Hey you guys! I think I'm going to try to upload this one every Saturday… Well, we'll see where it goes from here, lol. So, today, I had my last basketball game as a JV basketball player. It was so sad and awful! Well, we were in the 'playoffs' or whatever, except we lost. (And I have an ugly bruise on my knee thanks to the elephant-sized girl I had to guard tonight!) Then after the game, everyone started crying, saying that they would miss me when I moved up to High School basketball next year. So I started crying (and I NEVER EVER EVER cry. Like, seriously. I haven't cried since I was a toddler…) and my best friend saw me crying and just broke down, sobbing. We all were in the stands and everyone was looking at us because we were just sobbing our poor hearts out! It was heart-breaking… DX It may sound stupid, but gosh. I'm going to miss those girls. Then, everyone started saying "Good job!" and "Good game!" and I couldn't respond because I was crying so I just sat there, blubbering like a crying, red-faced walrus, and just spoke nonsense back to them. Then, my whole team put all kinds of stuff on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, etc., about how much they would miss me and stuff and I broke down once again. Then, I had to go to this fancy buffet restaurant after the game… yeah. Needless to say, the tuxedo-clad waiters weren't too excited to be serving a frizzy-haired, red-faced, constantly tearing up, girl. It. Was. Awful. And. Sad. ;(
Anyways, enough with my rambling. Remember, the ones like thiiiiiiisssssss are what happens in the future. So, now, I'm going to do something I haven't done in a while… Review replies!
Review Replies:
AKgal2001: Aww thank you so much! You're going to make me start crying again! Thank you so much for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story! I love this song, too. It's one of my favorites.
NiekaWow: Thanks! I'm glad you're excited for it. Hope you like it! Thank you for favoriting, following, and reviewing!
The Beautiful Filth: I'm glad I made you 'almost die!' (in the good way, though.) I miss him, too! D: Thanks for favoriting and reviewing for my story!
mozzi-girl: Thank you! And thank you for reviewing!
Miles Above My Head: Thank you for all of the following and favoriting! I really appreciate it!
BreezyFan: Your reviews always make my smile grow WIIIIIDDDDEEE. When I first read your review, my cheeks went numb from smiling so hard for so long. Thank you! And I'm glad I can make people laugh! Thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following. Hope you like this chapter!
SaLTndPepper: Lol, I'm sorry! I don't mean to kill you! XD It's only fair, really, if I get back at you for killing me with your terrific stories! Nahh, I'm just joking. Thank you for reviewing! It put a big smile of my face!
My Quiet Riot: Thank you! I love this song, also! It's one of my favorites that Taylor Swift has sung. Thank you for following, reviewing, and favoriting! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Crimson Endings: I'm glad you like it! I miss Ken… Awww, thank you! Thanks for reviewing, favoriting, and following!
And now, here is the chapter! Hope you enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think!
Natara's Song
Chapter 2:
*9 years later*
"DON'T STOP…BELIEVIN'. HOLD ON TO THE FEELIN!' STREETLIGHT! PEOPPPPPPPPLLLLEEE! DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' HOLD OOOOOOOOOOOON! STREETLIGHT! PEEEEOOOOOPPPPPPPPLLLLEEEE! DON'T STOP-" my eyes sprang open as my phone's loud ringtone burst through the silent, peaceful room.
I groggily grabbed my phone and flipped it open, silencing the ear-piercing ringtone.
"You better have an important reason for calling me at-" I looked at the alarm clock beside my bed. "8 in the morning on a Saturday, Fallon!" I growled, not even trying to hide the aggravation in my voice.
"Geez! Someone got up on the wrong side of the cave this morning!"
"What do you want, Mal?" I asked, tiredly, rubbing my eyes.
"Be getting ready. I'll be there in ten minutes," Mal informed me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"You'll see. Just get ready. It's a surprise," he whispered.
"You know I hate surprises."
"Sucks. Deal with it, Mansingh."
"Ugh, I hate you."
"Actually, you love me because I'm the best friend ever! Be getting dressed! I'll be there in a couple of minutes!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, mother," I said, rolling my eyes, about to close the phone.
"Oh, and Nat?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Happy Birthday." He said, before hanging up. I grinned slightly and hopped out of bed to begin dressing.
I quickly brushed my teeth and put on some warm clothes. Just as I finished putting on light makeup, I heard a loud beeping sound of a horn, signaling Mal's arrival. As I rushed to comb through my bed head I heard Mal beep the horn several more times. I rolled my eyes at his impatience and after grabbing my phone and purse, ran downstairs.
"Mal taking you out?" My mom asked me as I ran by her to put on my jacket.
