A Little Death ; 5sos

twenty

Luke felt as if everything had just clicked in place.

This is why everyone "ignored" him. In therapy, when he freaked out about Elaine being bullied, no one stopped him from his momentary meltdown. Or how people stared oddly at him and Elaine whenever they had a conversation in public.

She was talking to thin air.

Also, Luke had never even talked to Ashton or Michael; he just spied on them from a distance.

"Luke, are you okay?" Elaine breaks his thoughts with her gentle voice. What a stupid question, of course he wasn't ok- he just found out he was dead.

With his eyes facing her dark floor, he replied honestly, "No."

Elaine moved out of the dark corner of her room to stand in the middle of it, close to her bed. "Ashton has been really helping me, you know?" she said softly while gazing at the boy.

"Huh?" Luke somewhat grunted while furrowing his eyebrows. The boy's foggy mind was still processing all of the new information that was thrown at him.

"I think it's time you should leave." Elaine whispered.

Luke's head immediately shot up from his view of the ground. They both knew there was more meaning behind Elaine's statement than him just leaving her house.

"I've been taking these pills," Elaine continues on cautiously, "that's why we- I, haven't been seeing you as often."

The pair sits in an overwhelming silence that starts the make Elaine fidget, that is until Luke speaks up.

"Am I real?" The boy asks just one of the questions that has been on his mind.

She answers him truthfully, "Yes, you're just gone. I see people- I thought I explained that. You need to leave me alone. Let me live my life. I'm happy now, Luke. I really am."

"I see," Luke said somberly, "I need you, but you don't need me. All I want is for you to be happy."

"I still love you." he adds after a brief pause.

"I know, Luke."

The couple sits there for a while taking in each other's face. Luke's baby blue eyes reflected in moonlight that managed to drift through the curtains, making them appear even more electric. Elaine noticed the boy's hands were still shaking slightly, but so were hers. She was scared of the future and what was to come.

Without any other words, not even a final goodbye, Luke disappeared right before her eyes, and Elaine knew he was gone for good.

For a split second Elaine felt alone and that scared her, but then she remembered that she had her mom and Ashton to support her.

And for once in her life,

she knew everything was going to be okay.

T H E . E N D

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