meghan is a singer,
she was on tour with us for a while last year. Alicia is their best friend. Anyway,
Kevin and Meghan fell for each other, but we had to leave for a tour and they split.
They figured things out when we got home.” He explained.

“What about Nick’s girlfriend?” I asked.

“They had a lot of stuff to sort out. Terry was dating this guy, but he cheated on
her, and… there’s this whole thing that happened. The important thing is that
they’re together.” I pulled away one of my pillows as he talked. I turned the light
off and rolled to my side.

“And what do you do about the public?” I asked softly.

“We decided a while ago that we wouldn’t say anything. There are plenty of clever
ways to honestly dodge a question about relationships.” He said this and right
after told me not to mention any of it. I gave him my word.

“What about you?” I prodded. He sighed.

“It was Alicia and I, and we split after about six months. That doesn’t matter
anymore though.” He said. I smiled.

“I’m glad. I should sleep.” I said getting ready to hang up the phone.

“Night Chelsea. I’ll see you tomorrow.” His voice was a whisper as I closed my
phone and drifted off.

[blatentlyobvious]

Good news guys! I am officially finished Used. I'll be working on posting the chapters for the next three days. I'll do one a day. I'm really excited! I hope you like twenty.

Twenty-


Three weeks gone by…

DJ was sitting in the deck chair right against the wall. It was a nice shady area.
Joe and I were perched on the edge of my Grandpa’s pool. I had my latest article
ready for October’s issue at Scene. I was trying to edit it but Joe kept massaging
my hand. The boy was driving me nuts with his touch.

My Grandpa wasn’t home yet. He extended his trip so he could visit Jacob in
Milford. He wouldn’t be home for a while now. The last time I called him was two
days ago and he was on his way through Virginia. He thought it would take at
least a week before he got home. He friends had turned back when they reached
Nashville.

“What do you suppose Napoleon’s mindset was during the war?” DJ asked
suddenly. I turned to look at him. He had his pen sticking out of his mouth,
papers splayed across the table and his laptop out in front of him.

“I have no idea.” I said exchanging a look with Joe. DJ grunted and I looked away.
Joe ran his hand up my arm when I looked back to my paper and I sighed.

“I can’t edit this with you distracting me.” I said swinging my legs in the water. I
watched as the ripples drew around them.

“I can’t think with you distracting me.” He said in response. I laughed.

“You’re such a flirt Joseph.” I said smiling at him. He pushed a strand of hair back
from my eyes. I gathered all my hair up and tied it up in an elastic. I gave him
the paper. “You read it.” I said pulling my eyebrows up.

He gave me a funny look. “Huh?” I chuckled. I leaned in and whispered in his
ear.

“I’ll kiss you every time you finish a paragraph.” I offered. Joe looked at the paper
and smiled.

“Deal.” He said. As he read, I read too. The first line: ‘We all see the effects of
society on the lives of teens, but how adverse are they?’ I was about to go on but
Joe dropped the paper. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. He read
another line and kissed me again.

“Okay, I said paragraphs.” I told him sternly. I didn’t mind the kisses, but I
needed to get this article edited before I sent it in to Lucy. Joe held the paper out
to me.

“Yeah, I know.” He pointed to the space after the first line. The break between
sentences. I rolled my eyes at him. He laughed. “I count every one as a
paragraph.”

I reached around his neck smiling. His eyes were such a beautiful chocolate brown
and his thick hair, wavy today, was blowing against his perfect features. He
wrapped his arms around my middle, and flashed his smile. It still made me melt
and the glint of mischief in his eyes reminded me so much of the long, heated
make-out sessions in the past weeks.

I closed my eyes and his lips moved against mine. Slowly, his tongue drew languid
movements in my mouth, and I returned them. I pulled away, biting gently at the
bottom of his lip. He pulled the paper from my hands and tossed it behind us. I
kissed him again moving my hands to his hair. His were against the nape of my
neck and just under my shirt against my skin.

“Guys!” DJ shouted causing both Joe and I to jump. I wiped my lips, blushing. I
had forgotten DJ was there. “I really can’t do anything with you two down each
others throats. Can you take it inside?” He asked frustrated. I shook my head
smiling and stood up. Joe followed me and as I walked past DJ I smacked him
upside the head. He looked up irritated. I leaned down and whispered in his ear.

“I didn’t say anything about you and Amber sucking face when Joe and I got back
from the movie.” I laughed and walked inside, closing the screen door behind me.

“His face is so red.” Joe said laughing. “What did you say to him?” He asked.

“I just mentioned last night.” I said smiling. I sauntered to the fridge and pulled
out an apple. Joe came up and pinned me against the counter.

“Can I have that apple?” He asked pouting. How it was possible for him to be so
sexy even when he was pouting was beyond me.

“There’s more in the fridge. Why do you want this one?” I asked smirking.

“Because you have it.” He cocked his head to the side and wiped the look off his
face. “Never mind, I have a better idea.”

I let my hands fall to the counter as he pressed his body against mine. Through
my thin t-shirt and short skirt I could feel all the warmth from his body. He
lowered his face until our lips touched. He moved his lips around before his tongue
ran against my teeth. I shivered and opened my mouth. His hands ran down my
waist to my hips and he pulled one of my legs up, holding it behind my knee. I
stood up straighter and wrapped my leg around his. My breath was quickening and
I could feel my whole body heating up.

The phone started ringing and we pulled away slowly. I sighed discontentedly.

“Damn it.” I muttered. I looked at Joe. “I have to get it.”

“No…”He protested. I dropped my leg and hugged him.

“It could be my parents babe.” I reasoned. He handed me the chord-less and I
smiled. “Thank you.” I said moving down the counter a bit. I pressed “talk” and
watched as Joe picked up the apple. He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“Hello?” I said happily into the phone.

“Hello, is this Chelsea Baker?” Said a man in a soft tone.

“Yes. May I ask who’s calling?”

“It’s Sergeant Glindly. Ms. Baker, I called because we have some news concerning
one of your family members.” He said softly. I inhaled deeply as my stomach
churned. “Your Grandfather, Archibald Burnstum was involved in a collision this
morning on the interstate just outside of Atlanta.” My heart stopped and the
sergeants’ voice started to fade. The next words sent me into a state of shock.
“I’m afraid that medics were unable to save his life.” I started shaking and fell to
the ground. Joe rushed over and picked up the phone, supporting me with his free
arm. He shouted for DJ.

“Hello?” Joe said into the phone. I shut my eyes and started to get dizzy. There
was heat pulsing from underneath my nose and a numb pain at the back of my
skull.

“Joe Jonas… I'm her boyfriend…Okay…Shit…Listen, her parents are in Vancouver…
Okay… Archie’s son lives in Delaware…Milford I think…Sure… I think… “

“What the hells going on?” The sound of footsteps and the touch of another arm
around me was all I remember before I was out.

~

My legs were pressed against my chest and my arms were wrapped around them
tightly. I was in a cold white room in the Oakland General Hospital with DJ and
Joe. I had stress bleeding, which explained the bloody nose, and a minor
concussion. My doctor said that I needed to be kept under supervision due to the
conditions. It was only expected that I would be here for the night when I came
in, but there were issues with the stress bleeding, which lead the doctors to hold
me for another three nights.

Joe and DJ were sitting, drinking coffee, watching me, from the couch by the door.
I could see them in my peripheral view. My mind was focused on a leaf that was
trapped between the branches of a tree. I pictured myself as that leaf and
imagined that the branches would squeeze together, crushing me at once. I
wouldn’t have to deal with the weeks to come. I had lost so much, and I didn’t
have any ounce of strength left in me now. My Grandparent’s were both dead, I
had to deal with the legal matters over my Grandpa’s death, and I had to figure
out everything surrounding the trial. Plus, I didn’t have insurance that would
cover these medical bills. I was screwed.

