Only Emptiness Remains

When You're Gone

After spending what felt like the entire afternoon crying, Brittany unlocked the door to her room that evening. As much as she felt the need to stay in there all by herself forever and hide from the world, she also felt like talking about what just happened with someone. While she knew it was not going to help her get over the heartache of losing Alvin one bit, she did think maybe it could help her feel at least a little bit better.

She thought about calling up one of her friends from the cheer squad. But were they even really her friends anymore? They certainly haven't acted like it since she injured her knee and could no longer participate in games, competitions or any other related activities with the squad.

The most recent thing she had to sit out on was cheer camp. She sighed just thinking about it. That's where she should've been this summer. At cheer camp, working on new cheers and learning new stunts with her squad. And on this very day, she should've been coming back from cheerleading camp on a bus.

And at this very moment, she should be stepping off the bus with Alvin giving her a hug and kiss on the lips. It would be a sweet moment between the two. But it wouldn't last. Because once Brittany asked Alvin if he missed her, his response would be that he didn't really miss her that much. He would inform her that he was super busy with sports and performing with his brothers all summer, so he didn't really have time to think about it.

After hearing this, Brittany would yell at Alvin about what a jerk he was. She would tell him that he was all she could think about while she was away at cheer camp and how dare he not be thinking about her the whole time she was gone too? She'd swear they were through, just like she had so many other times. Then Alvin would kiss her again and tell her he loved her. And then all would be forgiven. That's how it had been every summer that Brittany would return from cheer camp since they were thirteen years old. This is just how things had always been between them. Despite all their bickering and words exchanged, they both knew the love for one another was there and they would never intentionally hurt each other. Or so Brittany thought.

Miss Miller would have also been waiting for her at the bus stop right now, ready to drive her home. It just wasn't fair! Miss Miller should still be alive, taking care of Brittany and her sisters. And she should have been able to go to cheer camp with her squad, not stuck at home all summer long while waiting for her knee to slowly heal. And today, she and Alvin should've been reuniting with each other following Brittany's return home from camp. Not breaking up.

If you had asked her last summer how she thought this summer was going to be, she would've never imagined in a million years it would turn out like this. There were times when it still didn't feel real to her. She felt as if she was hearing about all these things happening to someone else. Not her.

And the girls on the cheerleading squad have been ignoring her since the day she returned to school after being placed on bedrest. They wouldn't even let her sit at her regular table with them during lunch, claiming there were "no seats left". And Brittany knew exactly who to blame for that. Missy Snootson. Ever since Missy took Brittany's place as head cheerleader, she had poisoned the rest of the squad against her.

So with the squad now seemingly against her, who could she talk to? Then it suddenly occurred to Brittany. There were two people that she knew would both have shoulders to cry on. The ones that had been there for her whole life and were currently the best friends she had. Her sisters.

She finally opened the door, hobbled out of her bedroom and made her way over to the room across from hers. To her old room. To the room Jeanette and Eleanor now shared without her. She actually missed sharing a room with her sisters now. The nostalgia felt so real as she was flooded with memories of those days.