She thought that love was gonna fight
She thought that love was gonna take her home
She thought that love was gonna save her
But love just never showed
She thought that love was always watching
Oh we learned that love was supposed to win
But sometimes it's the demons
That are standing in the end
----------------------------------
Heels clicked on the pavement as the four stepped out of the car, the cold evening air nipping at their skin. Liza pressed a button on her car key, the locks sliding into place on the inside when she dropped her key into her purse. Nico leaned on the chilled metal with a sigh, crossing his arms.
"Where the fuck are they? They're gonna be late for the reservations."
Venus tapped on her phone, getting a response moments after sending her message. "Thomas says he's stuck in traffic." She looked around the group, curiosity written on her face. "Do we just go in and wait?"
Liza took a couple steps and nodded, the other three following her direction. She pushed the doors open, the clicking of heels on tiles echoing throughout the entrance. The host stood behind his podium, a smile wide on his face. Liza mentioned reservations, giving him their names as he led them through the restaurant and to a table.
The four sat in their seats, menus being placed in front of them as the host took their drink orders and left. The four flipped through their menus for a moment, before Venus broke the silence.
"I haven't gotten my letter in the mail yet, have either of you?"
She looked up from the booklet in front of her, worry filtering gently through her words. Nico shook his head, taking his drink when the waiter brought it. "Not yet, no. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all get in."
Thomas had received is acceptance letters weeks ago, because he applied toward the end of junior year. The others had waited a little longer than they intended to, so they had yet to hear back. Nico and Liza weren't worried, but Venus had no other options. She hadn't applied to any other schools, because that was her only choice.
Nico took a long drink from his cup, filling the rest up with vodka from a flask he had brought and mixing it in. Liza glared at him from where she was sitting across from him, a smirk playing on his lips. He shrugged softly, taking a drink and keeping his eyes fixed on the redhead.
"Of course you'll get in, Venus. You have, what, the fifth highest GPA in our class? They can't turn that down."
Clara smiled at Venus, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. They stayed like that for a little too long, their eyes staying locked on each other's for a moment more than it needed to. A group of men passed by, the one in front laughing out a slur.
Nico's head shot around, the anger building, pushing over. "Excuse us?"
The group chuckled like they were watching an amusing sitcom on television, the situation irritating Nico. "I'm pretty sure you hear me, kid."
Nico kicked his chair back when he stood up, moving close to the guy who was speaking. "Say anything like that around me ever again, and you'll be leaving with a broken limb."
Venus shot up at his words, hands pressing against the table. "Nico, that is enough. Don't worry about them and let it go."
The man's demeanor has changed from a joking attitude to something that had Nico genuinely scared. He took a step toward Nico before backing off.
"You're gonna regret ever saying anything, kid."
The group walked off without another word, leaving the four of them in silence once again. Nico took a step back, finding his chair and sliding down into it. Venus sat back down, the waiter coming up to take their orders before they said they needed a couple more minutes.
Footsteps sounded through the restaurant, the two missing teens sliding into their seats and quickly opening the menus. Thomas had an apologetic look on his face when he looked over at them, smiling softly. "Sorry we're late. We got stuck in traffic... It was insane. Did we miss anything?"
Nico huffed, crossing his arms, visibly upset. Venus shook her head and looked over at the two.
"Nah. Nothing important."
-------------------------------------------
The music and lights pulsed through the room, bodies moving to the beat as Nico took one last drag of his cigarette, dropping it on the concrete and stepping out the flame. He walked with the other five of his friends, Jonas playing with the button on his suit jacket while Nico walked beside him, leaning over to whisper in his ear, handing him the flask Nico brought with him.
"Stressed?"
Jonas smiled and took the container, nonchalantly taking a swig before handing it back. He eased up a little bit, looking over at Thomas with a mixed expression, fondly, yet also worried. "I've, uh, never worn a suit before." Jonas laughed, clearing his throat and shrugging. "Or been on a real date. It's different. Not bad, though."
Nico's hand found his back, pushing him towards Thomas softly. "Go, have fun." Jonas looked back and laughed, walking in the direction Nico pushed him. Nico sent him a nod of encouragement, watching as Jonas met up with Thomas, a smile spreading across the latter's features.
