The Approaching Curve

Gone. longertitleblah

gone   (gôn, gn)

v. Past participle of go

1. adj.

1. Being away from a place; absent or having departed.

2. Past; bygone.

3. Advanced beyond hope or recall.

4. Dying or dead.

5. Ruined; lost: a gone cause.

6. Carried away; absorbed.

7. Used up; exhausted.

Madelynn lived miles away from school forcing her to take the public bus home.

Alex had a car.

She insisted no.

Her foster parents didn't mind a bit.

She took home 3 baby magazines an was going to start her art project.

She had nothing better to do.

She never did anything anyway.

As she stepped out of the bus, she was shoved from behind by other students.

She fell to the ground.

If she hadn't been wearing jeans, she would have scraped her knees.

Like a child.

She huffed and pulled herself to her fee as she started walking home.

Home.

This was anything but home.

As she stepped in, she noticed something.

Rather than the two pairs of shoes (Alyssa's and Alex's) there were three.

She closed the door behind her quietly as she started up the stairs.

The stairwells to the attic was past Alex's room.

The girl heard laughter.

Laughter.

Happy.

Happiness.

The door was open as I walked by.

"Well, Madelynn don't be such a rude bitch! Come say hello to our guest!"

Male voice.

Alex's.

I back tracked and stopped at the door.

There was Alex.

There was Alyssa.

And there was him.

The boy I saw earlier.

The one that I crashed into during art.

This would be the moment to blush right?

I only blush when I was happy.

Happy.

"Hello there, I'm Elliot. Sorry for bumping into you earlier. I'm new to this town."

He smiled.

No.

He looked happy.

But he didn't.

He looked like he had been through a lot.

I heard Alyssa's high pitched laughing.

"Elliot, why are you being nice to this ugly whore?"

Her names didn't faze me.

Her yelling did.

She walked up to me until we were face to face.

"You're not going to say hello to this boy? You're such a fucking loser! No wonder your parents didn't want you! No wonder that boy didn't want you... Oh wait, what was his name? Kennedy? Oh I remember he killed himself!"

She shrieked with laughter.

She was breaking.

She was going to snap.

She was breaking her.

"What is wrong with you Alyssa?!"

Male voice.

Not Alex's.

This boy.

Elliot.

"Bro, don't speak to my girlfriend that way, Madelynn, get your sorry ass away!"

The girl was frozen.

Until he touched her arm.

He.

Elliot.

She didn't dare look in his eyes.

She was on the verge of tears.

She hated crying.

Emotions.

Pain.

She ran to her room.

Fast.

Up the stairs and to the attic.

She dropped her stuff somewhere as she buried her face into the pillow.

Emotions flowed out.

Anger.

Fear.

Sadness.

Pain.

Loss.

She heard footsteps and yelled into her pillow.

She didn't want anyone.

Madelynn was fragile.

Alyssa knew... him.

In fact, Alyssa was a major part of her old life.

Once friends.

Now enemies.

"Madelynn, a-are you okay?"

A soothing voice.

Elliot's voice.

He rubbed my back.

Like her mother would.

Mother.

She misses her mother.

The tears wouldn't stop.

He didn't leave.

Leave.

Left.

Right.

Right?

Wrong.

She felt a small piece of paper slip into my back pocket as Alex yelled at Elliot to leave.

Leave.

Left.

Gone.