hallo! school has started back up, and WOW, the load of schoolwork has been like, totally easy! so...here's another chappie for you guys! hope you like! sadly, the end of this fanfic is sort of in the distance...depends on how much i put into each chapter, but im not sure yet. anyways, this might be a boring chapter, so i dunno...be prepared or something.
okie dokie. no more rambling. enjoy chapter...what is it, 14? or 17, if you count those stupid authors notes? whatever. lol. :P
Disclaimer: ive forgotten about this on a few of my other chapters, but you guys know i dont own PotF anyways. -sigh-
If Only You Knew
Chapter Fourteen: Race Against Time
Time.
The one thing in life that can't be stopped, can't be held back or ignored. Like a clock, it ticks; from mere seconds to minutes and then hours, fading from day into night, just to be brought back around again as a new day commences...just as quickly as the days before it have. It's what produces life yet takes it away as soon as it comes, like a never-ending cycle.
Time. Something so complex that the greatest human minds are unable to comprehend it, and yet so simple that it passes naturally through the brain without a second thought...until that person begins to wonder.
It's a concept that raises questions that are found almost impossible to answer. Why, in one moment, does it pass by so slowly where a minute seems like an eternity, then suddenly whizzes past so quickly that we're unable to keep up? Why is it that time supposedly heals a broken heart, yet can also be the cause of its suffering in the first place?
Time affects us every single day, whether we like it or not. We may try to ignore it, push it aside so that we may live in the moment forever…but it continues on, without any consideration to those who try to fight against it.
And that's why…sometimes…it's a race against the clock.
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A gentle winter breeze blew through the small town, rustling the leaves of trees and causing a young sparrow to fluff its feathers for warmth as it gazed at the two young teenage boys playing basketball below. A swish of the net was heard as the ball passed through with ease, and the taller boy whooped as he threw his arms up into the air in triumph. Startled by the sudden noise, the sparrow took off from its perch with a furious flap of its wings, searching for a new and hopefully quieter spot to rest.
"Dude, that's the tenth basket I've made today! Sweet!" Owen chortled, bending down to pick up the ball and spinning it carelessly on the tip of his finger as Phil wiped the sweat off his forehead a few feet away. "What's up, Diff-o? You've got a total of, like...zip points!"
Phil rolled his eyes. "Maybe you haven't noticed, Owen, but there's kind of a height disadvantage here," he replied sardonically, bending over and placing his hands on his knees impatiently. "Come on…let's go one more game."
"I dunno, dude," Owen said brightly, casually bouncing the ball as he slowly advanced towards Phil. "Seems to me like the Philly Cheesesteak has something else on his mind." He shrugged and took a mad dash to the left, only to be blocked by Phil almost instantly.
"What are you talking about?" Phil questioned defensively, charging to the right to block Owen once more from getting to the basket, which was bolted above the Diffy's garage door. "I have no clue what you're talking about, Owen, so don't think you can just distract---"
Suddenly Owen skidded to a halt and turned to point at the sidewalk behind them, eyes wide. "DUDE, ISN'T THAT KEELY?" he exclaimed loudly, holding the ball to his chest with his free hand and waving cheerfully with the other.
Instantly Phil dropped his guard, frantically looking around Owen to search for any sign of his best friend. "Where?"
He was answered with another soft swish, and he turned to see Owen leaning against the garage door with his arms folded across his chest, grinning from ear to ear as the ball bounced off to the side, temporarily forgotten.
"Duuude…Thought so."
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"How's this look?" Keely did a quick once-over in the mirror before turning to face Via with a hopeful expression, modeling what was currently outfit number 14 of the latter. Not bothering to hear her friend's response, mostly because of the fact that she was giving her that expectant look again, Keely shrugged nonchalantly and closed the door to her changing room again with a quick, "Eh...Nevermind. Too fuzzy."
Via sighed and walked towards the door separating her from Keely, leaning against the wall beside it. "Keely, please, just stop trying to find your way around the subject! Christmas Break won't last forever, you know." Other than the quiet shuffling of clothes and the occasional clicks of a hangar hitting the hooks on the wall, she was met with complete silence.
Slowly Via closed her eyes, raising a hand to her temple wearily before trying once more. "You've avoided him for an entire week, Keely, without a single explanation or reason to your actions. Don't you think he deserves the right to know why you've been treating him like a ghost ever since that party?"
There was a slight pause behind the door, and moments later it opened to reveal Keely in the original clothes she had worn to the mall, hand tightly clenching several hangers of assorted clothing. An unfamiliar emotion haunted her eyes, accompanying the unexpected change of mood that was all-too strange for the usually bubbly teen, and Via was suddenly hit with a pang of deep sympathy as she gazed at her best friend with worry.
"I kissed my best friend, Via," Keely said softly, closing the changing room door behind her before placing the unwanted outfits on a rack nearby. "I kissed Phil. Phil!" she repeated loudly, exasperated, the words she had been holding in for so long finally tumbling out. "You can't just…expect everything to be normal after that!"
She made her way through the store and towards the exit, Via close on her heels as she tried to reason with her. "Keely, I'm not saying it should be normal, just that you need to tell him these things! Yes, you kissed him, but there's a reason for that! Don't you think he'd be confused, especially since you did the right thing under the---"
"Mistletoe?" Keely finished for her, whipping around to face Via once they were outside and in the bustle of hurried shoppers. "That's the thing, V, Phil didn't know what that mistletoe was, and that's why I'm so stupid!" She let out a soft whine and started walking again, this time toward the food court. Via followed immediately, eyes scrunched in confusion.
"Wait…he doesn't know what mistletoe is?" She inquired, catching up to Keely and linking arms to keep her from rushing away, especially with the current state she was in. "What…how…wait, Keely, slow down!"
