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Growing Up Is Overrated Chapter 21
Muaha, here it is! Chapter 21! =P Hope you all had a merry christmas (or whatever) =) Here's a (day late) present from me =D
Title: Growing Up Is Overrated
Author: Craig (patchy4vam)
Rating: Mild
Pairing: Vam
Summary: Ville's family died in a devastating car crash, and he's been sent to live with the only family he has apparently got left. His first shock comes when he's told they live in America. His second shock is when he finds out that his two cousins are his age, one of whom is openly homosexual. The other however, Ville comes to think is insane. He is due to attend their high school, where he will meet some rather... unusual... friends. Ville's life is about to change, a lot. Especially when he meets a skater boy with cerulean eyes...
Prologue And Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapter 21: The History of the Hatred
Craig did as he said he would. The moment they got home, Craig waited for Alex to storm into her room before taking Ville to his room, explaining that they needed to talk. Ville closed Craig's door, mildly confused, and turned back to him.
"What's going on Craig?" He asked. Craig sighed.
"Look, I need to ask a favor of you." He went to his desk and pulled out one of the drawers. He lifted something out and walked back over. "Take a look at this." Ville took the object and looked at it. It was a photo. Three people were in it - only one of which he recognized. It was the girl in the middle. Those eyes were unmistakeable.
"Who are the guys?" He asked aloud. Craig sighed again.
"The guy on the right is Carter." Ville was surprised. This must have been taken a while ago, if he couldn't recognize Carter. "The guy on the left is a guy called Jereth." Ville looked up at Craig. "There was a time, a long time ago, when those three were best friends. Jereth and Carter had known each other since kindergarten. When Carter met me, he met Alex. Had a major crush on her, too." Craig smiled slightly. "But so did Jereth. The two drifted apart over her, but she brought them back together. They became the three best friends you see in that picture."
"What happened? Where's Jereth now?" Craig's eyes darkened.
"It was about four years ago now. Jereth had gotten a bit closer to Alex, and she really liked him. Of course, this killed Carter. Really hurt him, but Alex hadn't meant to hurt him, and he knew that. He wasn't bitter towards her, but towards Jereth, who had known about Carter's crush before he'd even properly met Alex. Carter felt that Jereth had taken her away from him." Craig paused for a moment. "Anyway, the two of them were down the skate park, Alex was teaching Jereth a new trick she'd learnt from one of our older friends. Carter was watching them from a distance, trying to decide whether to go over or not. Anyway, he looked away for a split second, and this is where everything went wrong. Because he looked away, he got the wrong idea. Jereth had attempted the trick and the skateboard had accidentally hit Alex in the face."
"Oh no. I can see where this is going." Craig nodded.
"Carter went over there to join them. He saw Alex's cut lip and red cheek, and saw Jereth's hand in the air. He'd actually lifted a hand to see if she was okay, but Carter thought he'd hit her. Naturally Carter beat the crap out of him for it, and wouldn't listen when Alex tried to explain what had happened. This was the first time anyone saw Carter's dangerous temper. He'd been a happy kid before this." Craig blinked back tears. "Jereth managed to escape Carter's grasp, and ran for his life. Carter, naturally, ran after him. Alex joined in the chase to try and stop Carter, and so she saw everything. She saw Jereth run out into the road."
"No…" Ville gasped. A tear slid down Craig's cheek.
"She saw Jereth get hit by a car, and she saw him die."
Alex sat in her bed, clutching the skateboard close. It was still in near-perfect condition. She'd bought Jereth this skateboard for his twelfth birthday. His last birthday. She stared at the torn picture she had removed from the wall. She stared at Jereth's grinning face. Stared at Carter's happy smile. Stared at her own grin. She'd only been eleven, but she believed she'd loved Jereth. Carter hadn't been blamed for Jereth's death. Jereth's parents - although angry that Carter had attacked him - didn't blame him for the death. But she did. If he'd stopped when she'd told him to, Jereth wouldn't have run away.
