Lilium

"Did you say it this morning, Lilium?" Sonny asked through the phone. Lilium nodded at him through her window, a pink blush spreading across her face. She wished she could go talk with him, closer than the phone, but her parents would never allow it without knowing his parents first, and she was terrified by the idea of her step-father meeting the boy she liked, let alone the fact that he abused her almost every night.

"I said it.... Weren't you watching?" She replied. Sonny nodded.

"I just wanted to see if you would lie."

"I wouldn't do that. Not to you, anyways." She shrugged. Sonny loved watching her through her window because the sound of her voice was completely in sync with her movements. It just made it seem that much more realistic.

It was Wednesday, and Sonny was really happy to see Lilium smiling because last night, Tuesday, her step-father didn't walk into her room and attack her. Instead, he went out with her mother to the store. She had been safe for a few days, and now, her emotions were brighter, warmer, more loving. Sonny absolutely loved it.

Lilium had been trying to hide her feelings for Sonny though. She knew he had caught on a bit, but she didn't expect him to do anything about it. They had only talked through the phone, notes at the most. You could never like someone so ugly just through notes, right?

Sonny looked over at the clock on his wall where the time read '8:30.'. The sky was dark and filled with stars.

It had been two hours since she Lilium ate dinner, and she didn't throw it up this time. She really was beautiful. Every day with bulimia is a fight between yourself. It's like having a civil war in your own head.

"You feeling better?" Sonny asked after a short silence.

"Yeah.... A lot better, really. I guess I just needed to.... I dunno." She ranted on like she always did when she was nervous.

"You just needed a self-esteem boost. We all do, I guess." Sonny admitted, thinking about how weak he was in his own mind.

"But my step-father.... I don't know if he's forgotten or if he's just playing with me." She said insecurely.

"Don't think like that." Sonny snapped, but tried to keep the anger hidden in his voice. "Whether he's playing with you or not, you can't think like that. Just call me and I'll be there, Lilium."

"Sorry." She waved through the window.

"I'm always here. Don't forget that."

"I never forget."

Another small silence passed before Lilium gasped loudly, looking down at the garage of her house. Her mother's car was pulling out of the driveway. Sonny furrowed his brows together. She never went shopping on Wednesdays. If her step-father didn't attack Lilium last night... what about tonight?

"Oh my God.... Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God." She repeated over and over, and her breath started catching in her throat. She was hyperventilating now. "No, no, no, no! Where's she going?!"

"Lilium." Sonny said firmly. "Lilium, please listen to me."

"Sonny! He's coming, I can hear him coming up the stairs!" She cried out, pushing herself out of her desk chair. Sonny heard it crash against her floor of her room. "What do I do? Oh God, Oh God-"

"Lilium!" He shouted, almost scaring himself with the volume of his voice. "Stop it! Just listen to me."

Lilium looked through the window with helpless eyes, phone slowly falling away from her ear. She shook her head a few times in the window, and Sonny leaned closer to the window, pressing his hand against the glass. Sonny blinked and all of the sudden, Lilium was being thrown down onto her bed as always.

But this time, Sonny could hear her screaming. The phone was still laying on the ground of her room, so he could still hear every gruesome and heart wrenching scream that came past her lips. It was like he couldn't move. His feet were glued to the ground and he couldn't run to help her like he said he would. At least, he thought he couldn't help her until he heard the loudest cry of all.

"Help me, Sonny!" Lilium screamed so loud that her voice broke and it pierced Sonny's heart like a blade.

Before Sonny knew it, he was running out of his bedroom and down the stairs to the living room.

"Sonny? Sonny! Where are you going?" His mother called after him as he slipped on his Vans and swung the door open. He hadn't heard a word she said because all he could hear were Lilium's screams in his head.

Just with Sonny's luck, he was nearly ran over when he just ran across the street, but he didn't care. As he took one more step closer to her house, her cries became clearer before he could finally just imagine the pain she was being put through because her cries were so loud.

