Baby, This is Paradise

•15•

Vic's POV

I shoved a wasted Jaime into Tony's arms, having him half-carry him to his room. Mike, with an annoyed look, carried a passed-out Alex to her room.

Alex and Claire shared a room, but Claire just followed me into my room. She was drunk, and I sure as hell didn't mind.

When the door clicked shut, Claire leaned up against me, pressing me up against the wall. She was tipsy, and her hair was mussed, but God was she cute.
I planted a kiss on her nose, and she smirked at me.

"What?" I asked, laughing softly and shooting her a funny face.

She answered with a small smile and pressed herself further against me, and kissed me. I tasted sweet alcohol and the smell of her perfume was intoxicating. I slid my hands down to her waist and pushed her backward onto the bed.

She ran both her hands through my hair, down my neck and onto my chest. Our drunken lips collided with an intensity now. She kissed my neck, starting at my jaw and going down. At the base of my neck, she stopped and nestled her head into my stomach, yawning and relaxing. She was asleep within a few minutes, and I stroked her hair and sang softly to Hold On Till May.

•••

Claire's POV

I woke up with Vic again. This keeps happening.

I closed my eyes again, remembering the night before. I was a little hung over, but last night was clear. I remembered falling asleep like this, listening to soft verses of a song.

I started humming absentmindedly to one of Vic's songs, drumming my fingers on his stomach. His hand was on my head, and he was sound asleep. I slowly sat up and looked at the clock which read 7:13. The boys had another show here tonight, and that meant Alex and I had another day to ourselves. I sent a short prayer up. Please don't let us see Lindsay today...

I silently walked to the hallway, quietly clicking the door shut behind me and going into Alex's and my room. I found her passed out on the mattress, just as we left her last night.

I guess it'd be a little mean to wake her up at this hour. I decided to go get coffee instead. I looked up the nearest Starbucks on my phone, and threw my hair up. I slid into a hoodie, and ducked into the chilly spring air of San Fransisco.

I thought about my parents on the long walk. I thought about how disappointed they'd be. Oh? Our daughter dropped out of medical school to travel across the country with four Mexican strangers? Fantastic.

I wiped a few tears and walked a little faster. They didn't care. I could kill myself and they probably wouldn't come to the funeral.

I took a deep breath and composed myself. I needed to stop giving a shit about my lousy-ass parents. I wanted to be on my own, wanted to make my own decisions. I was done being perfect. I was done being someone I wasn't. Done with having no family, done with trying to please people who neglected me.

I walked into Starbucks and ordered for the boys, their manager, Alex, and myself. I plunked myself down in a black cushy chair and popped my earphones in, flipping to a playlist Alex made for me a long time ago. The first song was one by My Chemical Romance, called Teenagers. How appropriate. I bounced my knees to the beat, oblivious to the girl who sat down next to me, in a matching black chair.

I felt her stare. I paused the song and jerked the earbuds out, turning my head with an annoyed glance to acknowledge her.

Fuck.

Lindsay stared back at me, an infuriated glare on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but the barista interjected.

"Claire!" I rose, staring down at her with a dumbfounded and terrified expression, and grabbed all the drinks. She stood up, taller than me. She was really intimidating.

I began to walk away, hardening my jaw and turning on my heel. She stuck her foot out and I fell flat on my face, spilling scalding hot coffee all down my front. I screamed and picked myself up.

I stared at her with a look of horror, and my eyes burned with tears I held back.

She laughed, strutting past me and smiling evilly.

"Bitch" she said, softly. With that, she was gone.

Tears slipped down my cheeks and I buried my head in my hands. A barista hurried up to me with a wet towel and began to clean me up.

"Shh, shh. Hey, it'll be okay. Come on, please. Shh." She consoled me, patting my back. "That girl looked like a total bitch. I'm sorry."

"It's okay" I said, my voice cracking a little. "She's-" I sniffed. "I don't know why she hates me so much."

"Some people are just mean-spirited, I guess." She started mopping the coffee on the floor. "I'll get you some more, hon. Don't worry. It's on me."

"Thank you so much." I said, squeezing her hand. "It means a lot."

"No problem, doll."

I turned, wiping my face, back to the black chair and sat down. I started my playlist again and was very grateful for a few minutes of peace.