The Difference

Spark of Hope

"So... we go to school together now! How awesome is that!" Delilah gave me a smile that could've melted my heart years ago. She doesn't have that power over me anymore. 

"Yay." I gave as an unenthusiastic reply. She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. I rolled my eyes at her and sighed. She shifted on her feet, we were standing in the office waiting for the assistant to give Delilah her class schedule and locker number with its combination. The assistant was talking to her friend instead of getting Delilah's shit. I flipped my hair off my shoulder while giving the assistant my worst stink eye. She glanced at me and started scrambling, in a minute she had gotten Delilah's papers together and handed them to us. I rushed out of the office, Delilah had to jog to keep up. Besides the fact my legs were about half the size of hers. Veronica walked up to us, eyeing Delilah. She asked if she could borrow me for a second, Delilah not knowing who she was smiled and nodded her head. 

"Is that the girl who pointed a gun at Cheryl's head? What is she doing here? Why is she with you?" For a girl who didn't care about me much, she certainly thought I would give her whatever answers she wanted. She didn't care about me, I was just going to get hurt. I tried to tell myself I shouldn't tell her anything. I tried to tell myself I can't tell Veronica anything important. My mouth opened, I thought I would say something along the lines of how should I know? Until I recognized the words coming out of my mouth as the story of how I met her, how I fell in love with her, how she got sick, and how she had killed her parents and forgot that it was her who did it. How she's a sad story who no one ever wants to hear or remember, she doesn't even want to remember it, with her big innocent green eyes, and her short brown hair, who could ever suspect her of killing both of her parents? Well they didn't know her like I do. They don't know her dark side. When Veronica wanted to know about her dark side I didn't tell her. I just said I didn't know. I wish I didn't know. 

We were in my bed, she took all of the blankets, she was sweating, her hair was soaked. I saw the tears run down her face for a split second before she started screaming. I tried to hug her, comfort her, and she tried to claw my eyes out. "No, no, Mommy? Mommy, you don't want to do that. Daddy, Daddy, don't be scared. Please, Daddy just come back. Mother don't turn your back on me. Don't look at each other." She was screaming in her sleep. Crying out to her dead parents who she had killed a week before she had these dreams. I put my forehead to hers, and told her to wake up. The nightmares would go away if she just woke up, she's not alone. I'm here. I'll always be here for her. I didn't care if I was lying, or if she was bad for me. I was always going to be here for her. Always. She woke up, she started gasping, as if she couldn't breathe. I kissed her head and told her everything would be fine, everything is alright. She's okay. She told me, in a voice so hollow, I knew I lost the girl I fell in love with. this was just her shell talking to me. I lost her soul. She told me, "I don't think I'll ever be the same." Her tears came quicker. "I don't deserve you." She whispered to my lips. That was the first and the last time she said those four words to me. Then, she started saying the opposite. She started saying she would leave, she became the worst part of my life. She always had to be the center of my life. 

"Toni?" Veronica rolled her eyes at me. 

"What?" I was too tired to snap at her, I just wanted to go home. Until I saw long red hair. I looked up and she was staring at Veronica and I. I bit my lip and suddenly inside my heart, I felt a candle spark. A flame of hope. I can do this, everything will be fine. I looked up into deep brown eyes, and a kind face that I already knew I was in love with. When I looked back to where Veronica was standing, I found myself alone.