Octopus Lips

What Did You Do?

           
     I'm sitting on a park bench when Rosie spots me. She's speed walking because she's too awkward to run in public and I notice a flower in her hair and a plastic Tupperware in her hands. She's flustered, like she rushed to get here. That's the Rosie I can always count on.

     "H-hi! I brought you some cupcakes!" She stammered, handing me the Tupperware.

    "Thanks." I smiled at her, amused. "I feel almost...underdressed? under prepared?"

     "Ah!" She fidgeted with her hands nervously. "My mom and I were cooking and she suggested I bring you some."

     "That makes sense."

     I glanced up at her, and she grinned awkwardly, brushing her wavy hair out of her eyes and laughed like she had never held a conversation for this long before. The flowers behind her ear were violets, and she looked very pretty.

     "What's with the flowers?" I asked, patting the seat next me.

      "The fl-oh!" She blushed and reached up to her ear, patting the side of her head until her fingers closed around them. "I forgot those were there."

     "They look very nice." I complimented her.

     She squeaked quietly in embarrassment and covered her deepening blush when she sat down. Rosalie had never taken compliments very well, not even from me and we had known each other for years. It was endearing to say the least.

      "Th-thanks." She finally managed, sitting down next to me. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

     "Uh, my mood is irrelevant, I think I've got something that might fix my problem." I explained, going through my back pack. "Or at least, I've got an idea."

     With her pink strawberry cupcake in one hand, I pulled out a pair of scissors with the other. Rosie's eyes widened and I placed them on the wood between us. For a moment the two of us did nothing but stare at them. The cupcake was delicious, Rosie was a brilliant cook, but right now she just looked confused.

     "My dad told me the red string is... almost optional? If you don't want to go out with that person it'll change... I think." I explained, letting out a shaky breath.

     Rosie glanced up at me with eyes as wide as the moon with all the stars in the universe trapped inside them. She was surprised and shocked and I could taste the questions on her lips.

     "You're going to... cut it?" She breath in disbelief.

     I nodded slowly. "I think so."

     "Are you sure? You said you... loved him..."

     I clenched my fists. "I'm sure, I can't..." the tears started to well up in my throat, "I can't stay in this relationship anymore. It's suffocating."

     I met her gaze, her beautiful warm brown gaze and took her hand gently. "I wanted you here."

     She swallowed gently and squeezed my hand. "Of course."

     I picked up the pair of kitchen scissors, I wasn't even sure if this would work. Then stuck out my pinky finger. Rosie's fingers barely graced my wrist. I felt the familiar pull in my body and the string appeared, it snaked along the ground and the flew off into the neighborhood, the gold like striking it and making it look like it was on fire. Usually if you tried to break it, your hands would just pass through the intangible substance. This time the scissors slid open with a faint hiss and when I held them up against the string, they lifted it up.

     Fate was whispering in my ear and she was giving me permission.

     I left out a shaky breath and let the blades fly, they closed with a quick snap and before my eyes the red string leading off into the distance was severed into two pieces, the larger half falling to the ground and disintegrating instantly. The end tied to my finger turned to dust and blew off into the wind. A sudden sick feeling overcame me and before I even knew what was happening I had doubled over and was throwing up into the grass. Rosie was at my shoulder, patting my back and holding my hair away from my face. 

     I felt completely empty, and my heart was beating wildly, like it wanted to escape my chest, and every few seconds I would heave until there was nothing left in my stomach, tears were streaming down my face but I couldn't feel them. My whole body felt numb. Only after I was done throwing up did I notice my phone was going crazy.

     "Are you okay?" Rosie asked, her voice full of concern as she reached for a napkin (she always had napkins on her when she brought people food) and wiped my face.

     "Shouldn't have eaten that cupcake." I laughed dryly.

     Ten missed calls from Gordon Jones.

     Then a text appeared at the top of my screen, it wasn't long, just one sentence.

     What did you do?

     I felt a bitter, angry, smile struggled its way onto my face and then I just started sobbing again. Tears poured down my face and neck and into my mouth and I could barely breath. My whole chest was on fire, and it burned like nothing I had ever felt before and I just wanted it to stop. Rosie wrapped her arm around my shoulder and guided me back to the bench. I watched her face, eyes wide in shock, eyebrows creased in worry.

     "I'm okay." I croaked, even though Rosie didn't believe me. "I'm okay."

     I started sobbing even harder, and Rosie let me lean against her shoulder. It was okay, I was going to be okay. This was supposed to hurt. I was in so much pain, God, but the choking feeling was gone. My body was on fire but at last, I could breathe. The evil string tying me to that monster was gone. He wasn't going to hurt me anymore.

     "You're right, it's going to be okay." She whispered. "It's going to be okay, I'm here."

     She pushed my rainbow hair away from my face and placed her violet flowers behind my ear.

      "I'm here."