Sight

Twenty Nine.

AVERY

I needed to tell her the truth, I couldn't just sit here and act like all the world's problems have dwindled away and just let her believe she is truly losing her mind, when she isn't. I can't do that to her, and yet, here I lay in my bed, the night lurking around me, settling on my skin and sinking into my bones and I just can't shake the feeling of guilt and fear.

"Avery?" I craned my neck upward when I heard a whisper from my window, confused and frightened, I walked towards the sill and saw hazel eyes rimmed with copper staring hopefully back at me, "Alex? What're you doing here? It's eleven pm." My red hair seemed to dangerously escape out of my loose braid, the back of my neck being tickled by the tendrils of hair.

"Ava, you disappeared, you were crying and hysterical and--" He broke off with a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I was worried, I knew you were with Maria, but I needed to see that you were okay with my own two eyes." The melody of his accented voice traveled up with the wind and blessed my ears, my heart swelling with affection and weakness, but I couldn't act on this notions, for he had feelings for my best friend.

"As you see, I'm fine." I gestured to myself and smiled, a fake one at that. I was still undeniably shaken up, I couldn't process information, I was running on a few hours of sleep, I was a walking manifestation of stereotypical teenagers with a sprinkle of dysfunctionality and extenuating circumstances. "Yes I do see, and often time's people weigh on the words that seeing is believing, and here as I stand at the foot of your home, staring up at a punk rock Rapunzel, who claims and seems to be just fine, forgive me if I don't believe." His eyes glistened as the moonlight worked its silvery shadows across his face, igniting the hollows under his cheekbones and the protrusion of his collar bones that peeked out of the black tee shirt he wore, I then noticed he was simply dressed in all black.

"Not that I'm not a fan, but what's with the all black?" I questioned as I smirked inquisitively and Alexander regarded his attire, "Oh this? Yes—well you see, I wanted to feel like a ninja, lurking like a warrior in the night." He dramatically spun around, his fingers wiggling as he acted to sheath a sword he would never own.

I looked at him incredulously, "You are the ultimate dork." Is all I said and he simply bowed.

"Who are you talking to?" I spun around, my heart in my mouth, soon to bleed out of my ears as I was welcomed with my mother standing at the foot of my bedroom in her robe, "Huh?" I asked. "Who are you talking to?" She repeated and I shook my head.

Annoyed, mother walked into the room and looked at the window, then turned to me, "Weirdo." She remarked, ruffled my hair and walked back out.

Confused I looked outside my window-and even down the street-and saw no trace of any being present, I turned around then and sat on the sill, grinning, maybe he really is a ninja, but even the enticing thought of Alexander being a ninja and catapulting into my room and swooping me in for a kiss, didn't make the dread and guilt go away.

-THEN-

MARIA

"Where are we going?" I yelled into the wind as my hold on Daniel's shoulders tightened, zipping through the New York traffic. He looked at me for a brief second through the little rear view on his rusty Ducati, the engine whirring beneath my legs, vibrating through me, "Somewhere cool, I promise." He yelled back, and squinted into the wind, slapping his slider back, shielding his face, and revved the engine, taking us faster, my chest gulping air and thrumming with excitement.

Suddenly he jerked and I yelped and my arms circled his waist, tightening its hold, he pushed the slider up and grinned at me, "Better." He said and winked, then slid it back on, and I laughed my arms laid comfortably around his waist and I laid my head against his back.