I ran through the hallway where Brandon was talking with a friend of his. I didn't want to interrupt, but I had something important to say to him.

"Hey Brandon! I've got big news!" I told him when I arrived at the spot they where standing at.

"Oh hey Nikki! What's up?" Brandon said to me with that cute smile. "Why are you so happy? What is it?"

I gave him a look meaning that it was better to talk alone, without his friend in front of us. He understood.

"Hey Mike, uh why don't you come and chat with me again after the bell? Right now…It's something important we need to discuss." He said.

"Cool man, no prob. See you later." Mike said and walked away. Then I focused on Brandon.

"The painting is ready! Tomorrow it's the contest and I can win! I will save you!"

"What, you are going to take part in it? For real? I heard that the first prize is student's fee but you….wait just a minute…you are?..." he asked me, confused and unsure what to say. I had to admit, I killed him with so many information out of nowhere.

" I participate in it, so I can win the first prize, and then win the fee/ scholarship. Then I can give it to you so you don't need to pay for this school. Understand? It's a big opportunity!" I said. "And the last." I thought.

"But.. woah ..I can't believe you are doing this for me, I mean…I can't thank you enough, for everything you do." He said. I think I saw a tear coming out slowly but maybe it was my imagination.

"Yes! So, hang in there, alright? I made sure I will win this!" I said.

"What about the other participants? You will have competition." Brandon said.

"Don't worry, they aren't many. Just three- four students besides me." I said.

"But…you now who took part?" he asked me.

"Umm…no? Who?" I bet knew the answer already.

"Mackenzie."

Welp, looky doo! I have a sixth sense or something because every single time I am trying to do something important, she grows out of nowhere! She's a witch. I knew it. For the first very time. Holy crap. The world is in danger. We must warn everybody.

"Come on, you have to be kidding me…" I groaned.

"Yep, she always wants to win you at something. She's like a bug." Brandon said smiling.

"Yes, haha. I beat her at a drawing contest once already, I will do it this time too." I said. Mackenzie shouldn't be a problem this time. I hoped so.

"Sooo…good luck! You have my full support, you know it." Brandon said.

"Great! When I will go home I will finish some last parts and bam, it is done!" I said.

"Awesome! See you at the contest tomorrow!" Brandon said and patted softly my shoulder. I blushed. Whenever he touched me I felt a huge warmth. Like that night when we…cuddled.

"Ok see you tomorrow!...my smol bean." I said.

"What was that?" Brandon asked me.

"NOTHIN!" I yelled. Great. I ruined my perfectly romance moment!

"Okay then…see you tomorrow!" Brandon said somehow confused and left. I smiled and waved my hand. When he left my vision range I turned away and start walking fast. I stopped near the restrooms. Maybe I could drown myself and made it look like murder. Like Mackenzie did it. I could get my revenge even in death. I like it. I smiled. My diabolical brain was too awesome for this world. But not for subjects. Not that. There I was the stupidest brain.

Anyway after the 8750th day of boring school I went to my home, dancing and jumping happily. I had the victory at the palm of my hand.

I went to my bedroom, to finish the painting.

I didn't see it there.

It was missing.

I almost had a heart attack. Why? Who took the painting? Was it me? No. I remember where I put my stuff. Except for my keys, the glasses, socks, pencils but hey, that's irrelevant. Mom and Dad? They both have no permission into my bedroom and they know it. But mom is always that little rebel. What if she took it and placed it somewhere? What if she threw it?! What if she sold it?! WE WILL NEVER KNOW!

Before I started panicking, I took a deep breath and thought about it.

Was the painting THAT important?

.

.

.

The fuck I'm saying?

Of course it is important! Brandon's LIFE depends on it! So YEAH, WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT IS IMPORTANT!

Sometimes my mind plays some nasty tricks.

Anyway, enough with the talk. I must find my painting asap. I searched my whole room, nothing. I searched downstairs, still nothing. Where was it? Well, there was one place that I didn't search yet, and it was the last place where I wanted it to be. I laughed at the thought. Hahaha what are you doing, brain? Hahahah she couldn't possibly…take…the painting…

I rushed like a cheetah upstairs and crashed Briana's door.

