I released Andy from the hug. "Come on, I'm gonna put my stuff up. Dont worry my parents aren't home. They won't be for a few hours." He followed me into the front room, my bags over his shoudler. I walked down the hall to my bed room and opened the door. I'm so glad I cleaned up my room. I sat down on my bed and looked up at Andy. He had on his black skinny jeans again, and a Mötley Crue shirt. He set the bags down on the floor by the foot of my bed. Slowly, he sank down on the bed next to me. Hands in his lap, he brushed back his hair from the side of his face.
"Are you OK?" his voice was almost inaudible.
Sighing I shook my head, "I don't know, Andy. He shoved me against the wall...it hurt my back." I felt his hand gently touch my back. "Its not like anything that you haven't already seen. Ca-can you tell me if it's worse?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." I pulled up the fabric of the back of my skirt.
Andy sucked in a quick breath. He slowly released it. "well...It's still dark, but I think it's ok."

​I let the fabric fall back into place. "How did you know where I was?" I wasn't looking at him, I stared at the floor. I felt him shift on the bed. He let out a sigh.
"I knew you were at school, and there's only one high school. I assumed your school would be out around three like most. Our driver, Tom, dropped me off in your front drive. I saw everyone leaving and just wandered up when I caught sight of Seth. I saw him walking with a lot of purpose and when I looked to where he was walking I saw your face. I almost didn't recognize you with your new hair." He reached over and twirled a strand of my hair in his fingers. He had a smirk on his face. "I like your new hair by the way. I just watched him and when I saw him shove you I walked up, ready to hit him. And when I heard him talk about me, well that was just the flame that lit the cigarette."
"Thanks, again," I blushed. "You know? I've been trapped in this room for a week. I know a great place we can go."
"Alright, let's go." He stood and held a hand out to me. He help me up and we went to my car. I drove us out to a secret spot I knew on the dam of our lake. I parked. "Where are we Reya?"
"Come on, it's a bit of a walk, but it's worth it."

