a/n: Late night inspiration while jamming and studying. Guess I'll have to not do well on my test to bring this fic to you guys. Yes, a lot of punklee but I just can't help it they're so darn cute. Well enjoy.
We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time.
It's miserable and magical, oh, yeah
Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines.
She was nothing but a very restricted girl. Her parents kept her schedule busy, there was no time for having fun if she wanted to be successful in her life, they both told her that when she grumbled at her textbooks.
Her parents kept her at bay, always making sure she went to school and came right home. She had but one friend but her parents knew nothing of her because the girl was someone they wouldn't approve of. She let her friend be a mystery and just made her parents believe that she was too caught up in everything they made her do to even consider having friends.
Her grades were always at the top of the class and they never once faltered. Everyone made fun of her for being such a uptight girl but she couldn't really help it she was taught at a young age that if she didn't plan on coming in first in everything she did she might as well drop her last name.
They kept her busy so there was no room for thinking but tonight they had made the mistake of giving her those 20 minute breaks, these only came every other year -or so she liked to believe. She had gone to her backyard and into the garden her mom kept. She let the scent of each flower engrave itself in her memory. She had once read a book on all these flowers here but she never had the time to come out and smell them. She touched them gently and smiled, each flower was beautiful and unique.
In the midst of her walking she came upon a small hole in the high brick wall next to the garden, she noticed that the large bushes kept her hidden so she quickly got on her knees and looked at it, it looked big enough she mused, she crawled through it without hesitation and once she was on the other side she smiled shutting her eyes.
The cool wind hit her face and strands of her tied up hair flew every which way. She had read beaks of a heroine being trapped and finding her freedom but no book could really capture what it really felt like to be free. She felt like every single chain placed to keep her in line disappeared and for once she felt like she could do anything. She noted that this hole could be her biggest savior so she'd have to come back.
Slipping back through it she got back into her yard and dusted her skirt off before checking her watch.
10 minutes left.
She sighed softly and left the garden, she looked back towards the hole and smiled. Her freedom was in arms reach and tonight she was planning on taking advantage, she wasn't sure if she was going anywhere special but she knew she was escaping for a few hours.
She felt truly rebellious for planning on sneaking out but her parents should of known. She didn't know how they didn't see it coming, after all:
Strict parents raise the best liars.
It feels like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight,
to fall in love with strangers.
Now she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt as well as converse on her feet. She felt weird as she was so used to being dressed up in nice clothing because her parents didn't want her running around in ragged clothing items. She had no say on what she wore until now and even if she didn't look all too appealing she was content.
"Now, can we do something fun?" her friend giggled
She gave a small nod, "of course."
"We're going to a fireworks show," she smiled brightly, "I figured you'd want to see."
"I'd love to see it," she giggled
Truth was, she'd never seen fireworks in her life. She had read about them in books and even seen videos online but never saw them in person. She was envious of those who did because they seemed so breath taking.
Upon arriving her friend quickly grabbed them cotton candy and they headed to an open spot in the park. Her friend was munching happily as a boy approached them. She had seen him once in her life and from what she could recall he was her best friend's boyfriend.
"Ya' havin' fun there?"
A.J was suddenly amused with his voice, so he wasn't from here. That was a detail that her dear friend had left out, then again she should have known by the way his face seemed to lack color.
"Yes," her friend smiled brightly, "you remember A.J, right?"
"Of course!" he smiled, "nice to see ya' again, little lass."
She gave a small wave and continued to look at the dark sky.
"So you're a little late," she growled
"Sorry Kait," he chuckled, "got lost on the way."
She decided she didn't want to hear them or see them argue or do whatever it was couples did so she turned around. She waited a total of 10 minutes before she began growing impatient so she turned to ask Kaitlyn when the show started but once she did the two lovebirds were long gone. A.J growled. Her first actual night out and she ended up getting ditched for that big, white guy.
"Ditched at a firework show, happens to the best of us."
She looked up at the sound of the voice and next to her stood a guy, he looked to be a bit older than she was but she couldn't really tell with the darkness that surrounded them. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and jean shorts and a cap on his head. What caught most of her attention however, where the tattoos coating his arms. She gasped, if she ever did something as crazy as that her parents would have her head, she was sure of it.
He sat next to her and looked at the blank sky, "personally I think they're depriving us of watching amazing fireworks."
