Arielle listened to the mindless chatter, and obnoxious laughter of her parents, as they reminisced about her and David when the two of them were younger. Arielle’s parents never missed an opportunity to embarrass her, especially when it happened to be someone who Arielle actually cared about. David took it all in stride though, even when Arielle’s mom brought out the picture album. Arielle would never admit it to anyone, but she desperately missed having no responsibilities, having everyone do everything for her, and having David be her best friend. Arielle realized she’d been daydreaming, and turned off the mental projector in her mind, that played clips of her and David playing in the sprinkler, and creating a unsuccessful lemonade stand, and playing house in a giant cardboard box. God, she missed him so much, almost as much as she missed grandma Lily.
Arielle closed her eyes and let the tears fall again, now she was safe, alone, in her room. Arielle’s chest ached heavily with sorrow, it bloomed throughout her soul, leaving no part of her body tolerable of the depression. Arielle let herself shake in earth shattering tremors. She needed Grandma Lily, because through every troubled time, Grandma Lily was there. Now she had to hide this unforgettable, heartbreaking, depressing thing from her parents. Arielle realized grandma Lily would have been the person to share this kind of pain with, except this pain she felt was about Grandma Lily, and now she was gone forever.
Arielle was laying down on her bed, under the quilt grandma Lily had made for her a century ago. She felt a presence enter the room, pause by the door, then sit down on the bed next to her. Arielle assumed it was her mom, and wrapped her arm around the waist of the person sitting on her bed. She realized it wasn’t her mom, when the person stiffened at her touch and swallowed hard. Arielle pulled her face from the pillow she’d left her tears embedded in, and looked up with teary eyes at a very surprised David.
Arielle took a moment to realize everything, and ripped her arm from around David’s waist. David relaxed, a little, and cleared his throat, Arielle assumed as a sign of their shared embarrassment. David looked a little flustered, and had turned a few shades of red, before returning to his pale color. He twisted back around, and stared deeply into Arielle’s eyes. She felt a tear fall, and in fear of having yet another too intimate moment with David, which would only make the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.
“So, your mom insisted I stay for dinner, and I was on my way to the bathroom, but I stopped because I heard you crying.” said David with a hint of guilt seeping through.
“Was I really that loud?” Arielle asked in a bit of shock.
“Arielle, if your mom would have been standing by the stairs, she would have heard it.” David replied with a realistic tone.
“How am I going to keep this to myself David?!” Arielle whispered harshly, “It‘s killing me, and my parents are bound to realize there‘s something wrong with me!”
David grabbed the sides of Arielle’s face, and smiled sadly at her. “You can do this! Just remember this is what grandma Lily wants!”
Arielle looked into his big blue eyes, and realized what that twinge of something was, it was love, and not the brotherly kind. Arielle put the piece’s together in her head, then said them in her mind, “I‘m in love with my old childhood friend and teacher.”. Arielle pulled out of David’s hands, and sat up in her bed. She looked up at David, and saw the confusion in his eyes. How could she be in love with her writing teacher, with her old best friend? She knew she had to find some way to rid herself of these forbidden feelings, she knew if David ever knew about how she felt he’d probably never talk to her again.
The thought of David running and hiding from her gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. She had the urge to pick up the phone and call grandma Lily, and to tell her everything, but then she smacked back into reality. She remembered grandma Lily was dead, so she began to cry again, but quietly this time. Everything was crashing down around her, and she didn’t know how to make it stop. Arielle dropped her face into her hands, and let the tears fall into them, dampening them with the salty liquid.
