IN TIME~Vinnie x Kio

XIV

OMG HIII!! I missed posting here! Sorry for the long wait, it's been a crazy year already haha!

Enjoy!

Not much happened during the next month. Truthfully, not much was destined to happen as the holidays were over and everyone was still recovering from the amount of social interaction.

Hanna, Kio and I formed somewhat of a trio. I hadn't talked to Maeve since the carnival. As for Anthony's offer, I had completely forgotten about it until we met up the other day.

I couldn't begin to think how to ask my parents to go to New York. Of course, the extra ticket was going to Kio, if he could go.

In any other case, it would've been Hanna.

In a terrible attempt, I brought it up during dinner one night, "So dad! New York?  Love the pizza."  Right after the monstrosity of random jumbled words had left my mouth, I knew that today wasn't the day I would be telling him about it.

We went back to school after the remaining days of the winter break. Of course, everybody looked completely sleep deprived or like they didn't want to be there.

Nobody did honestly, I was just relieved to be back for the coffee run at lunch. 

Hanna had picked me up that day, and we had gotten Kio after.  The classic routine. Kio and I had hung out a few times over the break, sometimes Hanna came along, sometimes it was just us.

The bell rang to go to second hour, I let out a long yawn. I hadn't gotten much sleep the last few days. I didn't know why, though the reasons were endless.

My guess was aiming towards the amount of coffee I drank or the fact that I was closer than ever in my life to having an actual boyfriend.

I didn't know if I wanted a boyfriend. The name scared me. It was such a... formal thing. Making it official would be amazing, or would it scare me off.

All in all, I didn't want to mess anything up.

I was on my way to my desk, having the immediate urge to lay my head down and fall back asleep. Instead, I felt a small tap on my shoulder.

I hesitated turning around, but when I did, I truly wished I hadn't. Blonde hair and all, there stood Maeve Miller.  The look on her face was somewhat sorrowful, and still with that hint of pride.

"Can I help you?"  I ask, placing my binder down on my desk, folding my arms, and leaning against the desk.

She chewed her lips, thinking of what to say, or how to somehow make herself right.

She looked up at me and breathed out. I thought she would going to say something right then, but we stayed in silence for a few more seconds until,

"I'm sorry." She said, and honestly I didn't believe her at first. Never in my years of knowing her had she actually said, 'sorry.' Simply convinced me that she was right.

So it shocked me when Mae said it.

"What?" I asked.

She turned, frustrated. She didn't want to say it again. Her eyes shifted a bit, and looked back up at me. She rubbed her hands as if he had just put lotion on them.

"I'm sorry!" She said again, more irritated than sincere. I unfolded my arms and latched onto the table, still leaning back on it.

"Why did it take you this long?" I asked, I wanted so greatly to forgive her and just go back to being friends. She was my first friend after all.

Though for some reason I just wouldn't, and maybe that was a good thing. She shifted again on her feet, she looked uncomfortable.

I don't think she liked being vulnerable and admitting to her mistakes, clearly.

"I don't know. I- I guess I was just trying to blame other people for everything." She admitted sheepishly. That shocked me, like, actually fully surprised me.

The entirety of the time I'd known her she'd always found a way to shift the story around in every possible way. Never wanting to have any part of the conflict.

"I fucked up. I don't want to admit it, but I did. I fucked up the one friendship I actually cared about." She said, almost sounding like she was getting choked up.

I was baffled and confused. I didn't know if I could trust her again, it was difficult for me to trust anyways. But with her, she sounded sincere.

I let out a long sigh.

"You kissed me, you knew that I was saving it for the right person. You had no right to take that away from me." I said, I felt somewhat empowered by saying it. I had held onto it for however long.

Then, something I never thought I would see happened, she started to cry. I didn't feel bad, but I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She cried into my shoulder. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know her reasoning, I suppose I would ask her that later.

For now, I had done what I never thought I would do. I began the slow and lengthy process of forgiving.

Mom always said that forgiving was one of the most gracious gift of humans. Maybe we wouldn't be friends.

I didn't know what we would be from now on. Maybe we wouldn't speak more than a few words when we pass each other in the hallway.

For now, we were okay.