Forever (Original)

Forever [6: First Kiss]

Forever: First Kiss

Sunlight streamed through her eyelids, and Maria opened her eyes after a moment or two. She didn’t know where she was. The room was painted white and she lay on a twin bed with gray bed sheets.

Sitting straight up slowly, Maria rubbed her eyes and looked around groggily. Not far from the bed was a loveseat and she recognized Nigel, who was sprawled across it on his back.

Maria panicked, momentarily not remembering what had happened the night before. After several moments of it, it all flashed before her eyes and a lump form in her throat, and the waterworks began to well up.

The bed sank down next to her and Nigel placed his hand on the small of her back soothingly. Maria scooted closer to him, drawn to his warmth, and buried her face into his chest. He had a sweet aroma of cinnamon and chocolate, and Maria found it comforting. His arms came around her and he leaned back against the pillows.

“Where are we?” Maria asked quietly.

“A motel,” Nigel said. “I didn’t know where else to take you, so I just rented one.”

“Thank you, Nigel,” she whispered as the tears began to leak out again.

~x~ 

On Wednesday, most schools in Auburn, Maine were let out for Will’s funeral. Almost two hundred people were there, Maria, Jane, Kirsten, and Nigel among them. Everyone was dressed in black and no one was smiling. Not even the younger children.

As the man at the front podium talked into the microphone, people in the crowd cried, whether they were friends, family, or just passersby in the hallways at school. When the man ended his small speech, he asked if anyone would like to say anything, and Maria stood up.

Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, and her cheeks were wet from tears. As she approached the podium, she could feel the stares of everyone watching her. She made it to her destination and faced the people.

“Will was my best friend,” she whispered into the microphone, then she gathered herself and spoke louder. “September 17th, 1995, at about midnight, he was born. About half an hour later, I was. Our mothers grew up together, got married on the same day, and at the time even lived in the same house, so it’s quite right to say that Will and I were never separated until he and his parents moved out when we were ten. I knew everything about him, as he did for me. His favorite color was purple, though he told everyone else that it was orange. He was also a vegetarian, like me, but since no one ever asked, he never told. He was like the twin brother I never had, and we even looked a bit alike.” Maria’s eyes began to sting, but she took a breath and kept going. “It’s obvious that I do love him, and I always will. I’ll miss him with all of my heart, but I won’t go into depression. I know that he wouldn’t want that. I’m man enough to say that I can let him go without a fight, but I’ll never forget him. Thank you.” She bowed her head and made her way back to her seat, where Nigel held his hand out to her, and she took it.

~x~ 

On Thursday morning, Maria slammed her locker shut and turned to go to her first period class, which was AP Language Arts.

In the classroom, voices faltered as she walked to her table, the seat next to hers where Will used to sit now empty. She bowed her head and ignored their goggling stares and whispering behind hands. The bell rang shortly and the teacher walked into the room.

Maria looked up in time to see the teacher’s sympathetic look shot in her direction.

“Today we will be working on poetry,” the teacher said loudly over the babbling, and everyone fell silent.