Washout

What a wonderful world

   Jeremiah Levensky clumped down the steps of the university.
    He had just come out of his American literature course, in which he had given a presentation he was very proud of.
    The course was enjoyable, much more these past few weeks in fact. Now the young Junior was on his way to meet his friends, they were headed off campus for lunch.
   The sky was blue, the sun bright and warm. The air was crisp and clear, and the trees around the campus swayed in the gentle breeze.
   It had been a while since Jeremiah had noticed any of these things, and he realized how much he had missed them.
   "Jerry!" He heard a voice call. He looked up to see Amy. He took a moment to take in how lovely she was, with her sun kissed cheeks and vibrant red hair. Her clear water blue eyes sparkled, and her legs had a nice tan. The whole world seemed more beautiful to him.
   He smiled down at her. She returned the smile, shyly. She reached up and kissed him gently, and Jeremiah felt himself relax at the feel of her lips on his. Her kisses were one of the things he's missed the most.
   She pulled away slowly. "Okay?" She asked in her sweet voice. Jeremiah nodded. "Okay."
   She smiled and took his hand. Together they walked down the path. Jeremiah spotted their friends sitting under a large oak tree.
   "Jerry!" Isaiah called, grinning from his place on the grass.
   Jeremiah waved his hand in greeting, and joined the rest of them on the grass.
   "How was the presentation?" Lois asked, her delicate hands loosely braiding a few strands of April's hair.
   "Great." Jeremiah grinned. Amy smiled. "I missed that smile." She said.
   Still smiling, Jeremiah kissed her forehead.
   Isaiah smirked. "Oh c'mon guys. We're about to eat." He teased. Jeremiah smacked him which started a brief tousle between the two of them on the grass.
   "Boys." April said, rolling her eyes at Amy.
   "I know, I don't see how you can deal with them." Lois agreed.
   "Girls are much better." She smiled warmly at April.
   "Awe thanks babe." April rolled over to kiss her.
   Amy smiled. She looked at Jeremiah wrestling on the grass with his friend. "What can I say?" She said, shaking her head, laughing. "I fell in love."
   Moose raised his head from the ground. "To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days." He said sleepily.
   Jeremiah looked up. "That's Shakespeare." He said, allowing Isaiah to straddle him and triumphantly shove a handful of grass into his face.
   Jeremiah cursed and pushed him off, but he really didn't mind. It felt so good to get back to fooling around with his friends.
   For almost a year, Jeremiah had suffered from a severe case of depression. It had gotten in the way of his relationship with Amy, hanging out with his friends, and his studies.
   Still, for months he insisted he was fine. It wasn't until his dad came home and found him lying unconscious on his bad with an empty bottle of sleeping pills that they insisted he got to counseling.
Jeremiah pleased that he was ok, but at this point his parents weren't taking no for an answer. In the end it was Amy who made him go.
Once the truth came out about the messages on Facebook, the cuts on his arms, and constant seclusion, Jeremiah was assigned a 5 days a week counselor.
After 6 months, he had begun to improve. He was learning how to look in the mirror and think of things other than how he would plot his suicide. Now whenever he looked out the window he saw things other than the clouds and the rain.
And he was finally learning how to reconnect with his friends and family.
He'd started full time courses at the university again, and soon he had moved back into his dorm.
He was apprehensive at first, but his friends welcomed him back with open arms.
And now here he was, heading out to lunch with his beautiful girlfriend and hilarious, faithful friends.
"Let's go, Angelo's isn't open all day." Lois said, standing up and stretching.
"Yea c'mon guys. My tacos aren't gonna eat themselves." April grinned.
Jeremiah and Isaiah pulled themselves off the ground, brushing grass stains off their jeans.
Moose, slowly clambered to his feet, sweeping his long dread locks out of his face.
Jeremiah ran over to Amy, grabbing her hand. Instinctively, she rested her head on his chest as they followed their friends down the path.
Jeremiah looked at them. As usual, Isaiah was making them all laugh, doing what looked like a drunken gorilla-playing a kazoo impression.
Moose joined in with a theatrical quote of wisdom that was, as usual, totally out of place. Jeremiah grinned. With his clunky combat boots, paint splattered jeans, bandana, Nirvana t-shirt and Bob Marley dreads, Moose could easily pass as a 90s hippie.
Then there were April and Lois. They walked down the path, holding hands, content to be there and with each other. They completed each other, Lois' compassion filled in all the blanks in April's fun loving demeanor.
That's what love is, Jeremiah thought. Finding the person who completes you. Not the person who you want, but the person you need. That's why he could never understand homophobic people. There were Lois and April, and their love was just as real as his and Amy's.
Amy. Jeremiah looked down at her. He squeezed her to him. Smiling, she looked up at him.
"I love you." He said. Her smile made him feel like he'd never be sad again, and he wondered how he could have lived without it.
"I know." She said. Jeremiah grinned. "You know? Who says you get to be Han Solo?"
Amy giggled. "I just mean, I know you love me. That's why you came back, and I love you too."
Jeremiah looked with such compassion, such gentleness, upon her face. She was his savior. His angel sent from heaven.
Smiling, he kissed the top of her head and hugged her close again. She put her arms around him as they walked.
Jeremiah looked around at the trees, the birds, the blue sky. He looked at the laughing students on their free periods, lounging on the grass of throwing around frisbees.
The whole world was moving, singing to him. And for the first time in so long, he could hear it.
Come, come sing with me. It said. I can show you the most magnificent things. Just take my hand.
What a wonderful world, Jeremiah thought to himself.