* I hope you like this! Please leave reviews!
*In this chapter Jimmy is now 15 ½, Rose 13 ½, Michael 11 ½.
A New Life
-Chapter 13: How Do I Live Without You?–
Jimmy's day had been going smoothly and without incident so far. He was jogging home from track practice when Alice caught up with him. It was a cold Tuesday in January and they were both eager to get warm. "So how was practice?" Alice asked. "Cold. Seemed like forever." Jimmy said. "Well don't get that attitude. You still like running track don't you?" Alice asked. "Yeah, I do. It's not that. It's freezing out, so if it weren't for the running I'd be an icicle. They don't even let us wear a sweat shirt. It's the sleeveless track shirt and sweat pants till February then we switch to shorts." Jimmy said. "That's rough. But you keep doing it. How come?" Alice asked. "Cause I love doing it. That's how come. Cause every year I know it's gonna be freezing for the first month or so. But it gets warm in a hurry." Jimmy said. "You know you put yourself through a lot of hard stuff cause you just wanna do it." Alice said. "Hard stuff? Like what?" Jimmy asked. "Like track in thirty degree weather. And dealing with your diabetes, and sometimes your brother's too. And making sure you keep up with me." Alice said. "First of all I love running. It doesn't matter how bad the weather is. I just like to get out there and run. And I have the whole diabetes thing under control. And so does Michael for the most part. He hardly ever has to get reminded to do things like take insulin. I mean he still hasn't managed to gain any weight back after that diabetic attack last year. But he's fine. And as for keeping up with you…I really don't know what that's supposed to mean. I never think of being your boyfriend as some kind of a burden to keep up with. I always thought it was more the other way around." Jimmy said.
"And what's that supposed to mean? Huh?" Alice asked. "Well… I mean. At eight grade graduation we decided to start dating. Then three short months later you find out I'm not as tough as you thought I was. And it's gotta still be in the back of your head that I might become that guy that throws down with other guys. I mean…you know after the way I reacted when Michael and his friends got beat up by those ninth graders." Jimmy said. "Okay, well none of the diabetes stuff is your fault. I could never, in good conscience, treat that as something you did to me. That would be horrible. I wouldn't deserve to be your girlfriend if I acted that way. But you've always been the tough one. You didn't let having diabetes change that. If anything it made you even tougher." Alice said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks." Jimmy said. "But the truth is I'm glad your 'fighting days' are over. Cause if you got into another fight…well I don't think I liked that part of you… I'm glad it's gone." Alice said. "Yeah me too." Jimmy said.
They were standing outside Jimmy's house when they shared short kiss and a warm hug. "Ohh…you're getting cold, let's get inside before we both freeze." Jimmy said. They walked inside and took off their jackets. Jimmy went upstairs to change into normal clothes. Alice sat on the couch thinking she wished he would leave his track shirt on cause she liked how his muscles looked. While Jimmy was changing he was thinking about how cute Alice looked wearing her jacket and scarf with her lips a dark color from the bitter cold air. When Jimmy got back down he and Alice sat next to each other and leaned up against one another. They cracked open their English books and took turns reading the assigned passages that where due the next day. Before long Rose popped in through the front door and pulled off her jacket and put it in the closet.
"Hey Alice, I need your advice on something." Rose said. "Yeah what is it?" Alice asked. "And why can't I give you advice? I am your big brother after all." Jimmy said. "Cause you never wanted to talk to me about this before. Plus it's girl stuff and you're a boy, so you won't understand." Rose said, pretending she was nine again and thought boys had 'cooties'. "Yeah, girl talk…you won't understand." Alice said, turning her head and winking at Jimmy as she walked over to the table just off of the kitchen space. "So what's up? Is it a boy?" Alice asked. "How'd you know?" Rose asked. "You're thirteen, what else could it be?" Alice asked. "True. You're really smart." Rose said. "You're right I am. But I was your age two years ago, so I know what it's like to be into a boy." Alice said. "Yeah, but that was Jimmy…he's not a boy." Rose said. "He's your brother. So this might be hard for you to hear, but he is hot. And smart and nice." Alice said. "So are you Alice. You're hotter than the sun…wow that was cheesy." Jimmy shouted over to Alice.
