𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝...

Chapter 8

He sat in front of the grave, his legs pulled up to his chest. His chin was pressed against his knees as he stared at the name on the headstone, tears swimming in his eyes. 

It was almost three years. It had been two years, five months, and six days since she'd died. 

There was an empty hole in his chest as he kept staring. Usually, he spoke to her. But today, he had nothing to say. 

It scared him. 

Would he stop coming? Would he forget her? 

The voicemail she had sent him, the last words she had ever spoken to him, had been cut off with a thud as she had dropped her phone, her eyes closing for the last time. 

She never said goodbye. 

He hadn't, either. 

Her last words had been cut off when Death had taken her soul into his hands to stop her suffering. 

He knew she had suffered. He had watched the pain. 

And a selfish part of him wished that she had stayed, so that he could still talk to her. 

He missed her. 

A tear trailed down his cheek, hot against the cold, biting wind of autumn. 

"I want to hear you talk to me one more time," he whispered. 

"We never got to say goodbye." 

---

"Are you sure you want to get ahead?" her mom asked worriedly. "Will you be able to handle it?" 

"Mom, it's been a month, almost! My brain is fine, I can do it," Rosemary said determinedly. 

"You still say you feel dizzy sometimes," her mother worried. 

"It's becoming less, promise!" Rosemary pleaded. "Mom, I really need to do this." 

"Alright," her mom said, pulling out her phone, trying to find the grade nine curriculum. She chuckled, shaking her head. "If only William cared about his studies like this." 

"Hey!" Will protested from the other room. 

Rosemary giggled. "C'mon, let's start," she said eagerly, bouncing in her seat. 

Her mom sighed. "Here goes," she said, pulling out a fresh sheet of paper, starting with basic Chemistry. 

---

"How is it going?" James asked her as he picked up his phone. His phone was angled on his face strangely as he looked at her through his screen. 

"Pretty okay," admitted Rosemary. "I understand things Mom teaches me. But I do Google things and watch videos." 

"That's good," he told her. "If you need any help with understanding anything, I'm here to help you." 

"Thank you," she said gratefully, feeling her cheeks redden. She cleared her throat, shifting the camera away from her face. 

"'Course," he replied smoothly. "How's your head? Still feeling pretty in there?" 

"Uh, it does hurt sometimes, I guess," she said. "When I'm trying to remember things. But otherwise, it's okay." 

"Don't over exert yourself," he warned her. 

"I'm not!" Rosemary laughed. "Mom makes sure I don't. We'd do one lesson and she'd tell me to either sleep or go out to the park. I don't really feel tired so I just hang out with Will." 

"Why don't you go out?" James questioned. "Isn't there a park near you?" 

"There is, but this one guy Jackson is always there," Rosemary sighed. "He isn't the nicest person." 

"Jackson?" James asked. "I know him. He's in almost all of my classes." 

"Yeah," said Rosemary. "I don't really understand what's going on with him. He just specifically hates me." 

"I don't know, Mary," James said. "There's always more to a person than you think." 

They stayed silent for a minute before James said, 

"It's getting late." 

"Yeah." 

"I'll see you around, okay? If you need help, with anything, give me a call." 

She met his eyes shyly through the screen. "Okay," she said timidly. 

He smiled. "Good night, Mary." 

"Bye, James." 

---

He sat on his bed, his phone close to his ear. Tears fell down his face as he stared at the photograph of her on his desk. 

He sobbed, felt something rip out of his chest. 

He glanced at his phone screen; a voicemail, from two and a half years ago that he had saved. 

He swallowed.

And he pressed the call button. 

Her voice talks quietly through the speakers and he cries at the sound of her voice. 

"Hi. If you're listening, it means that I'm dead." 

~ Lyn 

Words: 713

Two chapters in one day because I felt bad that I didn't update yesterday! And because my head's pounding and I need to do something to help it. 

Also because I feel sad for no apparent reason...??? 

Anyway. 

Mystery Italics Man? 

Did you like this? 

See you in the next chapter! :D