I own nothing.
Entire story inspired by Copeland's acoustic version of their eminent song, No One Really Wins.
Prologue.
"You."
It was a single-worded accusation, but just as powerful and profound as any court case could offer.
Joe languidly lifted his gaze just steadily enough to witness firsthand as his brother's fist collided into his jaw. He heard a twisted cracking sound and his head jerked backward as his neck arched in an awkward degree.
He was caught by the collar of his white oxford shirt lying beneath his gray sweater vest; his head spinning at the remarkable strength his younger sibling possessed. He inhaled sharply, throbs of pain flooding to every extremity of his face, and his brain seemed to be pounding violently against his thick skull.
"Nick," he breathed.
Nick narrowed his eyes into angry, fuming slits and the look of tears had threatened the stature of his infuriated form. "Why?" he hissed. "Why did you ruin everything?"
Honest to god, Joe really didn't know. He really, really didn't.
With his family's relationship back on track, his perfect best friend falling absolutely in love with him, and his depression kept on the farthest end of his heart's bay, he had everything, everything, going for him.
And then he purposely wrecked it; destroyed every last piece of his effort.
"Nick." again, was all he could say.
"I really loved her, you know," Nick cried in frustration. "And Jesus Christ, Joe, do you know how old she is? How old you are? Do you know what she's done for me? What she hasn't done, and never will do, for you? I will never forgive you for this. Never."
"Do you hate me, Nick?"
The younger of the two paused, his chest heaving. His face deadpanned.
"Yes."
Joe thought that this was the severe consequence to what he had done. He didn't doubt it. And he could feel the pieces of his world he finally managed to fix, fall apart. All on his accord; his fault. But this was just the aftermath of his mistake…
These following events were the beginning of it:
--
Chapter One.
It was cloudy when Joe Lucas returned home.
It probably wasn't going to rain, considering the sweltering ball of humid heat hanging high among the clouds, but maybe it was going to thunder later on. He never liked thunder; sometimes shuddered at the unmerciful sound of it, and he wasn't particularly fond of the lightening that generally accompanied it too.
He suddenly felt a small, precise tug from soft fingers that gently wrapped themselves around his thick wrist and his brooding thoughts had immediately tolled wistfully off into the distance. He turned to see a girl in the form of bright yellow hair, red high-heels, and a floral sundress.
Stella Malone smiled coyly at him, her eyes beaming. "Your hair's a mess."
He rolled his eyes, fingering the loose strings from the hem of his flannel shirt in slight irritation. "The usual result from spending an extended amount of time with you. After the first hour, I begin to pull my hair out."
Her smile had vanished and her eyes narrowed, an additional dramatized pout following in toll. A smirk claimed Joe's face and he squinted in satisfaction, sliding his wrist out of her grasp and instead intertwined their hands together, fingers threaded. Despite the agitation in her face, he could feel her voluntarily squeeze his hand in return.
This was their messy comfort.
Joe's family had lived down the street from Stella's and the two, inclined to the many predicted odds placed between them, had grown to become relatively close friends. It wasn't, however, until they reached their first year in college -- this year being their third -- with their dorms only separated by the invisible but defined divided line between the boy's section and the mirroring girl's one, had they learned they were completely dependent on one another.
It was a terrifying concept, that you weren't entirely whole without another existing, living, breathing soul in your life, but it was all Joe and Stella knew.
"Scared?" she asked next. He stared at the ground, long and hard, and eventually shook his head.
"To see the family? Nah."
"No, I mean--"
"I'm not afraid of that either." Just broken, is all.
The blonde girl, petite and so pretty, strayed her eyes away. The air suddenly felt heavier than before and it was hard to swallow.
A lump sat at the base of her throat but she still spoke softly, "you're a real good liar; you know that, Joe?"
"And you're a real good believer, Stell."
Joe was thirteen when he realized that maybe girls weren't so whiny and obnoxious. Instead, they were sort of sweet smelling and had some relatively interesting things to say.
It was at the age of fifteen when he decided to give one of them a go. It had been extraordinary -- that silly misconception of what being in love was like -- and they, Joe Lucas and Hailey Centennial, lasted about five months before he thought his heart was completely, utterly shattered when she left him for the school's golden boy, Jessie June.
During his nineteen years and three months of life, while he was away in the far-off fantasy land known as college, had he finally recognized the true definition of heartbreak. He still hadn't experienced love in the way his divorced parents claimed they once held (but, unfortunately, misplaced sometime long ago between their multiple arguments), however, he knew the pain he felt for Hailey leaving him was nothing compared to the death of his older brother, Kevin.
He almost didn't go back to school after that.
And he was pelted and pressed with the ugly misguided support of the idea that 'God had a plan with Kevin. God had much better things for him to do. God this. God that. God. God. God.'
Joe really didn't give a damn, though. Because he had Kevin first. Kevin was with their family first. And, in Joe's eyes, God was only greedy if He took Kevin's life through a robbery and a bullet.
Stella flicked his ear when he had spaced out. "Hel-lo, did you just hear what your dad said?"
Joe blinked. Then he thought and all he could remember was vague image of his aged father, weathered down from work and his eldest son's death, speaking briefly to Stella, welcoming Joe home, and quickly disappearing back into his home office where the lingering loss of Kevin couldn't seem to seep into.
She took his silence as a resounding no. "Nick's up in his room, you dummy. Try to say hi to him while I visit my family."
"Meet you later tonight?" he asked, rotating his wrists before picking up his duffle bag weighed with clothes for his summer stay.
"Maybe. I might have the usual family dinner though. I'll call you later, or just show up."
"Sounds good--"
Joe might have added something else, like for Stella to text him or that he'll come by her house instead, but his bulging suitcase had dropped to the floor when a rush of force pushed past him. He then tripped unceremoniously over his bag and Stella squealed in surprise, leaning over his fallen body as he stared up in a daze.
Another head knocked clumsily against Stella's and the blonde sharply withdrew hers, standing stick-straight with her hands cradling her head. They stared at the trouble-making stranger who was nothing but a tiny girl, inches shorter than the blonde, with gleaming eyes bouncing nervously back and forth from Joe to Stella.
"Oh my!" she gasped in alarm, appearing mortified at the evident damage and chaos she had created within seconds. "I'm so sorry! I always slide down the stairs and I didn't know anyone was here -- I… oh no, you two must hate me!"
She pulled Joe to his feet without his consent and stared apologetically at Stella. "Nick didn't say a word he was having anyone besides me over! I would've been more careful and --"
"Nick didn't say anything?" repeated Joe's blonde friend.
He shrugged, noting, "he still hates me."
"He's your brother, Joe. Hate doesn't give him a reason to act like you're not apart of the family!"
"My name's Joe, by the way," he said coolly, looking at the babbling brunette girl. He thumbed to his left casually, his eyes drifting off to his house's staircase this mysterious girl had slid down from. "And that's my friend, Stella Malone."
"Macy," she spluttered out hesitantly in response. "M-Macy Misa. I'm, um, Nick's best friend."
To clear up any further confusion:
Joe and Nick's family situation will be explained later. The gap (not actual ages) between the brother's ages are the same as they are in real life; Macy is Nick's age, which is seventeen, and Stella's is Joe's -- the promising age of twenty. There will be other couples before the eventual Joe/Macy one, but of course, you could probably already tell with Joe and Stella's questionable 'friendship'. And finally, the introduction of this story starts from the middle, then makes a recap of the beginning. Its definitely a different style of writing a plot, but I figured I'd try it -- seeing as my AP English class is only exercising my analytical and research abilities rather than my creative one. -_-
Anyway, reviews would be absolutely amazing :)