Kevin Maia

November 6th, 2018

I woke up at about three in the morning still on the couch. I got up and walked upstairs to the bathroom where I took a shower and changed into some grey sweatpants and a plain black tshirt. I put on some socks and my black PF Flyers before grabbing my black hoodie out of my closet and putting it on. I went back downstairs where I left the house locking the door behind me. I walked towards the garage when I heard a voice call out to me. I looked over to see Alexis on her front porch looking at me.

"I'm sorry what?" I asked.

"Little late for a drive don't you think?" She asked.

"Why do you care? I stole it according to you so leave me alone." I said opening my garage door.

"Look I think we both got off on the wrong foot." She said walking across the street.

"Oh you think so?" I asked.

"Hey you're my neighbor and we have counseling today so there's no point in fighting each other." She said.

"Hey I'm not the one fighting, that would be you." I said pointing at her.

"Kevin I'm really trying here why do you have to be so dismissive?" She asked.

"You call that trying? Jesus maybe we do need counseling." I said opening the driver side door.

"Hey I'm serious, I'm sorry about everything really." She said putting her hand on the door.

"You know I knew there was something different about you. But come on how dumb do you think I am?" I asked.

"What are you talking about" She asked.

"You're just being nice to me so I have nothing but nice things to say today in counseling. You want it to be over so you think by being nice to me that somehow that'll make everything vanish." I said.

"Or maybe I really am sorry and I'm just trying to be nice." She said.

"It's not your style, you people like being deceptive." I said.

"You people?" She asked.

"Upper class." I said.

"Listen Kevin I'm tired of being put on a pedestal because how wealthy my family is. I mean seriously do you have any idea how hard is just trying to fit in when everyone's kissing your ass hoping to get something out of you?" She asked.

"Nope but something tells me you prefer it that way." I said getting in the driver seat.

"Wait!" She said.

"What?" I asked.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To the river, why do you care?" I asked.

"Take me with you." She said.

"I'm sorry what? Did Alexis Kaufman just demand I take her for a ride?" I asked.

"Come on I'm locked out of the house I have nothing better to do." She said.

"Why don't you get one of your fake friends to pick you up?" I asked.

"They're not fake, they're not awake either so." She said.

"Why are you locked out? Aren't your parents home?" I asked.

"They're the ones that locked me out." She said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'll tell you at the river." She said.

"Fine get in." I said closing the driver side door.

"I was being honest when I said I was sorry, I just wanted you to know that." She said getting in the passenger seat.

"Sure you were." I said starting the car.

"What was it you said about 'giving someone the benefit of the doubt'?" She asked.

"I did give you the benefit of the doubt, you didn't prove me wrong." I said pulling out of the garage before closing it and driving towards the Des Plaines river.

"You know I only act like that because I have to." She said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means I'm small and being an asshole is my only defense mechanism. I'm not like you and Joe, I can't wrestle and I certainly can't fight." She said.

"Hey that may be true but it still isn't a good enough reason to be a dick to everybody." I said.

"I'm not a dick to everybody, just people I don't trust." She said.

"Yeah so everybody." I said.

"Not funny, so why are we going to the river?" She asked.

"Cause its a quiet place and quiet places help me think." I said.

"What's bothering you?" She asked.

"Do you honestly care?" I asked.

"Yeah I actually do if that's so hard to believe." She said.

"Well my dad died four years ago and I'm still dealing with it because I keep seeing him in my dreams and now its like I'm seeing him everywhere." I said.

"God I'm so sorry, I didn't know." She said.

"Its fine, I just needed some fresh air and a quiet place to think." I said as we arrived at the Des Plaines river.

I parked my mustang on the shore before getting out and lying down on the hood of the car. I felt Alexis lie down next to me as we both stared at the stars.

"So why did you get locked out?" I asked.

"Whenever my parents fight they somehow find a way to take it out on me. This time I got lucky I just got locked out of the house." She said.

"What do you mean? They don't hit you do they?" I asked.

"No but they don't have to, words hurt worse than a slap to the face." She said.

"Something tells me you haven't been slapped before." I said.

"That's easy for you to say, your some sort of fighter from what I hear." She said.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Come on its obvious isn't it?" She asked.

"No not really." I said.

"Well the cauliflower in your ear kinda gives it away and I saw your gloves in the backseat." She said.