"Quit eavesdropping you!" Alice said, turning her focus back to Rose. "You're right that is hard to hear. Can we try not to go there again?" Rose said. "Sure thing. So what's going on?" Alice asked. "Well I like this boy and I want him to know it. My parents are gonna let me start dating next school year so…" Rose said. "So you wanna know how to talk to him and get him to be into you. That's gonna be hard at your age if you don't have an edge like Jimmy and I did. We knew each other for a long time and it was really natural. Ooops…sorry about that." Alice said. "It's alright. I just meant try not to talk about how he looks and stuff…weird." Rose said. "Okay. Well wait… you've know him forever so you should be pretty familiar with him. It shouldn't be that hard when the time comes." Alice said. "I wouldn't say I've known him that long. He only moved here from LA three or four years ago." Rose said, a confused crinkle between her eyebrows. "Ohh…you meant…" Alice said. "Ben…Ben Linus. He's really cute and he's cool too. I think I want to ask him out when we get to high school next fall. But I want him to know I'm interested before that so he's not taken when the time comes… And who were you thinking of?" Rose asked. "Ben… I was just thinking of somebody else I know that knew a guy really long. Sorry. I meant Ben." Alice said. She was not about to reveal the fact that Jimmy had told her in confidence that Rose's best friend Alex was probably in love with her. She didn't want to be the one that delivered that news.
"Well when the time comes, if he knows you're interested in him. He'll ask you." Alice said. "You think?" Rose asked. "Yeah, it'll work. You just have to make sure he likes you and then he'll ask you cause he'll want to too." Alice said. "So how do I get him to like me?" Rose asked. "Easy. You just talk to him a lot. Get to know him better. Find out what you have in common. Try doing things with him at school, like working on assignments and stuff. He'll like being with you and want it to keep happening. Just be yourself too. Don't pretend. That's the worst. He'll eventually figure out you're a lot more normal than you lead on if you try to be different to get his attention. But you won't have to do that. You're plenty interesting the way you are." Alice said. "Thanks. Thanks a lot. I hope you're right. I hope it works." Rose said. "Trust me. He'll be yours in no time." Alice said. She made her way back over to Jimmy and sat down up against him again.
"Your sister's really cool, you know?" Alice asked. "Yeah, she is. Don't tell her I said that. I'd never live it down." Jimmy said. "So what've we got to do for the homework?" Alice asked. "I think I have it figured out. The main character has a superiority complex that will be his downfall." Jimmy said. They worked on homework for the next hour until right before Michael got home. "I'm not staying around too long. I'm gonna go over to Susan's. We're all gonna do homework together and stuff. I'll be back after dinner." Michael said. "Okay, I'll tell mom and dad." Jimmy said. Michael ran up to his room, grabbed something and went shooting back out the front door. "Wow Michael really has a lot of energy." Alice said. "Yeah, I know it's been a while but I'm glad he can walk again. I can't imagine how it would've been for him if the wheelchair'd been permanent." Jimmy said. "Yeah, he's such a happy kid. Not the kind of kid that would've done well like that. But then who would?" Alice said. "Well I'm gonna take my insulin now. Gotta eat in a few hours." Jimmy said. "Yeah, I gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow." Alice said. "Not if I see you first." Jimmy said. "Cheesy." Alice said smiling as she kissed him lightly on the cheek.
The next day was no more eventful than the previous. That was until Jimmy and Alice where walking home together. They got about halfway there when a suspicious looking man stepped in front of them and blocked their path. They both stood there for several seconds hoping he would leave them alone. But there was no such luck for them this time. "Gimme all the money you got boy." The man said. "No." Jimmy said flat out. "Trust me you better give it to me boy." The man said. "Why should I?" Jimmy said, imagining that he might regret asking the question. "I got ten reasons right here." The man said, raising his fists. "Come on, I don't want any trouble. Just leave me alone." Jimmy said. "I'll make it real easy for ya' gimme all your money and you won't get any trouble." The man said. "I don't think so." Jimmy said. "Well that's just too bad for you then." The man said. He threw a punch, but Jimmy had seen it coming. He ducked under the punch. The man's fist slammed into the brick wall behind Jimmy. "Ahhhhh, gahhhhh!" The man screamed out. The bones in his fingers broken with the impact, blood seeped from his knuckles. But he didn't want to back down. He drew back his other fist to try to hit Jimmy again. But Jimmy was too quick for him. He had moved in behind the man and used his right leg to knock the man off his feet. He landed on his back and uttered some unintelligible curse words. For good measure Jimmy moved quickly on his feet. "Let's get outta here, quick." Jimmy said. He and Alice took off running and didn't stop until they got to Jimmy's house. Alice was slightly out of breath. But due to his extreme good health and all the running he did Jimmy's heart rate had barely been elevated.
