Miss Perfect and The Bad Boy

twenty six - prom

Alex

"When can I get out of here?" I asked the doctor.

It had been days since I woke up, and they still wouldn't let me leave. My mom had a big meeting in Texas for a promotion at her job and I convinced her to go back home after hours and hours of telling her that I was fine. Her husband talked to her outside my room alone for a few minutes and I heard lots of crying, but she eventually came in here to kiss me goodbye, saying that she'd fly back as soon as she was done with the meeting. It wasn't easy for her to leave, though. I just wanted to be alone.

"Just a little while, until we know you're okay," the doctor said, turned around to face me. "We put your name down for the rehab center for three days from now." I groaned as the doctor walked out and Aiden walked in.

"Hey," he said, taking a seat on the chair.

"Hey," I mumbled, sitting up. Luckily, they took all the tubes out of me, because I didn't need them anymore. The only people who've been visiting me were Aiden, and sometimes Kelani. I hadn't seen Nicole since that day I woke up.

"What did the doctor say?" Aiden asked.

"It's going to be little while," I repeated. "Then, rehab and a mental hospital."

"This is crazy," he whispered, still not believing it. "God, I fucking hate you, Sanchez."

"I'm sorry," I said. Aiden looked horrible, and I knew it was all because of me.

"Don't apologize," he said sharply. "Just promise never to do this ever again. If something's going on, you can come to me, you know?"

I nodded and shifted, uncomfortably. The last thing I wanted to talk about was this, so I tried changing the subject. "What's going on at school?"

"Are you trying to ask about Nicole?"

I shook my head. "We're over."

"She really loves you," Aiden said.

I shrugged. "I can't risk getting her involved with anything going on. De Luna will kill me as soon as I step out of this hospital anyways, for not showing up to the fight. Can't fucking wait to be beat to death."

He furrowed his brows. "Kelani didn't tell you?"

I turned my head. "Tell me what?"

"Nicole got you out of the gang."

♡

Nicole

"You look amazing," Kelani said.

It was the day of prom, and Kelani had somehow convinced me to go. I was reluctant because this was supposed to be a night I spent with Alex, but I decided I needed to get my mind off of him. He was okay and doing better, and that was all that mattered. I could survive not being in his life as long as he was okay.

"Thank you," I said to Kelani, turning in my long, deep red dress to get comfortable in the car. I was third-wheeling on Aiden and her, even though they both insisted on having me here.

"Are you okay?" Kelani asked.

"I'm working on it."

We pulled up to the school that had a red carpet in front, for the Hollywood theme. Aiden grabbed Kelani's hand and they smiled at each other, and I suddenly felt very out of place.

"Come on," Kelani said to me. "We have a surprise for you."

I groaned as she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the back of the school. "I don't do sur-"

I almost dropped to the floor out of surprise when I saw Alex standing under a single lamppost outside. He was wearing a tuxedo with a red tie that matched my dress, but his hair was its usual unruly form. He looked a lot skinnier, and his cheeks seemed hollow, but he looked good. He always looked good.

I managed to find my voice. "What are you doing here?" I looked back to Kelani and Aiden, who were smiling.

"Surprise," Kelani exclaimed.

Alex spoke up. "Can we talk?" He sounded tired. That's when I noticed the circles under his eyes and creases between his eyebrows.

I swallowed back my tears, nodded, and followed him to the back of the school, where it was completely dark, except one lamppost. He stood there and looked at me for a few moments. I couldn't read the expression on his face.

"I don't even know where to begin," he finally spoke, closing his eyes. I stood there, staring at him. He looked so sad. Finally, he pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my head into his shoulder.

I don't know when I started crying, but soon, I was sobbing onto his chest. There goes all the makeup Kelani did.

"Nikki," Alex whispered. He sounded like he was in pain. "Please don't cry."

I pulled my self together and wiped my tears as Alex released me from the hug. He reached over to me and wiped my wet cheeks with his thumb.

"I'm going to try and explain all of this," Alex started. I took his hand in mine, his ring cold against my fingers, encouraging him to go on. He lightly squeezed it, before continuing, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I have you, I have my friends, I have my mom, but I still feel like I'm alone."

I bit my lip. "I'm always going to be here, no matter what. I don't know what I need to do to prove it to you, but it's true. You can't keep everyone closed off and at arm's length."

"I'm trying, Nikki. I'm trying really hard," he sighed. "When we fought that day, I realized the stuff you said was true. You were one of the only people that was there for me, and I pushed you away. I thought you'd be better off with out me. I wanted you to be happy. Then, I saw you crying at the hospital and everything that was left inside of me just broke. I felt so terrible because I knew that I hurt you."

I glanced down at our hands. I was unconsciously twisting around the ring his mom gave him. "When the doctors told me you probably weren't going to live, I don't know what happened. I couldn't breathe, or think, or hear anything. I thought it was a nightmare, and kept thinking to myself that I'd wake up any moment, in your arms." My voice broke, as I felt hot tears on my hand. But, they weren't mine. They were Alex's.

His head was hanging low, also staring at our hands. "I'm sorry," he kept mumbling. "Aiden told me about you paying my way out of De Luna. You really shouldn't have done that."

"I wanted to. I needed to."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

Alex looked up at me. "I meant everything I said in that letter. I think if you're going to be happy, you need to leave me," he said quietly. My heart sunk, and I was about ready to cry when he spoke again, "But, I know that I can't live with out you. And I know that I'm way too much in love with you to even try and live without you."

A smile formed on my lips. "So we can give this another shot?"

He nodded. "You're stuck with me now, Kingston."

"I'm more that okay with that, Sanchez."