The Story of Us (16 page)

Nash

“Hayes, something is
seriously wrong.” All day I kept thinking about Violet and I didn't know why. I mean, I should've been thinking about Annabelle but something just didn't seem right.

Whenever Annabelle would come near me, I could feel myself getting mad at her. Almost like she did something to me and I didn't know about it. Was this some type of sign?

Then my thoughts about Violet were so weird. I kept thinking of her smile and imagining us hanging out. When I accidentally fell asleep in Geometry class, I dreamed we were at some hotel and she had scars on her body. Something was seriously wrong with me.

I explained everything to Hayes and I saw him start to freak out. “Wait, do you think about any funny stuff that you might have done with me or Skylynn?” he asked.

“Umm . . . yeah, a little bit, but it's stupid stuff,” I responded.

“Nash! Do you understand what is happening?” he practically screamed at me.

“No! If I did, I wouldn't be talking to you right now.”

“I think you are getting your memory back!” he exclaimed.

“No, that's impossible. The doctors said there was a ninety percent chance I wouldn't get it back,” I explained to him.

“Well, you are really lucky then, Nash. Everything that you're telling me actually happened! The stupid things that you did with Skylynn and me were Vines we created. You are remembering your moments with Violet and, well . . . Annabelle.” He stopped talking and looked down. Did she do something to me before?

“Did Annabelle do anything to me, Hayes?” I asked him. He just sighed and looked back down at his feet. “Hayes! Tell me!” I yelled at him.

“Well . . . you guys went out last year, but she dumped you for some senior. You were really hurt because she was your first love. After you started becoming popular on Vine, she wanted you back. At that point you hated her because she wanted to use you for your fame,” he explained. I could not believe what he was saying.

“You're lying. Annabelle wouldn't do that to me.” She was too sweet and kind to me.

“Bro, I wouldn't lie to you about something like this. Why do you think I got so mad when you started dating her?” He was right. Hayes never really lied to me, we were too close. He was extremely angry when Annabelle and I started dating. “You can ask anybody in this school and they will tell you it happened.”

“What should I do then? I don't like her anymore.”

“Dump her sorry ass on the street,” he responded. I chuckled and shook my head. “Now, I wouldn't worry too much about Vine yet until you understand more. But Violet—”

“What am I going to say to her? Now that I've started feeling something for her again? But I feel like I really like her.” I poked at the rest of the spaghetti in my bowl before setting my fork down.

“Nash, you loved her and she loved you so much. You gotta do what feels right. I can't help you on this one.” He sat up and pushed his chair in before he walked out of the room.

Well, I should start putting some of the pieces back together, I thought. I pulled out my phone and wrote a message I never thought I would ever write.

Nashty:
My mind is starting to put the pieces back together. I know what happened. Just leave me alone and NEVER talk to me ever again. I really did like you, Annabelle, but you are using me. It's over and done with. Good-bye.

I'm not going to lie, my heart did hurt a little bit when the message was sent, but I didn't regret it. Even though I couldn't remember everything, some things were starting to make sense. She wasn't going to get in the way of that.

There was one more thing I had to do dealing with Annabelle, though. I scrolled to the top of my contacts and tapped her name.
Delete.
There, now she was gone forever. Well, almost.

Violet

Well, that day
was interesting. That's all I can say about that.

My phone had not shut up since I posted that Vine with Chance and me.

Instead of writing a personal message to every single one of them, I decided to do a group message. They just loved their phones going off for group messages. Besides, I was too lazy to text all of them separately.

Violet-Boo:
Guys calm down. We are just friends. And if I ever did date him, I could because it's my choice. K? All right! Love you guyysss!! Enjoy the group message :))

Before any of them could respond, I shut my phone off for the night and set it on my table next to my bed. I'd let them all blow up each other's phones by themselves.

After a long and exhausting day, I was more than happy to finally lie down in my bed and go to sleep. As I lay on my back and stared at my ceiling, I thought about what my future had in store for me. Who would be a part of it and what would happen after this was all over? After my heart healed and my fans finally moved on from me? Whatever happened I would always still be Violet, and nothing would change.

Nash

I felt my
body toss and turn all night from the dreams I was having. There were so many. It was like I was watching a movie that talked about my life, well, what I forgot.

“
Violet!
” I yelled as I jolted up out of my bed. I remembered. Everything was back. Vine, my fans, and, most important, Violet. What was I going to do? I missed her so much.

I started walking around my room, trying to figure everything out. What was I going to do? I started scratching my head, trying to think of something. It was no use.

I had to talk to someone. I couldn't do this alone.

“Come on, pick up your phone.” I had no patience right then and he was the only one who could help me.

“Nash? What do you want?” he said, confused.

“Cam! I remember everything! Like everything! I need your help, man. I don't know what to do!” I said frantically.

“Whoa, wait. You remember about us and 26 MGMT?” he asked.

“More important, I remember Violet. I need her right now.” I needed her right next to me. I wanted to feel her heart beat with mine.

“Oh my God, Nash. I don't know if now is the best time to talk to her.” What was he talking about? Had she moved on?

“What are you talking about?” I wasn't going to lose her, not again. She was the most important thing to me right now.

“Have you seen her latest Vine? She said they are just friends, but the rest of us think they like each other.” My heart broke. She was in love with another guy?

