Chapter 15

I didn't know where to begin, or why I was even doing this. I was frustrated before I even began. I ultimately pick up the thickest paint brush and slather it in orange paint. One of the most ugly, dark, burnt oranges. I blend it in with browns, and beiges, and dark olive greens. Until I have a fiery, sloppy savanna with stray trees askew across a melting, scorching plane. The sky remained a hideous, yet beautiful orange, but I added lighter tones of brown to the dirt. And shadows that the trees cast.

"No sun? You know, it's easier to paint in your source of light so you know how to paint the shadows," Lora chimes in from the couch."

"Hm. I guess I could have. But it's too late now. Besides, I like it like this. There's not many shadows, and I don't mind the subtle-ness to it. Do you? It's dark, but sweltering, like a hot afternoon, you know?"

"I do like it. But can I ask how you came up with this? And, why do the trees appear to be melting?"

"I guess it's just how I feel right now. It looks normal, but distorted the longer you pay attention to it," I mumble in response, standing back to admire my painting as it dries. Lora stands up to get a closer look.

"This is really your first time painting? I seriously don't believe that. It looks incredible for your first time."

"I don't try new things often, you know that. Only when I was forced to in fifth grade art class. Since then, I've only drawn." I look down at the floor. I knew when Lora was lying. I had been living with her for just over a month, and we spent most days together, after all. And I know for a fact, she was not lying. Because she's better than that. Better than my mom. I allow a small smirk to form on my face. I'm actually not doing bad. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the first day of the after school beginner's art club where we take classes on different techniques. Mostly pottery, pastels, and painting. I wasn't complaining. This was a beginner's class, after all. But I honestly expected myself to be a lot worse. I wish I could show Sebastian. But, I am doing this for me. Not him. Never again for him.

My real reason for painting that picture was unknown to me. I didn't know where to start, and went from there on with the chaos. My brush strokes weren't straight, so I had to make all the trees look wiggly, as if they're being seen through the heat waves the biome brought that particular day. I fucked up, but I went with it. That's really all painting is. You're either blessed with the talent, and you're a born painter, or you have to take many more steps to get there. Ones that would pain the beginner much more than the pains the expert faced. All their life. Maybe I do know the meaning of this painting more than I thought. This isn't about a savanna. Perhaps I can turn all of my paintings into stories. Stories like mine. People have had crazier ideas, I'm sure.

Only after that point, I realized it must have just been beginner's luck. In our beginner's class, I was lucky enough to be assigned along with the rest of my small class to do a painting, which was something that I had some experience with, as of yesterday. The only problem is, I wouldn't seem to start. By the end of the class, I hadn't painted a thing. The last time, I didn't know where to begin, and I created something beautiful. They expected me to paint a dog. I didn't want to paint a dog. A dog didn't have a special meaning to me. The only dog I ever had was actually Stefan's, and Cheese Doodle ate my scorpion. Why should I paint something that isn't significant? The only plus side to this class I noticed after having started it was that some of my friends were there. Liam, and Vera. Finn, and Amera. I was sitting between Finn and some kid I didn't know. He seemed to be in the fifth or sixth grade. The youngest here. The rest were in my grade or the one below it. When it was time to leave, Finn nudged my shoulder. "Having trouble?"

Startled by the sound of his voice, I nearly jumped in my seat. "Yeah, I'd say so. How is yours coming along?"

Finn presents me his unfinished portrait of a fluffy brown and white blob without the details yet. The style was cute, like the dog was painted from cotton balls. "How do you make him look so fluffy?"

We gather our things and set up our unfinished paintings in the back of the classroom. We continue our conversation as we head out to the front of the building. "I can teach you different techniques tomorrow if you want. Is that what you're having trouble with?"

"Hm. I'm not sure it's that. I'm just not really inspired, you know? Why a dog? A dog means nothing to me."

"Have you painted before? What kinds of things inspire you?" Finn takes my hand and leads me over to a bench out front to sit down.

