Ocean Rose

Smiles

She shouldn't have smiled.

In her head, she cursed herself for smiling. She didn't deserve happiness. But, something about Ash just made the ends of her lips go up.

He was sweet.

Ash looked at her, while they were walking in the hallway, and for some reason he smiled. She lifted an eyebrow. And Ash said something that made her heart soar.

''You really don't know how beautiful you are, do you?'', he said in a soothing voice. His green eyes glowed with admiration. 

She felt an amazing feeling in her heart.

She looked at him.

She smiled.

Again.

And then afterwards, guilt fled into her heart. She thought of the gunshot that happened so many years ago. She remembered the blood dripping from the sofa, and a loud thud. She closed her eyes. The pain was unbearable. She vowed to never smile again, and here she was breaking her vow. In her eyes, she was a traitor.

''Hey, you okay?'', Ash said in his normal voice.

She nodded quickly. She had learned years ago, that there was no need to show others your pain.

Then they were there at the nurse.  The white door loomed over their heads. They knocked and the door creaked open.

A woman with hazel eyes and golden hair looked back at them.

''Hall pass?'', she asked sweetly, but you could see the horror in her eyes as she looked the girl up and down.. Ash gave over the pass,and smiled. He seemed to smile an awful lot. 

''Now what on earth happened?''.

Ash looked at her, waiting permission to speak. She felt herself nod.

''Well , we were walking, and then she tripped, and cut herself on these sharp rocks.''

''And where were these sharp rocks''.

''Uh..on the ground''.

The nurse again smiled, but you could see the impatience in her eyes. 

''Yes, I know they were on the ground, sweety, but where on the ground is what I'm asking. Did she fall on top of the sharp rocks? Or did it just scratch her?'', she said.

''It just scratched her,'' Ash replied.

The nurse nodded.

''Well,we better make sure it doesn't get infected. You can wait outside, young man,'' she pointed to the door.

''Is it okay if I stay here?''.

The nurse froze. No one had asked her that question before. This boy was strange, strange indeed. She had no idea what to say. Then, as if in a trance she slowly said, ''Well...why?''.

''Because, I want to share her pain'', he had blurted out. It sounded cheesy even to him.

The nurse smiled again.

''Thats sweet. Okay''.

Ash made himself comfortable, while she wondered what the nurse would do. She had never been to the nurse. She always kept her pain hidden. The nurse poured something onto a white cloth. And then, the nurse said the words that meant certain death, ''This might hurt a tiny bit, so close your eyes and look away''.

Whenever nurse's said that, it actually meant ''This is going to hurt a lot''.

And then, before she could run, the nurse put the cloth on her cut. She didn't look away. She saw Ash wince in the corner of her eye, but he had nothing to worry about. She had faced more pain than this. The nurse looked at her. 

''Your the first patient who hasn't screamed'', she looked in wonder at the two children. They were strange, strange indeed.                                                                                 

Ash said nothing. He just smiled at her. 

But  this time, she looked away.She was strict.

She wasn't going to smile. Ever. Again.