^^Hill Sunshine

"What the f**k were you doing in the guys' restroom?"

She flinched and deliberately spun towards me. "What...?"

"You heard me." I moved closer to her and narrowed my eyes. "What were you doing in there?" I darted my eyes behind her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She gulped and cast her gaze left and right.

"I saw you coming out of there Lillian." I dropped my head to level my face with hers and bored my eyes into her green ones. "What were you doing in the guys' restroom?"

She ducked her and fixed her glasses. "No-nothing..." My jaw clenched, and I stood straight.

I was already furious because of Fiona's bit*hiness then watching Lillian coming out of the guys' restroom and lying about it didn't help. Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself.

I shouldn't care, it's her life and she can do whatever she wants with it.

With that thought, I stepped aside to go inside but was blocked by Lillian when she stood in front of me.

"You can't go in there." She rushed and raised her arms covering the door.

"Excuse me?" My brows knitted in bewilderment.

"It's a... It's under construction. You can go someplace else."

"There's no sign about that." I swung my hand around the empty hall. "And the other one was packed that's why I came here, so move."

"There are more upstairs-"

"Who is in there?" I inquired.

There's someone inside she's hiding and doesn't want me to see, otherwise, there is no reason for her to act like that.

"What do you mean?" She let out a nervous laugh, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm not in a great mood and don't give a f**k of whatever you were doing inside, but I need to go." I grasped her arm and moved her out of my way, but she clutched my coat and yanked me back.

"I'm telling you, Andrew!" She shrieked, facing the door. "No one is inside!"

My face scrunched in confusion as she tried to pull me back, but she wasn't powerful enough. I shoved the door open and saw Ben standing in the middle of the restroom, heaving, and I frowned.

What the...

I squinted my eyes at him, then darted to Lillian, who froze when she saw him and let go of my coat.

"Uh... Oh look, Ben is there!" She announced, giving me a tight smile.

"What are you doing here?" Ben demanded.

"What a guy does in the washroom," I answered and stepped inside. "What are you doing here?"

"The same as you." He retorted.

This was the first time the whole night I saw him. He was dressed as a zombie soccer player. His hair was messed and his face makeup was smudged. Must be a part of his costume.

"Alright..." I nodded my head and jerked my thumb towards Lillian, who was standing behind me. "Then what was she doing in here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said in a monotone, crossing his arms.

"I saw her coming out of here and when I was trying to get in, she was stopping me..." I cocked my head. "I wonder why?" He darted his eyes behind me.

"I told him the restroom wasn't working, but he still got in..." she trailed off.

Ben sighed and looked at me. "Whatever is going in your head, it isn't like that-"

"Oh, really?" I snorted. "So you are trying to tell me you two were in the guys' restroom during an event- which, by the way, is happening at the other corner- and nothing happened between you two."

"Yes, Andrew, nothing happened." He snapped.

"You don't have to lie to me," I grumbled. "I'm your friend. I won't judge you if you tell me the truth."

"And what's the truth?" Ben asked.

"That you two were hooking up." Lillian burst to cough from behind me and I heard a noise that came from one stall, making Ben's eyes go round.

"Is someone in there-"

"Lillian and I weren't hooking up! Ok! Now can you get the f**k out of here?" Ben fumed suddenly looking anxious.

"Your mom may be the principal but that doesn't mean you own the school, Buddy." I mocked.

"The f**k won't anyone leave me alone!" He groaned, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Alone? That's all you wanted to be from the beginning of the year, then fine be alone!"

"Thank you!" He clasped his hand and motioned towards the door. "Now can you go shit somewhere else?"

Lillian's words rang in my ears when she burst out and told me to think about Ben and my friendship. All I did was try to be his friend and help him just like I used to do and it panged to see him acting distant in an instant. I know I should have left him alone, but I was ready to get my frustration out.

"You're acting like an egotistic and self-centered a**hole... Just like your dad." Now that made him pause.

"What did you just say?" Ben whispered, clenching his fists.

I knew I poked the bear.

"He said you are acting dead!" Lillian stepped between us, sensing the tense air. "Dead... Get it... You're a zombie." She forced a laugh, looking at us cautiously.

"I said you're acting like your Dad." I snarled. "After all... You are his son."

"F**k you!" He roared and hit me in the face. I stumbled back and rubbed my jaw.

"Seriously? That's all you got?" I let out a humorless chuckle. "You fight like a girl dude-" He cut me off with another jab. "That's it!"

I snapped and threw my right fist out in a curved punch at his jaw. Ben brought his left forearm up to counter the blow and threw his fist at my outstretched jaw. I stepped back, balancing my weight on my left foot, but he tackled me and I fell with Ben on top of me and winced when my back hit the marble floor. Ben continued to strike, and I shield my face with my arms, blocking them.

F**k, that hurts!

