Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The music was streaming out of the pool house windows. A soft sweet melody was coming from the inside. Annabell and Chloe were heading out to the pool house to tell the boys Mom had just got done making sandwiches and mac and cheese for lunch.
“Hey boys” Chloe said, her eyes not leaving Jackson. See Chloe thought that she was good at hiding things, but Annabell knows her a little too well than to fall for her when she says nothing is happening between her and her brother. “How’s it going? It sounds great form outside, but then again, I couldn’t hear Jaxel’s voice.” she said trying to ease the tension that was hanging in the air like meat in a butcher store.
“It would be going great if Jackson could get his head out of his ass and think of anyone but himself.” Jaxel said matter of factly. “People are trying to take this band a little more seriously, and some of us aren’t getting money handed to us like free lollipops at the bank from mommy and daddy either.”
“Hey, watch it there Jaxel, my little sister just happens to be present, and she doesn’t need to be hearing any of that.”
“I’m not 5 you know, and I go to public school. Not also to mention that I say shit like that all the time.” Annabell said, trying to prove her point that she wasn’t exactly little, and she didn’t need her big brother to stand up for her and treat her like she was 10 years younger than him and not only 1.
“And besides Mr. Daddy’s Money, I’m 24 and can talk however the hell I feel like talking.”
“Alright now let’s just calm down right now” Annabell was the youngest there, but she was the only one mature enough to put an end to the bickering. “Mom made lunch, so either shut up and don’t go in, or shut up and come with me to eat, because I’m hungry and I’m not waiting for 2 little boys to stop fighting over god knows what to go enjoy my food.” Feeling accomplished, Annabell turned around and started walking away before anyone could say anything to object to what she had said.
“Dam, go Annabell.” Chloe said, hyping her girl up and following her out the door. Chloe was glad to have her as a friend because even though she was quiet and didn’t say much, she wouldn’t take anyone’s BS, and that was a good thing to have in the world today. Annabell knew how to make people shut up and she knew what got someone fired up with only a few select words.
Jackson and Jaxel sat there for a few more seconds just staring at each other, both trying to remember what started the fight and in shock at how Annabell spoke to them. Neither of them had ever thought Annabell could talk to them like that. For one, Jackson was her older brother and she always acted so sweet and innocent around him he wasn’t prepared. And for two, Jaxel didn’t think he would ever even hear Annabell talk except for in Secret over the phone at night or over text.
They would only ever talk that way because they didn’t want Jackson to know they were talking after the months of him noticeably trying to keep them away from each other. They were only friends, but they didn’t want Jackson to know how close friends they were. Jaxel was Annabell’s best friend; besides Chloe, she would tell him anything and everything. Every morning she had ever woken up exhausted for school was a result of the 4–6-hour long phone calls she had with him the night before. Annabell would tell her brother and mom that she was up watching a horror movie and then couldn’t fall asleep after words.
When they had all finally gotten to the kitchen to each Annabell and Chloe had already been sitting and waiting for the boys to get their butts to the table so they could enjoy their food. Let’s just say that Jackson and Jaxel would be dead if looks could kill. Annabell and Chloe had been tired of their fighting recently, and their fighting always ended up pushing off, or ruining their plans. Like last week when they were going to go to the movies and watch the new romance movie and go to dinner, but Jackson and Jaxel ended up fighting and they never left the house.
“Finally, I thought Chloe was the only one that was going to eat my food.” Said Kelly, Annabell and Jacksons mom.
“What about Anna?” Jaxel asked, “She hasn’t eaten yet.”
“She had a late breakfast this morning because she got up late, so she can wait and heat this up for later.” She looked at Annabell with daggers, the way the girls looked at the boys.
“Yeah, Jax I’ll be fine.” Annabell said reassuring him that she was okay. “I have some homework that I need to submit tonight that I need to get done anyway, So I’ll go finish that while you guys eat and then come watch you guys rehearse when Mason and Kaleb get here.” And with that Annabell was up from the table and walking away from the rest of the group.
“Well,” Kelly said almost like Annabell hadn’t said anything at all, “Enjoy your food I’ll let you guys conversate while I finish doing some paperwork for a client.” And just like Annabell she was out the door, leaving Chloe with Jaxel and Jackson.
