When We Were Young

Michelle hadn’t left the couch since Brian left. She had no idea where he went; he mentioned staying at his father’s but she knew he most likely went to Nancy’s. Of course he did. He had just broken up with her for another girl, his ex girlfriend to be exact, so there was no doubt he went to see her.

Even though she basically pushed him into Nancy’s arms, it didn’t mean it hurt any less. Oh, hell it did hurt. She’d spent the last few years by Brian’s side, ignoring how he still had feelings for his ex, pretending everything was okay just for the sake of their relationship. But it still hurt.

Now she was supposed to pack her stuff and move… Where to? She couldn’t move in back with her parents and she surely couldn’t move in with Valary and Matt. They were married. She’d already bothered him enough in the past weeks, hence why she hadn’t even texted or called Valary that night.

“Fuck my life.” Michelle muttered before drinking a whole glass of wine. She wasn’t drunk and had no intention of getting drunk, but she thought that maybe some alcohol in her system could make her feel better. She was wrong.

She was about to head to bed when her phone rang. She picked it up as quickly as she could, wishing it was a text from Brian. The words she read, though, surprised her.

Hi, Michelle. It’s Nancy. Brian told me what happened and I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fuck shit up. I was wondering if maybe we could meet up and talk, if you’d like? Let me know. Again, I’m really sorry.

Michelle stared at her phone, unable to move or do anything. She couldn’t believe Nancy had texted her. It was either Brian who forced her to do it because he somehow felt guilty, or maybe it was just Nancy being Nancy.

It was the first time Michelle got to attend one of the shows and she was looking forward to it. Valary insisted a lot for her to come, saying there was a surprise for her and although Michelle had a test the next day and wanted to study for it, she decided to make her sister happy and went to see Avenged Sevenfold live. She had heard them before, especially when they were playing in her basement, but ever since they found a better basement (at Brian’s place, to be exact) she also stopped seeing them that often. She didn’t even saw them that much at school either since Jimmy got kicked out of school and Brian got suspended. The only one she saw constantly was Matt for obvious reasons.

Arriving at the small bar, she looked around to see if she could recognize anyone. She didn’t.

Dammit, she thought. She asked Valary for a ride, but apparently she had to go there early to set everything up for the band. Michelle wasn’t surprised her sister was so into managing and organizing everything for the band. The twins had always thought they’d become their own managers, owning some company or store, and Valary ended up succeeding, even if she was still a teenager.

“Hi!” The voice made Michelle jump. She turned around and noticed a girl who was smiling at her. “You must be Michelle, right? I’m Nancy!”

Michelle looked at the girl and wondered if maybe she was one of her classmates or just one of those girls who were obsessed with cheerleaders and since the blonde was the head cheerleader of their high school, that could be a possibility.

“Yes, that’s me.” She said and the brunette smiled.

“Valary sent me to pick you up so you wouldn’t get lost in here.” Nancy chuckled, “Come with me! We got the front row.”

Michelle followed the brunette but continued to look around.

“I hope you’re ready to get yourself hurt.”

“What?”

“I mean, we’re in the front row to a metal concert. People will be… Well, let’s say they’ll jump around a lot. Hope you’re wearing comfortable shoes.”

When they finally arrived at the front row, Michelle noticed that Linda (Zacky’s girlfriend, right?) was already there. Where the hell is Val?, she thought.

“Hi, Michelle!” Linda said and Michelle smiled at her, glad there was a familiar face there.

“Hi! How are you?”

“I’m good. Excited about the show! How about you?”

“I’m good. Val promised me a surprised so I’m kinda nervous?”

“Just enjoy the show.”

Nancy was standing next to her and screamed for a brief moment, which made her jump. What the hell? Michelle turned her head and noticed that Brian was hugging Nancy from behind, kissing her neck. Oh. So that was Jimmy’s famous best friend? She’d never gotten the chance to meet her yet but Michelle knew that she was dating Brian, so she wasn’t exactly looking forward to meeting the girl, although she did seem to be a nice girl.

“Stop it, Brian.” Nancy chuckled and Linda smiled before punching his arm.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you guys supposed to be playing in like five minutes or something?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to get my lucky kiss first.” He said before kissing Nancy’s lips.

