BUDDY'S POV

July 11th, 1959. 7:17 am. Nice, France.

"You sure you're okay with all this, Vi?" I cautiously ask.

She nods surely. "I'm ready!"

I set my suitcase on the bed. In all honesty, I'm the nervous one. I've never been to a country that doesn't speak English. Actually, I've never really been in a situation where the person I'm talking to doesn't. The closest I've been is when Vi (for some god forsaken reason) can't remember when she wakes up. Atleast I can make out what she's trying to say.

"So excited!" Vi smiles widely. "It's going to be rough, but I'm excited!"

I weakly grin. "Yeah, me too."

The psychological impact on Vi is gonna be harder than she thinks. I know her pretty damn well, and she, most definitely, isn't ready.

She starts to bounce up and down on her toes. "I love France!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I love it and I love Koch and I love you and I love traveling and I love Juliet and Vincent and I love it!"

Welp, I guess she's manic right now. Better than being depressed or angry or uptight right now. Hopefully she stays manic.

"That's great, doll!"

"Buddy," she says, suddenly serious. "What do you think is wrong with me?"

Damn it I spoke too soon.

I look over to her and furrow my brows. "Uh, what?"

"Sometimes I'm really, really happy. Other times I'm really, really sad. Other times I'm angry and everything else! There has to be something wrong!"

"Can we talk 'bout this later?"

"But Buddy, I have issues."

"I know, doll. It's okay."

"Am I bipolar?!"

I shake my head. "No, I don't think so."

"How would you know?"

"Because I've researched it, okay? I don't think you're bipolar. People with that are usually much more..."

"Insane? Crazy?"

"Sure, those."

"And what makes you the expert on that?" She crosses her arms and scowls.

"I ain't claimin' t'be an expert. I read a couple books, that's all."

Is she okay? She's never this angry.

"You read some books and all the sudden you can diagnose me?!"

"Vi, please, calm down," I say softly.

"What do YOU think is wrong with me?!"

"You want the truth?"

"Yes!"

"I think that you have Borderline Personality Disorder."

"What's that?"

"A mental illness?"

"No, what are the symptoms?"

"Intense episodes of anxiety, irritability, depresson, distorted self image and such. Then other times they feel fine. Then they get an episode for a few hours, then they're fine."

"What else?"

"Well, the book said impulsivity, self destructive behaviors, social isolation, compulsive behavior, uh, and other stuff."

"And you think I'm all of that?"

"What?" I exclaim. "No, no, I was just sayin' what the book said."

"Then what do you think?"

"I think your episodes are more than happy and sad." I sit down on the bed. "And they don't last as long. Bipolar is days, t'weeks. Yours are only a few hours. In Borderline Personality disorder, the episodes are a few hours t'a few days." I clasp my hands together. "And they're a wider range of emotion. It ain't just happy and sad."

Vi sits next to me. "I think you could be onto something..."

"You get really, really mad for a couple of hours, then you're okay. You get really sad for a while, then you're fine. You get a really distorted self-image, then you're fine."

"And really happy. And really anxious. And really impulsive. And really uptight."

I nod. "Yeah,"

She clamors onto me, basically latching herself onto my torso.

"Wait, do you think that this is an episode?" She asks.

I laugh and shake my head. "No, you're just bein' Vi."

"Do you think I've always been borderline?"

"No, I think as we've gotten older that it's been more borderline than it has been depression. When we were teens, just depression. Then you started havin' little out bursts."

"Do you hate it when I do this?" Vi asks.

"Uh, do what?"

"Cuddle you?"

"Oh! Doll, no, not even a little. I like it, actually."

"I'm sorry that I'm not like this more."

"Hey, it's okay. I love you. I love you, even with all your flaws and 'episodes' and even if you're not always this attached."

"I love you!"

"I love you too."

"Buddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I secretly like it when you force me to cuddle."

I laugh. "I know. I also know that you secretly like t'be little spoon."

"I mean..." she laughs.

"I know that you have a crush on me, too."

