~Chapter Three~

*Alice P.O.V.*

My alarm clock blared as I felt around for the snooze button. I couldn't find it anywhere and I was far too tired to look for it and that's the story of how my alarm clock ended up halfway across my room in three pieces.

'Whatever, I'll just buy another after school,' I thought to myself as I pulled myself out of bed and over to the pieces to clean it up.

After I cleaned up the broken clock I got dressed.

I went into my bathroom and brushed my teeth; after I rinsed my mouth, I lingered for a moment to look at my reflection. My eyes were dull. There was hardly any life left in them.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed and I looked down to see who texted me.

Vic:

See you in a few

Can't wait to see you

I bet you look beautiful today

I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks and I lifted my head back towards the mirror. My cheeks were dusted with a light pink and my eyes were bright. Full of life.

I smiled and headed downstairs. I went into the kitchen, grabbed an apple, and exited through the dining room door. As I walked in, my father looked up from his phone and said good morning and I replied the same.

My mother, on the other hand, kept quiet. I walked over to the door, scooping up my bag. Right as I opened the door I heard my mother calling my name but I rushed out, slamming the door behind me.

I ran to the next house and knocked on the door. Mike opened it, pulling me in when he saw the state I was in. I bent over catching my breath, even though it was a relatively short distance to run.

'Damn, I'm out of shape."

I walked over to the window, Mike in tow.

"Are you al-" he started to ask before I shushed him.

I peeked around the curtains and saw my mom standing out on the porch, looking for me.

I suddenly felt Mike standing right behind me. I noticed how close his body was and my face flushed.

"Why are we spying on your mom?" he whispered.

"Because she can't know I'm here," I said as her head turned in our direction.

I dropped to the floor, pulling Mike down next to me. He cracked up which made me laugh too.

After a few minutes of laughing, we were finally able to calm down.

"Do you think she's gone yet?" Mike asked.

I slowly crept back towards the window and peeked out. I let out a long sigh as I slid back down the wall.

"She's gone," I said happily.

"What goes on in that house when other people aren't there?" he asked with a serious look on his face.

I studied his features for a second before letting out another sigh and looked down.

"A lot..." I said, "a lot of bad things..."

I felt arms wrap around me and I leaned into his body for support. I hated having moments like this but I needed to just let everything out. I felt tears slip from my eyes and my body shook a bit. Mike held on tight as I cried. I looked up at him and met his eyes with my own tear-soaked orbs.

I felt him leaning towards me and I felt drawn in just as Vic came down the stairs. I looked down and Mike pulled his arms away. I wiped my eyes quickly before looking at Vic with a smile.

"Hey, guys," he said slowly, "what's going on?"

"Just hiding from my mother," I said, standing, "you ready to go?"

"Yeah," he said with a small smile that was obviously faked.

I glanced at Mike and saw him looking at me. I looked away quickly, hiding my blush. I walked to the door and picked up my bag from where I dropped it in my rush to get away from my mother. I opened the door and saw Diana driving up to my house. I quickly stepped out and waved her to the next house.

"Alright," I said, turning to Vic, "let's do this thing."

He flashed me a real smile and gestured for me to go first. I stepped out of the house, followed by Vic, and ran to the car.

Diana opened the door and I (quite literally) hopped in. I leaned over the seat to open the back door as Vic, looking somewhat confused, ran and jumped in after me.

Diana looked back at Vic then at me.

"Explain," she said.

"Drive," I said with a straight face.

As she pulled away from the house, I twisted in my seat so I was facing her.

"Diana, this is Vic," I said, gesturing to the back seat, "Vic, this is my best friend."

Vic waved to the front seat shyly and a small smile settled on my lips. I turned back to the front fiddled with the aux cord. I plugged in my phone and scrolled through my playlist.

I finally found the song I was looking for and pressed play.

Immediately, 'Stuck In Your Head' started playing. I cranked the volume leaned against the door, letting the beat fill my chest. I let my eyes close and just listened to the music. Halfway through the song, I heard Vic singing in the back seat. I cracked my eyes open to look at him in the rearview mirror.

He was staring out the window and singing along with 'I Prevail.' His voice was amazing. I closed my eyes again and listened to him sing. When the song ended I opened my eyes and saw him watching me through the mirror. I looked window and fought the rising heat in my cheeks.

Suddenly, my phone chimed.

'New message received from Lucas; message reads: Hey, cutie wanna hang out after school?'

My face flushed as I scrambled to pull my phone off the aux.

Lucas:

Hey, cutie wanna hang out after school?

Me:

Can't.

Busy with homework and family stuff.

I'll text you tho.

Lucas:

Aww.

Alright, keep me posted, Beautiful.

I shut the screen off and glanced in the mirror. Vic had his head against the window. He looked upset and guilt swelled in my gut.

We finally pulled up at the school and I see Lucas standing by the main entrance. A small smile settled on my lips as I made eye contact with him. He flashed me a goofy smile and walked over to us.

He walked straight to me and engulfed me in a huge hug.

