❤¸•Akuri•*¨*•Muden❤¸•

May, 1974 
Lillian was going to join her gang at their usual lunch table, she tried to walk normally and not show her nervousness and giddiness. Today she had made up her mind during gym with the help of her friend Katie to ask Zack to the Prom as her date, and then after she will tell him how she feels and give herself to him. As she got to the table her elated state was deflated a little right there sat her mortal arch enemy Cynthia Powell and she sat right next to Zack. Well she was not going to let that little she-devil get to her now she had something important to do. As she sat down she greeted the whole gang and just nodded to Cynthia, now was not the time to be petty and they will soon be leaving high school so what the hey, right? Lillian smiled at Zack and he smiled back, she felt as though she would melt right there. He is her best friend but Katie said there was nothing wrong with moving it up.
“Zack, so how is your Prom preparation coming?” She asked
“Its good, I have gotten my tux at least.” He answered
“Do you have a date, yet?”
“No, but I have someone am planning to ask”
“Well, who is it?”
“Erm, ehhh… Well it is y-”
“Hey, guys I saw this new pastry at the Manny café on my way to school this morning” Cynthia burst into their conversation. They both looked at her along with everyone at the table. Lillian’s face wore her irritation at Cynthia’s importune announcement, but Zack’s had patience and a little frustration at the interruption.
“Since it was new I bought only one to try, but I don’t want to try it alone. Here Zack take try it with me” Cynthia said
Lillian was not happy with this new chumminess Cynthia was developing for Zack.
“Well who is it Zack” she prompted him again, resuming their conversation.
“Well it is-”
“OK, will you go with me?” she asked, tired of his delay.
“Yes, I-” he answered
“Eat it Zack, and tell me what you think” Cynthia butted in again. Well Lillian was not going to let her ruffle her. She was too happy with Zack’s answer to bother. Zack ate the pastry and turned to Cynthia and said “Well it does not taste so great to me”
Lillian pulled back Zack’s attention to her “So you will go to the Prom with me, right?”
“Erm, well I was hoping to go with Cynthia” he said.
Lillian was stunned for a minute, and turned to look at Cynthia who had a sweet evil smile on her face. She was confused, just a minute ago Zack had said yes, but Cynthia had interrupted him. Had he agreed to go with her before or was something else wrong. Well she was not going to sit here in humiliation pondering it she immediately got up and left the cafeteria hurriedly.
“Are you ok Lillian?” Cynthia asked too sweetly
“Am alright, I just want to use the washroom” she answered without turning.
As soon as she left the cafeteria she let the tears she had been holding fall.

Present Day
Cynthia knew that that vindictive bitch Lillian will use her controversial pregnancy to get closer to Zack. What with all her helpless and indecision act, she was clearly trying to get Zack’s money. Although only God knew what she will do with it being that she is equally wealthy, so that left only one option she was out to get Cynthia and take away what is rightfully hers. Well if she thought that her plans where going to work, well she had another think coming because Cynthia was on to her evil scheme. Lillian had always had it out for her since high school, Lillian thought no one knew of her stupid love for Zack, well she knew and that was why she had gone to the charm store in grade 12 to get that gris gris to make Zack fall in love with her. Well how is that Lillian for a one up, she knew she did not love Zack and frankly she did not know what Lillian saw in him, but since she saw some thing in him well that was good enough for Cynthia. If not for Lillian’s wanting Zack and his wealth she would not be doing this foolhardy thing of getting pregnant; from time she always knew that pregnancy and motherhood was not her thing, but she was tired of Zack and wants out and the only way to maintain her present lifestyle is to have a child. Cynthia did not want to lose to Lillian, but divorcing Zack meant Lillian was going to get him and maybe even have access to her child, because with time the gris gris weakens and she can see it in the way Zack has been looking at Lillian which Cynthia cannot stomach, so there was only one thing to do: get rid of the competition. Being rich meant so many things were easy to come by, even a good hit man. Cynthia left her room to go meet with her newest and briefest employee in the tea room. As she entered she took stock of his appearance and was satisfied that he looked very professional, with his Pizza delivery boy getup she was sure that he could get in and out of the Royal Condos undetected and affix their little gift to Lillian’s electrical wiring.
Cynthia sat and let some second go by before talking.
“I believe I won’t be disappointed” she said.
“No you won’t, I know how to do my job and I have many satisfied customer to prove it” Mr. O replied.
She lifted the briefcase she had gone up to get and snapped it open turning it towards Mr. O.
“This is the advance pay, and if the job is done to my satisfaction you will receive your balance” she promised
He just took the briefcase snapped it shut, nodded, stood up and left. As he left Cynthia knew she was looking at the back of a guaranteed success.



