As Our Worlds Collide

Chapter one: Risk

'Aviana, where are we going?'

'I don't know Stella, but does it really matter? I'll just keep driving without a destination until we find one.'

'But that's stupid, Avi. You could put us in danger- and literally nobody knows we're here, wherever "here" is.'

Aviana looked back at Liam's concerned face and sighed. 'Okay fine. I'll drive us to Joe's. Does anyone have any cash on them?' she said, looking at both Stella and Liam.

Stella checked her pockets and pulled out a ten-dollar bill.

'I have this, but I don't think it will be enough. Let's order minimum amount of food and maybe try to share.'

Liam placed his palm on his face and looked up at Aviana and Stella, sitting in the front seats. 'It's three in the morning, you guys,' he said. 'Why on Earth would Joe's be open at this hour and why would we go there? I'm not even hungry.'

Stella looked right back at Liam. 'Liam, the reason why we are doing this in the first place is because we're trying to be disobedient and rebellious for once in our lives and try not to always look perfect for everyone. And honestly, it's not like we've murdered a man or something, we just snuck out at night without our parent's acknowledgment.'

Aviana showed agreement with Stella. 'She's right, Liam. It's not like we ran off to a bar or something, we're just driving to a diner.'

'I'm not even worried about that, it's just that I don't want my parents to wake up and find out I'm not home. They've been really stressed about Camila lately now that she's off to college away from them.' Liam said.

'Relax Liam, we will be home before they notice we're gone. But even if they do find out, so what? Will they die from a heart attack or something? We're teenagers, we're supposed to be doing stupid things, even when it's not expected of us.' Stella told Liam, whom remained silent.

Liam felt reassured as he laid back on his seat staring outside, admiring the beautiful view of the roads that looked so empty yet so peaceful during late night hours. It was so quiet and calming, but the vibe felt ruined by Aviana as she started blasting rock music on the car radio.

Stella leaned forward from her seat and looked at Aviana. 'Open the sunroof,' she said.

'What?' said Aviana in confusion, as she couldn't hear Stella's voice over the music.

Stella turned the volume down, and Liam seemed relieved. 'I said open the sunroof, I want to get up and feel the wind on my face.'

'Alright,' said Aviana, pushing a button leading to the sunroof's slow opening. 'Be careful though, and if it gets cold come back down.'

Stella got up with excitement and opened her arms as she was looking up at the clear sky. So many stars were visible, and the moon looked beautiful. This was the first time Stella felt this happy in a long time. She felt appreciative of the world, of its beauty and its peace. Suddenly, she felt a presence appearing next to her, pushing her a bit to the side to make more room for himself. And there was Liam, smiling at her. Aviana looked up at them as she increased the volume of the music they all liked, Pink Floyd. Stella randomly started to laugh hysterically. Liam looked at Stella in confusion, as he chuckled a bit along with her.

'What's so funny?' Liam asked.

'It's so funny how the only times in which we feel at peace is when we're with the people we choose to be with, and not the people we are obliged to accompany.'

'And how is that amusing?' Liam asked.

'Because! Look around you, Liam. We live in a world in which depressed parents give birth to depressed kids and the cycle continues- and here we are, trying to break that cycle of sadness by being disobedient,' Stella turned her face to Liam. 'But if being disobedient feels so good, then why the hell are there rules? Why is it that we have to live a certain way or else we're bad people? It's so stupid, yet everyone accepts it.' she said, as she looked away from Liam and turned her gaze back at the moon.

'You're right Stella. But what can we do about it? If we break those rules, we hurt others.' he said.

'Who would we hurt?' Stella asked.

'Our parents.' Liam said.

Stella looked back at Liam and went silent for a moment.

'Then it's their fault for having high expectations of us. They decided to bring a child to life and now that we're here alive, we have to live their way?' she said.

'Yes, because they're our parents and want the best for us.'

'I don't believe that.' said Stella.

'And why is that?' asked Liam.

'You say they want the best for us, but my mom's definition of best is to be pretty and successful. I don't want to keep myself from eating to make her feel proud of my body anymore. I don't want to study so I can end up in a good university, then work until I retire and die. I want to live a life that's worthy of telling, I want to live a life my kids will end up wanting to live in the future, without having myself force it onto them.' Stella's eyes glowed as she spoke, and by that Liam knew Stella was serious about it.

'How do you want to live, Stella?' asked Liam.

'It might seem impossible, but I want to disappear into a city in which no one knows who I am. I want to act however I want, without being afraid of judgement or disappointment from others. I don't want people in this town to look at me and notice if I ever gained weight, cut my hair, or painted my nails a ridiculous color. I don't want people to assume I have a boyfriend when I'm hanging out with a guy. Aside from my appearances in public places, I also want to become a photographer and take pictures of the beauty of this world. I want to show everyone what I see, and right at this moment, I wish I could take pictures of these empty roads and show people its meaning through my art.'

'But I don't understand, what could an empty road possibly mean to you?' asked Liam, staring at the road.

'What's going on up there?' Aviana interrupted as she asked in a high tone.

'Uh, nothing. We're just talking about stuff and Stella is in her feels.' Liam said, leaning his head down so Aviana could hear him.

'I feel excited but also scared, but it's an amazing feeling. It's like these are the moments we live for.' Stella said.

'We're here you guys, get down now.' Aviana said, as she muted the music on the radio and took the keys out. Luckily, the diner was up and running.

There was one coworker at the diner, it was a middle-aged lady by the cash register who took and served orders. The diner was quiet and empty, and the lady at the front looked sleepy and tired.

