"It's here. I can see it. It's staring at me."

My eyes narrowed at it, my fists clenching together. It was smirking at me, taunting me. It has guts, a lot of guts to show up here. It has guts just staying in the same room as me. How dare it be here, especially after what it done to me that night, ten chapters ago.

"My old enemy," I growled lowly, my eyes zooming right at it. "Fruit punch."

It was there, sitting on a table surrounded by a big display of chips, sodas and beer pegs. The fruit punch was held in a clear punch bowl, with stacks of red cups for anyone with a fruit punch craving. A spiked fruit punch craving.

"You shouldn't hold the grudge on the fruit punch. It didn't mean to."

I looked at him. "What are you defending it?"

He shrugged. "It's innocent. It's not its fault it got corrupted by the evil person who spiked it."

"But still..."

"Just ignore it," Parker told me. "This time you know it's spiked, and you won't make the same mistake again."

"Yeah, you're right."

Parker looked around the room. "I'm sorry that I have to bring you to another party. This is the last place I want to be."

"It's alright Parker."

"I promised them I'll show up at the party," he said as he looked around the room. I don't if he was looking for anyone, but I know it would be hard because of the dark room filled with flashing, blinding neon lights. "It will be only ten minutes and then we can go eat out, that good?"

I blinked. "Sorry, I heard eat and I just blanked out for a second."

His hand tightened around mine. "You're not leaving my side this one second."

I shook my head. "Tagging along while you go say hi to people, make a few jokes that I won't get, and hopefully turn down drinks, I'm good."

Parker frowned. "I'm not leaving you Naomi. That's out of the question."

I groaned in exasperation and said mockingly, "But dad..."

"No buts."

"Parker really, it's only ten minutes. I can't possibly do anything that bad in ten minutes."

"How long did it take you to get drunk with that fruit punch?" He asked me.

"Ten minutes," I admitted without missing a beat.

"Okay, how about this, I'll just stand here, in this secluded corner until you come back."

"We both know you won't stand here in this secluded corner until I come back." Before I could argue any further he continued, "Naomi, the more we argue, the more we're staying here. And I want to go eat somewhere already."

"Me too, but still..."

Parker leaned in close and whispered something in my ear. My eyes widened a bit, and I felt my cheeks turning warm.

"Now will you come with me?" He asked me.

I nodded.

He patted my head. "Good girl. Now let's go," he said as he pulled me through the crowd of dancing drunks.

A guy staggered a bit before continuing, "So then I told him-" He stopped when he saw him.

"Parker!" the whole group greeted in unison. He gave them some handshakes and half-hugs, the usual guy greetings.

"What's up, man?"

"That's a good arm you got there."

"We won the game 'cause of you!"

They continued talking on about the game. This is the fourth group of people Parker visited. At first I didn't mind, but after some drunk girl tried to grope my boyfriend, I'm counting the minutes until we can leave. We were at the second floor, the loud dubstep music was still echoing throughout the house from the source of the large speakers. I leaned forward the railing and looked down at the dance floor filled with kids dancing to the music. My eyes wandered away from the dance floor and to the other kids who were doing beer pong. I wonder if I'm as good at beer pong sober. I doubt it though, because my brain will be there to tell me it won't work or it's not possible.

Stupid brain.

I looked at kids who were talking- oh nope, not anymore, making out now. Others had their hands on drugs and were becoming higher than the sky. Two guys are getting into a fight, and everyone was cheering them on rather than stopping it. It was all chaos. It was then I realized a high school party is what this crappy world looks like. A high school party is only the small version of our crappy world. It's filled with dumb, drunk, and high idiots who are too busy fighting rather than overpopulating the place, or too busy overpopulating the place rather than fighting.  There you have it everyone, look at the reality of this planet we call home. Home, sweet, home.

Something caught my eye and I looked to see that it were the guys. It was all three of them, Jordan, Bennett and Declan. And their girlfriends were there too, Candice, Abby, and Hannah. But the thing was, they were all fighting. It was boys vs. girls, the six of them were in just one group argument. Hands were thrown up into the air in exasperation, fingers were pointed, teeth bared, eyes glaring at each other. People were starting to notice this, the arguing maybe even louder than the music. Kids tried to avoid them in fear of getting caught in the middle, those who tried to listen in were scared away by someone who caught them trying to eavesdrop and slowly walked away. What could the perfect popular three couples be doing having a huge fight in the middle of the party? And what am I doing standing around here for? I should be seeing what's going on.

