Lakeside

[18] The Last Day

       

"Brielle," someone whispers. I hear it again, so I open my eyes and sit up in my bed. I look around and see that no one is there, but I look out the window to see a girl sitting on the wooden plank.

In curiosity, I get up and open the window. The girl turns her head, and I recognize her face in a heartbeat. Her brown eyes and freckles pop out on her pale face in the white moonlight. Under her grey beanie, her dark brown hair is so long that it reaches her hips. She's wearing a dark flannel and ripped jeans, a usual outfit for her.

She smiles at me as I walk over to her. "You came. How are you?" She asks so sweetly.

"Not well," I answer honestly. Her eyes are now full of concern.

"I'm sorry." She rubs her hand on my back in a circular motion. "I'm glad you spoke to me. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Brooke. Please, please come back." I plead to her.

"I can't. I'm sorry," she coos while rubbing my back as I lean my head on her shoulder.

"What am I supposed to do without you? Where do I go? Who do I run to?" I whine at the stressing questions.

"Everything will unfold perfectly, I will make sure of it. I am looking out for you. I won't let anything happen to you. You're going to be okay," she assures, but I don't know whether to believe her or not.

"Then you can help me, right?" I sniffle from the cold of the night.

"That's what I'm here for. What do you need?" She rests her head on top of mine.

"I don't know if I should trust him, Brooke. I want to, so badly."

"Why can't you trust him?"

"Well it's just... he's Ashton Fields. He's the player who goes through girls like candy. He's the jerk that sleeps with girls and never speaks to them again, and now he's telling me he's into me. How many women do you think he's said that to before?"

"Plenty, hon. But I believe you're different."

"Really?" I ask her, bringing up my head and looking into her eyes. Mine are surely full of hope, and hers are kind and warm as they always were.

"Most definitely. Think about how much he's opened up to you, and how much he's put out in the open. I don't think it's possible that he's done that to any other girl before," she guesses. "You have changed him in a way that nobody else could. You are the girl he has been looking for, the one to bring out his vulnerability. I can feel it."

"Those things may be true, but what if he breaks my heart? He said so to me that he's afraid of seriously hurting someone he loved. What if I become that person?"

"Oh, my sweet Brielle. I can't tell you how this will play out. But you have to know that if you ever want to love someone or be loved, you will be hurt. It's just a part of life. You can't escape that." She looks into my eyes sadly, running her hand up and down my arm.

"But now you're dead. We weren't even romantically involved and this is the most hurt I've been in my entire life. Is this what a broken heart feels like? Because if so, I never want to fall in love." I feel my eyes start to water.

"Brielle, you already have," she tells me as she pulls me into a hug. "I need you to understand that even if you don't fall in love, life will hurt you. There is no way to escape pain. And knowing that, there is no reason for you to turn him down."

"I'm falling in love with him, Brooke. It'll hurt me so bad if he stops liking me." Two tears fall down my cheeks.

"Didn't you hear him? He said it himself, he could never get bored of a girl like you." She takes my face in her soft hands and wipes away my tears.