The door was locked, and Sonny was the scrawniest person ever, but tonight, he wasn't weak. He wasn't scared. Sonny smacked his shoulder into the door- slammed into the door one more time before the door burst open. The stairs were the first things he saw and without putting much thought into it, he stomped up the stairs. His heart was pounding like a drum, and he couldn't even catch his breath because he just kept running.

Then came Lilium's door. He had ran so quickly over to her house that now, he had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. What was he going to do? His anger effects could only last so long, and now that the adrenaline was running out of his body, pains in his shoulder were beginning to set in.

Sonny jiggled the doorknob and moved his eyes away from Lilium's body, but her step-father was right there. His stomach churned with disgust at the thought of-

"Who the fuck is that?" Her step-father cut through Sonny's thoughts like a knife, and he jumped at the harshness of his voice. Lilium peeked over at the doorway where Sonny stood, her eyes teary and washed of happiness. Her lip quivered. Just the look on her face set him off.

"Get the hell off of her!" He growled. Her step-father stepped away, pants still zipped up. Had Sonny gotten there in time? Had he really saved her from a bit less pain?

"Who the hell are you, and how the hell did you get in my house!?" He stomped toward Sonny, getting ready to grab him by his shoulders when Sonny swung his shoulder back fast and far enough to where her step-father couldn't reach him. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Sonny swung for her step-father and just barely missed, his fist hitting her step-father's chin. The hit sent him falling backwards, landing on his back on Lilium's floor. Within a few seconds, her step-father was standing up again, and Sonny swung yet again, hitting him square in the jaw. Then he fell and groaned in pain, closing his eyes with one final heavy breath.

Sonny's hand ached in pain, his shoulder stung like he had been bitten a thousand times by ants, and the adrenaline finally left his body in one final rush. His breath was uneven and heavy and he couldn't seem to catch it, even though most of the action was done now.

Then he remembered that Lilium was still laying on the bed in pain, in depression. He stepped over to her slowly and quietly as not to scare her. Her eyes were clenched shut, and slow breaths went through her body. He knew this wouldn't sound appropriate at the time, but she was amazingly beautiful.

"Lilium?" He whispered, reaching over to her bangs that were covering parts of her face. When he ran his fingers along her cheek, she jumped and pulled away, a yelp slipping past her lips. "Lilium, don't be afraid. It's just me. Sonny." He rubbed her cheek. She opened her eyes ever so slowly only to reveal a soft blue color. Sonny smiled gently. Before he knew it, Lilium jumped off of her bed and wrapped her arms around his neck before he could even breathe. She buried her face into the small of his neck, small sobs passing through her lips like wind. Lili began to mumble something, but he couldn't figure out what she was trying to say. She was crying too much for him to understand.

"Thank you." She finally said. Sonny picked her up by her waist, and she wrapped her legs around his waist so she wouldn't fall. She was so small, Sonny thought. Although she hadn't been throwing up, she couldn't have gained all the weight back already.

"Let's get to my house." Sonny murmured. Her step-father was beginning to shuffle around on the ground, Sonny just wanted to get out of there. Lilium's legs were bare, but he didn't dare look for her pants. Instead, he reverted his eyes away from her thighs and stared at the wall. He had more respect than that.

Sonny walked across the street so slowly that Lilium began to tremble and wrap herself around him a bit closer. He gasped, but held her tightly. He didn't want to drop her.

Sonny's mother opened the door; apparently she had been watching. Her eyes were wide with shock; although Sonny couldn't tell if it was because Sonny had a girl or because she was nearly half naked. He didn't care, he thought. He had saved her. He was a hero.

He was her hero.

Once Sonny took her up to his room, he cleared his bed of the mess and laid her down. Her lip was still quivering, until Sonny dragged his blanket over her body. Only then did Sonny dare to look at her. She stared at him with loving eyes, a gleam in the corner of them. Her frail figure was a tortured and malnourished one. Sonny could fix that, however. He was beginning to gain back the weight that he had lost before.

"I'm here." Sonny sat down next to her, legs crossed. "I told you just call and I'll be there... Remember?" Lilium smiled and reached her hand out to him. Her fingers were clammy and trembling. Sonny kissed her fingers and smiled up at her. She replied with a warm blush.

"I never forgot."