I stepped over the barrier and walked along the grass lane that lead to the dam. Andy followed along, a few steps behind me. I glanced around at the large oak and pine trees that dotted he clearing leading to the dam. The trees were full of leaves and the sky was shining brightly over head with the afternoon sun. As we ascended the hill, the lake came into view.
"Reya, are we actually on the dam?" Andy asked looking over the water.
"Yep." I sat down on the edge of the grass, the concrete slanting steeply in front of me down into the water. "I come over here a lot. I like how quiet it is. I usually come out here's when I need to be alone, or when I want to write. I don't have to deal with anyone bothering me or prying. I can just sit out here, listening to the birds, watching the water, enjoying the sun."
"I used to go to a park as a teenager and go write there, or down by the river. I wish I had had a place like this though. Maybe I would have made some better lyrics for my first band." he laughed a little at the end.
"I came out here when I first wrote Hollow. I can concentrate thoughts a lot easier when no one is around."
"I understand. In studio when we are writing, the guys usually know to stay the hell away from me because if I start really writing then I hate when people get around me. Usually I can deal with Ash because he can help with finding the right words or lyrical melody to fit. Jinxx is wonderful in musical production. I feel like I'm doing things backwards right now though."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we just released Set the World on Firre and I've already started writing lyrics for a new album or short release and usually we write music and then I'll come back and find the basis of the song and compose lyrics according to the idea of the song. I've already written lyrics and it's a bit odd. Now the guys will have to come back and write according to me, that is of course if we even use these songs."
"That's kind of like me. I write a lot of short stories and I'll plot out the entire premise of the story and then fill in details from A to B all the way to Z. I started writing a story and I have no idea where I'm going with it, I just know I'm walking blind in the dark with it. it's like I'm in the characters shoes, not knowing where I'm going, lost with no senses of direction. I just know I'm going somewhere, but no idea where."
"You write stories?" he asked. He sat down cross legged beside me, his shoulder touching mine.
I pulled my knees up. "Yeah I do. I've been writing since I was little. Even before I could write I would come up with these complicated situations and when my friends and I played at recess or make believe they would get confused by my twisted fantasy stories. In junior high I started writing a novella, and it was a state winner in a youth writing story, but after I wrote it, the company who reviewed it for publishing said it was too much of a risk to produce sine it was supporting a youth author and that my story was too depressive. And I gave up writing until my junior year, where I was convinced to take a creative writing class. My teacher reinspired me to write again. In the first day of his class he asked us to display a sample of our writing, so I gave him a narrative poem I wrote for a poetry unit in eighth grade. He said it was great and we had assignments that challenged my writing, but it made me want to write again. So I wrote stories, poems, lyrics, essays, memoirs...everything."
"That's amazing." he stretched his legs out in front of him and layed back in the grass with his arms resting on the grass under his head. "You know, I used to write a ton when I was fifteen. I struggled a lot with high school and eventually dropped out to peruse my music. I already showed you the scars. I wrote Knives and Pens when I figured out I would make more of a difference with writing and music than with mutilating my own skin. I won't say I never slipped up but I've been clean for a few years now. I started writing a story again. I haven't been able to really write except for album coordinating, but I started writing a story, I had to stop though because I haven't had the time. We've been back to back shows every night for almost two months. I'm actually really glad we got these two weeks off. Appearntly there was storm damage in the areas of our tour so we are delaying the tour dates back two weeks. We won't have a very long break between time off and back to the studio. We met the producer of our next album. He seems cool, but i don't know. He's working on some songs for us but I wish we could use some of the stuff I've written."
I layed back in the grass and rested on my good side. I put my head on my elbow and looked down at him. His eyes were closed and the sunlight was casting a glow off his pale skin. He had a touch of eyeliner on, but nothing else. He opened his eyes for a moment, staring blankly into the sky with his crystal blue eyes. "Andy?" He rolled his head over to look at me. "Could I maybe hear something that you wrote? I really love your lyrics, and I'm not saying that just as a fan, but I've always been a supporter of your music. Even before We Stitch These Wounds was released."
A smile spread across his thin lips. "You really want to hear some of it?" I nodded, returning his smile. He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "It's not by any means ready, done, or near complete but I'll let you hear something. Alright, here it is. 'Ive lost it all, dead and broken. My backs against the wall. Cut me open.'" I smiled again. "What do you think?" he asked.
"Andy, that's wonderful. I wished I had your talent."
"You do, you just need to keep writing." I slowly sat up and he did too. We were still shoulder to shoulder.
"Is that all you have?" he nodded. "You know, I know that I need to practice and keep going, but I guess we all fall down sometimes. It it's the choice of picking yourself up or staying on the ground. Sometimes I just feel like all I can do is just breathe and try to figure it out," I said. Andy was staring at me , I felt like his eyes were piercing through me. "Andy, you know, I don't get something."
"And what would that be?" he had a that smirk on his face like always.
I looked away, scanning over the water. "I build up walls, every time I meet someone, I build up a wall. I push people away. But around you...it's like I'm watching the walls just break and fall. I don't feel...pressured to talk to you, or even any restrictions in telling you anything. It's like the walls just crumble. You're so easy to talk to." I turned my head to see he was still looking at me. "Do I have something on my face?" quoting him from the festival. I stared into his eyes, searching for a reply. I simply found myself getting lost, happily lost, in his eyes. They were brilliantly blue, like no blue I'd ever seen, with black edging. I wish I could describe them, but I'm losing words at this point. I suddenly realized how incredibly close he were. His face was only a a few inches away. Leaning forward, he placed his forehead against mine. My fingers were shaking, I could feel his cool breath on my face. His hand gently carrassed the side of my face, the swelling was finally gone from the mishap with Seth. I leaned into his warm palm, enjoying the feeling of his skin. I reopened my emerald green eyes to the sight of his blue. I closed my eyes as he leaned forward, gently brushing his lips against mine. His lips curled against mine and we both pulled back for a moment, gazing into each others eyes as if asking Are you Ok with this? or again? I closed my eyes and leaned into him again, placing my lips around his bottom lip. His hand slowly moved to my neck and he gently carrassed the skin on the back of my neck as he kissed me back. I placed a hand on the side of his head and twined my fingers in his silky black hair. Our lips carefully contacted in slow sync and after a few minutes parted. Opening my eyes he placed one last soft kiss on my lips. I let my hand slide back to my side and he dropped his hand from my face.