"Of course. Who else would be blowing their horn that much in this neighborhood?" I asked, laughing a little at my best friend's craziness.
"Have fun. Try not to stay out too late." My mom waved me off.
"I won't. Bye mom!" I exclaimed, opening the door.
"Natara!" She yelled before I walked out of the door.
I turned around, curious as to what she was going to say.
"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," she smiled warmly at me.
"Thanks Mom. Gotta go! Love you!" I exclaimed as I shut the large mahogany door.
I looked up to see him leaning against his shiny black car, arms and ankles crossed, looking relaxed. As soon as he saw me walking down the driveway, he straightened up, while a smile spread onto his face.
He spread his arms wide as if inviting me to hug him. I cautiously took a step towards him before he groaned in frustration, crossed the rest of the way towards me, and enveloped me in a hug, squeezing tightly.
"Oh… Mal. I just got up ten minutes ago. Have some pity." I pleaded, groaning slightly at how tight he squeezed me. He let go and backed up a foot away, arms still stretched out.
"Haaaaapppy biiiirthdaaay tooo youuuu!" He began to sing, his smooth, velvety voice bringing shivers down my spine. I rolled my eyes nonetheless but couldn't keep the small smile from coming onto my face.
"Happpyyy biiiirthdaaaay tooo youuu!" he continued, using his thumb and forefinger to lift my chin up to where I was looking into his deep sparkling eyes that shined like blue lights.
"Haaaaapppyy biiiirthdaaaay, deaaaaar Nataraaaaaaa!" he sung, using both of his icy hands to pinch my cheeks like my grandma would. I slapped his hands away and rubbed my cheeks, fake scowling at him.
"Happ -" he continued.
"Mal, you know you don't have to sing this to me," I cut him off, giggling, knowing how much he hated that song.
"Birrrrthda-Oh, thank you God," he sighed, shaking his head. "I swear, that is the most stupidest song ever written in history."
"Everyone's always being all fake and happy for you, even if they don't care…" Mal says, rolling his eyes. He, then, scrunches up his nose and continues, "And you have to deal with the fact that you're one year older… And the song… Oh God, don't get me started on the song…" he exclaims, dramatically.
"You hate the Happy Birthday song?" I ask, trying to stifle a giggle.
Mal suddenly throws up his hands in the air, momentarily letting go of the steering wheel. I quickly reach over and grab the wheel, setting our car straight once again, before we wreck.
"Everyone hates the birthday song! They just don't want to admit it!" he exclaims while putting his hands back on the steering wheel.
"That's not true!" I defend.
"It is! It's a terrible song!"
"That might be your opinion…"
"There's no opinion about it! It's an objectively terrible song!" he exclaims, looking annoyed.
"Wow… Here I thought you were just a humble Detective, it turns out you're also a music critic…" I tease, shaking my head in fake disbelief.
"Yeah? Let's try an experiment. You're the big-time fancy profiler, right?" he asks me.
"You know, that's exactly what it says on my business card…"
He rolls his eyes at my sarcasm and tries to convince me, desperately, "Next time, you're in a room full of people singing the Happy Birthday song, watch their faces…No one's really happy. No one's really enjoying themselves. It's just a bunch of people trying to get through that awful song as quickly as they can, and hoping they don't call too much attention to themselves! I bet you'd see more genuine happiness in a dentist's lounge."
I just giggled in response. He took a step away from me, looking me up and down. His eyes widened considerably after a few seconds.
"What?" I asked, blushing.
"Nothing. It's just…Wow. Natara you look just… Just. Wow. I keep forgetting how much you've grown. It seems just like yesterday, we were tackling each other as kids," he remembered, a slight smile on his face.
"Where's Natara? We're going to be late," Mal says, looking at his watch.
I step around the corner, careful not to step on the end of my red, silk dress.
"I'm right here, Mal," I say, smiling widely.
His eyes widen as soon as he sees me. He takes the moment to his advantage and looks me up and down, slowly, a wide grin coming onto his face. I also glance at his attire. He has on a plain black suit and black bowtie, somehow making the simple outfit look ravishing.
Maria clears her throat, nudges Mal, and nods towards me, mentally telling him to say something.
"Wow… Natara you look just… Just…" he's trying to explain, speechless.
Maria sighs and rolls her eyes at Mal's helplessness. "Detective, I think the word you're looking for is 'lovely', and you do look lovely, Natara. Very elegant," she helps him out.
"Well…" I look down at my dress and smooth it out a little. "I do like to dress up for a first date," I say grinning.
