Hey, Bully

Last Cry

I was sitting on one of the swings at the back of my house. My gaze was on the beautiful stars that twinkled in the night sky.

It was past midnight. I was still in the dress that I wore to Sophia's go-away party. It was chilly and I shivered more than once but I stayed, in the semi-darkness, trying to sober before I enter the house.

I was feeling a little melancholic. We were all going on our separate ways soon to go to college. Well, except for Skull and Rohan. They were going to be seniors this upcoming school year. But they too would be graduating next year and the thought of seldom meeting with everyone made my heart ache.

Something rustled behind me and I stiffened, grabbing my purse on my lap to use it as a weapon if I have to.

Then I let myself relax because it was probably Skull.

He'd often surprised me by coming unannounced and we sometimes stayed up all night on the back porch, just talking and gossiping about our friends. My parents thought I was dating him. We didn't bother to correct them because we both thought it was amusing. We were only friends. He was my closest male friend. I had never thought I'd get to have a male best friend because of the whole girl-and-boy-cannot-just-be-friends kind of thing. But we never really thought of each other more than friends.

At the corner of my eye, I saw someone sit on the other swing next to me. I sighed and turned my head.

"Why are you here, Skull...?" The words died on my throat.

Because it wasn't Skull.

It was Will.

Dumbstruck at the sight of him, I could only stare at his side profile. And he took the opportunity of my stunned silence to talk.

"Yes." He was staring at the swimming pool ahead as he spoke. "I missed you. Every day that we were apart, I missed you."

I couldn't help but tear up at the answer to the question that I had once asked him so long ago.

"When I went to Terry's birthday party last year, I had wanted to tell you that. And to set things right. But you didn't let me. And you didn't leave Christopher Lawrence's side all night. So I left, thinking I was too late because you looked so happy next to him."

"Then why are you here?" I asked, finding my voice.

Will took a deep breath. Then he turned his head and I gasped at the fresh bruise under his eye.

He smiled ruefully. Then he told me where he'd been.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Can we talk?"

Christopher looked completely pissed off as he shut the door to his car.

"Are you crazy, Carter?" he yelled as he stormed towards him. "You could have hit my car, you shit driver."

"But I didn't," William pointed out, leaning behind his car. The car that was currently blocking the road leading into the Lawrence property. "And luckily, you stopped just in time."

Christopher glared at him. "You're a lunatic."

"Are you really going out with Hannah?"

And he started to laugh. "Fuck, is this why you suddenly appeared out of nowhere at," he glanced at his wristwatch, "half past eleven in the evening, Jesus Christ!" he returned his gaze back to him. "How long did you wait for me here?"

William shrugged. "I couldn't exactly crash Sophia Gideon's party."

"So you decided to crash my car instead?" Christopher retorted in disbelief.