The Hill Scene

The trials and tribulations of being alone

"This isn't right." Ophelia said to herself quietly and full of sorrow. She needed to stop the
self pity, Alice was gone. Of course they could still write to each other but she wasn't coming back, at least not anytime soon and certainly not for good. Ophelia needed a change, she needed to get out of this cycle of repetition, she needed something, anything to be different.
She looked up at herself in the mirror, tear stained cheeks and red nose...long, light brown hair. Alice had always loved Philly's long hair, Alice's mother insisted on keeping hers short and tidy so she was always jealous of ophelia's.
She couldn't bare to look at herself crying for any longer, she had made up her mind about what she was going to do, she was going to cut her hair short like Alice's. God, what would her mother think? Who cares? She was doing this for Alice and for herself, not for her mother. She rushed around her house, rummaging for scissors until she finally found some in the downstairs draw. She rushed back up to her room, her adrenaline and emotions high. She sat back down in front of her mirror, she didn't care if it looked good, she just needed to be different. She was just a shell of who she once was and she needed to escape it. She cut one piece, then two, then three and continued on and on until she had shoulder length hair, a huge difference from her old waist length hair.

She stared back up at herself, barely recognising herself with this new look. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she was expecting to instantly feel different, like a new person. But that wasn't what she was feeling at all, she almost felt sorry for herself. Tears once again started falling from her eyes, she needed something more. She dug through her closet, pulling out a dress, the dress that her mother had picked out on her birthday months ago. She quickly put it on, her body moving as quickly as her mind. She looked back in the mirror, now she definitely didn't recognise herself.
She wasn't thinking straight at this point, she wasn't sure why she did what she did, the emotions she was feeling were confusing her. She slowly stepped downstairs and slowly walked into the living room, still crying. Her mother turned to look at her, instantly growing concerned. "Are you okay Ophelia?" Her mother asked genuinely. Ophelia pulled at the sides of her dress and smiled through her tears, "I'm pretty." She squeaked out, her voice cracking from crying. Her mother didn't say anything, she just slowly stood and walked towards her daughter. Ophelia wasn't sure what was going on, she hadn't been herself for months and if her mother was going to yell at her now then she might just break. Her mother held her arms out and softly held Ophelia's arms before pulling her daughter into a hug.
They just stayed that way for a few moments, she still didn't agree with they way her daughter was turning out but regardless, she was still her daughter and seeing her like this broke her. She clearly cared deeply for this Alice girl, and she was no coping with her being gone. She was acting the same way as when her dad died, never really all there, in a daze. Although she didn't really like Alice that much, she secretly prayed that she returned at least for a day or two, Ophelia really needed to see her, even if just for a moment.

The next few months were a challenge. Ophelia was getting worse, she got so bad that at one point she had to spend time in the hospital. It wasn't just Alice's absence that was making her this way, school had become harder as Alice wasn't there to pick on anymore so she was the next best thing. Rumours had gotten worse and they followed her around everywhere. Her mother made sure to deliver letters from Alice to Ophelia's hospital, they were the only things that really helped. Ophelia didn't tell Alice that she was in the hospital, it wasn't something that Alice needed to worry about, she didn't want to ruin Alice's happiness.
Meanwhile in another town, Alice was not much better. She definitely was as bad but she was still struggling. Her father had been coming home less and less so now there were two people in her life that she was missing. But of course she wouldn't tell Ophelia that, she didn't want to ruin Ophelia's happiness. Alice wanted a change, wanted something she could control, so she convinced her mother to let her grow out her hair. She wanted to dye it too but she wasn't allowed, so she made due with growing it out until it reached her waist. She'd always wished for long hair, and now she finally had it, it definitely helped boost her confidence although of course people still picked on her no matter what she looked like.

The girls were both so tired of being alone. Once Ophelia was out of the hospital she had continued to keep her word and she visited the hill everyday. She lay in silence, but not the comfortable silence that she was used to, it was a cold and empty silence. She didn't like it, but she also didn't like being at home, it was the only place where she liked to be.