Just as we are about to leave to go do our 'thing', Mal steps up beside me. He lowers his head to my level and whispers in my ear, "More than lovely. You look absolutely beautiful." My heart flutters and I look up to see his face. He grins down at me for a split second before following Maria out the door, leaving me completely bewildered.
I instantly blushed. "We? Tackling each other? I distinctly remember it as me tackling you."
"Okay, well maybe…" I gave him a look. "Fine. You always ended up tackling me. Most of the time. But I'm sure that I tackled you somewhere in there, also."
"Sure you did. Sure you did. Now are you going to stand there and argue with me or are you going to tell me why the heck you woke me up so early on a weekend?" I asked.
"I'm taking you out for your birthday, of course!" he replied, cheerily.
"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it being your birthday and all, we are going to go anywhere you'd like. Our limit is…Well, it must be inside San Francisco," he shrugged sheepishly.
"I thought you hated celebrating birthdays?" I raised an eyebrow, disbelievingly.
"I do! But it's your birthday. Not mine. Plus since you love birthdays so much and that it is your birthday I guess we can celebrate yours. Even though I absolutely dislike the whole 'let's all be cheery and act like we care' attitudes on birthdays, I guess I can be willing to forget my own feelings for a day…" he shrugged, like it was no big deal.
My mouth instantly popped open. "Is…Is Mal Fallon actually…Dare I say it. Being unselfish? Forgetting about his own opinions and doing something for me? Willingly? Someone call the papers!" I exclaimed, sarcastically.
He rolled his eyes and said, "Hush, before I take it all back and leave you stranded here."
A smile instantly crept onto my face. "I can't believe it."
"Well, hurry up and believe it because I'm ready to get out of your driveway," he replied, nodding towards his car.
I smirked at him, knowing that I had won.
"Fine, let's go." I said, heading for the passenger side.
"Ah, ah, ah," Mal teased right before I could open the door. I turned around to see him wagging his finger in a 'no' motion behind me.
"What?" I asked, confused.
He reached into his jacket pocket and tossed me his keys. I barely caught them before they hit the ground. I looked up at Mal, asking, "What is this for?"
"Well, we're going wherever you want, remember? I don't know where you want to go." He said, rolling his eyes and walking towards me.
"And you're letting me drive?" I asked, eyes wide. No way.
"Yes. Yes I am."
"But…But you never let me drive your car!" I exclaimed. It's true. I'd beg and plead him to drive his car just once for years, but he always refused.
"It's not every day that you turn 16," he winked at me, grinning.
I squealed and ran up to him, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaimed, squeezing even harder. He was frozen in shock for a few seconds, before gently hugging me back.
"You're welcome," he let out a small laugh at my obvious excitement.
"You're the best!" I exclaimed, letting go. I quickly pecked him on his cheek, before running around the car and getting in the driver's seat. He stood there for a few seconds, stunned, before climbing into the passenger side.
I cranked up the car and buckled my seatbelt, giving Mal a glare before he repeated my actions, rolling his eyes.
"Well. Where to?" I asked.
"Anywhere you want to go."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. Today is your day, after all," he replied, grinning. I grinned back, put the car in drive, and slowly drove down my driveway.
After a few minutes of going 30 mph, Mal sighed. "You do know that the speed limit is 65, right?"
"Yeah, but I just want to be safe," I answered, without taking my eyes off the road.
He groaned in frustration. "Come on Nat! A turtle just passed us! Speed up some!"
Instinctively, my foot accidently slammed on the gas, throwing Mal and I back into our seats.
"Okay, not that fast!" He exclaimed as I took my foot off of the accelerator.
"Hey, you told me to speed up," I responded, smirking at him. He rolled his eyes back at me.
*Hours later*
After watching 3 movies from the movie theater, getting my license, and going to 2 different museums, Mal took the driver's seat.
Mal, telling me that he was taking me to one of his favorite places to eat, parked his car outside of a large restaurant called Rip Van Winkles. I glanced uncertainly at the old, paint-chipped building, wondering if it was going to collapse at any second.
"Come on," Mal said, tugging on my hand, towards the building. "I know it may look like a dump, but trust me. You'll love it."
I shrugged and followed him into the building. Our waiter immediately showed us to a table.
After eating, we went out back and walked on the beach for what felt like hours, laughing and joking with each other.
At one point, Mal told me to stop and to wait there. I waited for a few minutes, eyes closed. He came back, took me by the hand, and led me towards a blanket surrounded by candles. Beside the blanket, were several large, smooth rocks spelling out 'Happy Birthday Natara.'
He pulled out (from somewhere) a large cupcake with a lighted candle sticking out of it. I gasped and covered my mouth at his thoughtfulness.
