Best Friend

 Her head hung low, tears dripping down her face and on the asphalt as she walked to her final destination.

Do you remember when I said I’d always be there?

Ever since we were ten?

She had on her earphones, cranked up loudly. She wore a blue jacket with the hood on, concealing her tear-streaked face. Blue was his favourite colour, she knew. She felt that she had to wear it one last time.  A certain song was on repeat, once her favourite. She stopped in her tracks and looked around. Maybe, she thought, maybe someone actually cares. Should I stop? She scanned her surroundings for a sign, something, anything, but all she saw were couples. They were everywhere. Lounging in cafes, strolling hand in hand. It was as if the universe was mocking her, reminding her of the love that she could never have. She shook her head and continued her death march.

He lay on his bed, headphones on, playing his favourite song. He scrolled through his phone for any signs of her. He missed her so. His best friend. He wondered if she was thinking about him, like he was thinking of her. No, he chided himself; she’s not yours to hope for. She’s your best friend for goodness’ sake. She’d never think of you that way. He sighed and put his phone down.

Through all the dudes that came by and all the nights that you cried,

Girl I was there right by your side

He’d been friends with her ever since he could remember. He couldn’t remember when he’d fallen in love with her, he just did. So much that it hurt to see her with any other guy than him. But it hurt him more to see her crying because of those bastards.

How could I tell you I loved you, when you were so happy with some other guy?

He wanted to tell her so badly, but he was too afraid of ruining their friendship. He tried moving on through other girls, but they were nothing compared to her.

And I don’t wanna ruin what we have, Love is so unpredictable

He sat up; why not tell her now? What could he possibly have to lose? Besides, he’d do anything for the girl he loved. But are you prepared to lose her? To lose your friendship, just because of some stupid confession?  Said the pessimistic voice in his head. He had to admit he wasn’t. But he also couldn’t stand by while the girl he loved got her heart torn apart by idiots who didn’t know what she was worth.

But it’s the risk that I’m taking, hoping, praying

You’d fall in love with your best friend

 He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and raced out of his bedroom.

I know it sounds crazy, that you’d be my baby

She knew it was crazy; he’d never fall for her

Girl, you mean that much to me

She was everything to him

It’s never too late to show it

It was too late for her

There was still time for him

She stood precariously on the edge of the bridge, a crowd of people behind her.

He couldn’t see her anywhere, only a great mass of people at the bridge, crowding around something. He saw a familiar blue hood in the midst of it.

She took a step forward.

He pushed through the crowd.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared to jump, when suddenly someone screamed her name. Her heart fluttered at the voice, which she thought she’d never hear again. She turned around and saw him. Her everything. Her life. Her best friend.

He looked up at her.

She looked down at him.

He saw that tears were flowing down her pale cheeks. He wanted to wipe them away. He took another step forward.

She took another step back, and nearly fell off the bridge. She flailed her arms to keep her balance. A few onlookers screamed.

“Why?” he choked out.

“Because you don’t love me.” was her heart-wrenching reply.

His eyes widened in shock, and he reached for her... The same time she completely stepped off the bridge. He could only scream helplessly as she plummeted towards the dirty, polluted river.

He couldn’t remember much of what happened after that. All he could hear was a high-pitched screaming that must’ve been coming from him. He’d tried to follow her, but a few bystanders had prevented him. Then what happened next was a series of blurs, flashing red lights, and sirens. He slumped against the bridge, the coldness of the marble foundation seeping into his bones. Someone had thrown a blanket around him. That kept the chill out of his bones, but not in his heart. He noticed a pair of earphones beside him. They were hers, he realized. They were fitted with little charms, he noticed, the ones he had given to her on her birthday. He heard a familiar tune emanating from them, so he put them on. He could not prevent the tears that spilled from his eyes, neither did he bother wiping them, as he heard the last few lyrics of the song he’d been listening to only hours ago.

Then I realized you were the only one

It’s never too late to show it

It was too late for both of them.

Grow old together, have feelings we had before

They’ll never be able to do that now.

I just wanna reach and touch you, squeeze you

He couldn’t do that either; she was in a better place.

This is something like a movie, and I don’t know how it ends, girl

He knew how it ended. He couldn’t save her. All because he wasn’t able to say the next lyrics of the song.

But I fell in love with my best friend.