Forgotten Soldier

Chapter 1

"Annabelle Bradshaw, you can either come with me willingly or I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself," a husky voice called up the stairs.

"Kiss my ass, Fairbrass," I taunted back.

"Alright, you asked for it," With that, the doorknob turned and I flew to my closet in an attempt to hide. Clearly my attempt had not been as brilliant as I though because the closet doors opened almost as soon as they closed.

"Alright, you cheated," I protested, crossing my arms at the muscular male in front of me.

That would be Vincent Fairbrass, the hottest boy at school, who also happened to be my best friend. His dirty blonde hair always seemed messy in the sexiest way, his deep blue eyes could make you feel like you're in an ocean, and his muscular shoulders were capable of bench pressing two of me. In case it wasn't obvious, I love him. Vincent is kind, funny, and all around attractive. His voice is comfortable, his eyes make me feel like I'm on top of the world, and his arms make me feel like I'm safe in any situation. He's also completely off limits.

It all started when my I was five. My parents moved across the country to Utah to follow my father's job. I thought I would hate it here, or at least I'm told. Apparently, I cried during the entire trip.

I don't remember much about that day. I do, however remember that it was the day I met my best friend. I was afraid that no one would like me until six year old Vincent met me on the swing in my new backyard with a handful of rocks. "Wanna see my collection?" Those were the first words he ever said to me, and they still make me smile.

"Annie, you can't miss the first day of your junior year. I won't allow it." What Vincent had failed to realize was that I wasn't just avoiding this because of my anxiety.

This was his senior year. Next year, he would be at college and I would have to spend my senior year without him. Of course, he promised to visit me on weekends and be my prom date, and I would be joining him at whatever college he chose the next year, but it wouldn't be the same.

"I can, and I will. If I go, it means this is the last first day of school I'll have with you." I gazed down at my hands, afraid that my sentiment sounded silly to him.

Vincent paused, probably just now realizing what was going on. I watched the shadows on the floor change as he joined me, sitting on the floor inside of my closet. "That's so not true, you're coming to college with me, it's just going to be a year. Twelve years of pillow fights and sleepovers aren't just going to disappear because I'm leaving. You know better than that." I could hear Vincent's jacket rub against itself as he brought his arms toward me to engulf me in a hug.

I leaned my head against his chest and let out a soft sigh. "Alright, fine, I'll go, but you have to promise to text me all day," I demanded, holding out my pinky.

"Deal," Vincent replied, wrapping his pinkie around mine. In unison, we each kissed our thumbs. That was our ultimate pinkie promise. We've never broken an ultimate pinkie promise.

The ride in Vincent's truck was quite fun, as always. The eleven minutes were spent singing to our favorite songs at the top of our lungs. We were both terrible singers, but neither of us cared. We could be ourselves around each other and we never had to worry about judgement. I would miss this.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the school, Vincent found a parking spot and slid the truck into park before shifting his body to face me. "Alright, Annie, if you need me, you call me and I'll make something up to see you." He knew from previous first days that I would get so anxious that I'd end up throwing up in the bathroom. Since the first time it happened, he's done everything in his power to combat my first day jitters.

"And what about next year," I pondered, still unable to get that off of my mind.

Vincent let out a sigh, hanging his head down low. He seemed to be almost annoyed that I kept bringing it up. "Annie, you know I love you, but that's a year away. We'll cross that bridge when we get there." He paused for a moment, looking up to see that my frown hadn't been faded by his words and that it clearly still bothered me. "Next year won't be much different, you know. You can still call me anytime you need me. I'll even pull out my Mr. Bradshaw voice and call the school."

I let out a groan, knowing I couldn't put it off forever. With that, I swung my door open, clutching my chest in a dramatic way. Hopping down from the truck, I grabbed my backpack and swung it over my shoulder, heading around to his side to walk with him.

The halls were crowded with our fellow students, already seeming to gather into whatever groups they fell into. Various couples locked lips in the hallway, causing Vincent and I to lock eyes and simultaneously fake-gag. The freshmen could be easily spotted as most held their schedules in their hands as if it would suddenly blow away.

My attention turned as I heard the infamous click clack of high heels approaching Vincent and I. "Hi there, Vince," a fruity voice said behind us. We both turned to face the owner of the voice, Carlee Hammond, easily the most gorgeous girl to ever exist in our city who also happened to be a cheerleader and pageant queen. They would undoubtedly be crowned king and queen, especially since they had been dating for the second half of our last school year.

Vincent moved his arm up to Carlee's shoulders, wrapping her in a one-armed hug and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, sorry we're late, you know how Annie gets on the first day," he replied, nonchalantly. I kinda liked that he didn’t take pity on me.

I watched her eyes flick to me and back to Vincent within a second, clearly agitated that I had been what made her boyfriend late. "Sorry, Ann, I know tummy aches are tough. Anxiety is very real." She put on a fake frown on her face, wrapping both of her arms around my best friend.

Yes, Carlee treated me like a child. I had brought it up to Vincent in the past but he hadn't noticed how she acted toward me and wasn't really sure how to handle talking to Carlee about it, so I let it go. It still kinda sucked, though.

I noticed Vincent's mouth open to say something, but his thought was interrupted by the ring of the school bell. "I guess that means we gotta be in class," he stated to me. "Call me if you need me, Annie. I mean it." With that, the pair was leaving to their classes. No doubt that Vincent would walk her to first period and end up being late for his own.

First period went pretty smoothly. Mr. Greenback wasn't a fan of first-day introductions, which made me the biggest fan of Mr. Greenback. He introduced himself and went straight into our syllabus and his expectations of us. If all of my teachers were like this, my first day would be pretty easy.

With that, the bell rang and our period was over. After gathering my books and standing from my seat, I made my way out of the classroom and to my next class. Art class would be super fun and I didn't think I'd have any problems with it. Just before I reached the classroom, my phone buzzed and I noticed a text from Vincent.

Meet me in the Lounge in five.

Confused, I walked into the classroom and set my books on the desk before approaching my art teacher. "Mrs. Watkins, can I be excused," I asked, gesturing to my stomach. She quickly nodded and handed me a hall pass.

The teachers were usually pretty lenient when it came to me leaving class, considering I've vomited in a class at least four times over the course of two years. I was kinda famous in that department.

Making my way through the halls, I neared the student lounge. Peeking around the corner, I saw a distraught Vincent slumped over in one of the armchairs. With no hesitation, I plopped down on the seat next to him and brought my legs up to sit cross-legged. "Alright, dude, what's the dealio?"

Vincent glanced up at me with a look I hadn't seen in years. He was sad; like, super sad. The last time I'd seen him like this was when he and his ex girlfriend, Mia, from freshman year broke up.

I felt my smile fade and I pulled him into a hug. "Aww, Vincent, I'm so sorry."

Vincent's arms wrapped around my back, weakly linking together by his fingers. "David told me he saw her with Jared over the summer," was all he let out.

Ah, the infamous ex boyfriend that Carlee had been off-and-on with for the past two years until she and Vincent got together. "Jared's a douche and Carlee doesn't know what she's giving up. You're kind, smart, AND funny. Not to mention you're commonly known around the school as 'hottie.' Seriously, you're like the whole package." I knew that flattery wouldn't entirely cheer him up, but it would make him feel a little better at least.

He gave a weak smile and pulled away ever so slightly to look at me. "Love you, Annie," he replied.

"Love you too, Vinnie."

Those words meant a whole lot more to me than he knew.