I heard a knock on the door and turned to see Kevin, and a tall blonde girl with a
tiny figure and bright eyes, standing with flowers. I didn’t smile, or move, but I
stared blankly.

“Hey.” Kevin said quietly. “How are you doing?”

I was silent, I had stayed silent since the second day I was here. DJ and Joe got
the idea that I didn’t want any conversation, and they never forced me to talk. It
was like a silent Hell for me. What could I say when the people who I loved were
being pulled out of my life so suddenly?

“This is Meghan.” He said over my quiet. I looked at the girl again. She was easy
to read, the pity she felt for me was burning through her dark forest green eyes.
She tugged at a strand of her blonde hair nervously. I wasn’t an invalid; she didn’t
have to look at me like that. So what; I was raped, I lost my Grandma, my best
friend betrayed me, my grandpa was taken from me, and I was stuck in a stingy
hospital room not saying a single word. It didn’t mean I was going to infect her.

“She won’t talk.” DJ said agitated. I looked from Meghan to him blankly. Why
would I have anything to say at this point? I was fed up with God, for doing these
things to me, and I was trying not to break down with sadness. It wouldn’t let
emotion betray me this time. I wouldn’t cry, or yell, or react to anything. I was
finished with it. In a week I was flying to Vancouver for a trial against Noah
Rauflee, with the accusation of rape. Grandpa’s funeral would be planned for a
month from now; my parents had called to inform me yesterday. I would go back
to work as soon as I was done in the hospital and things would go on as per usual.

But my logic deceived all contemplations of normality. My Grandpa, the man who
let me in his life when mine was a struggle, was dead. He wouldn’t be back home
to kiss my forehead and call me kiddo. He wouldn’t be around to crack jokes about
the nature of politics and society. He wouldn’t be back from his trip to Milford.
Ever.

The trial, at what seemed like a stones throw away, would be demanding, harsh
and a difficult thing for me to face. I would have DJ with me, yet it didn’t seem
like enough to bare down and get through it. Seeing Noah again would be terrible,
but I knew if I wanted to feel more at ease about everything, it would cost pain on
my part.

Meghan and Kevin were still standing in the doorway, most likely waiting for a
response from me. I looked at everyone and saw how concerned they all looked.
Joe was staring at me as though I was fading quickly. Maybe I was. Bottling up
emotions wasn’t easy, or healthy, and sitting here on this stiff, plank-like hospital
bed with the rough cotton sheets, my arms wrapped around my knees, I realized
that I was drifting from myself; drifting from everyone.

“Nice to meet you.” I said softly. Everyone’s eyes shot up to me with surprise.
Meghan smiled and nudged Kevin. DJ got up and walked to my bed. I swung my
legs over the side of my bed facing the door, and looked down. “Sorry, I’m not the
best company.” I said as he sat beside me. He wrapped his arms around me and
in an instant, those damned emotions, every one, poured out and I broke down.

~

“It’s respectful to mourn.” I explained as I smoothed out my black dress and tied
the shrug around my shoulders. My light hair was resting, straightened, against
my back and my make-up was light. Joe, Kevin, Nick, Meghan, her sister Terry,
and I were all on our way to get coffee downtown. Joe was standing behind me in
my room. I was looking at his reflection in my mirror. It was hard being here, in
my Grandfathers house, just six days from his death. DJ was at class until four,
and then we had a meeting with Grandpa’s lawyer. I wasn’t looking forward to the
further emotion I was sure would ensue with the reading of his will. Joe was going
to be there as well.

Joe’s hands ran down my sides, stopping just below my hips, and waves of comfort
and delight swept over my mind. I turned in his light grip so I could face him. His
eyes were smiling at me, though his face was serious. I stepped up on my toes.


“You’re the only one who’s aloud to touch me like that.” I whispered into his ear
and pulled back, kissing him on his jaw. His lips caught mine as my heels touched
the ground again. He moved his mouth with zeal and I returned every bit. A hand
brushed my cheek then swept under my hair and against my neck. My hands
found his waist and pulled him against me quickly, letting me feel his body against
mine.

He pulled away slowly, leaving me with my eyes shut. I sighed wrapping my arms
around his middle and rested my head on his shoulder. He stroked my hair gently
and pressed a kiss to the side of my head.

“You look amazing Chelsea.” He said smiling.

“That makes two of us then.” I added. I took his hand and led him downstairs, to
where everyone was waiting.

Meghan and Terry were side by side on the couch in the living room, where I’d said
everyone could wait. It was easy to see they were sisters. Both girls had the
same curly blonde hair, and the same shapes, though Terry was a little more curvy
and it suited her well. Terry didn’t look sixteen. She dressed just as well as her
sister and was in a slick red halter with complete coverage and an open back. She
was wearing black pants, comparable to skinny jeans, but they were slacks.
Meghan was a little more casual in her outfitting, with a blue tank top, a yellow
blazer, and a pair of blue jeans hanging on her hips. Kevin and Nick were on the
chairs chatting with their girlfriends.

Joe and I walked into the room and I snatched my keys off the counter.

“Let’s go guys.” Joe said to everyone. They stood up and we headed out to the
cars. It was agreed earlier that the guys would ride in one car and Meghan, Terry
and I would drive over in Meghan’s.

We piled in and watched the guys pull away from the house and down the road. I
was in the back behind Terry as she drove. She had just earned her license, but I
was fine having her drive us. She carefully pulled away from the driveway,
checking over her shoulder, as her sister was instructing. She nodded and I could
see that she just wanted to be allowed to drive on her own. We pulled down the
street and soon enough we were in downtown, following Kevin’s car to a Starbucks
somewhere in the craziness of the city.

“I’ve got some Canadian dates added to my next tour.” Meghan said, turning to
look at me.

“Really? That’s cool. I’m guessing Toronto?” I asked. It seemed that Toronto
was a major attraction for musicians, rather than anywhere like Yale Town.

“Yeah, Toronto’s on there. We have some shows out west too. Little ones. We’re
playing at Quincy’s in Calgary and The Grind in Vancouver.” She offered.

I smiled. “That’s great. Congratulations.” I wasn’t sure where she was going with
this, probably trying to make conversation, but I went along with it anyway.

“Kevin told me you would be in Vancouver for thanksgiving. If you’re there around
the twelve, you can definitely come to the show. I can get you some all access
passes.” She offered.

“I can let you know.” I said nodding. She gave me her phone to put my number
in, and when I handed it back, I wasn’t sure how well that would actually work
out, because the trial was that week. Going to a concert right after dealing with
that the whole week wasn’t on my list on things to do.

We pulled up to the Starbucks, parking two spots down from Kevin, Joe and Nick. I
unbuckled my belt and slid out of the car, waiting on Terry and Meghan. We
walked down to meet the guys and stepped inside the Starbucks. Joe ordered for
everyone while the rest of us grabbed the couch and table by the window. I
noticed automatically that girls were giving Meghan, Terry and I looks while they
whispered about the boys.

The four of them were all circled around a table, each sharing the same straight
brown hair and sense of style (the American Eagle & Forever 21 look.) None of
them looked the same, ruling out possibility of relation.

One of the girls, with a pink and white striped polo and a light blue jean skirt was
eying Joe curiously. The second, with a black scarf tied around her neck and
underneath it a shiny green camisole was digging around in her Gucci purse. The
third had been decidedly glancing between her friends and the Jonas Brothers as if
contemplating whether or not to ditch her friends and introduce herself to them.
She had her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.

