Not Gonna Wait For You Forever

Chapter Ten: The Truth About Tim's Hair

"Oh sick hockey" Marco says turning the channel quickly.

He left his group of friends early to do absolutely nothing. He just couldn't be happy anymore. All that he wanted to do was sleep, watch TV, and work on his character. He grew more and more excited about playing Angel everyday and it was pretty much the only thing that kept him going. Deep down he knew what was happening but he is much too proud and stubborn to admit it. He had a secret that no one knew. He was really good at hiding it. Not even Manny or Ellie could tell this one.

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Alex's fingertips pressed into Ellie's sides and pulled her aggressively closer to her. Ellie pulled her mouth away for just a moment just to scan over Alex's face with a look of desire, and then she devoured her with a new ferocity. Ellie suddenly bites down on Alex's lip causing her to lose her breath with a hungry grown. Ellie's tongue then traces a trail from her lips to the nape of her neck, which she begins to massage with her skin with her mouth. Alex's hand begins to pull at Ellie's hair and her nails tickle her scalp as she tries not to go over the edge with Ellie's advances. Ellie finally pulls away placing one more gentle kiss on Alex's mouth.

"Now that I'm sober…" Ellie starts, she then puts her mouth right on Alex's ear.

"I want you bad." She whispers, her breath tickling Alex's ear.

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"Where did they go?" Paige asks. She wonders why they had to hold hands just to go talk.

"It's no big deal, you said that they had to talk didn't you?" Jimmy says.

"Yeah, they've just been gone for a long time." Paige says with a mix of pout and concern.

"Were they holding hands?" Craig asks. He has the same look that Paige does, curiosity mixed with jealousy.

"Yeah they definitely were. And it didn't seem like a normal comforting thing." Jimmy says.

Craig and Paige lock eyes and their shared concern is evident. Deep down they now that something is going on. She runs a hand through her blonde mane and sighs softly. What was happening? Alex had completely denied being a lesbian to her. She made fun of that sort of thing most of the time. Ellie just broke up with Craig and she had always been really confident in that area. She reaches over and cups Craig's hand.

"It will be okay sweetie." She says unable to look at him because she knew that she was lying. She squeezes his hand and then stands and walks away, not saying goodbye to anyone. She gets in her car and wipes a single tear away, and then drives home.

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Hand in hand they walk down the street. They are smiling, not even caring who sees. They don't have to say anything to have a nice time. They are just in completely comfortable silence. It's here that Alex doesn't have to think about the girl that she can't have. It is here that Ellie doesn't have to think about the boy that broke her heart. Things aren't complicated here. Things make sense here, because they don't even have to think here they just have to… be.

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"I'm not letting you just lay here by yourself. We have practice tomorrow. Come on, be excited!" Manny says grabbing his hands and pulling on him. He doesn't budge.

"I am excited, this is me being excited can't you tell?" He says flashing a clearly forced fake smile.

"Marco, come on. This can't be good for you." she says.

"I don't care. I don't care at all anymore" He says not looking up from the TV.

"You didn't get the role of Angel with that attitude and you certainly aren't going to keep both of them." She says. This affects him slightly but he still does not move.

"There's only this, only tonight forget regret or life is yours to miss no day but today…" She sings. Her voice has clearly gotten much better with her hours of practice, she can belt it out powerfully now. He is impressed and shocked inside but doesn't show anything on his face.

"It isn't all that bad!" Manny says looking deep into him. He turns his head aggressively, almost exploding with anger

"Not that bad!? It's not that bad?! You want to know the truth? I never loved Tim! Not until he grew his curly hair out and bleached it! Because that is when he was finally comparable to Dylan, and yet it was never the same! I love Dylan, I still do I always have! But he messed it all up. I just can't stop loving him. Every time we are apart I hate him with everything in me, and then I see him. I see him and it's all back to normal. Every feeling, every moment comes back and I'm swept away every single time. That's the truth about how bad it is, that's the truth about Tim's hair!" He yells. Manny is shocked. She doesn't know what to say.

"Marco, I had no idea… I'm so sorry. Come here." She says extending her arms to him. He hugs her tightly.

"Thank you for being here Manny, I'm sorry that I yelled. It's not you… it's him." He says.

"Let's go run some lines." He says.

"Alright Angel." She says smiling at him.

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"Mom?" Paige calls out seeing most of the lights are out. She walks upstairs with a curious look on her face. She hears crying from her mother's room. She rushes in and sees her sitting on the edge of her bed, weeping into her hands.

"Mom, what's wrong?" She says running to her. She sits beside her on the bed. Her mother removes her hands from her face revealing a bruise at the right corner of her mouth and a slightly swollen eye. Paige's eyes open wide with shock.

"Oh my god mom! What happened?" She exclaims, cupping her mother's face carefully in her gentle hands assessing the damage.

"Your dad. He didn't mean to. He wanted money and I asked him to stay the whole night tonight. I touched his back and he just wanted me to move back but instead I hit my face on the coffee table. He felt bad and tried to help me but I was mad and I yelled so he left. I think he went to the bar." Her mom says. It makes Paige sick to see her mom justifying this for her father.

"That's so wrong! This isn't your fault," she says wrapping her arms around her mom's trembling frame.

"Don't be so hard on him…" Her mother says.

"Don't be so hard on him?! He hit you mom! He's an alcoholic and the only reason that he's a part of our lives is to support his habit! I've tried to forgive him but this is it I'm done. I'm not going to forgive him, I'm not going to love him, I'm not even going to try. He is as good as dead to me!" She screams storming out of the room. She gets to her room and slams the door as hard as she can behind her. She falls to her knees screaming.

"I hate you! I hate you!" She yells with all of the power that she can to the father who will never be there to listen.