Under the Radar

Long Distance Strains

I smiled before I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion again. Matt was completely nuts. Prom? What was he talking about.

"Where would we go to Prom?" I asked. He chuckled like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"We're technically we're still enrolled in James Hughes High and Prom is a good two months away," he shrugged. "I figured that we could go out to Houston with Ben and... well, go to Prom." He smiled. I nodded.

"Yes, of course, a thousand times... yes," I smiled. He kissed me gently. I pulled back and my face turned serious. "No pink... can our color be blue, like your eyes?" I asked. He laughed and nodded.

"That would be perfect," he breathed. He smiled and kissed me again. My fingers lightly traced the tattoo once more. I grabbed his shirt and headed it to him. Laughing, he slipped it on.

"So I will see you again?" I said curiously. He laughed and kissed my cheek on the way to his bag. He nodded. There was a knock on the door and I opened in. "Headmaster... hi." I said a bit surprised. I moved to the side to let him in.

"I'm sorry Marissa, but Matt's ride is here now. It's time for him to go," Headmaster smiled sadly. He turned to leave, but I stopped him.

"Umm, do you think it would be okay if I go to Prom with Matt at James Hughes High in two months? Maybe we could stay at the safe house with Benny?" I asked. Headmaster thought for a second.

"I don't see why not," he smiled. I hopped a few times in my spot before I wrapped my arms around Headmaster in a bear hug. He laughed and hugged me back a bit awkwardly. I pulled away, remembering that he was not used to that kind of thing. I giggled when Matt's nose tickled my cheek. Headmaster turned the corner to give us a little privacy. Matt sighed and frowned, looking at his feet. I placed a hand on his cheek and he looked at me. A tear slid down his cheek and I wiped it away.

"Hey... this isn't goodbye, okay?" I said softly. I smiled sadly brushed another tear off of his cheek. He nodded and kissed me gently. Pulling back, I smiled sadly at him again. "Go be a superstar. I'll be here waiting for you. No goodbyes, okay? I'll just... see you later. I love you." I whispered. He smiled sadly and nodded.

"Okay, see you later. I love you," he whispered back. We kissed for a tender second. He sighed and grabbed his bag. With one last hug, he disappeared out of the room. I sighed too and brushed away a few tears that finally dropped. It felt like something was ripped out of me. My arms clutched my stomach. I sank to my knees as the truth overwhelmed me. I would never get to be with Matt like I wanted to. It would always be short visits with months at a time in between before I saw him again. The thought made me sick. I ran to the restroom and released my stomach into the toilet. Sobbing, I brushed my teeth quickly and went to go lay down on my bed. I cried lightly into my pillow. Thankfully, Katy and Vy didn't come back into the room at that moment. I knew I was a blubbering emotional wreck. After about three hours, I picked up my phone and dialed Matt's number. I figured that he'd already landed in California by now. It rang a few times before he finally picked up.

"Hey Marissa," his voice rewarded me. I smiled at hearing his voice.

"Matt," I breathed. He chuckled. "I missed you. I was calling to see if you landed safely. That... and I just wanted to hear your voice again." I sighed. I heard him sigh as well.

"I miss you too. I landed okay," he said a bit reluctantly. I heard the wavering 'but' hanging in the air. There was something else, but he was hesitating. "This is going to be harder than we thought, isn't it?" he asked. Understanding that he was talking about us being apart, I nodded.

"Yeah, I wish I could be there with you," I sighed a bit dreamily when my brain registered that he couldn't see me. I sat up and faced the wall on my bed. I stared at my wall full of pictures and colors.