Bonus: Lily and Liam- The Nights Everything Changed

Disclaimer: I don't own The Penderwicks, however, I do own Liam and Lily.

Liam laid sprawled across the black and blue sheets and stared at the ceiling.

He was bored.

His eyes flickered to his half naked best friend. She was standing in her underwear, bra and socks in front of her closet.

"Lily, we are going to be late."

She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and looked back at him grinning. If he were anyone else, she would have told him to turn around but since it's her best friend, she could care less.

"It's a party. We can go whenever we want."

"I'm not driving you back here at 3 AM."

She laughed and turned back to her closet.

"That's why I spending the night at your place."

She held up two bikini tops.

"Which one?"

He rolled his eyes and sat up.

"The blue one, it matches those streaks you got."

She beamed and unhooked her bra and slipped the bikini top on. She bit her lip.

"Liam?"

He got up and secured it for her. She turned to look at herself in the mirror. He turned too and rested his hand on her hip.

They looked at each other in the mirror.

He towered over her at the age of 17, and she looked delicate next to him.

However, the 16-year-old was capable of taking care of herself.

She pulled away and grabbed a pair of shorts and slipped them on.

She rummaged around her closet and pulled out a flowy fancy tank top.

She ran a brush through her dark hair and applied lip gloss.

She then stood next to him and he swung an arm around her.

"Perfect."

He kissed her forehead and sneakily snapped a picture. For someone who loved to take pictures, she wasn't too fond of being in them.

They went out the window, mostly because she loved jumping into his arms.

Her parents who were outside waved goodbye to them and they straddled Liam's motorcycle.

They arrived at the beach just as the grills were set up.

Liam hung back as Lily hugged everyone. She handed marshmallows to someone and then grabbed his hand.

"Liam, this grill is yours."

He nodded and gave Lily a gentle push.

"I gotta man the grill baby girl. I'll join you later."

She pouted but gave him a quick peck and darted off the join some of the girls playing soccer.

She peeled off her shirt and set out running after the ball.

A whistle brought his attention away from his best friend.

"Can't believe you are not dating her."

"We are just friends."

"Friends who are always touching, see each other naked, sleep in the same bed, and always kiss? Sounds more like a relationship without sex."

"She's my Lily."

"You know if you don't claim her someone else will."

He grunted and flipped the patties over.

After a while, one of the other guys took over and he went to grab Lily who was suntanning.

He threw her onto his shoulder and ran to the water.

She was laughing and hitting his back the whole way.

She screamed when they hit the cold water.

"Liam, I hate you!"

"Actually, you love me."

She splashed him and he splashed her back.

Within seconds, they were joined by other and a splashing war went on.

Eventually, however, they made their way back to shore.

She laid down on the towel next to him, her dark hair was curling and getting tangly. He tries to work his hands through her hair.

A short while later, someone brings out their DJ equipment and music begins to play.

Liam pulls Lily up and tugs her to the dance floor.

She laughs and throws her hands over her head as the music grows louder and more people join in.

She's waving her hips and her head is thrown back and her eyes are flirty. His hands are on her waist, reminding everyone that she is off-limits. He spins her around and her arms wrap around his back and she rests her head on her chest, listening to his heart.

They ignore everyone jumping up and down around them, happy to just be together.

The smell of smoke from the bonfire fills the air, and they can hear the waves of the ocean. The stars are burning bright and it the end of summer and the beginning of senior year and everything is changing.

However, Lily always knew she would have Liam in her life. He was hers, always had been since the first day.

She looked up at him. "Liam."

She froze because it hit her how close she was to him. He had always been handsome with wavy dark brown hair and bright green eyes. She can't help but notice the dimple in his cheek and the way the freckles on his neck leading down to his collarbone.

Things she alway seen but never noticed.

Her eyewiden, something had changed, something big. They were changing, her feelings were changing.

Lily called his name and Liam looked down at Lily and it was like he was seeing her for the first time. She had always been gorgeous but he never notices that she had a few freckles on her cheeks, light but noticeable this close. Her hair was softer than he thought possible. Her eyes seemed to have gold flecks in them.

Her eyes were wide.

"Liam…"

He didn't know what made him do it, but he wasn't going to regret his actions.

Whatever she was going to say was swallowed up by his lips. His lips pressed against hers and she froze, he shifted closer to her, bodies pressed closed, hands on her hips. He began to pull away when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. In that one second, the world stood still for them both. Everything was going to be different from that moment on.

The sound of cheering and exploding fireworks causes them to break apart.

Liam sees the look in Lily's eyes- confusion, lust, fear. "Lily…"

She steps back, eyes not leaving his until she spins around. She takes off running. She can't do it. She knew he was meant for amazing things, he wanted to be a doctor. She was smart but she wanted to be an artist. He deserved better. He was her best friend, she wasn't supposed to be in love with him. Now he knew how she felt and she had to go.