But suddenly someone shoved against me, making me lurch forward, my stomach hitting the railing. I whipped around to see who did it. And I turned face to face with Raymond, changed out of his football uniform but still angry as ever. I didn't get any snarky remark of any sort, just the usual glare before he walked away. He's probably still mad that he got the red card and had to sit out of the game, only to have Parker take the spot. Speaking of Parker...

I looked back at the group of guys he was talking to only to find that he wasn't there anymore. Where is he? He wouldn't just leave me? I looked back over the railing and spotted him going through the dance floor with Raymond. What would he be doing with Raymond? Where are they going? I went down the stairs back on the first floor. I was disappointed to see that the argument between the guys and their girlfriends were over. Only, they weren't being back to their usual couple selves. The guys were walking out the door and the girls were talking to each other, taking sips of beer everyone once in a while. I'm going to have to remember to ask the guys what that whole argument was about later. But right now, I still have to catch up with Parker.

Going through the same route they took, I went through the dance floor. I was shoved, elbowed, kicked, and almost tripped before reaching the other end. That felt a lot like just going down the hall when I was being bullied. But after suffering through that, I've lost them. I looked around the room, wondering where the two of them could have gone. That was when I heard the sound of arguing, some loud arguing between two guys. It had to be them.

I followed the sound of remarks and threats to the kitchen. Not wanting to interrupt anything- because that would just be rude –I quietly opened the door and tried to listen into the argument.

"I'm not doing it."

"C'mon O'Neil, just drop it already. You don't have to put up with the act anymore."

"Just shut up."

"You should stop before people start getting hurt."

"People other than Naomi you mean?"

 "Who else? And besides, it's something you should be happy about."

"No, it isn't."

There was a long silence. "I can't believe it. You've actually-"

Some drunk guy rammed into me, trying to get into the kitchen for some more beer. I stumbled into the room as he walked behind me to rummage through the fridge.

Parker blinked. "Naomi?"

I let out a sigh of relief. "I've been looking all over for you. You just left me over there."

"I'm so sorry, Naomi," he told me. "I was coming back right after... this," he said, looking back at Raymond who snorted at the last word.

"Was I interrupting something?" I asked.

"No, you weren't," Parker said before Raymond could say anything. "I was just leaving."

"Were you now?" Raymond mused before taking a sip of some beer.

Parker narrowed his eyes at him. "Yeah, I was. C'mon Naomi, we should get out of here," he said as he grabbed my hand. "I feel like I'm suffocating in this place."

You're not the only one.

-

"Is something wrong Parker?" I asked him before taking a bite out of some more pizza.

He shook his head.

"Is something wrong with your pizza?"

He looked at me. "What makes you think of that?"

"You're drowning it with red peppers."

Parker looked down at his pizza slice to see it covered with the red peppers he's been shaking it out of the shaker from top to bottom.

"Oh, sorry."

"To the pizza?"

"Uh, no, I meant to do that," Parker told me. "I love red peppers."

"Parker don't-"

But before I could stop him, he took a big bite of it. I watched in horror as he froze in place, and his face began to turn as red as red peppers. He dropped the pizza on the plate and began fanning himself.

"Water," he begged, panting like a dog.

He grabbed a glass of water from the table next to us, interrupting a couple's date. He then chugged it down to its last drop.

"It only dulls the taste," I told him.

From the look on his face, I think he already knows.

"Juice!" He exclaimed.

He eyed my lemonade I ordered as a drink. He took it and finished it within seconds.

"It only makes it only worse by opening your taste buds."

He might as well be a cartoon character because he'll be breathing fire by now.

"Milk, you need milk, I told him. "Go to the-

I wasn't able to finish because he had already raced into the kitchen. The whole restaurant could hear the yells from the cooks in the kitchen. Then the diners looked back at me and I just awkwardly stood there, smiling nervously. The only thing I could think of telling them is this:

"Don't you dare if you can't handle the flare."

They all clapped at that. I bowed then sat back down into my seat. Parker came out of the kitchen a couple minutes afterwards, wearing a different shirt with the restaurant's logo on it. He must have soaked his shirt and had to change it. He sat back at our table, right across from me. Someone set a glass of water on the table and patted him on the back.

"Thank you," he rasped before turning back to me, letting out a small cough. "You were saying?"

I couldn't help it. I let out a slight snicker that turned into to laughter. Parker at first was confused by this but started laughing as well, but it turned into coughs and he stopped.

"I'm sorry," I told him, "I shouldn't have laughed."

Parker smiled. "No, it's alright, I'd laugh too. That was pretty stupid of me taking a bite of that in the first place."

"You can say that again."

He looked down at his pizza covered with a blanket of red peppers.

"I think I lost my appetite for pizza."

