Lia’s POV
Vic leaned in, tilting his head slightly. He stopped half an inch away from my lips, taunting me. We breathed in for a moment, anticipating. Right before he pressed his lips to mine, a loud bang made us both jump away. I looked toward the sound- someone was at the window. Jaime and Mike stood there laughing hysterically, high-fiving one another. Vic held up his middle finger, and I made a ‘shh’ motion with my hands and waved them off before they woke up my parents. “I’m sorry about that…” Vic said, sighing. I wasn’t sure if he meant the almost kiss or the guys, but I tried to shrug it off. Honestly though, I was pretty pissed. I almost just had the most perfect moment of my life….I felt like crying, why did everything good have to be ruined for me ?
I rolled over angrily, so that my back was to Vic. Softly, his hand touched my shoulder. He moved my sleeve off my shoulder, planting a gentle kiss there. He kissed from my shoulder, to my collarbone, to my neck. Then achingly slow, pressed his lips against mine.
It was like nothing I’d ever felt; he moved his lips expertly slow around mine, teasing me. His hand moved to my hair, gently tangling itself there. The heat from our kiss molded our lips together, and the world fell away until the only thing that mattered was this moment.
Thirty-seconds later, and it was over.
Vic pulled away, much to my disappointment. My lip tingled, and the spark I had felt lingered there. He planted a kiss on my forehead, whispering “Go to sleep.” “Are you kidding me ? After that ?” He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. I snuggled into his chest, falling asleep slowly with the feeling that everything was going to be okay.
A month to the day of when I’d moved to California was when the first big incident happened. The first thing I remember was hearing a bunch of people calling my name. The only voices I could immediately recognize were my parents and Vic. “Lia ! Liiiiaaaaaa ! LIA ?” I raised my head, looking around. I was surrounded by pine trees and dead leaves- I was in the woods. I vaguely remembered going for a walk, but now it was apparent I had had an “episode” while I was gone. Evidently, it had been a bad one because I was gone long enough for people to look for me. I began to panic, what was I going to tell Vic ? What if he found out ? I couldn’t lose him, that would be…unbearable. We hadn’t kissed or spoken of the kiss since that night a couple of weeks ago, but we still hung out constantly, which was enough for me.
The yelling continued, only getting louder. That meant they were getting closer, and I still didn’t have a plan. I shakily stood up from the ground, brushing the leaves off my clothing and out of my hair. “Over here !” I yelled. I could hear the sound of rapid footsteps, and then my parents appeared. My mom ran up to hug me. “Honey ! What happened, are you okay ?” My dad looked me up and down, looking for any injuries. “I uh, blacked out…but don’t tell Vic, no one here knows I’m…sick.” I hung my head in shame. “Oh sweetie.” My mom pulled me close, stroking my hair. My dad put his hand on my back, then said softly, “I’ll go tell everyone you’re safe. I’ll say that you got lost.” I looked to my mom, “Who’s ‘everyone’ ?” “Almost all of your friends, Lia,” she replied softly, smiling sadly.
Great, just great.
We walked slowly back to the house, just my mom and I. I suppose my dad told everyone that I wanted some time with my mom, because no one came to bother us. When we got into the house, she looked at me with those big, sad eyes, “You know we have to go to the hospital now, don’t you ?” I looked at my feet, “Yeah.” “Get your things, I’ll meet you in the car.” I grabbed my hospital to-go bag, trudging to the car.
I spent two days in the hospital, refusing to see anyone or return their calls. I made my parents swear to tell no one, and so I spent the days alone.
During that 48 hour period, my parents had to work, so I had to entertain myself. (They had no time off because we had just moved here.) I thought mostly about Vic, wondering if he even cared that I was gone. Had he noticed my absence at school ? Perhaps tried to come to my house ? My parents made no mention of him, so I was left to my imagination. At the end of the visit, there were still no conclusions and my illness was still a mystery. I was given some medication and sent home on a Tuesday evening.
I arrived home at around six, and went immediately to my room. I was wallowing in my sorrow and staring at the ceiling when a knock on my bedroom door broke my reverie. My mother peeked her head in – “Someone’s here to see you.” She opened the door wider to reveal Vic, smiling shyly. He stepped in, closing the door behind him. “Hey.”
“Hi…” I still hadn’t thought of a valid excuse for my absence, and so I was nervous as hell. Vic sat on the edge of my bed. “I missed you….where have you been ?” I sat up, moving next to him. “Um, home, I had the flu.” He looked at me, “Really, because I came by your house three different times, and each time, your parents said you weren’t here.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly. I swallowed hard, “Um, actually, I went to my…aunt’s…house ? For a couple of days.” Vic’s eyes hardened, “Stop making lame excuses Lia. If you didn’t want to see me, if you’re avoiding me, just tell me. Own up to it. I thought I was worth more than some stupid lie.” He stood, glaring at me, then stormed out.
“What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end.”
