Rise & Rise Again

"Mike! No stop it!" Victoria screamed between laughs as I chased her through the playground near our block. "Don't just stand there Vic! Help me!" she yelled and hid behind the slide.

"I'm not getting involved in this." he laughed and put his hands up "It'll end badly for the both of us."

I ran around the back of the slide and scooped Victoria up in my arms while she looked around for me in the front. She wasn't very heavy, but she did kick around a lot.

"Mikey what are you-" she cut herself off when she saw the direction I was headed in. "Michael Christopher Fuentes! ¡Bajame! ¡No te atrevan!"

"I love it when you speak Spanish" I groaned and spun her in circles. Her grip on my shirt got tighter and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"That's nice Mikey but if you drop me I'll make sure you never hear anyone speak Spanish again!" she squeaked.

"Oh I'll put you down," I smirked.

"Vic help!" she screamed while I walked across the hot sand and into the water. I pretended to drop her and her small hands gripped onto my shoulders, causing her pointed nails to cut into my skin.

"I told you I wasn't getting involved!"

"Mikey please don't throw me in the water," she said nuzzling her face into my neck as I carried her.

I stopped right above where the water was coming to and sat down with Victoria in my lap. She mumbled a quiet thank you before relaxing in my arms. Her fingers traced over the ink on my arm and I examined the ink on hers. I pressed my lips against her temple and rested my chin on top of her head.

"Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"I think moving to San Diego was the best thing that's ever happened to me. No one but Danny really got me back home. I was too much to deal with for people." She exhaled and turned her head to face me. "I'm so happy I met you."

"You're so wonderful," I smiled down at her. A grin broke across her face and her cheeks turned a slight pink. "Aw are you blushing bubby?"

"No I'm probably just sun burnt," she smiled even more and shoved her face into my neck.

"Hey," I said pulling her chin up by the tips of my fingers. "You really are wonderful."

I leaned down slightly, putting out faces closer together. The smile faded from her face and her breathing quickened through the small gap between her lips. I pressed my lips to the corner of her mouth. Half on her cheeks be half on her lips. Victorias eyes were wide and shinning in the sunset, like she was surprised, but not angry. She reached up and put her hand behind my neck before pulling me down to her and covering my lips with her entirely.

"Victoria I-"

"Shush and watch the sun go down with me, you big sap."

That was it. No explanation. Just a kiss.

~

"Marilese there's nothing going on between us! We're just friends!" I screamed at her.

"Just friends my fucking ass Michael!" she yelled and shoved my chest. "Guys and girls can't be best friends! Things don't work like that! She sleeps at your house all the time but no, that's not even the worst part! She sleeps in the fucking bed with you Michael!"

"So what? We share a bed! I'm with you for a reason Mari! If I wanted to be with her then I would try to! I wouldn't still in this miserable thing we call a relationship!"

I stomped down the steps of my house and flung the front door open, trying to get away from her. She just followed me out onto the front lawn so that she could make a scene, knowing Victoria lived right next door. Not that she couldn't hear us when we were inside.

"Oh that's real sweet! You're such a fucking charmer! If you're so miserable then why are you still with
me?"

"I don't even know at this point!" I laughed bitterly and my hands flew into the air in a questioning way while she pushed past me to get to her car. "All I know is that I want to be with you but you make it so fucking hard Mari!"

"Stop it! Just fucking stop it!" Marilese whipped her head around to face me, her eyes filled with hatred and anger while she whispered, "Stop lying to me. Stop telling me you want to be with me. I know you want to be with her. It's what you've wanted since the day you saw her. You'll live the rest of your life loving her even without ever being with her."

"I don't want to be with her! I would never date her! She's a wreck! I would make myself go insane trying to deal with her like that! It would never work so why would I even put in the effort!" I yelled. I watched Marilese's lips turn into a slight smile and she had a look of extreme satisfaction written across her face.

"You know what, I'll catch you later Michael," Marilese laughed before slipping into her shiny new car her parents had paid for and drove away.

I knew why she had that look on her face. I knew who was standing close enough to have heard what I just said. I knew the pain I just caused that girl. I knew I just ruined the best thing I had in my life. I turned to see Victoria standing in her driveway next to her car. There were tears in her eyes and she opened her mouth like she was going to say something then snapped it shut again before picking her keys up off the ground and walking towards her house.