"Well, I want to tell stories with any art I make. A dog doesn't tell my story."

"Then what does?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Distorted, wacky, strange colors. Designs that don't look quite right."

"Hm. Then do that. Something strange, and odd. Like nobody else would paint, or nobody else would see it as. You know, I already saw three works in progress that all looked like mine. Paint it unrealistically. Paint it scary. Just do what you want with it."

"Thanks, Finn. So, I wanted to ask. Why are you even here? In this class. Aren't you crazy good at art?"

"Yeah, but, everyone on the sign up sheet for the advanced classes were stuck up snobs I don't get along with."

"Are you kidding? This school is heaven compared to where I used to go to school. And I don't even believe in heaven. How bad could they be?"

"Maybe I used the wrong words," Finn begins. "They're just boring. Nothing like the friends I already have."

"And, what makes someone boring?"

"They don't open up. They cover up their flaws and don't celebrate their differences. They're just too normal."

"So, you like freak shows like myself?"

Finn laughs, playfully nudging me. "You know what I mean! You're far from boring, but never a freak show."

He takes my hand once again, and leads me toward a crowd of our friends, and a few others I didn't know too well. "Finn, Lora's gonna be here any second to pick me up. Where are we going?"

"We're having a party tonight."

"On a Tuesday? Whose brilliant idea was that?" I ask sarcastically.

"It was Trina's. Her and Raymond are brother and sister. Their parents allow them to have parties when they're out of town. Only because this neighborhood is so safe, and they can be trusted not to burn the place down. I wanted you to come meet some of the others, in case you wanted to come tonight."

"Okay, but I'd still like to know, why not a Friday night?"

Finn laughs. "This Friday is the first day of state testing. Everyone is too exhausted afterward to party, so this is our last big party until next month."

"Hm. So, does this happen often? I can't believe their parents are even okay with kids partying in their house."

He shrugs. "Nothing's ever really gone wrong. Trina's parents are cool. They were kids once too. Either way, I think you should come. They don't get too wild, and the fridge is always stocked with non-alcoholic drinks if that's what you'd prefer."

"W- they let their children drink a-"

"Hey, Trina! Willow, Lenny, Marshall! This is Lucian. Lucian, these are some of my best friends. And, you know Sabine and Donna, obviously."

I find myself just rocking back and forth nervously, nodding and smiling occasionally until Lora arrives. I say my goodbyes and quickly rush to the car, get in, and let out a breath I had been holding.

"Hey, sweetie. What was all of that?"

"I think I got invited to a party," I say, sounding out of breath.

"When is it? This weekend? You can go, honey."

"Oh, well, it's actually tonight."

"Tonight? Who the hell planned that? It's Tuesday."

"That's what I said," I laugh. "And, I don't think I'm going."

"Lucian, it's okay to go out and party. If there's drinking I want you to be responsible. I would never condone it, but if anything happens, you call me to pick you up."

"What? A-aren't you going to tell me I shouldn't? It's a Tuesday. I have school tomorrow."

"Well," Lora shrugs, "most parents or legal guardians like myself have partied too. It's nothing wild, it seems like. And if you get wasted, your punishment will be how poorly you perform in class on Wednesday."

"True, true. But, I wouldn't drink. I'm not sure if my social anxiety would let me enjoy myself, though. Besides, what do I wear to something like that? Would I be called boring if I don't drink?"

"Lucian, you even know how funny, and smart, and fun to be around you? Because you don't need alcohol to have fun, and you don't need it to entertain people."

And after that conversation, I decided to go. I just didn't expect myself to end up here.

***"Lucian, try this! It's so good. You like strawberry, right?" Garret's words were already slurred, and he couldn't even look at me. Are his eyes closed? Is he high right now?

"I don't think I should," I decline. I didn't care if Lora said I could go out and have fun like a normal kid for once. It was wrong. Besides, I was always the one saying that all drinking as a teenager does is mess up your future and make you look like a jackass.