Liza moved next to Nico without a word, taking a drink of the punch she had grabbed a couple moments before. "This is the happiest I've ever seen him." Liza smiled up at Nico, nudging into him lightly. "Cheer up, buttercup. It's prom. We're all happy. You should be, too."
Nico looked over at her, forcing a smile that he hoped felt genuine. "Of course I'm happy, L. C'mon, let's go dance." Nico took her hand, leading her to where the other students were grinding against each other so badly it was almost embarrassing to watch. Liza set her drink down on the closest table, her hands finding their way draped behind Nico's neck, moving in time with the music.
"I'm sorry about Eden."
Nico almost stopped moving, missing a beat of the song and messing up their rhythm when he heard the name. He cleared his throat before continuing with the conversation. "It's not your fault, Elisabeth. I slept with Sarah. I screwed up."
Her eyes softened while he spoke, Nico doing his best to avoid looking at her. His grip on her hips relaxed as he moved away from her before she could speak any more.
The music faded into silence, everything faded into silence. He couldn't hear the voices of the students around him, the music blasting throughout the room. He tried to make his way towards the exit, pulling out his flask and drowning himself in the feeling of alcohol washing away his sins, not taking a breath until the last drop was gone. He dropped it back in his pocket, looking around him, the silence built like a wall around him, nothing getting through.
"Nico."
Nothing getting through. Nothing except that small word that he didn't expect to hear, from the person he didn't expect to hear it from.
He turned around to find her in front him, his eyes adjusting from the blur to focus on her. She took a couple more steps towards him, smiling as she did so. Nico smiled back, leaning on the wall and looking over her. Her beauty took his breath away.
"Hey, Alicia."
She looked behind him, back towards to exit, then back at him, confused. "Are you leaving already?" She took another, careful step. He took a deep breath, looking at the door for a moment while the music filtered back into his brain, everything calming down, the feeling from earlier passing with every moment.
Nico shook his head, pushing himself off the stone wall and taking a step towards her and smiling.
"Nah. Not yet.
Would you like to dance?"
---------------------------
Heels clicked on the pavement, Clara and Venus laughing with each other as Liza and Nico strolled calmly, wordlessly, peaceful silence falling over the two of them as they smiled at each other.
Liza was the first to break the silence, bumping into him with a small laugh while they walked.
"So, aren't you glad you went? You seemed to have a good time."
Nico chuckled with her, shrugging slightly. "It was okay. Better than sitting at home, drunk and miserable." He kicked a stone on the sidewalk that he passed, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one, taking a deep breath. "Walking back to our car in the cold is shit, though. You had to park two blocks away, why?"
Venus laughed at his remark, turning her head for a moment. "Too bad Tommy and Jonas left early. They could have made this trek with us."
Clara let out a small laugh, crossing her arms to combat the cold air. Nico was tempted to take his jacket off and hand it to her, but decided against it.
"Yeah, well, I doubt either of them are thinking 'too bad' right about now." Nico quipped, taking another pull from his cigarette, closing his eyes as the smoke filled his lungs. He exhaled slowly, dropping the end of the stick on the ground and pressing it out.
He checked the time on his phone, showing 1:18 in the morning. He pressed open the texts he received during the party, reading through a couple of the texts his father had sent him about bringing Clara home before he decided to go anywhere else.
He listened to a truck rev in the distance, speeding down the road. He turned around at the sound, looking confused at the noise, as to why anyone would be speeding down the road this loudly, at this time of night.
The driver yelled something indistinguishable, before pulling out a gun and firing two shots at them. The truck ran off into the distance, screams escaping from the teens lips, a soft sobbing from behind Nico.
Nico turned back around, finding Venus lying on the ground, unconscious, blood pooling around her. Nico pushed forward, dropping to the ground next to her, pulling her into his arms. He turned to the other two, who were still in shock from what had happened.
The world was shattering around them, but they had no time to stop moving.
"Call an ambulance, Liza. Now."
He pulled Venus closer to her, trying his best to stop the blood but he couldn't find where it was coming from, and it was getting everywhere. It was all over him, all over her, all over the ground, and he didn't know what to fucking do.
"You'll be okay, Vee. You'll, fuck, you'll be okay. I promise."
He could feel tears welling in his eyes, starting to fall down, dropping onto her dress. He could see the tears mixing with the dark scarlet, yelling one more time.
"Ambulance. Where the fuck is it?"
