Undone - Chapter 4: Ann

“Hey there, Naomi…it’s been a year, huh? How are you doing? Good, I hope. We’re all doing fine here. Well, we’re coping. Miss you terribly. We all do. I…I really don’t know what to say. It’s hard for me to speak to you, especially when you’re gone…”1

“Hey, Ann, I’m going to go buy flowers, okay? I’ll be right back.” I heard Brandon say. He’d been silent the whole time. I’d almost completely forgotten he was there.2

“You’ll be alright?” I asked, turning my head to look at him.3

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he turned to walk away and I looked at the gravestone again.4

“Truth is, Naomi,” I started after Brandon was out of earshot, “I’d always loved Brandon. Since the day we first spoke all the way back in 3rd grade. Sure, it may not have been love then, but it is now. I know I should’ve told you earlier but I knew very well you wouldn’t react very nicely. So I’m telling you now, and you can’t do anything. Hah! I hate you, Naomi Candelina. You deserved to die. You deserved every bullet that I shot through you. You better fucking reincarnate because I’d love to kill you again, just to hear you beg for mercy.”5

“ANN?!”6

I turned around to see a bundle of flowers fall out of his hands. His hands were frozen, as if still not realizing that the flowers fell. In fact, his whole body was frozen. His face had a look of disbelief on it. It was obvious he heard what I’d said; maybe not all of it, but at least the last few lines.7

“Is it…is it true?” He spoke softly, just above the whisper level.8

“What did you hear, Brandon?”9

“YOU shot her? You were the one that…? But she was your…she was your best friend! I can’t believe…oh my god! How could you…how could you…?” I knocked him out with a single blow to his face. He’d probably remember the conversation, or he wouldn’t.10

We’d just have to see.11

I left the cemetery, walking slowly on purpose in case he got up and I’d have to knock him out again. He didn’t so I continued on to mine and Sam’s apartment. She’d probably be waiting for me, knowing that I’d go there right afterward.12

The previous year had been really hard on all of us, hard in very different ways. Brandon had to go through the pain of losing the one person he’d ever loved. I had to go through not laughing every time the principal announced that the guidance counselor was free to anyone who was grieving and needed someone to talk to. Sam had to cover up my tracks, create my alibis, and hide the guns.13

I stuck the key into the top lock and immediately I heard it opening on the other side, and then I heard the bottom lock click open. Sam was on the other side, with a grin on her face, motioning me in. As soon as I was in, she shut the door and grabbed my hand, leading me into her effervescent room. We sat on her bed, where her comforter had every shade of red ever created. I wouldn’t know half the colors there had she not decided to point them all out to me.14

“How’d it go? Tell me everything.”15

“Brandon came up behind me while I was telling Naomi I wanted to shoot her fucking brains out again. I had to knock him out.” I answered simply, as if it were not important.16

“And you left the poor baby in the graveyard? The ghosts will get him and eat him up. Eh, he shouldn’t have snuck up behind. Wait, didn’t he go with you? What was he doing sneaking up behind you?”17

“He went to get flowers. Never reached her grave. Ah, well.”18

“Did you hit him hard enough to knock out his memory?”19

“Maybe.”20

“Maybe?! That’s not good enough!” I stared at her. She was slowly becoming hysterical.21

“I – what?”22

“Go back there, Ann! He can’t remember this or he’ll come after you. He went after the guy that they accused of murdering her, and he barely got away! He was critically injured! His fucking eyes were GOUGED out! I swear, Ann, I’ll kick your ass he if remembers this. He’s probably waking up right now, with a HUGE migraine, thinking, Ann did this? I’m going to kill her! And he will, Ann, he’s going to come right after you! The accused murderer was a jock from our school. A heavy built jock that played freaking football. If Brandon can take him on, he’ll fucking…he’ll…damn it Ann, go back there right now!!!” She was on the verge of tears. I could hear her voice crack under pressure. I grabbed her into a hug, comforting her.23

“I don’t – I don’t want you to d-die, Ann. I wouldn’t be able to – live without you.”24

“Shh, Sam, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to die. He won’t remember. Trust me, I hit him hard enough. Since when, exactly, are my hits NOT hard? I mean, jeez, Sam, I freaking knocked you out when you stole my pencil.” She laughed in my arms and let go to face me. She was crying, but slowly her face became its usual color as she calmed down.25

“Go get him, please. Kill him if you have to. I don’t care. I saw what he did to that jock. I saw his face and I knew I’d never think straight again. Remember that week that I was absent because I suddenly caught a fever and couldn’t get out of bed? That was because I followed Brandon to where that jock was. You should’ve listened to him. You should’ve heard the words he said. He was blind then…he doesn’t know enemy from friend when he’s like that. If he’d seen me I wouldn’t be here right now, Ann. GO. GET. HIM.”26

“I…” I was going to tell her that it was unnecessary, but then decided against it. “Fine. Are you coming?” If I was going, then she should come too. I couldn’t do this alone. She was surprised at my agreeing, and then nodded herself. She pulled on a pair of combat boots and stalked behind me as I walked out of her room.27


Ten minutes later we were at the graveyard, standing where I’d knocked out Brandon.
He was nowhere to be seen.28

“Shit! I knew it, he’s up and running. Probably planning on how he’s going to destroy you, Annie!” Sam said, shouting at me, her voice echoing through the empty graveyard.29

“Look, just because he’s conscious, doesn’t mean that his memory’s miraculously returned. There’s still a chance that I knocked his memory out of him, so would you quit worrying and just…quit complaining about everything! I’m not dying. Do you really think a boy is going to be able to kill me? I really doubt it. I mean, we’ve taken out criminals twice the size of Brandon and he intimidates you?” I scoffed and dragged Sam back home.30

“Annie? Will you sleep in my room tonight? I’m going to have nightmares,” Sam said softly, standing at my door, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.31

“Sure, Sam, no problem,” I agreed with a smile. She was already traumatized as it was. I grabbed a pillow and followed her to her room. I still could never get over just how much red was in that room. Almost all her accessories were red and it all stood out against the less bright colors of the room. It hurt my eyes.32

Sam snuggled into her queen sized bed as I turned off all the lights and locked the main door.33

“Good night, Sammy,” I whispered as I climbed into her bed.34

“Good night, Annie. Sweet dreams,” she whispered back, falling into a light slumber.35

“Mmhmm.”36

Nightmares plagued my dreams.