(Song on the next slide)
"Come on, Katie let's go home." I turn back at my best friend's voice. A sigh leaving my lips "Maybe we should just wait a couple more minutes." Eren just gave me a look telling me to give up already. "We've been waiting for two hours Kate. He would have been here if he was going to come, or he at least would have texted."
Eren too had a sad, almost angry look on his face. Looking back to the lake in front of me I dropped my head, "Come on, let's go home. This was all stupid anyway." "What?" I turn to him exasperated, throwing my hands up "Look around, Ace isn't here. The first guy, the literal first guy I liked, the one guy who I thought cared about me, just stood me up like that. I mean come on! I had actually started to open up to him, I had started to let my walls down and look at where that led me. Let's face it no sane person would want to go out with someone who has this much baggage."
Eren quickly stepped up to me, "No, no okay. Ace is a fucking idiot to not see what a great person you are. And this is just high school we are gonna meet so many people. And you are going to find someone who loves you for you."
Small tears prickle the back of my eyes, I hug Eren tightly, holding on to the one constant in my life. I might tease him relentlessly and make his life hell with my issues but I will always be glad to have him in my life.
When we reached home I ran straight to my room wanting to bury myself in a blanket and forget the rest of the world existed. Eren was left to explain it all to the rest of my family, and given the fact that all of them came up to my room periodically to checkup on me. I'm guessing he told them the truth. Fucking idiot.
I didn't sleep the whole night, I kept checking my phone constantly in hopes of seeing any messages or missed calls. I tried calling Ace too but he didn't pick up. At about 4am I just gave up. Curling up in bed and trying -unsuccessfully- to go to sleep.
The very next day as soon as I woke up from a restless sleep, I heard many voices seeming to come from down the hall. Trudging down sluggishly I reach the living where the noise was coming from and see everyone gathered there along with Elijah.
"Hey." Gaining everyone's attention, Elijah gasped when he saw me. "Oh my god! She's wearing sweatpants that's not good." He came over quickly engulfing me in a hug and rocking us from side to side, which was honestly very awkward.
"Babe I am here for you. Your brothers, and I say this with love are complete idiots." I merely shrug, I mean he isn't wrong. "I understand what you're going through- you know what actually I don't cause no matter how many guys I've been with none of them were a literal god like Ace. Like man, that guy was fine wine and I would have loved to take a sip if you know what I mean."
"If this is your attempt at cheering me up then you need some serious practise."
"Yeah right sorry. Well I have come prepared to cheer you up. And don't even try denying that you're sad because I can see it clearly from the fact that you have your hair in a bun. And we both know that you don't do that unless you're having some sort of mental break down."
I didn't even try interrupting him, he was right after all. I mean I spent the entirety of last night waiting for a high school boy to text me back and even though I want to I still can't give him up in my head.
"So now I couldn't find an actual body pillow so I stapled five normal pillows together to look like a person and pasted Ace's picture on there. Now I was going to put an ugly picture of him up there but let's face it the guy cannot physically take a bad picture. Now this is for you to take out all of your rage on." He handed me the pillow Ace. Pulling out a bottle of vodka from his bag.
"This-." I snatched the bottle from his hand before he could finish, dousing the pillow man thing in the liquid, taking out my emergency lighter, I lit one of its 'feet' on fire and threw the thing out of the window, watching as it went up in flames in our back yard. After an awkward silence Elijah spoke up again.
"I was thinking more of punching it, but this is you after all so I came prepared with two more bottle of vodka, two giant tubs of chocolate fudge ice cream and no it isn't any of that low fat crap.
I also have a whole bunch of chips, and other sodium filled treats and my mom's special kimchi with Korean hot dogs." "Fine my room."
"Wait how come he goes up there and I have to tiptoe when I pass your room?" Luca exclaimed. Elijah took it upon himself to explain "Have any of you in this room, been stood up?" When no one answered he laughed bitterly.
"Well I shouldn't be proud of this right now but I have had my fair share of being stood up, so I am quite aware of the feeling meaning I get to be the one to cheer her up."
Elijah's POV
It took a while but I had finally gotten Kate to take some rest and sleep. After gathering up the empty wrappers surrounding the entire bed I put her blanket over her and kissing her forehead once, I left.
I was dreading coming here but I had no choice, I had to know what the hell had happened. I knocked thrice on the door, it was opened by the maid and I was led into the living room and within a few seconds he came in, wearing grey shorts and a little too tight t-shirt which I am totally not complaining about.
"Elijah? Hey, I thought we were meeting tomorrow?"
"Yeah, we were but I just needed to talk to you about something. Is any one else home?"
Victor shook his head, "No, Ace is out, so we've got the whole house to ourselves if you have something in mind." Tempting as that was I was here for a reason.
"Ace is out? Oh, well where is he?" "Work." Of course. "So he's been busy hasn't he?" "Yeah, the season around the holidays is pretty busy so-."
"Okay, cut the crap, I don't have time for this. Why the fuck didn't he show up yesterday to meet Kate." Obviously caught of guard Victor stumbled over his words, I held up my hands to stop him "Oh, please, you seriously don't expect me to believe that he didn't tell you about it. I know for a fact that you know all about them and you know why he didn't show up. So I want to know right the fuck now why he wasn't there."
After a painfully long silence Victor sighed "I can't tell you." "Why?" "I just can't."
