The Story Of Us

PROLOGUE

I kissed him.
Waited for a few seconds then kissed him again.
Waited another seconds and kissed him again and again and again.
Nothing happened.

    It didn't work? How could it not work? He said before that my kiss turned him to life. I felt a strong pull by my shoulder. It was my best friend. I looked up and saw her face was a disaster. Why was she looking like that?
    I heard her call my name though her voice seemed to come from afar. She was pulling me by my shoulder begging me to stand. Begging me to come to my senses already. Begging me to let go of the lifeless love I was holding on to.
    I looked down. There in my hands was the most vital part of me. A mannequin turned into life by my kiss. So I kissed him again. I could taste my salty tears, flooding my face but I didn't care, I wanted my Dustin back.

"Jade, it won't work," Victorique tugged at my shoulder again.
"Oh, right, it'll work after twenty-four hours. I have to wait 'til tomorrow and then . . . and then I'll just see him standing in front of me. And when that happened, I'll apologize to him right away. I didn't mean it . . . I'll tell him that he's right, I'm just joking . . ." I sobbed.
"Jade . . ." Victorique hugged me tight.
"Dustin! Dustin! Dustin!" I called out as if by calling his name, he would open his eyes.

    The realization crushed over me. Everything was lost. Only words remained: pain, gone, end-no color in them. And I knew Dustin would not wake up anymore. Nevermore. I saw the glittering ring and necklace together-the last things that Dustin held before he's gone. The last things that would remind me that someone named Dustin Inordi once lived and loved me.

"Come on, sis," Victorique urged.
"No . . ." I answered.
"You can't stay here forever, Come on-"
"No!"
"I know how it feels but we must move on now-."
"No!" I didn't want to leave Dustin's side. I didn't want to move anywhere. "He's gone. . ." I muttered. "He'll never come back again. Never . . ."

    I kept stammering those terrible words. Gone. Never. Trying to convince myself the impossible truth that never again would Dustin talk to me, never again would make me smile, never again would speak those sweet words that always warmed my heart.
    No more reassuring lullabies in the dark that I was safe, that he's there to watch over. The first and last of my life had gone and I was more alone than I had ever been before.