Daniel

Chapter 16 - Acceptance

The leaves crackled under her feet as she walked, as the wind blew them across the path. Aidelle brushed the hair out of her face, pulling the hood of her jumper over her head. She stopped, standing in front of the school gates, which had been closed due to the winter holidays. Clambering over the fence, she made her way across the grass, reaching the tree, staring up at the remaining leaves that clung to the branches of the great oak.

She slowly sat down, resting her back against the trunk of the tree, and closed her eyes, thinking. Thinking of what to say, what to do.

She drew a long breath, "I remember this spot," she paused.

"It's where I first met you, you were acting so awkward that day," she giggled to herself, but inhaled deeply, pausing again.

"Anyway, where do I begin."

Twiddling her thumbs, she looked up at the tree, watching one of the leaves detach from a branch, and float away into the distance.

"I guess that was like me when you left," she said aloud," the funny, happy, cheery part of me that you knew, just, poof. Gone. I guess you were the one that made me all of that."

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as memories began flooding back to her.

"To think, that I'd take someone like you for granted just, I hate myself for doing that," her voice went croaky as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh, man. I thought I was prepared to be doing this, hell, I'm kind of just talking to myself anyway. I guess this is a way for me to realise my true emotions and get them intact as well."

Aidelle drew a long breath and exhaled, before continuing.

"Dan, I, I don't know what to say really. I've been nothing ever since you died. Attending your funeral was hard, but even just thinking about you was harder. All that came to mind was how stupidly I acted."

She wiped away another tear running down her face, her breathing coming out ragged.

"I remember the... The last conversation I had with you," she began to sob, and she let the tears flow as she continued, "we had a fight. And I remember, I, I told you that you would've been better off... dead."

"I've been thinking a lot about that," she sobbed, "and I've come to terms that my father was indeed a horrible man. There's nothing else for me to really say about that, but I should have taken your word for him. I guess that... even though you did the horrible thing of killing him... it was for a good reason."

She buried her head in her hands, her body heaving as she cried into her palms.

"But I can never forgive myself for talking to you like that. I really should've known my dad was a horrible man, I should have. But, but I know now. And, at least things have... started to get better."

Aidelle took a long pause, thinking of what to say.

"I started talking to someone about my problems, his name's Chris, he's a really good person. He gave me some advice about a week ago, which basically gave me the courage to come here and express how I feel. He told me to not remember the bad things about you, but to cherish the good moments we both had. And I have to say, there are too many for me to list," she laughed.

"And guess what else," she paused, as if waiting for a response, "They caught Irene, she's in jail. I hope she rots..." She growled, "somebody ought to stick a bullet in her chest, too," she said, wiping away flowing tears.

She looked up and watched more leaves drift away, taking another deep breath and sighing.

"Dan, I miss you, I always will. You were my greatest friend, and you deserve to be remembered as only a positive part of my life, which you were. You were born with a great gift, but you gave me an even greater one, friendship. I'll never forget you, Daniel. I won't live in vain any more, I have made acceptance."

Aidelle picked herself up from the ground, brushing off the leaves from her clothes, and she watched more scatter along in the wind. And as she walked away from the oak, the last leaves of autumn broke from it, carried away by the wind, and the tree was left bare, to start anew.