"Connie?" Joel whispered, lightly nudging my side.

I blinked, glancing up at him. It was currently Monday morning, and we were seated at the back of Geometry class. As the teacher droned on and on, my thoughts flashed back to the note, which currently resided in my pocket.

Luca was a murderer. What?

"Are you okay?"

One glance into his piercing gaze and I found myself shaking my head, tears pooling in my eyes. As I opened my mouth to speak, the bell cut me off, it's shrill sound causing me to jump in my seat.

Joel chuckled as the teacher dismissed us, instructing us to pick up our homework on the way out. Since Vivi was absent, due to "a cold and a lack of motivation to go to school" as she had told her brother, it was just us.

Well, let's just say Luca and Chey didn't count anymore.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Joel queried as we exited the class, homework papers grasped in our hands.

My eyes widened. I couldn't do anything to disappoint my parents or Chey's. It wouldn't be proper. I couldn't just up and ditch school.

"I-"

"Come on, Con, something big is bothering you. You can skip a few periods. It's okay to be a rebel now and then, especially for a just cause."

I found myself shrugging, emotionally too unstable to last much longer as it was. So, I allowed Joel to lead me out of the school, dodging crowds of students lingering in the halls.

He practically dragged me through the side door, making sure no teacher spotted us. A single tear slipped down my cheek as he gripped my hand, tugging me through the parking lot. Everything seemed like a blur of color. Everything felt trivial compared to the weight on my shoulders.

My eyes landed on a sleek, dark blue truck. Joel pulled the keys out of his pocket and it beeped to life. Before I knew it, I was situated in the passenger seat, head flat against the headrest.

Leather cushioned my body and I heard myself let out a breath. My arms wrapped around my body and tears streamed down my cheeks like a downpour. With him and Vivi, I felt like I could be myself and let my façades crumble.

"Connie?" I heard Joel ask in alarm. "Are you okay? Please tell me what's wrong!"

My head shook back and forth. "My whole life is a mess," I choked out.

The back of my hand swiped across my eyes as I glanced out the window. Colors and buildings flew by in a teary blur. Silence crackled between us, leaving my thoughts to stew.

Eventually, a melody filled the car, blasting through the radio.

All this pain
I wonder if I'll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all

"Y-you like this music, too?" I sniffled, glancing over at him.

All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

He shrugged, flashing me a smile before returning his gaze towards the road. "Yeah. Vivi's rubbed off on me. Whenever I need a pickup, it's there for me. And I know you need it right now."

An extra tear slides down my face, but not of grief. The music seemed to touch my soul, and so did Joel's kind gestures.

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust

Could He really make a beautiful thing out of me?

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

Finally, we pulled to a stop. My eyes greedily scanned the area, realizing it was the same stretch of beach we always visited. Since it was a school day, it lied empty, golden sand glittering in the blazing sun.

Joel had parked on the sidewalk next to the beach. He yanked the keys out of the ignition, cutting off the singer mid-sentence. Then, he walked around to my side and opened my door, mimicking a gentlemen.

"Thanks," I whispered, wiping my eyes as I started towards the ocean. Waves calmly lapped against the sand and I felt oddly at ease.

I sat in front of the waves, tossing my shoes aside and letting the tide tickle my toes. Joel did the same, resting beside me. For a few moments, we stared ahead in silence, our breaths mingling with the sound of the roaring ocean.

"Connie, are you going to tell me?" Joel pushed, focusing his piercing gaze on me.

A sigh escaped me. Then, slowly, I pulled the crumbled sticky out of my pocket and placed it in his palm. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he opened it.

My body stiffened as his eyes widened. He seemed to do a double take, unable to believe the words scribble on the paper. I heard him gulp, his expression becoming unreadable.

"Joel, are you alright?" I queried, worried for his sake. He was close with Luca, and now he was to learn his friend was a murderer. Well, I guess they weren't that close anymore. All because of me.

His head bobbed up and down. "Yeah. It's just hard to comprehend this. Are you sure?"

"Well, no. Someone gave that to me. I don't know what to believe anymore." I gulped in a deep breath. "My best friend back home is dating my ex. My ex who pointed a gun at me and attempted murder."

This time, I had run out of tears to shed.

Joel's mouth opened and closed before setting in a fine line. "Who could do that to you?"

"Apparently my whole school could turn against me. My other best friend was against me ever since that girl committed suicide. It's all just a mess right now and I'm not sure what to do."

I felt warm arms wrap around me. "Hey, you have Vivi and I. It's going to be okay."

"Why?" I croaked, focusing my gaze on the warm waves tickling my feet. "Why don't you hate me along with everyone else?"

"Everyone makes mistakes." His grip on me tightened. "No one's perfect. You never meant for any of this to happen. You're human, too. You're such a great friend and I don't care what other people think."

A grin stretched across my face. "You mean it?"

He nodded into my hair. "Of course, Con. You're my friend and I'll support you to the end."

I felt tears of joy pricked my eyes. For the first time in a while, I felt safe and content.

"Please don't let these people hurt you."

"It's hard. I can't just flip a switch and turn off my emotions. I can't just say wether or not something will hurt me. "

He pulled away and gripped my shoulders. Royal blue eyes combatted ocean ones. His grip on me tightened and something fluttered within my stomach.

"You're going to be okay," he said with such resolve, I nearly believed him.

I glanced up at the cloud-filled sky, wishing it would rain. Rain soothed my nerves. "How do you know that, Joel? How can you be so sure when my whole life is falling apart?"

Determination filled his gaze and his nails seemed to dig into my flesh. "Because, I will make sure that you are."

He turned away and pulled something out of his pocket, slipping it into my grasp. Slowly, I opened the same sticky I had given him, noticing a new message in different handwriting below the first.

Just believe, Connie.

________

Song: Beautiful Things by Gungor

Recommended by: bcruzy_02

I'm not sure this was my best, but I also love the events that happened. I'm not the best at romance but slowly, it'll happen. To all those that ship Connie and Joel, whatcha think? ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Even though it'll end like right when I publish this, it's a late Christmas present to you guys. I finished writing this just for Christmas, and updated Experiment X, which you should check out if you haven't already.

What did you guys get for Christmas? Fav presents? (If you didn't answer on my other book)

QOTD: What would you do if you were Joel? Comfort her? Beat someone up?

Thoughts?

Comment!

Vote!

Help me edit!

-Sarah

P.s: I ate Nutella as I wrote this ;)