The Reason Why

Chapter 24: Live Forever

Some people have it all. Some people think they have it all. Some people think other people have it all.
The last one counts for me. The whole world knows me, knows me from the music I make. They know me as 'the brunette of Little Big Town' or 'the one whose married to the band member'.
They think I'm just a pretty country singer with lots of money and nice clothes. A happy family: good looking husband, handsome five year old who all live in my big house. They think I have no worries, that my life is just one big party. That I have everything that I want, but they are wrong. I have nothing anymore. Only the band, the money and the clothes.
I figured out that relationships are nothing for me. The only thing I do is hurt the people I love.
I've hurt Mark, Jimi and Rose.
Rose... I let her go. It was the best for her.
Our relationship was like the Imagine Dragons song, Demons.
Your eyes they shine so bright, I wanna save that light.
That's probably what I like the most about Rose: her pretty blue eyes. Deep blue, like the ocean.
Don't get too close, it's dark inside.
My soul is as dark as my hair is and my biggest talent is hurting people.
Realising this all and seeing the light in Rose' eyes slowly disapear brought me to this decision.
I needed to let her go.
"It's the best for you, honey. I will never forgive myself if you end up being unhappy because of me. I love you too much, I need to let you go." I still can see the expression on her face. A smile through her tears, saying it's probably the best thing to do. Whispering she loves me and will never stop doing that.
We laid there, for hours, until the sun rose again. Our last night together.
I took care of her. I got her the same job but by another country singer, a much more populair one who was about to tour through Australia. I knew Rose always wanted to visit the country.
Saying goodbye was hard. Not only for me, but for the whole band and crew. And the three kids. Even Jimi was crying.
Rose was the most loved crew member we ever had, even though she was the main reason of all the bad things that had happened.
I know she is better off now. We still text and skype and call with each other. And so do the others. Rose will be truely missed.
And maybe I'm better off like this too, alone.

"We should go out and surround outselves by pretty men!"
"Nah,"
"Pretty women?"
"Kimberly, shut up," Karen said.
She laid in her bunk, hidden under a lot of blankets. Including the four pink ones Rose had bought for her. "I don't wanna go out. I don't wanna face people."
"You're facing me,"
"But you're a cupcake,"
"I'm your best friend as well and I'm asking you to come outside."
"No."
"Yes!" Kimberly pulled Karen out of bed and got her outside.
She stood there with crossed arms in her pink sweatpants en Disney t-shirt. A messy bun on the top of her head and mascara running down her face.
"It looks like you have a hangover, but I know you laid one bunk below me all night."
"Thanks for the compliment, Schlap." Karen yelled after him.
"I'm happy to see you outside."
"Yeah, hm, it isn't actually that bad."

"I'm pretty sure Karen is depressed,"
"Again," Kimberly sighed and then started to cry. "I don't want my best friend to suffer like that." She laid her head on Schlap's shoulder who tried to calm her down.
"Sorry guys, but you can't expect that I want her back again. I mean, she really hurt me."
"We know that, Jimi," Phillip started. "We're just trying to solve this."
"Admit it, even you don't want Karen to be sad," Rebecca said.
"That's true. She's the mother of my child and I don't want him to notice that his mother is sad."
"Soon, the first leg is over. What to do with her then?"
"Georgia?" Rebecca proposed.
"Hell no, her parents will never let her go again." Kimberly cried. "Staying at our place?" She looked up to Schlap.
"Of course. But remember our Brasil trip."
"Gussie!"
"She stays at our own place. I'll just take care of her and everything and act like we always do toward Elijah but I'll sleep in the guest room."
Jimi stood up. He made his decision.

