Dead Jealous

Stain

It's funny how all the best things never last long. One minute, everything seems perfect. The next? The perfect ice cracks, dumping everything on top into its frigid innards.

I guess I should never have expected me and Sky to last.

Pink lipstick stains, cigarette butts, I lie in bed I hate my guts

a day in the dark, a murdered afternoon, yeah.

Oh baby, darling, how I long to become your suicide blonde

to lie beside my Romeo, oh what a wicked way to go!

I breathed in quickly as my chest tightened. The music was like sickly sweet poison in my ears. It thumped along with my heart. Everyone around me, my friends, they all disappeared.

I looked up and saw Sky. Her face seemed blank at first glance, but as I looked at her eyes, they seemed to be waging an inner war. Her eyes flicked around nervously: from our table, to the fire, to the music's loudspeakers.

She froze. Her face turned white, and her eyes lost focus. The pupils grew enormous and her breathing became rapid.

"Sky?" I called to her, worried. "Sky!"

She made no response. I stood up and rushed to her side. "Sky? Are you remembering something again?"

She didn't reply. She was quivering against me and I lead her to a sofa directly behind her. She didn't flop exactly, but I did have to lightly press her shoulders down to lower her onto the seat.

"What's wrong with her?" Sophie had appeared beside me. She knelt on the ground in front of Sky, patted her cheek, and looked up at me.

"I think she's having a flash back. It's happened before, just... not in public."

"What are we meant to do? She's not going to-"

Sophie broke off as Sky mumbled. "No, wait..."

Sophie looked at me confusedly.

"Don't!" Sky shouted, and the cafe went quiet.

"Lets get her out of here," I told Sophie. With her help, we hauled her out of the cafe and outside. It was cold and still drizzling but we sat undercover.

When I looked into her eyes, they didn't see me. They didn't see anything but that night.

One moment, she was absently staring. Then suddenly, she was crying- sobbing heartbrokenly. She sounded as though she was going to break.

"Sky!' I said worriedly, reaching out to comfort her. She instantly shoved me away, cowering from both Sophie and I. Tears still streamed from her eyes.

"Sky, what's wrong? We're trying to help you!" I said desperately.

She stared at me, her eyes shining and red. Her hands slowly clawed her hair, pulling strands out manically. "You can't help me," she whispered.

"Why not?"

"Because," she whispers again. "It's too late."

Sophie glanced at me. "Too late for what, Sky?" she asked her.

Sky ignored her question. Under her breath she was muttering and only when I leaned closer could I make out the words.

"It only takes two lonely people, to fuck love up and make it evil..."

My eyebrows furrowed. "That's the song. The one that was just playing."

"Why is she singing it? Because its in her head, or something?"

"I don't know..."

Sky went deadly still and silent. Her eyes were closed, and when she opened them, they seemed...hollow. Dead. I felt sick.

Her mouth opened and words spilled out of her mouth, but they didn't make any sense.

"Tiarna has blue eyes. Very blue eyes. She is the best friend I could ever have. She belongs in an asylum with me," Sky said. It wasn't monotonous, exactly, but it had a level of emotionlessness that shocked me.

I was going to ask what she meant, but she went on.

"Music plays loud at parties. Doesn't it? It does." Then she paused and took deep breaths.

"Maybe we should call for an ambulance?" Sophie asked me.

Sky reached out blindly and grabbed Sophie's wrist. "No, no, no..."

"Sky, come back to us," I said almost desperately. I was suddenly scared that her injuries were too much. That her mind had finally caught up with her brain.

"I was never with you," she scoffed. Her voice was icy. "Don't you know? I've murdered half of myself. There's barely any of me left."