Chapter 14

Edited

Alex's POV

"Hurry and get your tickets! Prom is coming up very soon people! Find your match and enjoy your last night together!" Missie, head cheerleader, yelled. Her and the rest of the squad shook their pom-poms in front of a table set up for prom tickets. The theme was A Night Under The Stars. Typical cliche.

"Are you going to go?" Sam asked, her eyes fixed on the booth. Since we were little, Sam had a fantasy that prom would change her life. She thought some prince charming would take her and slow dance with her, but no. She got stuck with Chris who has two left feet. I shook my head, sipping my coke.

"Nope. Not my thing," I laughed. She rolled her eyes and smacked my arm.

"Nothing is ever your thing," she smiled sticking her tongue out at me. I linked arms with her and pulled her toward our lockers. I pulled it open and pulled out books and notebooks for history and math.

"Hey, Mrs. Avoc is looking for you," Chris huffed, jogging toward us. Smiling, I ran toward her class. I stopped in front of her door and looked inside to see her jotting notes a stack of papers in front of her. I knocked on her door.

"Come in," she said not looking up from her work.

"You were looking for me?" I asked biting my lip, trying to contain myself. Today was the day I would receive my status of how well I did in a writing competition I entered in for a scholarship. Mrs. Avoc and I spent the last few months editing and re-editing my short story of a girl who eventually bloomed into a flower and symbolized life within a child. I could only hope at this point that it was good enough.

She looked up and smiled.

"Oh yes! Miss Santos. You got a letter from the competition," she said handing me a large white envelope. I stared at it taking a deep breathe. There were only two winners out of seventy thousand who entered. First place got a scholarship that would give them fifteen thousand dollars each year to help pay for college. Second place got a scholarship for twenty-five grand.

"Aren't you going to open it?" She asked persistently. She clicked her nails together in anticipation. I sighed, shaking my head.

"I promised Sam and Chris we'd open important letters together," I said. I wanted the three of us to be able to lean on each other if anything goes wrong with our letters or if our plans fall apart.

"Well I don't see any reason why you wouldn't get first. Your story was exceptional and very you. You've got talent Santos," She said, "talent that is hard to find nowadays in young people."

"Thanks," I said and walked out of her class. I held the letter up and smiled at the little stamp with the competition address.

I wrote this for you, kiddo. Chin up, and smile.

I stashed the envelope into my bag and ran toward Math. I walked in to see everyone chattering while Mr. Gonzalez wrote out a few problems on the board. I tip-toed toward the back to sit next to Chris, hoping Mr. Gonzalez doesn't notice my tardiness.

"What did she want?" he mumbled through a mouthful of cheetos. I pulled out the letter and handed it to him.

"You got the scholarship?" He gasped wide-eyed.

"I haven't opened it. We promised we'd all open our letters tomorrow night remember?" I told him.

"Yeah, I remember. I got my letter from University of Chicago," He sighed, "I'm scared." His eyes darted to his blank graph paper.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Chris. You may look stupid, but you're a bright kid," I teased. He glared at me, throwing a cheeto into my shirt. My lips formed an 'o' as I pulled it from my shirt and tossed it in my mouth. He scrunched his nose in disgust and chuckled.

"Thanks, well we'll find out tomorrow night." he said turning his attention to the board.

Elias's POV

I sat on a bench outside of the school smoking a cigarette. Every time I slipped one between my lips, I thought about Alex and her first time inhaling nicotine. She looked so at peaceful and relaxed that it made me feel guilty. But she had her bad habits and I had mine. Inhaling the smoke, I stared out to the rows of houses that lined the front of the school. I was waiting for Victoria because she wanted to "talk". Talking was something Victoria and I couldn't do without starting an unnecessary argument. I looked up to see Victoria walking towards me, her books pressed against her chest.

"Hey," I said putting the cigarette on the floor and grinding it into ash with my shoe. Like Alex, Victoria didn't like my bad habit. It will kill you eventually, she'd say. Everything will kill us eventually.

"Hi," she said in a small voice. She sat beside me and turned to face me.

"You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah..." She hesitated a moment, a smile spreading across her face. "I got into NYU." She held out her acceptance and shook it in my face. Her dream was coming true. I gave her a huge hug and spun her in the air. This was the best news she ever got in her life.