"Or just red peppers entirely," I pointed out.

"Yeah, that too," Parker looked at the pizza for a long time then looked at me, grabbing my hand from across the table. "Let's-"

"Wait, after this last bite," I told him, holding out my hand to stop him. I took a final bite of my pizza, chewed, then swallowed. You can't eat a pizza and not finish it, its food cruelty.

"Let's get out of here," Parker finished.

I chuckled and rested my chin against my hand that my elbow was propped against the table. "Out of here? O'Neil, that's what I always think every time I step my foot into that school."

He shook his head. "No. Sadly, just here."

"Then lead the way."

-

"I know I told you to lead the way, but do I really have to be blindfolded?"

"But that'll take the fun out of things," Parker's voice said.

I was blindly- which happens to you if you're blindfolded –walking forward while being led by Parker's hand. I gripped it tightly, feeling secure and safe with his hand holding mine.

"Are we there yet?" I whined.

"We're almost there. Watch out for that rock."

I let out a yelp as I jumped randomly to avoid tripping over the rock. Suddenly I heard Parker laughing.

"What? What is it?" I asked in confusion, but then I frowned. "There was never a rock, was there?"

"N-no," Parker said between laughs.

I rolled my eyes, even though it couldn't be seen under the blindfold.

"Okay, we're here now."

"Really?"

I felt Parker come up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist as he undid then blindfold. It fell off and let me see again.

"Really."

And what was waiting for me made me smile.

It was Valley Park.

So many memories of this place came to me, some I didn't think back when I was drunk. My early childhood before I was that bullied, making sandcastles, going up and down the playground structure, swinging on the swings or just reading a book under the slide. Then there were times I was bullied. Those very sandcastles I made were being stomped to the ground. I would be chased up and down the playground structure until I felt like I'm going to drop, but I can't or else they catch me, get me. Screaming, begging for them to stop swinging me because I feel like I'm going to be sick and for a while develop a fear of heights, not ever wanting to be near swings around that time.  And I would hide under the slide, hide from them, with only a book to comfort me.

But those memories were forgotten because of the new ones. The ones with Parker in them.

"C'mon," Parker said with a grin before kicking off his shoes and racing towards the swings.

Smiling, I kicked off my own shoes and raced after him.

It was as if I was rewriting those memories I had in Valley Park back when I was little. Those memories were slowly fading away. Of course, they'll always be there, like a deep scar. And even though scars don't fade, I could just put a little powder over it or wear a sweater to cover it. The thing I'm saying is that memories will always be there, the bad ones especially, but it doesn't mean I have to remember them. It won't always be easy forgetting about them, but making new memories, good ones, helps. And that's what I'm doing, making new memories.

We made sandcastles, went up and down the playground structure, we swung on the swings, and played hide and seek. I hid under the slide, knowing that he wouldn't find me. I sat down, leaning my back against the slide.

"Man, hide and seek is hard. How long does it take for someone to find someone?"

I did a double take when I saw Parker sitting next to me.

"Par-"

"Shh," he said, holding up a finger as he looked around. "He might hear us."

There was a long pause before the both of us burst out laughing.

"I want to show you something."

We left the playground and headed farther into the park. We walked together, hands holding, our other hands occupied by holding onto our shoes we were too lazy to put back on. Sometimes I would twirl just for the heck of it. Then he would grab my hand and twirl me as we walked, making me laugh. Then we were here.

It was the fountain that was smack at the middle of the park. A huge cascading concrete fountain with a wide and big base, from the height of the base, the water must be pretty deep, maybe up to my waist. The water was spouting from the top and pouring out of the three layered bowls. There were statues placed at the very top and on the base, some designs were embroidered within the stone of the fountain. The whole place was illuminated by the street lamps that surrounded the fountain as well as the lights from inside the water to make it light up in the dark. Overall, it's very beautiful, I would stare at it for a long time when I visited the park with my parents, always wanting a quarter, nothing less, to make a wish to the fountain. Of course, it never came true, but they never do.

Parker and I climbed up the few steps of stairs to the fountain. I set my shoes at the edge of the fountain as Parker did the same. I studied the fountain like a book, enjoying its architectural structure, knowing its architect must be very proud of it. I looked at Parker who held two quarters in his hand.

"Make a wish."

"Should I really?" I asked, looking back at the fountain. "They never do come true."

"Even so, it doesn't really stop people. They just like the thought of thinking about their wish and hoping for the best." He held out the quarter to me. "Let's do the same."

I took the quarter and the both of us turned around, facing away from the fountain. We shared a final look before closing our eyes and thought of our wishes. I tossed my quarter over my shoulder, hearing the per-clunk of it hitting the water, with Parker's coin following after mine. I sat down on the base of the fountain with Parker to my left.

