Andy

My parents came to knock hesitantly on my door a half hour later. At first, I ignored them, but when their complaints became more persistant, Andy spoke up.

"That's the tone parents use when they think their kid is committing suicide... You should probably open it."

I shot him a glare for his cruel comment, and got up with a groan, going to the door to yank it open.

They both looked at me in surprise, their fists raised in a premature knocking position. "Oh..." They both sighed at once. I was too tired to put on a smile right then, so I gestured for them to come in. They both did, my Mom sitting on the end of my bed, and my Dad awkwardly standing there, slowly turning, taking in all the pairs of eyes staring back at him from the many band posters that graced my walls. I sighed, but waited for them to speak first.

"We're sorry, Ash." My Dad blurted out, turning away uncomfortably from the wall of eyes to look at me, crossing his arms and looking at me sympathetically. I heard Andy scoff, and looked at him, sitting in the pink plush chair beside the bed, arms crossed, feet up, glaring at my Dad.

"But me and your mother have been talking this through... We really think it's what we all need. Pendant is a wonderful town, it really is. But it's not a town for opportunity."

I held my tongue from calling him out on his bullshit. He just didn't want to work in the 'busy' traitor side of Pendant, where there were no small businesses, just chain stores.

"We've been playing safe your whole life, making just enough money to get by and keep bills paid. But I really think this whole thing was a wakeup call. It's time to do something different."

I sighed, turning away to go sit on the ottoman, knocking Andy's feet to the floor discreetly in the process. He growled, scooting up in his chair.

"I understand that you crave an adventure or whatever, but I really would have appreciated being told sooner. It isn't so much the idea of moving that's troubling me. It's me not being ready for it just yet. I need time to process this... To start saying my goodbyes to people and places. I've never been outside the state, and now we're moving halfway across the US?"

He didn't have a reply, so he gave me a weak crooked smile.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second. "I'm just not ready to let it go yet."

I was speaking for more than just myself. Andy had stayed here, so he could watch over his family and friends. He couldn't do that from California. I dreaded what he'd do when it was time for us to move, if he'd follow me or stay here.

"I can understand that... We're not ready, either. But think of it as an adventure for all of us."

I grimaced. I could only imagine it as a living Hell we'd all have to endure together. They were clearly firm on their decision, the way my Dad patiently paced, lost in thought, and the way my mother was at ease, awkwardly looking at the poster prints of bands with peculiar looking members.

I looked to Andy for a sign. He leaned forward on his elbows, clasping his hands together. "I will follow you." He told me calmly, but his voice sounded stressed. "You're the one person I can't let down. And I feel I have already. I'm going where you go. It'll be okay."

I ground my teeth and nodded slightly, looking forward. There was no easy way to deal with this. Day by day, some event would take place that would put further destruction in my life. How long until I completely self destruct?

Closing my eyes, I bowed my head forward and just thought for a moment, of all the terrible things that could happen if I left my safe haven of Pendant. But also... What good things awaited me in California? Would it actually be as bad as my over-reactive mind would make it out to be?

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, my parents were both looking at me.

"Well?" My Dad inquired softly.

I shrugged, and exhaled slowly. "I still don't like it... The idea of leaving, the idea of all these new things I will have to face if we did. I'm not entirely against it, either... I just don't think it's what we need to be doing. I mean, the house, is almost paid for, Mom has her job and with your expertise, you could easily obtain a new one. Why, exactly do we have to uproot? You're both young, and have time to make mistakes, I get it, but so we have to make them?"

My Dad looked irritated and began to pace again without giving me an answer. I wanted to apologize for being so straight forward, but I wasn't. I was telling them how I felt about it and they didn't want to accept what I was saying. Almost as if the two of them were in denial, and they just wanted to make this outrageous mistake for the sake of saying they did.

"It's not only the job that's in California, Ash." My Dad sighed, relapsing back into his pleading tone. "75% of our family resides there, including your Grandma, who isn't doing so well. I really think we all need to be out there when..." He trailed off, and I stiffened up.

"When she what's? When she kills over?" I finished his sentence, giving him a hard look. "Because, ya know already, she's not going to make it, right?"

"Ash-"

"She's only in her late sixties!" I exclaimed in exasperation. "And she only has a cold! You're so quick to write her off." I muttered.

