The Last Sunset

Part One : If By Chance

Dear Matthew Sherwood,

  Since I have no idea where to begin, I'm going to start from the middle, the best part of anything ( sandwiches, books, songs, etc. ), and start my story from there.

  Do you remember that day, a Thursday, I recall, when you left your water bottle on the bench at the bus stop by accident? I was still waiting for my bus, route 303, when you stepped aboard #59, leaving your poor water bottle, miserable and coated with a layer of perspiration, behind. I wasn't about to let you get away with abandoning a helpless water bottle, so I hopped on to the bus just as the doors were about to close. I tapped you on the shoulder and extended the bottle. The bus chose this untimely moment to jolt to a start, I stumbled back, losing my balance. You raised your eyebrows in surprise.  

  "Aren't you supposed to still be back there, waiting for your bus?" You asked, taking the bottle from me.

  "What? No  'thank you?' ?"  If I was surprised that you had noticed, I didn't show it.

  "Thank you. Did you seriously just board the wrong bus just to give this back to me?"

  "Hey, I just didn't appreciate your desertion. I mean, its been a good bottle, supplying you with the essential element to life." I said, patting the water bottle affectionately.

  "l 'll make sure to show it some love more often then." You smiled.

  Then, you took the time of the day to get off with me at the next stop and walked me back to the school bus stop. Ypu waved goodbye when I gazed out the the window as my bus drove off.

  I guess that was the moment I started to think of you differently. Suddenly, you were more than the basketball star, more than the guy I went to middle school with, and more than just a familiar face in the hallways. I started to think back to when we first met and everything in between. I started to over- analyze every interaction we had, every time you greeted me when we crossed paths, and every goodbye you gave me as you stepped onto your bus. Even if I didn't want to, you had become my crush.

  I used to think that if ever admitted this to you, the world would end. Now, ironically, the world really is ending, so I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?

Chloe A. McNamara

  I slipped the letter into Matt's locker the day they announced that there was a hydrogen bomb headed straight for Earth, which would wipe out the entire population, and every living lifeform on the planet. Even the bugs and bees. Since there were only twenty minutes left of the school day when they broke the news, the school decided to let us out at the regular time school ended. That was the last time I saw Matt Sherwood. I haven't seen him since. My last memory of him is when he asked me what I had gotten on the history test when he passed by my desk second period. I didn't even get to say goodbye that day. My parents picked me up, something they never had time for under normal circumstances, since they both had work.

  It's been a week since they dropped the big news. School has ended. Restaurants and stores have been abandoned, open to anyone to take whatever they desire. Offices have closed down, everyone at home with their families, spending every last moment with their loved ones. We still have electricity and running water though. Thank God.

  It's nine in the morning. The bomb strikes at sunset tomorrow. The world ends in 32 hours. Tired of being cooped up at home, I'm wandering around an abandoned supermarket, roaming the deserted aisles. I'm searching for something in particular, a roll of mint flavored Mentos.

  When I was little, I used to go through a tube every two days. Since the lingering taste and scent of garlic in my mouth made me squirm, I was always searching for mints or candy after each meal. With just the right amount of mintiness, not too spicy or chokingly cold, and the perfect size to get rid of the smell, Mentos was always my first choice. I always had a roll in my backpack, so I would always be free of the wrath of garlic breath.

  I'm down to my last tube, with only three left in the roll, so I'm on the hunt for one last tube before our planet turns to dust.

  I pause to pick up a can of preserved peaches and move it around in my hands, debating whether or not to bring it back home for my mom. I decide against it in the end, she had always preferred fresh fruit anyways.

  I back out of the aisle and head deeper into the supermarket, in search of the row where they keep the candy. I spot the refrigerated goods, the shelves are bare, only a lone carton of grapefruit juice sits miserably in the left corner. I'm  passing the spices when I hear a sound in the next aisle. I peer around the corner only to find the last person I would have expected, Matthew Sherwood. I blink to see if I'm just imagining things, but no, he's still there, flesh and bone. He looks up from the chip bag he's examining and catches my eye.

  "Chloe?" I can't read the look on his face, but his tone seems welcoming.

  "Hi," I say, unable to compose a complete sentence.

  "Are these good?" He asks, beckoning me to come closer to read the label on the chip bag.

  "Wasabi ginger?" I read. "That's a weird flavor."

  "You never know, it could be good. I'll give it a try." He shrugs his backpack off and unzips it.

  "Have you seen the candy aisle?" I ask, watching him.

   "Yeah. It's back there." He straightens and gestures to the right.

  "Thanks."

  I slip past him and head in the direction he pointed at.

  "Looking for something in particular?" He trails after me, backpack slung over his shoulder.

  "Mint Mentos." I say absentmindedly, scanning the half empty shelves.

  "I guess you're out of luck then." He says, picking up a roll of Mentos that's definitely not blue. "They only have grape left."

  "I guess I am." I sigh. " I'll just have to keep looking."

  "Looks like you have a long search ahead of you." He tosses the roll back on the shelf. "Need a ride?"

  I look up. He's smiling and I can't help but smile back. I blink, unable to believe that I heard him right. Has he read my letter? He must have. I can't believe this is happening!

  "Yes, I do."