"Haaaaappy Biiiirthdaaay tooo youuu," he started to sing again, voice low. Shivers ran down my spine, and not just from the wind blowing either.
"Haaaaappy Biiirthdaaay tooo youuuu," he brought the cupcake closer to me, shielding the tiny flame with his hand so it wouldn't blow out.
"Haaaaapppy Biiiiiirthdaaaay, deaaaaar Naaaaaaaaat," I smiled warmly at his nickname for me.
"Haaaaapppy Biiiirthdaaaay toooo youuuu," he finished, holding it out for me.
"Make a wish," he smirked, teasingly.
I closed my eyes, trying to think of something to wish for. I racked my brain, but came up empty.
I eventually said 'To heck with it' and blew out the tiny flame. I opened my eyes to see Mal's blue ones staring right back at me, a hopeful expression on his face.
"What'd you wish for?" he asked, eyes shining.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Nothing." I stated.
"Why nothing?"
"Because. I have everything that I want…Right here," I said, smiling up at him. He gave me a wide smile before handing me the cupcake and sitting down on the blanket. I sat down beside him, tearing the cupcake in half and offering one half to Mal. He gratefully accepted it and scarfed it down in a few seconds. I giggled and ate mine, slowly.
I looked around at the blanket, the candles, and the rocks.
"Did you really do all of this for me?"
"Of course I did."
"Yeah, but am I really worth all of this?"
"Of course you are, Nat." He smiled. "You're worth everything."
"Is saving Natara Williams really worth spending the rest of your life in jail?" I hear a deep voice ask. Or so I think. I'm struggling for breath, minutes away from dying. I barely hear Mal's reaction over my gasping.
"No." he pauses for a minute. "She's worth more than that…"
"She's worth everything."
After talking for about an hour, it had grown dark. We were now lying on the blanket, looking up at the stars, my head rested on Mal's arm. It was quiet except for the crashing of waves below us.
"Hey Mal?" I asked.
"Yeah?" he whispered back, looking down at me.
"Why did you do all of this stuff for me?" I looked up into his shining blue eyes.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well. You know. No other person would let me drive their car around San Francisco, doing the stuff only I wanted to do, then come here, sit on the beach, and watch the stars."
"I wanted your birthday to be perfect. So you wouldn't think that birthdays are totally useless like I do. Just because I don't like birthdays, doesn't mean that I want you to not like them. I want you to be the happy, cheery, hopeful girl you always are. Not an old grump like me. I want you to enjoy it. Because you never know. It might be your last birthday. Live life to the fullest" He said, shrugging.
Several hours after Mal's birthday party, I go to the roof, where I know Mal is hiding. As I enter, I see him sitting on the edge of the rooftop, seeming to be lost in his own thoughts. I step out after him and take a seat right next to him.
"Hey. How's it going?" I ask, hopefully.
"Honestly?" he raises an eyebrow at me. I respond by simply nodding and biting my lip, nervously.
"Best birthday ever," he finishes, grinning. "…At least since my dad got me that BB gun."
I let out a breath of relief. "I knew you had that birthday spirit in you."
"Yeah, well, maybe seeing Grandpa McDepression made me realize just how good my life really is," he explains, nudging my side with his elbow. "That… And the cake was really good."
"I know, right? Who knew Maria could bake like that?"
He leans down and gently pats my hand.
We sit in silence for a couple of minutes, gazing over at San Francisco's darkening sky.
Very softly, I begin to whistle the 'Happy Birthday' song.
Mal's serene look instantly turns into a scowl. "I will throw you over the edge. You know that, right?"
"Hee hee!" I giggle.
I nodded, touched.
"Speaking of living life to the fullest, I've got something to ask you." He said, swallowing nervously.
"What?" I asked, looking into his nervous eyes.
He sat up, me following soon after. His eyes averted directly towards the sand at his feet, refusing to make contact with my own eyes.
"Do you…uh. Well. I uh. I, err. I've kinda liked you for a long time now. And I, um. What I…I just said reminded me that I needed to do this before it was too late. So. Will you… Um" he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
My heart beat fast inside my chest. Was he actually doing what I thought he was doing? What I had dreamed of him doing for years?
He inhaled deeply before blurting out, "I've really liked you for a long time now and I feel like I can't waste another second without you being mine so will you please please be my girlfriend?" He closed his eyes tightly, as if I was going to scream at him.
I froze in shock for a couple of seconds before a smile spread onto my face. He was asking me out. He really wanted to go out with me. And it wasn't just my imagination.
"Yes," I said.
He opened his eyes wide, staring at me.
"Y….Yes?" he asked.
