Lucas

"Good afternoon, everyone." The girl on the stage, smiles. Just by looking at her I know, she is nervous, yet she knows how to conceal it so well. 'Maybe, we all grow up and learn how to disguise things, especially our emotions.'

Her rose-coloured hair dazzled in the theatre lights, as she tucks a hair behind her ear. "I am Lisa. Lisa Granger Rose. My dad used to call me Rose." She smiles. She must be missing her dad now. "But more commonly, I go by the name Lisa."

Do I even ever need to be reintroduced to her?

I look at her, as she grins at all the people sitting in the audience. A nervous smile. It might look like she is looking at the people, sitting in the audience, but actually, all she is doing is just looking at the back door. That is something she always does, whenever she has to speak in front of people.

"Let me try and umm," she peeks at me. I smile at her, in response.

She smiles back and says gripping the mic. "I will try and sing a song, maybe?" She glances around and continues. "I might not be too good, but I'll try to not be too bad."

"Ahem—" Closing her eyes, she steps a bit toward the mic and tightens her grip around it.

"Every night in my dreams" She slowly starts singing.

"I see you, I feel you"

"That is how I know you go on"

It is her favourite song, she always insisted on listening to this one whenever we'd be together.

"Far across the distance

And spaces between us

You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more, you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time

And last for a lifetime

And never let go 'til we're gone

Love was when I loved you

One true time I'd hold to

In my life, we'll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on"

'Love does not bless everyone in life. And just because you treasure someone', —"Once more, you open the door."

'You can't envision them liking you back. It's just not possible. At least not always.'

"And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on"

But it gets even harder, when you don't even get to confess to that person, and you are constantly hounded by the thought, that you didn't even try and propose, so how do you already know the answer will be known? How are you so sure, when you have never even tried?

'If you never try, you never know.' The person whom, I feel my heart palpitate toward, every time we look at each other, every time I see her beautiful smile, has always taught me that we should always go after our hearts, and try our fullest to do the thing that makes us the happiest.

But. . . is the same in the case, of our hearts? When our hearts and souls are in love with another heart and soul, does the same strategy apply there, as well?

If yes, then how?

She finishes her song, with the last stanzas.

"We'll stay forever this way

You are safe in my heart and

My heart will go on and on"

The thing that has always scared me is the reality, of everything. What if, she falls in love with somebody? Though, if she is really happy with him, and the guy is a good one, then maybe I'll learn, to move on. Right?

I don't want to be one of those possessive guys who go around saying, that if they can't get the girl, they will make sure no one else does. I don't want to be one of them. Lisa, wouldn't like that.

"Thank you." Lisa thanked everyone, bowing a little. "Hope you liked it." The crowd loudly cheer for her, as she gracefully climbs down the stairs.

I look at my sides, and many of the others were already standing, cheering and hotting as they called out her name, again and again. I smile at her, as she comes near me. Her eyes, search for some genuine compliment from everyone who was saying she did well.

I wait for her to walk toward me, before engulfing her in a big hug. "You did awesomely," I whisper, only so she hears it.

I don't know the exact reason why I did, what I did. But then again, hugging Lisa was not something new for me, for any of us. You don't find it weird to hug, or be hugged by your childhood friend, do you? I guess, it just gets easier to communicate between two people, once they grow up together. But, it isn't always like that.

Like, how I am hesitating, second-guessing my wants and the consequences it will bring.

I hear her ring-crossed giggles, softly tingling my ears. "Thanks."

It is so strange to have her this close. It feels new, unlike all the other times. It feels so soothing, and comforting. A feeling, I'd like to experience every second of my life.

She slightly bends backwards, and says, "Great musicians make their friends, a good singer too."

I smile, rekindling the mini-sweet moment I just had. "It was truly enticing."

"Maybe I am not that bad of a student, after all?

I glance at her, radiating with emerging beauty, "Not a so bad one."

"Alright. Now the next boy." The blonde-haired dude points at me. "Please, come up."

"Do I even have to say anything to encourage someone, who is already as confident as ever," Lisa says, rolling her eyes. "Right! I know." Maria says, looking at me.

"Because I know I rock."

"Yep," Lisa says, nodding her head. "You sure do, siree." Maria agrees, showing a thumbs up.

"I don't understand why stupid people even get to attend these sort of things, in the first place?" I turn around and look back at the second row to look at the source of the voice.

"Ruppen," Lisa says, glaring at him.

"What?" He crosses his arms, across his chest, "As if I didn't just state the truth. You know you all should just start an I-am-a-pest-who -loves-to-irritate club, altogether if these are all you can do."

"Hah—" Lisa sighs, in a sharp tone. "Just keep your goody two cents to yourself. No one is interested to listen to them."

"And," She adds. "How are you advising others on what to do, when you are losing so much in life, yourself?"

"Rosaline." He calls her. "Enough." I glare at him. "If you think you know more, then keep to yourself."

I don't hear anything more, and not sure if he even said anything after that. Not that I am in any way interested to know.

"Hi." I try to be as calm as I possibly can. "I'm Lucas Wyatt Pierce."

