The House that I Grew up In

Out of breath, Annabelle ran towards where the graduating seniors were supposed to gather, on the back lawn of the high school. She was very late, she knew, because the baby had been crying all morning.

She was just yards from the gathering spot where all the seniors were standing around, wearing their gowns, talking and laughing and putting on their caps. Pausing against a tree momentarily, Annabelle caught sight of Quinn and smiled. He was frowning at his cap, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it. Suddenly, a blur came from the far left, knocking him down and causing Annabelle to gasp.

“You asshole!” Quinn yelled at Josh, his face flushed. But as the blond boy started laughing, rolling off Quinn and rising, offering him a hand up, Annabelle grinned. “What the hell?”

“Sorry,” Josh was smiling with no apology. Putting a friendly arm around Quinn’s shoulder, he continued with a happy look. “I’m just in a good mood. Didn’t mean to take you off guard like that.”

As hard as he tried, Quinn couldn’t help but let a small smile curve up from his lips. “Yeah, I get that. I’m pretty glad to be done, too.” He paused, glancing around his classmates and frowning. “I just wish Annabelle was here already.”

Just as Annabelle was about to push herself from the tree and walk towards the boys, she saw another blur come from their left. Both Josh and Quinn were able to keep their balance – but barely – as Katy threw her arms around both their necks. “We’re graduating!” she yelled with glee, Forest nearby in dress pants and a button-down shirt, smiling amusedly. “Aren’t you guys psyched?”

“I know I am,” Christy walked up, her hair perfectly styled and her makeup pristine. What made her most beautiful, though, was the wide grin on her face. “Come here, Katy, and give me a hug. I mean, WE MADE IT!!!”

Taking a deep breath, Annabelle bit her lip and took in the picture before her. Christy and Katy were still embraced in an excited hug. Quinn, Josh and Forest were talking to the side, all laughing at once at something Quinn said. It was almost hard to believe.

After all, one year ago, this group of people had barely known each other, at best – and hated each other, at worst. Yet, today, it was so clear how involved with each other’s lives they all were. And how much they adored one another.

Still standing by the tree, Annabelle watched as the five people before her exchanged hugs, shoulder slugs, laughs and smiles. Finally, she heard Christy’s voice above all others. “Where the hell is Annabelle?”

Laughing, Annabelle pushed forward toward the crowd. “I’m right here,” she said with a grin, holding her graduation cap in her hand. “Sorry, I think Seth isn’t feeling well. He was very fussy all night; we all barely got any sleep.”

Watching his girlfriend beaming at her friends, Quinn could only grin and pull her into his arms. “You’re amazing,” he whispered, kissing her temple. She looked up and kissed him softly before pulling away.

Hugging everyone else, Annabelle allowed Christy to put on her cap. Then, as the principal came over and started ushering the graduating seniors into line, she thought about how odd it was – how different her life was today than it was one year before.


Graduation lasted almost two hours, and was then followed by pictures and final hugs goodbye. In the end, there stood one group, all still hugging, laughing and smiling like they never expected to be so happy: Katy, Forest and Katy's parents; Josh and his parents; Christy and her parents; Quinn and Kathy; and to the side, Quinn's Dad and his new family – who were trying to include Quinn, and who he as trying to accept.

And Annabelle, with Julia... and Seth... and Ewan.

There was no question; it had been hard for Annabelle to accept completely at first.

It was not that Annabelle was not happy that Julia had met someone – and Ewan was great. A couple years younger than Julia, he was also a doctor in Zimbabwe for Doctors Without Borders. From Scotland originally, he was smart and handsome. And he was also a widow.

That is what Julia had told Annabelle had attracted them at first. They had just talked – for weeks – about how hard it was to be so young and to have already lost your “soul mate”. But one night, after a particularly hard day with some political activists who had gotten into a fight, they had shared a bottle of wine.

Over discussions of Julia's appreciation that she had Annabelle in her life, and Ewan's hope that he would still one day get to feel the joy of parenthood, despite losing his wife to breast cancer a few years earlier, they had... spent the night together.

Both people tried to make little of it at first. They told one another that they were great friends, and that it had been a moment of weakness. But, over the next few weeks, they realized it had been more. Neither had ever expected it, but they were falling in love.

However, even the realization of their feelings couldn't quite stop the shock that Ewan and Julia felt when they realized that she was pregnant. They spoke for weeks, while working tirelessly in the small town where they were volunteering. They tried to figure out what would be the best course of action. And then, on the night Julia got the call from Christy's parents about her being in the hospital, they figured it out.

“I want to go with you,” Ewan began, pushing away Julia's protests to finish his statement. “Please... let me say this... I love you, Julia. I've loved you since I first met you. I was afraid, for a while, that admitting that would make me somehow unfaithful to Leah, my wife. But Leah's gone. And she... she would love to know you. And she would be so happy for me, to have found someone so amazing. Julia, please, I want to go with you. I want to be with you. I want to help with Annabelle anyway I can. And I want to have this child with you.”