"Wow that was scary." Jimmy said. Alice just looked up at him with a shocked look on her face. "Oh, come here." Jimmy said. He put his arms around her and hugged her to his chest. "It's okay. We're fine. That's never happened before…good thing is…probably never will again." Jimmy said. "I hope you're right. You where great though." Alice said in a hushed voice. "You think so? So that doesn't count as me fighting, right?" Jimmy asked. "No, not really. You couldn't avoid that." Alice said. "Just so you know. I would never let anything happen to you. But to tell the truth that guy wasn't any big deal. If he'd come at you, you'd probably've been able to handle him." Jimmy said. "But I had you so I didn't have to." Alice said smiling up at Jimmy; she put her hand around the back of his head and kissed him on the lips. When they broke apart they went inside and did their homework.
Alex Rhodes walked down the halls of Sea View Middle school with his best friend Rose. They were mostly talking about how they were going skateboarding after school. "So I figured we'd go to the usual place just off the pier." Rose said. "Sounds like a good idea. I just fixed that wheel on my board so I've been waiting to try it out; I mean really put it to the test." Alex said. He was having a good time talking to her. Anything that didn't remind him of his feelings for her was a good conversation for him. Even if they were just talking about something boring like the weather. But as soon as he finished that thought the conversation shifted to another subject. It was like he was being punished for something he didn't do or didn't mean to do. "You know I really like Ben?" Rose asked. "Yeah, I know." Alex said, less that enthusiastically. "Maybe this summer or next school year, I might ask him out." Rose said. "That's up to you." Alex said. "Of course it is. Is something bothering you? You seem like you're zoned out now." Rose said. "Nope. No problem." Alex said. "Well anyway, I need to let him know I'm interested in him. You know, win him over. Got any ideas?" Rose asked. "This might come as a shock to you. But I don't know anything about getting a guy to like me." Alex said. "Sorry. You don't have to get smarmy." Rose said. "… 'Smarmy', now there's a word for ya." Alex said. "Yeah, I don't know where that came from. Hah." Rose said. The both laughed a little. It was pleasing to Alex because he figured they were off the subject of Rose winning over Ben Linus. "Well I guess I'll just have to play it by ear." Rose said.
When they got to the Oken house they finished their homework quickly and then grabbed their skateboards and raced down to the sidewalks that where just off of the pier. It was going well at the beginning. They both impressed each other with the moves they were able to perform. But soon enough Alex noticed how cute Rose looked when she tucked her knees to flip her board. And then thoughts, of how funny she was and how pleasing her laugh was, entered his mind. He couldn't help but think of how she was never too nice to him and it always seemed she was kind to him no matter what her mood was. All these thoughts caused him to lose his balance. He fell to the ground and scraped his knee. "You okay?" Rose called over to him. "Fine. I'm fine. I just lost my footing." Alex said. He stood back up and regained his composure. But the truth was he wasn't fine. The sudden jolt of pain in his leg was enough to bring on a sudden jolt of pain in his heart. Thoughts of Rose falling for Ben Linus flooded into his mind, he was powerless to stop it. In fact just seeing Rose at the moment made him feel short of breath. He pretended to be dizzy so he could make an excuse to leave. "Are you sure you're alright?" Rose asked. "Actually I do feel a little weird. You mind if I go home?" Alex asked. "No, no problem. Want me to walk with you?" Rose asked. "No, I'll be fine." Alex said. "Okay, if you say so. See ya tomorrow." Rose said. "See ya." Alex murmured.
But he didn't go home. As soon as he was out of her line of sight he headed for the beach. And then looped back around and made his way under the peer. He slumped down against one of the support polls. Unbeknownst to him this was very near to the place where Rose's older brother had kissed his future girlfriend for the first time when he was twelve.
He let a single tear run down his cheek. For no matter how hard he tried to hold his feelings in he couldn't help but let them overpower him every once in a while. And this was one of those times. He sat there with his head buried in his knees and breathed deeply as he cried lightly into his pant legs. It was cold out but he didn't care. He didn't even seem to notice the wind wisping around him as the waves crashed onto the shoreline.
