Ace Merrill

Hey There Sweetheart

Lillian walked through the old familiar streets of her hometown. A lot of things had changed but only 1 thing remained the same- The people. She walked through the main town strip and noticed the familiar faces and familiar bars.

She was returning home since her mom had a tumour and had nobody to look after her- Lillian being the kind soul she is dropped everything and made her way to her mom so she could take care of her. Obviously she'd have to work some hours still to earn money to keep up on food shopping, bills for her mom and the occasional trip to the Castle Rock farm fields. Lillian left Castle rock when she was 19 which was only 2 years ago but it felt like years ago. She left to live with her dad in Atlanta, even if her mom didn't have any cancerous tumours she would've had to come home soon anyway because of the state her dad was in.

Her dad, Fred, he was a mess. 49 going on 21, bringing home women and getting drunk everyday and every night. When he fell asleep with whoever it was he was with, Lillian would have to clean up the apartment. Recently he had gotten serious with this woman called Shana; she was a bitch to deal with in the little apartment, leaving her shit everywhere and always having something to say about how Lillian dresses,works or even moves around the house. Eventually, she got sick of it and gave her dad an option, Shana or her; in the end he didn't even get to make the decision because the hospital called her about her mom in Maine.

"Lili?" A voice much deeper than she remembered spoke.

"No way, Gordie Lachance?" She questioned as the boy she once knew was now a nearly full grown teenager, "when did you get so big?"

She pulls him into a hug and he hugs her back and they part when he says, "Well I am 17 now!"

"Holy shit! How's it going for you? How's your mom? And Denny!" Lily got excited, "Oh I can't wait to see Denny"

"I'm doing better than I have been recently, mom's fine and uh..."His head tilts down for a few seconds looking at his feet.. "Denny..He's gone- he died about 3 months after you left.."

"Awh shit Gordie," she pulls him in for another hug, "Maybe we can go visit him sometime together."

"Yeah..He'd wanna know what you've been up to!" He kind of forces a little laugh out.

Another voice called out Gordie's name from across the street and it was a long haired boy Lillian didn't recognise but when he called Gordie said his goodbyes and went over. They walked down the path together and the long haired boy swung his arm around Gordie's shoulder.

After she got to her car and left the town centre she drove her way to the hospital to see her mom. It was hard seeing her mom hooked up to all the machines. It was almost like her childhood crash landed and now she was the responsible one..Now that she could see that her mom might be beat by something.

"Hi mama" she says to her mom, holding her hand and holding back tears from the overwhelming feeling of guilt she had. Guilt that if she were here before the diagnosis that she could've helped somehow.

"Hello un papillon," her mother spoke in whispers.

'Un Papillon' is the word butterfly in french and also Lillian's nickname from her mom who was French.

"Are you okay, mama? It doesn't hurt right?" Lili asks and reaches to her mom's forehead and swipes her thumb into her hair gently.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..What are you doing here Lili?" She pauses to catch her breath (Her tumour was growing in her lungs), "shouldn't you be with your papa?"

"No, papa doesn't need me like you do mama.."

They talking about everything and nothing as her mom lay in the hospital bed fighting for each breath. When visiting hours were up, Lili had to be woken up by a nurse as she'd fallen asleep by her mom's side. When she got up she ended up going a long way towards the exit of the hospital by accident. On the way she met someone she knew all too well.

Ace Merrill. His hair still bleach blond, a significant new scar on his neck and still those piercing eyes that could look right through you. Instead of just walking by, Ace saw Lili and given they hadn't seen each other in years he thought it only be right to welcome her back home..In the only way he knew, being a huge dick.

"Hey there Sweetheart, what are you doing back here?" He gets awfully close and Lili notices the red marks and bruises forming; he must've gotten in a fight and had to get fixed up.

"What is it to you Merrill, you gonna harass me like the other girls? Or have you changed?" Lili sassed him a bit.

"Only if you want me to." He said this and then looked up and down her body, taking in her outfit, "I mean that outfit would look better on my floor."

"Shut up asshole."

She walked past Ace and flipped him off as she walked away. They used to have a thing going on in the past until Lillian had left with her dad.

When she left the hospital she made her way home, her old bedroom still decorated the way it was when she left. A pretty, prissy, pink room. A double bed with white sheets, her vanity with the make up she left on it. She looked through her drawers to see what clothes she had brought with her to sleep in and she found a pair of pink lacey shorts and a white crop top. She tied her hair up and turned off the big light while on her way to bed. She switched on her lamp then slowly fell into her dreams.

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✏️1040 Words.