RACHEL

The bathroom floor was cold as I sat with my legs outstretched before me and my back leaned up against the wall. I had been sitting here for a half an hour, crying and crying. The more I thought about the fact that there was no more Will and Rachel, a load of tears rushed down my cheeks.

I was still in my white lacy dress, my scarred wrists resting in my lap and my body slightly trembling as I continued to weep. Every wave of sadness brooded over my chest and crashed upon my soul.

"I now really, really, really think the only reason I got an admission to this school was because the universe sent me to wipe those big tears of yours. After all, I always find you in this kind of state."

I looked up and found Elliot standing in the doorstep to the bathroom. He was dressed in black jeans and a same old grey and white mixed colored hoodie which seemed to be his favorite, because he wore it almost every evening. A small smile had appeared across his face, hoping I would roll my eyes and throw an insult at him.

However, I didn't. I couldn't stop crying and that made a frown crawl upon Elliot's lips as worry clouded his face. He quickly walked over to me and sat down closely before me. He wiped my tears and continued to frown of concern.

"Hey, what is it? Why are you crying?"
Didn't the evening go as planned with Will?" He asked.

"It did go well. It really did. I really enjoyed it, but I don't know...I just...we had planned out everything. Our future, our marriage, kids. Everything. And now it's all over," I whispered.

Elliot looked at me as if he understood and nodded. He wiped my tears once more, but new ones rushed down.

He smiled, gently. "Life doesn't always go as planned, right?"

I know he was right. Nobody could change that statement. So instead of saying anything at all, I briefly nodded and buried my face against his chest. Elliot ran a comforting arm slowly up and down my back.

"What do you say we go grab pizza and milkshakes? I'm sure you'll feel better when you see Vici. And," he paused.

Sniffling, I sat still in his embrace wondering what his next words were.

"I kind of miss sneaking out with you," he added, quietly.

I couldn't hold back a chuckle and drew back a little to face him with a smile. "I miss that too. Plus, it's been a while since we last visit Vici. I miss her."

"So that's a yes?" He asked with hopeful eyes.

I nodded and he helped me up. I was about to walk past him to the sink to wash my face when he stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His gaze traveled up and down my body. He looked amazed with his cheeks a hint of pink.

"Wow," he breathed.

"What?" I asked, confusingly.

"I've never seen you in a dress. You look so pretty," he complimented, cheerfully.

It was something about the way he said it with a real smile on his face that made my heart flutter and skip a beat.

"Thanks, but these," I held out my scarred, pale wrists.

"Don't go very well with this dress," I admitted, shrugging.

Elliot shook his head and took a step closer towards me, placed his hands on both sides of my head before placing his lips firmly on my scalp. For a moment, the demons in my mind faded and I exhaled a deep breath.

He grinned when his eyes met mine. "Who cares. You will always be a pretty redhead snake to me."

I smacked his arm. Good and hard. "Stupid, shithead. Shut up," I muttered. 

Elliot grinned of amusement before he stepped aside to let me wash my tear stained face.

"How's your wound? Did you use the medication?" I asked while splashing cold water on my face and then drying it with a towel.

"Yes. I'm a lot better now," he answered.

I nodded as relief burst through me. I knew he hadn't told his mom yet, but why? Why was he still hiding it from Lucy?

"Pizza and milkshake, here we come," Elliot said, purely excited as we walked towards my window.

Despite the flustered thoughts gathered in my mind, I laughed of his childish and excited behavior before following him out of the window.

~

We decided to pay Vici a visit first. However, the moment we entered the cafe, I noticed it was empty and the lights were switched off. I glanced at the big clock hanging on the wall in the dim light. It was soon midnight.

"Guess we arrived pretty late this time," Elliot said.

"If it's closed, why hasn't Vici locked up yet?" I asked, puzzled as I looked around, noticing not even Vici was present.

Suddenly, something hit the floor, making a shattering sound that pierced through my ears. I flinched and Elliot rapidly grabbed my hand. My heart pounded loudly of sudden fear, but when the lights suddenly turned on, I found Vici standing by the counter, staring at me with wide eyes and a gaping jaw. The shattered pieces was her mug of cinnamon tea, now spread out on the floor by her feet.

Before I could utter a single word, she sprinted towards me and captured me into an extremely tight hug, almost choking me. Astonished, I stumbled backwards and struggled to keep my balance. However, Vici held me so close to her that I was practically trapped and squished in her embrace.

"Vici? Hey, what is it? Are you okay?" I asked, gently patting her back.

