A Year of Fragile Hearts

Chapter 5 | Colors

  Chapter 5 | Colors 

   "Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow."

- Kahlil Gibran

Listen to Set me on Fire by Bella Ferraro

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"I still don't get this. It's literally only the first day of school and my brain already gave up on me. Wow, thanks brain."

The smell of coffee hits me like a wave of refreshment as Ward places the cup on the table I'm currently sitting at. "Thank you." I whisper, careful not to shatter Beth's attempt at concentrating on her understanding her homework. She has her curly fiery hair up in a messy bun, a few strands falling onto her face that she keeps huffing them away but never tucks them behind her ear. Her eyes are trained on the book which lay open on the table, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pulled up in a scrunch.

Behind her, the scene of the sea and the beach is almost still. The sky a bit clouded, but ever so beautifully so. The waves crash upon the shore softly, and the sun - as much of it that shows, anyways - is skipping slowly to hide behind the horizon of watery heaven.

"A few warm croissants for my dear friends coming from Molly, the lovely boss." Garret announces cheerily as he places a plate full of croissants on the center of the table. "Honey, I love you, but will you please shut up? I'm trying to resolve Einstein's mental illness through letters and numbers, and your voice isn't really helping. Again, I love you." Beth says, an impatient tinge touching her voice. "Yeah, yeah. You love me, I know." Garret replies, sighing as he slumps into his chair next to a grinning Ward, who's sitting right beside me.

"Beth, my absolute love, I'm sorry to interrupt your mission but I need to talk to you all about something." Molly says as she pulls a chair and sits with us. I frown at the sad tone adding to her voice. A slight shiver goes down my spine and I sit up straight to hear what she has to say. "I'm worried that you'll have to quit your jobs at FrostBite. It is better for you to work on your education since this is your last year in high school and you have to do your best to get into the universities you want. It was a great pleasure to work with you. I've had so much fun and positive feedback from customers. You're all beautiful people, but I want you to study first. Please forgive me for saying this so suddenly." Molly says, her eyes sad and her lips pursed in a tight line.

I cannot think of anything, much less do something. My eyes travel to Beth's, and she is staring at her notebook with a blank expression on her face. When I look to Ward, I see that his eyes are teared up. We just got kindly fired from our second home.

"What about volunteering? On Christmas break and Easter?" Garret asks, and even though he does not work here, he still looks like the air has been sucked out of him. "I'd love to have you on the holidays!" Molly exclaims, and then a single tear leaves her eye as she motions for a group hug. We all hurry to the warmth of the hug, bodies colliding with so much yearning and friendliness.

After bidding her goodbye, the four of us walk out of FrostBite with sad smiles and tear-smeared eyes. The wind blows into my face, a bit violent and harsh and cold, and I clutch my arms around my body to keep the frigidity away from my body. Our walk towards our homes is pervaded with absolute silence, the faint, occasional clearing of throats heards hearable every now and then. I let myself think and absorb the scenery surrounding me. The waves of the sea crash heavily and angrily upon the shore, like outrageous screams of the heavens above. It's dark and chilly and lonely, akin to the thunderstorm of emotions destroying our peace of mind. And somehow, everything around me is a match to the chaos outpouring its way in my veins.