My God.

If there is heaven, I hope I will get there at some minutes.

In front of me, it was my beautiful, astonishing painting, my secret's love rescue key, his FREEDOM key, and it was…it was…brutally murdered by crayons and glitter and other shitty things….

My heart. Oh no. I won't survive this. Take my eyes. Kill me. No.

In order to make you understand, Briana (that little demon) drew on top of my painting and ruined it. Bye. It is gone. Everything is gone.

Then for her bad luck, Briana walked in the room.

"Oh hey Nikki! Oh…yeah umm you see it was who did this! Aha, she is the one that turned your painting like that. Don't worry, I will give her a hard lesson! No cookies for her tonight! She.."

"Briana." I said. "Just…leave it. Okay? Just…let me go to my room. I-I want to lay down. You…do whatever you want to do." I said and exited the room. I went to my bedroom and jumped on my bed. It was some minutes of silence until I started crying. I cried rivers. Seas. Oceans.

No, how could this be? Why, why now? Why at the very last time everything has to turn upside down? Why my life is like that?

It is just like a year ago, at my first time at the school, when dad accidently destroyed my painting.

This time Briana was the chosen one to do it. I don't know what to feel right now, sadness or anger? Disappointment? Guilt? What?

Everything was lost. I wouldn't go to the contest, I would withdraw my participation through an email at the school. Mackenzie was going to be the first winner and then she would shove it to my face. Brandon would keep doing chores for the school. He would never be freed. Not until he finished high school.

It was all my fault. No, Briana destroyed it but she was still a little girl. She didn't know. It was my fault for not locking my bedroom door. For not securing the painting from others.

I cried again. Now what should I tell to Brandon? "Hey Brandon here is the thing, my little sister destroyed the painting for tomorrow so you won't be saved. Sorry."

When I told him today, I saw him filling with happiness, with hope. I remember what he did after school every day, I even participated in that. When he started crying telling me he hates all this…that he is doing it all for me…

No no no I can't tell him oh my god I will kill him.

I called Zoey on the phone.

"Hey can you and Chloe come here? Right now? It is very important." I said.

"Of course Nikki. Wait.. Are you crying?..." Zoey asked.

"Just come here." I said and closed the phone.

After some hour my friends came. We stayed at my bedroom where I told them everything. They couldn't believe it.

"Nikki…" Chloe said.

"Can't w- you make another one?" Zoey asked.

"I can't make a good drawing in one day. I need more time than that." I said grumpy.

"Man.. we are so sorry for you Nikki…" Chloe said.

"Brandon is sorry too." I said. Chloe lowered her face. I didn't want to make her sad, just…. whatever.

"Does he know it?" Zoey asked.

"No. I haven't told him yet. I can't. I will break his heart." I said.

"You need to tell him, he deserves to know!" Chloe said.

"You weren't there, when I told him about the painting. He was so happy. So….hopeful. Now you expect me to punch him in the face like it is nothing?" I asked.

"Nikki, we understand. It is very hard for you but…you must do it." Zoey said.

"If I do it, I will not have the courage to look at him again. In class and in school in general, I can't look at him knowing that I stabbed his heart."

"Nikki…" Zoey said.

"You know it too, right? He must know." Chloe said. I sighed.

"Alright…I will do it. I will text him right now…" I said and grabbed my phone.

"Thanks, girls." I said and we all hugged.

"Hey Brandon. Tomorrow at 21:00, can you meet me at the park near the school? You know it right, the one where they sell hot dogs?"

"Yeah, but why? Isn't the contest going on at that time?"

"Yes. Look, I just need to talk to you. Can you meet me there at that time please?"

"Alright. I will meet you there."

I sighed. The girls looked at me with a sympathetic look.

"Good luck Nikki." Chloe said.

"Thanks."

At the night I couldn't sleep. I watched nightmares of Brandon being sad and disappointed in me. It was torture.

The next day was Saturday so I had time to do my homework. I didn't even attempt to start a new drawing.

After a long day at home it was time for me to head out. Usually now I would go to school for the contest but that was gone.