I don't know how long we sat on the dam talking, laying in the grass, as the sky slowly filled with cloud, casting a grey cover over us . "Andy, it's starting to get dark. I'll have to get home. My parents are probably wondering where I am." We got up from the grass and dusted the dirt off ourselves. I could feel the dull aching returning to my ribs. I walked very slowly, trying not to shift too much. Curses, Andy walks so much faster with those gazelle legs.
"Reya are you OK? Youre walking really slow."
"Just a little sore." He stopped where was and motioned for me to come next to him. He turned around and squatted down with his hands behind him. "What?"
"Come on, jump on."
"Andy you're going to have to get a lot lower for me to get on your back. You forget you are almost a foot taller than me." he laughed and dropped onto his knees. I checked the bandage clamp on my rib wrap and walked over to his back. I gingerly placed one skin next his hand and he carefully gripped it. "Ok, I'm gonna jump on. One. Two. Three." I jumped onto his back and he grabbed both of my knees. He bounced me onto his back and held onto my legs. I wrapped them around his thin waist and out my hands around his neck. The jump hurt my back a bit but it was way easier (and faster) with Andy carrying me back to the car. I cracked up laughing and almost fell when he started jogging and yelled "BATMAN AWAY!" He stepped over the guard rail and set me down on the hood of my car. He let go and turned around. "Thanks for carrying me." I got up from the car and stood on my tippy toes as I placed a peck on his lips. He smiled into the kiss. I dropped back on my feet and he wrapped his arms around me.
"Anytime."

The ride back to my house was entertaining with Andy and I both singing along to my iPod to songs by Warrant, The used, and Pink Floyd. I laughed when the Wall came on and we both practically screamed "WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION" and I was dying of laughter as Andy imitated the guitar and keyboard fills. I stopped in the driveway and turned down the radio. I turned off the lights and looked at Andy. The sun was starting to go down and it was almost seven. It looked like the sky was doing to bring in another thunderstorm. It was too early to be this dark. We walked Jo to my brick house and I opened the door, hearing the rumble of thunder in the distance. "Come on, it looks like we are gonna have another storm."
Andy followed me into my house, my parents were sitting in the living room watching tv. The screen had a weather radar on it, with a huge line of red storms on it. "Whoa, what's going on guys?"

My dad set down the TV remote and glanced at Andy and I in the doorway. "A huge line of storms was located about 30 miles south west of us and it's moving northeast pretty fast. A tornado was spotted about ten miles outside of Belleville. We are in high alert and they said that we are supposed to get heavy rain, damaging wind around 60 mph and some hail. It's gonna be a long night becauses this storm has a sister current coming from the north from the lakes, and they said if they collide we could have some worse stuff, but we'll see what happens."
My mom looked up and saw us , "Oh, well hi there. Andy isn't it?"
"Yes, it's nice to see you guys again."
"I thought you were in St. Louis for a few weeks?"
"I was, but I got a few days off. My band mates are flying to their own homes for a week since we had some touring stuff cancel. I was staying in STL to work with a producer, but he got called back to California, so I'm free for a week. My family lives in Ohio and I wasn't able to arrange getting back there in time."
"Where are you staying?" my dad asked, looking up from the TV screen.
"I got the tour bus for a week since no one else is here. I was just going to stay in it with our driver."
My dads forehead creased up, something that happens when he's worried or confused. "Well, excuse me for saying this, but don't you think that's not very safe? We have tornado alerts in effect for most of the night."
"It's alright."
"Well, Andy," he glanced at my mom, "if you need a place to stay, for tonight that is, you can crash here. At least we have a basement if anything happens."
"I'd hate to impose. Thank you for your generosity." Andy replied.
"Its not an imposition. The couch is open, or we have a spare bed in her brothers room. He's living in Florida now as in intern for a forensic pathologist. His room is open of you want to sleep there. There's food in the oven too." my dad said.
"Help yourselves, I made fettuccine Alfredo." my mom offered.

