Rise & Rise Again

"She can't be that bad Vicky," I said while I stared down at her face. She rolled her eyes and frowned.

"She's the human embodiment of the white crayon. Useless."

"I really don't think that-"

"I thought your father was coming to get me," a woman scoffed from behind us.

Both of us turned to where the voice was coming from, eventually facing a tall brunette with two big bags in her arms. Her face was twisted into a scowl as her eyes scanned over the two of us. I was speechless. She had no motherly sense about her. Victoria's mother was the complete opposite of her.

"Well if you didn't decide to move your flight up three hours then we both wouldn't have been stuck in this situation." I had never heard her speak with such hatred in her tone.

"Stuck. That's the word you chose to use when describing the time you're spending with your mother." The woman trailed after Victoria, who had started to walk in the direction of the exit.

"I don't have a mother. I have a surrogate." She called over her shoulder.

"I'm Mike, sorry about her."

"Caroline, are you dating my daughter?" She smirked at me as we reached the car.

"No-I-um- we don't really- uh-"

"No mom, we're best friends. Stop being weird."

The ride back home was sufficiently awkward. The entire ride was silent except for when the two of them would bicker back and forth over something. Usually it was about the others appearance or how they acted towards another. I just kept my eyes on the road and drove, tuning them out as much as I could.

When we arrived, Victoria and Caroline both went over to her house while I went to mine. Vicky had said she'd meet me here, she just wanted to grab a few things for the night and a movie or two. I face planted onto my bed as soon as I was close enough and rolled over before letting out a sigh.

"You've got it bad dude," Jaime's voice came from the doorway.

"What are you talking about?" I laughed and threw a pillow at him.

"Watch my hair!" He yelled and chucked the pillow back in my direction, missing me terribly. "I'm talking about with that girl. You really like her."

"No, she's my best friend. Don't be stupid Hime," I answered uneasily. "Plus, I have a girlfriend, in case you forgot."

"How could I forget about her," He rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath as he walked down the hall to Vic's room.

Jaime wasn't the first person to say something about me liking Victoria. Casey had been dropping hints at it since almost a month after she got to San Diego. Sure, the way her hair looked a deep shade of red in the sunlight mesmerized me. And how when she smiled, her small, almond shaped, honey colored eyes scrunched up it made me smile right back at her.

"Jesus Christ," I groaned and smacked myself in the forehead.

"Michael you better get down here!" My moms voice carried through the house, urgency clear in her tone. I rolled off the bed and walked down the steps to where my mom was standing. "She's in the tree again," She said quietly while she stared out the front door.

"Thanks ma," I said and bent down to kiss her cheek before heading outside and to the big tree in the front lawn of Victoria's house. When I got there, my hands wrapped around a thick branch and I pulled myself up into the tree, resting my back against the trunk. Victoria shuffled down the branch and sat in front of me with her back against my chest, sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes as she did so. "What happened bub?" I whispered into her hair.

"I hate her," Was the only thing she said. I didn't push it any further then that. There was no point, I wouldn't have gotten another answer out of her anyway.

~

"I'm gonna start charging you rent little one," My dad said pointing his fork at Victoria over the dinner table.

"How much do I owe you already?" She giggled as she ate.

"Not sure. I could make a fortune off you if I charged you for staying here. You're eating me out of house and home here,"

"Well it's only until that witch leaves," her face scrunched up and she shook her head. My mom let out a big laugh, causing Vic to jump beside her.

"Mom what the-?" he began.

"I give you two days before you're back. I've never heard of two eighteen year olds having as many sleepovers as you do. You would think there's something going on between you two,"

I choked on the water I was sipping from my glass and I heard Victoria coughing on her food beside me.

"Mom!" I shouted once I had air in my lungs to do so.

"Maybe what you're mother is triyng to say is to give it a chance," My father came in to defend my mom.

"Guys, chill out, Mike is proposing next week." Vic laughed.

"You're a savoir Vic what would I do without you?" I rolled my eyes and threw a handful of peas at my brother.

"Don't throw food!" My mom yelled.

"Yeah Mike don't throw food," Vic mocked me and threw a piece of bread over the table at my head.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I mumbled to the small girl beside me, who started laughing as I did so.

"Sure," She smiled and got up from the table after thanking my parents.

~

"So how do we always end up in this exact spot?" Victoria said as she looked over the entire city of San Diego from the cliff we had discovered a few months ago. The whole thing was lit up with street lights and neon signs from the main roads due it it being nearly eleven at night.

"Because it's our spot, duh." I laughed beside her.

"Alright smarty pants," She laughed and layed down on the grass beneath her. I did the same, resting my chin in the palms of my hands. "Tell me something."

"Hmmm, like what?"

"A secret. One you've never told anyone, not even Vic or Casey."

"I'm afraid of elephants,"

"Not like that!" she laughed and hit my arm lightly.

"Well I don't know," I said and turned on my side to face her. her hair was spread out around her and her eyes were closed with a smile plastered on her face. " You go first while I think of one."

"I have no idea what I'm going to do when we graduate. I have like, no ambitions or goals right now and I don't know why."

"I'm afraid I won't end up doing something I love, so we're pretty much on the same page with that," I let out a short laugh.

"I think you will," She said with a smile in her voice. "I think the way you play those drums will get you wherever you want to go."

"You think so?" I whispered.

"Yeah, I do."

Notes