Everyone knows Ben's a skilled fighter, but I was steaming with anger too. I flipped us so that I was on the top and knock a few punches before he again tossed me.

I heard Lillian shouting in the background to stop us and out of the blue, someone grabbed Ben's shoulder and with force pulled him off me. Ben struggled to be out of the grip but halted when Toby's voice echoed.

"Stop it, Ben!" I groaned and sat straight on the floor.

"Didn't you hear what he said?!" Ben screamed and pushed him. "He said I'm like that a**hole!"

"I heard him and you need to control your temper." Toby sternly said.

I had no idea how he got here so fast. I watched as Ben glared at him and panted.

My eyes darted to Lillian, who was standing there covering her mouth with her hands and staring at me with wide eyes, and that's when it clicked in my head.

I must look like a psychopath.

I swiftly got to my feet and both Toby and Ben turned toward me.

"I think we should talk about this like sane teenagers," Toby proposed, eyeing me and Ben. Ben turned his face the other way and scoffed.

"I don't want to talk either," I growled and dashed out.

"F**k you!" Ben yelled and I flipped him the bird.

I licked my lips and nip the metallic taste of my blood as I stomped towards the main gate, passing people. Because of my costume, no one gave attention to my state, but I knew from all those punches my face must be bruised.

The chilly wind blew as I strode to the parking lot. I peeked up and saw the sky clear and a few stars sparkling. It was a beautiful night but my mood didn't let me appreciate it.

There was no way in hell I was going back to that f**king fundraiser.

Taking my keys out, I jogged to my car and was about to open the door, but stopped when I heard my name.

"Andrew... Andrew, stop!" Questions swirled in my head when I turned around and saw Lillian running toward me.

Why is she following me?

Is she worried about me or something?

"What?" I urged impatiently, tapping my foot.

She held her finger when she reached me and put her hand on her knee as she exhaled, calming herself.

"I uh..." She swallowed and adjusted her glasses. "You forgot this." She extended my costume hat that I didn't realize fell off my head when I was fighting with Ben.

She ran after me for this?!

Somehow getting irritated, I snatched it from her hand. "Thanks." I snarled and opened my car door to get in, but halted when she asked.

"Where are you going?"

"Hell." I plastered a smile on my face. "Wanna join me?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

"What?" I cocked my head in confusion.

"It's not like you're literally going to hell, so yes... I want to come with you." She stated like it wasn't any big deal while I opened and closed my mouth like a fish.

"Why?!" I shrieked.

"First because you are hurt after getting beaten by Ben-" I gave her a blank look, but she ignored me, "-and second, you are angry means you shouldn't go driving. Driving with aggressive emotions is risky and it may prompt you to speed drive and break some laws. It will also cause a lot of accidents and it'll hurt you and others..." I gawked as she continued rambling about how it was dangerous to drive in anger.

This was the second time I saw her ranting, and I wondered if she did this a lot.

"Alright." I raised my hands in surrender, making her pause. "I get it, but how does it involve you?"

"If I come with you, I'll keep in check that you won't do anything stupid until you calm down."

"And why do you care?" I lifted my brows.

"Ben send me after you." She answered.

"So he cares about me now." I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you go back inside and help him."

"Toby is taking care of him. Besides..." She pushed her glasses back and cast me a glance. "You look worse than him." I groaned and yanked the door open.

"Are you coming or not?" I asked when I settled in my seat.

Peeking in the side mirror, I grimaced at the sight of my face. There was a bruise forming on my cheek, my right eye was swelling and there was a cut on my lip, which was still bleeding. Sucking my lower lip, I watched as the passenger door opened and Lillian cautiously sat in the seat. I ignited my car and drove out of the parking lot.

I aimlessly drove on the road, and Lillian didn't dare to ask me where I was going. After a few minutes, she spoke.

"You need to put some medicine on your face before it gets worse."

"I know." I groaned.

"There is a variety store a few blocks from here. We can get something for..." I side glanced at her and she pointed towards my face. I sighed and listened to her directions.

We reached a small store after a few minutes in the middle of nowhere. I parked my car in the empty parking lot and observed the store. It was hard to make out the exterior because of the darkness. The only source of light was the small bulb that illuminated the worn-out sign, 'Hill Sunshine'.

Sunshine. I scoffed. There was nothing shiny about this place. I've lived my whole life in West Hills and this was the first time I saw this store.

"How do you know about this place?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"They sell cheap goods." She shrugged and walked towards it.

I followed Lillian inside and looked around the old store. There were a few almost empty shelves in the middle and two display refrigerators in the right corner. To my left was a tiny counter and the cashier sitting on it was busy playing on his phone. The boy looked younger than us, maybe sixteen something.

My eyes went to the restroom next to him and I suddenly felt the stickiness for the drink again, which I forgot about because of all the drama.

"I need to use the restroom. Can you get whatever is needed for this?" I pointed at my face.

