Soul Marks

Ari: Grief

  Author's Note: this chapter has some suicidal themes in it. So... trigger warning. This book is mainly themed after Romeo and Juliet so just like that, I had to add something like that in here.
"I'm sorry, honey, but Zach is dead, there was no way we could save him." The words rang in her ears, he was truly gone, this isn't a dream. She pinched her skin, praying for a miracle. As blood ran down her arm, she knew that this was real, that he wasn't gonna hold her ever again. Crouched down, crying into her knees, she heard the same raspy voice she heard earlier, right when Zach was killed. She looked and was surprised to see who she saw. Blake, bloodshot eyes and all was standing in front of her. He said "Ari, I had to do this, it was the only way to get what I want. He was in my way. I want you Ari and I only tormented you cause I was angry I couldn't be with you. Please just give me a chance." Her jaw dropped, how could she even think about that, he just killed the love of her life. He was everything to her and he is gone, how could she love again. She did this, she knew this was her fault. He wouldn't have died if she never said anything. If she kept her mouth shut about her mark, he would be alive and happy. How could she do this, it should have been her, she should've died. He deserved the world and now he's dead. The guilt consumed her like a whale swallowing a fish. She couldn't take it, she ran as fast as she could to find what she was looking for. Searching through the hospital, she found a bottle of pills and ran back to Zach's dead body. Before she reached the room, she ran into something that blocked her way. She looked up and saw the tall muscular boy. She didn't know what to do, he looked down at her and said "Ari...I'm sorry for what I said about Zach. I was pressured to say that by my mother. Please can we talk, you need a friend right now." There he was, Cody, the boy who helped Zach win over my parents, he was someone who she could talk to but she had to be with Zach no matter where he is. Looking down, he saw the bottle in her hands. He pulled them out of her hands, she screamed "No, no, please no I need him. I have to be with him." She felt him pull her into his chest, stroking her hair. He said "You can't do this Ari, you need to stay alive and do all the things he wanted to do. Keep living for him, for you." She stopped crying and accepted his embrace. Collapsing to the ground, she looked at him and said "Losing him was my biggest fear, I spent my entire life looking for him. Through all the teasing and torture I went through, he was the light at the end of the dark tunnel. How can I keep going, he made me realize that I was capable of love and learn what I deserve. He's gone and it's too selfish to live without him." Deep down, she knew that she was wrong, the only selfish act was to end her life. Zach always wanted the best for her and she knew exactly what he would say if he was here: "Write your little heart out Ari, show the world the real you." A smile appeared on her face as she knew what she had to do. She looked over at the muscular boy who sat beside her and said "I have to keep going, come with me Cody, I want to show you exactly what Zach would want me to do." Grabbing the boy by the hand, leading him to her bag; she pulled out the most important thing in her life (besides Zach). In her arms, lies her sacred journal, the one that got her through her life before Zach, the one that no one has ever seen before. Hesitating for a moment, she laid the small book in Cody's arms, she had no idea if she could trust him, if he would run and share every detail of her life to anyone who would listen. Showing him her thoughts and dreams was taking the biggest leap of faith she had ever taken. Once he picked up the journal, he didn't run, he didn't freak out; he sat there reading it. Through every flip of a page, his eyes widened as he now knew the true her and not the person everyone assumed she was.