But after a while he sensed a presence which caused him to sit straight up in a heartbeat. He came crashing back down to reality. The hostile cold wind made him shake. "Are you alright?" Asked a voice, a girl's voice. It sounded familiar. But Alex couldn't place the person with the voice. But that quickly changed as the girl stepped into the light and pulled down the hood of her jacket. It was Kristin Bauer. "How come every time I see you alone, you're upset about something?" Kristen asked. "I dunno." Alex said in a shivery voice. "It wouldn't happen to be the same thing as last time would it?" Kristen asked. "Yeah, it is. How'd you guess?" Alex asked, huffing out visible puffs of breath, due to the cold. "Lucky guess maybe." Kristen said with a slight smile. "Is it that obvious?" Alex asked. "It is to me. But if it makes you feel any better I don't think anybody else can tell. You do a pretty good job of hiding it. I can only tell cause you told me before." Kristen said. "Thanks. But for some reason I don't feel better." Alex said. "Well I know what will make you feel better." Kristen said. "What?" Alex asked. "Go home and get into some warm clothes." Kristen said. It sounded really good to Alex at the moment. "Sound like a great idea. There's just one problem." Alex said. "And what would that be?" Kristen asked. "I can't move my legs. I've been sitting here so long in the cold. They've frozen stiff." Alex said. "Here, I'll help you up." Kristen said. She put out her hands and clasped them around his arms. She hoisted him up with a little difficulty. When she managed to get him to his feet their faces were only about an inch apart. Feeling uncomfortable, Alex managed to limp around her and make his way off the beach, heading for home. Kristen smiled at the sight of him walking away.
The next week was very uneventful for Jimmy until Friday rolled around. Alice had stayed after to tutor a group of ninth graders for their English class. So Jimmy was walking home with Sam and Andy when two other tenth graders approached them from behind. "Hey Corelli! It's time to settle things once and for all!" Kurt Martin yelled. He was accompanied by his crony Mark Smith. "Not in the mood Martin." Andy said. "Well that's just too bad cause I am." Kurt said, slamming his fist into Andy's face. "Hey, hey, hey!" Jimmy said. "Come on, don't do this." He said. "And who's gonna stop us?" Kurt asked belligerently. "I don't know maybe me." Jimmy said. "And me." Sam said. "Stay outta this Sam." Jimmy said. "Yeah stay out this Sam!" Mark said antagonistically. He walked over and shoved Sam onto the ground. That was all it took for Jimmy. He lashed out with his fist crashing into Mark's jaw. Blood dripped over his lower lip, and he cursed fiercely. But before he could strike back Jimmy grabbed him by the back of the head pushing his head down and slamming his knee into his stomach. Mark doubled over onto the ground. He was down and wasn't getting back up due to the realization that he was horrible outmatched.
"Good one Jimmy!" Andy called to him. He had taken his attention off of his opponent just long enough for a fist to impact his chest. He feel back, still on his feet, dazed and unable to move. Jimmy stepped up and slammed his fist into Kurt's chest just below his neck. Kurt gasped for air and fell to the ground. By this time Sam was on his feet and wasn't wasting any time. "Come on you guys let's go!" Sam shouted in desperation. They didn't argue. They took off running down the sidewalk for home leaving the two bullies in their wake, moaning in pain on the cement. Kurt and Mark would never tell anyone what had happened for the simple fact that it would damage their reputations as people to be feared.
An hour later, Jimmy was studying homework with Sam, and helping Andy with his. Alice came in the door with a smile on her face. "How's it going you guys?" She asked. "Great, we're almost done here." Jimmy said. "Wait. What's that on your shirt Jimmy?" Alice asked. "What's what?" Jimmy asked. "It looks like blood." Alice said. "Oh, shoot, you weren't supposed to see that." Jimmy said. "What's that supposed to mean? You've been fighting and you didn't want me to know? Is that it?" Alice demanded. "Uhh…something like that…didn't wanna make you upset." Jimmy said. "Well too late. Come on we need to talk." Alice commanded him. "Okay, fine let's go outside." Jimmy replied. They stepped outside through the front doorway and Jimmy closed it behind him.
