When We Were Young
Chapter One
After a long day at work, Nancy rushed home wanting nothing but enjoy her family in the little time they had together. Her parents adored California and asked their daughter many times to come back to Huntington Beach to celebrate Christmas, but she declined the invitation, saying that Portland, Maine was her home now.
Technically, it was – she was born there, but she moved to Huntington Beach when she was a child; but it really wasn’t.
She moved back to Portland, living on her own for a while, then agreeing to move in with her grandmother, Gladys, after she realized that living in California wasn’t the best thing for her anymore.
Leaving her family, but mostly her friends, was the hardest thing. Jimmy wouldn’t want to let her go and even Matt, Johnny, Zacky, Lacey and Val tried to convince her to stay when they found out about what happened with Brian and about her sudden decision to leave Huntington Beach for good. Thankfully, they were on tour when she decided this, so they didn’t get the chance to convince her in person. They can be quite convincing. The only one who didn’t tell her anything was Brian; not that she was expecting anything from him.
She didn’t tell anyone the real reason why she left Huntington Beach, her family and Jimmy were the only one to know the truth and she liked it to keep it that way.
When the girl finally parked her car, she was surprised to find her father, Michael, on the doorstep. She walked towards him with a big smile on her face.
“I know, I’m so sorry!” She said.
“We tried to call you.”
“I’m sorry, I was on a meeting and then my phone died.”
Nancy gave his father a quick kiss on his, then walked past him and walked inside. She found her mother and her grandmother sitting on the couch. Mary Kennedy looked like she’d been crying, while Gladys had a sad look on her face.
“What happened?” Nancy asked, quickly glancing around. “Where is–?”
“She’s fine.” Gladys answered, then turned her attention to her son. “Did you tell her?”
“No, she didn’t give me the chance.”
“Guys, what’s going on?”
At this point, Nancy was getting nervous and worried. Clearly, something had happened. Something bad, judging from the tears that were falling down her mother’s cheeks.
“Oh, Nancy…”
“Can someone please tell me what happened?”
“Jimmy’s dead.”
When Nancy left Huntington Beach, she promised herself she wouldn’t come back. She removed that city from her life the moment she decided to move to Portland, Maine, where she was born and where she lived with her parents for just a couple of years before moving to California. Yet there she was, sitting in a rented car, in the parking lot of the cemetery. There were various cars around and it was full of people, but she felt out of place.
He would’ve laughed about this, she thought as she watched strangers and known people walking towards the entrance. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and got out of the car; it was almost time.
Leaning back against the car, she put a cigarette between her lips. Her parents begged her to attend the funeral with them, but she couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t force herself to attend her best friend’s funeral. Not when the last time they spoke was the week before, not when she still had to accept his death.
Nancy was smoking with her arms crossed, her sunglasses covering her brown, swollen eyes. She could hear voices in the distance, but she couldn’t quite catch what they were saying. Nor she cared. Instead, she focused on what she wanted to tell Jimmy. There were so many things she needed to tell him, so many things she wanted to show him, so many things… And now he was gone. For good.
When she moved to Portland, Jimmy was afraid he would lose Nancy, even if she promised she wouldn’t, so he tried his best to visit her whenever he could, especially when the band was playing in the State, while Nancy called him almost daily to keep him updated to whatever was happening in her life, and that’s what they talked about the last time they spoke. She called him to tell him how much she enjoyed his Christmas presents and instead of talking just to him, she ended up speaking with his parents as well as his sisters. She overheard the guys speaking in the background, but neither Nancy or Jimmy brought them up during their conversation.
It was weird. She spent so much time with the band, they were really good friends, almost family and now they were strangers. Another reason why she didn’t feel like attending the funeral with the others. She wasn’t ready to see them all, there were things she needed to do before doing so.
“Nancy?”
A familiar voice made her turn her head and she immediately recognized the girl who was slowly walking towards her. She was wearing a black dress, high black heels and dark sunglasses, but she would recognize her anywhere.
“Linda.” She said, throwing the cigarette butt on the ground.
The other girl smiled and without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around her old friend.
Nancy and Linda became friends immediately when Zacky introduced her as his new girlfriend. They were good friends until Nancy decided to leave Huntington Beach and consequently, her friends.
“How… Oh my God, it’s been so long.” Linda said, looking at her friend. “I would ask how things are going but… You know.”