I could see actual anger and hurt in his eyes as he turned to scowl at me. "I don't know what's gotten into lately, young lady, but it ends now!"

I recoiled against his harsh tone to glare. "I can think of a few things." I growled. "You two springing this shit on me, for one!" I shouted, my vocals straining into a hiss.

"Language!" He scolded me, but I glared at him.

"Bullshit." I muttered, looking him dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry I'm not perfect!" I threw my hands up, "I'm sorry I'm a burden and I don't want to tag along for your shitstorm plan! I'd rather stay here in Pendant, alone, than go out to California with you!"

His arms, which were lifted, dropped to his sides in surprise, his expression, looked as though I'd just slapped him, and the harsh echo of them in the still air made it feel as though I had. But his response was not one I expected.

He calmly regathered himself, my Mom standing by his side in shock, calmly speaking to him, he whisked her off and looked up at me with deadly calm eyes. "I thought you'd be happy for me." He grumbled, his shoulders rising and falling in a weak shrug. "But I guess not. But you're sixteen years old, and you're my daughter, and you will start packing and by Monday morning, I expect you to have an attitude so fucking chipper, you could fill in for a Disney princess at Disney Land. Do you understand me?"

It wasn't the eery calm of his voice that shocked me, but the fact that he cussed. I'd never heard him cuss, no matter how pissed off or agitated he was, he never did. He heaved an irritated sigh and exited my bedroom in a sweeping motion, closing the door behind him.

I faced my Mother, her face taut up, red in anger and embarrassment. She had no calm, chiding words for me. "Asheen Emily Hunter." She addressed me with my full name, her hard gaze seeing right through me. "Think about the things you said to your father, think about how you'd feel if someone told you those things, and when you're ready, come downstairs and apologize."

She worded it as a suggestion, but it was an order. I nodded numbly, holding back the blinding wave of anger until she left my room. That's when the tears came, and I spun around, and marched towards my vanity, grabbing the ceramic cat figure off the desk, and turning to chuck it at the wall.

It went sailing through the air in a straight arc, before colliding with the sheet rock, exploding into a dozen jagged shards across the bedspread below it. The impact exposed some of the powdery white substance beneath the light purple paint, glaring back at me in a mocking fashion.

My chest rose and fell with angry breaths, I clutched my hands into tight fists until blood dripped from between my knuckles and my fingers ached, and I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs, reaching up to grip my hair at the roots, blood running down my face from my hands, I howled angrily.

"Doesn't she fucking get it?!" I shrieked, blind anger consuming me as I shoved things over, breaking as many things as I could in the small space provided. "That is the incarnation of the shit I have to put up with as school every fucking day! I have fucking been told that!"

Andy reached for me and I spun out of his grip, grabbing a fistful of summer dresses from the closet, yanking them with all my strength, into a heap of withered tulle fabric.

"You don't have to destroy your whole bedroom to get the point across." Andy called from behind me, racing to tackle me again. He gripped my arms tightly and squished me into a hug, where I struggled against him until I'd finally relaxed and cried myself out.

"Calm down!" Andy commanded, grabbing my hands, carefully unraveling them from my hair, where they were tangled in a mat of bloody knots. I didn't protest or drag him into my anger fit, I just heaved a sigh, choked by a sob, standing there like a broken China Doll while he wiped the blood off the cuts on my hands.

"Easy..." He whispered, and my hands shook and the tears ran free. "They don't get it." I growled. "They never will. This is what will make them happy. They don't give two shits what I think."

He gave a small, sympathetic smile, which tugged at his lip ring a bit. He looked back down and wiped at my palm with a tissue.

I groaned, and looked up at him with blurry stinging eyes. I still felt like throwing things and having a tantrum like a child. "I really do not deserve your help." I admitted sadly, looking into his eyes, the relieving, cool calm wave coming over me, making me believe the things I was thinking and doing were very silly.

"You do." He replied, his hair falling out of order across his forehead as he looked down in concentration.

"Why are you helping me?" I whispered in confusion. Genuinely wondering why he even bothered at this point. I'd been so angry with him earlier, I almost started chucking things at him, too. Not that he would have been harmed, it would have annoyed him at best.

