Heaven ── TOM HOLLAND

12. Alive

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TW: MENTIONS OF DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE

      How do you find a girl that doesn't want to be found?

      Trick question, you don't.

      Mateo and Tom realized that an hour after their search began, both boys running like wild, hoping the girl was still in the vicinity of the building where the party took place. Then it dawned on him; she could literally teleport with a snap of her fingers, she could be anywhere.

      So they sat on a street curb, Tom waiting for Mateo to think of where his best friend could have possibly vanished to. While he did that, Tom couldn't help but think. He felt as if the whole fiasco was his fault, had he not fallen a victim to Kelsey's seductive tone, none of this would have been happening. He'd be at home watching an old movie, and Orion would probably be at her house with Mateo, doing whatever it is they did together.

      "She's a real pain in my butt," Tom thought aloud, Mateo lifting his head to glance over at him. "She's rude, and judgmental, and always knows the right things to say to push my buttons." Mateo remained silent, confusion washing over his features, unsure of the reasoning behind the boy's rambling. "At times I wish I'd gotten a different angel, someone who didn't resent me so much." Then he sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat. "Then she does something like this, and I get worried about her, and it makes me question everything I thought I felt."

      He looked to Mateo in question, the boy nodding slowly. "You care about her," He acknowledged. "Orion may be all those things, but once you get close enough to her, you'll realize why you care so much about her. She makes it real hard not to."

      He chuckled softly, looking away from Tom. "I remember in high school, she used to get called a goody goody a lot, since she was already an angel back then. She always told me she never took it to heart, because why should someone be ashamed to be good in a place like this? Then the first time she got drunk, we went up to this hill, and she cried because getting drunk meant she wouldn't be a goody goody anymore..."

      Mateo suddenly stood up as he finished his story, Tom raising his eyebrows in surprise. He gestured for the boy to stand, before walking off in a direction they'd already checked. Then it clicked, the story. "She's on the hill, isn't she?" Tom called after him, jogging to catch up.

      "Let's hope so."

      His guess had been right, the two standing outside of the gated park, watching a figure who sat atop the hill. Tom looked over to Mateo, seeing the boy was already looking at him. "You have to go," He rushed out, pointing up to Orion. "I can't because issues with the council, and stuff, you know?" It seemed like he didn't even know, but Tom didn't question it.