Forever and Always

Chapter 11

Here I am, once again

I'm torn into pieces

Can't deny it, can't pretend

Just thought you were the one

Broken up, deep inside

But you won't get to see the tears I cry

Behind these hazel eyes

Scarlett sat on a black plastic bench and waited for the late night train. She refused to cry, to show emotion. She had done that and it did nothing. The popular song, by Kelly Clarkson,  raced through her mind, the lyrics wrenching her heart. A sudden vibration, which came from in the back pocket of her dark jeans, made her slightly jump. She fished around until she found her square phone. She hadn't realized she had picked it up when she raced from the house.

    She glanced down at the caller i.d. and decidedly hurled it into the street.

   "Leave me alone," she muttered, "just leave me alone." Scarlett looked down at her lap, the song’s chorus ran through her head again. It was a dark night, the stars shown brightly and bounced from the damp pavement.

    "Scarlett?" She looked up at her name only to see her “beloved” therapist, Renny, who had just exited a small organic food shop.

   "What are you doing here?" Renny asked, her orange hair stood out against the gloomy night sky, her soft, raspy voice somehow wrenched at Scarlett's heart.

  "Waiting," she quietly replied quietly.

  "For?" Renny persisted. It was a talent, forcing out the truth.

  "The bus." This time Scarlett cocked her head upwards to look at Renny.

    “Oh... family trouble?"

-->Scarlett shrugged, she saw the head lights of the large bus that would take her go straight out of here, Pennsylvania to Connecticut. She didn't know what she would do, but she had a hundred dollars to at least buy food.

  "Why don't you come stay at my place for the night ... at least think about leaving," Renny suggested. "I'm probably breaking a ton of rules inviting you, but hey, the things I do for..." she trailed off not wanting to say patient and have Scarlett blow up.

  "Your crazy institue worthy creeps?" she finished.

  Renny couldn't help but laugh. "If you want that title, you can have it."

  Scarlett looked up at her, surprised she laughed. "Whatever," she muttered and looked back down the road.

  "So, are you coming or not?" Renny asked, not a bit fazed by her[v] attitude.

  Scarlett squinted her amber eyes. She really didn't want to get on a bus, leave, with barely any money, no phone and never come back with barely any money and no phone.

  "One night," she said, and stood up, red bag in hand.

    "Three wishes, any three," a floating head, draped in teal satin, spoke to Scarlett. Her red hair fell to her lower back, her amber eyes flowed with emotion of sadness and happiness. Her naive confusion showed.

  "Three..." she said thought to herself thinking. "I want my family to be happy forever," she said naming[wt] her first wish.

  "Done," the head said with a nod and Scarlett's head filled with an image of her brother laughing, he was married now, her mother and father danced and grinned ... they flirted with each other subtly.

  "I would like to have more money then the richest man," she said with a smile, a bit selfishly.

  "Done," he exclaimed and suddenly money rained down from the transparent sky.

  "I want Levi back ... in human form," she said needing to be specific.

  The head frowned and shook his head, "I'm sorry Scarlett, but I can't grant that wish. You will never be able to hold him again, see him, love him, breathe in his scent or hear his laughter again."

  "But you said any wish!" she said, her rounded chin quivered. "Any wish!"

  "Not this one I'm afraid." He was calm and that made her all the more angry.

   "I WANT HIM BACK!" she screamed and looked around for something to hurl at the head. When she picked a large stick up in her hands and turned back towards him he was gone.

   "I WANT LEVI BACK," she shouted again, maybe if she persisted the wish would come true.

   "I WANT HIM BACCKKK."

  "Back," she woke up muttering, "back, back, back."

  She realized it was only a dream and sat upright on the black, leather couch. It was dark in Renny's small living room, so Scarlett reached over and clicked on the small table lamp.

  Renny actually had pretty good taste, she decided. The walls were a mild red and all the decor and furniture was black or white. She stood up, stretching[wt]. She was just wearing a cami and her dark blue underwear.

  She stumbled her way into the kitchen and turned on the light, her delicate fingers dusted  against the switch.

   "Holy shit!" She jumped back, and saw Renny leaning against a the counter ,drinking a mug of tea.

  "What the hell?" She shrieked, surprised by Scarlett.

   Scarlett ran a hand through her choppy, shoulder length hair and sighed in recovery.

"You scared me!"

   "I scared you? You scared the shit out of me," Renny replied.

   "Are you supposed to use that language with patients?" Scarlett's voice lowered back to her all too normal monotone.

   "Not only are we not in a session, but we aren't even at my office. Plus I'm not some old woman, I'm only thirty!" Renny sounded slightly offended.

   Scarlett just shrugged and started opening cupboards, looking for a glass.

  Renny went back to sipping her tea and watched Scarlett search and then filled a clear, plain, glass with tap water.

   "Are you going to school today?" Renny asked.

  "No," Scarlett said and took a big gulp of water as she propped herself up onto the counter, her head leaned against a white wall cabinet.

   "You've been going back to school for the last few weeks though, haven't you?"

  "Yes...."

  "Why not today?"

  "I thought we weren't in a session," Scarlett said, her defenses came up.

  "This is what a session is like anyway, one word answers and frowning,” Renny said as she turned  around and rinsed out her mug.

  "I'm not your mother and, to be honest, I won't make you go to school, but you need an education," Renny insisted and walked out of the room before Scarlett could reply.

  Scarlett sat on the counter knowing she needed an education and that she wanted to graduate as soon as possible. Screw Jared and Annie who hadn't spoken to her in two weeks.

She nodded to herself and went back to the couch, falling asleep. She would go to school this morning, she would do something besides mourn for Levi someone she could never have back. A tear streamed down her cheek and she wiped it away. She just wanted to move on.