I own none of the characters of October Road or the song "You Belong With Me" By Taylor Swift
You're on the phone with your girlfriend, She's upset
She's going off about something that you said
She doesn't get your humor like I do
I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like
And she'll never know your story like I do
But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find
That what you're lookin' for has been here the whole time
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me
You belong with me
Walkin' the streets with you in your worn out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on thepark bench thinkin' to myself
Hey isn't this easy?
And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in awhile, since she brought you down
You say you find I know you better than that
Hey, whatcha doing with a girl like that?
She wears high heels, I wear sneakers
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming 'bout the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me
Standin' by, waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know that?
You belong with me
You belong with me
Oh I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry
I know your favorite songs and you tell me about your dreams
I think I know where you belong. I think I know it's with me.
Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me
Standing by or waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know that
You belong with me
You belong with me
Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me
You belong with me
Janet glanced up from her sketch book when the neighbor pulled into the driveway next door. She could tell by the slamming of the car door that his date had not gone well and she could not help but smile. She couldn't stand his girlfriend. He deserved someone so much better than who he was dating; someone like her and maybe after a few more bad dates he would see who was in front of him.
"How was your date?" She asked as he stomped up the steps. Instead of answering, he sent a glare her way. "That good huh?"
"Freaking fantastic." He walked over to the swing that she was sitting on, pushed her feet off and sat right down beside her.
"Hey! That was rude."
"I needed somewhere to sit."
"How about the chair in the corner?"
"Nope. I want to sit here." He reached over and pulled her sketchbook out of her hands. "Whatcha' drawing today?" He flipped through the pages, whistling his approval. "Geez Janet, these are awesome."
"Give it back." She grabbed the sketch book out of his hands and closed it.
"You should be proud of those drawings. They are really good."
"What do you know about art?"
"Nothing which says a lot if I think they are good."
"I'm thinking of applying to art school."
"If my opinion means anything, which it doesn't, I think that you are so good, you don't need school."
"When it comes time, if I decide to do it since you are the only one who has really seen my drawings, will you help me chose what to put in it?"
"Of course I will and when you are a famous artist, I can say I had a small part in your success."
"So tell me what happened on your date tonight?" Janet requested, anxious to change to another topic besides herself.
"I love Rory but she drives me crazy."
"What did she do?"
"Well first of all I took to Delanie's for dinner and all she got was a stupid salad which she barely ate. Why can't the girl eat? She is human and I know she needs more than salad to function. I wish that girl would eat something."
"I eat. Janet thought to herself.
"So dinner was a bust? Was that what ruined your night?"
"No. I took her to see "Down Under."
"I am so jealous. I want to see that. It looks so funny." Janet interrupted.
"It's supposed to be hilarious."
"It wasn't?"
"I don't know. She complained about seeing the movie during dinner. She did not want to see it. She doesn't like that kind of comedy. She complained all through dinner about that movie; how she didn't want to see; how much she wanted to see "Over The Rainbow" and I couldn't take it anymore."
"You didn't."
"Yep. I did." Eddie hung his head and Janet burst out laughing.
"Wow. That girl has you whipped."
"No she doesn't. I just couldn't handle her nonstop complaining."
"Whatever." Janet couldn't stop laughing. "Was it worth it?"
"No. The movie was horrible. It was so cheesy. I hated every minute of it." At this point, Eddie began to join in the laughter.
"I can't wait to see the guys' reaction when they find out that you saw Over the Rainbow instead of Down Under. You do realize that you are never going to live this down."
"The guys don't have to know."
"You can't lie to them Eddie."
"Who said anything about lying?"
"What are you up to?" Janet asked suspiciously.
"There is another showing in twenty minutes. If we leave now we can make it."
"Huh?"
"If. We. Leave. Now. We. Can. Make. The. Movie." He spoke very slowly; one word at a time so Janet punched him in the arm. "Ow. Come with me so I don't look like a dork sitting in the movie theater by myself."
