I'm just letting everyone know about an error I just discovered...there were 2 versions of chapter 5 in Side Effects, so the numbering was messed up. I changed it, so the next chapter will be 9 and not 8 as you might expect, understand?

 

Oh, and stop mucking up your numbering Kyra - you screwed it up in Schoolboys too, I was a very confused duck trying to sort it out.

X & Y

 

PROLOGUE

 

 

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Jonny Buckland. He liked to wear hats, particularly this one green hat. He played guitar very well, better than almost anyone else in the whole world. He was sweet, kind, and an all around lovely person. His best friend was a boy called Chris Martin. Chris was not as perfect as Jonny. His hair often grew out too long, resulting in what some people would call an afro. He sang well enough, but he was horrible at writing songs. He was a paranoid, nerdy, hyperactive loser. Jonny would always tell him otherwise, but he never believed him. Jonny was absolute perfection in his eyes, and he'd never be able to live up to that. Of course, he was quite clearly in love with Jonny.

 

There was one point in time when Jonny was in love with him, too, but Chris was too blind to see it. He missed his chance, and when he finally realized what he could have had, it was far too late. They'd been friends for years, and they shared a very strong connection. They could tell always tell what the other was thinking, except for when it came to their feelings about each other. For some reason, it wasn't as obvious to them as it was to the rest of the world.

 

One day, Jonny had had enough. He let Chris know exactly how he felt. Unfortunately, Chris didn't react in the way he'd wanted, so Jonny packed up and left. When he left, Chris felt absolutely miserable, and Jonny no doubt felt the same. It was all over, though, and it seemed there was nothing either one of them could do to fix it. Until now.

 

My name is Chris, and I'm here to tell our story in an attempt to persuade Jonny to forgive me. It probably won't work, but it's worth a shot.

 

 

:stunned: :dance: I LOVE IT!!

:blush:

 

X & Y

PART ONE

It was a rainy day. Guy was off visiting some of his relatives in Scotland. We were stuck inside, Jonny, Will, and I, and we were trying to find something to do. No matter how many ideas we came up with, we couldn't agree on anything. Watch telly? Nah, nothing good is on on Saturdays. Play Monopoly? No, Chris always cheats. I don't actually, but Will thinks I do, and whatever he thinks is fact according to him.

 

“There's got to be something,” I sighed.

 

“Maybe we should all just take a nap,” Will suggested.

 

“You can do that if you want. I'm not tired.”

 

“You're never tired, Chris. You're like a giant ball of energy,” Jonny said. “I have no idea how you do that.”

 

“Magic.” The room went silent. I think maybe we were all trying to come up with more ideas, even though we probably wouldn't agree.

 

“You know what we could do?” Jonny asked.

 

“What?”

 

“Play truth or dare.”

 

“Truth or dare? Really? Are we teenagers again?” Will asked.

 

“Actually, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea,” I said.

 

“Well, you two can play, and I'll take a nap. How does that sound?”

 

“Whatever,” Jonny said. “If you don't mind, I don't mind.”

 

“Do you mind, Chris?”

 

“I guess not.”

 

“Then it's settled,” Will said. “I'll go in the other room and nap, and you two can play your little game in here.” He stood up and left the room. I looked over at Jonny. He was staring out the window, a nervous expression on his face.

 

“I didn't think he'd actually leave,” he said.

 

“Did you not want him to leave? We can call him back in here, you know.”

 

“No, it's OK. It's just that... well, I don't really want to play truth-or-dare.”

 

“Oh. Well, we don't have to... What did you want to do?” I asked.

 

“We could just talk. Talking's nice.”

 

“Sure. Uh, what do you want to talk about? Anything in mind?” He sat silently for a few moments, still staring nervously out the window.

 

“I love... the rain. The rain is nice. I think so, anyway.”

 

“Rain. Rain is... good, I guess.”

 

“It's beautiful. One of the most amazing things I've ever seen, besides... well, besides nothing, really. I guess it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Uh... the blueish-ness of the water, it reminds me of... uh, well, it's pretty.”

 

“What does it remind you of?”

 

“Nothing,” he mumbled.

 

“Oh, come on,” I said. “You can tell me. What does it remind you of?” He turned to me, his expression changing from nervous to frightened. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but just turned back to the window.

 

“Your eyes,” he muttered. I couldn't believe he'd just said that, although I wasn't sure he really did. I walked over to where he was sitting and took the seat next to him.