The fourth was fiddling with her little sweater, smiling uncontrollably and
occasionally turning to her friends with a giggle.

Kevin noticed my staring and turned around trying to follow my gaze. All four of
the girls froze, two faces went deep red and the look of amazement as Kevin
smiled at them and gave a little wave was enough to make me grin.

“Kevin, don’t encourage them.” Meghan joked when everyone else caught on.

Joe arrived with the coffees and sat down beside me, kissing me lightly on the
cheek and wrapping his arm around me. He slid my latte to me and smiled. I
leaned over and whispered in his ear.

“Those girls are watching you like you’re their prey.” I said with a hint of laughter.
He peeked over and smiled mischievously at the four fans. He earned a round of
giggles and more red faces.

Terry was beside her sister as Nick sat quietly beside me. Their stares couldn’t be
broken, and I understood why. I felt something nudge at my leg from the other
side and beside me I could feel a shift from Nick. I looked at Terry, whose smile
drew up at the left side of her mouth. Her eyes were glued to Nick’s, but her little
foot was in the wrong place.

“Terry, you’ve got the wrong leg.” I said taking a sip of my latte. She looked at me
with surprise and moved her leg immediately. She started chuckling.

“Sorry.” She apologized. I smiled back at her and laid my head on Joe’s shoulder,
not caring about the giggly girls who were just tables over watching us. Joe’s arm
moved around me so he could pull me closer. I closed my eyes and felt tears
coming again. I let them fall into Joe’s shirt. I opened my eyes and saw everyone
looking to the left of the table. I looked up to see the four fans staring at me. I
wiped my eyes.

“Um, hi.” Said the girl in the black scarf.

“Hi.” Kevin said smiling.

The giggly girl, the one who wouldn’t stop smiling, was looking at me and then Joe,
continuously. Joe caught on quickly. “My friend’s grandfather just passed away
you guys. We would love to chat, but its sort of a bad time.” He explained
graciously.

“We’re so sorry. Do you think we could get an autograph?” Asked the pink polo
girl. The one with the tight ponytail smacked her and gave her an are-you-stupid
look. She shrugged and rubbed her arm.

“Sure.” Kevin said grabbing a pen from Meghan, which I hadn’t noticed she was
holding out. “Thanks Meghan.”

“I knew it!” Exclaimed black scarf girl. “You’re Meghan Parker!! You grew up in
New Jersey! And then when you moved to California you got signed and did some
touring with them!” She said enthralled. I could see anyone else being a smart
ass and replying with “Oh my God, REALLY?”

But Meghan was too sweet. She smiled warmly and shook the girls hand. “Would
you like an autograph?” She asked. The girl nodded, obviously more fascinated
with this than the boys.

It took about ten minutes to get the girls to walk away, but we were all courteous
and even distracted them enough to avoid any questions about dating. When they
were gone, Joe gave me an apologetic look.

“It’s okay.” I smiled and rested my head against him again. “I have to get used to
it.”

[blatentlyobvious]

Not a whole lot to say this time! Almost the end!! WOW.

Twenty-one-

The lawyer was there, as were DJ and Joe, mostly for support. They’d bonded
quite a bit, all things considered, and they were talking about DJ’s courses at
Berkley. I sat in front of Stanley Haregren, my Grandfathers lawyer, as he
arranged his papers. The will was in front of both of us. Torturing me with its
envelope hiding it from everyone. I called DJ and Joe to get their attention.

“Is everyone ready?” Stan asked. I nodded, Joe and DJ did the same, and Stan
took the will from its envelope. This shouldn’t have to happen, I thought.
“Desmond, you’re here as a witness, therefore at the end of this reading, I will
obtain your and Ms. Baker’s signatures. Joseph, you’re here for support, I
understand?” Joe nodded and slid his arm around my waist.

“Chelsea, these are the details of your Grandfathers will, written by himself. I was
with him when he made the changes last month, and I’m very sorry for the loss.”
Stan said. I smiled weakly.

He started by reading the address, something my Grandpa had written with the
same Mark Twain quote that I loved, and a little bit about him wanting to leave
behind more than personal items, but also his memory. “I leave my car to my son
Jacob. Chelsea kiddo, I know you love that car, but when Jacob was twelve I made
him a promise. I wish to leave my daughter, my beautiful daughter with one third
of my estate, which includes the home in Oakland. The mortgage is paid, the
insurance is low, and the location is amazing. Another third of my estate will be
given to my son Jacob. The last third will be allocated to my Grand-daughter
Chelsea Baker. You’re taken care of Kiddo.” The lawyer went on to read the
remaining areas of his will, like the small parts he left behind to his sisters and the
added “as we agreed a while ago, I am not to leave much behind for you both. I
love you immensely though sisters, and I thank you for being my support all these
years.” Stan drew out a letter from his briefcase, and handed it to me carefully.

“This is yours. It’s a personal letter Archie told me to give to you, in the case of his
death, when his will was read.” I took the letter and ran my hand across my
Grandpa’s writing. I could feel the little indentations of the lettering across the
word “Chelsea.” “You don’t have to read it in front of us Chelsea, but in the event
that it contains specific information, I’ll ask you inform me.” Stan said patting my
arm. I nodded.

“Would you mind if I read it in private?” I asked everyone. I stood up and carried
myself to the backyard. The warmth from the sun hit my skin immediately and I
pulled a chair from the table. I was being undeniably careful with the letter,
making sure to not damage it. I ripped the envelope open and pulled the sheet of
paper out.

‘Dear Chelsea,

It’s hard to start this when I have a million things I would like to say. It’s harder
knowing that when you do read this, I’ll be dead.

Writing this now, you’ve been in my home for such a small amount of time, but
you’ve helped me through so much, and I’m sure you will continue to. I used to
cry at night when you’re Grandmother died, but when you came, the light you
brought back to me stopped those tears. It was like you stopped my pain. Thank
you for everything you’ve done Chelsea.

Stan, my lawyer has no doubt read you the will now. He made a promise to me
that no matter where my daughter was when I died, and no matter where my
granddaughter was, he would find them and read the will to them, and give you
these letters.

Stan has been a friend of mine since college. We’ve been in touch and he’s been
my lawyer since Grandma died. He’s a good friend, and if you need anything you
can go to him. He’ll take care of you. I promise.

I’m writing this letter Chelsea, because I love you very much, and your security
and well being is so important to me.

As I’m sure you know, I’ve left you with a third of my estate. It’s been divided
between you, your uncle and your mother. I’m not a poor man. In fact, I’ve done
quite well for myself in fourteen years of retirement. The funds that I have saved,
and those that Grandma left behind, will keep you supported for a long time,
should you keep it responsibly (and I know you will.)

Soon after you sign the will, you will have 1.3 million dollars under your name just
as a monetary sum. With property, you will be at a round 2 million dollars.
Wherever you decide to go to school, it’s paid for. You’re set Kiddo.

Please, don’t forget about what matters most to you, and don’t let this money
control you’re personality. When you find love, don’t let it go, and if you want to
dream, then dream. You won’t get anywhere. Just get through what’s hard, and
you’ll be okay. I will always love you Chelsea.

“All say, ‘How hard it is that we have to die’ - a strange complaint to come from
the mouths of people who have had to live.” – Mark Twain.

I cried so hard I thought I was going to break. I was shaking and I laid my head
against my arms on the table in front of me. I could sense everyone in the house
watching me, but it didn’t stop my crying.

~

“I’ll see you in a couple weeks.” Joe said pulling me against his body. I reached my
arms around his neck and kissed him lightly.

“Two months.” I clarified. He frowned. “It will go by so quick, you won’t even
remember me!” I laughed. He didn’t smile.