"Holy hell, Jereth! Oh god… no…"
Her fist clenched as Carter's voice echoed in her head.
"Oh no… please… Jereth… Jere, talk to me buddy!"
"Why couldn't you have left him alone?" She whispered to the photo. "You knew. You knew he wasn't going to answer you." She saw it all in her head. The car, the blood, the broken body in the road. Carter kneeling beside that body, calling Jereth's name, crying because he knew that Jereth was gone. She saw the driver of the car pull Carter away from Jereth's lifeless body, calling for an ambulance even though everyone there knew it was for nothing. She saw Carter collapse to the floor beside her, where she was sat on the edge of the sidewalk. She saw him turn to her, eyes glistening with tears.
And she saw herself push him away and run off.
She hadn't spoken to him for a year. It took another year for her to speak full sentences to him. She still couldn't speak to him without the events of that day repeat itself in her head. She'd tried to see it how everyone else had. It hadn't been his fault that the car hit Jereth. He hadn't been driving. But to Alex, he killed Jereth. He drove Jereth to the road. He drove Jereth into the path of the car. He took Jereth from her. She could never forgive him for that.
Ville sank to Craig's bed in shock. She saw him die? That must have killed her. He understood, now, why she was so hostile towards Carter. He understood how she blamed him. But at the same time he felt hurt for Carter, who had only been protecting her. He hadn't known that she hadn't needed protecting. He stared down at the photo he still held in his hands, and wished he could see them like that again. Slowly, he covered Jereth with his hand, so Carter and Alex remained. He wanted to see those two as friends once more.
"I was hoping you could try and talk to Alex." Craig said after a moment. "I've tried, but I don't think she really listened." Ville nodded.
"I'll try, Craig. I can't promise anything, but I'll try." Craig managed a smile.
"Thanks Ville. I'd leave it for a while though; she's still a bit snappy and will be for a few days." Craig sighed. "I hate seeing her like this. And I hate seeing Carter so upset over it." Ville nodded again.
"I'll wait until things settle down, and talk to her then." Ville stood up and handed the photo back to Craig. "I'll see you later Craig. I need some time to think this over." Craig nodded.
"Sure."
Carter sighed as he stared down at the photo of the three of them. He hated that Alex wouldn't talk to him. He'd tried so hard to explain what had happened that day, but she had refused to listen. Forcing back the tears, he put the photo down and sighed again. His bedroom door opened and Sarah walked in, pulling Brandy along behind her by his hand. The two of them had been playing in the garden, and she had then asked to play with his 'pretty hair'. Since Brandy adored Sarah like his own sister, he'd let her. She'd put his hair into a ponytail, with a pink bow to top it off. And he'd let her.
"I was only looking out for her." Carter murmured. Brandy sighed and let go of Sarah's hand. He walked over to Carter and stood between him and the photo. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him close.
"I know." Sarah joined them, hugging them both. Since both were rather tall, she could only reach their legs, but it was enough to make Carter smile. He pulled away from Brandy and reached down to pick her up in his arms.
"Hey, Rah-Rah, do you want to play with my hair too?" He asked with a grin. "You made Brandy look so pretty." Brandy blushed and touched the bow in his hair.
"Okay." Sarah grinned. "But Brandy has prettier hair. Yours isn't long enough to play with properly." She giggled, tugging gently on Carter's chin-length hair. "Besides, Kay-Kay, you're pretty already." Brandy nodded.
"She's right, you know." Smiling, Carter leant down and kissed him. Sarah prodded Carter in the side of the head.
"Don't do yucky stuff!" She demanded with a grin. Brandy laughed as Carter scowled.
"One day, you'll be doing 'yucky stuff', too." He said, putting her back down on the floor.
"Ew! No I won't." She retorted. "Why would I wanna kiss a boy?" Laughing, Brandy followed her out of the room. Carter looked back at the photo before he followed them.
