Never be the same. - Vinnie Hacker

mommy's boy

"No Liv, you're doing it wrong. So Vinnie and Jake first. Then me and you." Tabitha explained to TikTok to me.

"Oh okay okay." I reassured myself. Vinnie was smirking standing next to me, knowing I was gonna get it wrong again. "Where even is Vinnie?"

We were filming a mandatory TikTok for the hype house profile. It was mine and Vinnie's turn to film together, although thank god it wasn't alone. We had managed to avoid each other for a week solid after the incident.

We hadn't said a word to each other in over a week since my birthday. And now he wasn't even turning up to film.

My actual birthday was an absolute disaster. Yasmine ended up taking Vinnie's place at my birthday meal because he never even showed, nor did he say happy birthday to me. I kind of accepted that we were over. He just didn't even seem bothered to talk things through or let me explain; so I decided that he clearly just wanted an easy way out. He didn't want to commit. He clearly didn't mean anything when he said he loved me. I felt abandoned and alone after one of his best friends felt the need to force himself on me and he didn't even want to hear me out. He didn't love me. He was probably drunk.

"Jack can you just stand in?" Tabitha yelled to Jack who was watching us try to figure it out.

"Okay so when Vinnie- I mean Jack, jumps to the side, you take his place." Jake looked at me as the boys got into position for the video. I nodded nonchalantly, not really asked to even be filming anything right now. I was surprised they even thought Vinnie would turn up.

As I jumped into the shot, doing my part for the TikTok, the boys started laughing, shortly followed by Tab.

"What!" I laughed, putting my head in my hands.

"You did that so weird." Jack laughed, him and Jake in stitches. That was the first thing he had said directly to me in a whole week.

"Bro." Jake clung on to Jack. "Bro why.. why did she jump like that." He struggled to say, still laughing.

"Okay okay. But I did it though." I shrugged, laughing with them slightly but really not in the mood after Vinnie had avoided me yet again.

"Did I do it right?" I peered over Tabs shoulder with the boys to watch the video back.

We all laughed in sync when I popped into view on the video.

"Yeah that's funny. Post it." Jake said to Tab, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Ite well I'm going out. See you guys later." I said, grabbing my purse from the side.

It was kind of an unspoken rule that either me or Vinnie would leave the house to avoid the tension between us two during the day.

It hurt because clearly everything Mia said about me and Vinnie not lasting and it being shitty if we ever broke up, was all true. We had proved them right without them even knowing.

I shut my car door and headed to the Mall to meet Lily and Yasmine who were still in town, when I got a call come through on my phone.
It was Reggie, Vinnie's brother. God this was going to be awkward. I debated with myself whether I should pick it up but then quickly realised it would be shitty if I didn't.

"Hey Reg. You okay?" I picked up the call.

"Hey Olivia. It's Maria." I heard Vinnie's mom down the phone. "How are you sweetie? How was your birthday?"

My heart dropped a little when I heard her voice, I hadn't heard her angelic voice in ages, unless it was over FaceTime when I was in Vinnie's room, "I'm good thanks! It was good yeah." I cleared my throat, "How are you though? Is everything okay?" I blurted out in a panic, desperate to hear what she had to say. She wouldn't be calling for no reason.

"Yes honey. I just wanted to call because I spoke to Vinnie on the phone earlier and he just doesn't seem himself. He's hardly called me all week, which you know is super weird for him. I was just wondering if anything had happened."

"Um. Yeah I saw him earlier, we were filming and he seemed fine.." I trailed off, unsure whether I should tell her what had happened between me and him.

"I'm just worried about him. He goes into these like pits where he shuts himself off. I mean I know he never leaves his room anyway but... you know, it's just because he's had these episodes in the past and it's been real dark for him." I could hear her voice getting more upset, clearly wanting to just be with her baby boy. "I'm probably just overreacting." She downplayed, as she realised I could hear her pain.

"Can I be honest with you Maria." I started to get upset myself. I knew I had to tell her. "Me and Vinnie are kind of not talking right now." I said, disappointed in myself, not being able to do anything in the situation. I stared at my feet in my parked car, playing with my car keys nervously in my free hand.

"Oh honey. What happened?" She said, almost in relief that she finally knew the cause of Vinnie's off behaviour.

"I just umm." My voice began to break as I recalled the night of my party.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She comforted me down the speaker.

"No." I cleared my throat. "No I'll tell you." I composed myself. "Umm long story short. Vinnie threw me a party for my birthday and a few of his friends from home came. No one knows about me and Vinnie kind of being together, and it's not his fault at all for getting angry. But one of his friends umm.." I paused for a second, wiping my glossy eyes. "Came onto me and Vinnie saw and assumed the worst." I explained, my voice breaking again. "And now he won't even talk to me, and I just want to know if he's okay too. I just want to be able to ask him and tell you that everything's fine but I can't. I can't because he won't let me." I sobbed to Vinnies mom. "I'm so sorry. This is so stupid. I don't know why I'm crying." I wiped my tears and room a deep breath.

"Sweetheart. Don't be silly, you just care about him. I know more than anyone. And you know what he's like. He does this. He so darn stubborn sometimes." She laughed to lighten the mood. Her voice was like an auditory hug down the phone. That woman knew me better than my own mother and I'd missed talking to her.
"Just go knock on his door and say that I'm on the phone. He can't say no to his momma. I'll say a few words and then you guys can talk it out. Don't let him push you away. I promise you, he cares for you just as much as you care for him." She explained. "He's just hurting. I don't want him to fall into that dark place again that he did during high school."

"Okay." I managed to say back. "Okay. I'll drive back home now and uhh... we'll go ahead with the plan." I smiled weakly at her pure kindness. "I'll get him some sushi on the way."

"Oh you really know how to make that boy feel better." She cheerfully reassured me.

"Thank you Maria." I swallowed. "I'll call you in a bit."

"Get home safe Livvie Lou." She used my old nickname that her and their family called me when I was little. I chuckled in response before saying goodbye.

I text Yasmine and Lily saying that something had to come up with Vinnie. I knew they would understand, plus I would see them soon to tell them anyway.

My body pumped with adrenaline, I reversed my car out of the spot, stopping off at the sushi place on the way home. I was going to do this for not only me but for Maria.

She was right. Vinnie had been so down, he's hardly spoken to anyone, let alone me. I couldn't let him slip into this dark space again. Not on my watch.

I walked through the front door, asking Jake and Tab, who were cuddled up on the bean bag, where Vinnie was.

"He should be in his room." Jake said.

I called Maria, explaining I was home and she talked to me, calming me down, explaining not to overwhelm him, give him space but also make sure he talks it out.

I finally built up the courage to knock on his door.

"Vin." I croaked, clearing my throat, "Vinnie. It's Olivia."