Perfect

Ali, Lily, & Michael

Ali waited anxiously for Lily to arrive. Michael's words had really gotten to her. She needed to forgive Lily. She needed to forgive her friend. Her best friend. Before the night of the accident, Lily had been Ali's best friend. They were so close that they were like sisters. And the truth was, Ali actually really missed talking to Lily. They used to talk to each other every day, but now Ali had not talked to her since that life changing day months ago.

At first, Ali had avoided her because she was angry and hurt. She couldn't understand why this had happened to her, why she had lost the use of her legs while Lily had walked away with only a few scratches. Ali had hated her for it. She was the one who was responsible for the accident, and yet she had gotten off pretty much scott-free. Ali had wanted to make her pay. She wanted her to feel her pain. So she did the only thing that she could do. She shunned her.

It started with ignoring her phone calls and text messages. Then she refused to see her when she came to visit. Then she did something really drastic. She de-friended her on Facebook. Ali thought that she needed to be punished for what happened, but what she didn't know was that Lily was being punished, more harshly than she ever knew.

Everywhere Lily went, people would stop and stare at her, pointing and whispering, "That's her!" Her, the girl who had caused her best friend to become handicapped, stuck in a wheelchair forever, unable to ever walk again. Lily's cheeks would flare with shame and embarrassment and she'd lower her head to avoid their leering eyes.

But Ali never knew about this. How could she? She barely ever left the house.

Ding Dong.

The doorbell. Ali felt her heart starting to race. She was here.

"Ali, Lily's here!" her mom called out.

"I-I'm in my room!" Ali replied, her insides twisting up into nervous knots. A couple seconds later, the door slowly opened and Ali saw caramel brown hair. The other girl slowly looked up at her, cautious of how she would react.

"Lily," Ali whispered softly, her voice cracking slightly as she said her best friend's name.

"Oh Ali!" Lily cried, hurrying forward and throwing her arms around the small, blonde girl.

"I'm so sorry!" Lily sobbed into her friend's shoulder. "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! I'm so-"

"Shhhh," Ali hushed, gently stroking Lily's hair. "It's okay, Lily. It's okay." Lily slowly pulled away, looking at her with tear-filled eyes.

"I forgive you, Lily," Ali said softly, surprising herself. Did she? She thought about it for a moment. She didn't fully forgive her, but at the same time she did. "I miss my best friend."

"Oh Ali!" Lily cried again, throwing her arms around the girl again. "I've missed you so much!"

"Can we go back to being friends again?" Ali asked softly. "I just... I just really need my best friend again. I've missed you. I've missed talking to you. I miss the way you could always make me laugh. I miss how you always knew what to say to make me smile. I missed you."

"I've missed you too," Lily replied softly, pulling away to look her in the eyes. "I am so sorry about what happened. I will spend every day of my life trying to make it up to you. I-"

"Please," Ali held up her hand, silencing her. "I don't want to talk about that anymore. I just want to go back to being friends."

"Okay," Lily nodded slowly, moving over to the bed and sitting down on it. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know," Ali shrugged. "What's new? What have I missed?"

"Not much..." Lily shrugged. "Aylin and Blake are dating, though I'm sure that Michael would have told you that." Ali nodded.

"Yeah, he keeps me up to date on the town gossip," she grinned. "I don't get out much anymore..."

"Well, why don't you come out with us to the party tonight," Lily suggested with a smile.

"Party?" Ali questioned, tilting her head slightly. "What party? Michael didn't tell me about any party."

"It's at Lim's place," Lily explained, getting excited. "His parents are out of town and everyone's going! Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Alright," Ali smiled. "It'd be nice to see everyone again. I just hope that they don't all stare at me because I'm... you know." She gestured down at her wheelchair.

"I'm sure they won't," Lily said softly. "They're your friends. They still love you just as much as they always did. Let's not think about things like that. We have to decide what to wear tonight!"

Once Ali's attention was turned away from Lily, she quickly pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.

Lily: Hey Lim! I'm bringing Ali with me tonight. Can you give people the heads up not to stare? She's really self-conscious about that. Thnx! xxoo

Lim: Sure thing! :p

There, Lily grinned, turning her attention back on Ali as she slid her phone back into her pocket. That should help things.

"What do you think of this one?" Ali asked, holding up a gray long sleeved shirt that had one pink stripe running along the chest, sitting above a bunch of white and black stripes. "I can wear my black pants with it... what do you think?"

"It's perfect!" Lily grinned. "And I could wear my pink and blue shirt with my black pants! This is going to be so much fun! Just like old times again!"

"Yeah!" Ali smiled, though inside her stomach was bubbling with nerves. Was she really up to this? This would be the first time that people had really seen her out in her wheelchair. What if they stared or made awkward comments? What if her chair didn't fit through the door? What if-

"Ali!" her brother's angry voice cut off her thoughts. The door to her room slammed open and Michael stormed in, clutching something tightly in his right hand.

"Want to explain to me why I found this at the bottom of the pond?!" he demanded, throwing the object down on her bed. Ali slowly reached over and picked it up, though she was certain that she already knew what it was.

"My medal..." she said softly, stroking the gold circle.

"So again I ask, why was it at the bottom of the pond?" Michael snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. Ali felt tears starting to prick her eyes.

"I was in a dark mood last month and I couldn't bear to look at it anymore," Ali admitted quietly. "It kept reminding me of what I'd never be able to do again, so I put it in a place that I'd never be able to go." She looked up at her older brother with tear filled eyes. "I regretted it the moment that I did it, but I couldn't take back what I had done."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Michael asked, his eyes softening as he moved over and sat down on the bed so that he was down at her level. "I could have gotten it back for you."

