"… Because all I'm wishing for…
Is someone to love me…"
The screaming, the cheering, the applause. She smiled and took her bow, mentally rolling her eyes as she left the stage. The thrill of being on stage would never leave her, but nor would the amusement her friends constantly provided her with.
"Low key, huh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kari shrugged, grinning sheepishly.
"Okay, so maybe word got out faster than I'd anticipated…"
Mia sighed dramatically, shaking her head.
"Doesn't matter. It was fun, at least. I haven't performed for a while now. It's mostly photo shoots these days. Waking up at ungodly hours, being caked in white powder, trying on costume after costume…"
She made a face and Kari laughed.
"That's show biz for you, honey," she commented, throwing a wink at her as she turned to walk away.
"Next song in ten minutes, okay?"
A rather grim look settled on her face. Show biz, huh? If only they were the only sacrifices she had needed to make… Who knew? Maybe then… Maybe then this would never have happened… Or perhaps…
She slapped herself. Breathe. Breathe. Don't think. It's over now. There was nothing left. Nothing but the resounding memories of what ifs and what could have beens. What did it matter if she hadn't left? If he had loved her, he would have waited; he would have dropped everything for her…
Maybe. Or maybe not. Perhaps her mother was right. Perhaps… Perhaps it was too selfish of her to expect him to wait forever…
Yet she had seen him. Today, in the audience. On the streets. Following from a distance as he always had. Hidden until she needed him. Or had that merely been a figment of her imagination? What reason would he have to act as her guardian angel? Her knight? Her protector? She didn't need that anymore. She was stronger now. She had learnt to live and survive without him. Yes. She didn't need him. She never would ever again.
Of course he was in the audience. He owned the club. He had to oversee the running of things. Of course he had been on the streets. This town was small enough to bump into all the citizens of the town at least twice in a day. Yes. He belonged here. She…
She did not. She was no longer wholly in unison with the comings and goings of her hometown. She was the outsider now. The new face. The stranger. Where she walked, people would look at her and wonder who she was. She was no longer apart of this small neighbourhood. She belonged to the larger world. She possessed a global recognition for her celebrity status. She was no longer home.
"Hey Mia! Want to get a drink?"
Startled, she looked up to see Nick, grinning at her. There were circles under his eyes. His smile was hollow, his voice was thin despite its depth. He had the potential to become a great vocalist, but he had chosen not to go down that path. What had he said? You have to love it to be good at it. You have to believe it to love it. It has to come from your heart for you to believe it. He had always been the secretive one, the one everyone assumed never knew what pain meant, the one everyone could only ever picture with a smile. He was tortured from within.
"When's your next performance?"
Sipping her orange juice through a straw, she glanced at her watch before motioning with her hand.
"Five minutes? That's alright. So how've you been?"
She rolled her eyes. Really, he'd shouted her without so much as a protest and even offered to walk her home.
"What were you guys arguing about?"
"What… what are you talking about?"
He attempted a sorry excuse for a nervous giggle and Mia rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow. Sighing, he collapsed onto the bar and let his arms fall over his head. A mumbled noise that might have been speech reached her ears.
"What's that?"
"Amber!"
"Ah."
He gave her a look. She struggled to hide the grin that was threatening to overtake her sympathetic illusion. He glowered at her.
"It's not funny."
"You're right. Of course it isn't."
"Don't say that when you're choking on your own laughter," he grumbled, sitting up straight.
She did what she could to suppress her giggles. Jay always got so jealous when he paid attention to any other girl. She was just too used to being his centre of attention. Mia knew her friend better than she did herself. That girl… She always went for the ones who charmed her, who abused her. She seemed to be addicted to the feeling of having to constantly hold onto and submit to her boyfriend. But in the end… In the end, one day she'll realise that the one she loves is the one who's been there for her since… forever. Nick fidgeted under her gaze.
"What? Is my hair screwed up or something?" he asked, reaching a hand to his head.
She smiled lazily at him.
"No. It's nothing. You know her. Don't worry. What did she say?"
"Something about consorting with the enemy?"
Mia snorted in a rather undignified manner. Hypocrite. She phased out as Nick's ranting began, watching vacantly at her Espeon's silky movements as it darted out and around chairs with a sophisticated ease she couldn't help but marvel at.
"… Are you even listening to me? Hello?"
"She yelled at you for hanging out with a person she now considers to be apart of the ever-growing evil in the world and stormed off without giving you a chance to explain that the only reason you were with her was because she was the daughter of a family friend and your mother is a stupid homophobe. If you throw in 'It's not fair' and 'What did I do' in between that, I think you'll find I quoted you exactly."
He pouted. She laughed at his stupidity.
"She's angry because she saw you with another girl. This is her excuse to yell at you for it. You spoilt her, this is the consequence. Get over it. I have a show to put on."
He stuck her tongue out childishly. She rolled her eyes at him. She was officially banning him from calling her childish ever again. He couldn't talk. Still, she could see he was secretly glowing with happiness over the thought that Jay might - Gasp - actually be jealous of him talking to another female!