Garret nudges me and points me in the direction of the kitchen. "There's vodka, too. All kinds of shit. Go get something, and then we can dance."

But, maybe being a jackass for one night is acceptable? What's gonna happen? Are my mom and dad going to punish me?

I nervously pick up a bottle and pour some vodka in a cup. I honestly had no clue what it was going to taste like. I just grabbed the bottle closest to me, my eyes darting all over the dimly lit room as if someone was going to get me in trouble for it. But I was really the only sober teenager in the house at the moment, and nobody was even paying attention to me.

That was, until I was no longer sober. Until I had begun dancing in the center of the room with a guy I thought was Garret, but then realized it was Liam. Part of me started to panic and push him away, but then he grabbed my hands and pulled me back and whispered something I could hardly hear over the loud music.

"It's okay if you wanna kiss me."

When the words finally get pieced together in the right order and I have made sense of them, I feel almost nauseous. Well, more than I was already feeling from the alcohol and the dancing around. I figured everyone was still watching me from when I tripped over one of the speakers in the room, so I felt pressured. But when I realized nobody was looking, which was while I had awkwardly opened my eyes in shock as I kissed Liam, I felt a whole new type of sickness. I was disgusted with myself.

"Hey, what are you going- doing?" Liam called after me, following me into what I thought was the hall to the bedrooms, but ended up being the bathroom.

"Oh? Does this mean you wanna..." He trails off, showing me his stupid grin.

"No! No, you're dating Zara, aren't you?"

"No, we have an open deal. Remember?" Oh, yeah. I remember now. But that still didn't make me feel any better. It still wasn't right.

"I'm sorry. I really am, I just-"

"No, no. Don't be sorry! You don't gotta kiss me anymore. I just thought you wanted to. You seemed to be really enjoying the dance," he points out.

"I do love dancing, but I'm still just not in a great place to be making out with guys that aren't..."

"Oh, right. That one guy? Sebastian?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I wanted a distraction. That's why I came here. But, not this kind of distraction."

"Well, if you change your mind, you know I'm up for anything. But, I'm here for you as a friend, too," Liam says, reaching for the doorknob.

"Would you also be up for being my dance partner for a bit longer?"

Of course he was up for it. He found me "incredibly hot," as he later put it. And he loved to dance, and sing, no matter how bad he was at it. When we finally got back out from the bathroom, I found the distraction I was looking for. Nobody cared if we were singing off key and slurring all of our words. I was just happy that I was having a normal high school experience. Getting drunk, going to a party, kissing a random boy. Things I thought only happened to the cool kids, or to delinquents. But I was really just a normal kid. Well, you know, besides being a transgender kid nobody back at home supported so I had to move in with my aunt who is a talented, artsy, out there performer that I only met less than two months ago.

Liam and I see many of our friends dancing past us and laughing and having a great time. Zara and Sabine came downstairs after a while and it was apparent they were high, just like Garret. They asked if Liam and I wanted to join them. Whatever happens upstairs is too much for me for my first party.

"So, you've never smoked, then? Done any kind of-"

"Like, those kinds of substances? No, Zara!" I yell in a whisper, "that shit is illegal!"

"Okay, and? So is underage drinking! And you've been drinking a lot."

"Okay, whatever! I'm just gonna pass, okay?"

Liam didn't blame me. He's never smoked. He's never done any kind of drugs. It really surprised me, though. It was obvious he's no stranger to these kinds of parties. We stayed downstairs and danced, instead. Two, three songs. A couple more. It's starting to get super late. Nearly half the people who came have already left or passed out on the couch.

"Are you getting tired yet?"

"Nope! You?"

"Nope," Liam answers.