"I don't know."
"My treat."
"Including popcorn?"
"Yes. Including popcorn and if you are really nice to me, I will throw in a drink."
"Wow. I feel so special."
"Shut up." Eddie laughed.
"Let me grab my purse and tell my parents."
"See you in five."
Eddie and his family moved in to the house next door to Janet and her family when they were eight years old. Their parents became instant friends which led to the two families spending a lot time together. Eddie was the second child out of four boys. His oldest brother was three years older than him, the older of his two younger brothers was five years younger than him and the youngest was eight years younger than him. Janet's family was much smaller and she was the youngest out of two girls. Her sister was the same age as Eddie's oldest brother.
Eddie had his group of four friends; Nick, the best friend, Owen, Phil and Ikey. He spent most of his free time with them but there were many days and evenings that he wasn't spending with his friends he was spending with the neighbor girl who was his age and a deep friendship quickly developed. As a little girl, Janet was a tomboy so she and Eddie got along famously. They were always outside playing in the yard and if there was dirt or mud the two of them found it and played in it. As they got older and entered the wonderful world of adolescence, their friendship remained strong and even though new friends were made, less time was spent together they still knew the other was always right next door if needed.
Janet's older sister, Mary and Eddie's older brother, Joey had been dating since they were in high school. They both went to the same college and now they were engaged. Secretly, their parents hoped that Eddie and Janet would follow in their older siblings footsteps but so far that wasn't the case. Eddie had been dating the captain of the cheerleading squad since they were freshmen while Janet had had a few boyfriends over the years but never anything serious. Eddie never once considered dating Janet; not because he didn't like her; he adored her and couldn't imagine his life without her in it and when he began to date Rory, he saw Janet as nothing more than a very good friend, even a sister.
Janet on the other hand would have liked to have been more than just friends and those feelings didn't rise until he and Rory began dating but she knew it would never happen. Eddie was the captain of the football team and Rory was the captain of the cheerleading squad; the perfect high school couple, so in Janet's mind those two were prefect for each other. Rory was the classic high school beauty; tall, blonde and beautiful. Janet was the opposite; short, long dark curly and mostly unruly hair and was just pretty; not beautiful.
Eddie and Rory's relationship confused Janet. They had nothing in common. They didn't listen to the same kind of music; they liked different kinds of movies and television shows. Rory's idea of fun was shopping at the mall which was not anywhere close to Eddie's idea of a good time. Eddie's idea of fun was anything that had to do with sports; Rory, not so much. The only thing Rory enjoyed about sports was her view from the sidelines as she cheered. Maybe it was because she and Eddie grew up together but Janet and Eddie had so much in common. They both enjoyed the same kind of movies and television shows as well as sports. There had been countless times in their lives that the two of them would be found sitting next to each other at a Patriots, Red Sox or Celtics games with their families cheering for their beloved home teams. Rory went once to a Red Sox game and it was not a pleasurable experience for anyone. She complained about the heat the whole time.
Eddie and Janet were very close. Even though they technically each had their own best friend; Nick for Eddie and Hannah for Janet they were as close to each other as they were to their best friend. Hannah and Eddie were the only ones who had seen Janet's private sketches; Nick and Janet were the only ones who knew that Eddie didn't want to go to college. They knew each other's secrets; dreams and fears. They could talk for hours about life's big issues and about nothing of any importance. They knew everything about each other…well practically everything.
One secret that Janet has not shared with Eddie was her feelings for him. When Eddie began dating Rory, Janet's feelings for Eddie began to change. She had always thought of him as the brother she never had and then suddenly, he was more than a brother. She realized she was in love with him and there was nothing she could do about it. She was convinced that she and Eddie belonged together but that was never going to happen because first of all, he thought of her like a sister and the second reason was he was with Rory and he was happy with her most of the time. She would never want to ruin his happiness or risk their friendship so she kept her mouth shut and cherished what they had.