Julia had insisted Ewan stay, at least until she had spoken to Annabelle. And it had been, as Julia had expected, quite a shock to Annabelle. Not only was her mother involved with someone, not only was she in love, but she was having a child.

It took a bit of time – Annabelle still felt guilty at her selfishness when considering those few days she had been distant from Julia – but she had finally given Julia her blessing to have Ewan come to them.

And Ewan had been amazing. Never trying to claim that he knew more about Annabelle than what he saw, and always treating her as a young adult, he won her heart easily. But mostly, he gained her trust from how he treated Julia.

“He acts like Julia is a rare gem,” Annabelle explained to Quinn one night. They were curled up in his bed, after making love – Kathy was at work, and they had gone out to dinner earlier, so no one knew just where they were. Pushing her head into Quinn's chest, she blushed. “I feel like such a child, because I still... resent him, I guess.”

Kissing the top of Annabelle's head softly, Quinn pulled her gently to him. “Do you think he loves Julia?” he asked in a calm voice.

“I... do,” Annabelle was hesitant only because of her jealously.

“And would you like to see Julia happy?” Quinn pulled Annabelle closer so he could continue before she interrupted. “And would you, possibly, like a little brother or sister? And to see Ewan and Julia – two entirely selfless people who adore each other and only want to bring happiness to the world – would you like to see them share that openly?”

Burying her head deeper into Quinn's chest, Annabelle had admitted that nothing would make her happier.


But it was now a year later, and Seth was almost three months old. Being Julia – a woman who had raised her daughter to call her by her first name – Julia had insisted that she and Ewan not have a formal wedding. But there had been a party – a shower/celebration. And Annabelle couldn't have been happier.

There had been a young couple in Zimbabwe that happily took over Julia's place in the village they had lived in in Mexico. And Ewan had already had a job lined up in a hospital in Queens, when the summer was over. So all that was left was for Julia and Annabelle to decide what they should do.

It had been Annabelle's idea, actually, to get away for a few days together. Sharing a room in a small bed & breakfast on Fire Island, the two women were alone – and actually a bit uncomfortable with each other for the first time in their lives.

“This is what I was afraid of,” Julia told Annabelle through tear-filled eyes late their first night at the hotel. They had gone to dinner, and then for a walk on the beach, but had barely spoken. “I can't even imagine being with Ewan – or, more so, having another child – if it would do anything to diminish the amazing relationship we have.”

Looking at her mother's tear-filled eyes, Annabelle was overwhelmed with guilt. Julia had ALWAYS been there for her. And her mother had been so lonely for so long. Plus, now, Annabelle knew personally how much it meant to have someone truly declare their love to you.

“Ewan is very sweet,” Annabelle began softly, reaching for Julia's hand. “And like you told me about Quinn, he really seems to love you, and that means so much to me, as I KNOW how special you are. So I give you my full blessings to be with him... and I cannot wait to meet my new brother or sister.”

Julia – later blaming it on hormones – had cried with a huge smile for a long time while holding Annabelle. And while her daughter still felt nervous that her whole world was changing so quickly, knowing that her mother would be happy meant more to her than anything.


Karma. It was the only word Annabelle could think of that would explain how well the next year would go. She, Julia and Ewan found a house near enough to Ewan's job, Julia's volunteer work and Annabelle's school – also Katy, Josh, Christy and Quinn's school – to attend. And then Seth had come – and he was the greatest gift Annabelle could have ever hoped for.

But it had been very odd as the year began. People were shocked by the change in social structure. The Girls had been cruel – to both Annabelle and Christy equally. But, in the end, a small, strong, loving group of friends had emerged. And completely confused the student body.


It was now the day that Annabelle, just after getting used to her new life, she felt, was packing to leave. But it wasn't so bad. She was going to Columbia University. Quinn would only be across the city, at NYU – with Katy. Josh was going to school on Long Island, at SUNY Stonybrook. And Christy had decided on LIU Southampton.

So everyone would be – relatively – close. But, despite the proximity, they were all aware that things could, and likely would, change over the next four years.

“So, are you going to ditch me for the first do-gooder pre-med student you find?” Quinn walked into Annabelle's room as she was packing, and she looked up with a grin.

“As fast as I can,” Annabelle teased, smiling at Quinn.

Taking a seat on her bed, Quinn motioned for Annabelle to sit. Taking her hand, he smiled. “This time last year,” he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I thought I'd never see you again.”

“Ye of little faith,” Annabelle grinned and leaned over to kiss Quinn softly. “Still, after everything, do you think we'll be OK?”

