Yeah I know I said I wasn't going to update for a while but I got bored. So pretend you never read the intermission thing. You should all thank Lord Beca for this update. She harassed me about it, via e-mail, and I gave up in the end. So read her story, tell HER to update, and give her a big thank you. (I'm doing this just to piss her off) :) This chapter may seem weird at first but have patience.
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Her Confession
I was walking with him, as I always did. The sun was high over head and would've been unbearable if not for a cool breeze. Victor's parents were scientists at S.T.A.R. labs, a wicked sweet place with lots of gadgets and gizmos they let visitors play with. We were both younger back then. Around fourteen or so. He was always very strong and able-bodied. I on the other hand was scrawny and only strong willed. Strong will power was one of many things we had in common.
"Hey, you wanna get some ice cream?" he asked pointing to a small parlor.
"What about your parents?" I asked.
"My dad thinks sugar is some kind of evil plague and my mom's on a diet so we don't have to get them nothing," he walked in casually. I followed reluctantly.
"That's not what I meant. Your dad won't like it if we're late," Victor pondered over which flavor he wanted.
"We won't be late because we're not on a time limit. He asked us to come down not when to come down," He smile at me. "Now, come take your pick." After finishing our ice cream we continued down the sidewalk to S.T.A.R. labs. It was a strangely quiet walk. I had told myself the night before that I was going to tell him. Tell him…of my feelings for him. Victor had always been my friend, we hardly ever argued about something. He was very easy to forgive. Not to mention that it was in my nature to let bygones be bygones. I had come to the conclusion that…I loved him. Maho May was at the corner, waving to boys as usual. She went to our school and was president of the gossip club. (Yeah we have a gossip club) She noticed us coming and waved.
"Carmen! Victor! Hello!" Did I mention that she was blond? Victor moaned quietly. He didn't care much for her high-pitched voice and her need for gossip. I elbowed his arm.
"Be nice. It's the weekend, she'll find someone else to pester soon," I giggled at his little 'but-I-don't-wanna' whine. Maho was sporting her extra short denim shorts and a baby blue halter top. Personally, I couldn't understand why anybody would want to wear something like that in public or at home for that matter. I'd ask my older sister later. Not to get off the subject, but my older sister was the only one in my family who seemed to care about me after my parents started fighting. I loved her name. Aneko was my big sister's name. Or just Anny for short. Anywho, back to Maho.
"Yeah, be nice my foot. Don't let her come near me," Victor grabbed my shoulders and tried to hide behind me.
"You really think that's going to work?" I asked slightly annoyed. He nudged me forward.
"Keep walking," he peered over my shoulder. Maho put her hands on her hips.
"Victor, are you trying to hide from me?" I did not like the tone of voice she said that in. Flattering herself like the prep she is. "You can be so cute!" she giggled. I thought I was going to explode!
"He can be. We really need to get going Maho," I said, trying my hardest not to seem angry.
"Hey Vic, what are you doing this Saturday?" she asked dreamy eyed. I clenched my fists.
"Oh, no you don't. Take a number princess!" I grabbed Victor's arm and pulled him in front of me. Quickly, I pushed him across the street. She narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"Call me," she blew him a kiss. I stopped once we were on the other side. Victor sat down on a bench and pulled out the water bottle for a drink.
"Thanks for the save," he offered me a drink, which I took great fully. The water was ice cold and refreshing. I handed the water bottle back to him and smiled. A flash of light caught my attention. A small boy with messy brown hair stood in front of us with a Polaroid camera.
"Hi, I'm trying out photography. Do you want your picture?" he asked cutely.
"Um, sure," he handed me the picture and smiled. Victor rubbed his eyes.
"Gah, I see spots," he whined. I giggled at him. When the picture came into focus, Victor leaned over my shoulder to see. I was actually pretty good. I slipped the picture in my wallet and handed the kid a fifty cent piece.
"Keep up the good work. You could be famous someday," I pulled Victor up on his feet and waved good bye to the young boy. He smiled and ran off with his prize.
"Hey, why did you pay him for a picture you didn't ask for?" Victor asked. I looked back at the boy. He was taking and old Japanese couple's picture by a building.
"That kid…has no home or family. I've seen him before. He digs through our trash sometimes and does errands for shop owners for money. I guess I feel sorry for him," I explained.
"Oh." We walked in silence again. I knew I had to tell him. Who knows, next time someone could ask him on a date and he'll accept. Then, he'll never know. We were almost at S.T.A.R. labs. I started to panic. My face started to get hot. The worst part of that moment was: he noticed. "Hey, you ok? Your face is all red. You sick or somethin'?"
"You're clueless." I nodded despite the overwhelming pit in my stomach. "What if he says no? I might never be able to show my face for an eternity if not longer," My thoughts were interrupted by his hand on my shoulder.