"That's amazing V! You deserve it," I smiled, putting her down. She held her hands around my neck, moving them slowly to cup my cheeks.

"This has changed my life forever Elias," she said. She pecked me on the lips before wrapping her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. Her cheek pressed against mine, warm with excitement. But a sigh cooled that warmth because it was a sigh I knew would be the last one I'd here. She pulled away from me again, her eyes wide with sadness swimming deep inside.

"Remember when I was twelve and I made that promise of never letting anything get in the way of my dreams?" She asked looking down at the letter. I looked past her nodding. I didn't want to care. I didn't want to feel sad that the girl I loved and the girl who I'd been friends with forever was going to leave me because it'd make the future real. It'd mean that we were growing up.

"I meant every word I said. I don't want anything holding me back from becoming an actress..." She trailed off finally meeting my eyes. I made her promise me to never let anyone stop her from chasing her dreams. But I never thought I'd be the one she'd have to let go. I rarely admitted it to her, but I loved her. She was my best friend, other than Chris.

"I love you, Elias," she smiled kissing me on the cheek before leaving. She knew I'd never say 'love' out loud and she never forced me to, but in my head I was saying I love you too, Victoria. I grabbed my board and road through the back hallway to the lunch tables and sat down, laying my head down on the cool, metal table. I caught myself dozing off until I heard familiar voices trail closer to me.

"Wake up sleepy head!"A voice whisper into my ear. I jumped in my seat and looked up to see Alex smirking. "It's not fun being scared is it?" She taunted me. Chris and Sam were right behind her. I stuck my tongue out at her and moved my backpack from beside me. She slid in next to me and placed her tray between us.

I grabbed her cheese and lettuce sandwich and took a bite.

"Thanks," I mumbled through my food-filled mouth. Reaching for her half eaten sandwich, I held it above my head, far from her reach. She poked and pinched my side, receiving satisfying owes from me, but I wouldn't budge. She crossed her arms, pouting.

"Brat," she grumbled. She grabbed her orange and started peeling it. Her lips were curved slightly, as she flicked the peelings onto the tray. I smiled down at her, feeling the butterflies awaken in my stomach. I took a piece and gave it to her. Her face lit up as she took it and bit into it.

"So what happened with Victoria?" Chris asked, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.

"She got into NYU."

"That's great! That hoe needs to do something with her life," Sam laughed, picking at her sandwich.

"Shut up Sam," I sneered. Victoria wasn't the nicest person around, but she certainly didn't deserve to be called a hoe. "Anyways, we broke up." They all got quiet and stared at me. I rose an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Wow, no one saw that coming," Sam said, chewing her sandwich. I glanced at Alex to see her staring at her sandwich. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. She looked almost sad, but her eyes were wide with surprised.

"Yeah well I didn't want to get in the way of her dreams and stuff..." I admitted. They gaped at me, looking dumb-founded. No, I wasn't Mr. Prince Charming, but I could understand someone had dreams that didn't match mine. So why should I stand in the way of what they want?

"Awe Elias, you might actually have a heart in there somewhere," Sam sighed, dramatically placing her hand over her heart. Rolling my eyes, I flung a piece of bread at the open slit above her breasts. She looked down and picked it out of her shirt. "Just kidding. There's no hope for you." She stared icily, flinging it back. Chris kicked me under the table. I winked at them both and finished off the sandwich. I looked at Alex who was playing with her phone. I nudged her a little, but she only gave me a small smile that pierced my heart like a knife. I didn't know what she was thinking and that's what made this worse.

Sighing, I grabbed my backpack and stood up.

"I'm going home."

"Oh hey, tomorrow night we are meeting at the lake house and opening up our letters if you want to come," Chris called out at me. I looked over to see Alex finally looking at me.

"Sure," I smiled before walking off. I stepped on my board and road home.

* * * * * * *

Alex's POV

I got home and ran toward the kitchen, grabbing my letters. Mom was in the living room watching the news.

"Hey I'm going to spend the night at the lake house with Sam and Chris," I told her.

