Hannah’s P.O.V
When I got home from Erin’s house I couldn’t help but feel horrible. I felt sick to my stomach and it wasn’t because of the one beer I’d managed to drink, it was because of how horribly I’d treated my cousin, my only friend… my family. But I couldn’t let my guilt mask everything else I was feeling. The one night of my entire school life where I could be normal, blend in and maybe have a little fun and get out of my head for a while and I was completely humiliated. I’m sure everyone noticed the way I pushed Matt away from me, the fact I panicked outside, ran to the toilet and then ran off when Jimmy was getting sucked off by some slut.

I kicked off the heels I was wearing and left them in the hall; I hung up my coat and hurried up the large staircase and into my bedroom. As I walked through the large, darkly decorated room I stripped out of everything I was wearing. I’d already removed the makeup at Erin’s house. The dress fell to the floor just outside my bathroom door.

I started up the shower and waited for the water to heat up while I looked at myself in the mirror. It was obvious I’d been crying, it was obvious I still wanted to cry, but all I could do now was stand under the scalding spray of water as the room filled with steam.

“Come on baby,” My mother cooed “Don’t be frightened,”

As my small figure sat beside my mother on the grass, the summer breeze flowing through my hair, my eyebrows knitted together in concentration as I remembered what my mother had just shown me.

I stared at the little candle she’d set down in front of me with great concentration and suddenly, the candle was lit and there was a small flame burning from it, then I made it bigger, then smaller, bigger again and then I put it out.

“Well done, darling.” Mom beamed at me, scooping me up into her arms and swinging me around in a circle “I’m so proud of you, but you have to be careful with your gifts, especially that
one, okay?” I nodded.

“Don’t worry momma, when you finish teaching me I can look after myself,” My voice was so soft and high in tone, she just put me back on the ground, smiled at me softly and smoothed my hair down.

“You say that now,” She crouched down in front of me “But one day, you’re going to be crying out for me and I’m not going to be there,” I was confused by her words, but before I anything else was said, daddy pulled into the driveway.

“MOMMA!” I cried as my father lifted me into his arms and walked away from the sight I’d just seen, the sound of sirens filling the air as I saw red and blue flashing behind my closed eyelids.

The cold water startled me out of my daze with a squeal at the sudden temperature change. I washed my hair in the cold water and climbed out of the shower, wrapped myself in one of y fluffy towels, taking another one to my hair, settling with towel drying before tying it up on top of my head.

I felt like myself again. I was cleaned up and dressed in an oversized t-shirt and sweat pants.

“Hello?” My father answered on the second ring, slightly groggy and sleepy.

“Hey daddy,” I sniffed into the phone. I hadn’t stopped crying since I got out of the shower.

“Baby?” He asked “What’s the matter? What happened?”

“I got into a fight with Erin and… I miss momma,” I heard him sigh softly and then the sound of bed springs “I’m sorry if I woke you,”

“It’s alright,” He told me gently “I know you miss your mother, but you know what?” He asked.

“What?”

“She would be so proud of you today, she wouldn’t care about anything you’ve done, or haven’t done since she passed, and I know that she watches over us every day,”