 

“What?”

 

“Chris,” he began, his voice cracking a bit. “Would you hate me if I told you that I love you?”

 

 

PART TWO

 

 

 

“You... you... love me?” I didn't know what to think. My mind was racing, trying to find something that hinted at his confession. How could I have not seen this coming? My best friend, the person I spend all my time with, was in love with me, and I didn't even notice? It was preposterous.

 

There was one memory I had that maybe hinted at it. All four of us were in rehearsal. It wasn't an especially good day for any of us. Jonny kept breaking the strings on his guitar, Guy had lost his camera, Will didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, and no matter how hard I tried, nothing I did that day came out right. Any song I tried to sing, any chord I tried to play... even the sandwich I made for lunch was horrible.

 

Eventually, I ended up getting punched in the face by Will, who rightly did so after I basically told him he was better off... well, I'll spare you the details. It wasn't pretty, but I deserved it. I knew I deserved it even then, and everyone else knew, too. Will, obviously fed up with me, stormed out of the Bakery, and Guy soon followed. Jonny stayed with me, though, despite me being an uptight jerk the whole day. I think I'd yelled at him a few times as well. But he just stayed there with me and made sure I was OK. He got me some ice and everything. I suppose that could have been a sign... but wouldn't I have thought of that sooner?

 

“No... no, that's not... that's not possible,” I said.

 

“What?”

 

“You can't be in love with me... there's no...” He stood up and started to walk away. “Where are you going?”

 

“Home,” he said, reaching for the door. “Clearly, I've gotten my answer from you.”

 

“Jonny, don't leave.”

 

“I don't want to talk to you anymore, Chris.” He left. I remained in my seat, staring at the wall. I couldn't believe anything that had just happened. I even tried to convince myself I was dreaming, or hallucinating, or something. After what seemed like ages, Will walked back in the room.

 

“Hey,” he said.

 

“I thought you were taking a nap.”

 

“I guess I wasn't as tired as I thought... Where's Jonny?”

 

“He went home.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He, uh... he had to do something.”

 

“Oh... Is everything OK?” he asked. “You look a bit... shocked.”

 

“No, I'm fine. I just found out that Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana is all. Didn't see that coming.”

 

“I know you're lying, but whatever.”

 

“Will... did you know?”

 

“Know what?”

 

“That Jonny is in love with me?”

 

“Yeah, of course. And you're in love with him, too, right?”

 

“What?”

 

“You're in love with him, too. It's kinda obvious.”

 

“Will, don't be ridiculous.”

 

“I'm not being ridiculous. You don't have to worry, it's not like I think you're disgusting or something. Wait...” he said. “Is that why he left?” I nodded.

 

“He told me, but I didn't believe him... Will, if it's true, why didn't I see it coming?”

 

“No offense, mate, but you're not exactly the most intelligent person in the world. I mean, you're not even aware that you're in love with him.”

 

“I'm not in love with him!” I shouted. I wasn't in love with Jonny... was I? Not noticing that your best friend is in love with you is one thing, but not knowing that you're in love with someone? That's impossible.

 

“Yeah, Chris, you are. Deal with it. It's not like there's anything wrong with Jonny anyway.”

 

“No, I know there's nothing wrong with Jonny. He's absolutely perfect. I'm just saying that...” I couldn't finish my sentence. The words hit me like a train. Will must have noticed, because he smirked. “Perfect...”

 

“Right, you're not in love with him at all,” he said sarcastically.

 

“Shit.”

 

 

 

 

 

PART THREE

 

I was in love with Jonny. It was so obvious- even more obvious than him being in love with me. If I ever wanted to go out for dinner or something with someone, I always thought of asking Jonny first. Whenever I was feeling depressed, I'd always call him to hear his relaxing voice. Sometimes he was the first thing I thought about when I woke up, and the last thing before I fell asleep. I felt like such an idiot. I was madly, deeply, undeniably in love with him. And it didn't matter anymore.

 

It didn't matter that he was the best friend I could have ever hoped for. It didn't matter that he could make me smile just by laughing. It didn't matter that I was nothing without him, because I messed it all up. He said he didn't want to talk to me anymore. But sometimes people say things they don't mean, right? I certainly did.

 

I drove over to his flat a few days after the whole fiasco. I decided that maybe if Jonny didn't want to talk to me, he'd at least let me talk to him. As I knocked on the door, I suddenly became very nervous. I had a feeling that nothing would be fixed by my being there, but I had to try.