"What?!" She dramatically gasps. "Nu-uh! No! I do not!" She nuzzles into my neck.

Why's she so...all over the place tonight?

She was manic, then she was angry, now she's clingy.

I think her brain is trying to work out all the emotions she's having right now.

Best I can do is just to let her be. Whatever mood she's in, I'll be there.

"You're warm," she mumbles, somehow getting closer to me. She's already basically straddling me.

"As always." I say, wrapping my arms around her.

"Can I kiss you?" She asks.

I laugh and pat her back. "You're a dork, you've never once had t'ask."

She takes her face out of my neck and leans in.

March 23rd, 1953. 10:29 pm. The Holley Household

"Buddy tell me what you did!" Larry says sternly.

"Nothin'!" I reply, rolling my eyes.

"CHARLES!"

"What d'you want?!"

"Tell me! I can see that you did somethin'! I can see it in your eyes!"

"I am OKAY!"

"You had sex with Violet, didn't you!?"

I feel my face turn red. "NO!"

"Did you steal somethin'?"

"No,"

"Did you get in trouble with the cops?"

"No,"

"Did you fail a test?"

"No,"

"Did someone hurt you?"

"No,"

"Did you get crotch crickets?"

"NO!"

"Then what did you do!?"

"None of your business!"

"Fine! Fine! I hope you know that I WILL find out!" Larry storms out and slams my room door.

I purse my lips and get out a new notebook. I grab a pencil and open it, sitting at my desk. I'm gonna do what Vi does and write it all down in a "journal". Her and I agreed not to tell anyone about what happened, but it's really important, so I'm just going to write it down.

"Dear whateverthehell,

Hey, it's Buddy. I'm writing this because I can't tell anyone about it and it was a pretty big thing.

So I'm going to start with a backstory.

I'm in love with this really georgous girl named Violet Rosaline Winter and today marks the day that I finally did something about it.

So Violet and I were sitting in her room. No one in her house was home, so it was just us.

We were doing our little bickering (aka flirting) when she goes "Are you flirting with me?"

And I decided to play it cool. I already knew that she had a crush on me and she knew that I had a crush on her. So I thought this was my opportunity to be "slick" and to make a move.

I said. "Yeah, I have been since we met." or something along those lines.

She said she was flirting with me since we met.

Then I asked if I could kiss her.

Then she said "Please do"

So I did. We kissed and it was so, so amazing. She was a really good kisser...

Well, the kiss got heated.

We were making out (as one does) and my hand went up her shirt and her hand was on my thigh.

And it escalated.

Her hand was in my pants then after that my hand was up her skirt.

It was........................ really good.

Really, really good.

She knows what she's doing.

We agreed not to tell anyone at all and that we were gonna do that again.

So that includes Larry. That's why I was so annoyed with Larry.

It's between Violet and I. And this notebook. And probably her diary.

Anyways, that happened.

I can't wait to do it again.

-Buddy Holley

REASONS THAT I AM IN LOVE WITH THE LOVELY VIOLET ROSALINE WINTER

1. Her hair. She has long dark red hair that she ususally pulls into a ponytail. When it's down it's in barrel curls and I love it. She also has bangs that hang just over her eyebrows, like Bettie Page. She curls them and they look so pristine and they frame her face and it's so soft and shiny and it smells good. When it gets wet, it gets curly. So pretty.

2. Her eyelashes. They're long and LOOK TO THE HEAVENS. She's said she wishes that she had my eyelashes because they're long and easy to curl (whatever that means), but her's are gorgeous.

3. Her eyebrows. They're somehow perfectly sculpted. When she's laughing they arch and it's so cute. When she's concentrating they furrow and IT'S SO CUTE.

4. Her eyes. They're big and green and round and I swear to God, I see a sparkle in them when she laughs. They look like little emeralds. Sometimes they look blue, but that's only in bad lighting. In the sun they gleam. When she cries they droop and I hate seeing them like that. I hate it when she cries. When she laughs they sparkle. When she's excited they gleam. They're a tell tale sign of her mood. The best feeling in the world is when I make her smile after she was sad.