"Wakey Wakey. Eggs and Bacey." Eddie yelled walking into the house next door on the first day of their senior year.
"I'm up." Janet yelled back from upstairs.
"Let's go. We're going to be late." They both had their own cars but most days they rode to school together unless they had something to do right after school. Eddie never liked to give up control so he did most of the driving.
"Dude, school doesn't start for another thirty minutes. Relax."
"I like to be early."
"You are so full of crap. Mom made some cinnamon rolls. Relax and go have one." Eddie was never one to turn down free food. He went into the kitchen and found said rolls.
He was chewing up the third roll when Janet walked into the kitchen. He turned around with a mouth full of cinnamon roll and what he saw shocked him. Janet looked fantastic. Her unruly curls were in perfect place and she didn't have her glasses on; her eyes were so blue, something he never realized. In all the years they have known each other, Janet practically lived in jeans, sweatshirts or tee shirts or shorts in the summers with the baggy tee shirts. Today, she had on a pair of jeans that fit her nicely and drew attention to her butt. Her button down shirt was tight around her breasts and hugged the rest of her curves nicely and for the first time in the almost ten years they have known each other he realized she had boobs.
"Close your mouth. It's disgusting." She commented, walking past him for her own cinnamon roll. She noticed the way his eyes popped out of his head and she loved the effect she was having on him. Her sister went with her school clothes shopping and talked her into starting her senior year off right and buy something other than the normal sweat shirts she always wore and then her sister treated her to a day at the salon where the stylist taught Janet how to control her curls and put on makeup and finally her mom ordered the contacts that she had been putting off wearing for years. She had spent the last three weeks perfecting her hair and makeup skills and during that time, whenever she was around Eddie, she kept her old style with clothes and her curls in their normal pony tail so her transformation would be a surprise and it was. "Geez Eddie. Why didn't you take the last one?" He had only left her one cinnamon roll.
"Sorry." He mumbled with a mouthful as he attempted to swallow his second breakfast.
"You are such a pig."
"I was hungry."
"You are always hungry Eddie and I know darn well your mom made you breakfast this morning." His mom made him breakfast every day.
"She says that I am a never ending pit."
"She is right." Eddie walked over to the fridge, grabbed the orange juice and took a swig out of the jug. "My mom will kill you if she knew you just did that."
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." He put the juice away and turned to Janet. "What's up with the new…you?"
"Thought I would try something new."
"New looks pretty good on you Jay."
"Let's go. You don't want to be late." She walked past him again and this time he followed her out, admiring her backside as he went.
Janet was sound asleep when she was woken up by the sound of rocks being hit against her window, one of the signals that she and Eddie had used over the years when they needed to talk late at night. She rolled over, opened her window and popped her head out. "Eddie?" She asked sleepily. He looked up at her with heartbreak all over his face and she knew what had happened. "I'll be down in a minute."
Two years ago, Eddie's grandmother moved in with them. Eddie had always been a "grandma's boy" so he willingly gave up his room for her. Gigi adored her grandson, something obvious to everyone. The two of them spent a lot of time together and because of Eddie and Janet's relationship, she also spent a lot of time with Eddie's Gigi; she taught Janet how to knit and every Sunday Janet, Eddie and Gigi ventured down to the senior center for Bingo. Like everyone else in the Latekka family, Gigi adored Janet and hoped that one day their hearts would find their way to each other.
Six months ago, Gigi grew too weak to walk up the stairs to her room so Eddie got his bedroom back but he didn't use it for sleep. Gigi, slept on the sofa bed while Eddie slept in the recliner next to his grandmother. In case she needed something, he wanted to be close by. Two weeks ago, Gigi got sick and ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and had not gotten better. Eddie was pulled out of school today, with no explanation and when Janet got home from school the Latekka house was dark so she figured that Gigi wasn't doing well. She wanted to go to the hospital but her parents insisted she stay home and wait for news from Eddie which she reluctantly did.