"Okay, just be careful," She said kissing me on the cheek before I walked outside to meet Sam and Chris. I threw my bag into the trunk and hopped into the backseat.

"The band is tagging along," Chris said as we drove toward the lake. Austin was going to be there. I hadn't talked to him since the fight with Elias. I slid on my headphones and listened to Secondhand Serenade, calming me into a light sleep.

"Wake up," Sam said, stepping out of the car. Yawning, I looked outside to see the sun was starting to set. I slipped on my leather jacket and walked outside. The band was hanging around the lake in their bathing suits. Smiling, I grabbed my bag and headed inside. Austin was inside making a sandwich. Trying to avoid a talk that I didn't want to happen, I hurried upstairs to one of the rooms. I didn't want to talk to Austin. I didn't want to hear him apologize, because he should've done it the moment it all happened. But he didn't.

I placed the bag on the bed with Lexi's bag and then went back downstairs. Everyone was starting to come inside, when I felt a hand pull me out the back door.

"What the?" I looked up to meet Austin's eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you before things got hectic," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. I looked down at my feet, not wanting to get lost in his ocean blue eyes. His hand brushed against my collarbone, lifting the necklace and smiling.

"Well you're still wearing it. I can take that as a good sign," He said, gently letting it go. I looked down at the necklace and held it in my hand.

"So are we cool?" He asked.

"Yeah we're cool..." I trailed off. Not even a real apology. But I wanted to stay happy tonight. Tonight I needed to feel good, not upset because Austin sucked at apologizing. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me back inside. I was about to walk inside until I caught a glimpse of Elias behind me. I pulled Austin's arm off of me and told him we'd talk later. He looked from me to Elias, his jaw clenching. Nodding, he went inside.

"What was that about?" Elias asked, sounding uninterested.

"Nothing."

He nodded and grabbed his guitar from the stand that stood outside along with the rest of band equipment.

"Let's go for a walk," He said, taking the guitar and walking toward the lake. I followed behind him as we walked through the sand towards the grass. I watched his back rise and collapse as he breathed. The way he walked with his head hanging low looked as though he was trying to hide himself from the world. But he couldn't hide from me.

We sat down and both stared out to the lake. The sun was blazing with oranges and yellows as it started to die. He began strumming the guitar and played the chords for Always Attract. I turned toward a smile replacing the sadness Austin had left me with.

I listened to him sing, his voice a melody like no one else's. When he sung, he looked as though nothing could take music from him. It was his entire world, just him and that guitar. I watched his expressions change as he sung. His eyes were closed for a moment, before opening up and meeting mine. He was singing with such intensity, I was trapped and in awe. He looked at me like I was the only girl in the world he could sing for, and right now, that's what it felt like... like no one existed but us.

He finished off the chords and smiled at me.

"You sounded amazing," I smiled, laying down on the grass.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he chuckled, laying down next to me. I turned my head toward him as he plopped himself onto his elbow. We looked at each other for a while trying to figure out what to say.

"Are you going to prom?" He blurted out.

"You don't like prom," I stated matter-o-factly.

"I know... but if you went I don't think it would be too bad," he smiled a bit. Giggling, I shook my head.

"No, it's not my thing either." He nodded and started picking at the grass.

"I actually wanted to have a small get together here. Like a mini prom with just a few of us. I don't really like crowds, but I don't think I'd mind dressing up once in my life," I said, drawing circle in the dirt with my finger.

"That'd be pretty cool. We'll have to tell the other's," he smiled. I stared up at the sky and watched it darken. Stars began dancing as the sky turned black. It was their time to shine.

"We should get inside before they begin wondering where we are," He said, standing up. After brushing the dirt off of his pants, he pulled me up and we walked back to the lake house. We walked in to see everyone hanging out in the den. As we stepped inside, all voices went quiet.

"Holding hands?" Chris said, looking at our hands. I looked down to see we forgot to let go. Feeling the heat rise from my cheeks, I slipped my hand out of his and stuffed it into my pocket. I took a seat next to Sam while Elias sat next to Chris across from me.

"Did you guys bring your letters?" Sam asked, holding hers out. We all took ours out and placed them in front of us.