“So, why isn’t anna allowed to eat food in this house?” Jaxel asked curiously. Why had he never seen her eat in front of Kelly and Marcus, her mom and stepdad?
“What did u call her?” Jackson asked. Nobody was ever allowed to call her Anna after their dad had left them in the dust al those years ago. It was what their dad had used to call her, Jackson wasn’t even allowed to call her that because it reminded her to much of that horrible man.
“Anna? Why? Is it illegal?”
“Yeah, it kinda is. Annabell won’t even let me call her that so why in the hell do you think you of all people get to call her that? You’ve never even talked to her unless it was a band discussion.” Jackson was growing more and more furious as he kept talking. Why was this trash pit of a human able to call her that when nobody but their dad was allowed to? Did Jaxel not know? Or were they hiding something from him?
“Oh well sorry I didn’t know, I thought everyone called her that, and Annabell was her ’She’s in trouble’ name” he said putting air quotes in the air as he spoke.
“No, it’s not, so don’t you ever call her that again. You hear me?” Jackson asked, not much softer than yelling.
“Okay dude jeez, calm down. I apologized already and I’m not trying to fight with you again, not with Annabell and Chloe around.” Jaxel said.
“Yeah, and I’m not trying to listen to the two of you butt heads again today.” Chloe said agreeing with Jaxel. “I’m going to go see if Annabell needs any help with her homework.” She left the room with one last glance at Jackson, almost warning him to keep the peace with Jaxel, and a plate of food that looked untouched.
“So, how come no one can call Annabell that name?” Jaxel asked, intruged by how Jackson had reacted to it earlier.
“It was what our bio dad used to call her before our parents divorced and he left us in the dust.” Jackson said. He looked down at his feet and continued, “He and Annabell were so close. Closer tha her and I are now, probably closer than we ever will be. But when he left he had broken the one thing he had promised her every night when he would tuck her in.” He paused, forgetting who he was telling the story to he looked across the table as if he was back in that room when He and Annabell were young enough to share a room, back when they could trust every word he told them. “He promised her that she didn’t have to be scared that he wouldn’t be there in the morning because he would always be ther at the table for breakfast. After telling her the same promise every night for 5 or 6 years, he and mom had been fighting and while we were sleeping, after he made the promise,” he sighed and he came out of the trace, the flashback into his heartbreaking childhood, “He left in the middle of the night and was never at the table for breakfast ever again.”
“Wow...” Jaxel was speechless. How could someone do that to their kids?
Jaxel’s words pulled Jackson back to reality and he realized once again who he was talking to. “Yeah, that was the last time she had cried, and when I mean cried I mean heartbroken sobs for 4-5 hours-”
“I made myself sick and had the worst headache for a week.” Annabell had cut Jackson off as her small frame came through the doors.
“Annabell” Jackson said, surprised to see his little sister standing there, “Sorry I didn’t hear you come down the steps.”
“I know,” she said with a smirk, “If you did you wouldn’t have finished the story, so I stayed quiet.”
“Sorry if I brought back any memories.” Jackson said a little disappointed in himself for not being more observant and retelling the story in ear shot of his sister.
“No, you’re okay,” she sat down next to him and grabbed his hand, “What happened that day isn’t going to ever come to me any easier than the 3 years after the fact. It still hurt to hear it, but with each time it makes me a little less upset.”
“Okay” was al Ajckson could think to say back. He then leaned on Annabell’s shoulder, sighed heavily, and closed his eyes.
Annabell looked over at Jaxel and mouthed ”I’ll explain more later”, trying to tell him that there was more to the story than what was said, and he would get all of it from Annabell later.
Jaxel nodded, getting what Annabell was trying to tell him. He smiled a sad little sympathetic smile at her and looked away. Meanwhile Chloe was watching the whole thing and was surprised that Jaxel and Annabell were even thinking about talking later while Jackson was still breathing. She would just have to ask Annabell if Jaxel was the guy she had under her contacts as Best Friend or Boyfriend? And when she had decided to keep it from her and her brother, if it was true.