"Hey." She had found him standing out in the backyard, in the rain, staring out into the darkness. He turned around to face her and the heartbreak was more evident on his face now that she was standing in front of him. She reached out and took his hand in hers. "I am so, so, very sorry Eddie."
"Me too." He took a deep breath to keep from crying but it wasn't working. Tears filled his eyes. "What are we going to do on Sunday afternoons now with her?"
"We'll find some trouble to get into; we always do."
"Jay…she's gone."
"I know." He pulled Janet to his chest and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
"She's gone. My Gigi is gone." He tightened his grip around his dearest friend and finally released hi s grief. She wanted to take his pain away, makes thing better but she knew she couldn't do that so she did the only thing she could; she supported him. Standing in the rain, holding him, she could feel his body shaking as his tears fell on top of her head, knowing his release was just he needed.
Three days later, Janet and her family were at the calling hours for Eddie's grandmother. She was there as a mourner but she was also there as a helpful hand when needed. She was entertaining Eddie's youngest brother so he would stay out of everybody's hair when Rory walked in and her heart sank. She was hoping death of an old woman would be too much for her but apparently not. She sent a glare Janet's way, their normal greeting, and made her way over to Eddie.
"Janet, I have to go to the bathroom." Tommy whispered.
"The men's room is right outside the door to the left." She told him but he didn't move. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to go by myself."
"Why not?"
"There are dead people here and I don't want to be by myself."
"Would you like me to go with you and wait outside?"
"Yes please."
"Come on." Tommy looked instantly relieved and she really, couldn't blame the poor kid. She was sure that when she was ten, if she was in a funeral home, she probably would have been a little creeped out herself.
As she was waiting for Tommy to finish his bathroom needs, she saw Eddie come out of the viewing room and go directly out the back door; he did not look happy. As soon as Tommy was done, she returned him to the viewing room and left him in the care of Danny, his twelve year old brother and went out to find Eddie sitting on sidewalk.
"Your mom is going to kill you if you get your pants dirty."
"It's just dirt. It will brush off." Janet sat next to him, pulling her skirt around her legs. "Won't your mom kill you if you get your skirt dirty?"
"I have more than one skirt. You only have one suit."
"Good point."
"What goes on Latekka?"
"Rory is driving me nuts. I had to get away." He turned to look at her. "Did you know that everything is about her?"
"I saw the newspaper headline that said that. You must have missed it." She joked. Everyone knew that where Rory was concerned, the world revolved around her; everyone but Eddie was just now learning that fact.
"Yeah. I didn't see it." He sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his short dark hair. "Not once today did she tell me or my parents that she was sorry for our loss. First it was about how she didn't really have a chance to get to know Gigi; how unfair it was to her that she will never really know my grandmother and that is a load of crap. She was given multiple chances to hang out with me and Gigi. I invited her to Bingo every week and her response; "Old people aren't her thing." Janet tried to comment but he just kept going. "Now, she is talking about what it was like for her when her grandmother died. Never once did she ask how I was feeling or if I needed anything."
"Maybe it's because she is an only child." She suggested. She wanted to agree with Eddie about everything he said; she thought Rory was the most selfish person she had ever known, but he didn't need it today.
"Maybe." He reached out for her hand and began to rub his thumb over her hand. "Why can't she be more like you?"
"If she was more like me you wouldn't love her. You love Rory for who she is."
"But I do love you Jay."
"Not that way Eddie." Pulling her hand away from his, she stood and kissed the top of his head. "I need to go check on Tommy; make sure he hasn't made a run for it." When he heard the door shut behind her he looked over at the empty spot that she had been sitting.
"I think I do love you that way Janet." He whispered into the darkness.
"Come away from the window sweetheart. He will be home when he gets home." Janet was watching outside the window for Eddie to come home. She just received what she considered the most amazing news and could not wait to tell him.
