Chapter Twenty-Five

Letters

Addison and I were sitting on the beach together enjoying the hot summer sun. After reconnecting with Chris, I finally found myself able to go to the beach without feeling an empty void in my stomach. But one thing was still on my mind. It had been two months since Chris was home and he wasn't writing me at all. I was upset and scared because he had no contact with me, but at the same time,I wasn't feeling as bad as I had been before he came home because I knew that he still loved me.

We were about to get up and go get some ice cream from the parlor down the beach when a terrible pain shot through my lower left shoulder. I screamed out in pain a little.

"What's wrong hun?" Addison asked with concern.

"Nothing my shoulder just started to hurt real bad, but it's subsiding now. Let's go get some ice cream"

'That was really weird' I thought to myself.

When we reached the ice cream place, I ordered my usual cookie dough, and just like her brother, Addison ordered mint chocolate. We decided to split the bill and we walked together eating our ice cream on the beach.

"Addison, what should I do about Lena and Kara? I mean when Kara heard about it, they both stopped talking to me all together! They won't even hear my side of the story! I don't know what to do. I miss them and having this happen while they are gone, just makes it that much easier for them to get away with not seeing me" I said with sadness.

"Well, I think that you should keep calling and texting them, but not so much that it's annoying. Just enough so that they know that you won't give up until they hear you out" she said sympathetically.

"And guess what?" she said.

"What"

"We're going out tonight"

"We are? Where?" I questioned.

"There's a little party that one of my friends invited us to downtown. Some guy named Kyle is having it at his house, and we need to get out and be social"

Kyle. Jay's best friend and also my childhood best friend.

"Alright. Cool! It sounds fun!" I said trying to sound excited. I'm pretty sure she could see right through me just like Chris can but she smiled and shook it off.

"Okay well the party is in like three hours so we should think about heading home soon"

"Addison, my house is literally five minutes from here" I laughed.

"That's true, but we're gonna try and look like a couple of supermodels" she smirked.

I laughed and then sighed. We finished our ice cream and headed back home. Dad was still staying with us and him and Addison were getting along just great. There was something about the Garrett family that simply made my family adore everything about them.

About three hours later, Addison had me all dressed up and she did my makeup as well. I have to say, I looked hot.

When Addison finished doing her makeup and got dressed, she looked absolutely gorgeous. I don't know how she didn't have a boyfriend. Maybe it was because her scary older brother was in the military. I internally laughed. He wouldn't hurt a fly.

We grabbed our purses and headed out the door.

I jumped into the drivers seat of my car and drove to Kyle's house. I had been there multiple times before so I knew where it was.

We pulled up to the house and parked near the over-crowded driveway. We slowly made our way to the house and walked in. The strong smell of alcohol lingered in the air and I tried not to gag. I didn't particularly like alcohol, and the fact that it was technically illegal for me to drink it made me dislike it more.

We walked around a bit until Jay found us. He was already incredibly drunk.

He almost tripped on his way over to us and I tried to get away when he grabbed my arm.

"Well don't you look pretty" he slurred, the last word barely able to leave his mouth.

"Thank you" I smiled as best I could but I'm pretty sure it still looked completely fake.

Addison left to go find her friend and I wanted her back the second she left. Jay is a violent drunk.

He yanked on my arm and pulled my into his chest. He kissed my neck and nibbled at my ear.

I tried to squirm away, but even though he wasn't nearly as strong as Chris, I couldn't get away.

I whined a little before he tried to lead me upstairs. I pulled back on my arm as hard as I could and broke free. I stumbled into the living room where something on a shelf under the coffee table caught my eye.

I ran quickly over to the coffee table, trying to avoid the drunk couples making out and I knelt on the ground next to the table.

I pulled the first stack of papers out from under the table. They were tied together with string so they wouldn't get separated. On the first one it read:

Lt. Christopher Garrett

Unit 1009 AA

APO Box 1150

Beckton, California

And it read the same on all of the others. I checked the other stack.

Miss Nicole Collins

138 Oceanview Dr.

Beckton, CA

A27 9J5

It read the same on all of the other letters as well.

Kyle and Jay have been taking mine and Chris's letters before we see them. He has been writing. But I never got the letters because they were taking them.

I took the two stacks in my hands and stood up. I walked towards Jay who was standing in the hall, completely dumbfounded.

"Jay, what the hell are these doing here?" I spat.

"Well....I didn't want you seeing......that.....jackass anymore....so I took the letters....hoping you would break up with him" Jay slurred.

"I miss you baby" he started "I want you to come ho-"

"NO!! Jay for the last time NO!! You hurt me!! You slept with one of my friends, not by accident like you claim, but because you are a total jerk! I don't want to be with someone who treats me the way that you treated me and I'm not anymore, nor will I ever be" I stated my voice filled with venom.

I saw Jay's hand clench into a fist and come up into the air. I braced myself for an impact that I had felt far too many times when someone stepped in front of me and hit Jay square in the face.

It was Kyle.

I was both surprised and extremely grateful as well as a little confused. Sure, Kyle and I were close when we were kids and while Jay and I were together, but we stopped talking after what happened with him.

"Thanks Kyle" I said hugging him and looking over at Jay's unconscious body.

"No problem sis" he used my old nickname. We were so close when we were little. He was like my big brother.

I smiled. I began to frantically look around for Addison so that we could leave.

When I found her, I asked her to drive us home because I was still in a little bit of shock as well as extremely mad at both myself; for thinking that Chris wouldn't write me when he said he would, and also at Jay; for taking my letters.

I played with the string that was wrapped around the stack of letters that Chris had written. There was 181 of them stacked on top of one another. He had written every day after he left in September. Just like he promised he would. He must have sent them all when he got back.

When we reached the house, I ran straight to my room, preparing to read all of the letters, he had written, but that I never received.

I read through all of them; including my letters that corresponded to his. The ones I had written him in the first four months he had sent back to me so I could read them along with their responses.

I reached the last letter that brought me to tears. It was dated yesterday, but because of the time difference, it was around 9:00 this morning California time.

Monday February 21st, 2012

Dear Nicole,

Something has happened here today that could drastically alter our lives forever. Right now, Ryan is writing this letter as I am still too weak to do it myself. I was shot in the lower left shoulder early this evening and again, am lucky to be alive. Although I don't exactly know how long it will take to recover. I am in a hospital in Paris. The nurse says I'm recovering nicely and I'll be permanently sent home as soon as I am in good enough condition. Do you wanna know the first thing that entered my mind right before I blacked out? You. We were on the beach again. Sitting together just like we had when we first met. And the very last thing that I saw before I blacked out was my mother and father reaching out for me. I was about to go to them when I saw you again and I woke up in the hospital. You saved me once again.

I love you my darling and I'll be home soon,

Chris xx

After reading this, tears welled in my eyes. I held the letter in my hands and stood up from my bed. I walked down the stairs to see Addison still sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Hey Addison"

"Yeah Nicki"

"Have you ever been to France?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Because we leave in the morning" I said.

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Uh oh.....Chris got shot. That's no good. But at least he's recovering well!

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