𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝...

Chapter 3

She walked to the park, her sweater around her shoulders. It wasn't cold at all, but she still liked having something to wear over her clothes. It felt like a hug she very much needed. 

Her feet skidded against the sidewalk, throwing loose pebbles onto the road. Cars drove past her, letting a slight breeze go through her long hair. 

Her hair had grown in the two years in which she'd been in a coma; it now hung past her hips, and honestly, she liked it that way. It made her feel older than she was, which was pretty ironic. 

She let out a sigh, brushing strands of her brown hair from her face, looking up to find the park. She could hear the slight thumps of a basketball repeatedly hitting the ground, and the sound was so familiar that she smiled. 

But her smile soon fell away at a voice. 

"Oh, hey, the girl's back. What's wrong? You lost your mommy?" 

Slowly, Rosemary turned, her shoulders stiff. Standing in front of her was Jackson in the same football jacket she had seen him in. Her fists slightly curled but a tendril of fear made its way into her heart. This was a boy who played football and basketball, and probably a lot more sports as well. She couldn't beat him! 

She wished Charlotte was with her. Charlotte always knew the right thing to say. 

But then again, it just made her reliant, didn't it? She needed to learn how to fight back, how to handle things by herself, like a mature person. 

Thing was...she didn't know how to do that. 

It was like a race—competing with someone who had years of practice. She was out of practice. She couldn't win. Despite what she had tried to assure herself, she was weak. She wasn't strong. 

"What, you can't  talk? Do you need to be sent back to kindergarten?" 

Rosemary looked up at Jackson, her heart hammering with pain and hurt. She didn't know this boy; she didn't understand. What had she ever done to him? Why did he hate her so much? 

She looked closer; through his mess of curls, she saw his dark eyes alight with pain and sorrow and anger. He didn't mean to hurt her, she realized. He himself was hurting. 

"Why?" she asked him, and to her surprise, she realized that her voice wasn't quivering. 

He looked taken aback at her question, and he stared at her for what felt like a long time; though, it might've only been seconds. He scowled, turning around toward the basketball court. 

He didn't reply. 

But that was when Rosemary realized there was more to Jackson than he showed. 

---

"...and they all lived happily ever after." Will frowned, throwing the fairy tale book onto Rosemary's bed. "Why do all of these stories end with a happily ever after? I mean, that's just a little too optimistic, isn't it?" 

"I don't know," Rosemary said thoughtfully. She twirled a strand of her dark hair around her finger, a pencil in hand as she tried to focus on her algebra. "Wouldn't you like your life to end on a happy note, Will?" 

"Sure," he said. "But where are the challenges? Like, Cinderella just had one, and it was to get away from her family. So she married the prince. Okay, great. But what about after? I doubt her life was just sparkles and magic." 

Rosemary tilted her head with a smile. "I guess it wasn't," she replied. "But this is for little kids, right?" 

Will scowled, crossing his arms as he flopped onto her bed, rolling over so that his back faced the ceiling and his face was turned to her. "I guess," he pouted. 

They fell silent; it wasn't uncomfortable. Rather, it was a happy silence that made Rosemary want to giggle. 

A couple minutes later, Will broke the silence. 

"Do you think you'll get a happily ever after?" he questioned, his eyes wide as he stared at his older sister.

She smiled sadly, looking out the window; but she was also looking through a figurative one. A window to her past, where she knew who she had been. But she didn't know now. 

"I really hope so, Will," she said. "I really, really do." 

~ Lyn

Words: 714 

Is it bad that I'm getting attached to this? 

Let me know what you think in the comments! I'd love to hear from you!