“Why would I want to forget you?” He asked seriously.

“I’m kidding. But just focus on the tour and have lots of fun.” I told him, pressing
my lips to his again. “It will be like you never left.” I said smiling.

“If you say so.” He ran his fingers through my straight hair and kissed me one last
time before releasing me from his arms.

Not only was his tour starting tomorrow, but my flight back to Vancouver was
going to be boarding in twenty minutes. DJ was waiting on the benches in LAX
while Joe and I said our goodbyes further down from the gate. “Bye.” I said
quietly.

“Bye.” He gave me a huge hug and I walked to DJ, trying my hardest not to turn
around. We were planning to keep in touch through text and emails. I was
praying that he would have enough time. Joe had been the main reason I was
doing okay. He had helped me through Grandpa’s death, got me through the
worst days, listening to my crying.

DJ had been there when he didn’t have classes, and through the nights. He
learned to cook decent meals, because I was finding myself unable to make food
for myself. They had both made sure I would be okay. Now DJ was coming with
me on the flight home, where he would spend thanksgiving with his family (half of
it – his dad, and Beth) while I spent mine with Mom and Dad.

The trial was scheduled for next Monday, and it was being held at the small court
building in Yale Town. There would only be a small amount of people there, only
the absolute necessary, so that it would be carried out in peace.

Jen would be there, but her place as a witness wasn’t there anymore. An email
from her a few weeks ago explained that she wouldn’t be a witness for me, but she
would be supporting DJ. For me, this was unbelievable. She went on to explain
that DJ and her were together, and friends now, and that you have to support
friends. A load of bullshit coming from someone who abandoned me to be with my
attacker. I wasn’t positive I could look at her without feeling sick.

I took my seat beside DJ, pulling my purse up on my lap. It was my carry-on for
the flight seeing how I wouldn’t need much. I had one small purple suitcase going
under with more than enough clothes to last three weeks. I was ready, but in the
mental sense, I was more unprepared for it than I had been for anything before.

“Folks, we would ask that those who require assistance, or are traveling with small
children would please board.” A boarding hostess was standing at the booth with
her microphone and a smile plastered to her plastic face. It was easy to tell how
fake this woman was. Her chest was perky and stiff (either she had four bras on,
or they were fake), her hair was a horrid dye job that left red splotches on the side
of her face, and her lips were so puffed out that it looked like the injections were
ready to burst out.

At least half of the passengers stood up at this call and started boarding the plane.
Another half of them were actually traveling with small children, or needed
assistance. The rest were trying to distracted by the uproar of being told to sit
back down, they didn’t notice Barbie motion to the rest of us to board.

DJ and I stood up quietly and he nudged my arm, pointing to the group of taken
aback travelers. I chuckled, swung my purse over my shoulder and kept walking.
DJ was lugging his laptop along beside him, the only way he could get away from
school was to take his work with him. As we got to the end of the bridge, and the
flight attendant (a short girl with frizzy, red hair) took my ticket, my stomach was
churning. In three hours, I would be back in Vancouver, facing things I could go
without facing, and that scared me.

Twenty minutes later, and we were taxing down the run way, preparing for take
off. The flight attendant ran through the emergency information, and general
location of exits on the plane, and let us take off in peace. DJ grabbed my hand
and looked at me concerned.

“Are you okay?” He asked protectively.

I nodded slowly, looking back and forth between his dark turquoise eyes. A
glimmer of fear ran through them. I could read him that easily, after so many
years, and know that he was scared for me. He looked away, let go of my hand
and leaned his head against the back of his seat. I looked ahead of me, at the
Westjet screen and closed my eyes.

I felt the feeling in the pit of my stomach that signaled my brain that we were
lifting off the ground. My eyes stayed shut, and I drifted off.

~

“Are your parents picking us up at the baggage claim or outside the terminal?” DJ
asked as we got through customs. I shrugged and rubbed my eyes, tired from the
flight. I looked up and immediately saw my parents, looking patient and looking
everywhere for DJ and I. When they saw us I waved slightly and braced myself for
the mess of hugs.

My mom was the first to snap me up, while my dad engulfed DJ in a bear hug.
“Hi!” She squealed. I couldn’t return her ecstatic mood, considering one of the
circumstances around being home. Nonetheless, I was happy to see her. Her
jeans, faded and close to her ankles, and her pink blouse buttoned up
conservatively made her look smaller than she ever had. I assumed automatically
that she had lost so much weight from the death of her father. It surprised me
that she was able to be this happy. It had only been around two weeks.

“Hi Mom.” I said in a monotone. She let me go and my dad gave me a hug as
great as DJ’s and stroked my hair. DJ was wrapped up in my Mom’s arms as
though he was her own son.

“Hi baby. I missed yah.” Dad said holding me by my arms away from him, looking
at me with sadness. “I’m so sorry.”

I nodded and turned to watch the baggage belt come around. After ten minutes,
during which the only thing DJ, Mom and Dad were talking about was the sadness
around Grandpa’s death, my purple bag traveled down to me. I swept it off the
belt and pulled out the handle.

“I guess we can go now.” I said looking at them hopefully. I wanted to get to the
apartment, and as much as I was settled in Oakland, I missed Vancouver. Dad
nodded and took my luggage from me, walking ahead. I followed him and my
Mom out the doors with DJ, silent, beside me. It was a quiet ride home, and
though I was sleeping, I’m pretty sure that DJ was too.

The night was quiet between the four of us. The air was cold, and it hit me like a
brick. Before I knew it I was saying goodnight to my parents, and crawling into
the guest bed, which was in my old room. The only downside to the queen bed
was the sleeping arrangements. DJ was sleeping with me, and he kicked, and that
was never a good thing… ever.

“I don’t know how you can be tired with everything going on.” DJ said
unexpectedly. I pulled the sheets down from my neck trying to get rid of the
feeling of suffocation.

“I don’t know how you can’t.” I countered glancing at him. “This is pure Hell. And
Mom, she’s lost it.”

“She’s trying to cope Chelsea, try to be a little more sensitive.” He lectured.

Being tired makes you really grumpy. I kicked his shin and he cursed. “Shut up
and go to sleep.” I said.

“What the hell?” He grumbled and kicked me back. Before we started a kicking
match, I stopped myself. “You’re just mad cause you miss your boyfriend.” I half
expected him to make a crack about the trial, which would have really pissed me
off, but this was a welcome change.

It even lightened my mood a little. “Go to hell.” I said with a hint of laughter in my
voice. He smirked.

“Right behind you.”

~

“You okay now?” DJ asked as I held my head over the toilet. He had a cloth
pressed to my neck, trying to calm me down. The situation was too familiar. Next
thing I knew, I’d head downstairs to Jen’s kitchen where she would toss me a Egg
McMuffin and mention how important it is to figure things out. I looked at DJ
whose concern was blatantly displayed on his face.

The cloth was doing nothing but urging more vomit up my esophagus. After
another round I asked him to take it off. He’d looked away, but he moved it.

“Thanks DJ.” I said quietly. It was my signal for him that he could leave, but he
didn’t get it, or he did and he ignored it. By the look on his face, it was probably
the latter.

“Why are you sick?” He asked as though I would know. I tried to stand up and
found myself shaking violently. He grabbed me immediately, dropping the cloth.

“Just, everything.” I said clinging to him. “Everything.”

“Oh.” I knew he knew this, but he was giving me an opportunity to let go of
things, again.

“Two days.” I said thinking about the trial. It was all I needed to say for him to
understand. I pulled myself together, looked at his watch and thought how if I
went to sleep now, I could get two hours in before I actually had to be up at seven.

