Words to Heal By -- Chapter Two
Title/Chapter: Words to Heal By (02/??)
Author: Amanda W. / writefiction
Pairing: Zac / OFC: Jilly
Rating: G
Notes: Written for the Mix Tape Challenge for the song “Broken Angel”
Warning: None
Previous Chapters
Word Count: 969
Summary: Now in his thirties, Zac decides to write a memoir of the time he spent with his soul mate and the tragedy of how their time was cut short. This is his time for healing.
WORDS TO HEAL BY: chapter two
Break my dreams, that's what they'll do
Well I'm going to runaway and learn to fly like you
Gonna go so high and swoop so low
Can't bring me down, going to be so proud
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
We were nine when Jilly decided to runaway from home. She ran all of five houses away… to my house. Her dad knew exactly where she was going as I heard my mom on the phone with him before she’d even arrived at our house. When the inevitable knock came on the door, my mom told me to answer it. I set my Power Rangers down and went to our back door. There was Jilly standing on the other side of the glass with her My Little Pony suitcase.
I pulled open the door and frowned. “Why do you have a suitcase?” I asked.
She held her chin up high and with an air of confidence only she could muster at such a young age said to me matter-of-factly, “I’m running away from home.”
I looked at her, eyes wide. “You can’t do that!” She pushed her way into my house and I closed the door. “Where are you going to stay?”
She squinted her eyes at me. “Well, duh,” she said. “In your tree house. You can bring me food and stuff.”
“What about school?” I asked. “You go to school.”
“Mom can teach me,” she answered, referring to my mother, the only mother figure she’d ever known as her mother had died during childbirth.
My mom walked into the room at that moment. “Oh hi, Jilly, what are you doing here?” she asked. I’d later think that question was weird as my mom had known Jilly was coming over before she’d even arrived.
“I’m running away from home,” Jilly told her. “Can I stay in the tree house?”
“You’re running away, are you?” my mother questioned. Jilly nodded. “Well, if you’d like, you can stay in the house. It gets chilly at night this time of year. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable inside?”
Jilly made her ‘thinking’ face. “Well, I guess I could.” She looked over at me and I nodded enthusiastically. This was going to be so much fun! “Well, okay,” she answered. “I’ll stay inside.”
My mom smiled. “Good. Now go put your things up in the boys’ room and I’ll make you two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, okay?” We both nodded and I took Jilly’s suitcase for her as she led the way up to the room I shared with my older brothers.
“This is gonna be so cool!” I exclaimed when we entered my room, or rather, what was to be our room.
“It’ll be like a big sleep-over every day!” Jilly replied excitedly. “Maybe I could even join the band!”
I frowned. “I don’t think my brothers would like that,” I told her.
Jilly stuck her lower lip out in a pout. “Why not?”
“Because I think it’s a boys only band.”
Jilly flopped down on my bed and sighed heavily. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I get stage-scared.”
“You do?” I asked sitting down beside her and pulling my legs up cross-legged on the mattress.
She nodded. “Yeah, when it’s my turn to speak in front of the class for D.O.L. my tummy starts to hurt,” she explained.
I reached over to hug her. “That sounds awful!”
She hugged me back and rested her head on my shoulder. “I wish I could stay here forever,” she whispered.
“Why wouldn’t you?” I asked. “You ran away from home and Mom said you could stay. Why would you have to leave?”
Jilly snuggled in closer. “Because my dad’s all alone in that big house. I can’t make him stay there forever, he’ll get scared by himself. What if the Boogie Man comes to get him?”
I squeezed my best friend tightly. “Yeah, I guess you’ll have to go home at some point.” I paused. “But for now lets just pretend you’re gonna stay here for the rest of your life.”
Jilly pulled back enough to smile at me. “I’d like that.” Then she kissed me on the cheek like always and laid her head back down on my shoulder.
Later that night my mom tucked Jilly and myself into my bed together. “Now, you two, don’t stay up all night talking, okay? Jilly has to get up in time for school tomorrow. And you, Zac, have to make up today’s work. I let it slide because Jilly needed you today, okay?” We both nodded. “You can stay up until Isaac and Taylor come up for bed but that’s it. Goodnight, guys,” she said and slipped from the room as she turned out the light.
Jilly turned into my side as soon as my mom left the room and snuggled in close. I wrapped my arms around her on instinct. I didn’t know it at the time, but she had fit so perfectly against me and it was like my arms were made to hold on to her.
“Jilly Bean,” I murmured into the dark.
“Hmm?”
“I love you,” I whispered and felt her smile against my neck.
“I love you too,” she replied making my heart swell with a feeling that I only ever associated with her. A feeling that I would later learn was love. Not that puppy dog stuff, but real love like my mother and father had. “Zac?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“Yeah?”
“We’re gonna get married when we grow up, right?” she questioned. The last time she had asked I’d told her I didn’t know. But when she asked me this time, I felt that her statement held some sort of truth to it.
“I promise,” I told her quietly.
“Pinky swear?” she asked and held out her pinky to me.
I hooked our tiny digits together and nodded. “Pinky swear.”
“Goodnight, Zaccy,” she whispered and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Sweet dreams, Jilly Bean,” I replied and held on to her a little tighter.
