Chapter 10: It All Feels Normal Once More

I awake in my cozy bed underneath my black and white comforter which lies daintily on top of my deep violet sheets. My pillows are soft and a cool comfortable temperature which is a relief to the heat of our bodies touching. I love waking up next to him, knowing that we didn't have sex or do anything bad. We just shared a kiss and a cuppa and drifted into a deep sleep, enwrapped in each other's arms. It was such a peaceful morning; the early morning sun peeking in through the shades, the birds chirping, Bastille's melodic tunes pouring out of the speakers of my laptop. I wanted to stay in that moment forever; I never wanted to leave this moment. I just wanted to freeze time and stay with him for a long time. It was all starting to feel normal again, knowing that the gang is back together; I missed everyone. I felt Matt's bones stir and his head lift. I raise my head to become level with his and watch his deep brown eyes light up as he finds mine. Mine have always been a crisp pearl blue, almost piercing. Like I could look at someone and stab them right in the chest. God I wish they could do that, Johnny Shatz would be dead and decomposing in a lake right now. Karma better be real because if anyone needs it he does. I've always been praised for my brown hair and blue eyes; it's desired by a lot of people actually. He smiles at me and leans down to kiss me. I gladly accept his kiss and return it right back to him which he also accepts. Kisses from Matt were always the best, sweet and soft and pure. It was so great to experience them once again. I just hope he never leaves.

'Good morning gorgeous' he says softly with his sexy morning voice

"Good morning" I say right back

'How'd you sleep?'

"Better than usual now that you're here"

He laughs one of his sexy, casual laughs that he always has.

'Babe, what time is it?' he asks

I push down the lock button on the top of my iPhone and read the time on the front which is translucent over a picture of me and Matt with Matt kissing my cheek and me smiling. I smile when I see it.

"It's 9:27" I say

'We should get up for a morning cuppa. Oh and where are your parents by the way?'

"Okay" I say as I get up out of bed and walk towards my connecting bathroom. "They went out of town to see my Dad's friend for a week."

'Oh' he says as he follows me in.

It's a double sink bathroom so we both grab our toothbrushes and start brushing. I start to think, why is his toothbrush here? Was he staying here while I was passed out for those 3 days? He probably was, that sounds like something he would do. God he's so sweet.

We finish and I brush my hair out and hop in the shower while he changes. After I hop out and get dressed I walk downstairs with my wet hair still wrapped in a towel turban. I just threw on your basic under garments, a pair of cotton shorts and a baggy tee shirt that I got in primary school however many years ago.

My cuppa was already brewed from the Keurig and set on the counter with a little saucer and biscuit but no one was in sight. I inhaled the steam and figured out that it was my favorite blend of green tea. I looked next to it and saw a post it with an arrow pointing towards the Keurig. I looked towards the Keurig and saw two new boxes of K Cups, one was Green Tea and the other was my favorite blend of Hot Chocolate. Next to them was a note that read Clue #1: Go to Chocolate Lake, dockside you'll find the object that will open doors to your future. I completely forgot today was my birthday. Whoops. I turn 15 today. Due to the fact that I am going out today I should probably go change and take off my towel turban. I go upstairs and change into some denim shorts and a grey tank that says 'I'm with the band' on the front and '#the1975' on the back. I run my blow dryer with my diffuser through my hair, giving me curls that people compare to Lorde's; I wish I looked like her. I style it with some gel to keep it in place and run back downstairs to exit out the back door.

In my black Doc Martin combat boots I stomp my way towards the lake. As I get closer to the dock I see a white square getting bigger and bigger. I approach the dock and find that the white square is actually an envelope, inside is a key and a piece of paper and the paper reads Clue #2: This key will grant access to a place where bare backs were shown and where everyone boldly went where no one had went before. I automatically knew where this went, his bedroom. But his bedroom isn't locked, what is the key for? I head towards his house, my boots squishing in the fresh, wet grass. I enter his house and walk directly up the stairs to his bedroom. I enter with just a little push on the door and laugh, seeing that it is exactly the same as how he left it. His desk with his mac book in the far corner and a trash can full of cigarette ashes and butts and empty beer bottles and his bedside table strewn with rolling papers and little bags which obviously held weed. His grey and black sheets lying lazily on his bed with clothes all over it and above his bed was a large poster of his favorite band The Deftones. I walk all over trying to find something that had a lock. It probably took me about 5 minutes to find the small little wooden box on his TV stand. I put the key in and inside I find a pair of headphones and another key. Plus a note: Clue #3: Headphones should probably be used by this household who plays music a tad too loud, use this key to burst in and tell them to keep it down.

