Lyla's P.O.V:


The drive seemed to be dragging on longer than it should. I hadn't been home to San Diego in so long; I hadn't even gone back for a visit since I left. There wasn't anything there for me anymore, so I never saw it necessary to go back to a town that held all of my good memories and all of my bad ones. Vic could tell I was nervous. I was hardly talking, which was unlike me, especially on a long car ride. He would occasionally shoot worried glances in my direction, and his hand never left mine, our fingers still interlaced with each other, his soft hand squeezing mine every now and then. After a while the silence was too overwhelming so I grabbed Vic's iPod that he had set in the cup holder and plugged it in, scrolling through the thousands of artists that occupied his music library. A certain artist's name caught my eye. "No way," I mumbled under my breath as I touched the screen, bringing the artists' music up. Vic looked over at me questioningly and I smiled. "No fucking way. MikeyWhiskeyHands?" I questioned and Vic laughed. "He did not!!! Oh my God!!!" Vic and I laughed, remembering back to high school when Mike began his love affair with whiskey and nicknamed himself that. "Is this really what I think it is?" I questioned.


"Listen for yourself, babe," he said through laughter. I was excited to listen to what this was; Mike had always told me "It'd be a perfect name for a rapper! One day I'm gonna make it big. MikeyWhiskeyHands.......look out for that shit!" I had just laughed it off and continually made fun of him for it. One night, right after Mike and I had graduated high school, Mike, Vic, and I were hanging out, smoking weed and drinking whiskey as we often did on Friday nights, we all wrote a rap together. It was the stupiest thing in the world, the lyrics all about getting high and drinking and sex; it was ridiculous and catchy as hell. I could not believe that he had done it! I hit play and turned the radio up, the sound of a piano filled the car and Vic was smiling at me as I listened in anticipation. Pretty soon I heard it, Mike's voice came through the speakers and the familar lyrics that we had written that night in the Fuentes' basement poured out. I laughed uncontrollably, tears falling down my cheeks as I listened to the song, the lyrics coming back to me immediately as memories of that night flooded my mind. The chorus started and I belted them out loudly, remembering my main lyrical contribution to the song.


"Live your life, put your trees in the air. While we smokin' everyday if you think you compare so scream eh oh, oh oh. Getting faded takin' flights all around, I'mma drink, I'mma smoke, I'm getting paid everytime you scream eh oh, oh oh!!!" Vic laughed heartily at me, the tears still falling from my eyes as I laughed harder than I had in a long time.


"I can't believe you remember those lyrics!" Vic said, glancing over at me again.


"Are you kidding me? That was like the greatest night ever!!! I just can't believe he actually did something with them! I never would've thought in a million years." Vic smiled widely at me, making my heart beat faster like it always did when he smiled. "I can't believe any of us remember those lyrics. We were so fucked up that night!" I started laughing again as more and more memories came flooding back, all good memories. "That wasn't you singing, though. Who was it?" Vic smirked at me and chuckled a little bit.


"Jaime." His response threw me into another fit of laughter. The song ended and our laughter died down, the tension in the car practically gone; I was feeling much more at ease than I had been when we started to the drive. I was actually looking forward to getting there so I could see Mike and make fun of him for this! I scrolled through the iPod again, knowing nothing would top that last song though. I stumbled across a song that was a close second. I paused it and dug through my purse, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, rolling down the window and allowing the warm air to fill the small car. I took a puff off of it before starting the song.


Vic smiled, immediately recognizing the song. It was our favorite song of all time, something we could both agree on. "This Is All Now" by Taking Back Sunday. We used to listen to it every single time we rode in the car together, the windows down, the radio as loud as we could stand it. We would belt out the words loudly. I hadn't listened to the song in such a long time; I knew I would only be able to think about Vic, about listening to this song with him. We both smiled at each other as the chorus approached, both of us ready to resume our old routine. I took another drag off of the cigarette, blowing the smoke slowly out the window, preparing to sing my lungs out. I turned the stereo up even louder.


"I am owed this now, I am owed this now, I am owed this now! This is all I ever asked from you, the only thing you couldn't do. Tell me the whole truth. You don't know yourself, so how can I know you. I will not be moved until you tell me the whole truth!" We both sang as loud as we could, not caring if we were hitting the right notes. I closed my eyes as I sang, and I could see images of us doing this same thing almost 10 years ago, images of much younger versions of us singing loudly as we drove around town, not really going anywhere in particular. Just driving and being with each other. Being young and in love, not worrying about anything else.


I finished my cigarette and tossed it out the window. The song changed to something else and I watched Vic intently as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel along with the beat, his eyes fixated on the road. I leaned over and grabbed his face, turning it towards mine momentarily, and kissed his lips. I pulled away and kissed him once more before returning to my seat. Vic smiled at me before returning his attention back to the road.
We spent the rest of the drive singing along to the music blasting through the radio. We listened to a wide variety of stuff: The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Of Mice & Men, Yellowcard, Sleeping With Sirens, Thrice. The drive seemed to fly by as the music drowned out my thoughts of worry and dread.It wasn't long before we reached San Diego, and I started to get nervous again as I inhaled the familiar scent of the ocean through the open window, the palm trees lining the streets. I watched out the window at the passing scenary, as my stomach began to feel queezy when I began to recognize certain places; restaurants, shops, car lots, parks.