"Hey there beautiful," he said, "how's your morning been?"

"Not so great, then good," I replied.

"Tell me about it?" he asked.

"Well, I had to hide from my mother and now I'm with friends that make my life worth," I looked at Vic as I said that last part, but he just looked away.

I realized Lucas's arm was still around my shoulder, so I looked up at him and he looked down at me with a sly grin. I raised my eyebrows at him and he kissed my forehead.

My face went red and I smiled a bit. Diana smirked at me from the hood of her car. I looked around and noticed that Vic was gone.

"Hey, where did Vic go?" I asked.

"Probably just went to class," Lucas said, then turning to Diana he asked, "mind if I steal her for a sec?"

She smiled and shook her head. The next thing I knew I was being pulled towards the back of the school. I smiled and took his hand and out of the corner of my eye I saw Vic watching us.

I didn't have much time to feel bad about Vic because once we got behind the school, I was pushed up against the wall and Lucas crashed his lips onto mine. I kissed back after a second and we were submerged into a heated make-out session.

I ran my hands through his hair and he gripped my hips, pulling me closer. He licked my bottom lip, silently asking permission to enter. I smirked and kept my mouth closed. He bit my lip, causing me to gasp, giving him access to my mouth. Our tongues fought for dominance for a second before I let him win.

Suddenly, I heard the bell ring and his grip on my hips tightened. Finally, we pulled away from each other. I felt something dripping down my chin and wiped it away, shocked to see it was blood.

"I think you bit my lip a little too hard," I said with a smile.

He looked at it for a second before placing a tender kiss on my lips. He pulled away and we looked into each other's eyes for a second before heading to class. Turns out we have the same first period.

We walked in just as the bell rang and we took the last two seats in the back, right next to each other.

I put my headphones as usual and started doodling. As I was drawing, Lucas reached over and started writing on the corner of my paper.

'Still busy after school?'

I looked at him and nodded. He shook his head and looked away. When the bell rang, he grabbed my hand and walked me to my next class. This continued all way the way up until the Sixth period. He insisted on walking me all the way to my desk, kissed the top of my head, and then walked to his class.

When he finally left, I sat down. Suddenly, a piece of paper was dropped onto my desk.

I looked up to see who put it there and I saw Vic looking down at me.

"Did you draw this?" I asked him.

He simply nodded and took his seat.

"This is beautiful," I said, "really!"

He peered at me with a small smile while I examined the drawing with a huge grin. He reached over and took the drawing back and smiled at me. His real, goofy smile. My smile grew as I saw his real one.

The rest of the class I spent drawing with my headphones on. Vic watched the whole time.

A few minutes before the bell, I handed him my drawing.

"Keep it," I said.

He looked at me with a smile and slid his drawing onto my desk.

"Do you wanna walk home together?" he asked.

"Sure," I answered.

The bell rang and we headed toward the main entrance. I half expected Lucas to be waiting for me but when I walked out, he was nowhere to be seen. Vic and I walked through the front door and I stopped. I stretched in the warmth of the sun removed my jean jacket to reveal a maroon tank top.

After a few more seconds, I caught up to Vic who was watching me from afar. He narrowed his eyes as I came closer and grabbed my chin.

"What happened to your lip?" he asked.

"Oh," I said, thinking of an excuse, "I uh… I hit it with my phone."

He looked at me for a second before smiling and shaking his head.

"Dork," he said with a smile.

I stuck my tongue out at him as giggles erupted from my belly.

As we got closer to our houses, I slowed my pace. Vic noticed and slowed down with me.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, just not in a hurry to get home," I said, looking down at my shoes.

He nodded and matched my pace. My house slowly came into view and I stopped a few steps away from the porch. Vic grabbed my wrist and I twisted to face him. I was taken aback at the sudden warm pressure on my lips.

Just as I was getting over the shock, he pulled away. I looked at him for a second as a deep blush settled on my face.

"I uh…" he stuttered, "I'm sor-"

"Alice Lynn Rodriguez!!"

My stomach dropped as I turned and saw my mother standing on the porch. If looks could kill, I'd have definitely been dead right then. I glanced at Vic who looked as scared as I was before I muttered a quick goodbye and walked up the porch steps and into my house.

My mother grabbed my arm as soon as I passed the doorway. I heard the door slam and felt her pull me towards the dining room. My backpack lay forgotten in the foyer.

She threw me through the door and I tripped on my own feet. She walked around me to grab something off the table and threw it on the ground in front of me and I realized what it was. It was the box of razors I kept in my bathroom. I looked up at her in fear and confusion.

"I found it while replacing a few things in your bathroom," she said in disgust, "What if a guest had found these?"

"I have plenty of excuses for those," I replied quietly.

Suddenly, she grabbed my hair and pulled me off the ground. I could see out of the window and for a second I saw Vic watching with a horrified expression before I was thrown into the wall. She raised her hand to slap me again and again before throwing the box of razors at me.

"Find a better hiding spot for those," she said, "or it'll be worse next time."