A.J nodded silently as he looked on, he turned to her and flashed her a big grin before extending his hand out. She looked at it carefully as he chuckled.
"I'm Phil by the way, Phil Brooks," he gave her a grin, "I go to college here, I'm a sophomore."
So he was older, she shook his head but said nothing in return which made him laugh slightly as he looked at her carefully.
"You know when someone gives you their name the polite thing to do is give a name back," he smirked
She looked at him carefully, "A.J, I like to be called A.J."
A.J, a name she only heard from Kaitlyn and the people at school. If here mother heard of this nickname she'd call it offensive and a a boys name. She would make everyone call A.J by her real name and that's something she didn't want.
"A.J?" he smiled, "what's that stand for?"
"Nothing," she muttered
"Hn," he smiled, "is that so?"
"Yeah," she frowned
"Alright then April Jeanette."
She gasped and looked at him carefully, how did he know? As if reading her mind he gave her an amused grin before lifting up her bag.
"Says it right here."
Curse her mom for putting her name on every single thing she owned, it's not like she'd get it lost she was a very cautious person, thanks to them that is.
"It's a pretty name," he smirked, "suits a pretty girl like you."
And for the first time since meeting him she gave him a big smile.
You don't know about me
but I'll bet you want to
Today the weather wasn't pleasant what so ever. Today she had a violin lesson followed by ballet lessons. She wasn't keen on dancing or playing a boring and over screechy instrument like the violin but her parents had told her to be successful you had to be well rounded and so she had activities to do from left and right.
She had attended the boring violin lesson with her teacher that always seemed to talk about her personal life. It was nothing but a sob story about not being able to find someone to marry since she was the age of 30. A.J always tried to seem interested but the story was often a repeat of the one she told last week so she learned to lie about her interest in it.
Now she stood in the hallway of the ballet studio and as soon as her driver was out of sight she gave a small smirk before running into the restroom and changing into some black shorts and a white crop top. She had gone shopping recently and stocked up on clothes for when she goes out without her parents knowing. She kept them hidden in on of her drawers and hoped that her mother wouldn't dare to look.
She left the dance academy and headed outside. The heat once again circled her but it felt less suffocating now that she had that black leotard off and she didn't have those contricting tights. She was free, this was risky, she knew, because her parents could easily come here to see her dance but she decided to risk it for once. She decided to walk until she found a suitable place to hang out at.
An ice cream shop was the first thing that she saw.
She entered the cool shop and asked for a waffle cone with three scoops of Vanilla. After paying for it she sat at one of the tables by the window and watched every passing person. She smiled as she started creating stories of each passing person.
It started with a woman who was fanning her face but frantically running in the opposite direction of the shop.
"She must have overslept due to the fact that she doesn't really give a damn about her job she's just trying to make ends meet and this job is the only one she finds suitable for now."
Next were two teenagers, a boy and a girl. The boy looked partially flustered and nervous and the girl was talking animatedly next to him. A.J smiled at the sight.
"They've known each other since grade school and since they're families have close ties they are best friends. He's got the biggest crush on her but since she's one of the most prettiest girls at school he hasn't found the courage to ask her out for real so he merely watches her date others and enjoys her company when he can have it, he's hoping today is the day he can tell her how he truly feels."
She figured this was actually more fun than she first imagined, next she saw a guy. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and running shorts, he looked far too caught up in jogging to notice anything around him. A.J's eyes widened at his tattoos, he was the same guy from the night at the firework show.
"He, well he's a big ball of contradictions," she started looking at the guy who had stood in front of the shop to catch his breath, "a tough guy with a sweet deposition. He has big dreams that his parents don't approve of so he works hard to prove them wrong. He hopes for a wonderful future, a wife, kids and a job he enjoys doing but he's slowly thinking that those dreams don't really happen out of the blue."
She watched him stand up straight and run off again, she frowned. Maybe he wasn't like that at all, she sighed softly and left the shop. She wondered, what was a guy like him really like?
It seems like one of those nights,
This place is too crowded.
When he met her for the first time he was entranced, he was curious of the small girl with a rather quiet personality. She seemed so reserved and she knew excatly how to keep her feelings hidden, so he wondered, what was she really like?
The second time they met was at a party hosted by a rich family that his parents happened to know. His parents were owners of a law firm so knowing people of this caliber wasn't something knew. He was looking around in the foyer when at the very top of the steps he spotted her. She was wearing a floor lenght dress and her hair was in neat curls. They were splayed over her shoulder so they weren't touching her back. Her make was very subtle but nonetheless she looked beautiful.
