Author's Note: Told you guys it wouldn't be long! Here is Chapter One of Another Heart Calls. The Sequel to It's Better When I Bleed For You. If you just stumbled across this story, and haven't ready IBWIBFY go and read that before you attempt to read this one! It'll save yourself a lot of questions! To everyone joining from IBWIBFY, I sincerely hope you like the sequel. I love all of you. The song bit used in this chapter is Sara Evans' A Little Bit Stronger. No Copyright Infringement intended, and that goes for Tyson Ritter and Jared Leto. I dont own them. Evy, Brae, The Porter Boys and the storyline however are mine!
As Always, Read/Enjoy/Review!
Chapter One: A Little Bit Stronger
" Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end…Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next."-Unknown.
February 16, 2012
Ten days into the second month of the new year and all ready the whole having no job thing is driving me completely insane. There's only so many times a house can be cleaned, cupboards organized, and furniture rearranged before there is simply nothing left to do.
Of course I know that it's the waiting to find out if I got into the SDSU Nursing Program that has me feeling like I want to crawl the walls.
If only I could get the stupid letter all ready. Even if its to tell me I have no chance in hell, at least then I would have an answer.
Instead days pass, and nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Not even the upcoming Valentine's Day weekend trip, that's actually taking place the weekend of my birthday, with the Porter Boys is enough to take the edge off.
" Brae, stop pacing," Evy says from her seat at the counter in the kitchen, sketch book open and it doesn't surprise me that she doesn't even have to look up to know I'm pacing.
" I can't. Where in the hell is the mail at all ready?"
" It will be here at four fifteen, just like every other day."
" Ugh. I know I'm crazy. I know I'm driving everyone banana's but why haven't I heard anything yet?" I demand hopping up onto the counter across from her, swinging my legs erratically.
" Maybe because the Spring quarter doesn't start until April," she murmurs stretching her back out and I roll my eyes. Always the rational one.
" Whatever. I need to get the hell out of this house."
" We will be. Remember, weekend with the Porter Boys, Lake Tahoe. Snow, hot cocoa by a roaring fire, snow ball fights," she says and at once I light up at the idea of my birthday/Valentine's Day weekend in Lake Tahoe.
Completely worth having to wake up at two in the morning to make the ten and a half hour drive. At least that's what I keep telling myself even though inwardly I groan at the idea of getting up so damn early.
" The boys will be here later tonight too. I think having four boys in the house will be a pretty amazing distraction," she says closing her sketch book.
She doesn't lie. The idea of Mark, Carson, Tate, and Chase under our roof is almost overwhelming. Only because there's only so much room, and that's a whole lot of testosterone to have in our house.
" Speaking of boys, have you heard from yours?" I ask, and Evangeline's answering snarl tells me she hasn't. Seems like someone still hasn't gotten over the fact that its been nearly four days since their last phone conversation, and he committed one of the big relationship no-no's.
He forgot Valentine's Day.
" I'm going to take that look on your face as a no," I say and I nearly jump out of my skin when the doorbell rings, " That could be the mail!"
I race to the front door and pull it open, slightly deflated when I find a delivery man hidden behind a vase full of flowers, Evy flowers.
White roses and Stargazer Lilies.
" Hello. I have a delivery for Evangeline Mason, you her?" the exhausted man asks, and I smile at him.
" No, but she's just inside. I'll sign for her," I say taking the electronic signature pad from his hands.
" Thanks. Here you go. There's also this," he says handing me a medium sized box.
" Thank you. Have a great night," I murmur and I shut the door behind me, taking just a second to bury my face in the blooming flowers.
" Jared, its Evy. You remember her right? Your girlfriend. I was just calling to let you know I'm not talking to you," I hear Evangeline say as she stands her back to me one hand on her hip, phone pressed to her ear. I laugh before clearing my throat, and she turn around, her phone slipping and clattering to the floor.
" Oh my God."
" I'm guessing someone is going to have to call back and apologize," I say as she hurries across the kitchen taking the flowers from me, her eyes closing as she inhales the scent of the beautiful flowers.
XXX
" You know, Jared, is really cute," I say sitting next to Evangeline on the couch as she turns the pages in the photo book Jared sent along from tour.
" Cute? You need your eyes checked Brae, my man is fucking gorgeous," she says and I laugh, only to be cut off mid-giggle when I see the picture in front of me.
Jared in a black leather jacket, holding a gold wrapped Trojan Magnum in front of his face, and in the corner in his handwriting.
' Imagine this….'
" Oh, oh, that is way more than I needed to know," I say laughing even as I blush and Evangeline rolls her eyes at me.
" Oh, he's in so much trouble. The tease," she jumps when her phone rings, her face lighting up as she scrambles to answer it, " Hi. Baby, I just got it. I love you. I love you. I love you."
" Tell Mr. Magnum Man I said hi," I say and she shakes her head at me as I walk away to give her privacy.