Quick question; how in the hell am I supposed to tell some random people to shut up. I sit down on his bed and think about it for a while. I think Wait this has to be a part of the plan! No one would play their music that loud if someone didn't tell them to. I get up and walk out the door. Faintly, very faintly, I hear I'm Not Okay- I Promise by My Chemical Romance. So I follow the sound, key in hand. I soon realize the house that I am looking for is to the right of Chocolate Lake where there is a long strip of houses. I walk along the road that stretches in front of those houses and find the windows open of one house and what is pouring out of those windows? It's just Girls by none other than The 1975. I walk up to the door and reluctantly slide the key in the lock, turn it slowly and walk in the doors.

SURPRISE!

I'm ambushed by a crowd of people half of whom I don't know. I recognize Matt, George, Ross, Adam and Tara. That's it. Two girls run up to me and give me big hugs. Yeah, I have no clue who the fuck they are but obviously they know me, right? So I hug them both back and they pull away to introduce themselves

"Hey I'm Sarina, Adam's girlfriend! It is so great to finally meet you!"

"I'm Bailee, George's girlfriend. It's good to meet you too"

Sarina was a strawberry blonde, very tall and then with a bright white smile and sage green eyes. Bailee was a deep brown in hair color with the same color eyes and she had a very deep olive skin tone.

"It's great to meet you guys too! I've heard all about you guys from Matt but in all honesty I have no clue who have of these people are"

I hear Matt yell as he walks towards me "Well you should" he picks me up and hugs me. He whispers in my ear "Happy birthday babe". He sets me down and I smile. I take a deep look around the room, no. It can't be. I could have sworn I just saw The Neighborhood. And I'm pretty sure that's Bastille and Bloc Party.

"See anyone you recognize?" Ross asks

I snicker "You sons of bitches. I can't believe you guys"

I run up to each and every person from each and every band. They grab my hands and look at my wrists and tell me to never lose hope and to call them whenever they're in town doing a show because they can get me tickets and backstage passes. I feel special and just so elated that I'm meeting my favorite bands. After saying hello to The Neighborhood, Bastille, Bloc Party, Cardboard Kids, Paramore and Two Door Cinema Club Matt brings out a laptop, a blank white screen and a projector. Oh god I think It's a slideshow. He gathers everyone to the behind the couch where I am sitting with George, Adam, Bailee and Sarina. Matt stands up front by the screen and has Kele from Bloc Party bring out trays of shots. Fuck I think I'm gonna get so hammered. Matt begins to speak.

"Brooklyn Isabella Evangeline Baker, I could not find a more perfect girl if I tried. This girl is my life and I owe everything to her. I love her with all of my heart"

Everyone oohs and awes as he flips to the first slide

"FUCK" I yell as I see a picture of me and Matt when we were 12 and 13 come up. I had my brown hair in pigtails and my little one piece bathing suit with the blue and white polka dots. I think that's what the shots are for.

"This is when it all began, the summer of 2010 when I first met her. She was only 12 but even then she was cute. I was playing my guitar on the dock when she was walking around it and started singing Lovesong by The Cure with me. We hung out and sang all day, it was one of the best days of my life."

He flipped the slide to a picture of me and the band later that summer, the day we had our first kiss.

"This was the day she met my band, tried a fag for the first time and also the day we had our first kiss. The end of the summer was upon us and she turned 13 which meant the start of a new year. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's have a shot to 12 years old"

Everyone takes a shot, including me. I make a disgusted face, realizing that this is whiskey. He flips slides to me doing duck face to him across the class room

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is year 13. This year was probably one of the better years because everyone, Miss Brooklyn started having some….changes" he winks

I blush immediately, Thanks Matt for telling everyone that I got my egg I think Thanks a lot.

