“
You just don’t.” Holly
exclaimed.
Abby looked at her with shock and
disbelief.
“
Holly, you are always so ethical with
these things, how can you tell me to just act like this is not
happening, like it’s no big deal?” she said barely above a
whisper.
Holly turned to look Abby in the eye, she was
crying now too. “Because over the last two months, I have seen you
happier than I have ever seen you. Something tragic happened to you
three years ago that you cannot change no matter who you tell or
what you confess, it doesn’t change anything. Your uncle needed
reality to slap him in the face to own up to what he had put people
though all his life. He still hasn’t taken responsibility Abby, he
is trying to get you to take the blame so he can get out of jail
even though he caused this whole mess. Don’t you see? It doesn’t
help anything having you go tell my dad and what, get probation or
time in Juvenile Detention, for reckless endangerment, have this
all come up again, have Mitchell’s parents go through all of that
again? That’s crazy Abby! Jimmy will not find out unless you tell
him. You were a juvenile at the time of the accident and your name
wasn’t even in the papers. All the records show your uncle was
driving and he was the cause of the accident.”
Abby was shaking her head trying to make
sense of what Holly was saying. She thought to herself, “Could I
really just not say anything?” She looked up and saw her parents
staring at her, hoping she would accept Holly’s rationale. They
were thankful Holly was there. Abby’s mother had her hand over
Holly’s in silent appreciation. They sat in silence for quite
awhile. No one dared saying anything to Abby while she sat there
contemplating her choices, afraid it would sway her to call
Clifford Applebee and negatively impact the rest of her life.
“
Ok.” Abby relented. “You win, I won’t
say anything.” Abby could hear her father exhale, her mother wiped
her tears away, stood up from the table and gave Abby a hug. She
also hugged Holly, tightly. She owed Holly big time.
* * * * *
Chapter 13
That was the last it was spoken about. Life
continued just as it had before Abby knew about the letters. Her
parents went about their business as if nothing had happened.
School was all a buzz over the Winter Formal and everyone’s plans
over the Christmas break. Abby was going to skip the dance this
year. Holly had suggested they go together without dates and have
just a fun time hanging out. Abby declined, she just wanted away
from the hustle and bustle, she planned on staying home, getting
pizza and talking to Jimmy. She invited Holly to join her but she
knew Holly would rather be at a dance if she could. It was the
weekend before Christmas, Jimmy had told her he would try to come
for a visit before he had to go to Mississippi to be with his
parents, but it wasn’t looking good. He was very busy in the
recording studio. He tried to persuade her to go to the dance and
have fun. She didn’t feel like being at a school dance where she
knew Billy would try his hardest to start something up with her.
She told Jimmy should would rather be home talking to him. In the
middle of their conversation the doorbell rang.
“
Abby, there is someone on the porch
here to see you.” Her father yelled up the stairs.
“
Hold on one sec Jimmy someone’s at the
door for me, probably Holly making one last ditch effort to get me
to the dance.” Abby told Jimmy.
“
Want to call me back?” Jimmy
offered.
“
No, this shouldn’t take long, one sec
ok?” She headed down the stairs with the phone in hand. She was
wearing her pajamas and her hair was in a ponytail, there was no
way Holly was going to convince her to get all dolled up and head
to the high school. She opened the door and dropped the phone.
Jimmy was standing on her front porch with his phone to his
ear.
“
You still there Abby?” he asked into
the phone jokingly.
Abby jumped into his arm and hugged him
tightly.
“
What are you doing here?” she
cried.
“
Trying to breathe at the moment.” he
kidded her again. “Merry Christmas.” he said through chattering
teeth.
“
Let’s go in to the house,” she told
him, “it’s freezing out here, the weather isn’t conducive to a
country boy.” she was the one teasing now.
Jimmy greeted her parents and he was invited
to stay with them.
“
I appreciate that, unfortunately I can
only stay for a short time. I have to be back in LA in the
morning.”
“
In the morning?” Abby said in
disbelief. “Why so soon?” she was already sad that he was leaving
and he had just gotten there.
“
I have a meeting I can’t miss but I
wanted to come to bring you your Christmas present.” Jimmy informed
her.
Abby was glad for any time she could be with
him. She told him she also had a present for him and she was to
follow her to her room.
“
Abby?” her mother
questioned.
“
Stop worrying Mom, it’s nothing like
that geeze.” She said as she led Jimmy up the stairs.
Jimmy laughed nervously and her parents
watched them ascend the staircase.
“
Me first." She said and made him sit
on her bed and close his eyes.
He heard rustling, a dresser drawer close and
her curse as she banged her knee on the footboard of her bed. She
then sat next to him on the bed.
“
Ok open your eyes” Abby told
him.
“
If you’re not dressed then we are both
in big trouble.” Jimmy stated with a laugh. Abby slapped his arm in
jest.
“
Open your eyes” she demanded though
her laughter.
He was holding a beautifully wrapped box. He
looked at her said, “You didn’t need to get me anything, just
having you in my life is the best present I could ask for.”
Her heart started to pound as it always did
when he was like this to her, which was always.
“
Just open it” she prodded.
He gingerly peeled the tape off each end.
Slid his finger under the fold and took off the paper and laid it
on her bed. He took the cover off the box and looked inside. It was
a photo album with a picture of she and him on the cover from the
first weekend they met, his trip to Maine and her trip out to LA.