~

The night before the trial, I prayed dozens of times to God to let it go smoothly. It
was a small hearing, but it meant everything that Noah got sentenced. I felt
better now; I gained confidence. I met with the lawyer yesterday, and he said
that he could get us through the trial easily. I see why lawyers have so much
charisma; they have to make you believe in your case.

I talked to Joe, who was in San Jose with Nick and Kevin. We only talked for
fifteen minutes, but it was good to hear his voice. It made me miss him more and
I didn’t think that was possible.

As Mom tried to distract everyone with a story about when she was an intern at
the hospital, just out of collage, I waited. I was waiting for the world to end,
because right then, I felt like it could.

The trial is tomorrow, Thanksgiving is one week on Monday (which Jacob is coming
for), and Grandpa’s funeral the Wednesday after. I can’t even picture going home
to Oakland now, knowing Grandpa won’t be there.

“I never thought I would end up where I am now.” Mom says finishing her story.
DJ nods and Dad is smiling proudly. I look at Mom who is smiling ear to ear. I try
to think of what she told me when she found me crying last night. I had just
hung up after talking to Joe, and I was realizing how much I missed him. She
must have thought that I was crying for Grandpa, which in part I was (when you
cry, you cry for everything) and she told me the reason behind the smile.

“I figure, when Grandpa left, it was because God knew how much he missed
Grandma.” She had started. I was wrapped in her arms sitting on her bed. “They
can be with each other again, and that makes me really happy.” I asked her if she
was sad at all, cause it wasn’t showing. Her answer: “Of course, I’m horribly sad,
and I cry a lot at night, just like you right now, because I can’t see him for a long
time. But he gave me so many good memories, he left us all with great memories
Sweetheart, that’s why I can be happy.”

Everything she said made sense, but as I look at her now, I still can’t be as strong
as her. I get up quietly and clear my dishes, and everyone else’s. When I finish, I
leave the room without and find what used to be my room. I dig my cell phone
out of my purse and punch in Joe’s number.

“Hello?” This is a kid I’m speaking to, I can tell automatically from the lack of depth
in his voice. I wonder to myself if it’s Frankie.

“I’m looking for Joe.” I say quietly pulling my legs under me.

“Sorry, they just went on stage. Joey can call you back. What’s your name?” He
asks loudly.

“Chelsea.” I say in a cracking voice. My spirits are even more deflated. I look at
the time and already its quarter past eight; we obviously ate later than usual.

“Okay. Bye.” He says and abruptly hangs up. The fact that I can’t talk to my
boyfriend is just enough to set me off and I’m in tears faster than I can put the
phone away. I struggle to pull the blankets around me and I give up. I can feel
burning at the back of my throat, a signal that if I don’t get my head back, the
situation is prone to ending with blood. It goes away soon enough and I’m left
with nothing but the tears that don’t stop coming.

I hear the door creak open and I turn to see DJ coming towards me. I sit up,
sniffle, wipe my nose and look away. I try to pretend I’m not crying.

“Chelsea.” He says quietly. He takes a seat on the bed so his legs are hanging
over, but his torso is facing mine.

“I couldn’t talk to him.” I say in a croaky voice. I fall into DJ, and I can tell he’s a
little surprised, but he takes me in a hug a moment later. “I love you DJ, thank
you.” I whisper. He doesn’t say anything so I look up. I’m staring at his eyes, in
the dim light of the room. He really is incredibly handsome. Everything from his
crisp green eyes down to his perfect lips is beautiful. Before I think of what’s right,
and reach up and kiss him.

It takes a moment for me to register what I’m doing, but I don’t stop. He slowly
returns my kiss moving his lips more and more. This doesn’t feel hot, or incredible,
but it feels comforting. He stops kissing me and pulls away.

My eyes are still shut and when I open them, I'm expecting to see Joe. When I
don’t I frown, and see the concern growing in DJ’s eyes. All I can manage in a
ghostly whisper is “Shit.” He expression changes as he pulls the covers around me
and I lay back.

“You know, that’s all you had to do in eighth grade. Pretend I was Joe Jonas.”

“How did you…” He gives me a look like I should know the answer. I do. “Right.
We’re best friends.”

“And we’re also done with kissing.” I feel ashamed when he says this. Did I just
cheat on my boyfriend, with my best friend? “Besides, I think we both know we
have other people to love that way.” He says knowingly.

“Who said anything about love?” I ask inquisitively as I pull my pillow to me. It’s
not like I haven’t thought about loving Joe. Maybe I do. It’s an answer to the
unexplainable pain of separation.

I put the question aside, because tomorrow hate beats love.

[Nat]

Hey there! So, this has um more swearing than I realized I put in it. I don't really care though. I hope you like it. Its sort of sad/happy at the same time. (BTW, i'm not signed on right now so I'm just posting this under Nat...=))

Twenty-two-


When you’ve got to face something that scares you more than what you can
handle, it’s a little hard to focus.

Going into the courtroom, my mind was reeling.

I'm still freaking over kissing DJ. It didn’t feel like anything that Joe and I had
when we kissed, but the whole time I was picturing him. I had been trying to tell
myself that it was because I missed him so much. I’m almost positive that’s why
it happened. Still, I can’t escape the guilt feeling; I cheated on Joe.

I tried to keep reminding myself that I had to focus on the trial today. I was
imagining how it would feel when he was in jail. As Mom, Dad, DJ and I all piled
out of the car, I could feel myself shaking. At the second step going into the
courthouse, I heard a girl call my voice. I searched around, trying to figure out
where it came from, looking for someone familiar. My eyes landed on a shorter girl
with straight, cropped, scarlet hair and ruby red lips. Her clothes were dark, a
brown, long sleeve Lupe Fiasco concert shirt, and black skinny jeans. I looked a
little closer and went from a turtles pace climbing the stairs, to a complete halt.

Mom and Dad continued into the courthouse, and I looked back at the girl; she
was waiting patiently. DJ placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it slightly. I
looked at him.

“Forget it. Let’s go.” He said glaring at Ruby-lips.

“Let me talk to her.” I said quietly. He sighed, asked me if I was sure, and went
to the top of the steps. He sat down, waiting for me.

I cautiously made my way to her. “What the hell are you doing here, Jen?” I
asked with bitterness. I looked at her again. She had cut short her beautiful
blonde locks and changed virtually everything about herself. I realized then that
she wasn’t wearing make-up; it was no wonder, she had obviously cried it all off.

She looked down and looked back up, more tears filling her eyes. “Please don’t.”
She begged. I furrowed my brow. It took me a minute to gather that she was
talking about the trial. “He’ll be mad.”

“You were there, and if you were the same person, you would understand why I
have to.” I explained. She stood defensively, hugging herself with her arms and
letting tears fall uncontrollably from her puffy eyes. She had a suspicious grayish
patch along her cheekbone.

“But I love him. I need him with me. If you- if you-if he goes away, what am I
going to do?” She stammered and cried harder. “Fuck. NO! I don’t love him!” She
seemed to be having a mental battle, like I do sometimes.

I never expected her to, but she fell into me leaning her head against my shoulder
and soaking my shirt with her tears. “Jen.” I said quietly. I looked up at DJ who
was as surprised as me. “Jen.” I said again, gently pulling her away from me.

“If they find out about me, they’ll double the sentence.” She struggled to put
another sentence together, though I wasn’t quite sure what she was talking
about. “You have to help me. Don’t do this.” She begged.

“Jen, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” I admitted. God, she looked
so helpless, and venerable. She looked at me with hurt evident in her eyes.