My whole body froze when Vici's quiet sobbing cut through my ears. I swallowed hard, twice. She was crying. Vici had never shed a single tear before me. What the hell could've happened?

Elliot and I exchanged a confused look.

When Vici finally replied, my body tensed even more and for a brief second, I stopped breathing. "I thought...you did it. I thought you died," she whispered.

Elliot's face turned pale as his gaze flickered between me and Vici.

"Vici," I began, attempting to draw back so I could properly face her to assure her that I was alive.

"No, stop, don't say anything. I need to know you're real," she sobbed, tightening her arms around me.

"Vici, look at me,-"

"No. No, I don't want to," she cut me off, burying her face in my hair. She sounded broken.

I struggled to pull myself out of her embrace. The harder I tried, the more did her arms tighten around me.

"Victoria!" I snapped, loudly with strictness echoing in my voice.

Vici froze and even Elliot was startled by my sudden raised voice. I quickly pulled away and cupped Vici's wet cheeks in my palms. Her watery eyes met mine and the immense sadness and fear across her face broke my heart.

"Hey, it's me. I'm okay. I'm not dead. I'm right here. Alive and real. Your little cherry is right here," I assured, wiping her tears.

That shut Vici up and she stared at me for a long moment before she nodded like an obedient little kid. She wasn't wearing her glasses and for the first time, I noticed small specks of gold in her brown eyes. They were beautiful, but I bet they had a much brighter beauty if her eyes weren't filled with tears and the pores under her eyes didn't exist. Her light chocolate brown skin was stained with tears and her hair was a mess.

"I wanted more time with you," she confessed, completely sorrowed.

"And you will. I'm right here with you," I said, reassuringly. We sat down on the chairs, facing each other and our knees touched.

"Elliot, could you go get some water for her?" I asked, glancing at him.

With a concerned face, Elliot nodded
and ran to the kitchen behind the counter. Meanwhile, I wiped Vici's cheeks and ran my fingers through her tangled hair before tucking it behind her ears.

"No more crying. Doesn't suit you at all," I said, sternly.

That made Vici crack a chuckle and a small smile appeared on her face. Once again, I wiped her tears and Vici chuckled along with me.

"I'm here. I promise," I assured before I put on a soft smile.

Vici nodded and Elliot returned with a glass of water. He gave it to me and I helped Vici drink up while he sat down next to me. Afterwards, Vici exhaled a deep breath and took one hand from each of us in hers, assuring herself that both of us were real.

"It's been two weeks since you both were here. You stopped coming. I left the door unlocked every night, hoping you guys will come, but you never did," she paused, moving her gaze to me.

I used to come here every night before I met Elliot. And when Elliot came, we both came here at least three times a week. It had already been two weeks? No wonder she looked so broken, scared and sorrowed.

"I thought you did it...so even Elliot stopped coming. I wanted more time with you guys," she whispered.

It. Another word for suicide. A more gentle word for suicide.

My heart sank and I frowned. She looked leaner than I remembered, dressed in pink shorts and a grey knitted sweater.

"Don't worry, Vici. This redhead snake won't leave you just yet," Elliot assured, grinning. He tightened his grip around her hand.

Vici glanced at him. She chuckled, nodded and pulled him into a hug. "I missed you, hot shithead."

Elliot wrapped an arm around her back, but never let go of her hand. He smiled and winked at me. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't resist to let a satisfied smile crawl upon my lips.

"I love you both so much," she confessed after drawing back from Elliot.

Elliot and I smiled. "I love you too," we replied at the same time.

"You look so tired and it's late. Come on, let's get you to bed," I said.

Vici nodded and we stood up before I took her hand in mine and we headed towards the stairs up to the apartment she lived in.

"Wait," she stopped and glanced at us.

"I'll make your milkshakes first," she said, smiling.

Elliot and I glanced at each other before nodding.

"You look beautiful, cherry. Was there an occasion at school today?" She asked, pouring the ingredients in the blender.

Elliot and I sat down on the tall chairs next to each other across from the counter before I replied, "No, um I was on date."

My voice was gentle, but still it made equal amount of confusion and astonishment cloud on Vici's face.

"You what?! With who?" She asked.

I looked at her with a guilty smile. "With Will."

As expected, Vici's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped of immense shock.

"You mean the one and only Will Harris? The idiot who left you bleeding on the floor in your bathroom because of his own stupid cowardliness? The jerk who broke you heart? Half of the reason behind you depression? That asshole, Will Harris?"

