" You only truly miss someone when they are gone.
And sometimes, it's hard to let go.
But you have to let him go..."
It is hard when your loved one is gone. But for Riley, it was something different. In a sick sort of way, she loved it-reminiscing...
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Riley rocked back and forthon the floor, his hoodie clutched against her. A burnt out cigarette lay on the floor. Even cigarettes didn't help from those words that echoed in her head. It never shut up. He never shut up...
Nobody called her again. Everyone had left her alone. Even Maria, maybe she had hurt her too much. Maybe she was afraid Riley would say that one day.
Riley felt so sleepy, so tired, so frail. Her bones seemed to shake with the cold and numbness she was feeling. But her body felt unnaturally warm. She just shivered away, her teeth chattering against each other, her salty tear strained sticky cheek pressed against his hoodie that had roughen up through time. And it no longer smelled like him.
He used to smell like pine and cigarettes...
Riley smiled at the thought .
He had swipey golden blonde hair.
Riley imagined how it felt like to ruffle his hair and run her hands through them.
He had amazing sea blue eyes.
She recalled the mischievous glint they used to have.
It was as if she was trying to put those colors back in her memory and put them on Leo. But it was in vain...without a colorful Leo, all she was left was with were gray memories.
And without his colors, he didn't feel real.
And oh, how much she wished he did at that moment.
Leo wouldn't ever leave Riley. If he were there, he'd never have left like the others did.
I wish Leo was here...I wish I could say that I loved him for the last time...I wish I gave him a proper goodbye. I wish I told him he was the most greatest person born in this world and that he had deserved so much better.. Leo would get me...he'd understand.
Riley recalled the time when she met Leo for the first time.
He was new in the town. Riley had been four, so she didn't remember much. She remembered a blue kite had flown into their backyard on their tree. Then she remembered a boy trying to climb it, he couldn't. Riley was the one to climb the tree and bring it down to him. And the next thing you know, they were best friends forever.
The earliest memory she has of them was when they were six. Riley was stuck in a huge dry well that they discovered near an abandoned house. Leo had helped her up by making a rope with his shirt, tee, pants and tank top. The only thing he had on was his underwear.
A bitter laugh escaped Riley along with more hot salted tears.
Oh, Leo. You'd get me....I want to be with you.
Riley was completely lost, she ached from head to toe. Her whole body throbbed. Riley didn't realize she was suffering from a deep fever for the rain and wet clothes from the day before.