She turned with tears in her eyes and he was stunned to see it there, because she had always been the stoic one, always very composed.
“Everyone is telling me to get an abortion, to give up this baby but what if this is my only chance to have a child, if this is the closest I ever get to having a child of my own, Zack?” she cried rubbing her still flat belly. “I mean, every man I know is to damned afraid of me and my success, no one is stepping up to marry me, do you understand me? Can you see me dilemma?”
Zack took a step towards her and took her in his arms, it really hurt him to see her hurt like this, and he has always loved her and always will. He wished he could solve her problem for her but for once he had no answer. He was not in support of her keeping the rape child of a notorious drug cartel king pin, who after all had only been using her, but he had no other solutions for her. He just held her and rubbed her back.
“Zack please say something, I need to know that am not making a mistake again.” She said sobbing now.
“No one said you were making a mistake Lily, and I have never known you to make mistakes” he said stroking her platinum blond hair. He had always admired her, she always had that steely determination in her cerulean blue eyes but now it really ate at him to see self doubt in its place.
“I never make mistakes? You think I never make mistakes? Well look were we are now you and I, this is the closest we can ever get to each other Zack. You were the only man I ever knew who could stand up to me, correct me and comfort me since we were young as kids, you have always been my best friend since third grade, the only one whoever understood me and I let you go. You were the only one I was ever in love with and will ever love. It killed me when you chose Cynthia over me, it tore my heart to shreds but I could not bring myself to get in the way of your happiness, I never could” she sobbed in to his chest; she tilted her head back to gaze up at him, her face ravaged by tears. He was still shocked by what she had just said that she loved him.
“Lily I am so sorry, I never knew, I swear I never knew” he said in a low voice almost a whisper because he still had not recovered from her revelation. “I also had a crush on you in 12th grade, hell I was in love with you then but I always thought you were too serious to consider me and that you deserved better than me” she sobbed harder
“You see what I mean Zack, I had been in love with you for 20 years but now it too late for us, just too late” he knew what she said was true, because now he was stuck with loving Cynthia he could not help himself he was hopelessly gone on her, no matter how many time she hurt him or cheated on him. He wished his heart had chosen Lily to love she had always been his ideal woman, but no he was stupidly in love with Cynthia and could see no cure for himself and Lily is stuck with a criminal’s child as her only road to motherhood. Even with all her accomplishments and success she felt empty, and he knew that feeling well. He is a well accomplished investment banker with so many successes and married to the woman he loves but always at the end of the day he still felt empty.
“Remember, it had always been you and I against the world, two lonely orphans but we had always beaten the odds together. Faced the problems together and solved them all together, till now” Lily tried to smile in spite but it fell short she walked over to the ceiling to floor windows on the east side of her penthouse suite to look out over the Hudson river “Now I feel like the only anchor I have that’s keeping me from being lost is this child, I already love him or her more than my life. I had always dreamed that when I have kids it will be children with your stormy grey eyes maybe girls with your jet black hair my blue eyes and I really wanted your height for them not my petite stature and sons with you strong chin and that you cute chin dimple” she laughed earnestly now “all but dreams and fantasies of a delusional girl, but hey am still happy to have my best friend, right?” Lily reached up to brush out the one errant curl out of his eyes. Zack wanted to really kiss her if it will keep a smile on her face but he could not bring himself to cheat on Cynthia. He walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder to lend her any support no matter how small.
“You know sometimes I almost hate you Zack and sometimes I hate myself more for still being a fool, but I can’t help it” she said sadly. He felt all her words like arrows through his heart; he hated being the cause of any of her anguish.