"Yes," I repeated, giggling at his reaction. His shocked expression changed into a large grin, smiling for ear-to-ear. He laughed nervously before wrapping me in a hug.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. I promise I'll never hurt you," he said, firmly, pulling back to look me in the eyes.
"No, thank YOU. I was wondering when you were going to ask me," I replied, giggling. We both sunk back down in the soft sand, my head lying back on his arm.
He softly kissed my forehead before we both elapsed into silence.
"…What made you want to ask me out?" I asked.
"Well, this morning I got to thinking. You know, about life. And I realized something. Life is short. We need to make every second count."
"Life is short. We need to make every second count…" I look at Mal, his face crumbling. "Go be with Oscar."
He shrugged, pausing for a minute. "I figure that if you want something, you have to go for it. Because if you don't, it might get away from you."
I look at an older Mal, who is leaning up against a shiny, new, black car.
"This is the car I've always wanted, and I figure that if you want something, you have to go for it."
Suddenly his expression crumbles, his eyes turning sad. "Because if you don't, it might get away from you."
He looked me in the eyes. "About us being together. Do you want this?"
I grinned up at him. "More than anything."
Mal suddenly stops, breathing heavily. He gently presses two of his fingers to my lips.
"Do you want this?" he whispers, hovering over me.
I don't hesitate with my answer. Because I know right away. "More than anything."
I squealed and hugged him tightly once again. Soon, we both fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
~CoD~ ~CoD~ ~CoD~
I groggily opened my eyes as I felt something cold hit my feet. I lifted my head to see Mal beside me, sound asleep, softly snoring. A small smile flitted onto my face. Mal Fallon, my boyfriend. I just couldn't believe my luck. I looked down to see water lapping on my feet. Oh. I laid back down, closing my eyes, snuggling back into Mal's chest.
Wait a minute…Water? I sleepily pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the time.
1:48 A.M.
Oh…
Wait. A.M.?!
"MAL! GET UP!" I screamed. Mal jumped at the sound of my voice, instantly waking up.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"IT'S 2 O'CLOCK! I'VE GOT TO GET HOME! MY PARENTS ARE GOING TO KILL ME! YOU'RE PARENTS ARE GOING TO KILL YOU!" I shrieked, on the verge of having a heart attack.
"Aw shit!" he exclaimed.
I quickly grabbed his hand and ran towards the car, tugging him along.
"Hurry up!" I exclaimed, dragging him.
"I'm coming!"
We jumped into his car and sped off towards my house, Mal driving at least 20 mph over the speed limit.
"Mal, hurry up!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!"
"Slow down! You're going to kill us!"
"You said to speed up!"
"But I don't wanna die!"
"Either we die now by speeding or we die by our parents when we get home even later," he said, looking at me.
"Eyes on the road!"
Mal rolled his eyes and muttered, "Women," before he increased his speed.
He drove up to my house 20 minutes later, slowly coming to a stop.
"Thank you so much for today. It was the best birthday I've ever had," I smiled at him before leaning over and pecking him on the cheek. His cheeks started to blush.
"Uh, n….No problem," he stuttered. I giggled and hopped out of the car.
Just as I was about to start walking up my driveway, I heard a whisper, "Natara!"
I turned around to see Mal rolling the passenger side window down. He tilted his head downwards so he could see me.
"Yes?" I asked.
He grinned that heart-stopping smile of his.
"Happy late Birthday," he whispered, before driving off. I smiled in spite of myself and quietly snuck in the door of my house.
As soon as I got inside, I heard noises from the kitchen. I inwardly cursed. I was so going to get it. I tip-toed down the hallway, aiming to sneak by the kitchen as quietly as I could. I stuck my head in the doorway, looking to see if my parents were looking or not, when I saw a surprising sight. One that I didn't think I would ever see.
"Neha! What are you doing?" I harshly whispered, giving her a disapproving look.
She froze in her tracks, hand halfway in the cookie jar. My sister looked back at me with wide eyes. Oh yeah. That's right. I had just caught my 3 year old sister stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Her tiny face was covered in crumbs and chocolate. She spotted me then put her hands on her hips, sassily.
"What are you doing? Why are you home so late?" she asked, somehow knowing that I had broken curfew. Busted…
"I…." I trailed off, not sure of what to say.
She looked at me, one eyebrow raised sassily.
"…I promise not to tell mom or dad if you won't," I bargained. She stroked her chin thoughtfully for a few seconds before nodding.
"Deal," she shook my hand, leaving chocolate smeared all over mine, and turned back around to resume stuffing her face with the cookies that mom had warned her not to get into.
I sighed and snuck into my bedroom, flopping on my bed, exhausted. I had to admit one thing though…
Today was the best birthday ever.