Okay, that was almost disgusting.

“Hi, Michelle.” He said and the blonde smiled at him. “Glad you’re here. You’re gonna love this show!”

“I’m sure I will. Tell the guys I said good luck!”

Brian gave Nancy one last kiss before running backstage. It didn’t take long for the guys to jump on stage and start their show. It was amazing and she wasn’t expecting anything less from them. It was when Valary appeared on stage to sing with Matt that Michelle lost her mind. She couldn’t freaking believe it! Valary looked beautiful and her voice… Damn, her voice! It was so powerful and it matched perfectly with Matt’s. The girls didn’t seem surprised to see Valary on stage, but Michelle wasn’t bothered by this. Instead, she loved the surprise.

The blonde bit her bottom lip and sent a text back. How could she ask her to “meet up and talk”? Was she out of her mind?

I really don’t feel like seeing you right now. Maybe one day, just not now.

Michelle wondered how Nancy could text her while she was with Brian or how she could even text her at all. She wouldn’t have been able to do this; if she was her, she would’ve spent the night making love to Brian, kissing him, telling he loved him. But she wasn’t her. She’d never been. Deep down, Michelle hoped Brian would get over Nancy and would completely fall in love with her and for a brief moment, she thought that was exactly what was happening, then Nancy came back and things changed for the worst.

With a deep sigh, Michelle turned her phone off and headed to bed. Lying in that cold bed made her feel even more lonely. Even though Brian hadn’t slept in their bed for over a week now, she could still smell his scent and almost feel his presence next to her; and it broke her heart. But there was no one she could blame for this. Only herself. She was the one who decided to jump into a relationship with Brian despite what her sister told her and what her friends thought. Nobody thought they would last; only Michelle did. She thought her relationship with the guitarist was genuine and they would make it through everything.

“You changed your hair color!” Valary exclaimed as she noticed her sister walk through the door.

Michelle’s hair was now a dark shade of brown, with blonde highlights. It was the newest hair trend and she wanted a change. She and Brian had been dating (not exactly officially) for a couple of months now and although girls usually changed their haircut and dyed their hair after a break up, she wanted to show that she wasn’t the classic boring girl who’d hang out with rockstars just because.

“You look absolutely amazing, Chelle!” Val continued before kissing her sister on the cheek.

“You like it?” She asked, “Thank you so much, Val.”

Valary smiled at her sister for a moment before looking down at the papers she was holding. Michelle sat down on the couch and looked around, noticing Johnny tuning his bass and Zacky was speaking with Linda. It had to be something important since they were whispering and their faces were inches away from each other.

Brian was nowhere to be seen and Michelle was starting to get anxious. She wanted to show him her new hair color, so after a few minutes she got up and headed to the kitchen. There, she only found Jimmy. He turned around with a beer in his hand and a cigarette between his lips. He looked at her up and down for a moment and Michelle was already ready to leave.

“So you’re a brunette now.” He commented. “How pathetic.”

Michelle knew Brian’s ex was his best friend and he’d always had a big love for both Nancy and Brian as people and as a couple, but she really couldn’t understand why he was always so rude to her. She’d always tried to be nice to him or at least, be civil with him but apparently he wasn’t interested in being an adult to her.

“Thank you for your opinion, Rev.”

“You’re welcome.”

The following day, Nancy woke up and the first thing she did was to make herself some coffee. As she was waiting for it to get ready, she checked her phone. She wasn’t surprised to see what Michelle had texted her; to be honest, she would’ve done the same, but it was worth a shot, right? She only hoped Michelle would eventually want to talk to her; there were things Nancy needed to tell her and she only could tell her in person.

After pouring her coffee into a mug, she looked out of the window. She could see the ocean in the distance; it was simply beautiful. The view from her house in Portland was much better, but it wasn’t home. This was. Jimmy’s house was.

“Mommy?” A sleepy voice coming from the door made Nancy turned around. She saw her daughter rub her eyes and she smiled, placing her mug on the counter of the kitchen.

“Hello, sleeping beauty.” She said, kneeling down to kiss JJ’s kiss and giving her a quick hug. “Did you sleep well?”

