High School Never Ends

Shakily, I crumpled the note into my pocket before jumping into the car. Moments later, Mike came rushing out with Tony hobbling beside him. When they reached the car, Tony collapsed into the back seat whilst Mike jumped into the passenger seat.
“Ready?” He asked
I nodded and put the key in the ignition.
After we had reached the hospital, Tony had been taken into a room to get cleaned up. I waited in the waiting room for both Mike and Tony. After about 15 minutes, Mike trudged out the room and slumped down next to me.
“What did they say?” I asked
“They think his nose is broken. Apart from that, it’s just bruising.”
“What do we do about Vic?”
“Have you tried calling him?”
“Yeh… No reply though. This is my fault.” I sighed, putting my head in my hands
“No it’s not.” Mike murmured, patting my back
“If only I’d gotten a grip, just one more year with Amelia and everything would’ve been fine.”
“Vic would still be in this mess. Without you, Vic would’ve been gone a lot sooner.”
“Wha- what do you mean?” I hesitated
“Vic wasn’t coping well. Probably down to the stress. Without you, he could’ve hurt himself or… I don’t know.”
“Mike, you know what they want from him right?” I asked, cautiously
“His life.” Mike stated. “I’m going to be honest Ari, I haven’t a fucking clue what we do now. I can’t think, panic, anything… I feel numb.” Mike sighed
“I have an idea.” I stated. “As soon as Tony is discharged, I need you to take me to the diner you guys normally go to.”
“Why?”
“It’s hard to explain, I just need you to trust me.”
“Alright.”
“We’re gonna get Vic back, I promise.”
Mike lifted his hand and stroked my cheek before leaning in and gently kissing me.
“Thank you.” He whispered
Neither of us spoke after the kiss. Now wasn’t the time to question why he did it and the whole issue with him not being capable of being with me.
20 minutes later, Tony was discharged.
Mike drove us to the diner.
“You guys just stay here for a couple of minutes.”
“No way! It’s late, what if you get hurt?”
“If I’m not back in 5 minutes, come looking but don’t create a scene.” I begged Mike
“Fine.” He huffed
Quietly, I exited the car and walked into the diner. There weren’t many people here now. I never really did understand the point of 24 hour diners. Slowly, I walked around the corner to the toilets.
“Hey.” I tried calling, unsure if I was actually talking to anyone
“Hello?” I tried again
“It’s Aria.”
“Aria!” Exclaimed a voice. “I was wondering when I would see you again.”

Notes