She thought that love was gonna take her home
She thought that love was gonna save her
But love just never showed
She thought that love was always watching
Oh we learned that love was supposed to win
But sometimes it's the demons
That are standing in the end
----------------------------------
Heels clicked on the pavement as the four stepped out of the car, the cold evening air nipping at their skin. Liza pressed a button on her car key, the locks sliding into place on the inside when she dropped her key into her purse. Nico leaned on the chilled metal with a sigh, crossing his arms.
"Where the fuck are they? They're gonna be late for the reservations."
Venus tapped on her phone, getting a response moments after sending her message. "Thomas says he's stuck in traffic." She looked around the group, curiosity written on her face. "Do we just go in and wait?"
Liza took a couple steps and nodded, the other three following her direction. She pushed the doors open, the clicking of heels on tiles echoing throughout the entrance. The host stood behind his podium, a smile wide on his face. Liza mentioned reservations, giving him their names as he led them through the restaurant and to a table.
The four sat in their seats, menus being placed in front of them as the host took their drink orders and left. The four flipped through their menus for a moment, before Venus broke the silence.
"I haven't gotten my letter in the mail yet, have either of you?"
She looked up from the booklet in front of her, worry filtering gently through her words. Nico shook his head, taking his drink when the waiter brought it. "Not yet, no. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all get in."
Thomas had received is acceptance letters weeks ago, because he applied toward the end of junior year. The others had waited a little longer than they intended to, so they had yet to hear back. Nico and Liza weren't worried, but Venus had no other options. She hadn't applied to any other schools, because that was her only choice.
Nico took a long drink from his cup, filling the rest up with vodka from a flask he had brought and mixing it in. Liza glared at him from where she was sitting across from him, a smirk playing on his lips. He shrugged softly, taking a drink and keeping his eyes fixed on the redhead.
"Of course you'll get in, Venus. You have, what, the fifth highest GPA in our class? They can't turn that down."
Clara smiled at Venus, reaching out and lacing their fingers together. They stayed like that for a little too long, their eyes staying locked on each other's for a moment more than it needed to. A group of men passed by, the one in front laughing out a slur.
Nico's head shot around, the anger building, pushing over. "Excuse us?"
The group chuckled like they were watching an amusing sitcom on television, the situation irritating Nico. "I'm pretty sure you hear me, kid."
Nico kicked his chair back when he stood up, moving close to the guy who was speaking. "Say anything like that around me ever again, and you'll be leaving with a broken limb."
Venus shot up at his words, hands pressing against the table. "Nico, that is enough. Don't worry about them and let it go."
The man's demeanor has changed from a joking attitude to something that had Nico genuinely scared. He took a step toward Nico before backing off.
"You're gonna regret ever saying anything, kid."
The group walked off without another word, leaving the four of them in silence once again. Nico took a step back, finding his chair and sliding down into it. Venus sat back down, the waiter coming up to take their orders before they said they needed a couple more minutes.
Footsteps sounded through the restaurant, the two missing teens sliding into their seats and quickly opening the menus. Thomas had an apologetic look on his face when he looked over at them, smiling softly. "Sorry we're late. We got stuck in traffic... It was insane. Did we miss anything?"
Nico huffed, crossing his arms, visibly upset. Venus shook her head and looked over at the two.
"Nah. Nothing important."
-------------------------------------------
The music and lights pulsed through the room, bodies moving to the beat as Nico took one last drag of his cigarette, dropping it on the concrete and stepping out the flame. He walked with the other five of his friends, Jonas playing with the button on his suit jacket while Nico walked beside him, leaning over to whisper in his ear, handing him the flask Nico brought with him.
"Stressed?"
Jonas smiled and took the container, nonchalantly taking a swig before handing it back. He eased up a little bit, looking over at Thomas with a mixed expression, fondly, yet also worried. "I've, uh, never worn a suit before." Jonas laughed, clearing his throat and shrugging. "Or been on a real date. It's different. Not bad, though."
Nico's hand found his back, pushing him towards Thomas softly. "Go, have fun." Jonas looked back and laughed, walking in the direction Nico pushed him. Nico sent him a nod of encouragement, watching as Jonas met up with Thomas, a smile spreading across the latter's features.