Quinn paused silently, and then looked around Annabelle's bedroom. It was the room he, Katy, Forest, Josh and Christy had helped her move into at the end of the previous summer. It had seemed so empty then – being as Annabelle was not the type to hang movie posters or magazine pictures of boy bands. But the walls, dressers and end tables were now covered with memories from their senior year.

On the dresser sat the dried homecoming corsage Quinn had gotten Annabelle in October. On her bedpost was a Santa hat that Christy had worn at their Christmas party. Pressed into the corner of the mirror was the first family photo, taken in March, of Annabelle, Julia, Ewan and Seth in the hospital just after her brother's birth. And framed beside her bed (now being gently folded into her suitcase) was the picture of the six of them from graduation.

The six of them – the idea still baffled Quinn. Well, he had been friends with Katy and Forest before, but... Christy? And Josh? Well, he guess it was all due to the “sixth” in the picture – Annabelle.

Would their relationships – all of them, be they romantic or friendship - make it through college? That was a hard question. Who knew? But considering the Hell high school had been – and knowing they had survived it – it seemed likely.

Pulling Annabelle a bit closer, her head below his chin and her heart beating against his chest, Quinn guessed that, considering all they had gone through already, their chances were probably just a little bit better than anyone else's. But they'd just have to see...


OK, TO ANYONE WHO HAS READ THIS STORY ALL THE WAY THROUGH, I APOLOGIZE IF THE FINAL CHAPTER WAS PRETTY BAD. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FINISH THIS STORY FOR MONTHS, BUT NEVER FELT LIKE I COULD GET IT RIGHT. SO I JUST SAT DOWN TONIGHT AND DECIDED THIS WOULD BE IT, NO MATTER HOW IT TURNED OUT.

AND TO THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER READ ANY OF MY STORIES BEFORE, I APOLOGIZE, BECAUSE THIS WAS A FAIRLY CRAPPY STORY OVERALL – AND PARTICULARLY A CRAPPY ENDING – AND A PRETYY DAMN BAD EXAMPLE OF WHAT I CAN DO AS A WRITER (I HOPE). I KNOW THAT, AND I REALLY AM SORRY. BUT, IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THE SEVEN OR SO PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ MY OTHER STORIES AND LIKE THEM, I MAY HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS FOR YOU.

ONE OF THE REASONS I COULDN'T WRITE A GOOD ENDING TO THIS STORY WAS BECAUSE I WAS TOO EXCITED TO START MY NEXT STORY. IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A BROKEN DYNAMITE FAN, THIS WILL BE GOOD FOR YOU:

I STILL HAVE “NOTICED” TO FINISH, BUT I'M DEALVING INTO THIS ONE FIRST, BECAUSE – WELL – I'VE ALREADY WRITTEN A BUNCH OF IT. THUS, WHY THTIGUI KIND OF GOT IGNORED.

SO “NOTICED” TAKES PLACE ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER EVEN ANGELS FALL. BUT, IN THAT YEAR AND A HALF, SOMETHING HAPPENED. AND THAT'S MY NEXT STORY. THIS IS THE STORY OF ADAM.

ADAM IS THE BROKEN DYNAMITE BASS PLAYER. I'VE NOT SAID MUCH ABOUT HIM BEFORE, EXCEPT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS EXISTANCE. WELL, MY NEXT STORY PICKS UP SHORTLY AFTER EAF.

ZIP AND SARAH ARE A COUPLE. JOSEPH IS MARRIED TO LIANNA, WITH A KID. SO WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE BAND?

SUMMARY: JUST AS THE EVER-POPULAR BAND, BROKEN DYNAMITE, IS READY TO TAKE A BREAK AND LET LEAD-GUITARIST, JOSEPH, BE A FAMILY MAN FOR A BIT, ADAM – THE BASSIST FOR BROKEN DYNAMITE – GETS A CALL THAT HE NEEDS TO COME HOME TO TEXAS, SINCE HIS FATHER HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER, FATAL AND SHORT-TERM. THE BAND, OF COURSE, ENCOURAGES HIM TO GO HOME. AND ADAM AGREES, ALTHOUGH HE REALLY DOESN'T WANT TO.

BECAUSE NOBODY IN THE BAND TRULY KNOWS ABOUT HIS PAST – WITH HIS OLD FRIENDS, WITH HIS PARENTS, AND PARTICULARLY WITH THE GIRL HE LEFT BEHIND IN A SMALL FARMING TOWN TO DEAL WITH ALL THE DRAMA...

PLEASE, IF YOU CARE, I'D LOVE TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW STORY. AND AGAIN, SORRY FOR THIS ENDING, BUT... I HAVE SO MUCH ALREADY WRITTEN FOR “ORDINARY” - THE STORY OF A PERSON SO AFRAID OF BEING ORDINARY, HE MIGHT MISS THE SIMPLE GREATNESS OF LIFE.