"Old bedroom or guest room?"
Please say bedroom, please say bedroom
Jimi thought.
"Old bedroom?" Karen asked.
"Don't ask me, I ask you." Jimi said.
"Old bedroom." Karen walked upstairs, followed by Elijah and when Jimi walked to the guest room he took a look into the bedroom. Karen laid on bed. It was like she just let herself fall on the bed and didn't moved at all yet. One foot was still on the floor and she was still wearing her red dress. Elijah laid next to her.
He closed the door and continued his walk to the guest room. It was as fancy as the old bedroom. As he sat down with his iMac on his lap and googled 'depression'.
Karen had a lot of the symptons. Sad, grumpy, not in the mood to do anything, lots of sleeping, barely eating and having problems with the way she looks.
He was kinda shocked to read it.

Karen was doing fine.
As promised, Jimi took a good care of her. He cooked for her, invited her family and friends over. It all made Karen smile again. And Jimi did everything to see that smile.
He and she had talked about the whole situation. Karen admitted that she is in a small depression and together they decided to spend this month together at home as good friends. No fights, no love, just friends.
Karen had good and bad days. Jimi figured out it was kinda like Alzheimer.
The day Karen had a bad day, she spent the whole morning plus afternoon crying in bed. She hadn't eat or drink anything so Jimi made her a sandwich and apple juice and brought it to her room.
"Wake up, sleepy head. I got you something to eat." He placed the plate and glass on her night stand.
He saw her looking at him with one eye. The other was covered in the pillow.
"Do you want anything else?" Jimi asked.
She only said the word 'hug'.
He doubt it for a minute but then looked at Karen again. She looked so lost.
Jimi laid down and Karen crawled to his side. She laid her head in his arm pit and wrapped her arms around him.
Jimi could feel that Karen was shaking.
It turned out to be a big hug, Jimi fell asleep. With Karen in his arms.
As he woke up, he saw Karen staring at him. Looking up, with her chin on his shoulder.
"Hi you," she whispered.
It reminded him of how he used to wake her up. Suddenly it felt so real, so normal. Like nothing ever happened between them.
Karen leant toward him and kissed him.
For a second Jimi wanted to answer his kiss but like a dream, he woke up. He turned his head to the other way and got up.
"No, Karen,"
"I remember," she said softly. "I'm sorry,"

When Jimi opened the front door he heard loud music. Arrived in the living room, he saw Karen and Elijah dancing on the Party Rock Athemn. They were playing Just Dance. It looked very good, funny though.
He grabbed his phone to record it. Elijah was screaming of joy but Karen was very serious in it. But the big smile totally made Jimi's day.
He betrayed himself that he was actually staring at her butt...
"Daddy, you need to join us too!" Elijah ran toward him and pushed a controller in his hand.
"I really can't dance,"
"Ah come on, don't lie,"
Elijah turned his head to his mother.
"Your dad is a very good dancer." She finished.
"Alright, just one." He said. "One!"
Five minutes later they were dancing some weird Halloween dance and it was hilarious.
Both Jimi and Karen had that family feeling back. Being together doing weird stuff. Forgetting everything and getting lost in the dance. No painful memories or the hard truth for a little while.
Three dances later, Jimi laid on the couch, exhausted.
"Jesus, that was fun," he laughed.
Karen came back with orange juice and took a seat on the carpet.
"Kiki," Jimi started.
She looked up.
"Tomorrow there's a little surprise for you,"