"I might miss him."
"Daddy and I are going to take you out to dinner to celebrate. Where would you like to go?"
"Can Eddie come to?" Janet's mom laughed.
"Of course he can." Just then Janet saw his truck pull into the driveway next door. Without another word to her mother, she was running out the door, yelling his name.
"Whoa. Slow down speed racer. What's up?" He asked with a grin on his face. Her face was radiating happiness.
"Read this." She shoved a letter into his hand.
"Dear Ms. Janet Meadows." He began to read out loud. "On behalf of the New York Art Institute we are pleased to offer you a spot in our program…" He looked up from the letter with the biggest smile on his face. "Seriously?"
"Seriously." She affirmed.
"Jay, that is fantastic." He pulled her to his chest and engulfed her in a giant bear hug. "I am so proud of you."
"I couldn't have done it without you. You helped me choose what to put in my portfolio."
"You were the one who drew them. You deserve it." They pulled apart.
"Mom and dad are taking me out to dinner to celebrate. Wanna come with?"
"Does a bear crap in the woods?" Janet giggled. "I need to call and cancel my plans with Rory and then I will be good to go."
"No Eddie, don't cancel any plans."
"It's no big deal. Tonight is important and I am not going to miss celebrating." Before Janet could protest Eddie was walking to his house. "See you in a few." He called back to her. There was no way he was missing this celebration. He was very happy for her and sad for himself at the same time. He was really going to miss her when she left for New York. He figured he could make the four hour trip with no problem. He was just going to miss seeing her every day.
"Is that what you are wearing?" Eddie asked Janet on a beautiful spring day that was host to their sibling's wedding. Both were in the wedding; Eddie as the best man and Janet as the maid of honor. She had just arrived at the church carrying her dress on her arm. Her hair was done; half up and half down with flowers in it. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a button down shirt and her heels so she would be used to them by the time the wedding started.
"Yep. I refused to wear a fancy dress."
"I refused to wear a tux but I still have to."
"My sister likes me more than your brother likes you."
"I think you are right." He smiled tenderly at her. "Well the bride better look out because you may steal her thunder."
"Boy you need your eyes examined. See ya out there." She gave him a wave and left him standing there staring after her.
A month ago Eddie finally broke up with Rory. After his grandmother's funeral he really began to see Rory in a different light but he hung in there because it was comfortable and what he was used to but he continued to become unhappy with where his life was and he knew he couldn't continue on that way. What finally pushed him to make the break with Rory was when his family was discussing the rehearsal dinner for the wedding. Joey, Eddie's oldest brother, nicely asked his brother not to bring Rory to the dinner. He told Eddie that he and Mary, Janet's sister, wanted the rehearsal dinner to be just close family and friends, which was partly true but Eddie knew the real reason Rory wasn't invited; no one in his family liked her and if he was honest with himself, at this point, he didn't care much for her anyway so Eddie agreed not to extend Rory an invitation and three hours later, he broke up with Rory and since then he had been trying to figure things out.
An hour and a half later, the bridesmaids were walking out of the bridal room to meet with the groomsmen they were paired with. "Wow. You look beautiful." Eddie whispered when Janet walked up beside him. She was wearing a pink strapless chiffon dress that came down to her ankles. Eddie had never seen someone as beautiful as she was right then.
"Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself." Eddie looked hot in his tuxedo.
"Are you ready for this? Have you broken those shoes in yet?"
"I'm not that steady on them. You may have to hold me up."
"Don't worry. I won't let you fall."
"If I do fall I am taking you down with me."
The wedding went off without a hitch. Neither the best man nor the maid of honor tripped and fell. Both Eddie and Janet gave toasts to their siblings wishing them a lifetime of happiness and love. After dinner came the dancing. First the bride and groom shared their first dance, then there was the father daughter and mother son dance and then finally, the dance of the wedding party. Eddie and Janet have never danced with each before; they had never had the opportunity before so they were both nervous.