"Look," his mother whispered, "that's her."
"The man's daughter?"
"Yeah," his mom smiled
"She's quite beautiful," his dad commented, "don't you think so Phillip?"
"Phil," he gritted his teeth as he corrected his father
"You should go talk to her," his mother pushed him towards the stairs
He sighed and walked on, he was coming on his own free will. He was curious, he wanted to know who she was, what she was like. He only knew her name nothing more, and she only knew his name as well.
Upon reaching her she looked at him with a shocked expression but didn't express her opinion.
"So have you forgotten me already?"
Neither noticed the interested look each set of parents was giving them.
"No," she muttered
"Alright then A.J," he smirked
She frowned, "it's April."
"But you said-"
"Shh," she muttered placing her gloved finger up against his lips, "don't call me that here, I'll get in trouble."
He only arched an eyebrow but shrugged anyways. They talked about what he was doing here and who his parents were she told him of her parents, mostly her dad, one of the most respected doctor's in the world.
"Hey so you like events like these?" he asked yawning
"No," she muttered
Suddenly an idea went off in her head as she eyed Phil, maybe he fit. She smirked and grabbed his arm pulling him towards the area of the garden. He followed, not really caring where she took him, although considering the fact that he knew nothing about her maybe he shouldn't follow.
"What are you doing?" he asked
"Breaking free."
It seems like one of those nights,
we ditch the whole scene and end up dreaming
Instead of sleeping.
They had ended up crawling through a hole, he was surprised he actually fit, and they ended up at the park. They were sitting on a hill that seemed to overlook the houses that were nearby. She sighed contently as she looked up at the stars.
"So you're parents, they know about your tattoos?" she asked
"Nah," he chuckled, "I don't even live with them anymore, sure I attend this stuff with them but I don't live under their roof."
"Ah," she frowned, "so you're free to do as you wish?"
"No," he frowned, "I have rules I have to follow but you know something?"
"What?" she asked looking right at him
"I like to break those rules, it's fun," he grinned,"and I see you agree."
"I do," she laughed, "breaking the rules is fun, it gives me a self of independence."
"Hn," he chuckled, "so A.J, got any dreams for the future?"
"Dreams?" she smiled, "yeah plenty."
"Care to share?"
"Well I want to break free from them, from my suffocating parents, I want to be my own person and make my own choices," she sighed and looked up at the sky, "I want to be like the birds that fly around in the day time, free."
"Then why don't you just leave?" he asked
"Because, I owe so much to them," she looked at him, "I can't disappoint them."
"You should follow your dreams," he told her
"I would love to," she laughed softly, "but sadly my reality gets in the way of that."
"Then how about we make a plan, we escape together since we're obviously not content with our lives," he smiled, "it could be fun."
She laughed and looked back towards the sparkling stars,"it sounds fun but I think I'd rather just dream."
"Why have a dream if you can't make it come true?"
"It teaches you to have hope in the worst of times."
He looked at her carefully now as she looked at the stars above them, she was much different from the typical girls he was used to. She was interesting he figured, and maybe he could help her fly away from all this.
Maybe, just maybe.
It feels like one of those nights,
You look like bad news,
I gotta have you.
She scolded him for what seemed like an eternity as she carefully wrapped a bandage around his fist. He had gotten in a stupid fight with a guy about his age and it was over guy had asked her if she was available to date and since she truly was she answered 'yes' and out of no where Phil showed up and punched him in the jaw telling him to stay away or he'd do much worse.
"Don't go getting yourself into stupid fights, alright?" she frowned continuing to wrap the bandage around him.
It had been exactly 6 weeks since they met, she had become an expert at escaping even during the day and somehow they found out perfect places to meet and hang out. With her he felt like he wasn't being used, that for once someone liked being around him for him despite the way he truly was.
She on the other hand felt free when she was with him.
He also dropped by at her house and they would 'study' since school started in two months. Her parents were pleased with the idea, well until her mother caught a glimpse of the tattoos he tried hiding with his shirt. She had demanded that A.J stop hanging out with the boy but A.J just couldn't do that so she met up with him in secret like she used to.
"Thanks," he muttered
"No problem," she smiled as she finished
She made a move to get up but Phil reacted quickly and gripped her hips pulling her to him. She squeaked out in surprise as she fell on top of the boy. She looked at him and gasped, she could feel the heat rising in her face and she was sure she looked like a tomato.