He flipped through the pages remembering that first great weekend
with Holly and the band. Pictures of the concert, when they were
all at the mall, the fans that approached them, hanging out on
campus and all together on the bus. He then relived his weekend to
the Coast, eating enough seafood to replenish the fishing industry,
walking the Breakwater, sightseeing in Camden. Then he saw the
pictures she took from her trip out to LA. The limo, him and her in
front of his house, all dressed up for dinner at London West
Hollywood, hanging by the pool and a photo of her and him the
morning they left for home. She’d had a black eye in that one. He
closed the book and sat there looking down at it. Abby’s pulse
quickened, “Did he not like it? Why would he? Such a stupid gift, I
should have bought something, but what? What doesn’t he already
have” she thought to herself and franticly thought to come up with
something to say to appease the awkwardness. She was about to
apologize for the silly gift when he looked at her with tears in
his eyes, this made Abby gasp. Was he so embarrassed over the
stupid book it brought tears to his eyes?
“
Abby…this is” he started when Abby
stopped him.
“
I know, I’m sorry, it’s stupid,
I…”
“
No,” he snapped making her jump. “It’s
not stupid. It’s great. There is nothing I wanted more. This is
amazing. You put so much time and thought into it. My gift pales in
comparison.” he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a
CD.
“
I wrote you a song.” he said quietly
and handed it to Abby.
“
Oh my God.” Abby stated. “Thank you.
Can I listen to it?”
“
If you want to.” Jimmy
replied.
Abby jumped off the bed and put the CD into
her stereo and pushed play. The most beautiful melody she had ever
heard came out of the speakers. The ballad was as if he were
speaking directly to her. The chorus is what made the tears start
to flow,
“
You say that you care for me and I
know it’s true,
They never seemed sincere before,
But Baby please believe me when I tell
you
I Love You Moore.”
When the song finished Abby looked at Jimmy.
Her heart felt like it was going to come right out of her chest. He
took both of her hands in his pulled her closer to him.
“
I love you Abby.” he said with more
conviction then she had ever heard before. “I love you more than I
have ever loved anyone. I know it’s soon, we have only known each
other for a few months, but I knew, I knew the moment I saw you in
the auditorium crying in the hallway, with your eyes all red and
your nose running, that I had just met the girl of my
dreams.”
Abby had a feeling she was looking a lot like
she did that first night but she was crying for a whole different
reason this time.
“
I love you too.” she confirmed. “I
knew it from the moment you handed me your handkerchief. I knew it
wasn’t a silly schoolgirl crush. I love you now and
forever.”
They embraced and he started kissing her. The
same tender kiss she remembered from that night on the bus. She
held him tighter and it now resembled more like the kiss from that
day at his pool when he said she was going to get him onto trouble.
There would be no interruption this time, even though her parents
were down stairs she knew they wouldn’t come up. Is this how she
wanted it? Did she want their first time to be while sneaking
around in her bedroom? The more they kissed the more she convinced
herself it was how she wanted it. She was on his lap now,
straddling him just like the day by the pool. She leaned on him and
he rested back on her pillow. His hands were moving up and down her
back. She slipped her hands under his jacket, under his shirt. She
could feel the muscles in his stomach and chest tighten as she
caressed his skin. He flipped her over so now he was on top of her.
He looked at her like he was going to say something but then
started kissing her again. Caressing her neck, nibbling on her ear
softly, moving his mouth over her cheeks barely touching. She could
feel his hot breath on her face and her heart pounding in her
chest. She moved her hands down his back. She slid them in between
her stomach and his. She started to unbutton his jeans. He stopped
and so did she. She didn’t dare move.
“
Abby?” he whimpered.
“
Yes?” she answered.
“
I don’t think this is the right time
or place for this.” he whispered in her ear.
“
Why not?” she argued, “I think it’s a
pretty good time for this and what better place than in a bed.” she
patted the mattress smiling coyly at him.
“
Well, I can think of a better time
without having your parents downstairs and you’re still only
seventeen, committing a felony wasn’t on my agenda for this
evening.” he raised himself off her and sat up.
The last comment made her turn cold, thinking
of the conversation she had had with Holly and her parents a few
days ago. She sat up and looked at him.
He took her facial expression as hurt and
rejection. This made him wince, he didn’t want to hurt her.
“
Abby, please, I don’t want to hurt
you. I’m sorry I took it this far tonight.” he
apologized.
“
No it’s ok, I understand, I really do,
don’t feel bad, I think it was me that took it to where it was
headed” She smiled again.
“
You are going to get me in trouble.”
He told her and kissed her on the forehead. “I do have a question
though.”
“
What’s that?” she asked and leaned
against her headboard.
“
I wasn’t going to put this song on the
album it was only for you, but when the label heard me recording it
they insisted I add it to the play list. I am not comfortable doing
that without your permission. This is your song Abby and if you
want to keep it for yourself then that it what I will do. I’ll tell
the label it’s not going on the album.”
“
No, you can’t do that, this is the
most beautiful song I have ever heard. It would be wrong to keep it
off the record. You put your whole self into it and who am I to say
you can share your talent with the masses.” she
exclaimed.
He laughed and kissed her forehead again.
“Are you sure? Abby this is your song and if you want to keep it
for yourself I will make the label understand.”
“
No. I want it to be on the album.
Besides, whenever I hear it I will know you are singing to me.” She
put her arms round him and kissed him.
“
Ok Trouble, I have to go.” He rose off
the bed.
Abby sat on the bed pouting. “No fair, that
wasn’t a very long visit.”
“
I know, I’m sorry, next time will be
longer I promise.” He reached out to help her off the
bed.
They walked back downstairs. Jimmy said
good-bye to her parents, kissed her again and walked out the
door.
After her parents listened to the song Abby’s
mother wiped away a tear and cleared her throat. “Get ready
Sweetie, his career is about to take off with that one.”