 

“Who is it?” he asked.

 

“Jonny, I'm sorry.”

 

“Go away, Chris.”

 

“But I have to talk to you!”

 

“Go away, Chris.”

 

“No, please, Jonny, just please hear me out! Please?” The door opened.

 

“What?”

 

“I'm so sorry, Jonny. For the way I acted the other day. It was stupid, and selfish, and horrible, and... stupid.”

 

“Yep.”

 

“I love you, too, Jonny.”

 

“No, you don't.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“If you loved me, you wouldn't have acted that way.”

 

“So now you don't believe me? How is that any different from what I did?”

 

“I wasn't lying,” he said coldly.

 

“And neither am I! Jonny, I love you, I swear it!”

 

“Prove it.”

 

“How?”

 

“I don't know. You're clever, I'm sure you'll find a way. But until then... goodbye.” He closed the door. That was the last time I saw him. I went home and searched for hours for a way to prove to him that he was my everything. It was all I could think about for weeks.

 

So one day I decided to write. I wanted to write a song, but the words wouldn't come out. There was no melody playing in my head. Just emptiness. I still sat with a pen and paper, but I started writing a story instead. A story about us. And here it is.

 

Here it is for you, Jonny. It's not much, and it means basically nothing, but this is what happened. This is what happened from my point of view, and I can only hope that you'll see it and understand what happened. And maybe you'll forgive me for being so stupid. But if you don't, please know that everything I wrote came straight from my heart. I've never felt so strongly about anyone before, whether or not I realized it. Please forgive me, Jonny. I need you.

 

 

awww bless i love it

so sweet xx

:stunned:im back...

Omg amy where have u been

IVE missed ya !!!

:) :hug: xx

:jonny:-"I FORGIVE YOU CHRIS!!!"

YMA!

:blush:aww really?!?:hug:I've been taking a 'break':bigcry:I missed you and everybody else!!!!!!:lol:

ARA!!!

a break :( lol x what u mean

i'll be taking a break next week, and the week after the week after next week :rolleyes4:

:jonny:-"I FORGIVE YOU CHRIS!!!"

 

or does he? :sneaky:

 

 

 

shh, laura, don't give away the ending!! :rolleyes:

 

:lol:yeah Lauras leaving us for vacation:(

I was taking a Cold-break:cheesy::(

or does he? :sneaky:

 

 

 

shh, laura, don't give away the ending!! :rolleyes:

 

:escaping:

X & Y

 

EPILOGUE

 

Jonny waited outside the door to Chris' apartment. He was holding a small stack of papers in his hand. Chris opened the door, shocked to find the man who was standing right in front of him.

 

“Jonny...”

 

“I read it,” Jonny said, lifting up the hand that was holding the papers.

 

“And?”

 

“It was horrible.”

 

“I've never written a story before,” Chris mumbled.

 

“No, your writing was fine. The ending was horrible.”

 

“What?”

 

“Love stories... they're not meant to have sad endings.”

 

“Does that mean you...”

 

“I forgive you, yes,” he smiled. Chris jumped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Jonny's shoulders. “Oh, come on, like you thought I wasn't going to?”

 

“I did think you weren't going to. I wrote that several times, didn't I?”

 

“Yes, you did, but it was kind of a silly thing to think. I love you, remember?”

 

“Yeah, I remember,” Chris replied, closing his eyes and breathing in the magnificent scent of Jonny. “And I love you, too.”

 

 

 

awwww! :cheesy:

aww well done brooke its soo adorable x

I'm baaaaack.

 

Side Effects

Chapter 9 (parts 1 & 2)

REVENGE!

 

 

 

 

Will paused just outside Hyde Park. He could have sworn he saw Eddie walking down there. Will was absolutely convinced whatever was wrong with Guy had something to do with Eddie. He’d seen that nasty little bruise on the bassist’s shoulder, and he planning on giving Eddie a really hard time for it. He hated that man anyway. He was such a self-righteous bastard…Will couldn’t figure out why his roadie friend actually liked him. But whatever was wrong with Guy, it was driving Will insane. He couldn’t figure it out. And when he’d found him and Jonny yelling at each other about shrinks, his worry had intensified.

 

Ah, that was definitely Eddie. Will sped up a bit, trying to catch up with him. “Hey, man!”