“What!?! Who are you talking about?” I yelled through the phone.

“I don't know, she won't say.” Of course, that was just like her.

“Cameron, she is mine. I love her.” It was true, Hayes was right. I loved her. I wanted to spend my every second with her until we died, of old age, together.

“I know you do, man. Maybe you should go see her,” he said.

“How? She lives in a completely different state!” I said.

“It's only like ten hours. You can do it.” Not alone.

“Come with me. All of us. We'll go see her,” I heard him gasp through the phone.

“I know Sierra was planning on surprising her this weekend,” he said.

“I can't wait that long. Today, I need to see her today.” Time was ticking and I didn't want to waste another second without her.

He sighed. “I can fly out today. I'll go ask her and Carter. I don't know if he will be able to go.”

“Okay. Thank you, Cam.”

“Yeah. I missed talking to my best friend.”

“I'd hope so. I have to go. See you later.”

“Bye, Nashty,” he said, all sassy, before he hung up the phone.

Today was going to be big. Not only was I going to see my best friends, I was going to get back the love of my life. Wait. I should probably go tell my mom I'm leaving. She would understand, right?

Since it was six o'clock, I knew my mom was already awake. I had no clue why mothers got up so early.

“Mom, I need to tell you something,” I said as I walked downstairs. She was sitting on the couch, reading off her iPad and drinking coffee.

“Well, I know something is up, you never wake up this early.” She laughed a little bit. She set down her coffee and motioned for me to come sit across from her. “What happened, Nash?”

“I remember. I remember everything.” There, I just laid it out on the table.

“Wait. What? Honey, that's fantastic!” she said.

“I need to see Violet. I want to see her today,” I blurted out.

“Honey, I know how much pain you are probably feeling, but you have to go to school,” she said.

“No, Mom, please! I'm begging you. Let me go.”

At first she just looked at me but after a couple of seconds she nodded. “Fine. But you aren't driving up there by yourself, so Will is going with you.”

I jumped up and ran over to give her a giant hug. “Thank you, Mom. Thank you so much!” I said. “Wait, there is one more thing.” I pulled away and she raised her eyebrows. “Hayes has to come.”

She gave me a stern look.

“Mom, he cares about her as much as I do. He misses her too.”

“Fine! You might as well just take the rest of the week off while you're at it. I'll schedule a hotel for you all to stay at. You have to be back here on Sunday before four p.m. Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” We both laughed and I gave her another hug. “Well, I should go pack and wake up Will and Hayes.” She nodded and shook her hands, telling me to hurry up. She didn't have to tell me twice.

Violet

Off to another
day of school. Yesterday wasn't horrible, but today I had a feeling that something huge was going to happen. I hoped it was nothing bad, though.

“So you and Chance . . .” Hayden said when we were in the car.

“We are just friends, Hayden.” Why do people automatically think that if I hang out with a guy, I'm dating him?

“Just be careful. He isn't real charming with the ladies,” he said.

“Well, he is super nice to me, so I see nothing wrong with him,” I said.

I heard him sigh. I looked over at him and saw him roll his eyes. “I heard from your old Viner friends today. They are pretty upset with that group message.” He chuckled a little bit, which made me smile. “Anyway, they don't want you hanging out with Chance anymore.”

“What?!” By now we were parked in the school parking lot. He tried to open his door but I kept locking it so he was trapped in the car.

“Let me out or we are going to be late.” He kept wiggling the handle but it was no use.

“They can't tell me who I can and cannot hang out with. And neither can you.” I finally unlocked the car and stepped out, slamming my door shut.

“Violet, wait. There's more,” he yelled as he tried to catch up to me. “There is someone more important for you than Chance,” he said.

I stopped walking and looked at him. “Hayden! Nash and I are over and done with. He moved on so it's time I did, too.” I pushed past him and joined the crowd of students piling into the building.

Nash

“Are we almost
there?” Hayes complained from the backseat.

“We are trying to find her neighborhood. Calm down,” Will yelled at him. I regretted bringing Hayes along because he wouldn't shut up. We were all excited to see Violet but he was ruining the moment.

“You guys know I don't like being in a car for hours on end,” he snapped back.

“Hayes, shut up! Stop acting like a little baby,” I said to him. He just sighed and banged his head against the window. “Take a right here. Then it should be number 203,” I directed Will. We got the directions from Violet's dad but he wasn't too clear on where the house was.

After we finally found her house and pulled into her driveway, Hayes jumped out of the car and fell onto the ground. “Oh, sweet land,” he yelled. Will and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

I walked up to the door and rang her doorbell, praying that someone was home. A few seconds later, Violet's mom opened the door. “Nash, honey! What are you doing here?” She gave me a quick hug and invited us in.

“I need to see Violet,” I quickly blurted out to her.

“Oh, well, she is at school right now! You can wait until two—that's when she comes home,” she explained while grabbing her purse. “I have to go to work, but you guys can make yourself comfortable,” she said as she walked out to the garage.

“Wait!” Will called after her but it was too late. She was already in the car. “Well, now what do we do?” he asked me.

I had to call Cam to see where they were. He picked up his phone after the fourth ring. “Nash, what's up?” he said casually.

“Well, we made it to her house but Violet is at school right now,” I explained to him.

“Obviously she has school, Nash.” I heard him laugh and I could make out talking in the background.