5. Her lips. They're pink and plump and SO SOFT and she's such a good kisser. I love it. I love her.

6. Her entire face. It's so, so perfect. She has light freckles across her nose and cheeks and her cheekbones are perfect and she's just so pretty.

7. Her body. Oh my god, her body. She...wow. I don't want to treat her like an item, but she has the perfect hourglass figure. Small waist, big chest, hips, and ass. Her legs? Long and pale and they're honestly pretty sexy. I didn't really see anything today, but I assume that it's all perfect like the rest of her.

8. She's funny. She's always saying funny things. We both have the same dark sense of humor so we are always laughing together. No one makes me laugh like she does.

9. She's smart. She's one of the smartest people that I know. I'm honestly jealous. She passes every single class (even her college and advanced classes!!) While I can barely pass anything. She always knows the answer and always helps me if I need it.

10. She helps people. She is always, always, always helping others, even if it hurts her. She goes out of her way to help. She's doing pre-nursing classes through the local college, Texas Tech. She's really good at it.

11. She's good at music. She plays drums (and every other percussion instrument...) and she's so so talented. She can keep a beat better than anyone that I've ever met ever. She's always saying that she sucks and that she has no talent, but she does have talent. She has so much talent and I wish she knew.

12. She's got the same taste in music as me. We both like rock and roll and so called "black music" and blues and a little bit of western. We sit and listen to music all the time.

13. She encourages me. She always is telling me that I'm good at music and that I can make it as a rock and roll star. She tells me that I'm really smart, even if some of it isn't academic. She always is building me up. (SHE TOLD ME I WAS HANDSOME AND CUTE AND I JUST SAT THERE AND SMILED LIKE AN IDIOT. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HER THAT SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL).

14. Her personality in general. She's humble, kind, caring, brave, smart, and every other good thing!

15. Everything about her, really.

5:32 PM

I grab Violet's hand as Juliet knocks on Koch's door.

"Buddy, I love you." She mumbles.

I squeeze her hand. "I love you too, doll. It's all gonna be okay."

She pulls me closer to her. I feel that she's shaking.

I was right, she wasn't ready for this.

She'll be okay. I think.

I hear footsteps and the door unlocks and opens.

There stands a tall man with light blonde hair and blue eyes. Angular face, almond eyes. I would recongize him anywhere. He's all over Violet's photo album and on the back cover of the La Petite Rose books.

Violet freezes at the sight Koch. I can practically feel her heart racing.

Juliet squeals and tackles Koch in a huge hug and starts bawling.

Koch hugs her back and a few tears fall.

Vincent sort of awkwardly stands there and smiles.

If that doesn't sum up their personalities, I don't know what will. Vincent awkwardly stands there, Juliet does the talking, and Vi freezes. Exactly how every other encounter on this trip has gone.

I look over at Vi and her face is pale. She's breathing hard.

Is she gonna pass out?

"Vi...you okay?" I ask.

She shakes her head and drags me off the porch and around the corner.

She stops and looks up at me, her big eyes watering.

"Hey, doll, you're okay." I say softly.

She wipes her eyes and smiles.

I feel like I'm standing in Koch's shoes, only fifteen years in the future.

Violet is looking up at me with the most innocent look on her face, eyes watering, but trying to stay strong while in the streets of France.

I gently kiss her cheek. "I'm right here."

She pulls me in and hugs me tightly. "I'm just scared..."

"Hey, baby, I'm here."

She buries her head in my chest. "It's so much, Buddy."

"I know, I know. You don't gotta talk t'him if you don't wanna, doll."

"I want to, I'm just so nervous."

I kiss her head. "I'll be right there the entire time."

She takes a deep breath. "Okay, I think I'm ready, I love you so much."

"I love you too."

She pulls away and drags me back to the house. Everyone is still on the porch.

She sheepishly walks up without letting go of my hand. She has a death grip on it.

"Violette?" Koch says.

Vi slowly nods.

Koch pulls her into a hug. Vi doesn't let go of my hand.