Drowning

// She’s drowning, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark abyss that is her life. She has no friends, no family, no one to go to, except the ghost of her best friend. He follows her everywhere, never letting her out of his sight. She has nowhere to go but he’s everywhere. Pale, skinny, and dead looking, she walks the empty streets, looking for something to eat, something warm to wear, something to keep the rain out. There’s nothing. No one wants to help her. They look at her with disgust written on their face, shake their heads and close the door. She sighs, and walks away. //

// She walks. That’s all she ever does. No one knows how she’s still alive, not even her. Hm... Must be that ghost. //

// Ghosts... she didn't believe in them, or in anything for that matter. She was realistic. Focused on the facts, not the fantasy; quick-witted, sarcastic, and serious. No one had ever liked her; no one but him. He had seen in her what everyone else had failed to see. He dug deep into her, past her rough shell, and into that mellow, warm inside she had hidden under those harsh layers of hatred and sadness. Time did that to her. “People either leave you or they die”, she used to say. Every word of that was true. //

// Her family had left her, moving out and far away while she was at camp. She came back to an empty house, one she had called home many years ago. It was a home full of memories. Good memories. That was before she became the monster everyone thought she was. Monster. What a cruel term to use when referring to someone. But that's how life goes. Nothing's perfect. She hated them all and she couldn't believe how they could leave her there alone, vulnerable... She yearned for protection. //

// Then he had died. Found inside his car, his lifeless body crushed and dismembered between the seat and the steering wheel. She was next to him, but she had survived. Bust wished she hadn't. He didn't deserve to die. He had a family that loved him, cherished him and would never leave him. She had no one... and deserved to die and blamed his death on herself. They had been drinking. She had told him her story reluctantly and he had listened. No one had ever listened to her like that. He made her feel special, like she was someone important. She hadn’t felt that way since she was abandoned. Ever since that day, they had been inseparable. Best friends until the day he died. That’s the promise they had made to each other. They would stay best friends forever. No one, nothing, could ever tear them apart. Except this: he was dead, she wasn’t. She didn’t have a best friend anymore. She was alone again. She felt terrible guilt and betrayal. //

// He promised he wouldn’t leave her before she left this world. He promised her. But promises are meant to be broken, right? //

// So there she was, sitting in the rain again. That’s all that happened in that town. Rain. Going hom was an option, but being there would trigger the happy memories. She didn’t want to feel that; never wanted to be happy again. Every time she was happy, she remembered she didn’t have it anymore and that only made her sad. She just wanted to stop feeling all together and made a pact with herself to never feel again. //

// She felt a presence next to her and looked around. There he was. Smiling at her, his pale silhouette contrasting with the dark surroundings. //

// “Why so serious, Rox?” he asked her grinning. //

// “Shut up, Blake”, she mumbled. He scowled and floated to her and hugged her. It was comforting, even if she didn’t feel it. “I wish you were alive again.” //

// “But I’m right here, that’s what counts right? I’m never going to leave you, Rox.” She smiled. She hadn’t smiled in a long time. She hadn’t seen him in a long time either. //

// The rain stopped. She stepped out of the tin roof and looked around for somewhere she could eat. She spotted the diner and ran towards it. Then stopped. She forgot she didn’t have money. And so she sat on the street. Just sat there. Blake was trying to console her, but it didn’t help. She didn’t want to hear his words right now. She only wanted something to eat. Rox sat there for hours and hours until she remembered something. She had money. She did. It was at home, but she did. She jumped up and started running to the house. She stumbled a few times on the way and fell once, but she made it. She ran up to her room and lifted the floorboard next to her closet. There they were, $500. She thanked herself for being that smart and walked out the door. //

// Once outside she looked for Blake, but he was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged and started walking back. It started drizzling, so she hurried up. Something stopped her. She heard a cry. Not a human cry; a dog cry. She walked slowly to where the sound was emanating from. She didn’t know what to expect. The ground before her was sloped downwards to a small stream. She looked over the edge of the hill and saw a small, black puppy in the water. Immediately, she started down the hill, rolling near the end and got to it just in time to get it out. She covered him – or her; she didn’t know– in her sweater and dried it. The puppy licked her face until she held him away from her. She put the puppy down, patted its head, and started her way back to the diner. //

// It was almost October and the trees were decorated with yellows and reds. It was beautiful, but sad. Everything beautiful was sad. It was something no one could recreate. It was unique. She hated that. She hated everything; except Blake. She heard fast breathing behind her and looked to see the puppy was still following her, wagging its tale. She smiled at… him. It was a he. She smiled at him and picked him up. // // “What should we do with you, huh?” she asked him. //

// He licked her face. //

// She yelled in disgust and laughed, putting him down. She thought about keeping him, but that would be she would have to feed him. She shook that thought away and looked at him. He was adorable to say the least. Big, brown eyes and black fur. It contrasted with her features. She was pale, had bright blue eyes and dark brown hair. //

// “You two make a perfect pair”, said Blake. //

// And she never heard him again. //