He flashes from slide to slide of us out by the lake, in his room playing guitar, listening to music, smoking a fag or kissing.

"This girl and I, our relationship got stronger and stronger every day that we hung out. We especially liked each other for our differences, I loved the fact that she was American and she loved the fact that I was British. We were like eggs and bacon, tea and biscuits, and anything else that you can think of that goes together."

He flips to a slide of our faces mushed together and our noses wrinkled. This was one of my favorite pictures of us together, I smile at him and blush.

Matt laughs and switches slides. It is a picture of me and the boys arm and arm on the dock at Chocolate Lake, happy and laughing.

"And here we are at so called Chocolate Lake, is where most of our best memories are shared. In the summer we'd go swimming, boating, floating and in the winter we'd go ice skating. It was the place where everything happened. Hence the inspiration for 'Chocolate' our best hit."

He flips to a picture of us in my hospital gown.

George and Sarina tighten their grips on my hands when I gulp and bow my head.

Sarina leans in and whispers "It's okay, we can leave if you aren't comfortable."

I raise my head and nod to Matt, he begins again: "This is one of the worse stories. Brooklyn, for some reason I don't know, was being bullied. She took is hard, cutting her wrists and crying a lot. Eventually it just got to be way too much so she attempted suicide. Thank God she was not successful, but she was in the hospital for a long time. She recovered and is now better than ever. Year 13 ended with a bang when she had her first joint and her first make out with none other than this lucky guy" he points to himself. "Everyone, let's have a shot to year 13"

Everyone takes a shot obediently and prepares for the next year.

"I don't have a whole lot of pictures from this year because sadly I wasn't there to witness it. But Tara gave up some of her favorite pictures of the year."

He flips from picture after picture, from me and Tara at camp, at the movies, hanging with Tara's brother at the mall, at the One Direction concert, and me reading the letter that Matt sent with the flowers.

"I have returned just in time for the beginning of year 15, and the start of year 15 means the end of year 14 so everyone"

We all join in unison: "Let's take a shot"

We all down another shot and Matt finished his final speech:

"Brooklyn Isabella Evangeline Baker, what ever would I do without you. I don't think I could ever live if you weren't in my life. So I want you to be in it forever."

God is he proposing, what the hell Matt no.

"Brooklyn, happy 15th birthday."

Champagne gets passed around and we all take a quick swig.

"Now it is time for Brooklyn to get her cake and presents!" Bailee shouts

Of course, I get a cookie cake. Cookie Cake is the only kind I like but Matt got this huge ass one that is as big as the coffee table.

Behind me there is an amp, drums, guitar, bass and everything.

Every single person from every single band gets up there and sings happy birthday to me.

It's fucking magical, just saying.

After everyone is finished, who else but One Direction bursts in the door.

I don't even like them though.

"Sorry are we late?" Liam asks.

"No she's over there" Matt points to Tara.

They walk over and strike a conversation with her and hang with her for the whole rest of the party.

We finish having cake and Bailey's Irish liquor ice cream and then we go to presents.

I got a shit ton of guitar picks, which I will always use. I got a set of signed drum sticks from Bloc Party, 2 Backstage Passes, tickets and use-anytime plane tickets to go to any Paramore concert anywhere, 6 cartons of cloves from The Neighborhood, Cardboard Kids gives me Doctor Who seasons 1-7 with the sonic screwdriver universal remote, and random things from the other bands like lighters with their band logos or flavored rolling papers. Oh my God do they think I'm a stoner or something that. That's great.

We finished up and everyone left so I ended up just chilling on the couch.

I close my eyes and force them open really quickly.

Wait. Who the fuck does this house belong to?

I ask Ross "Ross who's house is this?"

He answers "It's ours; we're staying here for a year or two, if that's okay with you."

I smile "Yeah of course it is"

I lay back down and close my eyes. It is all starting to feel normal once more.