XXX
I lay on my bedroom floor, staring up at the ceiling with my I-pod playing in my ears. Things have gotten easier. It still hurts. A little. To breathe. Especially when I catch myself thinking of Tyson at random moments of the day.
A song will come on and suddenly I'll think of him. And then it hurts again.
Aside from those few moments though, life is almost bearable again.
I close my eyes slowly, the words rolling over me.
' I know my heart will never be the same,
But I'm telling myself I'll be okay
Even on my weakest days,
I get a little bit stronger…'
I know I'm not alone even before I open my eyes. The energy of the room's a little different, and I lifting one hand up I pull the earbuds from my ears and smile when I look over and see Chase laying next to me.
" Hi." I whisper barely flinching when he laces his fingers with mine.
" Hi." Chase says, smiling at me.
" You look exhausted," I murmur noting the circles under his eyes from his lack of sleep.
" I am exhausted. I pulled three eighteen hour shifts to get the time off for this weekend," he says and I wince, shaking my head.
" You will not be driving in the morning," I say and I enjoy his deep rolling laugh.
" Thank God. I plan on sleeping the whole time," he says, " That way when we get to Tahoe I'll be Mr. Sunshine."
" That's Dr. Sunshine," I giggle and he gently knocks his knee against me. The silence falls. An easy one that I can lose myself in for hours and not feel uncomfortable. I feel content as we stare at my ceiling together.
" What do you see when you look up there Brae?" he asks gently and I shrug my shoulders staring at the stars painted on my ceiling, a new addition to my dark themed room.
" I don't know. I guess. I guess I see hope," I murmur, immediately feeling stupid for my response.
" That's good," he whispers and I can tell he's starting to drift to sleep, " Hope is always good." I smile curling myself against him as I close my eyes.
XXX
" Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Mark calls cheerfully and I snap my eyes closed and then immediately shut when the light that blares on burns my eyes.
" Shut up," Chase groans, rolling over so that his arm is flung over my stomach.
" No can do little brother. Its time to get up. We have exactly, fifty six minutes until we hit the road. Showers, coffee, load up, let go. Move. Move. Move."
" Is he always this disgustingly cheerful in the morning?" I demand and Chase's answering 'humph' tells me that Mark does in fact wake up this way every morning, and that it bugs the hell out of him, " Well you heard the man. Time to get up, God knows I don't want him coming back in here with all his…cheer."
" Wake me when you get out of the shower," he mumbles into the carpet and I roll my eyes and maneuver myself out from under his arm. Rubbing at heavy eyes I grab the clothes I had laid on the end of my bed the day before and stumble half asleep into my bathroom.
I don't know what it is about a good shower that makes me feel balanced. Awake. Refreshed. I twist the towel around my hair and step into my room, finding that Chase still hasn't moved from the spot where we fell asleep on the floor.
Fantastic.
" Chase," I say, nudging his shoulder with my foot, " Chase."
" Mmpf, go 'way," he mutters and I roll my eyes at him.
" Chase, you need to get up and get in the shower," I say and he growls, literally growls at me and I decide this situation calls for drastic measure. I breeze in and out of the bathroom, a cup in my hands, and stifling the laughter that threatens to bubble from my lips I begin tipping the cup until a steady stream of water splashes against the back of Chase's neck.
" Holy shit! What the hell," Chase bellows bolting up and I laugh loudly, setting the cup on my dresser.
" I tried waking you nicely," I say stepping over him to let him curse my walls down as I hunt up some coffee.
XXX
" Okay, so we have the car situation figured out. Thanks to Brae and her immense cooking and baking skills there is a food basket in each car," Marks says happily as we all step into the cold February air.
" What Mark's trying to say nicely is because I'm a loser who doesn't have a job and still hasn't heard from SDSU about whether I'm in the nursing program or not I was the only one with the time on my hands to cook and bake," I say and the answering laugh I get is sympathetic.
" Don't worry so much Brae, you'll get it, I know you will," Carson says brushing a hand over my shoulder.
" Okay, enough with the pep talk," Evy says, yawning, " Can we just pile into our respective cars so those of us not on driving duty can go back to sleep?"
" Of course love," Mark says, " Tate remember your following me, no trying to race. It'll get icy once we hit the mountains and the last thing we need is an accident."
" Ugh, he just knows how to take the fun out of everything," Tate says his lips creating a nearly perfect pout.
" You better listen to your big brother Tate, you have my best friend in your car," Evy says and I smile waving them off.
" So Brae you riding shotgun?" Tate asks and I start to nod my head to assure him that he wont be alone in being awake on the ride only Chase beats me to the punch.
" Sorry bro, but I've all ready claimed Brae for my snuggle buddy," Chase says and I just blink owlishly as Tate grumbles his way behind the wheel.
" Its okay Tate, wake me up at the first stop and I'll come up front," I say and he beams at me from the front of the car even as Chase pulls me against him, my head pillowed against his shoulder.
Maybe twenty five wont be so bad after all.