"I'm not a very good dancer." She admitted as he led her to the dance floor.
"That's all right. I'm not great either." They began to slowly sway to the music and for the first time in their dancing history, they seemed to be getting it right; no toes were stepped on.
"Are you mad at me?" Janet softly asked, after the photographer snapped their picture.
"No."
"Are you sure? I feel like you have been avoiding me."
"I've been trying to figure some things out."
"And have you?"
"I think I am pretty close."
"Good because I have missed you."
"I've missed you too Jay."
Later that night, the two oldest Latekka boys were sitting at a table facing the dance floor watching their girls dance to the music. Eddie was wearing a goofy grin on his face and he has not taken his eyes off of Janet all night long.
"Will you get over yourself and say something to her already?" Joey said.
"What if she doesn't feel that way about me?" That was Eddie's biggest fear.
"She feels." Joey assured him.
"She is my best friend Joe. If she doesn't feel that way then things will be weird between us and I will lose her."
"Trust me brother. She feels the same."
"So let's say she feels the same and we get together and then things go wrong and I lose her?"
"I don't see things going wrong. You and Janet belong together; just like me and Mary do."
"All right folks; last song of the night and it's a slow one." The band announced. "Grab that special someone and come on out."
"That's my cue. I am going to dance with my wife." Joe said, standing. "And in case you are wondering, that's your cue too." Joe slapped his brother on the back and went to his wife. Eddie saw Janet making her way off the dance floor and he decided to take his brother's advice.
"Where do you think you are going?" He asked, stepping in front of her.
"I'm gathering up my stuff."
"No. You are going to dance with me."
"Eddie, my feet are killing me."
"The band gave strict instructions to grab that special someone and dance and there is no one more special than you." Not giving her a choice, he grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor. When he found the perfect spot, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest.
"I broke up with Rory." He mumbled once they found their dancing rhythm.
"I know. She made sure everyone in school knew."
"I heard."
"May I ask why?"
"I realized that we weren't right for each other."
"Well It you long enough. I've known for years that you two didn't belong together."
"Well why didn't you fill me in on that little tid-bit of information?"
"You were happy with Rory and it wasn't my place to question that happiness even if I thought that you belonged with me." Janet didn't realize what she was saying until the words came out of her mouth. Tears filled her eyes because she thought that she had just ended their friendship with those few words. She pulled out of his arms and ran to the balcony outside and of course, Eddie chased after her.
"What just happened?" Eddie asked, reaching out for Janet. She turned around, with tears rolling down her face. She decided that since she had already blown their friendship away she might as well put the final nail in the coffin.
"For years I have watched you with Rory, knowing, deep down, she wasn't the one for you."
"How did you know that she wasn't the one?"
"Because, you two had nothing in common."
"And you and I have everything in common."
"Yes we do. We have everything in common; we like the same types of well everything. Rory never got your sense of humor and I think you are hilarious."
"I am quite funny." Janet sighed in frustration. He was not making this easy for her. "What? I am."
"Seriously though, we know everything about each other. You know all of my secrets and dreams and I know all of yours. If something good happens, we are the first call we make to each other and the same with the bad things. For crying out loud, you never called Rory when Gigi died. I had to tell her at school when she asked why you weren't there which didn't make her very happy." Janet wiped her tears. "I caught the bouquet and you caught the garter belt. I see that as a sign. Don't you?" He nodded. "You belong with me."
"You have always been the one in our relationship that's always right and this is no different."
"What are you saying?"
"I am saying you are right. I belong with you."
"You do?"
"I do." He pulled her to his chest and lifted her head up with his thumb. "I have always belonged to you." With a pounding heart, he lowered his head, pressed his lips to hers and kissed her slowly and softly. Janet wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly returned his kiss and right at that moment, the world was exactly as it should be. Two people that were meant to be together; that belonged together were finally together.