"What did you wish for?"

"If you tell someone your wish, it won't come true," I told him.            

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't believe in wishes."

"I just don't make them anymore," I corrected him.

Parker didn't say anything. The both of us said nothing for what felt like a long time.

"What were you and Raymond talking about?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Back at the party, the both of you were talking and-"

"You shouldn't worry about that, Naomi. It was nothing."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You guys can't even be in the same room. But you were taking to each other not even at each other's throats."

He shook his head. "He was just mad about getting sent off from that red card."

"Really?"

"We both know how he is. He'll be set off by even the small things."

"I know, of course I know." I looked at him, but he was looking away, avoiding my eyes. "You'll tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then what aren't you telling me?" I asked him, taking his shoulder so he could look at me. "What were you guys really talking about? What are you hiding? Parker just-"

-kissed me. Parker just kissed me, catching me off guard just like the two chapters ago. But I pushed him away, glaring at him.

"You're actually kissing me to change the subject?" I demanded in disbelief.

"Well, yes," he confessed, "and just to kiss you too."

"Don't think you're going to get away with this." I said angrily, slightly hitting him on the chest.

"Maybe just for this moment I will."

"We're going to talk about this again young man."

"Again?" He asked. "As in some other time?"

"Yeah, some other time," I told him, a smirk forming on my face. "Just not right now."

With that I clutched his shirt and pulled him close and kissed him. For a second he was surprised to be caught off on guard just like I was, and then he was kissing me back. I could feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer as my arms went around his neck. Parker would kiss me as if trying to push me against the wall, wanting to kiss me harder. He wasn't holding back, neither of us was. The both of us were leaning to close to the edge of the base of the fountain. But before we could do anything about it, we've already been leaning too far and we were falling into the water. We only had enough time to break apart and say:

"Oh no."

There was a large splash as the both of us fell into the water's fountain. It was deeper than I expected because of the foundation of the fountain. I felt the bottom of the fountain covered in a blanket of coins representing people's wishes. Parker and I resurfaced from the water and gasped for air, both from the water and our kiss. We looked at each other and burst out laughing until it slowly faltered away. Slowly, we leaned close to each other, no more catching each other off guard, none of that. Well, until I snapped my head back, my eyes widening in sudden realization.

He looked at me questioningly. "What? What is it?"

"Our phones."

-

Parker pathetically shook his phone, hitting it with his hand.

"Yup, the thing's gone." He turned to me. "Yours?"

"Same," I said before letting out a sigh. "Why can't the damn thing be waterproof?"

"We should ask the same thing about us," he said, looking down at his wet clothes.

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Well it's said that if we put our phones in rice, it'll work."

"Really? Food as so many uses other than eating," I said in amazement.

"But the best use is eating."

"Well, of course."

Parker and I were lying down on the grass, looking up at the sky. After the whole fountain incident, we got out, shook the coins out of our pockets, willed ourselves not to take those coins, and decided to throw them back into the fountain where they belong. Parker had gotten a blanket he had in his car, so we could lie on it. We're going to just sit here until our clothes are dry enough for us to go back home. If we waited until it's really dry, we'll be here until the next morning, not that I wouldn't mind that or anything.

We didn't speak for a while as we looked up at the stars. Maybe we were both embarrassed to face each other after kissing each other. Normally, in a city you'd never see the sky filled with stars because the city is too bright. But for some reason, here in the park we're able to see a few stars. Not as many as I'd like, but at least not too little as well. Something caught my eye and I saw Parker's stretch out his hand towards the sky and look like he was trying to grab something. But then he sighed and his arm plopped down to the ground.

I looked at him. "What was that?"

He turned his head to me. "What was what?"

"That thing you just did?" I showed him by reaching the sky and trying to grab something. "What was that just now?"

Parker laughed and looked away. "No, it's nothing. It's stupid."

"I've seen stupid-" Naomi, don't think of Jordan and Declan right now "-Try me."

He shook his head. "No."

I flipped my body and leaned against him to stare into his eyes.

"Please," I begged.

He sighed, twirling a strand of my wet hair around his finger. "I can't say no to that face."

"So yes?"

He closed his eyes. "Nope."

"What? Why not?"

"I said I can't say no to that face. So I'm closing my eyes so I can't see your face."

"Open your eyes."

"You can't make me," he said stubbornly.

"Look Parker, a shooting star!"

"Liar."

"There's a huge bug on you! I think it's poisonous!"

"Really? What kind?"

I said nothing.

