Lights Up

Sunset/Sunrise

Whaaaaat? Im publishing four chapters in a row?

PLEASE COMMENT. I NEED VALIDATION.

Dia's POV

I'm sitting on a fire escape, wrapped in a blanket, with Phillip Hamilton, watching the sunset. I honestly don't know how to handle this situation.

"This spot is really cool."

"Yeah, normally I come out here when I need to think."

"The closest I've got to this is sticking my head out the window in my room."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"It's really not."

We lapse into silence again. It's another few minutes till Phillip talks again.

"Thanks for inviting me, Dia. This has been amazing."

"No problem. Thanks for coming, and for putting up with my crazy family."

"They're not THAT bad."

"Yeah they are THAT bad."

"Yeah, they're that bad."

We both fall silent again. It's like there's something hanging between us that keeps making the conversation stop.

"Ok, I've got to say something."

That's a little worrying.

"Are you ok? Is something wrong?"

"No, but I need to do this now, or I'm going to chicken out."

He turns to face me. Now we're sitting facing each other, knees touching cause there's not much space up here. You can still hear the music playing from the Carnaval, but no one can see or hear us. Phillip takes a deep breath.

"I've been trying to do this for months, but I chicken out every time. Probably because I'm afraid of what you'll say. But I can't go on like this forever, so I have to tell you now. I think I'm in love with you, Dia de la Vega. I've thought so since you sat down at our cafeteria table and made fun of Damien in Spanish. Since you stood up to Regina, since you auditioned for Gabriella, since you held my hand when I got back to school after the fight. I tried to ask you to homecoming that whole week, and I kept telling myself that I didn't do it because I kept getting interrupted, but really it was because I was too scared that you'd say no. I saw you at that dance, and you looked beautiful, and I was kicking myself the whole night because I wasn't your date and it was my fault. I've been in love with you since you stood up to Pulitzer, and I kissed you. I didn't do it because I was angry. I did it because standing in that office, looking at you, you were perfect. I've been in love with you since you held my hand at the school board meeting when Pulitzer tried to blame the fight on me, and you let me cry. You held my hand and you didn't make me feel bad about myself for crying, and that's when I realized I was in too deep to ever recover. I wanted to tell you, that day in rehearsal, when we were at the piano, but I couldn't. And now here I am, spilling my guts like an idiot, when you probably don't even like me back, and-"

I was kind of in shock that he actually liked me, but I had to interrupt him there.
"Pip, I've liked you this whole time. I was just too scared to say anything cause I was "the new kid" and I didn't think YOU liked me back."

He laughed a little at that.

"I guess we were just stuck in a cycle, huh?"

"I guess so."

He falls silent for a moment.

"Can I kiss you? I want to, but I won't if you don't want me to."

"Yes, you can kiss me."

So he kisses me. He's kissing me. I don't know how to describe it beyond that it feels RIGHT. Dia.exe has stopped working. He pulls away with a small smile.

"I hope that was better than last time?"

"Yeah, it was."

"Um, Dia? Do you...would you..um..do you want to be my girlfriend? I know we haven't really gone on an actual date and that normally isn't how this works and-"

"Yes, Pip. I want to be your girlfriend."

"We can just say the protest was our first date."

"Sounds good."

"Um, can I kiss you again?"

"Sure, Pip."

So he does. We end up sitting on that fire escape, wrapped in a blanket off of my bed, talking about anything and everything until we both fall asleep, the sounds of the Carnaval below us.

The next morning, I wake up in my bed, the blanket over me, still in my clothes from yesterday. I change quickly, brush my teeth, and walk downstairs to rejoin civilization. I stop on the stairs right before I head into the bodega when I hear the familiar voices of Pip and my dad.

"I wanted to ask you, sir-"

"You want permission to date my daughter."

"How did you know?"

"I see the way you look at her. That's the way I used to look at V before we started dating. I was hopeless, you can ask Sonny. So I take it you already asked her?"

"Yes sir."

"And what did she say?"

"She said yes, sir."

"Well, I have no problem with it. You seem like a good kid, and my daughter likes you. But if you hurt her, you will have to deal with almost everyone on this block. And they won't be as friendly as they were last night. Got that?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Dia, you can stop eavesdropping and come out of the hallway."

Darn he's good at that.

"How'd you know I was there?"

"Lucky guess."

I walk over to the counter, and my dad hands me a coffee. Then Pip and I walk outside.

"How long till your mom comes to pick you up?"

"Bout an hour."

"Do you want to go down to the salon? Carla's got a stash of Godiva in the back room that she doesn't know that I know about."

"Sounds good."

I take off running in the direction of the salon, trying not to spill my coffee.

"Race ya!"

"Hey! I don't know where it is!"

My boyfriend, I still can't believe I'm saying that. Phillip Hamilton is my boyfriend. My boyfriend starts laughing and running after me, as we go further into the barrio. We get to the salon, out of breath and laughing. Pip won, considering he wasn't holding coffee. He leaned down and kissed me quickly.

"I win! And I don't even live here."

"Unfair, I had coffee."

We head into the salon, laughing. I'm dating Phillip Hamilton. I still can't believe it.

THE SHIP HAS SAILED PEOPLE.

1083 words