South of Nowhere is a property of The-N and Viacom. I'm not a crack monkey therefore I do not work for the writers of South of Nowhere. I just borrow their characters for my own pleasure.

Author's Note: Based on the song "On My Own" from the Les Miserables soundtrack.

On My Own

She holds my hand as we walk through the park. I know we shouldn't be here considering the park closed hours ago but logic seems to fly out the window every single time I'm with her. I'm a little scared that we might get caught because I know that there's a night watchmen who patrols the area. I think she senses my hesitance because she pulls me closer and puts an arm around my shoulder.

"It's okay," she assures me. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you." Then she smiles at me. The smile that stops my heart and steals my breath away. I could hardly care for the watchmen anymore.

We walk more in silence. Just the sound of our sneakers against the wet pavement. It rained earlier tonight and the shining moon makes it look like there are crystals hanging from the trees instead of water droplets. We finally get to the actual playground and she takes her hoodie to wipe the water off the swing seat. She offers it to me and I smile at her gratefully. I thought she'd sit in the one next to mine but instead she stands behind me and gently starts pushing the swing.

"You better not push me too hard," I tell her jokingly.

She laughs. "Oh, come on, I bet I can make you fly."

I just smile. She doesn't even know that I'm already flying. Every single moment I'm with her, I feel like I'm flying.

I love her.

"I love you," I whisper so quietly that I'm not sure she heard me.

My swing stops. I turn around and all I see is the moonlit park. The water droplets don't look like crystals anymore.

The ringing cell phone in my pocket makes me jump a little and I take it out to see who's calling. My heart stops when I see her name.

"Hello?"

"Hey," she says cheerfully. "Where are you? I stopped by your house but your mom said you weren't home."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "I'm at the park."

"The park? At this hour?"

"Yeah." I push my feet against the ground and start to push the swing again.

"Are you with anyone?" she asks curiously.

"No," I answer quietly. "I'm by myself."

"What were you doing?"

"Daydreaming," I tell her honestly.

She chuckles. "Daydreaming? It's night. You can't daydream during the night."

I sadly smile. "Then I'm just dreaming then."

"Always the dreamer," she says and I can hear a smile in her voice. I can feel my heart break. "Anyways, I just want to call and tell you that I know that Friday nights are our movie nights, but Meg wants me to go to dinner with her parents. It's kind of a big deal."

I take a deep breath. I hate hearing that name. "It's fine. I know how important she is to you." I grip the swing's chain with my hand. It hurts as the metal digs into my palm.

"You're the best, Spencer. I promise next Friday we'll watch as many movies you want. Even the ones I can't stand but you love."

I laugh softly. "Thanks, Ashley."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow," I repeat and wait for to hang up first. I hear the click and put my phone away.

I look around and just let nighttime consume me. It's the time when I can dream. Dream that's she's with me and not her. Dream that I'm in her arms. Dream that I can tell her I love her. Dream that she'll love me too.

But I know it's just that. A dream. A dream that I have every night.

Because Ashley is not with me tonight.

Because tonight, I'm on my own.

--End--