"Victoria wait!" I screamed and ran after her, grabbing her arm when I finally reached her. "I didn't mean-"

"Get off me!" her voice cracked as she screamed and ripped her arm away from me.

"It's not what it sounded like I-"

"No it's exactly what it sounded like Michael! I'm too fucked up for you right?! Just not fucked up enough to not be friends with and spend every minute with. OH! Or grope and kiss and give hickeys when your girlfriend won't give it up, right Mike?" By now we were standing on her front stairs with the door half open.

"Bubby please, just let me explain!"

"Yeah okay, sure." She stood in the doorway with her hand planted firmly on her hip, waiting for me to speak.

"I didn't mean any of it, Victoria. We were fighting and she accused me of cheating on her with you and I panicked. All the times- all the things we do, she would flip out. I couldn't even let her think that there was anything going on between us."

"All the things YOU do Michael. It's always you." Her voice got quiet when she spoke again, "It was always you."

She stared up at me with tears brimming her honey colored eyes, such sadness was in them that it broke my heart knowing I caused it.

"Victoria, I am so, so sorry." I whispered and placed my hand on the side of her face, rubbing her cheek with my thumb.

"The thing is, I would NEVER say anything bad about you. You were my best friend Michael. I could never hurt you like that." Her voice was small as she spoke. The she was gone. She retreated to the house and slammed the door in my face, leaving me on the front steps alone and angry.

"God fucking damn it!" I screamed.

I was mad at everything. I was mad at myself for being so stupid. I was mad at Marilese for bringing the argument outside. I was mad at Victoria for believing what I said. Everything was fucked up. I walked back to my house and slammed the door shut behind me, hearing the pictures on the walls shake.

"What's wrong Mike? Big fight with your girlfriend?" My brother laughed from the couch.

"Shut the fuck up, Vic." I spat before going upstairs and into my room. Victoria's things were everywhere. Clothes, shoes, school books, just everything. "Fuck!"

"Dude what happened!" Vic said from the doorway.

"She kissed me! Thursday on the beach! She kissed me! What the fuck!"

"Okay you guys kiss all the time, what's so bad about that?"

"No Vic, she KISSED ME." I groaned and tapped on my lips.

"Oh," was all he said "Did Marilese find out or something?"

"Fucking Marilese. I swear to god she does this shit on purpose just to make things shitty between Victoria and me."

"Dude what the fuck happened with Marilese then? What's with the screaming and the slamming shit. You gotta cut that shit out, man. Mom's gonna be here when that happens one day. Now explain."

"Okay so I was fighting with Mari over God knows what, and we ended up outside screaming at each other on the front lawn," I watched Vic roll his eyes while I spoke "So she accused me of cheating on her with Victoria or she said something about me wanting to be with her and-"

"Well Mike you can't make it so obvious that you like her-"

"I DON'T fucking like Victoria! Yeah she's fucking hot but that's it!" I screamed. "Now will you let me finish?" he made a motion with his hand, telling me to continue "Right, so I might have screamed back at her that Victoria was a wreck and I would never date her and I would drive myself insane trying to deal with her like that-" Vic's hand swung up and smacked me in the side of the head before I could even finish talking "She was standing right by her car. She heard everything I said."

He swung his hand up again to hit me a second time, making my hat fall off.

"You fucking idiot! What is wrong with you!" He yelled "That girl has done nothing but be good to you and that's how you repay her? You're an even bigger asshole then I thought."

Vic started walking away from me and down the stairs, heading for the front door. I followed after him and grabbed his arm before he made it outside.

"Where are you going?!" I yelled.

"Have you ever seen her in a bathing suit Mike?" He said to me quietly, pushing me away from him and into the wall.

"Of course I have, what the hell does that have to do with any-"

"Fucking pay attention the next time you do. You'll be surprised by what you see under her tattoos. Now leave me alone, I'm going to make sure that the girl I consider my little sister is okay, because one of us needs to and I don't think you deserve to be anywhere near her after what you just told me."

Then he was gone. I had to watch my older brother walk across the lawn to my best friends house to help her, because I fucked up. I fucked everything up between us.

Notes

also i made this Vic story so theres that http://www.piercetheveilfanfiction.com/Story/27635/Songs-from-a-Stranger/