Pulling me under

Part 6 - Loosing seashells

I dive down to the ocean bed. Seaweed tickles my tail and the star fish greet me hello.

I'm not going to school today because yesterday got to me too much.
Not just the Violet incident but the Alex incident too.
Suddenly I sea a beautiful pink tail near clusters of Corel.
I knew exactly who it was.
But what I didn't know is why isn't she at school? She doesn't have a reason to not be.

"Carley why are you not at school! I'm not going because of the Violet incident, but you didn't get involved so you don't have a reason".

She looks at me, her face is pale. There's nothing. Nothing at all, she is empty.

"What's wrong?" My hands on her cheeks.

"He's gone"

"Who's gone?"

"Father"

"What do you mean your fathers gone?"

"He's dead".

All is silent, no waves, no little swirly water tornados make a sound.
All I can do is hug her, hold her and tell her everything is ok.
Not only do I know what she's going through but I can't understand what it would feel like to loose both parents.

2 months later.

Violets still a massive pain.
Max is eager to throw another punch at her.
And Carley, she's not the same since her father died. She's quiet and not her self. Her thousands of followers have been supporting her, of course me and max are too, but I wish I had that much support. But she still hasn't changed. She's like a sea shell that's been crushed into shards and is now too brittle to be put back together.

But I know Carley, she'll get through it, even if she's like a brittle little sea shell.

I've been ignoring Alex for months I can't believe I've gotten that far without him getting in my way. We meet eye to eye sometimes and it's just awkward but he always seems to smile through it. I don't I just look away, quickly with no hesitation.

"Hey fish breath!" Violet snorts.

Max throws a fake punch at her.
Violet screams.
"Next time that won't be fake, it'll be real, and it'll hurt!"
Violet steps back widen eyes.

Max leans in close to my face.
"Why can't she get through her thick skull that she's gonna get the knock of a life time if she keeps it up".

I look at Max and smile. "I think she's in love with your fist"
And we crack up laughing.

Carley smiles at the joke, usually she would laugh. But she doesn't seem to do that anymore, Its seems fake. But I know she'll change. She's strong, so strong.

After school, Carley and I walk home together.

I look into her eyes. There hard to read, it's like I'm searching for something that is not there.

"Hey, lets right our deepest thoughts on a piece of paper and we cant read it till after graduation". I grab out a piece of A4 paper and tear it in half. Carley gets out two pens.

I give a piece to Carley and we start to write.
I watch as Carley folds her paper ever so beautifully. And she hands it to me.

I don't know if I can make it through the rest of the year without opening her note.

But one things for sure is that she's happy, I'm happy. It's like I've been given a piece of her soul, and she's been given a piece of mine. She smiles. a beautiful, genuine smile.

After months of Carley not being her self she had finally shown it through that one smile.

The one smile that felt like a goodbye. A good, goodbye. A type of goodbye that felt complete.