black - Chris Cornell

Black; v7

Narrators POV;
-------- June 1st, 1991. (Saturday)
5:01PM

IT HAD BEEN ALMOST WEEKS SINCE Valerie and Chris had talked.

She quite literally, up, and walked off.

She was a mess, chris was a mess but acted as if everything was fine.

Valerie kept going to work but opened and closed and let David constantly go home to his kids to spend more time with them.

They even did a little vacation.

David stopped letting her take such long shifts. He knew something was up.

Eddie did to, the way Valerie snuck out of her window instead of just going to the front door when chris was there.

David wouldn't let her work. He said she was "overworking herself."

She called bullshit but just stayed home and listened.

Valerie decided to pass the time she'd just go through an old picture book of her and her best friends.

She missed them terribly.

She laughed at some picture and cried at others, but she came apon a more recent photo, a bout a week before Rose died it was taken.

She noticed how thin Eliza and Rose were. She noticed the eye bags.

How did she never help?

She did, but they blew her off.

There was a message under the picture, which struck Valerie by surprise.

'Me and eliza agreed we'd die young and before you, Valerie, but we want you to live and do great things. Don't let us or anybody hold you back.

Love, Team R.'

Valerie was already crying, but seeing the little paper message from Rose really struck her down.

Was she really letting the death keep her from being happy?

She thought back to chris, how she pushed him away.

Then, to Eddie, she has been ignoring him constantly.

Back to when she was a tween, finding out her dad was actually dead, she pushed her mom out of her life.

She's pushing everyone out, everyone she cared and love for.

Because who she cared for and loved most died.

She threw the picture book down, getting up from her bed.

She knew Eddie wasn't home, but she hoped chris was.

She sped out of the house before she realized it was raining.

She didn't care, though. She ran right over to Chris's.

She knocked on his door, sobs escaping from her quickly.

The door opened, "Valerie?"

"I'm sorry, chris, I'm so sorry," she cried.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he looked down at her, holding her shoudler.

"I," she stuttered, "I pushed you away, I pushed eddie away, all because eliza and Rose are dead."

"I'm spiraling, and I don't know how to stop it," she sobbed.

"It's okay," Chris pulled her into the house and shut the door, "don't cry."

"I want to be happy, i do," she cried, "but I don't know how, Chris, I need you, I need your help!"

Chris was shocked, to say the least. He was tempted to talk to Valerie over the last few weeks, but he couldn't bring himself to it.

But now, she came to him crying, and he just wanted to help her.

"I'll be here for you, I always will be, but Valerie," he lifted her from his chest, "I need you to breathe."

"I can't," she said as she gulped for air, "it hurts Chris, it hurts to breathe!"

Chris held her face in his hands, calming her, "Focus on breathing, you're panicking Valerie, you aren't focusing."

Valerie's breathing sped up, but it gave her more and more air.

"Good, okay, that's good," Chris said as he looked at her face to face, "Take a breath in and then out, do it with me, comon."

For a good 2 minutes, Chris took slow breaths with her, her heart stopped beating so quickly, and she calmed down.

Within 5 minutes, she was shaken up but calmed.

"Now, can you talk clearly for me, Valerie?"

She took a deep breath in, letting it all out, "I'm sorry- I, I thought I couldn't be happy because Eliza and Rose weren't, but I just want to be happy Chris, I pushed you and Eddie away, but I need yall."

Chris gave Valerie a warm smile, "Come here."

She sulked in his hug, he felt so warm and relaxing.

"You're downed in rain. How about you shower, it'll help, I promise."

She wiped off her face, looking at Chris, "I don't have clothes."

Chris looked outside, seeing that it's pouring rain, "Just wear mine, I don't really want to go out in the rain."

"Are you sure?" Valerie asked.

"Yes, of course, I wouldn't say it if I didn't want you to."

Valerie smiled, nodding.

Chris showed her to the bathroom, showing her where everything was and where he'll lay the clothes.

Valerie took a nice hot shower. She really felt better, only because of Chris.

Chris sat on his couch, waiting for her to get out of the shower.

She only took 15 minutes, once she got out she quickly put the clothes on that Chris gave her and hung the wet ones over the shower.

She put her hair in a low bun. It didn't look great since the front pieces came out, but she didn't care.

"There you are!" Chris smiled as she walked into the living room.

Valerie gave a weak smile, "Hey."

"You ready to talk?"

She took another breath in, nodding.

She sat down on the couch, right in front of chris.

"What started the breakdown?" He asked, taking it slow.

"I was going through a picture book that we had, you know, we filled it up, and I guess Rose, but a note in it."

"What did they note say?"

"Pretty much they don't want me sulking when they die."

"They made you realize you're the one making yourself unhappy?"

Valerie nodded, "I realized I was pushed you and Eddie out, and I cut my mom off when I was younger to, with the whole father thing, you know."

"Yea, yea, of course."

"I don't wanna live like that, you know? I just- I wanna be happy."

"You do?"

"Yea." She nodded.

"I think it's time for me to let the past go." Valerie stated.

"Forever?"

"Forever."

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Emotional