Paper doll

Chapter 3

Ryan's POV
*flashback*

"Ryan slow down! I can't keep up with you!" Chloe yelled to me as I we ran towards the park

I was 9 and she was 7, almost 8 but not quite, I was quite a lot faster and I knew it but I refused to slow down for her

She tried to run faster to catch up to me but she wasn't able to

She tripped and fell flat on the ground

I heard her scream and turned around, I saw her on the floor, crying, she couldn't move

I tried to call her mom but she wouldn't answer so I called my instead, I'd just been given my first phone for emergencies the week before

She had to go to hospital, her mom was stoned out of her mind that month, never bothered to come and visit her daughter once in the whole week she spent in the hospital

She broke her wrist and badly sprained her ankle, she had a concussion, all because I wouldn't slow down and wait for her

*flashback ends*

I couldn't protect her then and I couldn't protect her now

'Dear Ryan,
I'm sorry I have to do this, I'm sorry if this hurts you. Circumstances have occurred and I have to go now, I wanted to be with you, I want to be with you, I always have and always will love you, but it's not sad and if I stayed everything would be ruined, I can't risk that now, there's more to consider now, I wish this wasn't how I wanted everything to be but I can't change the past and I have to go through with this, I promise you, I'll be okay, I'm gonna miss you, I hope you find a girl who can give you everything I couldn't, who makes you happier than I ever could, you deserve the world Ryan and I hope you get it all, please, tell my mom I love her and I'm sorry, don't get yourself into trouble for me Ry, especially not with Jared, I hope you know how much you mean to me, maybe one day we'll meet again one day, but I know I need to let you go now, have a great life Ryan, I'm sorry I couldn't just leave you alone that night at that party, I'm sorry I ruined everything for the pair of us, love always
Chloe xoxo'

I read the letter with tears in my eyes, could all this really be real? She left of her own accord

This didn't give me answers, it only left me with more questions

I threw it down on the table in anger and anguish, grunting as I did which must've alerted my mother to my states of mine because she came wandering in, trying not to look like she wanted to cry herself, Chloe was the daughter she never had and now she was gone

"What did it say?" She asked, referring to he note

I handed it to her without getting up from my desk

She opened it and began to read it, as she did I looked over at the paper doll which was led flat on my desk, she'd gotten better at making them

*flashback*

"You okay?" I asked her gently even though I knew she wasn't, she'd been in the hospital for 2 and a half days at this point and she wasn't enjoying it at all

"I want to go home!" She yelled with tears in her eyes

She'd had a reaction to the painkillers so the only ones they could give her weren't a high enough dose to stop her feeling all the pain, she was really unhappy and there was nothing for her to do to take her mind of it which didn't help

I sat there for a moment, trying my hardest to think of something we could do to distract her from the pain

"Have you ever made a paper doll?" I asked eventually

She looked at me confused for a moment but them shook her head

"Want me to show you how?" I asked, my mom really liked weird arts and crafts stuff for some reason so that was something she taught me and, right then, I was glad she had

We had fun doing that, she was pretty bad to start with and that made her laugh

The more she laughed the less she seemed to notice the pain

*flashback ends*

A small, pained smile crossed my lips as I thought about that day

She still remembered how, it stuck with her, it meant something to her...

I meant something to her...

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Aw poor Ryan, and that note, what did it mean? What's going on? Obviously I know but what are your theories? Xoxo