happiness begins [joe jonas]

24

Wednesday afternoon came and Emmie was still broken and confused. The more days that passed, the more articles that surfaced. All saying the same things. That Emilia Campbell was a fame grabber who meant nothing to Joe.

The words hurt to hear, especially over and over. It was like hearing a broken record on repeat. Emmie tried to keep herself away from the public until the rumours died down. But that was the problem. When would they die down? It had been four days and people were still trying to find out the full story.

She new she couldn't hide herself away forever. But she didn't know what else to do. She wished Joe was there. He knew all the right things to say. He would know how to calm her down, instead of her pacing around the apartment, panicking at every moment. But he hadn't helped. Instead he had hidden the problem from her, and expected her not to find out.

Emmie had only cried once since leaving Joe's place. She refused to let herself get upset. It was unfortunate that their friendship was no longer the same, but that's just the way it was. She couldn't bare to face him, knowing how he really felt about her. It was embarrassing to her.

She had written everything down in her journal, hoping to finally make sense of things. But all it did was remind her how much she really missed him. She missed the way he would make stupid jokes, constantly trying to make her laugh. She missed the way he would sit and watch her favourite movie over and over. No matter how many times. She missed his bubbly personality. And she missed his smile. She really missed his smile.

She hoped he was okay. As much as she had been hurt by him, Emmie still cared. She still wanted to be there for him. She just wished there was a way through this situation. But if Joe didn't care, then how could they ever go back to the way there were?

The countless times she had thought about calling him, just to ask if he was okay. It was weird. She was the one that had been hurt by the articles, yet all she could think about was him.

Emmie sat on couch, flicking through old photos of her and Caleb. Two months ago, she wouldn't have dared do this, but for some reason, she felt more at ease. Seeing these photos brought back some bittersweet memories, she couldn't help but smile. She missed being able to see his face every morning. Caleb had been her best friend, and they'd never had a dull moment together. But now, all her moments were dull. Because she had lost the two people she cared deeply for.

Maybe it was the fact that she missed Joe. She missed his presence so she tried to find comfort in an old friendship. Joe had been her safe space, yet now he was far from it.

She tried not to think about Joe. He had made his words clear, so she didn't want to be so hung up on him. But of course, he circled her mind more than anything else.

She hadn't visited the places they would go together. Not even the music room. It felt too painful to wander into a room where they once used to share happy memories.

Emmie traces a finger over one of the glossy photos, a small smile forming. It was one of her favourite photos. Her and Caleb stood on the beach, the summer sun warm on their backs as they stood, drenched in sea water. The each held a surfboard, grinning widely into the camera.

She could remember that day as if it was yesterday. Two summers ago, they had gone down to the beach with Thea. She had refused to learn how to surf with her boyfriend, so Emmie went instead. They had a blast attempting to ride the waves, both failing miserably. Caleb went under a few times, after being knocked from his board. But Emmie couldn't deny, it was the most fun they'd had. Thea had taken the photo on their way back to shore.