This morning, I had gone to the Granger's house, as usual. But she was not up yet, for some reason.

>>>flashback

Locking the car, I take the key out. Placing it inside my pocket, I walk across the Grangers' yard and knock on the door.

The door opened within hardly a minute of me knocking. "Hello, Maa." I greet Mrs Granger.

"Luc." She smiles at me, with the same warm smile as Lisa. And the only difference they both share is their eyes. Mrs Grangers has a pair of tantalizing greenish eyes. While, Lisa owns a pair of hazel eyes, just like Mr Cameron.

"Come in, my boy." I come inside, and closing the door behind me, I subconsciously look at the stairs. "Lisa is still sleeping." I turn to loom at Mrs Granger, as she smiles at me. "Huh? Oh, umm Maa," I glance back at the stairs, back at her and then at the table she was standing behind.

"You haven't prepared breakfast yet?"

"I did." She says, looking back, at the kitchen counter. "I have sorted all the rubbish out, too."

"But Lisa isn't up yet?"

"She has been up all night, working on her writing project." Mrs Granger answers, with a tired face. "And you know, how important writing is, for her."

I nod, glancing back up, the stairs.

"She said she is working on another NaNoWriMo." Mrs Granger says. "Go up, and see for yourself."

Entering her room, I see the lights all dimmed. And in midst of the dimmed lights, the girl I am looking for was laying on the bed, one hand still on the computer, one leg almost falling off the bed, and her head dashed hanging in midst of the soft bed covering and the hard edge of the computer.

Walking near her bed, I squat down. She was looking so beautiful with her messy hair, and innocence she had. She had never looked this pretty before, all the times I've had seen her sleep.

This wasn't a pretentious kind of beauty, that many girls try to put on, with dozens of makeup layers. It was something so much greater, yet soft. Something so simple, yet elegant. She was quite honestly looking so cute, right now.

Suddenly, I see her move her right arm a little, knitting her brows. She opens her mouth a little and tries to shove the strand of hair, that was falling on her face, disturbing her face.

"Hah-" I smile, whispering "this girl."

Removing the strand of hair from her face, I glance at her radiating face that seems to have captivated me. The same familiar face, I have been seeing for the last sixteen years seems so much more beautiful than it ever had.

"Tsk."

I stare at her, surprised. After a minute, I break out chuckling. "She is clicking her tongue, even in her sleep, now?" Staring at her sleep, I decided to take her laptop from her. Slowly, I remove her hand and then as silently as I possibly can, I turn around to go and place the laptop, on the table.

"No. Stop." I flinch, hearing the quavering voice. "You mister. I told you to stop."

Turning around, I look back at the bundle of pink still sleeping. "Sto-op." She mumbles, with the little un clear voice she is speaking with.

"Hah." I can't help, but chuckle at this girl's cuteness.

Placing her laptop on the desk, I stare at the screen and just like I had guessed she hadn't saved the file. Despite the fact, that there are so many good writing apps, to write in she likes to stick to 'WORD' for some reason.

And whenever she gets time, to work on them which always ends up being night times, she always forgets to save the file, because every time she ends up falling asleep.

RING

RING RING

Looking to the corner, towards the nightstand, her phone started ringing constantly with the reminder, "SCHOOL . WAKE UP" brightly written in white.

"Argh." Moving her hand, and slamming it on the bed around her, she searched for her phone. I sigh, walk closer to her bed, and grab her phone from the stand, still ringing. And placing it in her hand, I clasp her hand.

"Five minutes." Groaning on the bed, she slammed the phone, flat on the bed beside her, in an upside-down manner.

RING RING

But of course, it wasn't as if the phone could hear her or anything. Of course, it couldn't, and thus the endless rings never stopped.

"Aish—" just as she was about to throw her phone away, I grab her hand. However, the moment I held her hand, I knew the exact thing I didn't want to know.

In life, you don't always have a choice. Especially, when it comes to things like liking, and loving someone. Hating someone, can be out of choice, maybe?

But, loving someone— At this moment, as I am holding her hands, I know something inside of me that maybe existed before too, but I just didn't want to acknowledge. Something so strong, so strong in fact that it scared me.

No. This wasn't how things were supposed to be, was it? It wasn't, right?

I stare at the hand I was holding, the pale white hand and the electrifying sensation, I was having.

***

"Ah—shit!"

Shifting the book in front of my face, trying my best to not look as if I was staring at her, I nonchalantly say, "Someone finally woke up."

"What—" She says, before letting out an earth-crushing scream, "Aaa!"

"What are you doing inside my room?"

Shoving the book aside, I stare at her. "What's up with it?"

"Who let you in?" She stares at me. After a few seconds, she pulls the duvet close, hugging it she shouts "MOM!!"

"MOM!"

"She looked pretty busy earlier."

She glances at me and says with envious eyes.

"Sometimes, I feel so depressed yet confused."

"Confused?" I look at her askingly. Heaving a long sigh, she says, "Confused at the fact that, if I should be depressed about having you as a friend, or being born as my mum's daughter when obviously, you fit the position of her child, way more than me."