"Wow." Elliot's astonished gaze moved back and forth between me and Vici.

"Will Harris seems wanted in this cafe. Might as well hang up a wanted poster of him," he joked.

I laughed, but Vici didn't. She put the blender aside and took my hand in hers, which rested on the counter between us. She looked at me with pure concern in her eyes and a tiny frown upon her lips.

"What's going on? Certainly you would never go on a date with the guy who hurt you so much, right?" She asked, worriedly.

"To know the answer to that question, Elliot will give you a quick recap of what has happened since the last time we were here," I said, suggestively.

"Why are you putting this on me?!" He asked, smacking my arm.

"You're the one who convinced me to forgive him," I argued back and returned the smack on his arm.

Vici sighed before grinning. "You two look and sound like an old married couple."

Elliot's cheeks turned pink and he shyly grinned while I felt the blush crawl up to my cheeks.

"Just tell me, Elliot. What has happened in the last two weeks?" She asked, glancing at him.

And Elliot told her. He told her everything, not leaving out a single detail. Except the fact that he and I kissed, twice. By the time he was finished, Vici was making us a refill of strawberry milkshake, which we could take with us. Additionally, the sky was filled with stars and the moon had come to sight.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Elliot, your mom was raped, twice, which leaded to your birth. Your mom visited the school. Rachel and she became good friends. She found out Rachel was suicidal. She cut her wrist and ended up at the hospital," she paused and I noticed Elliot face darkened by the last sentence.

"Madelaine yelled at Rachel for not understanding her fear of coming out as gay. Financial difficulties leaded to Elliot having to leave the school. You both went back Rachel's house and she told you what happened that tragic day. Rachel, you got Elliot's mom a job at the school so he could stay. You mended your friendship with Madelaine and Will who both now know what happened that day. Today, you were on a ending date to end your romantic relationship with him and start your friendship relationship," she concluded.

Both of us nodded.

"Wow, two weeks and I missed out on so much. Don't you guys dare to not visit at least twice a week from now on. Or else, no milkshake," she threatened, strictly.

"Okay, okay, sorry!" We both pleaded. I was the most desperate one. Strawberry milkshakes were an addiction. An addiction I never wanted to get rid of. Vici laughed and eventually Elliot and I joined her.

"Come on, you're so tired. Let's get you to bed," I said after a while of talking and laughing together.

Vici nodded and we were on our way towards the stairs when she stopped and looked at the broken mug on the floor.

"Don't worry, I'll clean it up and meet Rachel here," Elliot assured.

"Thank you. Could you guys also lock up after you? You can return the keys to me tomorrow," she said, handing them to Elliot.

Elliot nodded and she took a step closer to him before embracing him once more. Elliot smiled and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Elliot," she whispered. They exchanged a smile before I wrapped an arm around Vici's shoulder and headed upstairs with her.

After entering her room, I turned on the lights. Vici's bedroom was clean and tidy. A single bed was placed against the wall next to a window. Across from the bed was a closet and next to it was an empty study desk. To sum it up, her room was plain and simple.

I led her to the bed where she laid down. Afterwards, I helped her pull off her grey sweater. When it was off and she was left in a black tank top, my gaze froze on a large scar down the upper side of her arm. It was the size of my hand. Maybe a bit a larger.

I gently placed my hand on her arm, drawing my finger down the scar. "How'd you get this?" I asked, meeting her gaze.

Her expression darkened. "I," she began, but couldn't say no more. "I don't remember."

It was the drugs she used to take. The drugs made a lot of her past a blur. Noticing the sadness in her eyes, I placed my hand on her cheek and leaned down to kiss her on her forehead.

"It's okay. You don't need to remember. No pressure," I assured, smiling softly as I tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

She nodded and managed to smile back.

"So you and Will are just friends now?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Just friends."

"And what about you and Elliot?"

I froze. "Me and...Elliot?"

"I'm not sure why, but I feel like Elliot left something untold when he gave me a quick recap of the past two weeks. Something that happened between the two of you." She looked at me with a knowing look.

"We um...we kissed. Twice," I said, carefully.

Surprised, Vici gasped of excitement. "Really? That's amazing."

It was?

"Were just friends, Vici," I assured.

Her excited smile faded. "Oh. Have you two talked about the kiss?" She asked, curiously.

"No, not yet. I will soon though," I answered.

Vici nodded while smiling. She looked okay, but it still felt like something was off with her. I knew it was.

