She Never Left

paranoia.

It's almost that time. That time every teenager dreams of - summer vacation. It's the second to last day of the school year at Clearwater High.

The final bell rang. A boy with soft brown skin and dark brown curly hair, which he kept the sides somewhat short for style, ran out of a classroom. Almost forgetting where he was going, he ran to his locker and waited there for about fifteen seconds.

"Hey, Kev." The girl that approached Kevin was rather short and small in size, and she had very curly hair that reached a little past her neck. Her facial features were soft and peach-colored.

"Laury! You remembered to come here!" Kevin said with a smile. The girl's real name was Laura Aryn Free, but her friends called her Laury.

"Of course I did. But I bet you forgot for a second." She grinned.

"Ah, you got me."

Laury laughed, and went to open her locker, which was about four lockers away from Kevin's. They have known each other since the fifth grade, so they were happy to have lockers so close to each other. They had crushes on each other in fifth grade, and were 'boyfriend and girlfriend' if you will, although, they look past that since it wasn't that serious. It was elementary school, after all.

Laury shut her locker. "Do you still need a ride? Are your parents still out of town?"

Kevin finished grabbing his things and closed his locker. "Yeah, they're out of town until tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh! You should come over then."

"Are you sure your parents are okay with that?"

"Of course they are. They really like you, you know." She was right. Laury's parents knew Kevin and his family for five years now, and they really liked Kevin and trusted him.

"Alright, then. I'll come."

Kevin and Laury waited outside for her mom to pick them up. They were both in the process of learning how to drive, but niether of them had a license or permit. They sat together on a bench in front of the school. They didn't talk much, like they usually do. Laury was shy and quiet around others, and Kevin was more of an insider. He only hung out with a certain group.

Kevin was about to say something, but Laury's mother drove in front of the school, waiting for them to get in the car. Kevin didn't ask to sit up front, he just went and sat in the back. Laury sat with him.

"Hey, Kevin, how are you?" Laury's mother asked.

"I'm great, Bethany, what about you?" Kevin politely responded.

She nodded. "I'm great, as well."

"I invited Kevin over." Laury stated, her pitch raising at the end of the sentence.

Bethany smiled. "Oh, great! I'll make dinner and then I have to leave for work at about eight tonight, and I'll be back around one in the morning. Kev, if you want to stay the night, you're more than welcome to. Laura, make sure you guys review your final exams."

"Yes, Mom." Laury responded.

They arrived at Laury's house minutes later. Bethany went to the kitchen, Kevin and Laury ran downstairs to Laury's room.

"I can't wait for summer break," Laury said, sounding exhausted. "Mainly because my birthday is in a week." Her birthday was always right after school ended, and Kevin's was about a week and a half after hers.

"Yeah, me too." Kevin repsonded, and threw his backpack on the floor, after Laury had already done so. Kevin sat next to Laury on her bed.

"Hey, Kev, do you ever just have too much on your mind that you're afraid to speak? Does that ever happen to you?"

Kevin looked into her soft, brown eyes. "Sometimes."

"I've been in that situation for a couple of days now." She swung her feet and looked at the floor.

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm just paranoid. Several questions always pop up in my mind. What if I didn't wake up tomorrow? Will I ever lose you as a friend? Things like that."

Kevin took a breath. "First of all, you'll never lose me as a friend no matter what. And you may have minor health issues, but when has that ever stopped you or hurt you severely?"

Laury smiled. She has minor heart problems and has had a couple seizures when she was super young, but it hasn't happened in several years. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't worry."

Kevin nodded. "Yeah."

"There's another thing I wanted to ask..."

Bethany opened the door. "Time to eat."

They ate, and thanked Bethany for the dinner. She left for work, saying goodbye to Kevin and Laury. They returned to Laury's room.

"What were you going to ask me?" Kevin asked.

Laury sighed, and sat rather close to Kevin on her bed. "Kev, I know you're a lone wolf, and you'd rather not be in a relationship, but I've been wanting to ask you since last year."

Kevin knew exactly what she was about to ask. He nodded, signaling her to keep talking.

"Can I please be your girlfriend?" Laury asked awkwardly, blushing. Kevin smiled with joy.

"Of course you can, Laury." They hugged each other. Laury took a deep breath.

"I've been afraid to ask because I'm shy, and I know you hate dating."

Kevin laughed a little. "Laury, I like you a lot. I don't like dating others, because I hate most people's personalities. You're different."

Laury smiled. "I'm happy to hear that."

It was like fifth grade all over again. Kevin sat at his desk, and someone had left a note in the shape of a heart on his desk. It read 'To: Kevin, From: Laura. Laura likes you!" It was the best idea, being in elementary school at the time. At least they were happier now.