“Yeah. I’m holding on.”
Linda slowly nodded and looked towards the cemetery.
“You coming?”
“Oh, no. I just don’t feel like I’m ready. I’m staying here but it’s like I’m there, right?”
“Yeah, it is. I’m sure Jimmy wouldn’t have minded if you stayed here.” She said and slowly nodded again. “I wish I could stay here but Zacky is waiting for me and–”
“Don’t worry, go. I’m fine.”
“Look, I wanna see you sometime next week. Don’t leave until we met, alright?” Linda smiled, “I still have the same phone number. Just call me or text me, okay?”
“I will.”
“I’m glad you’re back.”
Nancy watched Linda walked away and sighed softly. I’m not back, she thought. She came back just for Jimmy’s funeral, but deep down she thought that maybe, that wasn’t the only reason. Maybe, it was finally time to confess a few things and stop hiding from her friends.
Ø
The Johnny’s Saloon was crowded like every night, but that night was different for some of his customers and even the owner of the pub. They were kind of celebrating Jimmy with drinks and pizza, sharing stories about him and his life. It was weird yet beautiful to see the impact he had on his friends and on strangers. He was just a force of nature and there wasn’t a single person who didn’t like him.
Brian kept his eyes down on his glass who was getting filled each time he drank his Jack Daniel’s, barely listening to what was happening around him. It was like if he was on another planet and he couldn’t understand why people would keep sharing stories and shit about Jimmy. He wished they would shut the fuck up, especially those who didn’t know him.
Why did he agree to come to the pub? Right, because his friends thought it was a good idea and Michelle eventually convinced him. Fuck them. Fuck her. Fuck everybody.
He drank his Jack in a single, long sip and sighed, watching some more liquor being poured into his glass. Ever since Jimmy died, alcohol had become his new best friend. It was a good way to forget what happened. Michelle complained about this, but he was usually too drunk to understand what she was saying. No one could understand what he was going through. No one, not even the band. The only one who maybe could understand was Nancy, but she was nowhere to be found.
Bitch, he thought. She didn’t even attend Jimmy’s funeral. What kind of a person didn’t attend their best friend’s funeral? A bitch, that’s who. He never thought he would call Nancy a bitch, not after what happened between them, but right now, he didn’t care. That was what she was. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol who was making him think like this, either way, this was another thing he didn’t care about.
What if she doesn’t know?, he though. No, there was no way she couldn’t know about what happened. Her parents still lived next to Jimmy parents’ place so they must have told her, especially since they were at the funeral. He saw them.
He grabbed the bottle of Jack and got up, walking outside. He heard Matt’s voice in the distance asking him where he was going, but he ignored him. He sat on the ground, placed the bottle next to him then grabbed the pack of his cigarette out of the pocket of his jacket. He started smoking and looked up at the sky. It was dark, but it was illuminated by the bright moon and stars.
“Can I sit?”
Brian shrugged and kept smoking, taking a sip of Jack here and there. Linda sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around her legs. He liked the girl, she wasn’t like one of the bitches Zacky usually dated, she wasn’t like anyone. Right now, however, he found her presence annoying. He wanted to stay alone, why couldn’t anyone understand that?
“I saw her.”
“Who?”
“Nancy.”
Hearing her name made Brian turn his head to the brunette. He stared at Linda for a couple of seconds before shrugging again.
“Good for you.”
Linda sighed and grabbed the bottle Brian was holding, then took a sip of the liquor.
“I saw her today.”
“What?”
“She was at the cemetery.”
“No, she wasn’t.”
“She was. I met her in the parking lot.”
Brian glanced at Linda again. She’s here, was all he could think about, but there was still a part of him that was unsure whether Linda was saying the truth or nothing.
“Look, I’m really not in the mood for your jokes, Linda.”
The girl rolled her eyes. “I’m not joking. I saw her, like for real. We spoke a bit, but Zacky was waiting for me so I left there.”
“She could’ve come to the funeral. Jimmy was her best friend, for fuck’s sake.”
“I know; I guess the whole thing was too much for her. I don’t know.”
“She should’ve come. He needed her there.” He said.
I needed her there, he thought.
Technically, it was – she was born there, but she moved to Huntington Beach when she was a child; but it really wasn’t.