"Hey, Vici? Are you sure you're okay? Is there something you need or want to share with me?" I asked, taking her both hands in mine.

Vici didn't say anything for a moment. When she did, fear started to grow within my chest. "There's something I need to tell you, but I want to wait till tomorrow," she replied.

"Everything is fine, right? Are you okay?" I questioned, worriedly.

Vici nodded with a calm expression. "Everything is okay. I just need to tell you something about my health. Rehab and stuff. I want to wait till tomorrow to tell you though."

Even though my concern for her was killing me on the inside, I wanted to respect Vici's decision. "Okay, if you really want to share this with me tomorrow then I won't force you. I'll wait till tomorrow."

"Thank you. I love you so much," she whispered, genuinely.

I smiled. "I love you too."

~

ELLIOT

"Can we sit here?" Rachel asked, stopping before an abandoned playground with the pizza in her hand.

I didn't seem to mind and nodded with a smile. We sat down facing each other on the ground, near the swing set. Placing the pizza and the milkshakes in the space between us.

"This is like a midnight picnic," I admitted while I lifted off the cover overthe pizza.

When she didn't reply and sat still with a worried expression, I noticed something was off with Rachel. She had been in distress ever since we left the cafe and lost in her own thoughts.

Gently, I reached my hand out to take hers in mine, which was resting in her lap. Rachel was quickly pulled out of her thoughts and looked down at my hand in hers before lifting her gaze to meet mine. "Are you okay?" I asked.

Rachel shrugged. "I'm worried about Vici. She wants to tell me something about her health and rehab. Plus, I never thought she would react like this when I'll...leave."

"Rehab? Why does she go to rehab?" I asked. It was then realization hit me. I never really got to hear Vici's story.

Rachel sighed. "Vici's parents left her in the orphanage when she was a kid. She didn't like it there and fled and dropped out of school 7 months ago and ended up on the streets. She met a lot of bad people there and got an addiction to alcohol. Slowly, she got addicted to more dangerous and powerful drugs. In the end the owner of the cafe she works at found her drunk and high on a bench and let her stay in her apartment while she worked at the cafe. Plus, she joined rehab to recover and start a new life."

I sat still. Vici had been through so much and I never even noticed it. She looked happy, but deep down she was broken, a tired soul trying to recover.

"Wow. She's so strong." That's all I could say. Rachel nodded in agreement.

"You might not know this, but there are people in your life who are going to be heartbroken when you leave," I told her.

Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but instead she looked down on her hands in her lap. We sat in silence for a while, the cold breeze left shivers on my skin and I noticed Rachel was slightly trembling in her sleeveless dress. Without thought, I pulled off my favorite hoodie and pushed the pizza and the milkshakes aside. I put the hoodie over her head and pulled it down to her waist. It was a little baggy and the sleeves were too long, but she looked like the closest thing to adorable.

Rachel sat still, her gaze glued on me with an astonished, yet admiring expression across her face. A small smile tugged on her lips and I couldn't resist the urge to tuck a strand of a red curl behind her ear.

"Are you still cold?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, but I'm pretty sure the pizza is." She pointed at the untouched pizza next to us.

I grinned and put it between us before we dug in along with occasionally sipping our milkshakes.

"Let's play truths. It's like truth or dare without dare," She suggested all of a sudden.

"Um...okay."

"We can start with something easy first and then try harder questions later. And remember, we are allowed to say "pass" if we don't want to answer," she explained.

Taking in all the information, I nodded.
Rachel took a bite of her pizza before she signalized me to start.

"What's your favorite color?"

Rachel didn't hesitate to answer. "White. It's pure, but when you add another color to it, it becomes fascinating."

"Deep," I said, taking a sip of my milkshake.

Rachel tipped her head back while laughing. I smiled. Her laugh was addicting. It was like someone embraced their freedom.

"My turn. Who did you have your first kiss with?" She asked, curiously while an amused smile played on her lips.

"You."

A bite of pizza got stuck in her throat and she practically coughed and coughed, uncontrollably. It took a minute for her to calm down and she took a sip of her milkshake to swallow the bite of pizza stuck in her throat. Then she gazed at me with widened eyes and a dropped jaw. Shock was displayed all over her face.

Amused, I grinned while grabbing another slice of pizza.

"I...I was your first...kiss?" She asked, her voice rough and husky.

I simply nodded.