"What's wrong?" his eyes were full of concern. "You can tell me," he smiled. I felt my hands shake and I struggled to keep my knees from giving way. What do I do? "Carmen?" I took a deep breath and met his eyes. I felt like I was looking over the edge of a cliff. The fear setting into my mind as I watched the waves crash against the wall of the cliff. I had to jump to reach a sanctuary Anny had described when she asked her current boyfriend out. Recalling what she had said reminded me how much I was like my sister. Emotional and understanding. I'm not too modest to admit that I have those qualities. My sister made everyone around her happy. I wanted people to be happy around me too. Unlike the hateful aura that really surrounded me. I tried my hardest to be understanding like her. She was my protector at home. Her hair short but like mine. Fine and black. I had to remember what she said.
"It's like a leap of faith. It sounds corny but that's what it's like. I saw an angry ocean below me. I was terrified. Then I noticed a light below the surface. Carmen that light was a beacon to me. When this happens to you look for the light. Don't let the fear overtake you so much that you miss it. It goes by fast. When you see the light…"
"I…" my voice was soft and dry.
"you must jump. Hold your head high and jump,"
"I love you."
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His Regret
I didn't know what to say. That was so unexpected, so unlike her to be so direct. She always let people come to her. I understand now why she was so red faced and why she had grown protective of me around other girls.
"Now I get it! Geez, why do girls have to be so complicated sometimes?" I understand now though. How hard it was for her to say those things. After all of that preparation she did I couldn't just say no. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn't. She shocked me so bad I couldn't speak at all.
"Hey Victor, I'll let you sleep on it. I don't need an answer right now," she offered. Her face was fire engine red. She was actually kind of cute the way she looked down at her feet. Carmen started walking down the sidewalk again. "Coming?" We walked across another street. Her eyes were focused on the ground, watching her feet walk. My eyes, on the other hand, kept wondering towards her. It's funny after someone confesses their deepest feelings for you how much you notice about their technique. Not funny Ha Ha, funny as in freaky. I realized then how much I cared for her. I wouldn't have been so taken if I didn't really care. I wonder if she knows that. Ever since I met Carmen way back when, we hadn't been apart for more than three days tops. We had the majority of our classes together and we went to the same house after school most of the time.
"Damnit, why can't I say anything?" I had been so busy cursing myself I didn't notice how close we were to S.T.A.R. labs. The place was crawling with scientists and their computer geek assistances. I noticed my dad walking over to us, though I pretended not to.
"Victor, there you are. You should've been here an hour ago!" he scolded. To tell you the honest truth I just tuned him out. I had many years of practice. Carmen had a unique talent of throwing people off track so they didn't realize something was wrong. I guess she was thinking so hard about her confession that she let her guard down. "Carmen's here too? Oh, are you alright?" she looked up confused. "Your face is red," Carmen merely smiled and said/lied.
"It's really hot outside."
"How does she do that?!" My dad bought her story and led us to the dimensional observation room. The place was enormous! All of the other labs seemed so twenty-first century compared to this.
"Hey Carmen," Lisa Jones was the company's youngest scientist, only twenty-seven years old. She and Carmen were fast friends. Almost double in age, they still had a lot in common. Carmen walked over to her. As she left I sensed a certain relief fall over her. I understood. She was flushed and needed to cool down. Heck, I wanted to get away from me too, only to come back two seconds later and beat myself mercilessly. Lisa was letting Carmen look through a microscope. What ever it was made her gag.
"That was gross," she complained. Lisa laughed at her. Apparently, I had stopped to stare at her and didn't notice. Until my dad came and tapped me on the head with a clipboard.
"Quit daydreaming and come over here." As soon as he turned his back I made a face at him.
"I'll daydream if I want to!" I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed. "Communist," I mumbled.
"Dr. Stone, come take a look at this," a man called. My dad walked over and looked at the man's screen. While he was preoccupied, I wandered off. I noticed my mom talking with some of her colleagues.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask her about what to do," As I approached my mom, I heard someone scream. I turned around and saw this weird blob thing attack my mom! The thing turned towards me and moved with amazing speed. I saw Carmen running out of the corner of my eye. She ran in front of the creature to draw its attention. I worked, for the most part. It managed to split itself in two and attack us both. I reached out for her hand. All I needed was to touch her and I'd die happy. Unfortunately, I wasn't close enough. "Carmen!" I saw her disappear right before I blacked out.
I regret not telling her back then of my feelings. I thought I had lost her forever. She was in her paradise and I was held back by my father's desperate means of keeping me alive. It was my only regret. But, everything's different now. Carmen came back to me and we're together. I won't let anything separate us now. I guess…better late then never.
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I really hope you liked this chapter. I tried to keep everything in check and get this up as early as I could. Well, Bye-bye until Tuesday.