"You can't name any poisonous bugs or you ran out of ideas?"

"I have an idea."

"Oh? What is-"

His eyes shot open when I kissed him. But we had to break it off or we wouldn't stop, and I want to know why he did that.

"Ambitious, I like it," he said, poking my nose.

"So, what did you just now?" I asked him, resting my head on his chest.

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's just something I would do every time I look at the stars. Something I did more when I was a little kid in my backyard."

"Which is..." I pressed.

"I would try to reach for the sky and touch the stars, maybe grab some of my own."

"You do know that those stars-"

"-are billions of light-years away, I know," he said, "I learned that around second grade." Parker sighed. "You know when people say do your best, reach for the sky, the stars?"

"But the sky's the limit."

"Is it?" He asked, looking back at the sky. "Is it really? Besides the fact that we went beyond the sky, going on the moon- which by the way, the moon landing is fake. When they mean the sky's the limit, they're meant to say you can reach as far as the sky, go for your dreams, that sort of thing. But they're also saying there's that there's a limit in the first place."

"Then what can be farther than the sky?"

"It's not up there," he said, pointing up to the sky, his eyes sparkling like the stars. "It's in here-" tapping his head.

I shook my head, getting it. "Not the physical limit, just the mental one. We're the ones giving ourselves the limit. And the only way we can pass it is to conquer the limit in our heads."

"Yes," Parker said with a smile, tapping my head, "in here.

"There's also the one in here," I told him, tapping his chest, right at the heart.

"Oh?"

"People think like that, that there are limits to how our hearts-"

"-pump blood through our veins?"

I chuckled. "No, love. That there are limits to how our hearts love."

"How do you think so?"

"I don't know," I said absently, tracing a heart on his chest. "Whether people doubt we actually love someone so much or we doubt it ourselves. When we think we love someone more than anything in the world but when that's over, you're left confused on how you can love someone so much and it didn't work. When adults tell teenagers their too young to know how to love, having them both doubt and even lose the love that may have actually been real. We're putting a limit to our love-" touching my heart beating against my chest "-when we're capable of loving so much more."

Parker brushed some of my hair away. "Do you think there's a limit to our love?"

I blushed brightly. "I... uh-"

He smiled. "I don't think so."

He craned his neck towards me, and pulled me close by the neck. My breathing hitched a little, and I could feel both of our hearts beating in sync in a fast pace. When we kissed, it was slow and sweet. It was like time stopped and we knew we had all the time in the world. When we first kissed, I thought there would be fireworks, lightning shocks, or even spontaneous combustion. But those are in the books. In real life there are two people who really like each other, kissing like the world's going to end, but we don't give a damn and will take our time until it happens.

Well, it already is.

Sadly, we had to breathe at some point. As well we had to go home at some point. We kissed again in the car at the park. We kissed again in the car in front of my house. We kissed again in front of my house. Now that we're free to kiss, why not any chance we get? And there's no one to catch us for PDA or anything. Parker drove off in his car, having me watch as he went down the street then around the corner.

It was 10 at night, hopefully my parents would be asleep by now. I don't want to deal with their questions about tonight until tomorrow. Right now, I need some sleep. I opened the door with my keys, closing it silently behind me. I kicked off my shoes, stretched and yawn from the long night. Then I was just about to walk up to my room to the comfort of my bed when-

"We've been expecting you."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me."

Just a week ago, I told my friend- who knows I'm a writer and would make fun saying 'Oh, I know an author with a million reads' and she'd call me Rubix that will make me roll my eyes and tell her to shut up. Anyway I told her I'm thinking of taking a break of TGGBB, I just didn't feel the spark right there. Then she said, "Really? For how long? A week? Month?" I shrugged at that, making her eyes widen in disbelief, "A month, really? What do you think your readers will say?" I shrugged and laughed. "Maybe make a revolt. Probably track me down... And stuff..." I thought of all the readers making comments of threatening the characters in TGGBB and having the anger turn to me. Yeah... since I value my life, I changed my mind. I'm sorry for even thinking about that you guys. Anyway, it's dedicated to the one who talked and reasoned me out of taking a break and maybe even saved my life from... you guys...

Parkomi fans, I hope you like it. Anti-Parkomi fans, please don't hurt me.

Well I should go start the next chapter or sleep. Oh wait, I can hear the growls and knuckle cracks from the readers. I think I'll go start on the next chapter now... But before I forget, the Wattys of 2014 have come! I've decided to post my fantasy short story for them since it fits the requirements and I'm quite proud of it. If you guys have the chance, please be sure to check it out. And when you do, I hope you enjoy it.

RubixCube89201