The Usual: A Jonathan Brandis Fanfiction

One

  Some of us have an escape from this living hell we call reality; life. Fortunately, I was one of them. Through the abuse, neglect, binges and purges, and overall depression and self hate, my best friend was my reason for surviving. Though everything in life stayed "usual," Jon was unusual, which made this life worth living. I wish he was here to say the same. My best friend was Jonathan Brandis.

Monday.
  6:01 A.M. My alarm screeched for a minute longer than it should have. I quickly slammed it off and sat up before it woke my parents up.
  I rotated and pushed myself off my single twin mattress on the floor. I pushed my pillows towards the head of the mattress and pulled my tie dye blanket up and smooth it over my mattress. Yawning, I sit on the floor in front of my full length mirror to do my hair and makeup.
  As per usual, I did a simple wing, powder, and mascara, a bun in my hair and a tie die bandana around my head. My usual bracelets jingled as I pulled over an oversized Grateful Dead shirt with some ripped jeans and converses. This outfit was no different from my usual, yet I loved it the most. My best friend, Jon, gave me the shirt as a memoir from one of his many filming set locations, as were most of my bracelets I wore. I also always wore two necklaces: a chain with a heart on it that was my grandmothers, and a beaded wooden necklace that Jon got me from a trip to Hawaii with a star with my initial engraved into it, an A.
  "Because you're a star, my star," he said to me the night he gave it to me.
  I grabbed my wallet, keys, and book bag and quietly creeped out of the small house to my car, my grandmother's old car.
  I pulled down the usual roads, into the usual streets, and into the usual driveway, Jon's of course. He came out and smiled at me as usual, hopping in the front with me of course.
  "How was your morning?" he asked me as he buckled and I pulled out of the driveway.
  "Quiet. Mom and dad stayed asleep, I got ready in less than 10 minutes, so."
  "Good," he smiled as he looked over at me. I smiled back and pulled into the parking lot to Cup O' Joe, as I did every morning with Jon to see Myles and Joe.
  "Morning dudes," we both say as we walk in.
  "Absidee, Jon, got your usuals right here," Myles said with a smile. Joe brought out some muffins to the couches where we all sit every morning together.
  "Joe, I finished the project for English," Jon said, reaching to hand him his paper.
  "Alright, let me look over this real quick," Joe responded, carefully revising the paper as he sipped his chai tea.
  "Dude, I'm not feeling it today, just let me drop you off and I'll skip," I say to Jon, smiling as I complained.
  "Nope. You're going, and that's that. Besides, you have this semester and next semester left. Then, you'll be graduated," he smiled back.
  "Speaking of, I never asked you kids; what are you both going to do after you both finish school?" Myles asked while Joe continued to revise Jon's project.
  "Well, continue acting I would hope," Jon smiles modestly.
  "Live with Jon wherever he goes," I answer, looking at him happily.
  "You two kids. Get a room," Joe smirks as he sets the paper down. I blush as Joe laughs and continues.        
  "Jon, the story is great. It really is, there's not much I can say to fix about it besides grammar. What on earth is going on there?"
  "I've gotten a little behind in English for the past few years with all the filming," he embarrassingly answers. Jon never liked to talk much about work with his home friends. He didn't like people to see him as a celebrity, or an object. He wanted us to remember that he was still the same shy, nerdy little boy that we all knew and loved, regardless of the fame and teen magazines.
  Joe nodded and corrected the few small grammatical errors on his project.
  You wouldn't know by looking at him, but Joe is an English major. He was top of his class, but when he was about to start a job as an English professor at a college down in Kansas, he met Myles. The two moved to California where they opened Cup O' Joe. Jon and I were just becoming friends when we somehow wandered into the small, hippieish coffee shop. It didn't take long for it to become a regular habit.
  After a half hour of chatting and coffee, we headed towards school, talking about music and whatnot on the ride there.
  "I see you're wearing the shirt," he noted, smiling at me.
  I looked over at him as he looked at me, locking eye contact for a brief second. "Yea, it's my favorite shirt," I smiled back.
  We pulled into the small private school that my grandma miraculously paid and got me into and parked near the back of the parking lot where no one would see us.
  "I fucking hate this school," I complained as we walked in.
  "I wonder if Janet Jackson had that mindset," Jon joked as we walked to our lockers.
  "Hey Jon, hey Abi," our friend Brittany said to us.
  "Hey Brittany," we said in unison.
  "Hey Jon, I was wondering if you wanted to go to a party Friday night at Ryan's," she smiled kindly.
This was how things usually went for me. All the students, or a good chunk of them, at this school were actors or had parents who were actors. I fit into neither of those categories. I've never acted, much less wanted to act, and my parents are both drug addicts. My grandmother was the person who raised me in her big, white mansion over near Beverly Hills. Right before she passed away, she paid for a 4 year education into Valley Professional School and gave me her car. I never fit in with the crowd. I was always dressed different, and I never had on nice clothes after I started freshman year because my parents sold them all for drugs. With no nice clothes, no way to move schools, I was stuck miserable in the boring loop of life.
  Then, one day I met Jon. I was crying alone in the courtyard before first period, covered in bruises from my parents. No one was out there and I assumed I was alone, when all of a sudden I heard the voice of then freshman Jon ask if I was alright. When I looked up, I saw the bright blue eyes filled with concern looking at me.
  "Um, yeah. I am. Was I bothering you?"
  "No, but where are those bruises from?"
  "I took a bad fall this morning," I answered frantically as I got up.
  "Doubtful, but you don't have to tell a stranger. But hey, I'm Jonathan. We have Algebra 2 together." He smiled and continued, "if you ever need anything, I know we've never really talked, but I'd be glad to listen. Hey, let me walk you to class. Maybe I can walk you home too," he continued smiling.
  From there on we got closer and closer. Jon didn't care about my less than glamorous life, in fact he always listened to my problems. If I needed him, I could always count on him. He was the first person I could ever open up to, and to this day still is. His parents cared for me as a daughter and always welcomed me to their house. They even tried to convince me to move in with them, and believe me I would in a heartbeat if it was my choice. But my parents get money for me every month and no way would they give that up.
  Jon smiled at Brittany and then at me. "Absolutely. Absidee can come as well, right?"
  Brittany smiled at me, not a fake bitchy smile, but a genuine one. "Of course," she said, tapping my hand playfully. "I'm sure Ryan won't mind."
  I smile shyly as I reach to open my locker and grab my books. Brittany said goodbye and I turn to Jon.
  "Why on earth would you do that?" I demanded.
  "Do what?"
  "Put me on the spot. You know as well as I that everyone there will be famous or the descendant of a famous person," I hiss so no one will hear.
  "Abi, you know that they're people just like you and I. Just because they're on a tv show or a movie doesn't mean they're any better than you and I," he said as he started to walk to his first block.
  "That's easy for you to say, you're the biggest teen in Hollywood!"
  Jon rolled his eyes and picked his pace up.
  "You know what I meant. I know you're not any different. But I am. and that is the problem," I said as anxiety filled my veins.
  "Abi, nothing will happen. You will be fine. Just stay with me. You can even spend the night if you want to. We'll make a night of it," he suggested as we stopped by his class.
  Sighing, I gave up. "Alright Jon. But if I want to leave I will. Anyways, I'll see you at lunch," I say as I pushed through the crowd towards my class.
  I sighed as I sat back in my desk, tapping my pencil.
  "That boys lucky he's my best friend," I mumbled as the bell rang and the teacher began class.