Our dancing slows down, and picks up with each song, and after a while, I noticed that the songs became increasingly dangerous. Liam grabs onto my hips, and presses against me as our hips move back and forth. It started off innocent enough. Satire, and just messing around and making fun of the kids who were all over each other like animals before they passed out on top of each other on the sofa in the corner of the room. I had to admit to myself that there were some feelings there, but they were simply natural reactions to a guy grinding against me in a sensual dance as we were both wasted. I knew they weren't real. Not real like how I felt with Sebastian. Those feelings- the kinds I felt just waking up next to Sebastian in a platonic way, not even touching, and feeling love. Nothing like the feeling I got between my legs, or the mixed sensations being twisted with the alcohol that I'm experiencing, dancing with Liam. Nothing here was tethered. We could make out upstairs in one of the bedrooms, then act like nothing happened. Of course, he was tethered here physically. He didn't live five hours away. He was right here. I guess, in my thoughts I shouldn't have even trusted in that moment, I found myself becoming happier with the possible outcomes of the party. Let's make the most of it, before it's over.

Liam's hands snake back up to the back of my head, and he runs his fingers through my messy hair, and as he realizes he may have taken it a bit too far, I do the same to him, to reassure him that we were no longer joking around.

Liam pressed his soft lips against mine, tasting like whisky and probably the saliva of multiple other girls and boys he kissed throughout the night while I was out getting a snack or another drink. I didn't care, because what really excited me was the thought of how wrong this was. Nobody was stopping us, and it was technically okay, but I wouldn't have allowed myself to do this sober.

I let him take the lead. I had only kissed one other guy in my life. I had no idea what I was doing, or what he was doing when he started using his tongue. Or when his hands moved down to my lower back. When he put more strength into his grip on my body, I knew what was going to happen. Frankly, I didn't care anymore. His kiss just kind of made me forget any doubts I had. Regrets don't exist right now. That would be Tomorrow Me's problem.

Liam carried me through the small crowd of people that continued to move out, just around the corner from where we started. Really? The bathroom? My first time, and we're gonna do it in the bathroom?

He locks the door, and takes his shirt off in one swift movement, trapping me against him and the counter. He lifts me up onto it, giving him the perfect angle to kiss down my neck. Liam slides his hand up the inside of my thigh over my pants. I was feeling overwhelmed, along with so many other indescribable feelings. My head was pounding and I was getting so exhausted that I felt like I was going to fall asleep just in this moment. Something- no, everything doesn't feel right.

"Stop."

"Hm? Oh, God, I'm so sorry!" Liam takes a step back, putting his hands up, and snaps back to reality, as if he got sober in a single second.

"I thought I wanted to. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even..."

"Don't apologize, Lucian. I know assholes that would take advantage of people who had a lot to drink. I would never do that. Do you need a ride home?"

"Hm? Well, I was gonna call my aunt," I shrug. "Who are you going home with?"

"Oh, I 'drived' here."

"Hell no, Liam. No. You should crash at my place, or, my aunt can give you a ride home too. You're not driving."

"What about my car?" Liam mumbles disappointedly.

"Let's worry about that tomorrow. Let me call Lora."

I reached into my back pocket, took out my phone, and saw I had multiple unread messages, but my main priority was finding Lora's contact in my phone and calling her. She picked up almost immediately after I pressed the call button.

"Hey, hon. It's super late, are you alright? I texted you earlier."

"Shit, sorry. I'm sorry. I'm all good. Me and my friend Liam had a bit to drink. Could you maybe come pick us up?"

"I'll be right there. Send me the address, and Liam's address too."

"Alright. I'll go find Raymond, and be right back." I end the call, and head out to the living room with Liam, where only four people remain: Trina, a girl named Jazmin, Finn, and Raymond. They were all sitting on the couch, watching a video of funny cats on Trina's phone. "Hey, Raymond?"

"Aw, shit. You guys are still here? Where were you? Come sit! This video is funny as hell-"

"Actually, Raymond, Liam and I need the address. My aunt's picking us up."

"Ah, gotcha. I'll type it on your phone for you."