"I'm sorry, Jereth. Please forgive me." Sighing, he followed his boyfriend and sister to her playroom.
Title: Growing Up Is Overrated
Author: Craig (patchy4vam)
Rating: Mild
Pairing: Vam
Summary: Ville's family died in a devastating car crash, and he's been sent to live with the only family he has apparently got left. His first shock comes when he's told they live in America. His second shock is when he finds out that his two cousins are his age, one of whom is openly homosexual. The other however, Ville comes to think is insane. He is due to attend their high school, where he will meet some rather... unusual... friends. Ville's life is about to change, a lot. Especially when he meets a skater boy with cerulean eyes...
Prologue And Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapter 21: The History of the Hatred
Craig did as he said he would. The moment they got home, Craig waited for Alex to storm into her room before taking Ville to his room, explaining that they needed to talk. Ville closed Craig's door, mildly confused, and turned back to him.
"What's going on Craig?" He asked. Craig sighed.
"Look, I need to ask a favor of you." He went to his desk and pulled out one of the drawers. He lifted something out and walked back over. "Take a look at this." Ville took the object and looked at it. It was a photo. Three people were in it - only one of which he recognized. It was the girl in the middle. Those eyes were unmistakeable.
"Who are the guys?" He asked aloud. Craig sighed again.
"The guy on the right is Carter." Ville was surprised. This must have been taken a while ago, if he couldn't recognize Carter. "The guy on the left is a guy called Jereth." Ville looked up at Craig. "There was a time, a long time ago, when those three were best friends. Jereth and Carter had known each other since kindergarten. When Carter met me, he met Alex. Had a major crush on her, too." Craig smiled slightly. "But so did Jereth. The two drifted apart over her, but she brought them back together. They became the three best friends you see in that picture."
"What happened? Where's Jereth now?" Craig's eyes darkened.
"It was about four years ago now. Jereth had gotten a bit closer to Alex, and she really liked him. Of course, this killed Carter. Really hurt him, but Alex hadn't meant to hurt him, and he knew that. He wasn't bitter towards her, but towards Jereth, who had known about Carter's crush before he'd even properly met Alex. Carter felt that Jereth had taken her away from him." Craig paused for a moment. "Anyway, the two of them were down the skate park, Alex was teaching Jereth a new trick she'd learnt from one of our older friends. Carter was watching them from a distance, trying to decide whether to go over or not. Anyway, he looked away for a split second, and this is where everything went wrong. Because he looked away, he got the wrong idea. Jereth had attempted the trick and the skateboard had accidentally hit Alex in the face."
"Oh no. I can see where this is going." Craig nodded.
"Carter went over there to join them. He saw Alex's cut lip and red cheek, and saw Jereth's hand in the air. He'd actually lifted a hand to see if she was okay, but Carter thought he'd hit her. Naturally Carter beat the crap out of him for it, and wouldn't listen when Alex tried to explain what had happened. This was the first time anyone saw Carter's dangerous temper. He'd been a happy kid before this." Craig blinked back tears. "Jereth managed to escape Carter's grasp, and ran for his life. Carter, naturally, ran after him. Alex joined in the chase to try and stop Carter, and so she saw everything. She saw Jereth run out into the road."
"No…" Ville gasped. A tear slid down Craig's cheek.
"She saw Jereth get hit by a car, and she saw him die."
Alex sat in her bed, clutching the skateboard close. It was still in near-perfect condition. She'd bought Jereth this skateboard for his twelfth birthday. His last birthday. She stared at the torn picture she had removed from the wall. She stared at Jereth's grinning face. Stared at Carter's happy smile. Stared at her own grin. She'd only been eleven, but she believed she'd loved Jereth. Carter hadn't been blamed for Jereth's death. Jereth's parents - although angry that Carter had attacked him - didn't blame him for the death. But she did. If he'd stopped when she'd told him to, Jereth wouldn't have run away.