After my mother died, I hit a downward spiral instead of dad, the last thing she taught me was my pyrokeinesis and I lost all control of it. I continuously set things on fire, pictures, the curtains, furniture, everything. Dad tried sending me to a therapist… but I burned her desk in front of her without using any matches or a lighter, she got spooked and refused to work with me, so, dad wound up setting up some things that I could burn until I got it out of my system. That’s why Erin warned me that I would burn her house down or have a heart attack.
~~~~
Sunday flew past, dad came home and we did some catching up about how our weeks had been, I never mentioned my being mad with Erin and he didn’t push it with me either. I was grateful for that.

“I hope everyone,” Mr Andrews, my music teacher, said, putting emphasis on ‘everyone’ as he looked around the room at us all with narrowed eyes “Completed their homework assignment and had an eventful weekend,” I hung my head, but I could feel Jimmy’s eyes burning into the back of my head. I’d done both of those things “Now, who would like to present their piece first?” He asked.

Nobody moved, no one stood up, spoke up or even raised their hands. I wanted to get mine out of the way before embarrassing myself more on a Monday. I raised my hand.

“Ah,” Mr Andrews smiled “Miss Samuels, I assume you’ve prepared something with an instrument?” It was my usual thing, I never sang, I just wrote music.

“Actually, I didn’t elaborate my tune this time, I focused more on the lyrics of this one,” I admitted, standing and making my way to the front of the class.

“Oh?” He asked “So what instrument do you need today?”

“Acoustic,” I smiled weakly at him as he handed me the guitar.

This song had the post simple of chords I’d ever written, but the lyrics were harder and I’d never sang in front of people other than Erin before.

Let go of Julie and take my hand
Let go it's time to be my man
Let go of Julie and kiss my face

She's standing
She is standing in my place

And I'm not normally the jealous, jealous type
But I imagined it'd be you and me tonight

And I bet Julie's really smart, oh
You keep saying she's so cool but if
You pick her over me you're just a fool

So take home Julie well be drinking at two
Take home Julie we got catching up to do
Just take home Julie
Take up my heart I am ready
I am ready to start

I said I was alone and you just laughed out loud
How do broken hearts make you so proud?

Left a comfy bed, I left my lover of a year
To be with you, be with you here

And I'm not normally the jealous, jealous type

But you deserve a girl with matching sparkly eyes
A girl who makes you dance to dawn and makes you
Want to write a song, and if you that, that is Julie you're wrong

So take home Julie well be drinking at two
Take home Julie we got catching up to do
Just take home Julie
Take up my heart I am ready
I am ready to start

So take home Julie we'll be drinking at two
Take home Julie we got catching up to do
Just take home Julie
Take up my heart I am ready
I am ready to start

I'm staring at the ground as she walks right by
You're staring at me next I refuse to say 'hi'
I'm just staring into space cause all I've got
On my mind elevator kisses, summer, summertime
Elevator kisses you and I.

And I'm not normally the jealous, jealous sort
But if we're picking favorites I am yours

And I know Julie doesn't drink
And I'm just hanging at the bar
So go ahead and call up Julie a car
Yeah go ahead and call up Julie a car

Take home Julie well be drinking at two
Take home Julie we got catching up to do
Just take home Julie
Take up my heart I am ready
I am ready to start

So take home Julie we'll be drinking at two
Take home Julie we got catching up to do
Just take home Julie
Take up my heart I am ready
I am ready to start

No, I'm not normally the jealous, jealous type
But I imagined it'd be you and me this time

And I bet Julie’s really smart oh you keep
Saying she’s so cool but if you pick her over me
You’re just a fool

I’d started out the song by not taking my eyes off of the guitar, but as the song progressed I grew more and more confident, confident enough to look up and see the reactions I was getting… people seemed to be liking it, and during the last five lines, my eyes were locked… with Jimmy’s.

Everyone clapped and there were even some cheers, Mr Andrews was the most enthusiastic out of everyone though.

“Hannah!” He exclaimed, coming over and taking the guitar from me “I had no idea that you were capable of making such beautiful sounds,”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, sir,”
~~~~
I’d been avoiding Erin all day, actually, I hadn’t been going out of my way to stay away from her, but I just hadn’t been going out of my way to see her either. During my free period I didn’t go to the library, I knew she’d be there making books float around or something.
Lunch came around and I was on my way to find Erin so that we could eat together, I would apologize to her for blowing up at her like that on Saturday. I knew she’d probably be sitting somewhere near the fountain eating her lunch, so that’s where I was headed.

“Hannah!” Someone called from behind me. I turned around to see Jimmy walking quickly towards me, he was only walking but that was my jogging pace he was moving at until he was standing in front of me “Hey,” He smiled, exhaling a short breath.

“What do you want, James?” I asked, looking at my shoes.

“I wanted to apologize for what you saw at Matt’s on Saturday,” I blushed brightly but I don’t think he noticed, he didn’t see the tears well in my eyes either “I wanted to explain myself,” I looked up at him, shocked slightly that he even cared, but gave him a nod to go on “I really, really do like you, Erin didn’t lie to you when she told you how I feel, but I was so nervous and I didn’t know how to approach you, I’ve been trying since we were sophomores, but Brian told me that you’d finally notice me if you saw me with someone else, so Samantha seemed like the perfect girl for the job and-“

“Jimmy,” I sighed, cutting him off “You don’t have to say anymore, you just did the thing you’ve been trying to do for years… apparently,” I looked around nervously, failing to meet his eyes

“You like me, that’s all you had to say, but just… don’t listen to Brian ever again,” I laughed a little, finally looking at him.

“I promise,” He laughed “So, uh…” He trailed off “What are you doing for lunch hour?” He asked.

“I’m actually going to go and apologize to Erin,” I told him, slipping my hands into the pockets of my jeans “I owe her even more of an apology than I originally thought,”

“Alright, well, I’ll text you later?” He asked.

“You have my phone number?” I asked, he shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“That was me asking for it, actually,” He laughed.

“Give me your phone,” I said, holding out my pale hand, he placed his phone in it and I added my number “Text me and I’ll have yours,” I smiled, offered him a small wave, turned on my heel and left.

“Wait!” He called out. I stopped and turned back around to look at him, he didn’t come up to me, he just spoke from the distance “That song in class today… it was really great, you have an amazing voice and… thanks,”

“For what?” I asked.

“The song,” He turned and left me standing in the hall like an idiot. He worked me out. He could read me like a book already.

Boy am I in trouble here.

Notes

So, Jimmy and Hannah seem to be a little better, but is it going to stay that way?
Jimmy was the inspiration she needed! :D

More to come from my amazing bestie, E <3

- LMV x