Between Hello And Goodbye

Us

If we were in an empty swimming pool right now, I'm sure it would've been filled up with water and possibly over-flowing.

But we weren't in an empty swimming pool.

We were nowhere near it.

We were... At a graveyard.

With my best friend's lifeless body in front of me.

Us, actually. It felt like the whole world was informed about this specific funeral, and everyone had decided to come, feeling sympathetic.

But I didn't need sympathy. Mia didn't need sympathy. She hated it when someone felt sympathetic towards her, so I had promised her that no one would ever dare to look at her with sympathy as long as I was around her.

I could literally feel her screaming, as the harsh wind slapped my face. 'Where's your promise now?! Make them go away! Scarlett, do something!'

I broke down hard once more. 'Mia... Why? Where's your promise?' But I knew, her promise had faded the moment she had died. The body of the girl in front of me wasn't the Mia I knew; Mia wouldn't have ever hurt herself. I don't know this girl, whoever they claim her to be. Mia wouldn't ever...

'But she did, Scarlett. Accept the painful reality. She's dead. Mia's gone.'

I sobbed as my body shook uncontrollably.

She's gone.

She thought we never cared.

She's gone.

She's freaking gone.

I felt like ripping my heart out of my body and squishing it like an apple in my fist. My anger took over me. I cared so freaking much about her. Hell, even her own parents treated her like she was the only kid in the world. Every girl in the school envied her and went all green-eyed on her – and when I say 'green eyed' I mean glare at her with pure jealousy in their eyes, body, everywhere! – whereas every guy in the school wanted to win her heart just to call her theirs.

How could she have just left us like this?

We were... Wrecked.

Without her, we would be totally messed up.

Nothing seemed right without her.

And now she was just... gone.

"Scarlett... Look at me. Please." She stroked my cheeks and cleaned up my tears. I looked up at her, my face and eyes all red and puffy from the crying. "You're amazing, okay? And you don't need any stupid friends to prove that to you. You have me, okay?" I nodded, but a tear escaped my eyes again.

"We'll be together, till the end of time!" She sang; a tune I'd never heard before.

I smiled, "Promise?"

She grinned, showing off her perfectly white teeth, "Promise!"

"Stop showing off your white teeth, Mia!" And then we both laughed.

I lifted my head and looked at her coffin, but Mrs. Lockwood's loud sob distracted me, my head instantly snapped towards the direction where the sound had come from.

Mrs. Lockwood was kneeling on the ground, sobbing loudly, cursing herself and God. Mr. Lockwood was trying his best to stay strong, but his fist was balled up, almost as if physically stopping his sobs, and tears were streaming down his face too.

I walked over to them, and hugged Mrs. Lockwood.

"Scarlett?"

"Mhmm?" I muttered, still reading my book while she was just done watching a documentary or something like that.

"If I ever die, just tell my parents I loved them a lot more than words could ever explain, okay?"

I looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, giving her a funny look, "Shut up."

She chuckled lightly, "What kind of manners are those?! Didn't kindergarten teach you anything?"

I smiled softly, "I think you're forgetting that I would fall asleep every time the teacher would tell us a story or to colour."

"Ah yeah. You lazy bum."

"She loved you both. A lot more than words could ever explain..." I managed to choke out to her.

Mrs. Lockwood cried against my shoulder, "My poor baby... My baby's gone... Oh Mia..."

I stiffened.

What Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood had done to get a punishment this harsh was beyond me. They were the most amazing and kindest humans on Earth.

If Mia committed suicide thinking nobody loved her, then she was so deadly wrong.

"Can we just go home already?"

She smacked a pillow on my face. "No."

"Where did you get the pillow from?!" I looked at her flabbergasted. "We're in a supermarket, for crying out loud!"

She shrugged, "I dunno bro."

I rolled my eyes and scrunched up my nose, "You know, you should consider yourself really lucky because I'm letting you off the hook. Only because I laaave youu." I winked and she rolled her eyes, giggling.

I would never be able to see her again...

We'd been together since kindergarten, but we hadn't even graduated yet.

Hell, we'd planned our whole lives together!

I started to cry as she laughed loudly.

"How's that?" A blonde girl with two ponytails shot me a toothless smile as she poured her berry juice on my skirt just because I'd accidentally stepped on her foot.

I started to cry even harder, rubbing my eyes and calling out for the teacher but she'd just disappeared.

"Oi. You! Get away from her!" Another girl with braided brown hair yelled at the blondie. The blondie turned around, "Why?"

The brunette glared at her, "Because I said so. And my Dad's a cop."

The blondie's eyes widened before she ran away.

"Hey, are you okay?" I nodded as she extended her hand out to me, "Mia. Friends?" I smiled as I shook her hand, "Scarlett. Friends."

We were inseparable. Well, we thought we were, but then Death came along and snatched her away from me.

If it weren't for the letter she wrote me, I would've been dead right now too.

But, I had to stay strong for her, because she said so. And also because her Dad's a cop.

And even between our hello and goodbye, we have had our moments together.