The small group ordered fries and drinks, and by the time they were almost done with the food, the diner felt emptier than it already was. The waitress must've been somewhere in the kitchen, but the teens hadn't noticed her absence.

Suddenly, the teens noticed a loud noise coming from afar. Not long later, a car filled with drunk teenage boys pulled up in the parking lot next to the see-through glass diner. Stella and her friends were staring at the vehicle and then at each other, as they all felt the insecure vibes coming from it.

'Guys, I think we should go.' Liam said, in a silent tone.

'It's not a big deal Liam, they're just teenage boys, I don't think they mean any harm.' said Aviana, unconvinced.

'No he's right Avi, I'm not willing to get into more trouble right now- come on,' Stella said as she started grabbing her belongings and getting up from her seat.

'Grab your stuff and let's go.'

Moments before they went through the diner exit, the teenage boys barged into the store, standing in the doorway, blocking the exit. Stella could count at least five of them.

A tall guy in a black beanie and jacket approached Liam, as he separated from his group. At that moment, Stella and Aviana felt more frightened than they already were. Liam was panicking inside, but he wasn't showing it.

'What's up with your face?' said the guy who approached him, leaving little over no distance left between him and Liam. 'Are you gay or something?' he said, sarcastically. He looked back at his friends and they all started to laugh. Liam felt it was unnecessary to answer. What a prick, he thought. Liam looked straight past him and walked towards the door with Stella and Aviana walking behind him. The guys blocking the doorway did not move a muscle, and just stood there stupidly, staring at Liam and his friends. Liam tried to doge the guys and move past them, but as soon as he tried to get out, one of the guys held his arm back.

'Where are you guys going?' he said. 'Stay here and let's have some fun.'

Two of the guys came so close to Stella and Aviana that they could feel their every breath.

'Not gonna lie, it would be a pretty huge loss letting two pretty girls like you leave.' said one of them as he leaned towards Stella. Stella was quick to push him away furiously.

'Back off from them!' Liam said, filled with rage as he tried walking towards Stella but was pulled back by one of the boys.

'If you try to get any closer, I swear I won't stop punching your ugly face until your every tooth falls out,' the guy pushed by Stella told Liam. 'you would look a lot like my grandpa Luke,' he said, starting to chuckle. He spoke in such a drunk voice it sounded like his mind was slowly shutting down.

As Aviana started to count all the boys cornering them, she started to wonder where the hell the waitress had gone.

'HELP!' she screamed. The guys' gazes all turned to Aviana, staring blankly at her, then laughing all at once. Liam ran and punched the guy blocking the doorway, and quickly opened the door and the girls dashed outside, with Liam following them.

'HEY!' yelled one of the guys as they all ran after them. One of the guys puked midway onto another's jacket, and another was too trashed and tripped.

Stella ran to the driver's seat and Aviana threw her the car keys, screaming in panic 'quick, drive!' She still hadn't gotten her drivers' license, but she still knew how to handle the wheel. As Stella was driving away, one of the guys threw a rock at the car and they all felt its bang on the car. It left Stella agitated and she started to push the gas pedal harder, speeding up.

As Stella left the area, they all sighed in relief but felt traumatized. They couldn't stop shaking.

A few minutes into the drive, Aviana asked Stella to stop the car in the middle of the road to check the car.

'Aviana, we're literally on a road between two forests and it's dark. Can't you wait until we get home?'

'No Stella, I am feeling very anxious about the car. You know it's my mom's and she'll kill me if she sees any damage done to the car. I want to see if it's bad- I won't take long, I promise. Stella remained worried, and looked back at Liam.

'Don't worry.' said Aviana. Stella approved and stopped the car. Aviana asked Liam to come out with her and he got out with her.

'Turn the flashlight on your phone Liam, I left my phone in the car and it's too dark.' said Aviana, walking around the car alongside him.

'Avi, I don't feel very safe here, so please do hurry up.' said Liam in a worried tone.

Stella remained seated in the car, waiting for Aviana and Liam to get back.

'Hurry up you guys,' She said, impatiently. 'what's taking so long?'

'Hang on in there, I can't find any damage on the car so I have to check the lights and tire frames.'

Stella grew more impatient and decided to turn off the car and climb out to help.

'Stella, you i***t- you turned off the car lights!' said Aviana, looking bothered.

'I'm pretty sure they must've hit the tire or something, so just get back in.' said Stella.

'Stella, it's bloody dark in here and I'm going to get frightened to death!' said Liam.

Stella ignored Liam and continued to rush Aviana to get back into the car and drive home before her mom would wake up and notice her disappearance.

'Okay you guys,' said Aviana, looking back up at Stella and Liam. ''There is a little scratch but I'm sure she won't notice it for a while, so I guess we're good- the rock hit the tire frame edges so it's not that obvious.'

Liam and Stella felt relieved as they climbed back into the car. Stella switched places with Aviana and went back to the passenger's seat.

'Stella, where are the car keys?' Aviana asked, searching the surroundings of her seat with her phone's flashlight.

'I gave it to you, didn't I?' said Stella.

'No you did not.'

'Yes I did.'

'You did not, Stella. Where are they? It's nowhere to be found!' Aviana said, still searching.

'Check under your seat, Avi. Maybe it's there.' Liam said.

Avi checked under her seat and found the keys, and looked at Stella in an I told you so expression.

Just as Aviana was turning on the car engine, they noticed a beam of light shining into the car followed by a fast running car engine sound getting louder and louder-and before they could even think, they were hit from the back, and everything blurred into darkness.