I was shocked, I can't believe Victor would be someone like this. "You know this is all so fucking ridiculous. I'm done here. And just so you know we're not meeting up tomorrow."
I turned to leave but Victor caught me by the wrist. "E, please don't do this okay. I really really like you and I don't want to give that up over some fight between the people we know."
I turn to face him again, "You don't get it Victor, because you haven't ever been someone like me. Kate to me isn't just a friend or even a sister, she is much more. She is the one person who helped me when I had totally given up hope. She was always there to save me weather it was from bullies or my own mind, she always saved me.
And this time I have a chance to save her. And I know she doesn't look it but she is still a normal girl and she feels, and right now she is the most devastated I have ever seen. Of all people Kate is the last person who deserves to be hurt."
Victor shut his eyes, thinking "Fuck it. Ace was there that night." Now that I was not expecting. "What?"
"He was there, he had reached the lake and was going to Kate but he came back before he could reach her." "Why?"
"There are a lot of things about Ace that you don't know, and a lot of them stop him from actually being with Kate." I scoffed "Well Kate hasn't been living a fairy tale either okay but she still made an effort to work past those fucked up issues to actually give them a try."
I laughed although there was nothing humorous in it "You know, up until now I used to think that Ace was the embodiment of strong masculine yet sensible men but as it turns out he is just a scared little boy who can't face the real world."
"Elijah-."
"No, no I'm not coming back here until you actually talk some sense into your pathetically dim witted brother. Bye, Vic."
It was harsh but it was the truth,and it had to be said. Vic might hate me after this but I wasn't backing out of my statement. Victor had to talk some sense in Ace's big beautiful head, he had to talk to her, at least give her an explanation.
Ace's POV
(The night at the lake)
I'm nervous. I know, big shocker for me too. I'm Ace fucking Alvarez, I don't get nervous even when I'm surrounded by ruthless criminals but I'm nervous to meet a girl. Oh dios mio en que me he convertido?
(Oh my god, what have I become?)
I was just a couple of minutes away from the lake where I had told Kate to meet me. It had been a while since I was actually interested in a girl, and if I'm being honest I haven't ever been interested in a girl, like this, ever.
The radio was playing but I hadn't been paying attention until a song came on that made me hit the breaks so hard that I almost crashed into a tree near by.
"I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things..."
And just like that I was transported back to a time I honestly didn't think I even remembered.
"Oh come on mijo. Dance with me." My mom told the Eight year old version of me that was sat at the couch. 'Good old fashioned Lover boy' played from the radio my mom insisted we keep. One thing my mother loved more than anything was dancing, She used to dance in college but after having me she didn't do it professionally anymore.
(My son)
The younger me sluggishly walked up to her. It was funny seeing how that me wanted nothing more than to go outside and play soccer. But the current me would give up anything to dance with my mom one last time, or at least hold her close to me.
"Ooh, love, ooh, loverboy
What're you doin' tonight, hey, boy?
Set my alarm, turn on my charm
That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy"
My mom spun me around as a small amused smile came on my face, "See mijo. You should enjoy these dance sessions cause one day I'm gonna be gone. Then whose gonna give all these amazing and FREE dance lessons."
"Mamá, don't talk like that. You're gonna be around a long time okay." My mother just laughed in return, shaking her head at me but I was persistent. "Hey, promise me you won't ever leave me." "I promise, mijo. I won't leave you."
(Mamma)
She broke that promise.
The scene before my eyes faded to one of my nightmares, her dead body on the bed, as I sat beside her screaming for someone to save her. I knew she was dead, of course she was dead, her body had already started to become cold but I refused to let go of her. I craved her touch once again, I wanted her to get up and hug me, sing me to sleep or shout at me for being late from school.
Anything! I just wanted my mom back but I never got her back. And not even a year later I lost another person I cared for.
And all of it had happened because of me. Because of what I did. Being a mafia leader doesn't just give you power it also makes you an enemy to a lot of people, and in a place like this people hurt you by hurting the people you love. Dying isn't the worst fate someone can have, something worse than getting hurt yourself is seeing your family and friends get hurt.
My eyes came back into focus, realising that the song had ended long ago and I was just sitting in my car. I could see the lake from where I was, the lights near the lakeside, were visible to me, and I know who was waiting for me there.
All I had to do was walk up to her and tell her how I felt, tell her that I liked her, that she was a beautiful person who made me fell all fuzzy on the inside and made me want to smile all the damn time.
The task that just a few minutes ago seemed simple was now feeling like the end of the world. I couldn't do it. I reversed the car and sped out of that place. I wanted to yell at myself for being like this. She didn't deserve me standing her up like that, but no matter how much I tried I couldn't get myself to go near her.
I gave Victor a very vague explanation when I came home but I'm sure he knew exactly why I didn't go to Kate tonight. Katherine was this amazing person, and the last thing she deserved was some guy who was destined to get her killed.
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Hello!
The chapter turned out to be longer than I expected so I decided to split it into two parts
Tell me how you guys liked this one!
We are getting to know a little bit of Ace's back story but we still have a lot to unpack here and we're gonna get to that in the next chapter! I hope you guys will like how I portray that.
We got a little bit of Elijah and Victor! After binging Schitts creek I am positive that Elijah is a mini David rose. 😆😆
Love you all!💕💕✨✨