Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 22:20:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ben Poosniffin <sum41fan_s@yahoo.com>
Subject: Blue and Yellow : Chapter 1 - Haunting Memories

I awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. I sat up. 'Just a bad
dream...' I thought to myself as I fumbled in the dark for my cell phone,
which had been next to my pillow just before hitting the sack. I
discovered it had fallen off my bed sometime during the night. Finally
locating it, I flipped it open. Blinded by the sudden light in my eyes, I
waited a moment before looking back at the screen. 3:30 AM. I sighed.

Just then, my cell phone started to vibrate. I looked at the screen of my
new Motorola KRZR.

1 New Text Message From: Jessica

Since I more or less got it less than 12 hours ago, it took me a minute
to be able to open the message.

From: Jessica @ 3:00:41 AM

hey joey... u up sweetie?

I smiled. Jessica knew me all too well. How she always knew the right
time to say or do anything, I'll never know. Moving the hair from my
eyes, which was dark brown and down to the bottom of my nose, i opened up
a blank message.

To: Jessica @ 3:01:27 AM

ya, i am, but more importantly, wat r u doin up?

I hit send, closed the phone, and fell back onto my pillow. 'She's never
up this late. Is something wrong?' A million questions raced through my
mind as I waited for a response. After what seemed like eternity, I felt
the phone vibrate once again in my hand. I quickly flinged it open and
opened the message.
From: Jessica @ 3:04:09 AM

worryin bout u.. tht look on ur face when you left my house.. i knew u
wernt doing good.. it dsnt matr that ur 10 miles away now, im here 4 u,
no matr wat. ur my bst friend. movin's hard, i know, but ull be jst fine.
i knw. so, how R u holdin up?

Tears started to form in my eyes, and began to run down my cheeks. I
fought them back, thinking of much of a baby i was, crying over something
so.. dumb.

Instead of texting her back, i went to the address book on my phone and
called her. She answered on the first ring. I wasn't surprised one bit,
and neither was she.

"I knew you'd do that," she said in a hushed tone. It was 3 AM, after
all.

"I don't deserve a friend like you.." I whispered in a raspy voice.

"Joesph Michael, don't talk about yourself like that! You're a great
person, you just need someone there for you, that's all. So in the mean
time, you have me, and right now, I'm here and that's that! ...Now, come
on, spill, is it that bad there?"

I turned on the lamp lying on the floor next to my bed. Well, it was just
a mattress on the floor for now. I looked around my new bedroom. The only
things that were in here were my mattress, my lamp, and 3 boxes that had
a few items in it. I was supposed to have had them unpacked already, but
I was in a sour mood, so I left them there out of spite.

"I don't know, it's just strange. I'm just on the other side of town, but
I feel like I'm in a whole different world. My room is now twice the size
it was, plus a master bath and a walk-in closet. It just doesn't feel
like.."

"Your room," she finished my sentence for me.

"Ugh, why did mom have to get that STUPID promotion?" I fumed into the
phone. She had just gotten promoted to manager of a really upscale
hotel/restaurant, and had to switch locations. "I still don't understand
why we had to move."

"Maybe it's to help your mom. She does work awfully hard, you know.
Picking up the slack your dad leaves and all.." she got quiet for a
minute. "I'm sorry, I have to go, my parents are up. Musta woken them...
I'll talk to you tomorrow sweetie. And please, promise me you won't do
anything stupid.."

I laughed. "Jess, I'm only 14. And it's 3 in the morning. What could I
possibly do?"

"I think we both know.." she said in a stern, but hushed tone. "Let's not
get into that right now, Joey. Just promise me you-"

"Alright, I promise! Geez, it was one time, are you ever gonna let it
go?" I was getting agitated.

"No, i won't. Something had happened, which you still haven't told me
what it was, by the way. All i know is you decided to take some of your
mom's pills, and ran away. You had her worried sick!"

"That was a year ago, ok? My dad did something, and I flipped out, and
was gonna go to your house, but whatever it was that I had taken had
really messed me up, and next thing I know, I wake up and I'm like 5
miles from home. Trust me, I think I'll stay away from her pills."

"Well, please, just don't run away again, ok?" she pleaded.

"I promise I won't tonight, ok? But I can't promise for the future," I
said, calming back down.

"..Ok, I understand. 'Night Joey."

"G'Night." And with that, I closed my phone, layed back, and looked up at
the ceiling. I was fighting, trying not to think about that night, but I
couldn't stop thinking about it now.

Well, here's what happened: My dad had come home drunk again that night.
He had been layed off, and I guess the drinking was "helping" him cope.
But he seemed more out of it that night, stumbling, knocking stuff over,
bumping into anything and everything. My mom came in to the living room,
where he had finally sat down, and told him that he should maybe get to
bed.

"Fuck you, bitch!" he growled at her.