"Sure." She nodded her head, and I walked away.

The cashier didn't even look up when I walked past him inside the restroom. I blew a breath when I found it decent enough to use and cleaned the stain. After a few minutes, I walked out and saw Lillian engrossed, reading the back of the few packs in her hands. There wasn't enough stock, and I wondered why she was even wasting time on reading it. She could have grabbed anything.

I let her do whatever she was trying to achieve and walked to the display refrigerator. There were few drinks in it. I took two water bottles and walked to the cashier. Lillian came beside me with a few packs and placed them on the counter.

"These will be enough." She said. I nodded and turned toward the cashier. I cleared my throat, trying to get his attention. He sighed and placed his phone down.

"Do you need anything else-" He paused in his sentence when he finally looked at us and his jaw fell. His eyes darted to his phone, and I followed his gaze to see a horror zombie video game he was playing. "Are you here to take my soul?"

I'm sure the sight of a vampire and nurse zombie must have frightened him.

"No," I said, biting my grin, and played along. "I'm in a hurry today." I gesture towards the stuff. "Have to take care of another guy who plays video games during his work and not pay attention to his surrounding." He gulped. "Now hurry."

The boy hurriedly packed our stuff and made the bill. "That'll be fourteen dollars and twenty-seven cents... Sir." I picked a twenty-dollar note and placed it on the counter.

"Keep the change," I said, taking the bag. Lillian and I turned to leave, before walking out I twisted my head towards the boy and gave him a serious blank look. "Be attentive. I'll visit you soon."

His eyes widened in terror and I exit the store. As soon as Lillian and I sat in my car, we burst into laughter.

"Did you see this face!" Lillian giggled.

"He looked like he was about to shit in his pants!" I snickered.

"Poor boy. He's scared for his life now."

"Good. Now he'll pay more attention." I grinned and Lillian shook her head, chuckling. I took the water bottles out and extended one towards Lillian.

"Uh... I don't have money-"

I snorted. "I can afford to pay for a little bottle."

"I didn't mean it like that." She mumbled, taking it from me. "Thank you."

I nodded and place the cold bottle on my left cheek and sighed in relief. Closing my eyes, I leaned my back to my seat and was relieved when the cold bottle relaxed my throbbing face.

"You should the painkiller." I opened an eye and saw Lillian taking the tablet out of the bag. I opened the bottle and gulped down the pill. "This will help you with bleeding." She took a cream out and gestured towards my lip. "And put this pad on your eye, it'll stop from forming a black eye."

"How do you know so much about this?"

"When my bother used to get in fights, I did his bandages... and my mom is also a nurse." She shrugged.

I bobbed my head and turned in my seat, facing her. Instead of putting it on my face as I thought, she extended the stuff towards me and I frowned.

Wait... She will not do it for me?

I stared at her for a second, and she motioned toward them again. "Here..." I sighed and took them from her. She instructed me how to put them and I did as she said, looking in the rare view mirror.

"Ben is going to pay for this..." I mumbled as I finish. My cheek was swelling and a purple bruise was forming on it, and there was a cut on my lip.

It'll take weeks for them to heal.

"He didn't mean to do that."

"Are you his advocate now?" I scoffed.

"No..." She shook her head. "But you guys are friends-"

"I'm having second thoughts."

"He wasn't feeling well..."

"And he couldn't tell me that." I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't have said anything if he would just tell me the truth."

"He was telling you the truth..." she groaned. "Nothing happened between us."

"Then what were you doing there?"

"I was helping him..." she trailed off. I raised my brows at her, urging her to continue. "He, uh... He meet his father and Darla before that and it wasn't pleasant. Ben got annoyed, so I asked him to go somewhere alone to calm himself..." She finished looking outside.

"Oh..." I mumbled.

Ben hates his father, so that can definitely be the reason.

We want silent after that. I cleared my throat and started my car.

"Do you want me to drop you at school?" It was around ten, so the event must still be going on.

"No. I'd like to go home now." I nodded, and we drove towards her house in silence.

When we reached her street, I was about to park outside the wrong house but was stopped by Lillian.

"It's that one." She pointed towards the house next to it.

"Sorry." I gave her a sheepish smile. "They all looked the same."

The last time when I came here to pick her up for the volunteering work. I forgot about her house and drove on the street for minutes back and forth, trying to figure out which was hers until I caught sight of the familiar compact car in the driveway. I tried to remember it but still got it wrong.

"It's ok." She smiled, taking off her seat belt.

"I'm sorry you had to see all that," I said, referring to the fight.

"I just hope you and Ben make up for it fast."

"Don't worry about that. It wasn't our first fight."

She nodded, getting out of the car. "Goodnight Andrew and take care of yourself."

"You too." I smiled, and she returned with her sweet one and walked towards her house. When she got inside, I drove out of her street towards mine and sighed when the entire night revolved in my head.

It was a really long night.

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