"She said 'boy can I tell you a terrible thing?'."
- Terrible Things by Mayday Parade


How do you console someone who's experienced terrible loss and regret beyond imaginable levels?They slowly become sad shells of their former selves, and fall so far out into the void that they cannot be reached anymore.

That's Andy.

He's currently seated on my window sill, swapping between staring out into the rain that's pouring outside, and writing in his notebook. I haven't gotten a good look at the thing, because he always hides it on himself. From what I can tell, it's a leather bound book containing countless, priceless secrets.

I sit cross legged on my bed in sweatpants and a tank top, finishing up my left over homework projects from when I was excluded from school the week prior. Of all the things I could dread doing, returning to school after my dishonorable removal, was definitely near the top of the list.

We both sat in silence, offering no company to one another... Simply stuck in our own heads, which was proving to be deadly. Between the scratching of our pens on paper and the quiet thump of the rain against the window, it was close to driving me insane.

I have questions, of course. I always have questions, and many of them he can't answer. I peek up at him every so often, and he has not changed at all. I want to ask if he's learned more about Ashley, but I know Ashley is a stressful topic for him, so I'll avoid it as much as I can.

He remains silent and still, scribbling words with thoughtful eyes following the sentences across the paper.

“This silence is maddening.” I finally declare when he refuses to be the one who breaks the silence first. He continues writing a few more seconds before capping his pen, shutting his book and tossing it aside.

“What's on your mind?” He asks without hesitation and I'm taken back, surprised that the first thing he wanted to know as what I was thinking about.

“A lot of things,” I frown, then shrug. “None of them are too important, though.”

“Not important to you, or not important to me?” He challenges with a smirk.

I shrug, floundering in the awkward environment I created for myself. “A little of both.” I admit, looking down.

“Well, so you know,” he begins, clapping his broad palms together, the rings he wore on both ring fingers clattering together with a metallic ping. “Nothing you say can bore me.”

I snort, “Obviously you've never listened to me fangirl over books before, then. You'd be gone, and never look back.”

“Try me.” His blue eyes flash at me challengingly and he gives me a charming half smile.

I smile, then sigh. “As fun as it would be to melt your brain with the plots of all four Twilight books, there's some other topics we need to address first.”

He purses his lips and looks down at his clasped hands for a moment. “Ashley.” He breathes, and it's not a question, but a statement.

“Yes.” I murmur, adverting my gaze to the floor. “Things are getting stranger and stranger with him.”

“I won't deny that,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair in a fussy fashion, “he's been very odd recently. His mood swings for one, are very unusual for him. You always feel like you have to think ahead when you're having a conversation with him because he'll lose his tits over the stupidest shit.”

I frown to hide the grin that was threatening to ruin the serious atmosphere of the moment. Another one of Andy's crazy quotes.

“I had a question regarding him, actually...” I say after a moment of silence has passed. “Have you seen Ashley without his gloves yet?”

He looks confused, but he doesn't question my motives. “No? No, I haven't. He never really takes them off, never really did.”

“Oh... Okay.”

“Can I ask why?” He hedged, looking more confused than before.

“I'll tell you later.” I promise with a small smile. “For now, I'm trying to work something out. I'll let you know, soon.”

“But it's about Ashley?” His forehead creases as he stares me down from across the room. I nod in confirmation, but give nothing else up, and finally he nods in agreement.

~~~

I head downstairs a while later to grab a snack. I find my mother in the kitchen comparing fabric samples to the paper pattern she has laying over the island.

“Hey honey,” she greets me and I smile in response, but then I quickly realize that that's not all she has to say.

“Prom is coming up here pretty soon, huh?” She brings it up so casually, but I can see the flicker of excitement in her eyes when she peeks up at me. Oh no...

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” I shrug, quickly playing it off as not caring, though I did, a little bit. Just a little.

“Are you planning on going? We're still gonna be here by then, if you want to go.”

I shrug again, filling a glass of water at the sink, facing away from her so she couldn't see my expression. I played it off as cool and uncaring. “I dunno, maybe... Though, I don't think many of them want me there after what happened with Elizabeth.”

Sad, but true.

“Oh, honey. If you've made peace with the Lord, what they think should mean nothing. Go for you, not for them. You're only young once, make it memorable.”

I finished my glass of water and perched on the counter, facing her.

“I don't really want to go alone, anyways.”

“Hasn't anyone asked you?” She pouted, her big doll-like eyes staring up at me. I shake my head. no one alive has.

“Oh.” She quickly turns her attention elsewhere, pretending to find a great deal of interest in the peach colored paisley patterned fabric.

I spare her the embarrassment of being the mother of a seemingly antisocial teenage daughter with no hope for a traditional high school life, by grabbing my jacket and stepping out onto the back patio.

The air is heavy with fog that weighs down my lungs, along with a soft, cold mist drifting from the sky. I stand against the house with my hands in my pockets. I seem to spend a lot of time out here now, as my ability to be around my parents without becoming stressed is being pressured. I love them, of course, but they don't understand me or who I am, no matter how much they try to, or pretend to. No one really does.

Not even Andy. He knows the things I tell him and the things he picks up on just from looking around my room. Still, it feels like there's too many secrets. Ones that I don't even know I have.

Linley moisture is still falling, collecting in dew drops on every exposed surface. Dad said earlier that we were expecting more rain into next week... If the town even lasts that long. There's major flooding in the valley and judging from all the refugees in the bar last night, there's not too many homes left. My parents have already offered up their three guest rooms but I don't know if anyone is interested yet or not.

Things are changing, aren't they? I think I'm more scared of the outcome than they actual process of the change. So many weird things are happening, is it so strange to call it an act of God?

No... Why would God dump thousands and thousands of gallons of water on this poor small town out of all the far more questionable places out there. What had these people done to deserve such consequences?

My thoughts are shaken by a sudden presence. I look up to a boy and a girl standing at the edge of where my property meets the neighbors. They're wearing colorful rain jackets over hoodies with skinny jeans and band shirts. It takes me a moment to recognize them both as my neighbors a few houses down, James and Nora Riley. They're twins, and even though they're my age and should be mostly grown out of their twin phase, they both look shockingly alike with their vivid green eyes, pale skin, freckles and oil slick black hair cut to different lengths.

They stare at me awkwardly for a few moments before James spoke up and greeted me.

“Hey, Asheen.” He gives me a halfhearted wave, a gesture that Nora also exchanged. I waved back, pushing away from my house to approach them, pulling up my hood, crushing the remaining curls in my green hair.

“What's up?” I greet them in a friendly manner, but I know that they're not here to exchange homework notes or to play board games. Although I've known them my whole life, I don't really know them.

Nora looks to her brother in concern for a moment before turning her attention to me again. “Can you help us?”

Notes

Have you heard Andy's new song? Check it out here: Beyond My Reach.

Hugggeeee thank you to sindie for your amazing comment. It seriously made my evening when I read that lol, you're the first reader who really gets what I'm aiming for with this story, and I'm really happy you're enjoying it! :D

More news! I've got an online store now! I'm selling prints and other merch of my Black Veil Brides artwork, as well as many others such as Walking Dead, Tomb Raider, Markiplier, Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, etc. https://society6.com/tarynplatt
Shoutout!

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