"Babe." Vic's voice broke me out of my trance and I turned to look at him. "You alright?" He asked sweetly. I bit my bottom lip and nodded my head.


"Yeah. It's just - a lot. Remembering all of this, seeing all of the familiar places I used to go to," I said, taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out. He grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly, and I gave him a sheepish smile. After a few minutes we turned down a street and pulled into a driveway at the end of the block.


The house was nice, a lot bigger than I expected. There were 4 other cars parked in the driveway already, and I assumed they belonged to Vic, Mike, Jaime, and Tony. "Well, here we are, baby. Casa de los Pierce the Veils," Vic said and I chuckled a little. He put the car in park and I got out, stretching my legs as if I'd been in the car for days. I heard the front door slam and Mike's long legs came bounding down the stairs running towards us.


"Lyla!!" He shouted loudly, pulling me into a tight hug as he approached us. He spun me around in a cirle before setting me back on my feet.


"Well, if it isn't MikeyWhiskeyHands himself," I said smirking and he smiled widely at me before looking over at Vic.


"She found the song on my iPod, dude!! You should've heard her, man! She was rapping and singing along; she was laughing so hard she was crying!" Vic replied and I started laughing again just thinking about it. Mike put his arm around my shoulders and looked down at me.


"You remembered?" He asked and I furrowed my eyebrows and nodded my head.


"Of course I did. How could I forget that, Mikey?! It was amazing! I just can't believe you actually made something out of it. I think it's awesome!" I replied reassuringly and he smiled at me again. Mike walked over to Vic, helping him grab our bags from the trunk. I felt my phone vibrate and I pulled it out, reading the text message.


Austin: Did you make it to SD in one piece, Lyle? :P


Me: Sure did, sweet thang. Just got here. We got a late start this mornin'.......got a little......distracted ;) hahaha


Austin: Okay.......didn't need to know THAT much, but I'm glad you made it safely. Call me later and let me know how you're holding up, doll. Love ya.


Me: Love you too, bestie :D


I shoved my phone back in my pocket and followed the boys into the house. Jaime and Tony were sitting on the couch playing a video game and yelling obscenities at each other.


"Hey, fucktards. Watch your language, there's a lady present!" Mike hollered causing them to pause their game and look over in our direction.


"Lyla's here!" Jaime shouted as he jumped from the couch and ran to me, pulling me into a hug, tighter than I anticipated.


"Ooof- Hey Jaime. It's - good to see you too," I said, struggling for air under his tight hold. He finally let go of me and I took a deep breath. "Hey Turle," I said, waving at Tony who hadn't moved from the couch. He smiled and waved back; Tony was shy so it didn't surprise me that I hadn't received the same reaction from him that I had received from Jaime, and that was perfectly fine with me. Mike set Vic's guitar case down in the living room and took a seat on the couch between Jaime and Tony, grabbing the controller out of Jaime's hand and challenging Tony to a game of FIFA, much to Jaime's dissatisfaction. Vic started to climb the stairs and he motioned for me to follow him. We reached the top of the stairs and walked to the end of the hall. Vic opened the door and walked inside and I followed into his room.
It didn't look like I had imagined it to be; it was much cleaner than he had kept his room back in the day. The walls held a few pictures, some of the band, some of Mike and Vic with their parents, as well as a few posters and some fan letters. "You learned how to clean I see," I said mockingly. Vic sneered at me.


"Ha.Ha." He replied, setting our bags down on the floor beside the bed. I sat down on the edge of his bed taking it all in. I was feeling a whirlwind of emotions: I was happy to be here with Vic, excited to spend some time with him, as well as with Mike and the guys. I was excited for us to get back on track with our relationship. But I was also nervous, nervous about being here with everything that had happened between us, nervous that at some point I might have to face my dad again, nervous about facing everything from my past. Vic walked over and sat down next to me, resting his hand on my thigh. I looked over at him and he gave me a sad smile. "What're you thinking about, babe?" He asked and I shrugged my shoulders.


"Everything," I replied. He moved his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. He kissed the top of my head several times as I rested my head on his chest.


"It'll be alright. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," he replied softly.


"I know." We sat in silence for a while until there was a knock at the door. It opened revealing Mike.


"Hey sorry to bother you but Mom just called. She wants us to come over for dinner. We gotta be there in 30 minutes," Mike said before closing the door once again and walking away. My heart started to race and I'm sure Vic could tell. He sighed.


"We don't have to go if you're not ready for this, alright? My mom will understand," he said. I wasn't ready for this; I wasn't ready to see the 2 people who were more of parents to me than my own parents. I had missed them so much over the years, and I couldn't help but feel ashamed that I had abandoned them.


"Your parents probably hate me," I said without thinking. Vic sat me up so I was forced to look at them.


"Why would they hate you? Because you left? Lyla......they could never hate you. They love you, still to this day. My mom always understood why you left, Ly. She was more mad at me for what I did. I promise you.......they don't hate you, not even a little bit," Vic replied reassuringly. I looked into his big brown eyes and sighed deeply.


"Okay. Let's go," I said reluctantly. Vic smiled slyly and leaned forward, connecting his lips with mine.


"I love you."


"I love you too, Vic." We stood up and I quickly changed my clothes. We slipped out of the room hand in hand and the 5 of us piled into Jaime's truck and took off towards the Fuentes' house.


Tonight was sure to be an interesting evening.