anything (a cameron boyce love story)

thirteen: wilting.

Ada ran her fingers over the Hello Kitty sticker. Scratching a bit at the faded Nike symbol, thumbing at the lid. The orange shoe box felt heavy in her hands after not holding it in a while. She gnawed at her lip, trying to plead with herself not to open it.

She had promised herself that she would never look in this box again. That she would just pretend that her tragic past was simply just a bad nightmare. She had been given a new life, and needed to be grateful for it. But that was hard to do whenever she saw her father's face in her mind. So for the past two years, Ada forced herself to stray away from anything that would remind her of past life.

But somehow her fingers were lifting the lid, the contents emitting a gold light like she was opening a forbidden treasure chest.

And of course the first thing in the box that caught her eye was a picture of her father's bright face. It was enough to make her instantly go weak. The box involuntarily dropping from her hands as her fingers locked, everything scattering all over the freshly vacuumed carpet. Her doll landing on one of her Versace heels and some of her family pictures slightly sliding under the fabric her long Prada gown that brushed the floor.

She just laid there beside it all. Curled up in a ball in nothing but Cameron's flannel shirt. Just breathing. Letting just rise and fall as they pleased. Her eyes locked with the eyes of her father as he smiled brightly at her. Emptiness and weariness swimming through her body.

"Dad," she softly whispered, her voice croaking as she laid in her walk-in closet, surrounded by the remnants of her past and the indications of her present. For hours, she could do nothing but lay there, letting the built up pressure finally release onto her. Letting depression arrive and settle into its rightful place in her soul after it had been fighting to fully gain its spot again for so long.

•---------------•

Ada watched as Cameron grabbed his car keys before looking around. She placed the shirt she had just folded onto one of the finished piles, moving over as Cameron came to the couch and felt around her before frantically walking away.

"Where-" he mumbled to himself, looking around with confusion on his face. He was about to walk to the bedroom but was met with his charger hanging from Ada's hand, the white cord dangling in his face.

And as if the cord was just magically floating in the air by itself, Cameron grabbed it before turning around making his way to the door. And without a single utter of a word or wave of a hand, he left.

And Ada gave her usual sigh and went back to the laundry.

---

"Shots of Captain Morgan? Can we get some Captain Morgan shots? Or should we get tequila? Which do you think?" Taj asked, giving a charming smile.

The bartender slightly rolled her eyes before she nodded, disguising her annoyance with a smile. "I'll get you guys some Captain Morgan. Four, right?"

"Yep. And your number please," Taj winked before smacking his teeth as she simply walked away. "Oh aight."

"You really want Mercedes to fist fight you?!" Tyler shook his head as he leaned back on the bar.

"She too busy sucking dick to even want to fight me," Taj shrugged, making Cameron choke on his drink.

"Woah, woah," Cameron gasped as he laughed, feeling the burn as alcohol went up his nose.