I hand over my phone, and Raymond quickly types in his address, and hands my phone back to me. Well, tries to. But he drops it onto the floor. Thankfully, it didn't break. I send it to my aunt, and wait for her arrival. We all sat down, Jazmin and Trina to the left of Liam, and me sandwiched right between him and Finn. I rest my head on Liam's shoulder, without even thinking. It was something I would often do with Sebastian. The strange thing was, he didn't even flinch. Of course, the others were curious as to what we did in the bathroom. All I could reply with was, "I'm just tired." Which was true. I knew I was going to pass out on my bed the second my head touched the pillow.

"So, Lucian," Finn speaks up. "I hardly saw you all night. Were you with Liam all this time?"

"Basically," I answer. "I didn't even really talk to Zara, even though she was my ride here."

"Oh, yeah," Jazmin says, "she was with Sabine and Vera upstairs."

"What were they even doing?" I obviously had a good idea. I knew they had been smoking, and I could smell it when I walked past the staircase near the kitchen."

"You know," Jazmin hints. "I never join them, mainly because Sabine hates me. And, probably most of her friends."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well, it's a lot of relationship drama. Her boyfriend cheated on her with me. But I had no idea they were even talking, let alone dating. We used to be friends in middle school, then grew apart. She turned most of her friends against me, but then she pushed all of them away too."

"Oh, damn," I reply quietly, not wanting to interrupt her story.

"She began going on huge dating sprees, lasting no more than a couple weeks, and she went through a rough patch. She insisted I 'ruined her life.' I didn't make her that way. She decided on her own to sleep with a bunch of guys that didn't care about her, thinking it would mean something."

"Oh. Wow, well, I don't know what to say. That sucks. Especially for her."

"So you're saying you side with her?"

"Hm? No! I'm not siding with anyone! I think she just doesn't know how to trust people anymore."

"Wow, okay," Jazmin huffs.

"No, listen. I didn't mean that in a rude way. You didn't help, but it sounds like she might have commitment issues?"

"Yeah," Trina chimes in, "I always thought it was her daddy issues. She used to get attached quickly and trust everyone in her life."

"Then you had to destroy it," a voice mumbles from behind us. I was fully expecting it to be Sabine. But no, it was Vera. Her best friend.

"She's been through shit you can't even comprehend! So don't talk shit about her when she can't defend herself!"

"I thought you went home!" Trina yells.

"So that makes it okay? I've stuck around with her and I know the full story. All I'm gonna say is that having a romantic relationship is never going to work when other people interfere. Nobody pressured to call the shots. Nobody tells either of them what they should do, and especially don't sleep with the other person behind their friend's back."

"I didn't know, Vera! You knew that! Yes, I know relationships are dumb. I destroyed my last one because of my own shitty reputation that you and Sabine built!" Jazmin shouts the words right into my ear as she stands up.

My head was still pounding. I didn't think it would ever end. That, or the yelling, and screaming. Raymond and Trina were trying to get them to calm down, and Finn was calling his older sister to ask if he could stay with her for the night. Meanwhile, Liam began to lead me toward the door, and that's when I noticed that there was someone standing outside. I could see their silhouette from the porch light. It was Lora. Did she knock? I can't hear over the screaming.

The rest of the night was unclear. I remember getting my seatbelt put on by someone, and then resting my head back on Liam's shoulder. The ride was short, but then I thought that we had stopped at Liam's house. But Lora didn't have his address, and Liam was too drunk to remember. Someone took my hand and led me to my bed.

"Not all relationships suck," Liam murmurs.

"You don't even have a consistent relationship," I mumble back, my eyes closed.

"But I know you love Sebastian."

"God, would everyone stop using that word?"

I toss, and I turn. I roll over on my side and accidentally slap Liam in the face. And then I wake up in a panic, briefly forgetting the ride I got back home last night. I doze back off, dreaming of nonsense, then wake up to my alarm. Liam didn't even move. I nudge him gently, and speak softly. "Hey, it's morning."