"Holy hell, Jereth! Oh god… no…"
Her fist clenched as Carter's voice echoed in her head.
"Oh no… please… Jereth… Jere, talk to me buddy!"
"Why couldn't you have left him alone?" She whispered to the photo. "You knew. You knew he wasn't going to answer you." She saw it all in her head. The car, the blood, the broken body in the road. Carter kneeling beside that body, calling Jereth's name, crying because he knew that Jereth was gone. She saw the driver of the car pull Carter away from Jereth's lifeless body, calling for an ambulance even though everyone there knew it was for nothing. She saw Carter collapse to the floor beside her, where she was sat on the edge of the sidewalk. She saw him turn to her, eyes glistening with tears.
And she saw herself push him away and run off.
She hadn't spoken to him for a year. It took another year for her to speak full sentences to him. She still couldn't speak to him without the events of that day repeat itself in her head. She'd tried to see it how everyone else had. It hadn't been his fault that the car hit Jereth. He hadn't been driving. But to Alex, he killed Jereth. He drove Jereth to the road. He drove Jereth into the path of the car. He took Jereth from her. She could never forgive him for that.
Ville sank to Craig's bed in shock. She saw him die? That must have killed her. He understood, now, why she was so hostile towards Carter. He understood how she blamed him. But at the same time he felt hurt for Carter, who had only been protecting her. He hadn't known that she hadn't needed protecting. He stared down at the photo he still held in his hands, and wished he could see them like that again. Slowly, he covered Jereth with his hand, so Carter and Alex remained. He wanted to see those two as friends once more.
"I was hoping you could try and talk to Alex." Craig said after a moment. "I've tried, but I don't think she really listened." Ville nodded.
"I'll try, Craig. I can't promise anything, but I'll try." Craig managed a smile.
"Thanks Ville. I'd leave it for a while though; she's still a bit snappy and will be for a few days." Craig sighed. "I hate seeing her like this. And I hate seeing Carter so upset over it." Ville nodded again.
"I'll wait until things settle down, and talk to her then." Ville stood up and handed the photo back to Craig. "I'll see you later Craig. I need some time to think this over." Craig nodded.
"Sure."
Carter sighed as he stared down at the photo of the three of them. He hated that Alex wouldn't talk to him. He'd tried so hard to explain what had happened that day, but she had refused to listen. Forcing back the tears, he put the photo down and sighed again. His bedroom door opened and Sarah walked in, pulling Brandy along behind her by his hand. The two of them had been playing in the garden, and she had then asked to play with his 'pretty hair'. Since Brandy adored Sarah like his own sister, he'd let her. She'd put his hair into a ponytail, with a pink bow to top it off. And he'd let her.
"I was only looking out for her." Carter murmured. Brandy sighed and let go of Sarah's hand. He walked over to Carter and stood between him and the photo. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him close.
"I know." Sarah joined them, hugging them both. Since both were rather tall, she could only reach their legs, but it was enough to make Carter smile. He pulled away from Brandy and reached down to pick her up in his arms.
"Hey, Rah-Rah, do you want to play with my hair too?" He asked with a grin. "You made Brandy look so pretty." Brandy blushed and touched the bow in his hair.
"Okay." Sarah grinned. "But Brandy has prettier hair. Yours isn't long enough to play with properly." She giggled, tugging gently on Carter's chin-length hair. "Besides, Kay-Kay, you're pretty already." Brandy nodded.
"She's right, you know." Smiling, Carter leant down and kissed him. Sarah prodded Carter in the side of the head.
"Don't do yucky stuff!" She demanded with a grin. Brandy laughed as Carter scowled.
"One day, you'll be doing 'yucky stuff', too." He said, putting her back down on the floor.
"Ew! No I won't." She retorted. "Why would I wanna kiss a boy?" Laughing, Brandy followed her out of the room. Carter looked back at the photo before he followed them.
"I'm sorry, Jereth. Please forgive me." Sighing, he followed his boyfriend and sister to her playroom.