Buddy's POV

July 19th, 1959. 4:22 pm. The Nowak Household.

"If y'all could lay off her for a while, that'd be appreciated." I say, standing up. "It's real hard on that poor girl,"

"Oh and how do you know what Violet feels?" Ania asks.

Vincent rolls his eyes. "He probably knows how she feels before she does."

"How?"

"They've been together for damn near a decade," Juliet chimes in. "You start to catch onto that persons wavelinks."

I nod. "I think I know her pretty damn well," I turn to the door. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go find Vi and actually talk t'her 'bout all this,"

"We've talked to her!" Antoni frowns.

"No, y'all have talked at her, not to her," I reply, walking out the door.

I look around and try to figure out which way Vi went.

Left or right?

She's left handed.

I guess I'll go left.

I put my hands in my jacket pocket and start walking.

I pass various other houses of various other well-off brits.

This looks like where Vi and I will end up with our family someday.

But we'll be in America.

Is this British suburbia?

Sure looks like it.

I come to a cross roads and glance both ways.

Aha! I see Vi wandering around a block or so down to the right.

I jog to catch up.

"Vi, doll, Can we talk!"

Later at the Liverpool Hotel

We pull away and I hug her tightly. "I'm sorry there's so much uncertainty."

"I like it sometimes, I don't want predictable. I'm not predictable."

"I know,"

"Buddy, I know I don't show it a lot but I love you,"

"I know you do, doll." I rub her back. "I understand,"

"I'm scared to see my old orphanage,"

"We don't gotta,"

"Yes, I do. I need to."

"Okay, we can. When d'you wanna head back t'France?"

She takes a deep breath. "Soon, I can't really take it here. I really like Koch and I definitely view him as an uncle, or father figure more like. I've known him forever,"

"Yeah,"

"And all of the sudden my parents are alive, my mom is horrible, my dad is passive, and I have another sister and brother. It's not okay. I feel so obligated to love them but I don't! I don't mind my siblings, they're probably just as confused as I am. But my parents! I can't deal with them. My mom acts like I owe her something. She acts like I should just accept her with open arms. No. That's not how it works. She's not my mom. Sure, she birthed me, but she didn't make me soup when I was sick and she didn't help me get ready for prom. She just...isn't a mother figure for me."

"I understand, babe. I'm sorry you're caught up in all this."

"Thanks for being here, thank you so much,"

"Oh, doll, of course I'll be here."

June 17th, 1951. 5:31 pm. The Maguire household

I knock on the front door and shove my hands in my pockets.

Echo opens the door. "Hey..."

"Hey, um, can we talk?" I ask.

She nods. "We need to."

We sit side by side on the porch step.

Neither of us say anything for a few minutes.

I need to break the ice.

"Echo, I really do like you. I like you a whole lot, and I wish it hadn't come t'this..."

"I know. Me too,"

"We shouldn't keep doin' this."

"This?" She asks.

"Bein' steady. We're too different, it'll never work. If we keep goin', it'll just hurt both of us."

"I know, I agree. My family will never warm up, you're not in Church of Christ,"

"Same for you. And Echo?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, but I don't wanna let a girl get in the way of my music. It's my dream, my life goal,"

"Buddy, you're fifteen, how do you know you're even gonna make it?"

"Pure ambition and goals too big for reality,"

"If even you can admit they're too big, why do you wanna achieve them?"

"It's who I am, Echo. You know that. I know I'll be good enough soon, I just need t'find someone who'll sponsor me or somethin'."

"Music wouldn't be an issue if you didn't like that hop stuff,"

"But I do, I love it. And I'm good at it. I want this so bad, and I'm not gonna stop because of a religion that isn't even mine. I'm sorry."

"You're a piece of work, Buddy. I only hope god will forgive you for playing black music and hop." She stands up and heads back inside.

I bite my lip and start walking home.

I vow to myself that I'll never let a girl get in the way of my music. 

November 29th, 1953. 3:34 pm. Lubbock High School

"I love you, see you for dinner?" Vi asks.

I nod. "I'll be there,"

Vi pecks my cheek. "Bye,"

"Love you," I say as she turns and walks to her car.

"Buddy?" I hear a small voice behind me.

I turn around and see Echo standing there.

"Hey?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure, I guess."

She takes a step closer to me. "I thought you said you'd never let a girl get in your way."

"Vi isn't in my way. If anything she helps me. She supports me. She's even been teachin' me some simple drummin' stuff."

"I wasn't in your way, was I?"

I look down. "You were," I mumble. "I thought you knew,"

"How?"

"You can't dance. You can't listen to the music I make. You can't really get along with my family, it wasn't gonna work, I'm sorry. I thought you knew."

"Does Vi do all that?"