"I was embarrassed," Ali sniffed. "I was ashamed of what I'd done and I was too afraid to tell you the truth. Mom thought that I had just taken it down. She didn't know that I had actually lost it."

"Ali, you don't ever have to be ashamed or afraid to tell me anything, okay?" Michael said softly, gently taking her hands in his and giving them a light squeeze. "I love you, Ali. I would do anything for you, you know that, right?"

Ali nodded.

"Good," he smiled, looking and noticing Lily for the first time. "Lily! It's so good to see you here! This place just wasn't the same without you here."

"It's good to see you too," Lily laughed. "And I know what you mean. It felt weird not being here all the time."

"So what are you ladies up to tonight?" Michael asked, his eyes catching the shirt lying on the bed. "Going out?"

"Yeah, Lim's party," Ali grinned. "Which you[i/]," She lightly punched his arm. "Didn't tell me about!"

"Wait, Lim's having a party tonight?" Michael asked, looking at them with confusion. "Since when?"

"He sent out a mass invite on Facebook this morning," Lily replied. "His parents are out of town tonight so he invited like everyone over."

"Oh, well, I haven't been on my Facebook much lately," Michael shrugged. "I've been too busy helping out on Mr. Ulrich's farm and hanging out with Blake and Aylin."

"I'm surprised that Blake didn't tell you," Lily commented. "He's already marked down as going."

"Oh," Michael remarked softly. "Well, it must have just slipped his mind or something."

Why didn't he tell me? Michael wondered. He knows that I don't use my Facebook much anymore...

"Well, I'm going to go jump through the shower then and start getting ready," Michael said, standing up. "Do you guys need a ride?"

"That'd be great," Lily smiled.

Since I lost my driver's license and can't drive anymore, she sighed to herself.

"Alright," Michael nodded, heading for the door. "I'll try not to take too long getting ready."

"Michael, you're sound like a girl!" Ali teased, to which he just shot her a glare, sticking his tongue out before he disappeared out the door.

"I wish I had a brother like him," Lily sighed. "It sucks being an only child sometimes."

"Trust me, once you see his room, you'll be thankful that you are!" Ali joked.

"I heard that!" Michael called from across the hall. "And my room is not that bad!"

"Oh and is that why Mom had to go in there with a gas mask on?" Ali called back, trying to hold back her giggles.

"That was one time!" Michael exclaimed.

"Suuuuure it was," Ali teased. He made no response except for a small humph sound, which made both Lily and Ali break out in a fit of giggles.

"Come on," Lily said once they finally stopped laughing. "Let's get ready."

~ Meanwhile ~

Blake & Aylin

"I could just stay here forever," Blake smiled, snuggling closer to Aylin. They were laying in the sun on a blanket that Blake had brought, letting the hot rays warm their bodies.

"We can't," Aylin laughed. "The party is tonight, remember?"

The party? Blake blinked. What party? Blake struggled to remember what party they were supposed to attend that night.

"Remember?" Aylin repeated, nudging her boyfriend's side. "Lim's parent-free party?"

"Right!" Blake exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Do we really have to go?"

"Blake, he's your friend and you told him that you would come," Aylin sighed. "That we would come. Think of how disappointed he would be if we didn't go!" When Blake let out a deep sigh, Aylin continued. "And just think, they might play spin the bottle." She gave him a flirty wink as she sat up.

"Oh, alright," he laughed, sitting up as well. "But only if we rig the bottle for our turns so that we'll only land on each other."

"Ooo!" Aylin laughed. "Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?"

"Maybe," he grinned. "Because I want mine to be the only lips you'll kiss." He slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, as if to prove his point.

"Don't worry," she sighed happily once he pulled away. "Yours are the only ones I want to."

"Good," he smiled, standing up and offering his hand to her. "I guess that we should get going then, since we're expected to make an appearance tonight."

"I guess so," she agreed, taking his hand and letting him help her to her feet. "How are you going to get home? Michael was your ride..."

"Ever rode on handlebars before?" Blake asked mischievously, walking over and picking up her bike as she quickly rolled up the blanket and stuck it in her bag.

"You want me to sit on the handlebars?" she exclaimed. "Is that even safe?"

Blake just shrugged, "It'll be fun."

With a reluctant sigh, Aylin slowly went over and, with some help from Blake, sat up on the handlebars.

"Here we go!" he whispered excitedly in her ear as he pushed away from the ground and started pedaling. Aylin let out a slight squeal as they started to tip slightly, but Blake quickly regained control and soon they were soaring easily down the path.

"Trust me!" Blake laughed, raising his voice to be heard over the wing whipping past their faces. "I won't let you fall!"

"I trust you!" she replied, though she unconsciously tightened her grip on the handlebars.

In no time at all, they were suddenly stopping in front of Blake's house. Aylin quickly slid down off the handlebars, holding the bike steady as Blake got off.

"I'll pick you up in half an hour?" Blake said, leaning down to give her a kiss goodbye. "But park across the street, I remember." He added before she could say anything.

"I love you," she whispered softly, surprising Blake. This was the first time that she had ever said that to him.

"I love you too, Aylin," he whispered back, giving her another light kiss. "I'll see you in half an hour, okay?" She slowly nodded and he smiled. "See you soon then."

He then turned and headed up the driveway to his house, leaving behind a very flustered and happy girl.

He loves me, she grinned to herself. He loves me.