Good things must end

All good things must end

On the morning of prom, I get up to my alarm and jump out of bed. It’s the most important day of my life. There’s so much to do, so I start the day by going to the salon to get my nails and hair done. I stop by the flower shop to get my girlfriend’s corsage along with some roses. When I get home, with the help of my mom, I slip into my suit. I get into my car and head over to my girlfriend’s house.

Once I arrive, I knock on the door. Her eyes light up. “You look dashing, babe.” She hugs me and kisses my cheek. I can’t even speak. I am mesmerized by how she looks. She is wearing a gorgeous navy dress that hugged her curves and complimented her dark skin beautifully. Her hair is braided and twisted to form a rose on the side of her head. It is absolutely stunning. My eyes keep scanning her body, taking in all her features. It feels like I’m falling in love with her for the first time all over again.

“Wow, you look absolutely gorgeous.” I manage to stutter out. I give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then we go inside to see her family. I greet all her family very quickly and ask her father if I can speak to him alone. He nods and gestures to the kitchen. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the second most important question of my life.

“Sir, I have been in love with your daughter since the first time I laid eyes on her freshman year. Now it’s the end of senior year and I have realized that I want to spend the rest of my life with her,” I pulled the little black box out of my pocket and opened it. “Sir, I am asking for your permission to marry your daughter.” His eyes light up and he smiles.

“You know, when Yasmin came out to her mother and I, we told her we would always support her. Then she introduced us to you and I honestly had my doubts about you, but after every date and all the time she spends with you, she would come home smiling and happy. You make her happier than I have ever seen her. So as long as you take care of her, treat her like a queen and continue making her happy, then you will always have my permission.” He hugs me and pats my back. “Welcome to the family, Maya,” he says, and we head back to the rest of the family.

Yasmin’s family leads us back outside to take pictures. That’s when I go to the car to retrieve the roses and corsage to surprise her. With the ring firmly in my pocket, I slip the corsage around her wrist and pull out the little box. Time starts to slow down; I can feel my heart trying to escape from my chest. As I bend down on one knee, I feel my pants start to soak in water from the damp grass. I watch as Yasmin’s eyes grow wide while I open the box that holds my future inside it. Once again, I take a deep breath, this time before the most important question.

“Yasmin, all I want to do is spend the rest of my life with you. I know this might be cheesy and stupid, but all of this is true. Through the good and the bad and everything in between, I want to be with you every step of the way. Yasmin, my love, my everything, will you marry me?”

“You’re going to make my makeup run,” she chuckles, tears of joy running down her cheeks. Her family starts to laugh at her. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” She jumps on me as I stand up and kisses me. I set her down and put the ring on her finger “Baby, it’s beautiful,” She says.

“Not as beautiful as you,” I tell her. After several pictures, we finally head to my car and are off to the dance.

When we enter, the music is blaring, lights are flashing, and everyone is either dancing or sitting and chatting. Yasmin and I greet our friends and immediately hit the dance floor. The entire day is going amazing, I have a feeling the night will be even better. We dance to a few upbeat songs before a slow song comes on. I look in her eyes, wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close. I lean into her ear and whisper “I can’t wait to marry you.” I feel her shiver in my arms. She was about to say something when suddenly people burst through the door.

The sound of gunshots pierces my eardrums. Bodies hit the floor with a thud. I stand watching as people duck and cover around me. Yasmin holds me tight out of fear. I pick Yasmin up and start running. A shooter pops up in front of me. I stare directly in his eyes. They are dark and show very little emotion except for the joy he feels causing people pain. His eyes dart between Yasmin and I. He fires. I close my eyes and wait for the pain, but I hear an ear-shattering scream from the love of my life. I fall to the floor with her in my arms. I lay her gently on the ground and start screaming and sobbing. The shooter points the gun at my head. I watch him smile, drop his gun and run. He left me alive. Maybe he thinks that the bullet hit both of us, or maybe he knows that a bullet will not hurt me as much as shooting Yasmin will. I hold her in my arms and keep the pressure on the wound. It isn’t working; blood seeps out from every direction, staining my hands. Yasmin floats in and out of consciousness.

The shooting stops, the shooter or shooters vanish, and I hear sirens in the distance. The amount of blood that is splashed and splattered on the floor and walls is astonishing. I grab Yasmin’s hand and beg her to hang on. She looks back at me and pulls me closer. “I’m sorry I never got to marry you,” she cries.

“Hey, don’t say sorry. We will get married. You will make it through. I promise, my love,” I start to cry even harder. “Please stay strong, baby. The ambulance is almost here, please.”

I keep her talking and awake as she tells me what she looks forward to after getting married, where she wants to go on our honeymoon, whether she wants kids or pets and what her dreams are. Finally, several police officers and EMT’s arrive after a few minutes. EMT’s run into the building with stretchers and police on their tails. They start taking people out, I can only guess that it is based on how bad their injuries are. Yasmin is put on a stretcher. At first, I am not able to go in the ambulance, but Yasmin begs the EMT to let me go with her and he reluctantly agrees amid all the chaos.

As soon as we get to the hospital, I am told to sit in the waiting room. I almost forget about her parents. I call them and ten minutes later they are here with me. They hug me and tell me that they are happy that I am ok. That’s when I break down crying for what feels like the tenth time.
“It should have been me. I tried to get her out safely, but I ended up almost getting her killed.”

Yasmin’s father goes to talk to the doctor while her mom comforts me. Once her father comes back, he says “You did your best, kid. The important thing is that the doctor says she is in stable condition, they removed the bullet with no problems, and we can go see her. She’s in room 426.”

I run to her room, every twist and turn in order to get to her room makes me dizzy. The room numbers keep climbing, my heart starts to beat faster and faster, until I finally reach her room and stare at her for a few seconds before crying tears of joy. She is asleep and I don’t want to wake her, so I kiss her head and tell her. “You know, when we first met, we were in P.E. You took a dodgeball to the face for me. Today, you took a bullet. whether it was meant for me, you or both of us. You saved me. You’re my hero.”

*As always I am looking for feedback on the story. Let me know if you think I should continue to tell the story of Yasmin and Maya
-Teresa*