"Fair enough, what do you do?" I asked.

"Cheerleading, yeah I know it's cliche but I'm actually pretty good." She said.

"What do you cheer for?" I asked.

"The football team but I hate it honestly." She said.

"But you just said you liked it." I said.

"No I said I was good at it, that don't mean I like it." She said looking at me.

"You seem to do a lot of things that you don't like." I said looking at her.

"Don't we all?" She asked.

"No, I love fighting....it's in my blood. It's what I was put on this earth to do." I said.

"How good are you? Like I know you were good enough to fend off Joe and believe me that's impressive but like...how many real fights have you had?" She asked.

"Well I had a bunch back in Richmond, they were amateur though so it's not really that impressive. But I am still undefeated." I said.

"I wish I was like you." She said.

"Uhhh I don't get it." I said.

"I mean you're so fearless and you don't give a fuck about what people think about you. I mean you got in all of my friends faces without a care in the world. I wish I had that." She said.

"Trust me when you get locked in a cage with someone who wants to kill you, nothing scares you." I said.

"Why do you like that so much? It seems so dangerous." She asked.

"My father, he was a fighter like me. Once I saw him fight I knew I was gonna be just like him, maybe even better." I said.

"You're mom must hate that." She said.

"She doesn't know, according to her I left that in the past." I said.

"Why is it so important to you? It's not like you can use it to get into any type of college." She asked.

"I train everyday for one thing and one thing only....to fight the motherfucker who killed my father." I said.

"Seems like you're on a mission, do you have any idea how long that'll take?" She asked.

"Don't know don't care, I'll train as long as I have to and fight as many people as they try to put in front of me till I get to him." I said.

"Kevin I know we got off to a bad start but.....I think it'd be the for the best if we just....start over." She said.

"Why do you care so much all of sudden? What's your play here?" I asked.

"Listen it's just.....you're different, I know a lot of people at our school and I mean a lot but....you're nothing like them at all. It took me a while to figure that out but once I did I knew I was wrong to judge you so soon. It's why I wanted to come with you, I want us both to just start over." She said.

"Where did you come up with that? It sounds like some shit you read in a book." I asked looking at her.

"I'm serious dammit! What's it gonna take for you to understand that I'm not playing any games here? I really give a shit and you're finding that so hard to believe." She asked.

"Oh I'm sorry who are you? I'm Kevin Maia." I said sitting up and holding my hand out.

"You........Alexis Kaufman nice to meet you." She said shaking my hand.

"Well Alexis I think I've got enough of the stars attention for one night." I said hopping off the hood of my car.

"Shame, I was just starting to recognize some of the constellations. Like look there's the big dipper." She said pointing at the sky.

"Yep and there's Polaris, just right next to it....by a few trillion miles." I said pointing at the north star.

"Polaris? That's the north star right?" Alexis asked.

"Sure is, you know my friend and I used to be obsessed with it. We always believed that no matter how far apart we got....we'd find eachother underneath the stars." I said.

"Sounds like you and this friend were close." Alexis said.

"She was the best person I ever knew." I said.

"Was?" Alexis asked.

"That's a story for another time." I said getting in the driver seat.

"Sorry I didn't mean to push too hard." She said getting in the passenger seat.

"Hey....it's fine." I said starting the car.

"What are you gonna do now?" She asked.

"I don't know probably head back home, you're locked out for the night?" I asked.

"Yeah probably until my dad wakes up around six." She said.

".....Do you wanna stay at my place?" I asked.

"Really? I mean I was such a bitch to you this week, I don't know if I deserve that kind of help." She said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, we just met." I said winking at her.

"Ok.....I'll stay with you tonight." She said cracking a smile.

"Aweso- I mean.....cool." I said nodding my head.

Alexis rolled her eyes and smiled to herself as I started driving back to my house. By the time we arrived there the time was 4:17 am. I parked my Mustang in the garage and turned it off. I looked over at Alexis who was half asleep with her head resting on the window. I got out and walked around to her side where I opened the door and picked her up bridal style before kicking the door closed with my foot. I walked outside closing the garage door with the device on my keychain. I walked up on to my front porch and unlocked and opened my front door. I walked inside and closed it shut with my body before locking it all while still carrying Alexis. I carried her upstairs to my room where I laid her down on my bed. I moved my covers over her and watched her get comfortable as I walked out of my room and went  downstairs. I took off my shoes as I laid down on the couch where I tried to just get some more sleep before school. I opened my eyes for a moment and saw someone standing in my living room. I sat up and turned on the lamp and saw......Kris.

