Lia’s POV
“Alex, shut the hell up !” We chorused. Alex, Jack, Zack, Rian, Tony, Jaime, Mike, Vic, and I were all crammed into an SUV on the way to an amusement park. You can imagine how that worked out. Rian was driving(it was his mom’s vehicle, a Lincoln Aviator), and Mike sat in the passenger seat. Jaime, Tony and Zack were all in the row of seats behind that, and Vic, Alex, Jack and I were all squished into the last row of seats. Vic and I refused to separate, and so did Alex and Jack, so that was causing our current dilemma. I sat by the window, then Vic, then Jack, with Alex sprawled across all of our laps. He currently wouldn’t shut the hell up with singing, hence our yelling.
We were only about an hour into the two hour drive at this point. Vic leaned over and pecked me on the lips, causing groans from Jack and Alex. Vic and I had been officially dating since October first. Right now it was a few days before Halloween, which is why we were headed to the amusement park- the whole park was going to be set up for Halloween.
When we arrived at the park, I began to panic a little. My anxiety started to rise without warning, and I cowered against the car. The guys took off running toward the entrance, taking no notice of me. I looked around- the sky was just starting to darken, and there were hundreds of people milling around the park. The lights lit up the night, but still, I stood in fear. People would be jumping out from the shadows and trying to scare us, and people would be in masks and costumes and oh God, why did I think it was a good idea to come here ?
I heard light footsteps and a soft “Babe ?” Vic appeared before me, holding his hands out in a ‘no-harm’ gesture. I rushed into his arms, shaking. “Vic I’m scared. I’m scared and I don’t know why.” I felt about five years old, scared at an amusement park. “Hey, it’s okay. You’ve got me. I’ll protect you.” Those few words took some of the fear away, and I agreed to at least give the night a shot. We entered the park and the guys gave us our tickets. Jack grabbed my hand, and Vic grabbed the other, and for a minute, everything was okay.
They rushed me over to a huge line for some rollercoaster I had never heard of. Tony and Zack joined us as well, and the four guys started rambling about their excitement. I stood close to Vic, and he slung his arm around me. I felt safe and a lot more calm, maybe even a little excited. I tilted my head to the sky, looking up at the stars, letting everything fade away except the feeling that I had with my best friends and the one I loved.
All of us were screaming like idiots, on the last ride of the night before the park closed down. It was the hugest coaster, dropping a good thirty feet down straight. The only placid one was Mike, who sat on the other side of me. I rolled my eyes at him, and he grinned. “What ?” he yelled over the noise. I shook my head. I stumbled off the ride, feeling exhilarated. Vic jumped on his brother’s back, and I jumped on Jaime’s, making our way back to the car. I called middle row of seats this time, and Jaime, Vic, and Mike scrambled in with me.
In no time flat, everyone in the car fell asleep, except Rian and I. Vic laid across everyone in my row of seats, his head in my lap. I softly stroked his hair, marveling at his sleeping face. Rian turned around, “Lia ?” I looked up, “Yeah ?” “Can I talk to you about something ?” “Sure, what’s up ?” Rian glanced at me in the rearview mirror, “It’s about Vic.”
“Vic….he….he’s in love with you. He doesn’t just love you, he’s straight out in love with you. You didn’t see how he was when you were in the hospital…I thought he was going to go crazy. I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. Don’t break his heart, I don’t think he can take it.” I looked down at Vic, feeling Rian’s eyes boring a hole through me in the mirror. I was blushing, and I was hoping he couldn’t tell in the dark. “I couldn’t break his heart even if I wanted to,” I admitted. “I’m too much of a selfish machine for that….I need him too much. I…love him too much.” Rian nodded his approval.
We got back to Rian’s house late, piling into his basement. Vic had claimed the couch for him and I, so I crawled onto the plushy cushions next to him. He looked at me drowsily, “Lia.” “Vic.” ‘No, Lia, seriously. I love you.” He kissed me soft and slow, with an undertone of panic. “What’s wrong ?” I questioned immediately. He insisted that everything was fine, but what was up with him and Rian ? They were acting like they knew something that I didn’t.
Several hours later, Vic woke me up, clutching my arm. “Lia !” He crushed me to him in a tight hug. “What is it ?!” He sounded scared, and that scared me too. “I just had a bad dream, that’s all….” I sat up. “No, Vic. Something’s wrong, you’ve been acting weird.” He laid back on the couch, burying his face. “Yeah, there’s something I have to tell you…but I don’t want you to get mad…It’s pretty bad. It’s been eating away at me for a while but I just…I don’t know.”
“I…..”
“I speak my own sins I cannot judge another.” ~ John Proctor, The Crucible