 

Eddie turned, fixing Will with an interested look. “Hey, Will.”

 

“How’s it going?”

 

The other man shrugged, shifting his backpack onto his other shoulder. “Fine. Some party on Friday, wasn’t it?” He laughed and his shoulders seemed to relax a bit. Will nodded.

 

“Yeah, it was. Look, Ed…I need to talk to you.”

 

“About what?”

 

“Guy.”

 

Something in Eddie’s eyes changed. He suddenly looked nervous, suspicious even. “What’s he been talking about?”

 

“Well, you…really.” muttered Will, his eyes narrowing. Eddie dropped his backpack on the ground and took a step away. “What the hell are you doing?”

 

“I’ll be right back.” he said, grinning slightly. With that, he took off in the opposite direction at a sprint. Will stared after him a moment, stunned. What the hell was he doing? Sighing, Will ran after him. He wanted to chase him down and demand to know what was going on. Eddie, upon looking back, ran a bit faster. His converse sneakers skidded on the sidewalk as he took a sudden turn to run across the street. Will skidded to a halt, about to cry out.

 

But it was too late. The car had already hit him. His body, like a ragdoll, lay sprawled on the street. Other cars screeched to a halt to avoid him, and a few pedestrians screamed. A woman next to Will began rummaging in her back to call the emergency services. Will stumbled up to the scene, pushing a few stunned people out of the way to reach Eddie. However, he froze when he got close enough to see him. It looked as if his neck had been snapped, and there was far too much blood to hope for a pulse. Will moved back in shock, bile rising to the back of his throat. He’d just seen a man die. “Why the hell did you run?” Will murmured, staring down at him. Everything seemed to be at a complete standstill. There were people crowding around, some sickened and terrified, some interested. Will forced himself to step back again, a hand over his mouth. He could hear the wail of sirens in the background.

 

Slowly, he made his way back to the Bakery. Chris was there, sitting on the floor and reading a book of some sort. He glanced up as Will came in, smiling as he always did. His happy look faltered when he noticed the paleness of the drummer’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked, scrambling to his feet. “Did something happen?”

 

Will nodded slowly. “Yeah. Eddie’s dead.”

 

“What?” Chris gasped. “How?”

 

“Got hit by a car.”

 

“When?”

 

“Just now.” muttered Will, resting his head in his hands. He was still shaking with shock.

 

“Oh…Oh my god. You didn’t see…?” asked Chris, sinking down onto the couch next to his friend. Will nodded, and he exhaled slowly as Chris hugged him. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I guess. I just…” Will was about to tell him the events leading up to his death, but quickly decided against it. Chris really didn’t need to know, he was shaken up enough already. Will rubbed his hands together absently. He had no idea what to do.

 

 

 

PART 2

 

“Mate, please let me in.”

 

I shut my eyes and leaned my forehead against the door. Will wouldn’t go away. “I’m busy.” I said for the second time.

 

“I’m sorry I got mad at you. But we need to talk.”

 

“About what?” I asked, my heart speeding up a bit. Did he know? Did Jonny tell him? Jonny wouldn’t do that to you, would he? Trying to get my shallow breathing under control, I slowly opened the door. Will, who had been looking at the ground, glanced quickly into my eyes. Then he let himself in, nudging me out of the way. I shut the door behind him, carefully watching his every move. He leaned against the nearest wall, staring at the ground again. “What?” I asked, biting my lip.

 

“It’s about Eddie.” Oh no. “He’s…” Oh god, no. “Dead.” What? I stared at Will in complete shock, my mouth hanging open and everything. What he said simply couldn’t be absorbed by my mind.

 

“He’s dead?” I repeated emptily. “How do you know?”

 

“I saw it. He was hit by a car. He…definitely died.” Will sounded guilty and downcast. “I never liked the man much, but…”

 

“Do you want something to drink?” I interrupted him suddenly. “I’ve got some beer…um, some soda…”

 

“No, no thanks.” He looked a bit upset, as if angry I would dare think about drinking when Eddie had recently died. That’s strange. He’s dead. Dead. He’s never going to come back for you. It finally began to sink in, and I laughed. Well, that’s one less thing to worry about. Will stared at me, definitely upset. “How can you laugh?”

 

“He’s dead!” I repeated, another hysterical laugh stirring in my chest. “Wow.”

 

“You’re fucking insane. How can you do this?” he spat. I went silent, looking down at my knees. I guessed Will was right; it wasn’t particularly funny. “Jesus! Are you really that happy to see him go?”