She moved back to Portland, living on her own for a while, then agreeing to move in with her grandmother, Gladys, after she realized that living in California wasn’t the best thing for her anymore.
Leaving her family, but mostly her friends, was the hardest thing. Jimmy wouldn’t want to let her go and even Matt, Johnny, Zacky, Lacey and Val tried to convince her to stay when they found out about what happened with Brian and about her sudden decision to leave Huntington Beach for good. Thankfully, they were on tour when she decided this, so they didn’t get the chance to convince her in person. They can be quite convincing. The only one who didn’t tell her anything was Brian; not that she was expecting anything from him.
She didn’t tell anyone the real reason why she left Huntington Beach, her family and Jimmy were the only one to know the truth and she liked it to keep it that way.
When the girl finally parked her car, she was surprised to find her father, Michael, on the doorstep. She walked towards him with a big smile on her face.
“I know, I’m so sorry!” She said.
“We tried to call you.”
“I’m sorry, I was on a meeting and then my phone died.”
Nancy gave his father a quick kiss on his, then walked past him and walked inside. She found her mother and her grandmother sitting on the couch. Mary Kennedy looked like she’d been crying, while Gladys had a sad look on her face.
“What happened?” Nancy asked, quickly glancing around. “Where is–?”
“She’s fine.” Gladys answered, then turned her attention to her son. “Did you tell her?”
“No, she didn’t give me the chance.”
“Guys, what’s going on?”
At this point, Nancy was getting nervous and worried. Clearly, something had happened. Something bad, judging from the tears that were falling down her mother’s cheeks.
“Oh, Nancy…”
“Can someone please tell me what happened?”
“Jimmy’s dead.”
When Nancy left Huntington Beach, she promised herself she wouldn’t come back. She removed that city from her life the moment she decided to move to Portland, Maine, where she was born and where she lived with her parents for just a couple of years before moving to California. Yet there she was, sitting in a rented car, in the parking lot of the cemetery. There were various cars around and it was full of people, but she felt out of place.
He would’ve laughed about this, she thought as she watched strangers and known people walking towards the entrance. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and got out of the car; it was almost time.
Leaning back against the car, she put a cigarette between her lips. Her parents begged her to attend the funeral with them, but she couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t force herself to attend her best friend’s funeral. Not when the last time they spoke was the week before, not when she still had to accept his death.
Nancy was smoking with her arms crossed, her sunglasses covering her brown, swollen eyes. She could hear voices in the distance, but she couldn’t quite catch what they were saying. Nor she cared. Instead, she focused on what she wanted to tell Jimmy. There were so many things she needed to tell him, so many things she wanted to show him, so many things… And now he was gone. For good.
When she moved to Portland, Jimmy was afraid he would lose Nancy, even if she promised she wouldn’t, so he tried his best to visit her whenever he could, especially when the band was playing in the State, while Nancy called him almost daily to keep him updated to whatever was happening in her life, and that’s what they talked about the last time they spoke. She called him to tell him how much she enjoyed his Christmas presents and instead of talking just to him, she ended up speaking with his parents as well as his sisters. She overheard the guys speaking in the background, but neither Nancy or Jimmy brought them up during their conversation.
It was weird. She spent so much time with the band, they were really good friends, almost family and now they were strangers. Another reason why she didn’t feel like attending the funeral with the others. She wasn’t ready to see them all, there were things she needed to do before doing so.
“Nancy?”
A familiar voice made her turn her head and she immediately recognized the girl who was slowly walking towards her. She was wearing a black dress, high black heels and dark sunglasses, but she would recognize her anywhere.
“Linda.” She said, throwing the cigarette butt on the ground.
The other girl smiled and without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around her old friend.
Nancy and Linda became friends immediately when Zacky introduced her as his new girlfriend. They were good friends until Nancy decided to leave Huntington Beach and consequently, her friends.
“How… Oh my God, it’s been so long.” Linda said, looking at her friend. “I would ask how things are going but… You know.”
“Yeah. I’m holding on.”
Linda slowly nodded and looked towards the cemetery.
“You coming?”
“Oh, no. I just don’t feel like I’m ready. I’m staying here but it’s like I’m there, right?”
“Yeah, it is. I’m sure Jimmy wouldn’t have minded if you stayed here.” She said and slowly nodded again. “I wish I could stay here but Zacky is waiting for me and–”
“Don’t worry, go. I’m fine.”
