Just Say Stay
By: Starry Nights
"You're making a big mistake, Trish."
A monotonous voice was heard from inside the closet, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Christina Smith briefly considered her words and threw the shirt she was folding into the bag before addressing her younger sister. "No, I distinctly remember Ms. Devlin advising you to wait until you finished high school."
"So?"
"Trish?"
"I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"Trisha?"
"Drop it!"
Christina watched as her younger sister began throwing her clothes in hush frenzy into her larger suitcase and Christina decided to risk another chance and ask another question.
"Have you told Harold about it?"
The silent answer confirmed Christina's suspicions and the 19-year-old auburn-haired girl placed a comforting hand on Patty's shoulder and said nothing but a soft knock disrupted the silence as the girls' mother walked into.
"Patty, are you almost done?"
She nodded, "Almost."
"Good, it's your turn to set the table.
"Christy, come help me with dinner."
"Yes, mother."
* * *
It was times like this when Patty really missed her father. The mild-mannered George Smith loved his children with all his heart but in his heart had been a void that his three children could not fulfill. However the case, Margaret Smith was startled to come home after picking up her three kids to find an empty house. George loved to have easygoing music playing when his kids came home from school and would greet them with small cookies or cakes that he baked especially for them at his job.
It was Patty who found him lying on the bathroom floor, blood still gushing out of the cuts on each of his wrists the dark puddle spreading wider by the second covering every inch of the off-white tiles. She didn't scream, she didn't cry, she didn't run, she simply went into her room and rocked back and forth retreating into herself and doing everything monotonously. George had done everything with grandeur and she didn't want to be reminded of that.
Not now, not ever.
Their older brother Nathan was 12 then, he knew what death was about and even Christine, who was 11 then, dealt with his death but Patty who had been only 8 had never seen death. Nightmare after nightmare plagued her years later even after her mother met and married Arthur Browne then transported her family out of her house in Long Island and into the brownstone in the small neighborhood just south of Canarsie in Brooklyn called Hillwood a mere three years later…
* * *
"Patty?"
"Patty?"
"Sweetie, are you alright?"
She looked up from her mashed potatoes glanced at her mother, her stepfather (who she had came to love in her own special way) and back to her mother again. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Christine eyed her suspiciously before speaking, "Nathan called while you guys were working, his plane arrives at 9 instead of 3 tomorrow." She looked at Patty again, "At least we only have to make one trip to the airport now."
Apart of her wanted to postpone her trip and stay for the duration of her brother's stay but she banished that thought and continued eating as if she didn't hear her sister's comment. She excused herself and went back to the room this time locking the door.
Harold.
Her plan was to tell him after she had left for Australia in a letter. It wasn't that she didn't love him. She did but she wasn't ready to tell him. They'd been going out for nearly three years ever since he came back from military school. He'd slimmed down…somewhat and he was permanently placed in 8th grade with her. However, he still retained some of his whiny and bossy behavior.
With a sigh, she closed her last suitcase and got into her bed and fell asleep. It was the only way she could stop from thinking about everything that happened in her life.
*~*
"Interview with the Vampire?"
Patty let out a chuckle. Occasionally, she would let her guard down and show some form of emotion. "Yeah, it's Helga's favorite movie and she had me hooked to it when she recommended it to me."
"You and Helga became close or something?"
Patty mulled this over, "Something like that."
Truth was the two had become close when Helga had discovered the bigger girl still carrying a torch for Harold when he disappeared for military school. He didn't question that or the movie and they walked out of blockbuster with two movies and a bag full of candies and popcorn.
They walked in comfortable silence as the June heat forced them to hurry into the comfort of Harold's air conditioned home. Unbeknownst to Harold, Patty always looked forward to their "movie Fridays." It started out as two friends, who were low on cash, deciding to pool their allowances but as the days went on it became something more than that. This time they were celebrating the end of the school year and to Patty, the last time she would ever see her boyfriend for a long time.
"Are you having a special party for your 16th birthday?"
"No, why?"
"I was thinking we could go into Manhattan and celebrate. I know you like to watch the fireworks."
She was silent as she watched the young Kirsten Dunst turning into a vampire by Tom Cruise. True, she did love to watch the fireworks but that was something her father always did with her every July 4th until… "Maybe, just maybe, one of those fireworks can be the one they lit up for your birthday. As a matter of fact, pick 7 because seven is a special number." He told her and that was the last birthday he ever spent with her. It didn't matter what she told Harold. She wasn't going to be here anyways.
"So what do you think?"
Patty finally took her eyes off the screen, "I'm not sure, Christine asked me to spend that weekend with her."
*~*
She woke up. Why she had dreamt about that Friday, she didn't know but she lay on her bed remembering that night as if it happened yesterday. After a few more attempts of conversation and trying to watch the movie they decided to give up. They made love and she took him like it was there was no tomorrow. It was beautiful and a nice way to remember him by. However, that night when he was gone, she did something, she hadn't done since moving to Brooklyn.
She cried herself to sleep and again a mere six days later. She found herself doing it again.
* * *
Nathan's flight was changed again. So despite everyone's reluctance, Patty decided to go to the airport alone. It was in fact what she wanted, no emotional good-byes, no sad regrets and defiantly no tears. Patricia Jean Smith does not cry. Her brother once boasted to his friends. She's a fighter.
Yeah, right.
With a sigh, she headed toward the magazine rack and bought a few candies and magazines for her long flight. She walked slowly amongst the variety of people and stopped when she saw a guy selling books out of his carry-on. A small thought of her wondered if this was illegal but then she thought of her over 20 hour flight not including the nearly 2 hour layover in LAX in Los Angles and checked out the books he had. Surprisingly, he had the books that Barnes and Nobles didn't have.
"How much are for these two?"
The man smiled a toothless smile, "Normally, I'd say 30 but I'll give 'em to ya for 20."
She managed a half grin and handed him a twenty. "Thanks." She murmured.
Continuing her trek around the airport, she bought a coffee and walked toward the gate of her flight. She stood at the window for a moment and was startled when she felt a touch on her shoulder.
"Where you planning to leave without telling me and then send me a Dear John letter?"
How well he knows me! She thought briefly. She knew who sent him here and she also knew that if he played his cards right she'd probably end up staying until she could finish senior year then they'd have a "talk" but despite the fact that she already knew what was going to happen, she wanted it to happen. She wanted to be happy. She wanted Helga to be happy. They had both deserved to live the rest of their lives in happiness especially Helga but that could never be but she could at least try.
"No." she lied. "I told Christine to call you so that you could meet me here."
"Oh. So you're really leaving?"
She mustered up a small smile. "Not if I have a reason to stay."
He continued to look out of the window. "Do you?"
"I should hope so."
"Hmm."
"Just say the word and I won't go. I was supposed to go after high school so I won't really be missing anything."
"Are you sure?"
"I…yes."
"Then stay."
A/N: Short and bittersweet, I know but I rather like this story (at least it had a sweet ending!). This is to Nfnat who requested this couple and my next story is for Houkanno Yuuhou. Special thanks to her for the encouraging words about my writing, even an author ego needs a little stroking. Remember just name any couple/situation and I will create the story. It's as simple as that. So please review. I'm ~*Starry Nights*~