"What were you thinking?" Alice shouted at him. "I was thinking my friend and my best friend where in trouble and I wanted to help." Jimmy said. "That's nice but didn't you learn anything the last time you got into a fight? Like the need to just walk away!" Alice shouted. "When I'm being attacked I think I should defend myself." Jimmy said. "The best way you could have defended yourself would've been for all of you to walk away." Alice said. "That wasn't exactly an option." Jimmy said. "Well if you'd been thinking you would've gone and gotten help or called the police or something." Alice said. "Well I guess I wasn't thinking then." Jimmy said. "That's right you weren't." Alice said. "Why are you lecturing me like this? You're not my mother!" Jimmy said. "And apparently I'm not your girlfriend anymore either." Alice said. "What? It doesn't have to be like that." Jimmy pleaded. "Yes it does. I told you one more time and I couldn't date you anymore." Alice said. "Fine! Be that way!" Jimmy said stubbornly. "Fine!" Alice shouted back. "FINE!" Jimmy said going inside and slamming the door behind him.
"Jimmy…" Sam said. "Don't say anything. I don't want that." Jimmy said. "What do you want?" Andy asked. "I think you guys should leave." Jimmy said. They didn't argue. They just left without saying much of anything. About a half hour later Rose got home from school. And then an hour after that so did Michael. But neither of them had any interaction with Jimmy. When their parents came home Rose said "Mom, Jimmy's up in his room. He won't come out and he won't answer me." "I'll go see if I can find out what's wrong?" Lilly said. She walked upstairs and knocked on Jimmy's door. There was no answer. She tried several more times but still got no answer from inside. "Fine, don't answer but I'm still coming in." Lilly said. She came in to find Jimmy lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, his eyelids barley blinking. A small portion of his stomach was exposed at the bottom from where he had flopped onto the bed and not bothered to pull his shirt down. "Jimmy what's wrong?" Lilly said. He said nothing and still didn't move a muscle. He gave no sign that he even knew there was another person in the room. "Jimmy talk to me…Can you hear me? Oh my God are you having some kind of diabetic problem?" Lilly said franticly.
Jimmy snapped back into responsiveness. "No mom. I'm fine." He said. "Oh, good. I thought there was something wrong." Lilly said. "There is…it's just not that." Jimmy said. "What is it?" Lilly said. "Alice…she broke up with me." Jimmy said. Lilly sat down on the bed next to her son. He sat up and moved next to her. "Oh, baby I'm so sorry." Lilly said putting her arm around him, pulling him up against her. They sat there in silence for a long while in the slight darkness of the evening. Over a half an hour later Lilly broke the quiet. "You think you'll be okay?" Lilly asked. "I'll manage, somehow." Jimmy said. "Wanna come down and get some dinner in a little while?" Lilly asked. "No, I'm not hungry." Jimmy said. "What if I bring you something later?" Lilly asked. "Maybe. That might be nice." Jimmy said. "Okay, well I'm gonna leave you alone for now. I'll tell everybody you're okay." Lilly said as she got up and walked out the door, closing it behind her, leaving Jimmy in the darkness of his room.
Later that evening after he had eaten the sandwich and juice his mother had brought him he went outside forgetting to put a coat on. But he didn't seem to notice the cold. He sat down on the edge of the deck with his legs dangling over the side. He sat in silence for a while. But before long, without even being totally aware of it he started to sing out loud to himself. "…But you didn't have to walk away no you didn't have to walk away. You didn't have to walk away from me tonight. No you didn't have to walk away. You didn't have to walk away. No you didn't have to walk away from me tonight". He wasn't sure where he'd heard the words before, but they seemed fitting at the moment.
Earlier that same day Alice slowly made her way back home. She wished she could take back everything she had just said and done. But in her mind she was at least part way sure it had been the right thing to do given the circumstances. When she got home she slumped in through the door and made her way to the stairs. But before she could make it there her mother noticed her. "What's wrong Alli?" She asked. "What makes you think there's anything wrong?" Alice asked. "A mother knows when her little girl is down." Her mother said. "I broke up with Jimmy." Alice said. "What? How come? He's such a nice boy. Why would you do such a thing?" Her mother asked. "He got into another fight after school today." Alice said. "I thought he was past that part of his life. How did it happen?" Her mother asked. "I don't really wanna talk about it." Alice said. "Okay. When you're ready, I'm here to talk." Her mother said.
Without another word Alice walked sulkily up the stairs for her room. But before she got there her older brother crossed her path in the upstairs hallway. He was now twenty, and very tall and lanky. But he was still fairly good looking. He was home on break from college. He had moved away to school but he was still the best older brother she could ever hope to have. He was always supportive of her. He always had good, strong advice for her when she needed it. He was almost never rude to her, the way a stereotypical older sibling was. He had always been kind and gentle no matter what. This made it exceptionally easy for Alice to confide in him. But at the moment she didn't feel like speaking to anyone. So if she wanted to open up to her brother he would have to make the first move. Luckily for her, Simon was even better at reading her emotions than her mother was.
