„One can say living is a gift, but how could that be when I was given everything I could hope for only when I learnt to live without it?"- Hillary Wolf
Friday was embracing Vivien, as she had been waiting for the end of the week for what felt like ages. In the halls, kids were talking about all sorts of events like homecoming and graduation. A college application was always in the back of her head, it was a mincing thought striding its way in her mind as a caring mother admonishing her crying child.
The girl tried to cover up the boy's jokes during classes like bandages over an open wound. She was glad he didn't bother her that day.
Grace and Rachel followed Vivien to her locker. They caught up to her, trading concerned looks. Grace's soft voice echoed through the emptying halls.
„Hi, Viv. I hope we're not disturbing you. Are you doing okay?"
„Yes, I'm ecstatic. Are we still on for tonight, girls?"
„Duh!", Rachel answered. „We're going to have an awesome movie night at my place- you, me, Grace and a wonderful pillow fortress nobody can break. We're going to have a junk food mountain."
„Sounds so appealing...", Vivien said sarcastically.
„I know you hate junk food, but this will be different. We need the bonding time and socialising fills up our happiness meters! It's a stressful year."
„I can bring some apples... if Vivien wants me to...", Grace suggested.
Vivien shook her head and smiled in appreciation at Grace. She was always kind enough to try making everyone feel comfortable, making it difficult not to appreciate a friend like her.
„Can't wait, see you two there. Bye!"
The girl hurried back home once she finished the conversation with her friends.
She wanted to prepare for the movie night and she had to write for geography before it. She wanted to do a recap of the climate of every single country in South and North America.
Vivien hastened back to her home and went through the front door. She tossed her bag by the couch and collapsed onto the soft matress of her bed. The girl still had „The Waves" glued to her hands ever since yesterday. The house was quiet, way too silent.
Her eyes drifted to her notebook on the nightstand. It was filled with thoughts about freedom and succes, descriptions of what certain words mean and moments in her life she didn't wish to forget. She didn't reach to open it. Instead, she got up and went out of her room.
Her older brother, Luis, seemed to have also stepped out of his room. He was sitting on the couch with a laptop on his lap.
He looked way too mature for the way he usually acted, yet again, he was just 21 and in college. Focused on his work, he hadn't noticed she came in from school, and he looked way too put-together for a Friday, in contrast to Vivien.
„What's going on, kiddo? How's highschool?"
Luis closed his laptop. His big-brother-radar turned on just then.
„Don't ask. I'm certain you don't wish you could go back to your last year."
„Believe me, I don't want to. College is way better."
He sat up and ruffled her hair, making it look very messy.
„You promised you'd make me lunch today. It was your turn.", she fought back with words.
Luis groaned dramatically, throwing his hands up as if she asked him to solve all of her problems.
„Fine, but only because it was a promise. You're lucky I value words more than my naps."
He shuffled toward the kitchen, muttering a few words about her highschool stress levels being through the roof and making him get stuck with lunch duty.
The girl plopped on a chair and watched him open the cabinets with exaggerated effort.
„Don't you have cafeteria food or something?"
„Eugh.."
„So...", he said casually, pulling out bread and cheese to make her sandwich. „What are you going to watch tonight with your friends? Will you listen to uptown funk music? Will you dance like this?"
Luis danced while he prepared her the sandwich.
He stroke a pose that mimicked a moonwalk on the linoleum floor, making the girl chuckle.
She had to cover her hand to stop herself from laughing too much. Vivien watched in silence, her chuckles sometimes slipping away without meaning to.
„It was not in my intention to laugh at you."
„Apology accepted, but only because you're stressed. Teachers piling on the work, friends growing up too fast and all... It must be heavy stuff. Just promise me one thing. Don't forget to be happy while it lasts."
The boy paused, placing the sandwich in front of her. It had girlled cheese, with a little extra cheese dripping out the sides.
She absolutely loved the way it looked.
„I promise! Now allow me to eat, I'm starving and cafeteria food is boring and bland."
„Of course. Go ahead, you're getting way too thin."
She muttered a thank you to him, then ate her sandwich in silence.
Luis got back to his work on the laptop, and the girl put her plate in the sink once she finished munching on her food.
She heard her brother saying a few words in retaliation to her placing the plate in the sink, but she didn't listen.
Vivien went to her room and jumped on her bed, staring at the ceiling once again. The walls were filled with posters of concerts she went to with Rachel and Grace. A string of fairy lights flickered like distant stars from the posters, calling her to relieve those memories once again. Her arms were behind her head, and all the staring session at the wall did was to remind her of everything that happened that week.
Sylas' voice was ringing in her head with those same words: „Free will versus destiny. They were like puppets forced to walk on a string, but still blamed for the fall." Sylas didn't speak to her today, but why did it seem wrong? The feelings were all too much, making her lose control of her own thoughts. She rolled over and grabbed the notebook from her nightstand.
She started carefully writing a single line in her personal journal: „Why do I care if someone sees me, only to pretend they never did?"
She stared at the words for a bit, then decided to erase them from the page. To clear her mind, she grabbed her geography book and worked on a few recap tests. Just before she could start dozing off from exhaustion in the middle of writing, outside, the sky darkened.
She checked the time, it was already well past 5 pm, and she needed to get ready. She chose the outfit most fitting for a movie night, fixing her hair in the mirror and doing her best to feel excited.
She picked a few snacks she enjoyed, then put them in a paper bag. The girl was ready to leave.
She said her goodbye to her brother, then closed the door behind her. When she reached Rachel's home, the girl knocked three times in a melodious rhythm her friends were already familiar with.
The door swung open instantly, as if Rachel had been waiting behind it for Vivien to arrive, counting the knocks.
„Vivien, you're late!"
Grace popped up from behind Rachel, wearing fuzzy socks and a hoodie about three sizes bigger.
„Only by two minutes. It's no biggie.", Grace said.
Vivien couldn't even greet them properly because Rachel dragged her in as fast as she opened the door. Grace shut the door behind her, the smell of popcorn filling the air.
The living room looked like a pillow fortress exploded.
Pillows, blankets, bowls of popcorn and bags of candy were everywhere. The movie was already queued up on TV and ready to play.
It seemed like the two girls were waiting for her arrival for some time, already. Vivien gazed around and tried to be descreet with the astonishment she felt.
In front of the couch was a big round wooden table. There were candy all over the table. Vivien picked up the bag.
„Every candy has to find its true color soulmate.", Vivien said.
„You want to sort out the candy? Let me help you out, we can work together!", Grace answered with her usual soft voice.
„Nooo, girls, girls! There will be no sorting candy in this household. Instead, there will be... a food fight! Ha!", Rachel dipped her finger in the whipped cream on top of a cupcake and tried to touch Vivien's nose, but she ducked.
Vivien walked further away, then starting to run away from Rachel.
„Heeey, come back, I need to tell you something, Viv!", Rachel ran after Vivien.
„I don't want to hear it. I will come back in full force if you touch me with whipped cream! Sugar is atrociously sticky!"
„Dear friend, don't run away, I have a surprise for youuu!"
Both girls were running around while laughing. Vivien hid behind tables, a couch and an armchair, but she was still being followed.
As she was trying to catch up to Vivien, Rachel accidentally got the whipped cream in Grace's hair, and the girl's blonde hair was destroyed. Grace looked up with her blue eyes, reaching out to touch her hair.
„My aiming isn't that great, sorry Grace.", Rachel apologised.
Grace chuckled, the whipped cream almost dripping from her hair. She took the whipped cream, then touched Rachel's nose.
„That's revenge. You started it.", Vivien said.
After the chaos dissipated, the trio sat down on the sofa and watched the movie „Mystery Island" in peace. Grace was still running her hand over the sticky strands of hair, trying to somehow clean it.
Rachel was watching the movie in silence, something praiseworthy for her. Luis' words were ringing in Vivien's head as she was watching the movie and laughing with her friends. „Don't forget to be happy while it lasts." She wanted to hold onto those words because they were meaningful to her, even if she didn't realize it yet.