We'll Show Them

Movie night was spectacular. After the initial awkwardness and incidents, everything ran smoothly. Chinese takeout boxes littered the living room as we talked about whatever graced the screen... That is until Justine had a conniption, gathering all the trash in an anxious fit. Lizzie's crew hit it off with mine unbelievingly quick. Mikey took a shine to Justine and Karen and Frank wouldn't shut up. Lizzie obviously got along with everyone.

The guys and Christa had already taken their leave. I was awestruck when I caught a glimpse of Justine giving my brother a quick goodbye hug. Soon after that, Lizzie's roommates returned to their respective rooms, leaving the two of us together in the living room.

Lizzie was still resting her head on my shoulder by the time "A Clockwork Orange" credits rolled on the screen, a favourite of both of us. She got up and removed the VHS, sticking it back in the bookcase. She paused, studying something in the kitchen, before her eyes landed on me.

"Damn Gee, it's four in the morning,"Lizzie yawned, scratching the back her head.

"Shit, really?" I yawned back, stretching, trying to wake up the arm that had fallen asleep. Thanks, Lizzie.

She nodded once more, trying to stifle yet another yawn, failing epically. "We're just passing it back and forth now," she tried to laugh. "Do you wanna just crash here? I know it'll be next to impossible to catch a cab right now."

"Are you sure?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I bet I can even scrounge up some clothes for you to sleep in. I still prefer to wear clothes that are three times too big to bed. So, are you staying or not?"

"I guess I'll crash here for the night. Where are those pajamas you mentioned? I'm tired of wearing jeans..."

After throwing on a pair of baggy sweatpants and an old Batman t-shirt, I heard the familiar sounds of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" danced their way through the flat. Following them, I found myself standing at Lizzie's bedroom door.

She saw me and smiled. "Wanna join?" she asked, scooting over, opening a seat on her bed. I took up her offer and plopped down beside her. It reminded me of the many times we had done this before she left for college.

We watched in silence until Jack began belting "What's This", Lizzie being the one to break the silence.

"Gee, can I tell you something?"

"Shoot," I told the girl who was resting on my shoulder once again.

"This is the happiest I've been since I left for college," she admitted, looking at my face for a reaction.

A slight grin of happiness spread across my face. "Same here." And it was the truth.

She let out a deep breath before continuing. "Gee, what I'm about to tell you, no one else knows." I looked at her, slightly worried. Was she pregnant? Did she kill someone? Was she a lesbian? All of these ridiculous thoughts swam through my mind as I waited for Lizzie to carry on.

"I did a lot of things in college that I'm not proud of Gee. But, they were the only way I could respond with all the shit I was dealing with...

"It a started after my very first semester if college. My parents had found out that I wasn't majoring in what they wanted me to. They were beyond irate. The days leading up to Christmas were filled with lectures about how I was 'throwing my life away', or 'I was a disappointment of a daughter', or 'I ruined the perfect family they had strived so hard to get.' My Christmas presents were legal papers saying they had disowned me and I had to give back everything they had bought me that was still in my possession. This includes te car I drove to get there. My brothers gave me bus fare and I was shipped back to Syracuse.

"I took out countless student loans and worked more than any human being should have to. It wasn't unusual for me to stay awake for days on end. My body couldn't handle it, so I turned to drugs and alcohol to try to push through the trauma."

My hand gripped Lizzie's tightly as she used the other one to wipe tears from her eyes. "I understand where you're coming from," I said, being brought back to a time I wasn't proud of either. "I got to where I couldn't perform without downing half a bottle of vodka, swallowing a handful of pills, or other terrible things. I was more addicted to self destruction then to the drugs themselves ... something very romantic about it. It got to the point where I was suicidal and couldn't take it anymore. It took a trip to Japan, almost dying from alcohol poisoning and an overdose, and seeing how broken my friends were before I straightened out." I looked down at Lizzie to see nothing but understanding on her features.

"We were both pretty fucked up, huh?" she chuckled slightly, gaining one from me as well. "I was at that point too. 2001 was when I hit rock bottom. My brother, Roman, was the one who worked in the World Trade Center. I woke up that morning on September 11th, upset that I could feel. I was headed to the fridge to grab one of the many bottles I kept in there, when I noticed a message on my answering machine. I hadn't turned the television on yet, so I had no idea. Hitting play, I heard Roman's voice come through. It was almost masked completely by the sound of a crumbling building.

"He started with saying he didn't have much time left. Continuing, he said he loved me and how proud he was that I was doing something that I loved instead of listening to our parents. He and Richard never had the guts to do it. He said I would always be his little sister. Then came all the crashes and the screams and the phone just cut off. I sat there and cried. I ignored the phone call from Richard telling me what had happened to out brother. I couldn't even go to his funeral...

"That was when I hit rock bottom. I was always drunk or high. I wanted to die. I had nothing left going for me. But then this tiny neurotic girl tried to befriend me. Next thing I know, I'm moving with her and her sister to New York City. Their dad is a realtor and gives us a beyond beautiful flat for a discount. I realized things were looking up and I needed to better myself. I quit drugs and began drinking in moderation. I applied at Dark Horse and got hired as an artist. My driving force was hoping I'd see this one guy from Jersey again now that could function normally.

"About six months ago, I got my first big paycheck. My first comic booked had been published and was selling wonderfully. The first thing I bought? Concert tickets. There was this band. It was founded by a couple of brothers and their friends. They loved my type of music, and it seemed like they got big over night. Last week, I went to their New York show and was completely blown away. Yet, I still had the nerve to throw their singer for a loop. The rest is history, and now my life is worth living again.

Lizzie's tears of sorrow had now turned into tears of happiness. She looked at me and all I could do was gather her into a hug. "I missed this," I whispered into her hair, now having a whole new respect for her.

"Me too," she whispered back. "How about we finish that movie?" Lizzie smiled when she pulled away.

"That sounds like a great idea."

It wasn't long before she was softly snoring into my chest. I brushed her hair out of her face and she just curled into me even more. Well, looks like I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

Notes

Hey guys! Unfortunately, this is the only chapter going up. My data allowance ran out on my phone and I got home reeeaaaallllyyyy late. More bad news. School starts up again tomorrow, so there's going to be more space between chapters. BUT DO NOT FRET! I am going to update as much as I possibly can! Happy reading!

-SS