Author: Amanda W. / writefiction
Pairing: Zac / OFC: Jilly
Rating: G
Notes: Written for the Mix Tape Challenge for the song “Broken Angel”
Warning: None
Previous Chapters
Word Count: 969
Summary: Now in his thirties, Zac decides to write a memoir of the time he spent with his soul mate and the tragedy of how their time was cut short. This is his time for healing.
WORDS TO HEAL BY: chapter two
Break my dreams, that's what they'll do
Well I'm going to runaway and learn to fly like you
Gonna go so high and swoop so low
Can't bring me down, going to be so proud
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
We were nine when Jilly decided to runaway from home. She ran all of five houses away… to my house. Her dad knew exactly where she was going as I heard my mom on the phone with him before she’d even arrived at our house. When the inevitable knock came on the door, my mom told me to answer it. I set my Power Rangers down and went to our back door. There was Jilly standing on the other side of the glass with her My Little Pony suitcase.
I pulled open the door and frowned. “Why do you have a suitcase?” I asked.
She held her chin up high and with an air of confidence only she could muster at such a young age said to me matter-of-factly, “I’m running away from home.”
I looked at her, eyes wide. “You can’t do that!” She pushed her way into my house and I closed the door. “Where are you going to stay?”
She squinted her eyes at me. “Well, duh,” she said. “In your tree house. You can bring me food and stuff.”
“What about school?” I asked. “You go to school.”
“Mom can teach me,” she answered, referring to my mother, the only mother figure she’d ever known as her mother had died during childbirth.
My mom walked into the room at that moment. “Oh hi, Jilly, what are you doing here?” she asked. I’d later think that question was weird as my mom had known Jilly was coming over before she’d even arrived.
“I’m running away from home,” Jilly told her. “Can I stay in the tree house?”
“You’re running away, are you?” my mother questioned. Jilly nodded. “Well, if you’d like, you can stay in the house. It gets chilly at night this time of year. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable inside?”
Jilly made her ‘thinking’ face. “Well, I guess I could.” She looked over at me and I nodded enthusiastically. This was going to be so much fun! “Well, okay,” she answered. “I’ll stay inside.”
My mom smiled. “Good. Now go put your things up in the boys’ room and I’ll make you two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, okay?” We both nodded and I took Jilly’s suitcase for her as she led the way up to the room I shared with my older brothers.
“This is gonna be so cool!” I exclaimed when we entered my room, or rather, what was to be our room.
“It’ll be like a big sleep-over every day!” Jilly replied excitedly. “Maybe I could even join the band!”
I frowned. “I don’t think my brothers would like that,” I told her.
Jilly stuck her lower lip out in a pout. “Why not?”
“Because I think it’s a boys only band.”
Jilly flopped down on my bed and sighed heavily. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I get stage-scared.”
“You do?” I asked sitting down beside her and pulling my legs up cross-legged on the mattress.
She nodded. “Yeah, when it’s my turn to speak in front of the class for D.O.L. my tummy starts to hurt,” she explained.
I reached over to hug her. “That sounds awful!”
She hugged me back and rested her head on my shoulder. “I wish I could stay here forever,” she whispered.
“Why wouldn’t you?” I asked. “You ran away from home and Mom said you could stay. Why would you have to leave?”
Jilly snuggled in closer. “Because my dad’s all alone in that big house. I can’t make him stay there forever, he’ll get scared by himself. What if the Boogie Man comes to get him?”
I squeezed my best friend tightly. “Yeah, I guess you’ll have to go home at some point.” I paused. “But for now lets just pretend you’re gonna stay here for the rest of your life.”
Jilly pulled back enough to smile at me. “I’d like that.” Then she kissed me on the cheek like always and laid her head back down on my shoulder.
Later that night my mom tucked Jilly and myself into my bed together. “Now, you two, don’t stay up all night talking, okay? Jilly has to get up in time for school tomorrow. And you, Zac, have to make up today’s work. I let it slide because Jilly needed you today, okay?” We both nodded. “You can stay up until Isaac and Taylor come up for bed but that’s it. Goodnight, guys,” she said and slipped from the room as she turned out the light.
Jilly turned into my side as soon as my mom left the room and snuggled in close. I wrapped my arms around her on instinct. I didn’t know it at the time, but she had fit so perfectly against me and it was like my arms were made to hold on to her.
“Jilly Bean,” I murmured into the dark.
“Hmm?”
“I love you,” I whispered and felt her smile against my neck.
“I love you too,” she replied making my heart swell with a feeling that I only ever associated with her. A feeling that I would later learn was love. Not that puppy dog stuff, but real love like my mother and father had. “Zac?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“Yeah?”
“We’re gonna get married when we grow up, right?” she questioned. The last time she had asked I’d told her I didn’t know. But when she asked me this time, I felt that her statement held some sort of truth to it.
“I promise,” I told her quietly.
“Pinky swear?” she asked and held out her pinky to me.
I hooked our tiny digits together and nodded. “Pinky swear.”
“Goodnight, Zaccy,” she whispered and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Sweet dreams, Jilly Bean,” I replied and held on to her a little tighter.