Liza moved next to Nico without a word, taking a drink of the punch she had grabbed a couple moments before. "This is the happiest I've ever seen him." Liza smiled up at Nico, nudging into him lightly. "Cheer up, buttercup. It's prom. We're all happy. You should be, too."
Nico looked over at her, forcing a smile that he hoped felt genuine. "Of course I'm happy, L. C'mon, let's go dance." Nico took her hand, leading her to where the other students were grinding against each other so badly it was almost embarrassing to watch. Liza set her drink down on the closest table, her hands finding their way draped behind Nico's neck, moving in time with the music.
"I'm sorry about Eden."
Nico almost stopped moving, missing a beat of the song and messing up their rhythm when he heard the name. He cleared his throat before continuing with the conversation. "It's not your fault, Elisabeth. I slept with Sarah. I screwed up."
Her eyes softened while he spoke, Nico doing his best to avoid looking at her. His grip on her hips relaxed as he moved away from her before she could speak any more.
The music faded into silence, everything faded into silence. He couldn't hear the voices of the students around him, the music blasting throughout the room. He tried to make his way towards the exit, pulling out his flask and drowning himself in the feeling of alcohol washing away his sins, not taking a breath until the last drop was gone. He dropped it back in his pocket, looking around him, the silence built like a wall around him, nothing getting through.
"Nico."
Nothing getting through. Nothing except that small word that he didn't expect to hear, from the person he didn't expect to hear it from.
He turned around to find her in front him, his eyes adjusting from the blur to focus on her. She took a couple more steps towards him, smiling as she did so. Nico smiled back, leaning on the wall and looking over her. Her beauty took his breath away.
"Hey, Alicia."
She looked behind him, back towards to exit, then back at him, confused. "Are you leaving already?" She took another, careful step. He took a deep breath, looking at the door for a moment while the music filtered back into his brain, everything calming down, the feeling from earlier passing with every moment.
Nico shook his head, pushing himself off the stone wall and taking a step towards her and smiling.
"Nah. Not yet.
Would you like to dance?"
---------------------------
Heels clicked on the pavement, Clara and Venus laughing with each other as Liza and Nico strolled calmly, wordlessly, peaceful silence falling over the two of them as they smiled at each other.
Liza was the first to break the silence, bumping into him with a small laugh while they walked.
"So, aren't you glad you went? You seemed to have a good time."
Nico chuckled with her, shrugging slightly. "It was okay. Better than sitting at home, drunk and miserable." He kicked a stone on the sidewalk that he passed, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one, taking a deep breath. "Walking back to our car in the cold is shit, though. You had to park two blocks away, why?"
Venus laughed at his remark, turning her head for a moment. "Too bad Tommy and Jonas left early. They could have made this trek with us."
Clara let out a small laugh, crossing her arms to combat the cold air. Nico was tempted to take his jacket off and hand it to her, but decided against it.
"Yeah, well, I doubt either of them are thinking 'too bad' right about now." Nico quipped, taking another pull from his cigarette, closing his eyes as the smoke filled his lungs. He exhaled slowly, dropping the end of the stick on the ground and pressing it out.
He checked the time on his phone, showing 1:18 in the morning. He pressed open the texts he received during the party, reading through a couple of the texts his father had sent him about bringing Clara home before he decided to go anywhere else.
He listened to a truck rev in the distance, speeding down the road. He turned around at the sound, looking confused at the noise, as to why anyone would be speeding down the road this loudly, at this time of night.
The driver yelled something indistinguishable, before pulling out a gun and firing two shots at them. The truck ran off into the distance, screams escaping from the teens lips, a soft sobbing from behind Nico.
Nico turned back around, finding Venus lying on the ground, unconscious, blood pooling around her. Nico pushed forward, dropping to the ground next to her, pulling her into his arms. He turned to the other two, who were still in shock from what had happened.
The world was shattering around them, but they had no time to stop moving.
"Call an ambulance, Liza. Now."
He pulled Venus closer to her, trying his best to stop the blood but he couldn't find where it was coming from, and it was getting everywhere. It was all over him, all over her, all over the ground, and he didn't know what to fucking do.
"You'll be okay, Vee. You'll, fuck, you'll be okay. I promise."
He could feel tears welling in his eyes, starting to fall down, dropping onto her dress. He could see the tears mixing with the dark scarlet, yelling one more time.
"Ambulance. Where the fuck is it?"
No comments:
Post a Comment