Continueing to the kitchen, I grabbed down two bowls. I sent Andy to the garage, so he could get sodas from our spare fridge for drinks. I was portioning out the pasta as he returned with a mt dew for himself and a dr pepper for me. We snuck past my parents and went to my room. We sat on the floor next to my bed and I turned on my outdated old tv. I switched on Adventure Time.
"I swear whoever made this show was higher than Bon Jovi in his early days."
We both shared a short laugh. "I think they must be on acid or something."
"I can't tell if it would be entertaining or terrifying to be seeing shit like this."
"I wonder if that's how rap music is written. I question their sanity when I listen to some of it."
"Haha I don't even listen to that shit. I want to hit anyone who starts playing that around backstage or set up or anything. It's bad enough when I hear Jinxx listening to Mozart and all that classical shit."
"Everyone around my school listens to fucking country and rap. Either cowboy wannabes or gangster wannabes."
"And then theres us weirdos," Andy added. We both started laughing and I reached over and poked him. I realized peretty fast that he must be ticklish and it turned into a tickling war. We had to be gentle with my ribs, but I nphad just taken pain medicine and it didn't hurt one bit. I jumped up and Andy chased me around my small bedroom. I crawled onto my bed and he jumped onto it, and began tickling me again.
"hahaahah Andy...A-Andy...stop...hahaahah I need to breathe...hahaha" he finally stopped. "my parents." WE both jumped off the bed when I heard the footsteps coming down the wooden hall. We resumed our seats on the floor and quuickly picked up our plates, looking like good children, just eating.

"How are you guys doing? Everything taste good?" my mom asked as she peeked around the corner into my room.
"Yep, it's great." Andy said as he took a sip of his mt dew. His plate was practically clear. "It's been awhile since I've had a good home cooked meal."
"It's good. Thanks mom." I stuffed another fork full of pasta in my mouth.
She turned and walked back down the hall. We both bust out laughing. Andy almost spit out his soda. He pinched his nose. "Damn it, it's in my nose." I laughed harder. Swallowing my pasta, I got up and grabbed some tissues from the bathroom for Andy. He blew his nose and his eyes were watering. "It burns. Aghh."

We put up our plates in the kitchen and walked back to my room. I sat on my bed and he sat next to me, wrapping his warm arm around my waist. I turned and looked at him. I didn't realize earlier at the lake just how much taller he was, even sitting on my bed, I still had to look up at him. "Youre so tall."
He smiled and let out a laugh, "Sorry, I'll just go find a shrinking machine and oh you know, just like make myself a midget for you."
"Hahah no. I like how tall you are." I said. He looked at me for a moment, he absent mindedly bit his lip. Oh my god, that was tempting. He caught his lip ring in his teeth and slowly let it go, the natural pinkish color slowly creeping back in his lips. I leaned up, and he gently pulled me closer to him. Closing my eyes, I puckered my lips, waiting for his to meet mine.

We both jumped as my TV screen went black and let off a loud beeping sound. Beep Beep Beep Beeeeep. An electronic voice came on as the screen flashed "Weather Alert" in basic computer font. "The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a Severe Thunderstorm warning for Belleville, Dire, Ramsey, Spring Ridge, and Tunic until 2am. At 7:39 pm the National Weather Service in Lincoln's radar detected a line of Severe Thunderstorms moving north east at 50 mph extending from Edwardsville to highway marker 21. This storm is capable of producing damaging rain, damaging winds in excess of 65 mph, and golf ball sized hail. This storm has the potential to produce tornadoes. Damage should be expected to vehicles, siding, crops, and light weight objects. All are to seek shelter in a sturdy building and should stay away from windows. If in a vehicle, find shelter in a nearby by building. If outside, go indoors. Keep listening for more weather updates. Beep Beep Beep."

Notes

(: hope you guys like this. Soooo sorry for how long it took to update. Writers block+ busy schedule.