"Because that's what friends do." He replied quietly with a small smile, scrubbing carefully at the crescent shaped cuts along my palm. "Ashley'd clean me up all the time back when I'd get into school fights. He'd sit me down, scrub my face and give me one of his famous pep talks. Normally made me feel better afterwards." He said with a shrug.

"Ugh... I just don't feel like they get it..." I groaned after a few minutes of silence. "They don't understand how hard this is on me. Especially right now with everything going on. I've never been outside the state for anything. Most everything we ever needed or did, was right within the comfort zone of Utah. And now they're going to drag me to California on Monday to visit it, and possibly move later... That's like taking someone's entire life, and throwing it in a blender, watching spin around, getting all mixed up."

"California's not so bad." He defended quietly with a tiny smile. "It's quiet pleasant, actually. Not trying to curb you or side with your parents, but I do think you'd like it there."

I sighed, a heavy heave of breath. I really had no energy left to complain.

"I can't apologize." I muttered, "Not tonight, at least... Because I'm just going to keep fighting if they bring it up, and it will only make things worse. That's not what any of us need right now." I shook my head and sighed, "I tend to overreact, yes, but it's unfair what they expect of me. My Dad, especially. Since he's a follower of the church and the Lord, he feels like he has to have a perfect spawn crop or something, or else it'll all be a waste. That's what no one seems to grasp... I'm not perfect. I never was."

Andy dropped my hands and sighed as he finished. He stood there, silently facing me. "Now I'm gonna call you a liar." He told me, looking me square in the eyes, "You're perfect enough for me, and that's enough. Isn't it?"

"You must be blind." I mumbled in embarrassment, looking down.

"Maybe... But I'd like to believe in what I do see."

"This just got awkward." I sighed, turning to go clean up the shattered bits of ceramic off the bed. I was worn thin, tired of everything and everyone. The expectations everyone had for me, continued to grow the more I failed. I found it increasingly hard to make everyone happy at once, no matter how hard I tried.

I didn't bother changing into pajamas. I just lied down and turned out the light, "I'll apologize in the morning." I sighed, "Thank you, Andy... And no matter what I say or feel... I'm glad you're back."

I heard his chuckle behind me and he materialized, rolling around on the bed obnoxiously, searching for a comfortable position like a dog. "I am, too. Too many nights spent in that God awful chair..." He stretched out gratefully in the darkness. It picked at my curiosity.

"How many nights were you actually here?"

"Most all." Came his reply. "Some nights I just went on walks, visited people, but after walking in on two uncomfortable situations, I decided I should stick to dropping by during the day." He laughed.

"What does that mean?" I rolled over halfway to look at him. He lied on his back, looking up at the ceiling with a fond smile on his face. "I scared the shit out of Jake four nights ago... Walked in on him ah..." He trailed off, laughter taking over his voice.

I was easily distracted, and accepted the opportunity to cleanse the guilt from my mind for a few minute. "I really do not want to know what you were going to say." I sighed, waiting for him to elaborate on what else he had done.

"I think he pissed himself," He continued, his giggles childish, he kicked his feet in amusement at the memory. "I threw a tissue box at him... Then a newspaper, and turned on a Barney children's tape on his stereo, and left him to freak out."

He rolled over and buried his face in the pillows, his body shaking the bed in laughter. "Just a friendly reminder, you're not the only reason I stayed."

My smile faded slightly. "But how will it matter if I move?... You can't see them anymore." I sighed.

"I can still visit." He replied, his smile fading slightly, but not gone. "I can teleport, remember? It'll just take longer, I suppose."

"You still have no idea what you're doing with this whole ghost thing, do you?" I chuckled in the dark.

His laugh was his response. "Not a clue."

Notes

Sorry for the long wait! I've been working on a few things here and there, including finishing up this Andy Sixx sketch of 'Knives and Pens'. http://amanda-lara1996.deviantart.com/art/With-Knives-and-Pens-Andy-Sixx-599572653
Plus! It's been really cloudy and rainy looking outside the last few days, and I've found it to be really inspiring for this story. I also I found a reference photo the other day for what the old Apture house looks like. I'll post it in the notes of the next update!
Chapter inspired by: Numb by Linkin Park.

Shoutouts!
- blackveilbands
- anathema
- BVB_Rebel_Love_Song
- Aidy at the disco