Last Exit

I can see you laying there. You look dead as a door knob. Where did that saying come from, anyway? You look so much prettier than a doorknob. Then me.

But you look so fragile...!

Like glass, no, like a brittle little leaf that could crumble at the slightest breath of wind. I'm almost afraid to breathe now. Thanks for making me think that.

You stir, reaching out for something. You take a hold of my hand and grip it tightly. It must hurt. It must be painful. It's painful enough for me to have to watch you. The monitor speeds up a little, then slows back down to its worrying snail-pace. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Stupid snails. Stupid trucks.

I remember when we first met. I was on my phone, something I haven't done for ages. If you were awake you'd probably tell me that I was sick or something. If you were awake I wouldn't be here anyway.

I was always part of the popular group. Why? I even ask myself that sometimes. I'm not even popular now. I think that maybe it was because I just hated being lonely. Even if I wasn't the most talkative person in the school, no, Miku took the cake. But I had to be surrounded by people. Being an only child can suck sometimes. I feel bad for you now.

Oh look what you've done! You've made me gone all soft! I'll hate you for that later...

I remember seeing you walk through the school gates, all alone. You looked so down about yourself. People were whispering behind you as you passed. Probably about your hair. I think your hair's really pretty, by the way.

You didn't seem to notice, but I know well enough now that it hurt just like you're hurting now. And when my group decided to tease you for fun, to steal your homework, to hassle you until you missed the train, to get you purposely in trouble while the teacher wasn't looking, well, I'm ashamed to say that I went along with it and pretended to enjoy it. Er, I mean, it isn't good to just bully people for no reason. That's the lowest you can get.

And then we became friends. Ha, I remember when you first tried to talk to me after I kicked those girl's butts. You were all shy and stutter and soft-spoken.

You don't deserve this.

Weren't you the one who said you wanted to sing one day?

You wanted to be famous, noticed. Remember?

Don't you?

And then, when we'd sit outside during recess and lunch, didn't you say that we could be friends forever?

Yeah, you did.

So you better snap out of it and wake up already!

Ba-dum. Ba-dum...

Do you remember that time when you snuck into my house? I never thought you'd ever have the guts to do something like that. Heh, I remember having to hide you in the closet when my dad came in. You could barely fit in because you were so tall.

Are so tall.

I should stop using past tense.

I swear that I see your eyes move under your lids.

Heartbeat quickens. That can't be too good. I whisper your name, croon things into your ear. Do you hear? Do you hear how sad I am? How much I miss you?

Surely you must, because the monitor's beeps slow down to normal speed. Which is still too slow for my liking. Ba-dum.

I think that people hated you because you were different. You were albino, for a start. And you'd never start a conversation or say any more than required with anyone. One guy even tried to talk to you, but you pushed him away.