Zack’s phone rang and he looked at the screen and it was Cynthia, although he did not want to answer and make things worse for Lily, on a normal day he might have let the call go unanswered and apologize to Cynthia later, but she was pregnant with their first son and she was almost to full term with delivery any day now. He picked the call an the third ring
“Hello honey” he greeted her, he looked at Lily and saw her eyes cloud over he turned away because he could not bear to see that look in her eyes. Cynthia was still yelling at him for not picking on the first ring. In between all her yelling and hollering only one thing she said got his attention; Cynthia was in labour and was on her way to the hospital. Zack was happy but not a happy he was ready to share with his best friend, he had been looking forward to the child’s birth he always believed that the child will save and heal his marriage and maybe make Cynthia to finally settle down.
“Okay honey I will be there soon” he assured her before he hung up. He turned to Lily and she just stood their looking at him with tears running down her face, and at that very moment she looked like the lost and scared little girl he had sworn to love and take care of no matter what in third grade, but that lasted for barely a second and Lily pulled herself together right before his eyes and she became the stoic and composed Lily that the whole world saw like this little episode never occurred.
“I have to go Cynthia is in labour and on her way to the hospital, I have to go meet her” he said feeling really lame. But Lily just presented her ever serene smile and said calmly “Oh, that is very good news Zachary, congratulations on your impending fatherhood” her composed mask back in place and with a few words she had managed to distance him. “I believe you want to be on your way” Lily said walking to the door and held it open waiting for him. He took his jacket and walked to the door beside her, he lifted his hand and touched her cheek “Am sorry Lily for the way we turned out” he said with feeling.
“Call me Lillian please and there’s nothing to be sorry for” she said without any emotion at all moving out of his touch. He wished he could bring back the spunky girl from 9th grade and not have this robot in front of him, but he knew part of it was his fault. Zack stepped out the door and looked at Lily for the last time although they both never knew. As he walked to the only elevator with access to the penthouse he turned back to look and he saw sadness on her face like she was closing a chapter in her life forever as she closed the door that night. Zack waited for the elevator and as he stepped in he felt such immense joy on the impending birth of his son, but still at the same time he felt this great sadness and grief like he had lost something so dear to him, too bad the head cannot dictate the choices of the heart. As Zack stepped out of the elevator a non-descript Pizza delivery man entered the elevator to the penthouse suite. Zack was three blocks away from Royal condominiums when a bright light lit up the Manhattan night skyline and loud explosions rock the city, as he turned Zack saw the penthouse of Royal condominiums in flames.
“LILY!” he screamed and unknowingly stepped on his accelerator propelling his car into the path of an oncoming Mack truck. As blaring horns filled the night, a distant siren wailed and with headlights glaring at him Zack’s last thought were ‘if he were ever to come back in another life, he hoped he ended up with Lily’.


Cynthia woke up as usual and rolled over with and anticipatory smile on her face. She sat up and reached for the remote to the plasma wall mount television in her bedroom, she clicked it on and tuned to the local news channel. As she could have predicted the local was carrying the breaking news about the explosion that had rocked the Royal Condos in the downtown region which had claimed only one life, the life of one of New York’s elite Ms. Lillian Derrick. Cynthia smiled and got out of bed heading to the bathroom, she needed to call her friends and celebrate. As she was about to turn off the TV the news anchor man said
“And moving on to our other leading news, it has been confirmed that the body found in the wreckage just three blocks from the Royal condos is the body of another New York elite, Mr. Zack Hensley”
As the anchor man droned on Cynthia was stunned to the spot and speechless. She had called Zack out of the condo on time so as not to put any suspicion on herself should it be learnt that both he and Lillian died in the same explosion. Still she could not believe her good fortune, as an evil smile spread across her face. This was just a jackpot hit, two birds, and disgusting birds at that with one stone. She turned to her reflection in her vanity mirror, and saw herself all tall beauty and evil, like beautiful death or sweet poison. She smiled and said
“Bulls eye”.

~~THE END~~