She can't let him see how broken she truly is because then he will leave for good and then she will be alone and she is scared to be alone.

He runs after her because it all suddenly makes sense. She has always been the girl he just never realized it. He won't lose her because he loves her, scars and mistakes, and imperfection, and all.

She's crying because she loves him and maybe she always have and never realized it till now and it's wrong because she's the not girl who gets the guy. She's the best friend, one of the guys, the girl next door. She's the girl with paint in her hair and clay under her nails.

She hears some noise in the alleys and turns to see a man beating a little boy and girl.

The girl is by the dumpster crying as the boy shields her by taking the blows.

She runs toward the chaos,and shoves the man away, and he hits his head. She crouches over the little boy checking him for scraps and bruises, she doesn't see the man get up and stumble out his car. She doesn't realize that it's his car starting because she is too busy comforting the kids. Then the lights get closer and she turns around and she shoves the kids out of the way. She knows she can't outrun a car but she can save the kids life.

The car hit her and she goes flying. The car speeds on and she sees the two kids, they are crying and then Liam is there, screaming but she can't hear him. She's really sleepy.

"I Love You." It seems like the right thing to say and then her eyes close.

Liam sees her in the alley and he sees the car zoom out of there after hearing the impact. He runs and sees her on the ground, two kids crying.

He's screaming and he doesn't even realize it's him. Her eyes are looking into his and his heart is breaking. He touches her cheek.

I Love You. She mouths the words.

Someone calls the cops and when he sees Lily's parents her mother grabs him tight because he is hurting and benign himself and Lily would hate that.

The funeral blurs in his mind and when he drops the daisies in, he drops to his knees. No tears are shed, he feels numb.

The numbness doesn't go away.

He stopped living after her. She was his best friend and possibly his soul mate but fate was cruel and took her away before they got the chance. He blames himself. If he hadn't kissed her, she wouldn't have ran and she wouldn't have died.

He stops going out unless it's to get drunk. He barely graduated but he does so because he can hear her scolding him. He sees her at prom and no one has the heart to say something to the boy in the corner talking to the air. Everyone knows the story.

When he graduates, he goes to the recruitment center.

Lily would hate it but she's dead and he's almost there so he might as well be doing something brave like her when he dies.

He carries a picture of her to look at when days get too hard. It's the picture from that night.

He loves being in the army, it gives him direction and purpose but it doesn't keep him from missing her. He still feels numb.

It's been two years since Lily and her mother comes to ask him to live his life. It takes all he has not to scream and yell.

It's Valentine's day. Lily would have been 18. He heads out to town to clear his head and say goodbye.

He wants to be with Lily, he ignores the bubbly voice in his head that is screaming at him not be stupid.

That's the night he sees he meets her. She crashes into him and he sees her heart is breaking and he feels bad so he takes her to a restaurant and calls her friend, keeping an eye on her.

He takes her to the train station and along the way he can't help but help some people along the way. He can hear Lily in his head, she is happy. He gets the girl roses and a stuffed dog and she laughs and in that second he can hear Lily in her laugh.

Lily, did you send her to me?

They wait for Nick and he wants to hurt whoever hurt her.

She's beautiful and it hits him, she's the first girl he actually has paid any attention to since Lily.

Her name is Skye.

When Nick comes he has to say goodbye and he sees something in her eyes and suddenly he doesn't want her to go. She makes him laugh and smile and it's like Lily is in front of o him.

She gives her his number and he hears Lily laughing in his head.

Hook, line, and sinker darling.

She leaves and he stumbles home and sits on his bed, his thoughts all over. The gun is on his desk and he can hear Lily screaming.

He wants her to shut up and throws something at the wall. A book fall off his shelf and papers spill out. He picks them up and reads the words on the page he picked up.

Hey Babe,

Liam, have I ever told you how much I love you?

He picks up the papers and lays on his bed reading. Tears are coming down his cheeks and he reads her letter.

He wants to tear his room apart to look for the other letters but he knows the whole point to Lily's madness would that he would find them on his own at random times.

He puts the gun back and places the letter carefully on his desk. He is about to go to sleep when he thinks about the number on his wrist and sends a good night message to Skye.

He goes to bed.

He starts to talk to Skye more and eventually he asks her out on a date.

He knows it's time to move.

He loves Lily and always will but Skye is a breath of fresh air.

She's a new beginning, a new sky

.

So things are crazy and I might have hit a road bump, several, both in writing and in real life. I'm going to mark this as complete.

I'm sorry, but I have to figure out some things.

I'm going to be working on finishing the competition and my other stories and then see what I will do from there.

Wish me luck, because this is going to be hard for me.

I have no idea what is going to happen now.

Love You Wallflowers,

Queen.