She looked around suspiciously, paused when her eyes met DJ’s, and pulled me
aside. “I didn’t send the emails. When I made the phone call, I wasn’t kidding. I
feel terrible, but I actually thought he meant what he said.” She started
explaining. Right away, I knew she was talking about Noah.

“You mean, he sent the email?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“Did it sound like me?” She asked giving me a desperate look. “I wouldn’t write
that shit. I'm pretty sure he hacked my account when he was over. But look, I
am so sorry. I never expected to be brain washed like I was.”

I didn’t believe this was happening. I thought of what time it must have been.
Court could be starting in ten minutes. I didn’t know. I needed to hear the rest of
what she had to say.

“What happened to you?” I asked holding up a strand of her red hair. She looked
down.

“I needed to get away.” She said quietly. She was hesitant, looking like she had
something that she needed to say. Finally she sighed and she pulled up the
sleeves of her shirt. Small black and blue bruises ran up her arms. I gasped.
When she pulled back her hair, I could see the full extent of that gray spot.

“What the fuck?” DJ’s voice was right beside me, making me jump. He was next
to me watching as Jen revealed the marks. “What the fuck?” He repeated.

“He hurt me so bad that one night, he shoved me against his bedroom door and I
fell down. I hit my head really hard on the knob. I don’t even remember what set
him off, but that blow to my head snapped me out of it. I bolted after I told my
parents I was going to New Hampshire. I got the first flight I could to Calgary.
I’ve been staying with my cousin and then I heard about the trial from your
mom.” DJ and I stood in shock. The first thing I could think to do was hug her.

DJ joined in too, and we didn’t let go for a really long time. It was like, we were
mending fences, apologizing for everything.

Jen pulled back. “Look, you have the trial. Go, get him, put him away. I have a
flight to catch.” She explained quietly, like she was trying to hide it.

“Aren’t you going to see your parents, and tell them?” DJ asked.

She shook her head. “Not right now. I can’t right now. Take this tape.” She
reached into her purse and pulled out a CD. She handed it to DJ. “In case you
want to get him sentenced longer.” She elaborated. She gave us both hugs, told
us she would miss us so much and walked away down the street.

DJ grabbed my hand and we ran into the little courtroom. Apparently, we caused a
bit of an uproar when we walked in, because everyone was staring at us with looks
of annoyance, concern and fear, the last look from only one person: Noah. I could
see the word as he mouthed it. ‘Fuck.’

There was a few minutes before the trial was starting, only ten. I took my place at
the very end of the table, beside my lawyer. This wasn’t a fancy courtroom; the
judge’s table was only a few feet from the defense and prosecutions’. The two
opposing tables were separated by only five feet.

I looked beside me at Noah, who hadn’t changed in the time I’d been away. He
caught me staring at him and smirked. For a minute I was reminded of that night.
His same smirk when he pushed me against the door and kissed me. His eyes
went dark.

“Hey Chels. You wanna grab a drink after?” He asked in a low voice. I was so
disgusted I wanted to reach out and slap him.

“Only if yours is poisoned, you scum sucking fuck.” I bit back. A flash of surprise
came and went in his eyes quickly.

“I guess that makes you the scum.” He held the smirk.

“You’ll get what you deserve. You’re going to pay for doing what you did. To me,
and Jen.” I said. I caught him off guard. He obviously didn’t know that I knew
about Jen. Not until now.

I looked away, satisfied that I had shut him up, and the trial started.

We went through the events of that evening, the lawyers going back and fourth
prying for more and more information. Of course I started to get emotional.
When I tried to speak, I had to force words out and choke back all my tears.
Noah’s story was that I was wasted and I took off all my clothes for him. Of
course, we both knew the real story, the truth, but he wouldn’t tell it. As advised,
I admitted I had one too many drinks, and that I wasn’t being responsible. I
continued on and told everyone that I was still alert enough to know exactly what
was going on. When I told him I didn’t want to have sex, he forced me. The
defense attorney brought DJ into the mix, relaying the information that he had
beat Noah near unconsciousness and how technically he could be charged with
battery. DJ stood up for himself when he was called upon justifying why he beat
Noah. His explanation was perfectly understandable; he pulled Noah off me
because I was crying out in pain for help and Noah wasn’t stopping.

Things are wrapping up when DJ slides the CD to me. “You give it to her.” He
whispered. I asked my lawyer if I can present the judge with the disk and, unsure
what to say, he let me. I walked forward to the judge and slid the case to her.
She asked me briskly what it was.

“Your honor, this is really important, I'm sorry I didn’t bring it up sooner. Noah is
more than an irresponsible drinker. Honestly, I’m not sure what exactly this
contains, but it was given to me by one of my…” I paused for a moment. The
judge was listening patiently. “One of my best friends who he’s hurt as well.
Please, just take a minute to watch it. It might give some insight.” She considers
this for a moment.

“Alright. Go sit down.” She said quietly. She called the court to order and has a
DVD player set up to the TV. When she put the disk in and pressed play, the
whole courtroom was dead silent. We watched as a more familiar Jen came on the
screen.

“I don’t know what this will do. If it helps, it helps. Chelsea, DJ I’m sorry, I miss
you and I love you both…” The video started playing. It was a surveillance video
dated back to three weeks ago. It started off okay; you could clearly see Jen and
Noah in a room with the door closed. I glanced at Noah, whose eyes were wide
staring at the screen. The video didn’t have sound, but you could see a sharp turn
from Noah and he spun around and punched Jen in the side of the head. That’s
where the bruise came from, I thought. Gasps were heard from around the room,
including myself. Noah kept hitting her, shoving her against walls and grabbing at
her arms. Before the surveillance ended, he shoved her into the door and she
knocked her head. She was laying on the floor unconscious. The CD went back to
Jen. I started to cry hard and leaned into DJ. I could hear my mother behind us
doing the same.

“I don’t know what’s happened these past few months, but it’s been miserable. I
hit my head and suddenly I have my sense back. Noah needs to be put away, one
way or another. He’s messed up.” She stopped talking, looking like she was
holding her breath and lost eye contact on the screen. “Fuck.” The last word on
the tape before she frantically turned it off.

Everyone looked at Noah. His head was still down on the table and he was
sobbing, “I'm fucked, I'm fucked.” The judge called a recess so they could decide
how to charge Noah. He wasn’t getting off as not guilty.

Ten minutes past and I was still crying right beside DJ. He had been crying a bit
too, but mostly just holding me to him. “I want to see Joe,” I whispered. DJ
nodded and was about to say something, but the Judge came back from
deliberation.

A member of the small Jury stood up and held a piece of paper in front of him.
“Guilty.” He said sharply. His glare was directed right at Noah, who shook his
head in disappointment. After everything, I’m not sure what he was expecting
besides that.

The judge then took over. “Noah Rauflee, the court and legal system charges you
with numerous accounts of battery, and two accounts of rape and assault. We
sentence you to five in years in prison with no chance of bail or appeals. After
reviewing the CD a second time, we found more footage of a rape and more
assaults. I hope you live with ten times the pain that you’ve caused to these
young women, and should any more girls choose to come forward with incidents,
you can look forward to many more years in a cold, dank cell. “

Everyone on our side was applauding as Noah was arrested and taken into a
different room. I hugged DJ, I hugged Mom, and Dad who were both crying by this
point. We all were. I thanked my lawyer a million times for doing this for us. He
seemed as shocked about the CD as anyone and simply said ‘you’re welcome, and
I’m so sorry.’

I was ready to leave the courthouse when I saw a face peak through the door.
Meghan, Kevin’s girlfriend was standing at the steps, smiling, and crying. She
pushed the door open and we walked towards each other slowly.

“Hi.” I said quietly.