He groans, and shifts to his right side and props himself up to face me. "Holy... what happened? Are we at your house?"

"Yeah. Don't remember much?"

"I remember that fight. And, that thing in the bathroom."

"Well, don't worry about any of that. And, next time, if I ever go to another party, it's not gonna be on a Tuesday night."

We spend the next couple minutes in silence, waking up and getting used to the light coming through my window.

"It is pretty stupid," he laughs.

"I think most of us felt that way."

"Oh, yeah. We all know how stupid these parties are," he shrugs.

"Then why do we go?"

"Why do we do anything," Liam jokes, "when we barely ever even have our own individual opinions as teenagers? Is it even a decision we make, going to these parties?"

"Hm. That actually is a valid question. Maybe Lora can answer it for us over breakfast and tea out on the deck."

"Is she really going to make us breakfast? Won't she be mad, after having to pick us up last night?" His voice is hushed, probably afraid of getting in trouble.

"Of course not! She doesn't pretend like most parents that she was never a teenager. She used to do shit like this. And to be honest, I don't want to go out partying every night and drink, and do drugs like some delinquent. Sometimes, it's just nice to have a distraction," I explain.

"I get that. I really do. You know, I have my own Sebastian," Liam says, getting out of bed and stretching.

"Huh?"

"Well, this is obviously about him. Right? You wanted a distraction from your feelings for him?"

"I wouldn't say that," I mumble back. I stand up and head over to my closet. I wonder if anything I have would fit him?

"Well, that's why I go to parties. Why I go out and have 'fun.' Because my original plans didn't work out. I was actually supposed to go on a date last night."

"Really? With who?"

"That doesn't matter. She canceled. I hardly knew her, but I wanted to try having a solid relationship."

"So, you don't like the whole open relationship idea? Why do you do it?"

I grab a pair of pants, and a cropped black shirt. The ripped ones that Jesse wanted to give me. I had forgotten about that. Before he left, he wanted to give them to me. He wanted to stay longer to be there and support me during my grandmother's death. But he really had to return. The jeans were really cute. I was just excited to be able to wear cute and cool clothes like these. All while I pick out my outfit, Liam stays quiet.

"We don't have to discuss it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Liam responds, wandering over to the closet. "Is that what you're wearing? That's super cute."

"Thanks," I smile. "What size do you wear? Pick anything you want that fits."

"Oh, wow. You sure? Thanks."

"Well, I'm not gonna let you come to school with the same sweaty, gross clothes you wore last night. They smell like whiskey. Oh, and if you need a shower, bathroom's across the hall on the far right."

"Are you telling me I need to shower? I don't smell that bad, do I?"

"Liam, you smell like bad choices," I snorted.

"Fine, fine!" He heads toward the bathroom, and mumbles something under his breath. "Gonna join me?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing," he grins.

When I'm sure I'm free of any interruptions, I get dressed before I even touch my phone. I see tons of notifications, mostly from silly little games I downloaded to play during lunch break. But there were four from the mystery guy, who hadn't texted me in weeks.

66ys4vc: "Hey, it's been awhile..."

66ys4vc: "Also yes I am aware it is 12:03am and you are probably asleep"

66ys4vc: "Just wanted to let you know that I am in town as of yesterday"

66ys4vc: "You're probably angry with how we left things last time so I'm sorry, but I would love to see you and I will answer all of your questions"

I was awake at the time all of those messages were sent, but I was far too exhausted to even touch my phone. And it's a good thing I didn't. I know how it goes: a drunk teen texts their ex, their crush, or their best friend's boyfriend and fucks everything up. No, I'm going to do this right. Fuck this up sober. Well, still hungover, but I'd say I'm in my right mind. It's fine, it's all going to be fine.

Me: "Hey, sorry! I was really busy last night. And don't worry about how we left things. I'm glad you're still wanting to talk to me."