Keely sighed in frustration and massaged her eyes with her free hand, trying to come up with a decent excuse to why a boy from the future didn't know anything about a normal, present-day Christmas tradition. "He just…I don't know, he just didn't know what it was! He asked me about it before…that…happened, and even after knowing it I still…" Not bothering to finish the sentence, Keely let out a groan and shook her head as they slowed down in front of the food court.
"That's a bit strange, though, don't you think?" Via said after a few moments of silently registering everything Keely had told her. "I mean, who's ever heard of a person who doesn't know about---"
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"---mistletoe, and that's why it didn't mean anything, Owen, I'm telling you! I looked it up and everything, and it wouldn't make sense if it did!" Phil was saying, voice full of obvious disappointment as he took a difficult shot at the basket and missed completely. "What is that, an 'H'?" He asked, jogging over to pick up the ball.
Owen shook his head vigorously as Phil passed him the ball. "No, it's a 'P'! We're not playing Horse, dude, we're playing Pig!" He took a few steps back towards the edge of the driveway and shot the ball, making it in the basket effortlessly. "SWEET! Beat that, Diffster!"
Phil groaned and ran for the ball again. "So why are we playing…" He paused, eyes narrowing in puzzlement. "...'Pig'...again?"
Owen gave him an obvious look as Phil walked over to take his place to shoot the ball. "Uh, duh…cause pigs are AWESOME!" He let out a cheer as Phil missed the shot once more. "YEAH! That's an 'I' now! Two down, one to go!"
Phil rolled his eyes and motioned for Owen to get the ball for once as he folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. "Look, all I'm saying is, Keely only kissed me because of that mistletoe being there, not because she wanted to kiss me." 'Though I wish she did,' he thought silently, but kept that little part to himself.
Owen laughed incredulously, bouncing the ball to another side of the driveway and aiming for the basket again. "Dude, believe me…no girl kisses a guy like that unless she's into him, take it from the O-dawg." Another swish was heard, and he let out a whoop as the ball fell through the net. "OH YEAH!"
Phil grabbed the ball and walked towards Owen, no longer putting any more thought or effort into the game. "We're talking about Keely here, Owen. Not just some girl…we're talking about my best friend!" He threw an arm out in exasperation. "How would anyone know if that kiss meant something more?"
Owen exhaled through his teeth, a hand behind his head and his brow furrowed in thought as his mind worked out his next "wise words". "O-kay…you want some advice from the O-dawg himself, Diff?"
Phil seriously thought about it for a few moments before shrugging hopelessly. "Couldn't hurt, I guess."
Taking the ball from his hands, Owen aimed for the basket and threw it, and with a soft swish the ball fell through the net one last time before bouncing off into the grass. "Dude, there's only one thing you can do, and that's to---"
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"---talk to him." Via finished, poking her fork into the soft piece of meat on her plate and focusing on the girl in front of her. "Or else everything the two of you have worked up to until now will be lost."
Keely sighed, playing with her bendy straw aimlessly before taking a sip of her soda. She slouched back against the chair in defeat and put a hand to her head, wishing all the stress away with a bitter laugh. "It always comes back to the talking thing, doesn't it?"
Via glanced around the food court, at the dozens of couples around them engaging in their own chipper conversations at various tables, and shrugged. "Usually, yes. But that's not the point," she added hastily when she saw the irritancy on Keely's face. "The point is, Phil's not just your friend anymore, or at least that's how you feel about it. And if you're truly falling in love with him, Keely…tell him. You can't keep pretending that nothing's happening between you two, because obviously, there is."
Keely straightened in her chair and took a deep breath, nodding slowly as the realization finally hit her. "You're right. I have to tell him. I'm going to tell him," She declared with a little more certainty, before falling back against the chair with a tiny smile. "Um…maybe a little later on, though. When I'm actually ready for it."
Via smiled reassuringly, bringing the fork up to her mouth and eating the last of her lunch before replying, "Don't worry, Keely…you've still got a lot of time."
Time. Instantly the smile was wiped off Keely's face, and even though she tried her hardest to keep it from consuming her thoughts, the word echoed loudly through her mind, planting itself into her deepest fears like so many times before. Time.
"V…" She said shakily, quickly standing up and tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'll be right back, okay? Gotta go…to the bathroom…" And with that she was off, leaving behind an unsure and completely confused Via to wonder what she had said to cause such an unexpected reaction in her best friend.
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Even as she made her way through the tables and chairs of the food court, all the way past the lighted hallways that led to the women's bathroom and even through the door, the word continued to haunt her mind, torturing her…practically mocking her.
The one word that made her world come crashing down every time she thought of the chances, the possibilities…and the truth of it all. The one word that caused so many problems in the first place, all because of the fear of losing him. The one word that made her cherish the past, love the present…and ignore the future.
Leaning heavily against the bathroom counter, Keely slowly brought her head up to look at her reflection in the mirror, an unfamiliar face full of worry, fear…and despair. Her mind was racing, heart beating erratically out of control, and she didn't even know why. Who knew that time could have such an effect on just one teenage girl?
She knew she had to tell him her true feelings. And from the way she was hit with so many different emotions while around him, along with the constant fear lurking in the back of her mind of what could happen at any possible moment, she knew that she had to tell him soon…before he left her forever.
So why did it seem like soon was already too late?
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A/N: YAY! finally done with chapter 14 (17)! hm…im very sorry if i bored you to death. Ooo…is this possibly a foreshadowing? or no? sorry…but youll just have to wait and see! as for now…you know where that review button is! thanks so much…ill update as soon as i can!
psssst…the little grayish review button is down here…lol…
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