"What's up Alli? You look like you're cat just died. Only I happen to know we don't have a cat. So what happened?" Simon asked. "I just broke up with Jimmy." Alice said. It didn't feel any better saying it for a second time but she knew she'd have to talk about it sooner or later. "Why? Was he cheating on you or something?" Simon asked. "No, nothing like that." Alice said. "Yeah, I kinda didn't think so. He doesn't strike me as that kind of guy." Simon said. "You're right. He's not." Alice said. "Well then what made you leave him?" Simon asked. "He got into another fight. I just couldn't handle it anymore." Alice said. They sat down in Simon's room. He sat on a desk chair and she sat on the bed. "We'll I don't blame you…but I know him well enough. He must've had a reason. Right?" Simon asked. "He did. I just didn't like the reason." Alice said. "What was it?" Simon asked. "He was standing up for Sam and another friend." Alice said. "And you thought he should know enough, to walk away from it, by now." Simon said. "That's right. I know his friends where getting hurt. But he could've helped them get away. He didn't have to…" Alice said. "You're right. He shouldn't have. So not to be too obviously ignorant, but are you alright? Are you gonna be okay now that you're without a boyfriend? Cause you know he was your best friend since before you could walk…before he was your boyfriend. And now he's neither." Simon said.
"Gee thanks. Way to cheer me up." Alice said. "Sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up. You would've gotten there on your own." Simon said. "Actually. Thank you. The sooner that got to me, the sooner I could deal with it. Now it won't hit me later on and make things worse." Alice. "O-kay. Whatever you say." Simon said, confused. "So, again, do you think you're gonna be alright?" Simon asked. "I'll find a way." Alice said. "Well I know something that always used to make you feel better." Simon said. He walked over to her and wrapped her into a warm hug. She smiled even though she didn't feel like smiling any time soon.
They sat in Simon's room for hours talking about anything and everything. "So how do you think I should get past this? I mean I won't have anybody really close to talk to at school. Sam and Jimmy were my only close friends. There are other people but nobody that close to me. And Sam'll probably just stick around with Jimmy. So…" Alice said. "Well. I know this is a little soon to ask. But, you think maybe you might wanna get back out there? You know, try finding another boy you could date? I mean when you start dating when you thirteen…it's kind of impressive it lasted as long as it did." Simon said. "So you're saying I should try finding another guy to date?" Alice asked. "Yeah, isn't there anybody out there you think might be interested in you?" Simon said. "I don't know. It's been a long time since I thought about any other boy that way besides Jimmy. I mean we've been dating for more than a year and a half…almost two years." Alice said. "Well then it's about time isn't it? Just think, are there any boys you might be interested in?" Simon asked.
"Well there's Cole…no. Ummm…Dylan…no. Mitchel…nah…Harry…yeah. Harry Warr, he's always been really nice to me. He moved here from Australia in sixth grade. He's got a really cool accent." Alice said. "Cool accent. That's a start. What else is there you like about him?" Simon asked. "Well he was on the debate team with Jimmy and me. He's pretty smart. There were a couple of debates we'd have lost without him. He smiles whenever I say 'hi' to him." Alice said. "Okay, that's good. What did you mean when you said he's always been nice to you?" Simon asked. "Well he had to learn certain things for our debates and I had to learn other things. And one time I couldn't find anything on my part. So he stayed up really late and found it and sent it to me. There was another time I was sick and Jimmy was away at his great aunt's funeral and Harry brought me the homework and copies of all his notes. And he's always been really nice to me whenever we've talked."Alice said. "Sounds good. You should ask him out." Simon said. "Well like you said. It's a little too soon. Give it a little time and I might." Alice said. "Okay. Well let me know how it goes when you do." Simon said. "Okay. Well I'm gonna go to my room for a while. See ya later?" Alice asked. "Of course." Simon said.
The next day Alex was walking down the beach. He still couldn't face Rose without too much heartache. And since he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be interrupted under the pier. He was looking for a new place to be alone with his thoughts. He made his way farther and farther down the beach. Behind him he noticed a teenager running down the shoreline like he was just out getting exercise. But there where beach police close behind him. Alex took little notice of this. He just wanted to be by himself and not worry about other people's problems. After about twenty minutes of walking, Alex came upon a very large rock formation at the edge of the water. There hadn't been any people around for about the last five minutes he had been walking and now he knew why. Where there was a large amount of rock, logically there were smaller amounts of rock leading away from it, unseen beneath the water, making it undesirable to swim in or do anything else for that matter. Alex figured this to be the perfect spot to be alone with his thoughts, uninterrupted and not be reminded of the feelings he was trying to escape.