"Hey there stranger." She said smiling.

"Kris....how....come here." I said standing up.

"You can't get rid of me that easy Maia." She said hugging me.

"It's been too long Kris, I wish you would've been here sooner." I said.

"Oh come on Kevin you know no matter we'll always find each other." She said.

"I'm so sorry I left I just....I had no choice but to leave." I said.

"You're crazy if you'd think I be mad at you for that." She said.

"Always too nice for your own good." I said smiling.

"I thought that what's you liked most about me?" She asked smiling back.

"I like everything about you." I said.

".......Then why did you leave me?" She asked.

My eyes shot open as my alarm went off on my phone. I sat up and turned it off before looking over where Kris was standing to find nothing there. It felt too real to be a dream, I wanted it to be real so bad. I wanted to see her again but I don't know if I ever will again. I stood up and walked upstairs to see Alexis still asleep on my bed. I went over to my closet and grabbed some clothes to put on for the day. I got changed right there not worrying about Alexis who was asleep. Once I was finished I walked over to Alexis and shook her until she opened her eyes.

"Kevin? The hell are you doing in my house?" She asked.

"You mean my house, you're in my bed right now." I said sitting down on the side of the bed.

"I am!" She said sitting up right away.

"Yeah, you fell asleep in my car so I just brought you up here." I said.

"Without my permission? You know that can be considered as kidnapping?" She asked.

"Well next time I'll just leave you on the porch." I said standing up.

"Hey.....thanks. This definitely beats sleeping outside." She said grabbing my arm.

"No problem." I said.

"Well I better go back over to my place and get ready, I'll see you in counseling." She said getting off my bed.

"Alright get home safe." I said as she walked downstairs and out of my house.

"Who was that?" Mom said as she left her room.

"Oh that's Alexis, she's our neighbor." I said putting on my shoes.

"What was she doing here?" Mom asked.

"She got kicked out so....I let her stay here. It was in the middle of the night sorry I didn't ask or anything." I said.

"No it's fine you did the right thing." Mom said.

"Alright well I'm gonna get going, school starts soon." I said walking downstairs.

"Ok have a great day then sweetie love you." Mom said as I grabbed my backpack off the couch.

"Love you too mom." I said grabbing my gym bag before walking outside.

I walked over to my garage but not before looking across the street at Alexis's house. I saw Alexis heading over to her car but before she got in she looked over at me....and smiled. I smiled back as I watched her get in her car and drive away. I opened the garage door and got in my Mustang throwing my backpack in the backseat. I backed out closing the garage door in the process and started driving towards school. I started thinking about earlier this morning, it's still weird to me how Alexis decided to stop being a brat and just chill with me. I think for now I should just go with it and be happy she's not on my ass about stupid shit. But seeing Kris, that was definitely the weirdest shit that's happened to me since I got here. I mean I haven't seen her up and about in over a year and to see her in my living room was just....unreal. I was probably bothering myself too much with the idea of her actually being here but I was just so sad to see it was just a dream. Nothing would make me feel more at home then her presence. I stopped at a stoplight and looked over at the passenger seat. I remember how much her and I use to just go on random drives with no destination in mind. When I was back in Richmond this passenger seat would never be empty cause Kris would be right here almost every time. In fact it was like she was still here. I could see her sitting right there staring out the window. Her blonde hair flowing in the wind and the smell of her perfume. I could see her looking at me with those ocean blue eyes and that perfect smile. All of that.....and I still could see me leaving her back in Richmond. It wasn't up to me but I had to leave her behind as much I really didn't want to. I don't know if she would've understood but I never got the chance to truly say goodbye to her. Hopefully meeting new friends here could help me keep her off my mind but I doubt it. Forgetting a girl like her is like forgetting what country you live in. I doubt she forgot about me either but who knows. I didn't leave her on the best of terms but it wasn't either of our faults. It was just the price we both paid for our fighting careers. Not a day goes by where I don't think about what happened to her but there was nothing I could do about it now but hope that one day we'll meet again. I just hope she forgives me for leaving her.