Collection of short stories

Forever Yours

The bell rang loudly, signifying that class was starting. I sighed heavily, grabbing my class textbook from my locker and began to head over. Luckily, my class wasn't that far from my locker so I didn't have to completely rush.

I silently took my seat near the window and opened my book. I turned to see my beautiful girlfriend, Ava, sitting next to me. Her ginger curls twirled down to her hips. She glanced over, a bright smile on her face. She gave me a shy wave, trying not to gather the attention of those around her. I smiled softly back. The sun highlighted her red hair, her freckles danced around her cheeks and nose. I couldn't stop staring.

She wasn't looking at me anymore. She was listening to the teacher now, eyes narrowed in concentration. She had a habit of chewing on the cap of her pen when she was deep in thought and although I've told her she shouldn't do that, I still found it quite endearing.

I wanted so badly to reach over and grab her hand but I couldn't. Right on her desk, I could see the penned in heart with the letters A + J on it. Ava thought it would be cute to have a reminder of our love on it. I thought it was silly but I wasn't complaining. A girl next to her glanced at me with a sad expression on her face. When she noticed that I caught her glance, she immediately looked away. I shook my head and turned toward the window. I frowned at the sight of small dark clouds appearing. I hope it didn't rain. Ava and I had plans later today and I didn't want to postpone them due to the weather.

This was the only class I had with Ava, which meant I didn't get to see her much throughout the day. Luckily we always had lunch together and we always hung out after school so I wasn't too upset about that. I turned my head back toward her direction and I noticed the smile appear as she was writing something down. She knew I was looking. I felt a heavy weight in my chest, the amount of feelings I had for this beautiful girl was incredible.

I was about to tell her just that when the bell rang. I jolted from the thoughts, surprised with how quickly time passed. I gathered my things and stood up. Ava waved at me, signaling she'd see me at lunch and disappeared into the crowd of students to get to her next class.

When lunch came around, I was usually the first one between the two of us to arrive. I bought my food, some fries and chicken tenders, and then grabbed a two-person table at the very back. I pulled out my water bottle and began to pick at my food. I wasn't very hungry but I knew this was her favorite to eat.

I glanced up to scan the cafeteria, waiting for her to arrive so I could show her where I was. I noticed a few tables looking at me and I glared at them. A few people would look away and whisper to their friends, some would just give me sympathetic looks. I ignored them. It was only then I began to wonder what was taking Ava so long. Did she get in trouble? Did they know something I didn't? I took out my phone and checked to see if she sent me any new messages. I didn't have anything new but I saw that I had read one earlier.

Sorry! Won't be able to make it to lunch. Forgot I have an appointment today. I'll see you after school! <3 -Ava

I didn't remember reading it but I shrugged it off. I only had one class left after lunch and then Ava wanted to take me somewhere. I couldn't wait.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. I mostly stared out of the window, not liking that a lot more dark clouds were collecting in the sky. I hoped it didn't interfere with our plans...

The bell rang loudly, signaling that school was over and everyone was rushing to leave. I grabbed all my things and walked to my locker. I frowned when I noticed my ex-girlfriend Allison standing in front of it.

"I can't get into my locker if you're standing in front of it" I told her, voice neutral. She and I ended our relationship badly. I didn't hate her but I wasn't on the best terms with her either. It didn't help that she hated Ava. She turned toward me, giving me a sad look. I was getting tired of people looking at me like that.

"Justin, I am so sorry for-" she began but I cut her off immediately.

"I don't want to hear anything from you. Just move so I can go. I have plans." I said curtly. She glared.

"You can't keep acting like it didn't happen Justin. I know it hurts but-" she tried again and I glared back this time.

"I said I don't want to hear it. Leave me the hell alone Allison." I practically growled out, slamming my fist into the locker next to me.

A few people stopped to stare. She blinked, surprised by the aggression. She finally composed herself and shook her head sadly.

"You're going to have to accept the truth, whether you like it or not. The longer you wait, the worse it will be." She turned and left me standing there.

I took a deep breath and ignored the people whispering around me. I collected all my things from my locker and heading outside. The sky was growing darker but it was still pretty nice out so I didn't complain.

I saw Ava waving from across the street and went over to her. She smiled and gestured for me to follow her. We walked closely together. She seemed to be very distracted though. Every time I went to grab her hand, she found something to do with it. She would either mess with her other hand or run her fingers through her hair. She was even nibbling on her lower lip and I was beginning to get worried. Why was she getting so anxious? What could she possibly want to show me?

On our way toward our location, I paused when I noticed a ton of caution tape around a street corner. There was glass shattered around the area and on a pole; there were a lot of stuffed animals and candles. My heart clenched at the sight. Someone had passed away. I couldn't tell if it had been a child, someone our age, or older. There were a few small pictures around but I was too far away to see it.

I heard a sniffle and turned to see Ava holding back tears. Things like this always made her upset. Ava wanted to be a doctor, she wanted to save lives and help people live longer. She had witnessed a friend die in a car accident when she was younger, a drunk driver was speeding down her street and her friend was running over to grab a ball. It had happened too quickly, no one could have prevented it.

"Ava..." I whispered, wanting to console her but she shook her head and continued forward. We didn't talk about it.

It wasn't until we were getting closer, that I realized where we were heading. It was to her favorite spot near a lake. Her family always went here when it was warmer. It was tradition to have a barbeque and swim at least once a month during the summer.

In this area, there was also a large oak tree, it's branches stretching out far and wide, providing the best shade and a cute little spot for picnics. That spot was where we had shared our first kiss. My heart clenched painfully. I wasn't sure why. I wanted to ask why we were here. Why did she have to bring me here?

"Justin, you have to let me go," she murmured, looking at the ground. She wrapped her arms around her torso, a cool wind picking up. I shook my head.

"I can't. I love you." I protested. Ava looked at me, heartbroken. It tore my heart.

"You can't have me. I'm so sorry for everything. I wish I could go back and change how things happened. It was an accident." She said, beginning to sob. I took a step forward but she took one back. "Don't hate him. Please just move on. For me..." She begged.

I felt a wet droplet touch my nose and I looked up at the sky. The dark clouds consumed the sky and a low rumble passed through. It began to gently rain. The oak tree provided a decent amount of cover but it didn't stop me from getting wet.

"Ava..." I clenched my fists tightly. "I love you..."

Ava's lip trembled and she shook her head. She walked over to the trunk of the tree and sat down. There was a small rectangular shape rock next to her. She pushed her hair away from her face and patted the spot on the rock. I took a step closer, ignoring how uncomfortable I was getting, as my clothing grew wetter.

I approached her and she gave me a sad smile, nodding her head slowly as I went to look at the rock. The heavy feeling in my chest reappeared as I read what was engraved on it. At this point I could no longer tell if there were tears running down my face or if it were the rain. I turned back to look at Ava, not wanting to accept this but she was gone.

Ava Rogers 1992-2010

A beautiful soul taken too soon

May she rest in peace under her favorite tree