"Are you ready?" he whispered into her ear.
She froze. She could almost feel the smirk he had, plastered on his face. But she was already being lead on stage. Kari was already walking past, winking at her, having announced the duet. There was no going back. The music started, and she almost cried.
"Haven't you ever thought about me
Haven't you ever though what could've been
Because I was always dreaming
I was always seeing
You and me…"
This was her cue. This was their song. Why?
"I'd never imagined I could love you
Never imagine I could care so deep
Because I was always fearing
I was always hoping
For you and me…"
"And together we can do anything
And forever we'll grow as you and me"
"And I promise to be there forever"
"And I promise that we'll be together"
"Together, for now until forever"
The cheering was a dull murmur in the background. She smiled and bow as she always did. Routine. Otherwise, there was nothing as she left the stage. In the audience, Jay and Nick silently moved to follow their friend. Gary left the stage walking as one would under an invisible strain, drawn to move by his heartstrings like a marionette.
The cheering began to fade into loud exclamations of, "Oh my gosh, is she not fantastic?" and "He is so hot! I would kill to be her…" and even the occasional, "Was it just me, or was there an Umbreon and an Espeon on stage?".
There was a loud thumping noise ringing in her ears. She couldn't tell if it was her footsteps or her heartbeat.
"Mia!"
She halted in front of Jay, who grabbed her shoulders and slapped her across the face. The contact echoed through the alleyway.
"Mia! Snap out of it."
She blinked and held her head for a moment, one hand holding onto Jay, who did her best to steady her friend. Nick took the other arm and threw it around his shoulders.
"Are you okay?" he asked, gently.
A pang of… something, shot through her heart and she looked away. She wanted to slap herself, too. Snap out of it. It's only Mia. They've always been close. She suppressed the little voices inside her head as she felt the weight lifted off her tiny frame. As she watched them walk away, there was something lurking within her soul, something she couldn't quite put her finger on… Resentment?
She pushed him away, trying to shake away the cloudiness that was beginning to form within her mind. Why did she feel so dizzy?
"Go," she mumbled, "… Jay… she's…"
Nick watched her sway unsteadily as she moved away from him. Her knees gave way and he moved forward.
"I'll take her."
The voice was silky, smooth, flawless. A glower settled over his face.
"This is low, Gary. Ridiculously low."
"Abra, return," he paused to look at his friend, Mia carried in his arms, "I did what I had to."
"You lowlife!" she snarled, launching towards him from the shadows.
Nick caught her, turning his face away so she would not see him flinch. He ignored the screaming, the flailing, the blood running down his arms. As Gary turned the corner, she fell limp in his arms.
"I hate you," she uttered viciously.
"She'll be fine or there will be hell to pay."
Admitting defeat, she glanced up into his eyes. A moment passed, and they looked away. Neither of them moved. He did not remove his arms, wrapped around her waist, nor did she make any attempt to escape it.
Her head was spinning as she opened an eyelid. Where was she? Her hand reached something soft and furry.
"Espeon?" she mumbled, trying to sit up.
The Pokemon sat on her stomach, waiting patiently for its master to regain full consciousness. Surprised, she half sat up to see Umbreon lying beside her. She watched in mild amazement as it, seemingly content with her awakened state, stretched and strolled away leisurely. Espeon licked her hand and she stroked it, moving it away so she could sit up completely.
Standing, she yawned and took her time to gather in her surroundings. A startled scream shattered the night sky.
"Let me go!" she yelled, suddenly panicked.
A small chuckle made her stop in her tracks. It would have to be him, wouldn't it. Who else could it have been? She should have guessed. Sighing, she turned to him.
"What now, Gary?"
She took his arms from her waist and moved away.
"Let's just settle this once and for all, okay?"
For a moment, he almost seemed hesitant, but it vanished faster than it had appeared. He nodded.
"What do you want with me?"
He almost laughed. What did he want with her? He didn't want anything with her, per se, he just wanted to be with her. With the girl who never failed to brighten up his day, with the girl who, like him, had the competitive streak to try and go that little further and try to reach the impossible, one step at a time. What did he want with her? Everything. But he didn't say that.
"Why didn't you come back?"
"I did."
"You know what I mean."
"I did."
Now he turned to her with a puzzled gaze. She sighed, leaning against a tree and looking away from him.
"I promised you three years. I kept that promise."
"Then why didn't you ever come to see me?"
"Does it matter?"
He gave her a look of such plain incredulity that there was no hope of missing his bewilderment. What a question to ask. Had she really changed that much? But her head was down and she never looked up.
"You had others with you. You didn't need me, Gary."
Roughly, he pulled her close and crushed her in a suffocatingly painful embrace.
'But I wanted you."
Tear drops landed gently on the grass beneath them.
Oh my gosh I posted! I posted! xD Sorry! School, relationships… Just a whole lot of drama. Enjoy!
Angel SkyKitten