Lila's pov
"You know," Damon began, leaning back against the wall, "there's one memory I keep coming back to when I think about us. Remember that time in high school? When we tried to sneak into the school at night just to see if we could?"
I blinked, the memory suddenly surfacing, and before I could stop it, a smile tugged at my lips. "Oh no, you're not talking about—"
"Oh, I'm definitely talking about it," Damon cut me off, grinning now. "You thought it would be easy to break into the science lab because you were obsessed with proving that old rumor about the secret stash of confiscated fireworks."
I laughed. "I can't believe you went along with that ridiculous plan!"
Damon chuckled, shaking his head. "Lila, you were so determined! You had this whole theory about how the principal was secretly hoarding fireworks for some annual illegal celebration."
"And you thought the janitor was in on it," I added. "You kept telling me to watch out for him because he was 'dangerously quiet.'"
"Well, he was! The man was always lurking in the hallways at the weirdest times. I'm convinced he was hiding something."
I shook my head, trying to hold back the laughter that was now coming out of me "Oh my god, we were so stupid. We didn't even make it past the front door without tripping the alarm!"
Damon's grin widened. "And then you panicked, grabbed my arm, and dragged me into the bushes, whispering about how we needed to 'stick to the plan,' even though we had no plan."
"We hid in those bushes for hours, waiting for the cops to leave," I said, still laughing. "You were convinced we'd outsmarted them when really they never even looked for us."
Damon's laugh joined mine, and for the first time in what felt like forever. I ignored the feeling of something missing in me and It felt good to laugh with him, to remember that there had been a time when things between us were simple and innocent.
"I don't think I've ever seen you run so fast in my life," Damon said, shaking his head. "You sprinted all the way back to your house like your life depended on it."
"I thought my parents were going to kill me!" I admitted. "We were grounded for a week, but you made it sound like we were legends."
Damon shrugged, his smirk returning. "Well, in my defense, I still think we were."
We both laughed again, the sound of it filling the space around us. For a moment, it was just us—the kids we used to be, the ones who hadn't yet been touched by the pain and loss that would come later. It was as though, for that one memory, we could pretend the world wasn't so broken.