"As petty as it seems, it matters to me. Y'know we went t'prom and I never once thought I'd go, but it was one of the best nights of my life. You and I couldn't have done that, I woulda missed out on the best thing. Vi listens to anythin' I make and she encourages it, and that means so, so much t'me. And her with my family? It's like they love her more than they even love me," I ramble. "I'm sorry, I really am."

"You know it doesn't feel too good to see you with another girl."

"What did you want me t'do?" I feel myself getting frustrated.

"Not move on so quick,"

"It had been damn near a year by the time Vi and I really were steady,"

"Whatever Buddy, y'all were steady before that."

I shake my head. "Not anyone's business but ours. I'm sorry. I gotta go, Jerry's waitin' for me in the band room." I start to walk away.

"Wait," she says.

I pause. "Yes?"

"I miss you."

"Thanks," I mumble as I turn back around and continue walking to the band room.

《《《》》》

"What'd Echo want?" Jerry asks, lighting a cigarette. "I saw you talking to her,"

I roll my eyes. "I dunno, actually. Just sayin' stuff 'bout me and Vi."

"What about Vi?"

"Dumb stuff. Sayin' that I said I'd never let a girl get in the way of my music. I did say that, but Vi isn't in my way. She's helping me more than anythin',"

"Yeah, and you really do like her,"

"I do, I love her, Jerry. Things with Echo just weren't meant t'be,"

"That's true,"

"What am I supposed to do? I feel bad for making Echo feel bad, but I also feel like she can lay off?"

"Ignore Echo, Buddy. Ignore all that and focus on music. Focus on Vi. Focus on graduating. You're so close," Jerry puts out his light. "C'mon, let's get going."

Jerry and go into the band room and start setting up all our practice equipment.

Later

"Echo talked t'me earlier," I tell Vi as I close her room door.

"What'd she say?" Vi asks, sitting on her bed.

"She said some not so great things..." I sit next to her.

"Yeah? Like what?" She looks at me.

"I dunno, some stuff 'bout how I said I wasn't gonna let a girl get in the way of my music, and she's right, I did say that."

Violet's eyes widen slightly. She suddenly looks terrified.

"Oh! Baby, no! I wasn't implyin' that I was gonna break up with you!"

She exhales. "Oh thank god,"

"I did say I wasn't gonna let anyone in my way, but you, Violet Rosaline, help me more than anythin'. You don't get in the way, you actually push me forward,"

"I do?"

I nod. "Of course," I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer to me. "I wouldn't have ever made it this far without you. I don't think I woulda gotten the radio show without you pushin' me t'be better."

She smiles. "Yeah?"

"You know you really do help me, right?"

"I think I know, then again, I think I know everything,"

"I definitely don't,"

"No one does,"

"I know even less, I can barely keep my head above water at school," I sigh. "I have one B, the rest are C's and D's," 

"School doesnt matter. Your thing is music, you don't really need algebra or biology or anything like that. Don't worry about it."

"What if music doesn't work out?" I'm all of the sudden filled with anxiety about my future. Will I have to work with Larry for the rest of my life?

"It'll work out, I promise. It'll work, you'll make it." She reassures me. "You will,"

"Thanks, doll. You'll be with me when I do make it,"

"I better be!" She jokes. "I don't want to break up, by the way,"

"Neither do I,"

"Great,"

"I guess we're stuck on the relationship train, doll,"

"There's no one else I'd rather be on the train with,"

"Same here, Vi."

December 31st, 1956. 6:44 am. The Holly Apartment. Clovis, New Mexico

I slowly wake up to someone shaking me. 

I shake my head and roll over. "Go back to bed, Vi," I mumble.

"We're married now!" She whispers. "Well, really married!"

"I know, I remember yesterday very clearly," 

"I wish you could teach me how to sign my name as Holley!" She curls up to me closely. 

"I did back when you were pregnant. Remember? After we left the courthouse."

"Yeah, but that also didn't feel like a real wedding. It was just because we had to. I can't believe it feels like we're really, actually hitched. My right hand feels so bare!"

"Mine does too," I reply. "Why are you so awake and hyper already?"

"The adreanline from last night?"

I chuckle. "It was pretty great, huh?"

I feel her nod against my back. "One of the best times, I'd say,"

"Agreed." I smile. "Now c'mon, go back to sleep, we can continue our married lives after 7am."

She sighs. "Fine. Only if you cuddle me, though!"

"I always cuddle you," I respond, rolling over and wrapping an arm around her. "Always!"

"Got me there," She snuggles scoots towards me even more. 

I pull her in and slowly fall back asleep.

A/N: I know these flashbacks have like, nothing to do with the plot or whatever, but I was having issues trying to come up with a relevant one. So here. Have some Echo and fluff.