Rose turned out to be the surprise.
She and Karen hasn't seen each other for two months.
Karen was really surprised to see Rose standing at her door. She gave Rose a big hug and was happy that she didn't dressed like a hobo today. Jeans and a plain shirt.
Rose was wearing a lace top with cute shoes. This was how Karen liked her the most. And with her hair in a messy bun.
"I missed you so much, Rosey!" Karen started to cry. Rose as well.
She grabbed Rose hand and pulled her inside. They found Jimi and Elijah in the kitchen. They were packing their stuff.
"Hicking," Jimi explained while Elijah was screaming of happiness because he saw Rose.
Jimi winked, meaning: so Karen and Rose could be together alone.
When the boys left, the girls got themself a cup of tea and took a seat on the couch.
Rose leaned with her chin on her hand and Karen couldn't take her eyes of her.
She looks so good, Karen thought.
The girls did a big catch up.
Karen admitted about the depression and it made Rose cry.
"I love Jimi. Again."
Rose just nodded.
"I let you go. It was so hard but it feels so good. I don't worry about you anymore."
"That makes me happy, to hear that. Because I don't want to be the cause of someone's unhappiness either. To be specific, yours. I love you, Karen. Never forget that."
"I don't," Karen grabbed Rose hand. "And I still love you too, a lot, that's why I had to let you go. You need to find someone else, someone much better than me."
"I'm pregnant..."
For a second Karen was breathless, and then started to scream. She gave Rose a big hug and started to cry. Tears of joy.
"I met him during the tour, he's my co-worker actually. Brown hair, green eyes, kinda like the male version of you."
The girls started to giggle.
"He's three years younger than me and it actually was an accident but we decided to go for it, together and I see what will happen."
"You see, God brought us together so you could get the best gift in the world: a child."
Karen smiled.
"I own you so much. You gave me so much."
"I want you to remember me."
"I will remember you, Karen Renee," Rose said as she was going through Karen's long hair with her hand. "For always, don't you ever doubt that. You'll always be the love of my life. And do me a favor," she took a deep breath. "Fight for Jimi, like you always have done. I just feel that everything is going to be alright between the two of you. No matter what happen, Jimi and Karen will always come back together. Always."

The second leg of the Pain Killer tour has started. They kicked it off in East-Central and after receiving lots off messages of fans, they put back some few old tracks on the setlist, like Your Side Of The Bed. The band had noticed that Jimi and Karen were fine again. As friends. It made the others happy to see that.
After their ritual the four looked at each other.
Karen. Kimberly. Jimi. Phillip.
Look at them, how far they have made it. For some reason they all realized that. A big smile appeared on all four faces.
"Ready to go?" Kimberly screamed.
"Hell to the yeah!" Phillip yelled.
Karen wrapped her arms around Phillip and Kimberly and told them how happy she is with them as friends.
The show went great and almost at the end, they played Your Side Of The Bed.
The last chorus, Jimi and Karen standing against each other, feeling each others breath.
The last line,
Are you still awake, on your side of the bed...
The lights went out, screaming, clapping.
Karen looked up to Jimi. Jimi stepped closer toward Karen. So did she.
And when their noses touched each other, the kissed.
Then the band started to play Live Forever.
Because they live forever. Together. Always.

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Dear readers,

Mostly I don't put notes at the end but please keep on reading.
I have to tell you something.
...
It's very hard for me but... This was the last chapter.
When I told my best friend first, she was shocked.
"But you can't!" She told me. "You've always said that you will continue with the fic because 'YOUR BABIES'" (I really called my fic 'my babies'). After she calmed down, she told me to not write a cruel end.
In the end, I did listen to her. Myself, I really like cruel ends. Sorry!!

I'm so busy with school and it's horrible to let you all wait for a new chapter for two months! And the fic sucks if it are short ones, they had to be long.
Also, I've had every possible problem I could have write about. College, deaths, pregnancies, love, losing yourself, marriages, divorces, gay love, teenage troubles, eating disorders, childhood traumas. There is no other thing I can think off again! I can't let Karen fall in love with someone else again and again and again.

So, dear readers, I'm sorry. I wanna thank all of you, every single one of you. When I started with this, I'd never thought so many people would read my silly stories. Over 5K, that's sick!

Thank you for this first step into the writers world. I'd love to become a writer as well when I'm older. Art teacher by day, writer at night.

I will continue writing. Beside two of my own stories and a fanfiction about school (yes, my friends and I write fanfics about teachers lol) I came up with this other thing: a little spin off of The Reason Why staring Cassadee and Bailey. It'd be about them going to college and struggle with their teenage lives. The band will appear in those as well.

So, thank you very much.

Follow your dreams, be creative and never lose faith.

Cheers y'all!

Love,
Melissa.