I arrived at the park and sat in a bench. The sunset looked beautiful. Then I noticed Brandon coming towards me.

"Hey Nikki! I am here, so…you said you wanted to tell me something or.."

"Yes Brandon. Please sit." I said. Brandon sat next to me.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

"You probably noticed that I am not at the place I must be, right?" I asked.

"Yes, why? I am curious." He said.

"Brandon…" I tried to hold my tears. "I am …really sorry…the painting.. is destroyed, it is ruined. I can't take part to the contest anymore. I couldn't fix it, I couldn't make another one…I am so so sorry, I know you wanted to be free so much, I know you believed and put your hope into me…I-I failed you!" I started crying. Damn emotions!

Brandon looked at me with a little confusion but with also concern.

"I-I don't know what to say to you now, I ruined your life! It is all my fault. If you are angry at me, you are right, I deserve it. I can't even keep a promise. I.."

"Nikki." Brandon said.

I looked at him. He placed his hands on my cheeks and wiped my teas with his thumbs.

"Nikki it is alright. You don't have to blame yourself. It is not your fault. Things happen." He said.

"BUT.." I said.

"Ssssh. I don't mind. Relax. What, I will just continue what I do. It became a routine for me, it is… part of my life anymore. I will just have to live with it for a little longer. That's all."

"BUT I PROMISED I WOULD SAVE YOU AND I DIDN'T! I FILLED YOU WITH HOPE AND CRUSHED IT! HOW CAN I ACCEPT IT?" I yelled.

Brandon pulled me into a hug. It felt…so nice. So warm. So relaxing. So caring.

I tightened my arms around him, submitting myself into his hug.

"I don't care if you didn't keep the promise. I don't care if you didn't win the prize. The only thing that I care about in this world…is you." He said.

My heart melted.

"Nikki…you are the girl of my life. I couldn't tell you all this time because I am such a weakling..hehe…but it is the truth. I have eyes only for you, and you only. For you, I would stay working at school for YEARS." He said.

I started crying again. This is the most beautiful thing I have listened to my whole life.

"But I completely understand if you want to stay as friends…I mean you have a point for not wanting to have a shitty, low-ranked person like me.. you deserve princes, not boys who plumb toilets." He chuckled.

"What?! No Brandon! I…I really like you too! You are the first guy who I thought as a real friend, the first person who I fell in love with! I want you and you only! I don't care what you do or how rich you are or anything like that! The only reason I love you is because of who you are." I said. Brandon was at the brink of crying. Me? Oh, I was already crying.

Then Brandon looked at me in the eyes.

"I love you Nikki." He said and kissed me.

HE KISSED ME.

AT THE LIPS!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!

OH MY GOSH THIS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!

BUT NOW IS HAPPENING!

Oh god, oh god, oh god he kissed me, he loves me.. Weujsjcjjen54356^6%

has stopped working. Please reboot your computer.

"I…I love you too, Brandon." I said. I kissed him back. It was my first kiss so I didn't know how to do it. Dammit I hope I won't bit his lip or something.

Brandon was red as a tomato. Wow he is just like me. He was so afraid to tell me that he liked me. And I was afraid to tell him. We were both on the same road.

I felt nice.

I felt that warmth inside us.

"Do you want to… cuddle in the janitor's closet tonight?" Brandon blushed.

"I'll tell my parents I'll sleep at Chloe's." I said.

"Cool" Brandon said and smiled.

Then we both went to school hugging each other.

I still had this feeling that Brandon is bound to the school after- work because of me, but on the other hand, if I succeed at the contest and Brandon took the fee, we would never come this close. I mean REALLY close. (Don't get ideas on your head shippers.)

Now I felt I was complete. I had two amazing friends, one perfect caring boyfriend. And my archenemy demon Mackenzie, but what can we do, life has it's ups and downs.

So now, dear diary, I must leave you at this point. Brandon and I are going to a puppy contest! I can't wait! :D

So here is the last chapter of the story. I hoped you guys liked it. I enjoyed it a lot bc this has a lot of feels. I love feels. Who doesn't? Anyway leave a review if you want, anything is accepted, thank you again for reading this far and sticking with this story for so long. Love you all :)