 

I shrugged. “Sort of…”

 

“Why? Okay, so he roughed you up a bit, but that doesn’t mean you should be happy about him dying!” Will cried. “I mean, I had to watch for fuck’s sake!”

 

“I’m sorry.” I bristled. “Now you can get the fuck out of here.” I growled, standing. I was tense with anger and about a dozen other emotions, and I had no way to control them. Will backed away a little. “Get OUT!”

 

“Come on…”

 

“Fuck, I said LEAVE!” I all but screamed, grabbing the front of his shirt and shoving him.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” hissed Will, shoving me back.

 

“Don’t touch me!”

 

Will ignored that and grabbed me around the middle, dragging me back to the couch. I cried out and struggled hard to get out of his hold. “Jesus, calm down!” cried Will, pushing me up against the cushions. I automatically swung my arm out and felt my fist connect with his jaw. He let go of my instantly, swearing and holding the left side of his face.

 

Then I jumped up and fled from my own flat. My throat was tight with fear and adrenalin was rushing through my worn-out system. Oh, shit…this is bad. This is bad. You hit him. You actually hit him. Part of me knew that Will wouldn’t have done anything to hurt me, but all I had felt when he’d grabbed me was intense fear. But now that I’d taken a swing at him, I had no idea what he would or wouldn’t do. I slid down the stairs as fast as my feet would allow.

 

I lost most of my energy by the time I got to the first floor. I leaned against the railing, gasping and holding my chest. Unfortunately, Will had followed me. I looked up as I heard his footsteps get closer and slow down. I felt like shit for hitting him, especially when he hadn’t really done anything wrong. He didn’t know what Eddie had done. At least he didn’t know. “What was that?” he asked me, still rubbing his jaw. He stayed a few feet away. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t…thinking.”

 

“No. Not good enough. Be level with me, or I’ll hit you back.” I looked up at him, frightened. Would he really do it? Yeah, probably. He was glaring at me in a way that left no room for nonsense. “I’m scared for you, man.” he murmured, his gaze softening a bit. “But I swear I’ll hit you.”

 

“No. I still won’t tell you…” I whispered. My entire body was throbbing with dull pain, so I didn’t have much to lose. Except maybe a friend.

 

Will sighed in defeat and took a seat on the steps. “Shit, I’m not gonna hit you. You wouldn’t fucking survive it.”

 

“Man, I just can’t.” I groaned. “I can’t tell you.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t want to lose you.” I choked out. “I’ve already screwed Jonny up with it…I can’t do it to you too.”

 

Will was silent for a moment. He just stared up at me, and I could see the wheels turning in his mind. “Try me.” he said quietly. I moaned in defeat and shut my eyes. Please, God, save me.

 

“Eddie…”

 

“What about him?”

 

“He did something.”

 

“What?” Will’s voice was desperate.

 

“God, Will…he…he raped me.” There. It’s out. I held my breath.

 

He was silent, as if he hadn’t heard what I said. And then he laughed. At first I was confused, and then I realized that he didn’t believe me. “Come on, mate. Really.” he muttered, shaking his head.

 

“I’m…serious.”

 

“No.” he said, standing up. “Shut up. You expect me to believe that he, what, fucked you or something?”

 

I felt a sudden rush of dizziness as my stomach turned. I clutched at the railing, my knuckles white. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you…I knew this would happen.” I whispered, wrapping my other hand protectively around my belly.

 

“Let me know when you want to tell me the truth.” he said quietly, brushing past me. I swayed slightly, overcome with horror. He didn’t believe me. And now he was never going to look at me again, surely. I said nothing as he left. Instead, I sank down onto the step he’d vacated and waited for the dizziness to pass. I was certain I had just lost my friend of eleven years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Love stories... they're not meant to have sad endings.”:lol:

aww♥

AWE BROOKE I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

why'd you eat snail-po?

 

 

AWE BROOKE I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

why'd you eat snail-po?

 

 

OH MY GOD NO WAY I'M WATCHING THAT EPISODE TOO!

:lol:you guys and Spongebob♥

:surprised: I LOVE SIDE EFFECTS!!

OH MY GOD NO WAY I'M WATCHING THAT EPISODE TOO!

 

OMG!! yeah, he's retracing his steps cuz he lost his name tag :lol: BLEH!

:lol: