Day 8 & 9.

Ten Reasons Not To Die

Day 8 Mom and Dad

The only connection I had left with my parents is an old photograph of the two of them on their wedding day. Mom looked so beautiful in her long, traditional white wedding dress with long, laced sleeves. Her dark mahogany hair, which I inherited from her, was in loose ringlets and she was carrying a bouquet of light pink roses. Dad, who had his arm snaked around her waist, was pulling her in for a peck on the cheek. He was wearing a classic black tuxedo with a simple black bow tie. Dad was staring at mom with dazed eyes, while she was laughing.

I don't think I've ever seen my parents happier than they were in this photo.

My eyes cast over the photo, as I hit my lower lip.

God, I miss them so much.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, as it pushed open. Feeling flustered and startled, I fumbled to hide my picture by shoving it under my pillow.

Evan stepped inside my room, as he raised an eyebrow. He had a teasing grin on his face, as he tried to reach over me. "What were you hiding?" he asked, trying to snatch the picture out from under the pillow.

"It was nothing." I lied, swatting his arm away.

Evan smirked, as he hovered over me. I fell on my back against my bed, as he straddled me. My face turned cherry red, as I held in my breath. Evan smirked at my reaction, as he reached out to brush a strand of hair behind my ears. "Okay, Remy." He whispered, voice sending shivers down my spine. What was this boy doing to me? "I guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way."

Before I could react any faster, his hand pulled out the picture from under my pillow. My eyes widened as he stared at it. His face went pale and blank, and just for the slightest second, I forgot that he was still on me.

"Okay, you can get off now." I grumbled, pushing him off of me. I had to admit that I was slightly pissed off that he took the picture without my permission.

I couldn't help but notice that he was still looking at the picture. His face was blank, so I couldn't see what he was thinking about when he looked at it.

"Give me it back." I muttered, snatching it away from him. I didn't want to be rude, but I didn't want him to judge me. Not that I thought he was going to, I mean, I trust him, right?

Right. I trust Evan Woods.

"They look really happy." He whispered, looking me in the eye.

"They are." I immediately said, as my face well. "Or, they were."

Evan smiled faintly, eyes following my hand as I slipped the photo back under my pillow, where it should belong.

"There's a reason why you're here today." Evan suddenly said, making me turn to him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

Evan smiled, staring at the cracked white wall on the right. "There's a reason why you weren't in that car when your parents died. There's a reason why you were chosen to stay here."

I almost wanted to cry.

My heart was falling to the pit of my stomach, as a lump rose in my throat.

"Don't say things like that, Evan." My voice cracked.

Evan turned to me, eyes lingering on the salty tear that slid down my cheek. Slowly, Evan's hand reached out to brush the tear away from my cheek. What must've surprised me the most was when Evan didn't take his hand away. In fact, his hand cupped my right cheek, rubbing circles on my temple with his thumb.

"Say things like what?" he repeated. "The truth?"

My hands trembled by my side, as my cheek felt warm against Evan's palm. "Your parent's don't want to see you sad, Remy." He soothed, voice sounding so gentle and soft. "They left you here for a reason. Don't disappoint them."

"Evan, you don't know what you're-"

Evan's lips suddenly landed against my cheek, as my eyes went wide.

My heart began to race, as Evan's soft, cool lips came in contact with my red, flushing hot cheeks.

I know it was only a kiss on the cheek, but it was the most intimate thing that's ever happened to me.

I hated to admit it, but it felt so right.

When Evan pulled his lips away, I couldn't help but notice how his ears had a hint of pink to them. I hit back a small smile, as Evan stared down at my bed shyly.

"S-so, yeah." He stuttered, sounding shaky and nervous. "Reason eight, your parents."

****

Ten Reasons Not To Die

Day 9 The Future

"I guess I have one more day, huh?" Evan whispered.

We were lying at some cornfield that was deserted by some farmer ages ago. The dried up hay tickled my neck, and made me itchy, but I wasn't complaining at all. I was right next to Evan, our shoulders barely touching, and we were both staring up at the sun.

"I guess so." I muttered. I hadn't even thought about our deal during these past few days. Had it really been nine days already? A shiver went down my spine, as I looked over at the boy beside me, who looked defeated and disappointed, yet still determined.

I licked my dry lips, wondering why I hadn't scared him off yet. It had been nine days already, most people who knew about me would've ran away by now. But why hasn't Evan?

"Days went by a lot quicker than I thought it would." Evan muttered, so quietly that it was barely audible.

I let out a low laugh. "It did, didn't it?"

"I Wish it hadn't, though." Evan sighed.

I turned towards him, so that my body was facing his. Raising an eyebrow, I asked him, "What do you mean by that?"

Evan looked uneasy, as if he hadn't figured out quite yet what he wanted to say. He tucked his hand behind his neck, as he scratched it nervously. "I don't know." He sighed. "I mean, I actually had a lot of fun these past few days. I never want it to end. So what happens to me when you decide to leave? I'm going to spend the rest of my life wondering what I could've done better to save you."

I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach, as I gulped. Never have I ever in my life felt so many emotions at one time. There was happiness, sadness, and even guilt.

Evan interrupted my thoughts with a bitter laugh that never reached those gorgeous green eyes of his.

"I can tell that you aren't happy by the expression on your face." He smiled faintly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ears, something that he does regularly now. "Don't blame yourself, okay? I got myself into this, remember?"

My mind flashed back to when I was just a mere inch from falling down that cliff, when Evan came and pushed me off to the side.

"Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die." Evan paused. "And if I can't change your mind by then, you can gojump off that cliff. "

Later that evening, Evan drove me back to the orphanage. It was half past nine, and all of the children were probably asleep by now. I had missed dinner tonight, and I was sure that Mother Grace would've been angry at me. But when stepped inside the orphanage with Evan when he had brought me home, Mother Grace came running towards me with a large, manila envelope in her hands.

"Remy, darling!" she beamed, "I've been waiting for you all night! Where have you been?"

I frowned, wondering what Mother Grace was so excited about. "I was just out with Evan, that's all."

Evan gave Mother Grace a wave, as she grinned. "Great! More people to celebrate with!"

"What?" I asked, clearly confused. "Mother Grace, what on Earth are you talking about?"

Mother Grace flashed the envelope towards me, as I grabbed it from her. It was addressed to me, from Brown University, one of the universities that I applied to earlier this year. My eyes widened, as I stared at the address carefully, making sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me.

"Brown University?" Evan said, a smile spreading across those rosy red lips of his. "Open it, Remy!"

I hit my lower lip, as I tore open the envelope cautiously, making sure I didn't rip anything inside.

Mother Grace squealed, clamping a hand over her lips. "I need to go tell the other nuns about this!" she gushed. "I'll be right back!"

I watched as she scurried out of the room, running up the stairs. "Sister Mary! Sister Mary, we have news for you!" she called out, probably waking up some kids in the process.

I laughed, as I turned back towards Evan, who had been silent the entire time. He had a faint smile across his lips, but he hadn't said a word since I've opened the letter.

"Evan?" I smiled. "Can you believe it? Brown University wants me!"

Evan still wouldn't utter a word, which made my smile drop. I began to frown, as I stared at him cautiously. "Evan, is there something wro-"

Before I got to finish my sentence, Evan had wrapped his arms around me, giving me a bone crushing hug. He held me tightly and protectively, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Can't you open it any faster?" Mother Grace snapped. "The suspense is killing me here!"

I laughed, as I tore the envelope open with one big rip. I let out of the empty envelope, clutching onto the packet I received tightly.

"Dear Remy Montgomery," I skimmed through the letter, skipping the useless information, "we are proud to inform you that you have been accepted into Brown University!"

Mother Grace let out a shrill, as I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Mother Grace wrapped her arms around me, and I could feel her tears leaking through my shirt. "Oh, Remy! I knew you would make it! I'm so proud of you!"

I pulled away from Mother Grace, as I wiped away the tears of happiness that filled my eyes. I read through the packet, biting my lips from excitement. "Oh my Lord, Mother Grace." I gasped, reading through a line in the letter carefully. "I'm on full scholarship!"

And even though I could barely breathe, everything just felt so right.

"You have such a whole life ahead of you." Evan's hot breath tickled my ear. "I want to watch you grow."