He looked out towards the end of the rock formation where the waves impacted with it. Most of the water would bounce back into the ocean, but some of it sprayed over the rock and rained down near the back of the rock. This is where Alex chose to sit. He didn't mind the cool breeze of water that was now soaking him. In fact it seemed to help to sooth his frayed nerves and aching heart. But the effect was only temporary. His mind went to thoughts of nothing but utter contentment. But these thoughts didn't last long. After he settled down thoughts of Rose once again invaded his mind. He couldn't seem to get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried. This was another sign that he was hopelessly and head over heels in love with his best friend. And the thing that plagued his mind and tore him to pieces in side was the fact that he knew she did not return the feelings and there was a good chance she never would. Her heart beat faster for someone else. Alex didn't know how he was going to handle this regrettable and unfortunate truth. The only thing he could think of to do was to shut himself off from other people and be by himself when he was feeling down. He knew this approach wouldn't be effective forever. He would have to face Rose and he would have to face the truth. He couldn't become too incredibly isolated from people. It was more than obvious to him that this would lead to further pain and difficulty. But for now, he was convinced moments of solitude where the only cure for his pain.
But even being by himself couldn't shield him from thoughts of Rose and the feelings he may never be able to share with her. His thoughts moved into his imagination. He imagined a time where he was open with Rose about his feelings and she loved him for it. He imagined them walking down the beach side by side, hand in hand. They were a couple, they were in love with each other and there was no one else in the world for them except each other. Everything just seemed as if it was meant to be. Soon enough his eyes opened and he returned to his real existence. A life without Rose, or at least without her the way he wanted. He came to accept that she would likely never love him as more than a friend. This realization was not a new one but for the first time it was fully accepted and it was heartbreaking. He lay there on his back in the sand, letting reality wash over his like a horrible salty wave of pain and despair. When he went home that evening his parents asked him where he had been all day. He made up an excuse that was wholly uncreative. This was going against the norm because he never lied to his parents. He was nearly a perfect child in their minds. But what they didn't know about his emotional pain and love-scarred heart would blow them away if they ever found out.
Earlier that day Jimmy was eating lunch with his brother and his friend, trying not to think about Alice. "So Charlie how've Michael and his friends been treating you?" Jimmy asked. "I couldn't ask for better friends. I didn't know what I was missing at my old school." Charlie said. Charlie hadn't been able to make a lot of friends in the past. It wasn't for lack of a good personality or good looks. He had both of those things in abundance. It was due to the fact that before his cancer he and his parents had moved around quite frequently. So much so that it was hard for him to make friends and be sure he would be there long enough develop any kind of closeness or bonds with them. When he had been diagnosed with cancer his parents had decided they had had enough with moving, they were going to stay in one place. They had concluded that it was better for their son. He needed a happy and healthy environment. And he had found one with Michael and his friends.
"So you think you guys are gonna make the baseball team this spring?" Jimmy asked. "Hope so. We've been practicing hard enough." Michael said. "Well no matter how long you stay with something. There's always a chance it might not work out… It might get mad at you and break up with you and then what are you left with?" Jimmy said, starting to rant. "Don't listen to him Charlie. We'll do great. He's just upset cause his girlfriend dumped him." Michael said. "Nice one little bro. Wait till you start dating a girl and she doesn't like something about you and hangs you out to dry!" Jimmy said, tersely. Michael and Charlie looked at each other briefly. "Dating a girl? Why would I ever do that? Gross!" Michael said. "Wait about a year and you'll eat your words." Jimmy said. "Sure whatever you say. Maybe I'll take what happened to you as a warning." Michael said. "Shut up!...I gotta go…out." Jimmy said slowly.
He bolted out the door with no further explanation of his intentions. The reality of his break up had just now come into full focus. The only thing he could think of to do was what he always did in stressful situations. He jogged down the beach and started running. But there was a difference. He usually did his running in the evening or went to bed early and got up very early in the morning to do it. But this time it was in the middle of the afternoon. There where people lining the beach, trying to relax and take in the sun. It was fairly cold. But the people of Malibu where never stopped by cold weather. The beach was something that didn't do away depending on the season. And it wasn't particularly cold during the daylight hours.
