To save a life

# s i x ( part I )

#6) Send a message in a bottle

You ever have those moments when you're grateful for having some people in your life but you wish that they'd stop annoying you and shut up for at least a minute?

I was having one of those so called moments right now.

'Psst,' Tate poked me from behind, 'Hey Violet,'

Every single part of me was refraining from turning around and delivering a sucker punch to the very cute (but annoying) boy sitting back of me. Piper texted me and said that she couldn't make it today, leaving me to deal with freckle boy on my own. Tate wasn't usually this irritating but today was just one of his best days.

My patience was already wearing thin. Last night I tried writing down a message so I could stuff it in the bottle and drop it off the next day, but I couldn't come up with anything. I just kept tearing page after page. When did I never have anything to say to Aubree? And also I was worried because it feels that if I do write a message to her, I might let that piece of her drift away from me. For so long I've been trying to keep her in my memory as a whole, gathering all the pieces of her and never letting her slip away. It was selfish but I really couldn't help it.

'If you could just move your hand and show me that answer,' he trailed off. Fuming, I took my paper and slammed it down on his desk. He registered the action with wide eyes.

'Can you see the answers now?' I huffed and turned around, sitting in my chair with folded arms. Everything was getting on my nerves today and unfortunately, Tate became the cherry on the top.

A low whistle and the scratching of pen on paper came from behind. 'Well someone's cranky today,'

'Idiot,'

'I heard that you know,' he chuckled and I rolled my eyes. 'Good for you then,' I whispered angrily

'That too,'

Groaning as quietly as possible, I turned around and glared at him. 'Are you asking to get hurt?' Amusement danced in his eyes as he smirked flamboyantly and handed me my paper back. When he winked, my eyes narrowed even more and he held both his hands up in mock surrender.

'What's wrong?' He drew his chair further until he was right next to me. The commotion caused Bella to look over to us but he simply gave her a charming smile and she went back to writing down notes.

'Why does anything need to be wrong?'

'You expect me to believe that nothings wrong when you're acting this way? I don't know you that well but I know you enough to notice that you're having a bad day. So please Ruwena tell me, what's bothering you? You never know, I can be of some use.'

Maybe it was the fact that I was secretly wishing for someone, anyone to ask me that question or maybe because last nights frustration was getting to me. It could also be because of the sincerity that was dripping from his words. I'll never be able to pinpoint the exact reason but whatever it is made me tell him.

I told him about Aubree carefully, making sure that I described it well and also making sure that we didn't get caught by Bella. I told him about how much of a best friend she was to me. I told him about the impact she left behind. He listened without interrupting. He listened as I went on about how I stumbled upon her bucket list weeks after her funeral.

With an expression of utmost concentration, Tate listened to me as I told him that I was extremely frustrated over the fact that everything in the bucket list was easier than writing Aubree a god damn message in a freaking bottle.

'-its just annoying and disturbing that I don't have any words to say to someone I could barely shut up around.' My chest was heaving up and down as I took deep breaths. Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I looked at the boy next to me.

His brows were set in a frown, his lips pursed and a calculating look from him was being thrown my way. After a few more minutes, he finally broke the silence.

'Well, shit. And here I thought that you were upset because you couldn't have me.'

A chuckle escaped my lips but I quickly sobered up and gazed at him. He was smiling but I could tell that it was forced.

'I'm really glad that you trust me enough to tell me all of that Ruwena.'

'Ru,' I quickly blurted out without giving it much thought.

'What?'

Clearing my throat I steadied myself, 'You can call me Ru. That's what she used to call me.'

'Nah,' he said with a wave of his hand, 'I wanna call you something else. What about "mine"?'

For the second time in not more than two minutes, I was laughing again. 'Okay I have to give you credit for that. That was downright smooth,'

'Wena,' he exclaimed after a short pause, 'That's what I'll call you. She called you Ru, I'll call you Wena. Deal?' I nodded and he thrust his hand forward, 'Shake on it.' And I did.

His smile faltered after a while and that same calculating look was back. 'Listen Ruwena, I'm not an expert at giving people advices but I might as well give it a shot. You said that you didn't know what to say to her, so why don't you tell her that? Write down everything you've kept within since the day she passed. They don't need to be happy or interesting, they just need to be what you want her to know. You can tell her about the weather or politics, it won't matter. Just tell her. Write it all down and don't spare it a second glance just stuff it in the bottle and drop it.'

My mouth was left slightly agape as I took in every word he said. Boy, was he good.

'I'm not an expert, he said. I'm a secret therapist, he meant.' His laugh spread warmth all over my body, cocooning me like a safety blanket. I looked at him as if it were the first time I saw him.

I acknowledged his grin. It wasn't arrogant, it was comforting. His eyes had this sort of fire that refused to burn down. The color of his dark brown hair contrasted beautifully against his pale skin. It was like meeting him all over again.

'I want to help.' Tate muttered as he stole a glance at Bella. Her focus was fixed upon a book that she was no doubt writing down questions from. 'Sorry?'

'I want to help you with this bucket list thing. I honestly really don't care if you say no, but I'm just telling you before hand.'

It was beyond me to figure out how my day went from tremendously bad to amazingly good. I was now facing the beach that me and Bree used to come to almost every weekend. The rolled up paper was soon fitted inside the empty glass bottle that I reserved for a while now. Screwing the bottle shut, I hugged it tight. I told myself that I had to learn how to let Aubree go. I can't hold her back with accusations and my grief, I had to let her slip away because that's probably what she wanted. That's probably why she left. She wanted to go.

'I want you to know that as long as I have the capability to think, I will always think of you. But for now Bree, I'm going to let you rest. You deserve peace. And so do I. You'll always be my best friend.'

With that, I walked to the shore and gently threw the bottle forward. I watched it stay afloat and drift further away from me and hopefully, nearer towards Bree.