“Look, I wanna see you sometime next week. Don’t leave until we met, alright?” Linda smiled, “I still have the same phone number. Just call me or text me, okay?”
“I will.”
“I’m glad you’re back.”
Nancy watched Linda walked away and sighed softly. I’m not back, she thought. She came back just for Jimmy’s funeral, but deep down she thought that maybe, that wasn’t the only reason. Maybe, it was finally time to confess a few things and stop hiding from her friends.
Ø
The Johnny’s Saloon was crowded like every night, but that night was different for some of his customers and even the owner of the pub. They were kind of celebrating Jimmy with drinks and pizza, sharing stories about him and his life. It was weird yet beautiful to see the impact he had on his friends and on strangers. He was just a force of nature and there wasn’t a single person who didn’t like him.
Brian kept his eyes down on his glass who was getting filled each time he drank his Jack Daniel’s, barely listening to what was happening around him. It was like if he was on another planet and he couldn’t understand why people would keep sharing stories and shit about Jimmy. He wished they would shut the fuck up, especially those who didn’t know him.
Why did he agree to come to the pub? Right, because his friends thought it was a good idea and Michelle eventually convinced him. Fuck them. Fuck her. Fuck everybody.
He drank his Jack in a single, long sip and sighed, watching some more liquor being poured into his glass. Ever since Jimmy died, alcohol had become his new best friend. It was a good way to forget what happened. Michelle complained about this, but he was usually too drunk to understand what she was saying. No one could understand what he was going through. No one, not even the band. The only one who maybe could understand was Nancy, but she was nowhere to be found.
Bitch, he thought. She didn’t even attend Jimmy’s funeral. What kind of a person didn’t attend their best friend’s funeral? A bitch, that’s who. He never thought he would call Nancy a bitch, not after what happened between them, but right now, he didn’t care. That was what she was. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol who was making him think like this, either way, this was another thing he didn’t care about.
What if she doesn’t know?, he though. No, there was no way she couldn’t know about what happened. Her parents still lived next to Jimmy parents’ place so they must have told her, especially since they were at the funeral. He saw them.
He grabbed the bottle of Jack and got up, walking outside. He heard Matt’s voice in the distance asking him where he was going, but he ignored him. He sat on the ground, placed the bottle next to him then grabbed the pack of his cigarette out of the pocket of his jacket. He started smoking and looked up at the sky. It was dark, but it was illuminated by the bright moon and stars.
“Can I sit?”
Brian shrugged and kept smoking, taking a sip of Jack here and there. Linda sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around her legs. He liked the girl, she wasn’t like one of the bitches Zacky usually dated, she wasn’t like anyone. Right now, however, he found her presence annoying. He wanted to stay alone, why couldn’t anyone understand that?
“I saw her.”
“Who?”
“Nancy.”
Hearing her name made Brian turn his head to the brunette. He stared at Linda for a couple of seconds before shrugging again.
“Good for you.”
Linda sighed and grabbed the bottle Brian was holding, then took a sip of the liquor.
“I saw her today.”
“What?”
“She was at the cemetery.”
“No, she wasn’t.”
“She was. I met her in the parking lot.”
Brian glanced at Linda again. She’s here, was all he could think about, but there was still a part of him that was unsure whether Linda was saying the truth or nothing.
“Look, I’m really not in the mood for your jokes, Linda.”
The girl rolled her eyes. “I’m not joking. I saw her, like for real. We spoke a bit, but Zacky was waiting for me so I left there.”
“She could’ve come to the funeral. Jimmy was her best friend, for fuck’s sake.”
“I know; I guess the whole thing was too much for her. I don’t know.”
“She should’ve come. He needed her there.” He said.
I needed her there, he thought.
Notes
Here's chapter one! I didn't give away that much, but know that I'm writing the sixth chapter and they're all quite long (I had to split one chapter in two, otherwise it would've been too long).
As you noticed, today's chapter featured a flashback. I can tell that almost each chapter will feature a short/longer flashbacks, it depends on what I wanna tell with them. I hope you'll like them!
I hope you enjoy! I'll add characters to the front page as soon as I add them to the story, so as you may have noticed, I added Linda to the list.
A big thank you to Avengedlover and BrainyPlots for commenting the story. It means a lot!
As always, leave your feedback <3
Please continue <3
4/5/18