Jimmy ran down the beach trying to clear his head of thoughts of Alice and how she had left him without much warning. What he didn't notice was the increasingly aggravated beach dwellers that he was getting sand on. But unfortunately they did notice him. And unbeknownst to him one of them had gotten the beach police to try to stop him. Before long he noticed two police officers chasing behind him. He took no notice as he passed a brown haired, sullen looking boy walking down the beach trying to get away from everyone else. "Hey, young man, stop!" Shouted the taller of the two officers. Jimmy didn't heed the first command. "YOU! STOP,NOW!" The officer yelled at the top of his lungs. Jimmy shuddered to a stop, realizing the seriousness in the officer's voice. He turned around and faced the two police officers noticing the name tag on the shorter, burlier-looking officer. It read 'Sgt. Oken'. "Jimmy what is going on? You realize how many people you've ticked off?" He asked heatedly, lifting his sunglasses down off his face.
"Uncle Owen…I… I don't know what I was thinking. I…" Jimmy sputtered. His father's younger brother Owen looked him over. "You don't know? I think you better give me a better explanation than 'I don't know'. We are family, but that doesn't mean I can't fine you for disturbing the peace." Owen said. "I'm really sorry. I mean it, really. It won't happen again. I promise. It's just…I'm going through something right now and I needed to let off some steam." Jimmy said. "Okay, well since it's the first time I'll just let you go with a warning. But what is it you're going through anyway?" Owen asked. "My girlfriend dumped me…" Jimmy said for what felt like the millionth time. "I know the feeling. And trust me… just give it time. You will get past it. But just don't going tearing down the beach in the middle of the day. Alright?" Owen said, replacing his sunglasses over his eyes. "Alright. I'm gonna just do home for now. Thanks Uncle Owen." Jimmy said walking off the beach and back towards home.
Meanwhile Alice was sitting in a bookstore in the mall with a friend talking. "So what's with you Alice?" Emma asked. "Nothing…I mean I did just break up with my boyfriend. So nothing big really." Alice said. "Nothing big?! Are you kidding? You dumped Jim Oken?! He's so h…" Emma started to say, but was cut off. "I know what he is. You don't have to tell me. Trust me I already know." Alice said. "But besides that, you two seemed so perfect together." Emma said. "Well I thought so too. But some things just don't last." Alice said. "But… I mean besides the fact that he's a total h…Uhh besides that. He's such a cool guy. He's nothing like the other guys like him. He's so down to earth. Nothing like most of the garden variety jerks running around SVHS." Emma said. "Yeah, I know that too. But it wasn't working anymore." Alice said. "Why not? He was good for you, and you where good for him. What else is there?" Emma asked. "You know how he used to get into fights sometimes?" Alice asked. "Yeah so, that was a million years ago." Emma said. "Well I thought so too. But yesterday he got into another one. He was standing up for a friend. But I just don't want to be around that anymore." Alice said. "So what're you gonna do now that you're single? Ya gonna try and find somebody else?" Emma asked. "I'm trying not to think about that too hard. But maybe when I finish letting this all sink in then maybe…" Alice said. "And when do you think that'll be?" Emma asked. "I don't know! Maybe weeks…months. Who knows?" Alice said. "Well since you broke up with Jim, you mind if I have a go at him?" Emma asked. But with a look from Alice that needed no explanation, she corrected herself. "Sorry, kidding. It was a joke…relax. Life's a lot easier with a sense of humor." Emma said. "Don't say that. Jimmy always says that." Alice said.
Notes to the readers:
*Reviews are much appreciated!!
** This is the thirteenth chapter of my story "A New Life". If you haven't read my first saga you may not know where these characters are coming from. So you might want to read it, or at least "Meant to Be Parts 5-9". This story takes place before the end of "Meant To Be".
***Lilly and Oliver, and Miley and Jackson are in their thirties/forties. Jimmy is 15 ½. Rose is 13 ½. Michael and Susan (Miley's daughter), and Robbie Rod (Jackson's son) are all 11 ½.
****If you want to find my other stories (My first saga) click on my screen name on the top of this page, and you can find my stories on my profile. If you want to stay updated as to when I post new chapters, please subscribe to my username!!
*****There will be more in the near future. So I hope you will continue reading. I have no idea how long this saga will last. I have ideas for somewhere between 21 and 25 chapters or more. So it will be longer than "Meant to Be" probably quite a bit longer.