“I’m so happy for you.” She said reaching out and pulling me in for a huge hug.
“You’re honestly one of the bravest people I have ever met.” I didn’t know what
to say to that. What do you say to that? “I try”?

“Why are you here?” Was the only thing I could think of. By now, my family had
joined us, leaving me to introduce Meghan to everyone but DJ while we all wiped
away tears and shook hands. My parents were in such high spirits now that they
each wrapped Meghan in a hug.

“We’re heading home now. You and DJ can get home?” Dad said as he wrapped
his arms around Mom. I nodded smiling slightly. “Sure.”

I watched my parents walk out of the courthouse together while DJ, Meghan and I
stood talking about her concert. I sort of needed a break from the trial.

“It’s tonight and tomorrow night.” She explained when I asked her how long she
was here. “I have something to show you though.” She took DJ and my hands
and led us outside.

I saw Joe, standing beside Kevin and Nick and Terry, and I started to cry. They all
came over to us and it was a mash up of warm hugs between everyone. Terry and
Nick stood together, as did Kevin and Meghan. DJ walked off with them to their
limo that was parked on the side of the road. I looked at Joe and hugged him
again.

“I can’t believe you came.” I said quietly. I took his whole image in. His
semi-straight hair, his grey-blue suit and white tie against a white shirt. His eyes
held so many emotions that he looked like he would break down. I ran my hand
against the skin of his neck and reached up to kiss him. He kissed me back, and
the memory of kissing DJ faded fast. Joe’s lips were moving so eagerly I had to be
the one to pull back for air. I took one look at him and started again. His kiss was
softer this time, like he was savoring every second of it. I knew I was. When we
broke apart I smiled. I could tell how much he missed me, and I knew he felt the
same.

“Chelsea, what you did, the way you held yourself together in there…” He trailed
off.

“You were there the whole time?” I asked stopping him.

He nodded. “From the minute the trial started. We snuck in and hid at the back.
It was Meghan’s idea.” He explained. “We were lucky we got a hold of the jet
today. We only have to days off though-“ I could tell he was going to start
rambling so I held him off with another kiss.

“I love you.” He said quietly when I leaned my heavy head against his chest. It
shot up and I looked at him stunned. I gave him a questioning look because I
wasn’t sure he had just said that.

“I love you too. I think we were meant to love each other.” I said quietly. I gave
him a small smile and a deep kiss before we headed out to the limo. We slid in and
on the ride to our apartment, I fell fast asleep. You would be surprised how well
you sleep when your in the arms of the one you love.

~

“How many of you are there?” Mom exclaimed as we poured through the front
door. For our apartment, we were nearly pushing maximum capacity. There were
twelve of us, now including Mr. and Mrs. Jonas and little Frankie, and Dad had
suddenly decided that we should have an early thanksgiving so that Americans
could experience the Canadian way. It wasn’t that early, and this would be
miniature compared to the one we would have with Uncle Jacob.

In the mean time, I showed Joe around the apartment and showed him False
Creek and David Lam Park and we made out on my bed for forty minutes. We
simply talked afterward, about everything and nothing, and how much we loved
each other.

The Jonas were grateful for supper, as were Meghan and Terry. My parents the
amazing chefs, whipped up a mini-thanksgiving in just under four hours. The food
turned out beautiful and everything down to my favorite white wine was perfect.
We gathered around our good-size-for-an-apartment-thanksgiving-table and held
hands to say grace. It was Dad, of course who thanked the Lord for the year we
had and for the ability to overcome all the obstacles. When dropped our hands and
the boys were about to dig in when Mom stopped them. I looked at Joe, who was
right beside me and smiled.

I love you, I thought. I considered why I didn’t just say it. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He whispered back. He hesitated for a moment. “But um, why
aren’t we eating?”

“Everyone has to say one thing they are grateful for, and one thing they admire
about the person to their left.” I explained this louder, so everyone else understood
as well.

DJ was to my left and he piped up. “Why don’t you start?” He suggested. I
nodded.

“Even though its been a really rough year, I’m thankful that I’ve found so many
wonderful people and was able to know my Grandpa before he passed.” I wiped
away a few tears before moving along. “Joe, I love you.” I said loudly, so that
everyone could hear. I looked at him intently. “And one of the things I love is
that you cared so much that you flew all the way across a country and into
another, just to support me. Thank you.” I finished and I kissed him lightly before
he said his thanks.

It moved around the table, as it did every year, except it was a much larger group
with a little less food this time. Everyone has said his or her thanks and we all dug
in. There was enough food for seconds, though there was not as much variety the
second time around. A few things were ordered from restaurants, but others were
very homemade. It was delicious, and afterward, when everyone was thoroughly
exhausted and loaded with turkey, they started to head out. Joe was the last one
out the door, and I stepped out side into the hall to say goodbye.

“I have to fly back tomorrow. We have a show in Cincinnati.” He said as he
stroked my cheek with his thumb.

“Okay.” I said softly. “I love you Joe.” I added.

“I love you too Chelsea. I’m glad God helped us find each other.” He leaned down
and kissed my neck softly, moving his mouth along my jaw line until he reached
my mouth. The kiss was the perfect goodbye. It was strange, that now I could
understanding the language of lips. Each of our kisses had different meanings.
Our kisses, which meant we were the only ones who could tell what they meant.
The language speaks through love. I watched as he got in the elevator by himself
and disappeared behind the silver doors.

[blatentlyobvious]

Woah! Woah! I am so behind as far as the number of stories that everyone is writing. I'm think I will just print them out and read one every day!! WOW. You guys are phenomenal!! Seriously.
Anyway, Used is now completely, complete. I'm pretty happy with it! I hope you all like it! Thanks so much to those who read this. =D

Epilogue-


Four Months Later:

I’m waiting, in class, watching my watch, waiting for 1:13 to roll around. Yes, I'm
waiting for tomorrow morning, and yes, I’m in class. I'm actually attending CAA
(California Collage of the Arts) and I’m going for an MFA in writing program. As for
my job at Scene, I explained that I needed to take some time to get my education
finished. They offered me a summer job there, as a means of money for loans and
admission. I said I would definitely consider the offer, but with the sum Grandpa
had left for me, I really didn’t need it. I was grateful to be able to get education
without having to

It’s the second week into the semester and the teacher is running through the
introduction to the History of Screenplays. I'm not paying attention, because she
things she hasn’t told us this yet. I glance again and see the little hand is at 45. I
only have to deal with this for fifteen more minutes. That’s good right? That’s
easy. I can do that.

I groan loudly, but not so much that the teacher can hear. I hate this right now.
The girl beside me, with thick black-framed D&G glasses and a thick grey sweater
wrapped around her looks at me curiously. When I glance at her, she quickly goes
back to staring blankly at the Mrs. Heartly, almost like she’s becoming hypnotized.
Heartly’s going over the same point again and again in different words. And she
keeps pausing like she expects us to finish the sentence. It’s so aggravating. Not
my choice way to spend two hours of my morning the day-ish of my birthday. The
day-ish I could be spending doing much more interesting things.

The funny thing about my birthday: I was born on January 13, at 1:13. It’s
strange, actually. It could explain the luck I’ve had this year, though I’m not sure
I believe in superstitions. Joe says its possible, but he thinks I’m lucky
nonetheless.

Speaking of Joe, he’s probably already at the house, waiting like the perfect boy he
is. I don’t know where DJ is meeting us, probably at the house as well. I’m
pondering a million different things but suddenly, my thoughts are broken by the
sound of my name ringing through the room.

“Yes?” I ask nervously. First time I’ve been called on, and of course I'm not
paying attention. Why, when there is only ten minutes left.