JJ nodded and put her hands up in the air, asking for her mother to pick her up; so she did. Nancy moved some strand away from her daughter’s face then smiled widely at her. “Are you hungry? I was about to make pancakes.” She lied. She wasn’t about to make anything, but how could she not make pancakes for her daughter now? JJ’s face lit up and Nancy couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yay, pancakes!”

“Alright, then! They’ll be ready soon.” Nancy said as she put her daughter down, then turned to grab all the things she needed to make breakfast.

“Mommy?” JJ asked after a few minutes.

“Yeah, honey?” Nancy said, her eyes focused on the food she was making.

“I miss daddy.”

Hearing those words broke her heart. Nancy turned around and noticed JJ playing with her hands and looking down at her feet. That view broke her heart even more. She stopped what she was doing and hugged her daughter again. JJ hadn’t seen Brian since he left for Portland to follow Nancy and it’d been quite a while, so Nancy wasn’t surprised she missed him. Not after realizing how much she loved her father.

“I have an idea.” She said, “Why don’t you call him and invite him over for breakfast?”

JJ’s face lit up again, but this time it was like her face was glowing. Her smile showing some her white, small teeth. “Can I?” It almost as she couldn’t believe she could actually call her father.

“Of course. Let me grab the phone.” She said, heading to the living for a moment to get her phone. She quickly dialed Brian’s number and turn on the speakerphone. She headed back to the kitchen and left the phone on the table, letting JJ sit on the nearest chair.

It didn’t take long for Brian to pick up the phone.

“I hoped you would call.” He said. “Please, tell me you changed your mind.”

Nancy held her breath as she heard Brian’s voice, and she was about to say something before he could say anything compromising, but JJ did it first.

“Daddy?”

“Oh…” He said before whispering a ‘shit’ that could be barely heard. “Hello, my beautiful princess. You called me! How are you?”

JJ smiled widely and moved closer to the phone, her feet on the chair and her body almost entirely on the table. “Good.” She said, looking at the phone as if it was the most beautiful thing. It made Nancy giggle for a moment. JJ looked at her mother, a confused look on her face.

“I’m glad you’re good. I miss you, honey.”

“I miss you too, daddy.”

“Uh–yeah. Brian? JJ wanted to ask you if maybe you’re up for having breakfast with us today?” She asked, gently rubbing JJ’s back. “Unless you’re busy, of course.”

“No, of course I’m not busy. I’d like to have breakfast with you girls.” He said. “Shall I bring something?”

“No, I’m making pancakes.”

“Awesome. I love pancakes.”

“Me too!” JJ exclaimed and Nancy chuckled.

“I’ll be there soon.”

“Bye, daddy!”

Nancy ended the phone call and laughed when JJ sat up on the chair, clapping her hands. “He’s coming!”

“Yes, he is. Now sit down properly; I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself.”

Brian didn’t bring food, like he originally wanted to; instead, he brought one single flower for JJ. He thought about bringing one for Nancy too, but he guessed she’d think it was too much. Walking into the kitchen with JJ in his arms, he finally eyed Nancy. She still had the same clothes from the previous nice, which happened to be a pair of old pajamas pants and an old t-shirt; her hair, instead, was up in a messy bun. He thought she looked incredibly beautiful, even if he kept her up until late.

“So, how’s my favorite girl doing?” Brian asked JJ, putting her in his lap. JJ immediately started telling him everything he’d missed in the previous weeks and Nancy couldn’t help but smile. She absolutely adored seeing Brian and JJ interact with each other and that was one of the main reasons why she couldn’t give in and give Brian what he truly wanted. She didn’t want to risk ruining one of the good things in her life.

Once Nancy was done making pancakes, she put them into three plates and placed them on the table, along with orange juice, coffee and milk for JJ. The child’s plate included half of a banana and two strawberries. JJ started to eat almost immediately, trying to speak in between bites, but Nancy quickly spoke.

“Eating first, JJ. Then you can speak.” She said, “I’m pretty sure dad won’t leave right after breakfast so you have plenty of time to tell him whatever you want.”

Brian looked at her, almost surprised to hear her words. That meant he could stay a little longer? He smiled at her and she took a deep breath, her eyes quickly shifting to her plate.

“So, uh–did you find a place where to stay last night?” She asked him and he nodded a bit.