"Alright this is it. It's time to know our futures," Chris whispered. "We'll start with Elias and work our way around." He said, nudging Elias. Elias sighed and picked up one of two envelopes. Lexi, Austin, and Taylor waited on the couch in anticipation, watching him intently. He ripped it open and pulled out the letter. His eyes perused it quickly and a smile formed on his face.

"I got in," he whispered to himself. "I GOT IN!" He yelled after realizing he was accepted into University of Chicago. "I can't believe I got in! They're giving me half a scholarship too!" He sighed in relief. His smile widened as he continued to read. He grabbed another letter and tore it open. His smile went faint as he read this one. "Well, I wasn't accepted into NYU..." he sighed placing it next to him. Chris patted him on the back.

"So? You got into freaking UOC! That's awesome man," Chris reassured him. Elias nodded and then looked at me.

"Your turn," he breathed. My heart raced as I grabbed the first envelope. It was the one that determined if I got my scholarship or not. I opened it slowly and pulled out the letter. Attached to it was a copy of my poem and a few comments from the judges. I looked at the paper and tears began to cascade down my cheeks.

"Oh Alex, I'm so sorry," Sam said, hugging me from the side. I pushed her away looking at her like she was crazy.

"Why? I got first place!" I yelled. Sam and Chris gasped. I stood up and began jumping up and down in happiness, but this was only half of it. I still needed to open up my acceptance letter to the University of Westminster. I sat back down and opened it hastily. I went through it and smiled.

"I. Got. In. ME!" I shouted enthusiastically. Things were finally falling into place. People kept telling me life would get better, but I didn't want to believe them. Now I had to. I was alive and life was beginning to treat me well. Life is good. This would be the first time in a long time that my parents would be proud of me. But what mattered was that I was proud of myself. I did it. ME. Out of everyone, I was going to be in a brand new city with new people and start a new life for myself. Sam and Chris jumped up and wrapped their arms around me.

"We knew you'd get it, Alex! You're talented and amazing," Chris said messing with my hair. I sat back down, laughing as everyone congratulated me. Elias smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. I grinned and took a breath as Sam began opening up her letter. She read through it and showed it to me.

"Sam, you got in!" She was accepted to Pudget Sound University, the place she had been dreaming of attending since she was little. Chris hugged her and pecked her on the lips.

"Great job, babe," he smiled wrapping his arm around her waist. She sighed in relief.

"Thanks guys, this seriously means everything to me. Okay, Chris your turn." We all turned our attention to him and watched him open it. His smile dropped as he read through his letter.

"I... I didn't get in," he breathed. Our smiles dropped. Sam hugged him tightly, her face in the crook of his neck. He dropped the letter and rubbed his hands across his face. Elias patted his back trying to comfort his friend.

"I'm sorry Chris... maybe you can try again next year, I mean UOC isn't going anywhere," I said trying to make him feel better. He shook his head, trying not to cry.

"It's just I worked hard... I don't get it," he sighed. We were all at a loss of words. I looked down at my hands before standing up and walking toward him. I squeezed between him and Elias and wrapped my arms around him and Sam.

"It's okay Chris, you'll figure things out. Maybe UOC wasn't meant for you, that doesn't mean you aren't good enough for other schools," I smiled, trying to encourage him. "Maybe you can come with me! I think you'd love it out there in London and you can play music and figure your life out there instead of being stuck at home for another year," I said, giving him options.

"Yeah babe, maybe you should go out and explore this world for a while and try again. UOC will always be here and you never know, you might like it out there and might find something more," Sam urged. He sighed looking up with puffy eyes.

"Sure, plus Alex could use some protection from loonies," he chuckled. I hugged him tightly and smiled.

"Exactly!" I laughed.

"Alright time for bon-fire!" Lexi clapped, heading toward the back porch. Sam and Chris got up and followed everyone out. Before I could stand, Elias held out his hand for me to take. I slipped my hand into his and stood up, our bodies an inch apart. He kept my hand in his and leaned down, brushing his lips softly against my cheek. Sparks of warmth played on my skin as he kissed against it.

"Congratulations," he whispered, before letting me go. I stood there, staring into the carpet. I felt my cheeks redden as I turned around. Shaking my head, I walked outside feeling my heart skipping beats.