"Sam, seriously, you need to get to bed. I don't want Joey to see you
like this.."

"Blah blah blah, Jewel, it's always about little precious Joey! What
about me, huh? You're assistant manager of a big fuckin' hotel, and what
am I? Ya, that's right, I'm layed off!"

I walked in from the hallway as the last sentence was said. My mom looked
directed her attention to me, telling me to go back to my room. She then
focused on him again, tears forming in her eyes..

"Sam-" she pleaded.

"YOU KNOW WHAT?! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU AND YOUR FANCY FUCKIN' JOB!
FUCK YOU!" and with that, he stood up, stumbled, and fell back down on
the couch. "FUCKIN' BITCH!" By now, he was screaming, and I started to
walk over towards my mom, trying to get her to walk away and leave him
alone. But as I stepped forward, he started screaming at me. "AND YOU,
YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU RUINED MY LIFE! I WAS DOING FINE UNTIL YOU CAME
ALONG! GREAT JOB, GREAT EVERYTHING! BUT NO! YOU HAD TO BE BORN!"

As he said this, he stood up, caught his balance, and started storming
toward me. I froze, not knowing what to do. As he got nearer, my mom
grabbed a hold of him by the arm, and started pulling with all her
strength.

"SAM! Sam, no! leave him alone!" she sobbed.

"Get the fuck off of me, cunt!" he yelled. He jerked away from her and
pushed her, pushed her hard. She stumbled backwards, but kept her
balance.

"You bastard! Get away from him!" she yelled. He stepped toward her and
shoved her. This time though, she went down, and went down screaming,
right through the glass coffee table. Her head had hit the frame as she
fell. She blacked out after hitting the floor. I knew she wasn't dead
because she was still breathing, but I knew she was in bad shape. I began
yelling and crying hysterically.

"Dad! What the hell is wrong with you? What did you do to mom?" Not
hearing me, he turned around, walked though the broken glass, which was
everywhere, and made a B-line for the couch. When he got there, he fell
into it, passing out. Everything was quiet except for my sobbing and his
heavy snoring.

I was in complete shock, both from my dad's words and from what had just
happened. I needed something to calm me down. I knew my mom had nerve
pills in the medicine cabinet in her bathroom. I quickly ran to her room,
on through to her bathroom.

I opened up the medicine cabinet and immediately identified her nerve
pill bottle. I opened it up, grabbed 3, turned on the water, and one by
one, swallowed them with a handful of water that followed each pill. I
stood there for a moment, looking in the mirror. 'I have to get outta
here' was screaming through my head. So what did I do? I made a B-line to
my room, unlocked my window, and climbed out, and started running for
Jessica's house. Her house was about 10 minutes away on foot.

As I got near, I started feeling funny and stopped to take a rest. I was
still crying, so i wiped my tears and looked at the digital wrist watch
that i had on my left wrist. 11:56 PM it read. I sniffled and sighed. I
couldn't believe what had happened. All of a sudden, everything got
blurry and whirled around me. I got up to try to walk, but fell back
down. A few more minutes of this, and I blacked out.

I awoke to bright sunlight and people standing around me. They helped me
to my feet, and after a few minutes, I was able to stand on my own. I
looked around. This is not where I passed out' I thought to myself,
beginning to panic. After taking in my surroundings, I recognized a
building across the street, which happened to be the movie theater, and
instantly knew where I was. I was about 5 miles from home. How I got
there, I'll never know, but immediately, I asked someone if I could
borrow their cell phone, and called Jess's house. Her dad answered. I
lied and told him that my mom had dropped me off to go see a movie, but I
had gotten the time wrong, that it wasn't until that night. I then told
him that she couldn't get me cause she was at the store. So he came and
got me without question, and dropped me off at my house. I said goodbye
and walked up the driveway to my house. When i opened the door and went
in, my mom rushed up sobbing, hugging me. She had that white tape rapped
around her head, and bandages on various parts of her arms, legs, and
hands, where she must have gotten cut by the glass.

"Baby, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "Please, don't ever run away again!
Don't ever make me worry like that again!"

I started crying too. "I won't mom, I won't.." After a few minutes of
this and calming down, I asked mom where dad was. She said that he had
checked himself into a clinic to get help with his drinking, and that he
would be gone for at least a month or two. I was some-what relieved to
hear that.

And now, a year has passed by, and he hasn't drank a single drop of
alcohol since. He's been making it up to me and mom for what had
happened, though it had not been the first time he had done something
like that. But now he is sober, and seems a little happier.

I shuttered, still remembering the nightmare. But I was exhausted and
needed to get to sleep. I reached down, turned off my lamp, and rolled
over, falling asleep almost immediately.

(for quicker updates to the story, visit
http://blueandyellow.17.forumer.com/. [up to chapter 3 has been posted]
emails and tips always welcome!)