He did nothing but stare before he muttered a 'fuck it' and pushed her head down to his. Their lips met and A.J couldn't help but fall into the kiss. It was like nothing she'd ever experience, she gripped his shirt as the kiss deepened. After a while they broke apart panting for air before he pressed their foreheads together.
A.J laughed softly, she knew if her mother was around A.J would never see daylight again. She shook her head and laughed her mother wasn't anywhere near here.
"Fuck it," she laughed pressing her lips to his once more
I don't know about you
but I'm feeling 22.
Everything will be alright
If you keep me next to you
It was all coming to an end, the Summer she wished would drag on. Everything had changed since their first kiss. Sneaking out had become a thing of the past as she now walked out of her house without a hesitation in her step. Her parents would yell and they would be angry but she wouldn't let them continue to control her.
Today she was moving out, she was heading to college and away from her lunatic parents. Her mom was in tears saying she'd miss her only daughter and her father only told her to keep her grades up.
Once the last box was in the movers truck she looked at her parents. Well since she was now a free person she'd figure she'd tell them.
"I wanted to tell you something before I leave," she bit her lip
"April hurry you're to get there on time," her father reprimanded her
"Yeah," she muttered, "well I have a boyfriend."
She watched her mother's eyes widen and she watched the way her father's face was drained of it's color. She bit her lip even harder, perhaps yelling out of the car as she drove off was the better choice.
She didn't wait for a reply instead hurried into her car and started the engine she heard them call her name but she simply drove off and paid them no mind. After all, they had no true control over her anymore.
It feels like one of those nights,
we ditch the whole scene.
It feels like one of those nights,
we won't be sleeping.
I had taken him 4 years to finally pluck up the courage to come to this place. He wasn't very confident on how the situation would go but he expected something good from it. A.J was now fresh out of college and he was well into his second year of being head of the law firm. Perhaps he could use his tactics to get a good response.
He was ushered into the office of a man he feared more than anyone in this world. A man who kept him in check for the past 4 years, somehow he always knew where to find him and that disturbed him to no ends. So here he was asking a life or death question, this man could make or break him.
"What did you say you want to do to my daughter?"
The man circled around the chair in which he sat upon, "M-marry her, S-sir."
"And why in the world should I let a man such as yourself marry my only daughter."
"Because I love her," he stated more surely this time
"Do you?" the man pursed his lips
"Yes more than anything in this world," he stated
The man looked at him carefully before his eyes narrowed, "you may marry my daughter."
"Ah," he cheered jumping up from the chair, "thank you so much sir."
The happiness of him saying yes was short lived however as the man stood before him still glaring.
"Hurt her and I'll kill you."
It feels like one of those nights,
you look like bad news,
I gotta have you.
So it took her years to let her parents give her the freedom she wanted. She got it however and it was the most wonderful thing in the world. She was married now to a wonderful man who was seemingly very scared of her sweet father.
It felt silly telling her kids of how she met her husband. How she escaped in search of a small amount of freedom but ended up with so much more. Phil was everything she ever needed in life, he was always there and together they made every dream and goal they set together come true.
"So A.J," her husband smirked pulling her closer
"No," she muttered
"Awe c'mon," he groaned, "it's been forever."
"Sorry but I'm not interested," she rolled her eyes, "I've said yes too many times and that got us two kids."
"My birthday is in three months," he stated, "be nice."
"Phil?"
"Yeah, darling?"
"Fuck off."
"Or what?" he wiggled his eye brows
"You'll sleep on the couch," she muttered
He scoffed and continued his assault on her. But three punches and a swift kick to the gut later he was on the couch with an ice pack in every area she hit. His son was the one who found him in the morning and asked if he was alright.
"What happened?"
"Mommy was being mean," he groaned
"But you still love her?" the 6 year old looked at him with a very frightened expression
He chuckled, "I love her more than I will ever love anyone."
"Promise?"
He looked up to see A.J standing there looking at him with a small smile. He returned it and gave a small nod.
"Yeah, from now until I die I will love you and only you."
"You know Punk, there was something I figured out last night," she smiled
"And that is?"
"Since you are my freedom, you are my hope and that makes you-"
"My dream," he smiled
And just like on the night he first met him she gave him a big smile that seemed to light up the whole room.
Everything will be alright
If you keep me next to you