I forgot for a moment that he was moving here. In this very town. I found it odd, and began questioning if this went deeper. I would have to be really desperate to accept his offer.

66ys4vc: "I love talking to you, Lucian. So, would you consider meeting up? I know a park we could go to."

Alone, that is. I can bring Liam with me just in case. He won't let anything happen to me.

Me: "I would love to, but can I bring a friend?"

66ys4vc: "Oh, well I suppose. I was hoping to talk to you in private"

Me: "Why? We are talking privately right now."

66ys4vc: "I just mean that I want this to be a good, fun, memorable experience with just us two. I promise I am NOT trying to be creepy"

Me: "Well, you've already failed miserably. But, I guess we can meet up. When and where?"

66ys4vc: "Awesome, I'll send the address"

I anxiously wait for the address of the park. There were four in this town. When he finally sends the address, I copy it and enter it into my maps app. Turns out, it was only twelve minutes away from here.

66ys4vc: "There you go, does later this afternoon work?"

Me: "Wow! You waste no time, huh?"

66ys4vc: "If not that's totally cool!"

Me: "No no that's fine. That works well, actually. But I have one question. You were so defensive last time. What changed? What happened to being afraid I wouldn't like you if I knew you better?"

66ys4vc: "I figured that if I was moving here, there was a good chance I would see you eventually whether or not you noticed, but I would notice you. So last night, I figured 'to hell with it'"

Me: "So what's your deal? Insecure?"

No response. Shit. Did I scare him away again?

66ys4vc: "You know me. You know who I am"

Me: "For real? Why would you assume I know you? We haven't met"

66ys4vc: "Yes, we have. This was the only way I could talk to you. Just trust me, I was just trying my best not to hurt you"

Deep down, I know. Bubbling to the surface, smacking me in the face, is the realization that this man I've been talking to is the same age, and talks the same, and thinks the same as Sebastian. But what I can't seem to understand is why he would do it this way. So, is this actually him, or am I just trying to convince myself this would all fit together because I miss him that much? Am I really this delusional?

Just then, Liam returns to my room, and begins rummaging through my closet. I quickly leave, and wait for him with Lora in the kitchen. She had begun making tea, and scrambled eggs and bacon. "This smells really good."

"Well hi, sweetie. What are you smiling about today?"

"Hm?" I didn't even notice.

"Is it that boy again?"

"Y-yes, actually," I stammered. "He's in town. Moving here. N-not for me, obviously. Is it alright if I go see him today? I can take your car and drive Liam and I to school myself, then drive straight to the park after. I won't be out late!"

"Will somebody be coming with you?"

"Yes, of course, Lora," I lied.

"Then I don't see why not. But call me or text me if you need anything. And be responsible," she reminds me.

"Always."

A delicious breakfast, tea, and short playtime with the cats later, Liam and I are in Lora's car, driving to school. I've become really close friends with him, really fast. But I know I can trust him, so I told him everything. He actually agreed with me. That this could very well be Sebastian. And after a long seven hours at school, Liam is the first and only person wishing me luck, and insisting I call him after I return home to tell him everything. And then, I was off. On my way to the park to meet up with this mystery person. That I apparently know. My stomach flips and makes noises I didn't even know were possible. When I turn onto the street the park was on, I begin to see the trees surrounding it. The tall slide. The swings. A tall, long haired man sitting on one of the white painted benches, waiting patiently.

I slowly approach, trying my best to hold down today's lunch. My fingers twitch and wiggle and tap against my others in my folded hands I kept held behind my back. "Hey."

"Hey...!" The man calls out hesitantly. Quietly, but still wanting to express his excitement. "Do you believe in my theory now," he begins, grinning at me with the same smile that always made me smile back. "That I would find you?"

"How? How did you manage to do this? And why? I don't even- I can't," I stutter as I laugh in disbelief.

"I don't know," he sighs, his smile never leaving his face, "I just had to find you."