“I went to my dad’s.” He explained. “He was surprised, Suzy wasn’t.”

Nancy nodded slightly and looked at JJ who was gulping her food. “Easy, JJ.” She said, then looked at Brian. Of course Suzy wasn’t surprised; she was a woman. “I’m glad you found a place where to stay.”

Brian nodded as well and then focused on his food and then on his daughter. The two ended up playing in JJ’s bedroom for the rest of the morning while Nancy was at her laptop, sending her resumes to various companies and even stores; she hoped somebody would offer her a job.

Later that morning, Brian walked into the living room and gently placed a hand on Nancy’s back. She could feel her muscles tense up, but tried to ignore them. She looked at him and watched him sit down next to her.

“About last night–”

“There’s nothing to say, Brian.”

“There’s so much to say, Nancy.” He corrected her, looking straight into her eyes.

Suddenly, she wondered where the hell JJ was and wished she was there to distract him. Nancy sighed and placed her laptop on the table, then put a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Anyway, I wanted to say sorry.”

Wait. What? Nancy frowned and looked at him, confused. Why was he saying he was sorry?
Was he regretting leaving Michelle?

“I shouldn’t have pushed you, you know.” He said as he rubbed his hands on his thighs. He looked uncomfortable, and he was. “I mean, I want you, but… I get it.” He added, sighing heavily. “I feel like I lost my chance or something, though.”

“Brian, you didn’t–”

Before she could finish her sentence, JJ ran into the living room and showed them the latest draw she’d just made. It pictures a little girl, a woman, and two men, one much taller than the other.

“Who is it, baby?” Brian asked.

“It’s you, mommy, uncle Jimmy and me.” She said; but the beautiful smile on her face faded as soon as she mentioned Jimmy. “I miss him.”

Nancy took a deep breath as JJ spoke and her heart stopped for a moment. She glanced up at Brian and met his gaze; they were thinking the same thing.

“Come here, honey. We have to tell you something.” Nancy said, patting the couch so her daughter could sit down between her parents.

Nancy wrapped an arm around her daughter and Brian moved closer, his eyes not leaving Nancy. He had no idea how to tell his daughter the worst news ever, so she pretty much left Nancy to tell her.

“You know, we miss uncle Jimmy a lot.”

“Really?”

“So very much.” Brian said, gently rubbing JJ’s leg.

“But unfortunately we won’t see him anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Nancy tried to find the right words; but how could she tell her child that the only man in her life so far, her favorite uncle, was dead? “Because he’s an angel now. He’s…” Her voice cracked and that was when Brian finally said something.

“He’s in heaven, baby.”

“What is heaven, daddy?”

“It’s a beautiful place where good people go at some point.”

“But… I want to see him.”

“I know you do and I wish we could see him, but unfortunately he can’t come back.” Nancy said, placing a kiss on JJ’s top of her head. “He’s somewhere much better.”

JJ looked down at her knees and frowned, probably not really understanding what her parents were saying. “You’re going to heaven too?” She asked, looking at both of her parents.

Nancy and Brian quickly glanced at each other before shaking their heads.

“Only when we’re super old.” Brian said. “Not now.”

“Old like nana Gladys?”

“Oh no. We’ll be much older, JJ.”

JJ seemed to be thinking for a minute, then finally looked up at her parents. There was a small smile on her lips and Nancy couldn’t be more relieved. She wasn’t exactly sure JJ understood what they’d just told her, but that was okay. She didn’t need to know the truth.

“Just remember that uncle Jimmy is always with you.” Nancy whispered, gently placing her hand on the left of JJ’s chest. “Here, in your heart.”

Notes

I wanted to wait for a while before posting the new chapter but I wanted to read your reaction about the text haha Some of you gave me great ideas about who Nancy could be texting to and I had ideas for all of your suggestions, but since I already have something planned I went with what I originally wrote. Hope you like this chapter and I truly hope you don't hate me (yet) :D Please, let me know what you think!

I noticed there are new people who subscribed and rated my story, so thank you so much. It means a lot to me <3 And as usual, a huge thank you to Kimmie, megan20089, J.J., Avengedlover, Hollie and seventhtrumpet for your comments – I absolutely love reading your reactions and opinions. Your words always put a smile on my face, so thank you very much <3