If We Ever Get an Hour Together (A Van McCann fanfiction)

And I Try My Best To

Lucia:

"You know what, don't," He grabbed my hands and pushed them against me. "I'm tired of being the bad guy. I get it, I know what I did, but you"-

My phone rang in my jacket pocket. I knew it was Gabi, wondering why I wasn't home wallowing with her. If she knew the answer she'd probably scratch my eyes out. I was barely getting on her good side.

"Just wait Van, wait one moment for me." I looked at him and reached for my phone, but before I had the chance to answer, he got close to me. His face hard to read, I felt my skin react when his face got close to mine, but he didn't do any of the things I wanted him to do. No way, he was too hurt for that. Instead, he looked me in the eye.

"Tell your sister to wait."

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Thirteen months earlier:

Lucia:

"Oh Jesus, watch it!"

I felt water spill over my thighs, the sensation making me jump in my seat.

Gabi laughed, pushing her glasses up and yanking her hand back from my plate, a fry in her hand. "Get over it, it's just a little water."

"It's just a little water." I mimicked under my breath, trying to use napkins to clean up some of the water. I tucked one leg underneath me, wrapping my hand around the coffee mug and bringing it to my mouth.

"Caffeine is addictive," Gabi spoke up again, half of my fry between her fingers.

"It's either this or cocaine."

"Lucia." Our humor was the complete opposite.

I drank the bitter liquid, adjusting the laptop in front of me. "What do you call the"-

My phone vibrated against the table. I checked it.

Cesar: Where are you?

Jay's w/ Gabi. Shouldn't you be asleep by now?

Cesar: I thought you'd call and say goodnight :/

"Is that Cesarrrr?" Gabi rolled her r's, pulling off her glasses and squinting at one of the lenses.

"Yes." I set my phone down and typed something down, an idea for later. "What about this, a girl falls in love with a guy, but he has bad luck whenever he's around her. So they can never be together. His family like, starts dying basically."

"Morbid," Gabi responded. "Incredibly morbid. The point is to make the reader want to read the story, not ruin love for them."

I rubbed my chin, looking at the blank document in front of me. "This story isn't going to write itself. I need some new inspiration."

Gabi's ringtone rang loudly. Shrill, it interrupted the quiet of the restaurant. "Hello? Yeah. Uh huh. Sure thing. No way, we're already there. Who are they? From where? I've never heard of them. I'm bringing my sister. Ok. No alcohol for her please, she's a baby."

After Gabi hung up, I looked at her. "Who was it?"

"Hannah, she wants to go see this band but doesn't have anyone to go with. Since we're here and mom and dad aren't getting back home until later, we can go ahead and go with her. She wanted to buy you a drink in celebration of your birthday, but I had to remind her that you aren't twenty-one yet."

"I'm turning twenty-one next year, don't be annoying."

"You plus coffee, and alcohol? No way."

"As if I haven't had it before," I mumbled, shutting my laptop.