“An example of a screenplay adapted from a novel.” She says, instructing me.

I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Joy Luck club by Amy Tan, published in
1989, turned into a movie under the guidance of Ms. Tan in 1993.”

She processes the information for a moment and nods, praising me with a simple
“good job”. She goes on to talk about the changes made to the stories when
they’re adapted. I'm not sure she really knows whether or not I’m right, but I am.
In grade eleven I studied Amy Tan for a cultural novelist assignment. Lucky.

I lean back in my chair breathing out. I close my eyes for a second, and class
finally finishes. Everyone quietly leaves, a few people staying behind to talk to Mrs.
Heartly. I'm out as quickly as I can be, rushing to the parking lot. I swing open
the door to my oh-so-not-eco-friendly-Chevy truck and slid in. The sweet sound of
the rumbling engine makes me happy, although the look of the road doesn’t. It’s
pretty busy, nothing too terrible, but I think I will make it. I snatch my phone out
of my purse and start driving out to the road. I’m a pretty amazing multitasker,
phoning my boyfriend and pulling out of this lot like a madman at the same time.

“Hola.” Joe answers in a very lackluster tone.

“Give it some gusto!” I say laughing. He chuckles. “Are you at my house?” I add.

“Yah. Everyone’s here. Are you on your way home now?”

“I’ll be there really soon.” I said hopefully.

“Okay, Love you.”

I smiled. “I love you too.”

It was a little longer than “soon.” I got caught in noon rush hour. When I did get
home, Joe wasn’t kidding. Everyone was here. Mom and Dad got in earlier this
week, and Jacob had flown in yesterday. Nick, Kevin and Frankie were all here
with Joe. DJ was just putting his books away upstairs with Amber. Putting books
away doesn’t take that long.

The house, my Grandpa’s house, we kept. Mom and Dad didn’t sell it. DJ and I are
paying rent, so we aren’t living off Mom and Dad for free. We support ourselves
well, and the Jonas family is over a lot. So is Amber. She and DJ are dating now
and they have me to thank. Grandpa’s office is preserved. Sometimes, when I'm
having a hard day, I sit in his chair and think. I’ve read his books. Mom had the
one he didn’t finish printed. He got to page 214 and the rest was blank. When
I'm in there, it’s as though he’s right beside me, talking to me about school,
explaining his logic in his books, and telling me stories.

Noah is in jail, and Jen says she’s doing much better. She sent me a picture of her
Calgary cousin, Kim, and herself. Her hair is blonde again, and shoulder length.
She looks a little worn out, but she’s still Jen. All reconciliations between her, DJ
and I have been made. I miss her, and I still feel terrible. She had to deal with
things way worse than Noah did to me. I still have nightmares about the tape in
court. I’m there, in the room but I can’t do anything, because they can’t see me…

Today though, is not a day to be sad.

We spent the day as a family, and the Jonas boys. It was relaxing. Mostly,
everyone sat out on the pool deck and chatted. Frankie played in the pool, and the
boys all ended up playing video games with DJ while Amber and I talked. We were
watching, laughing, as Frankie tried to distract them all. It was working, but there
was no chance of them breaking away from the TV. Amber and I decided to slip
away for a while.

“How’s class?” Amber asked as we went up to my room.

“Today was a slow and painful hell, but it could have been because I wanted to get
home. God, sometimes Heartly, my teacher, just repeats the same things over
and over…” I complained.

“I know what you mean. Teachers are terrible.” She said as though it was a
common occurrence. “When I was going through my undergraduate in
journalism, I had a professor who sat down at his podium and read in monotone
off a stack of papers. It was the worst.” She sympathized.

I laughed and opened my door. My room was green now, a soft sea glass green.
The color was refreshing and it made everything look so bright. I thought back to
the summer when I had laid in bed for so long with a bloody nose. It was when I
had found out about Joe and his brothers. Fun times.

Amber sat on the edge of my bed while I skimmed through the rack of fancy
clothes I had acquired. They were all hanging neatly in the back of my closet,
waiting to be worn. I grabbed a few items and showed them to Amber.

“I love the pink top with the skirt.” She said. She held out two articles of clothing
for me. One, a satin pink sleeveless and the other, a short white skirt with big,
black flowers covering it. I nodded and grabbed a pair of silver heels.

“Perfect.” I said. I ran into the bathroom and put them on. Everyone else was
already dressed. We were going out to dinner, to celebrate my birthday.

When everyone was ready to leave, we piled into four cars and headed out. It was
nice to be spending my birthday with family and friends, though it was hard
knowing there were two more people who I wished could have been here.

~

Everyone’s gone home now. The Jonases left, everyone but Joe. DJ took Amber
home. Mom and Dad, and Uncle Jacob have gone to bed. I'm not tired. I’m
waiting up until the minute I turn nineteen. Joe volunteered to stay up with me.

“You want to celebrate here?” Joe asks sitting on the couch.

“It doesn’t matter.” I say smiling.

A look comes across his face, the I-have-an-idea look and he jumps up to take my
hand.

“I know where we could.” He says thoughtfully.

Before I know it, I'm at the baseball park. Recently, someone bought it. It’s
ridiculous because it’s a small field and it’s in the center of a public park. The only
difference now, is that it’s gated at night. I think they have plans to turn it into a
community center.

“Joe, why are we here?” I ask looking at my watch. It’s 12:57 in the morning. He
laughs as we get to the fence.

“Just cause.” He says mischievously. I look at his face, his eyes, his smile. You
really can’t argue with that. We climb over the fence laughing. Joe just about
does a face plant when he gets over the fence. I kneel down beside him laughing.

“Oh my God! Are you okay?” I ask stifling a laugh.

“Definitely!” Joe answers, laughing nervously. He rubs his side, where he fell on
his hip. I look at him and sit down.

“I can make it better.” I say with an idea in mind. I look at him suggestively. He
gets that look in his eyes. He’s curious.

I nod and I kiss him. He sits up a little more, seeming to forget about his side and
kisses me back. His lips move gently over mine and his tongue moves playfully.
When I pull back he looks like he’s had an epiphany.

“What?” I say surprised.

“You’re right. I feel much better.” He says wide-eyed.

I tilt my head and shrug. “I have that effect I guess.” He smiles and kisses me
again.

We lay down on the grass with our faces to the sky. It’s peaceful here beside Joe.
I’m happy just being beside him. The way he makes me feel, I can’t describe, but
it’s the best.

Joe suddenly slides his hand down my arm and looks at my watch. He sits up and
slides a thick card out of his jacket. I sit up too. He brushes back my hair and
hands the card to me.

“Thank you.” I say sliding my finger under the flap to open it. I pull out a purple
card with fancy, white, script that says Happy Birthday.

Inside, he’s written something for me. There is a thick, silver ring taped below the
writing.

‘I love you so much Chelsea. You mean more than the world to me. You’re the
strongest, most beautiful person I have ever met, and I'm never letting you go. I
know that you’ve dealt with too much crap this year, and that you’ve had too
many people leave you. This ring is a promise that I won’t abandon you. No
matter what’s going on, I'm going to be here for you. I love you, and I hope you
have an incredible birthday. You deserve one. Love, Joe.’

Tears threaten to fall as Joe takes the ring off of the card and places it on my
finger. It’s too big for my tiny digits. I laugh as he takes the used tape and puts it
against my finger, trying to hold the ring in place.

“How about I wear it here.” I say moving it to my thumb. He smirks. “Thank
you.” I say reaching forward to kiss him. He hugs me and I look up to see a star
shoot across the sky.

“Happy Birthday.” Two familiar voices whisper. Neither voice is Joe’s.

They’re my Grandparents’.