Rachel's expression fell into a frown and guilt. "Elliot, I'm so sorry. Your first kiss was with a fucked up monster like me ,-"

"Hey, stop," I cut her off. "Are you stupid? Why are you saying that? I'm actually happy that my first kiss was with you."

"You are?" She asked, puzzled and surprised at the same time.

"Yeah. I mean, I may have kissed you without thought, but I don't regret it. I'm glad my first kiss was with someone who I care about and who cares about me," I confessed.

I'd never kissed someone before. I'm not sure what it was like kissing other girls, but when I kissed Rachel, it was like my whole body was in flames. When my lips moved against hers, I felt as if I was alive for the first time.

"What do you mean without thought? Why did you kiss me?" She asked, gently.

"Well, the first time was to silence you, because your words went beyond your control and you were about to have a mental breakdown. I think you were actually having one. The second time was because I was really happy and that was the first thing I could think of to thank you," I said. And it was the truth.

"So the only thing you could think of was to kiss me?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well, kissing a redhead snake has always been on my bucket list," I joked, grinning widely. 

She smacked my arm and I laughed of amusement.

"Okay, my turn. What am I to you?" I asked.

For a moment, Rachel looked at me with an unreadable expression. "You're my friend," she whispered.

Satisfied, I smiled.

"Okay, lets ask harder ones now," she said and I nodded.

"You might want to pass this one," she paused, biting her bottom lip. "What would you do if you met him again?"

My body tensed and I looked at Rachel with astonishment. By the look on her face, I knew she immediately regretted the question. My gaze dropped down in my lap where I balled my hands into fists. I wanted to reply, because the truth is I wanted to do a lot of things if I ever met him again. However, another truth was that I actually never wanted to see him ever again. I didn't want revenge, I just wanted peace. It wouldn't be any peace in my mom's life if he returned.

"Pass," I whispered, tightly.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry," she said, apologetically.

I nodded before slowly lifting my chin to meet her gaze again. "What do you hate about yourself the most?"

"My hair. I look like a dead apple," she admitted, smiling crookedly.

"What? Seriously?" I was shocked.

"Yeah. Why is that so surprising?"

"No, I just...I mean, I think you're really pretty with red hair," I mumbled, mostly to myself.

Rachel's cheeks turned extremely red and I laughed of amusement.

"Thanks," she murmured before throwing the cherry on top of her milkshake aside and then drinking it up.

"What about you?" She asked, curiously.

I was quick to answer. "My eyes."

Rachel went still as she stared at me with confusion clouding her face. She tried meeting my gaze, but I dropped it down in my lap again, staring at my hands.

"Mom's are green, which most likely means I got the same color as his," I whispered, my jaw set.

I was surprised when Rachel placed two fingers under my chin, lifting it so I met her hazel eyes. She smiled as she gazed into my eyes. I knew she admired them, because whenever our eyes met, she held them on mine a little longer than she was supposed to.

"Just because you got the same eye color as him, it doesn't mean that you are him. You both are two completely different people. He is a shitty monster and you are a special, innocent, strong, brave, poetic and smart human being who would never think about hurting someone. That's what matters," she confessed, genuinely with a hint of sternness in her voice.

Touched by her words, I smiled widely. However, she left out one important thing. "Hot," I mumbled.

"What?" She furrowed her brows.

"Your forgot that I'm hot."

Rachel shot me a deathly glare as I laughed out loud. She pushed me down on the ground and I landed on my back. Before she could react, I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me, her forehead landing on mine. Her breath tickled on my face and I chuckled while Rachel closed her eyes.

"Thanks, for saying all of that," I whispered, wrapping my arms around her waist.

There was this unfamiliar, yet wonderful feeling tingling within my chest. I couldn't quite grasp it, but it made my heart beat a millions time faster every time I was this close to Rachel. It was an addicting feeling even though I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Rachel didn't say anything. Instead she nodded and moved her head down to rest it on my chest. I stroked her scalp, my fingers running gently through her hair. Her strawberry scent with a hint of cinnamon entered my nostrils and my smile widened.

"My cute little idiot is a little shy," I said, grinning of amusement as I looked up at the starry night sky.

"Shut up before I punch you," she threatened, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of my t-shirt.

All of a sudden, she lightly chuckled against my chest. "God, we really do sound and look like and old married couple."

I burst out laughing as I nodded. Rachel laughed along with me and we stayed like this while the moon looked out for the two tired souls lying in the centre of an abandoned playground.

********************

Vici is back! Sorry for not have included her in the book for a while. However, from now on she will be included in every chapter☺️

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