The Pulse

There's a pulse. It beats in all of us. Something we're aware of, something that keeps us alive. But for some, that pulse is more than just a heartbeat, it's a constant hum, an energy that's never silent, always pulling towards the darkest parts of our souls. Mae Styles and Cricket Shannon are best friends, have been since the 4th grade. Mae's older brother, Harry, is also Cricket's friend....no, closer than that, but not in the same way as Mae. Cricket and Harry share a bond that's always been deep. Their connection, unexplainable, like they were the siblings, and Mae the close friend. The three of them know it exists, but they don't try to understand it, it simply just is. When the three of them were kids, their pulse, that youthful energy, showed itself in typical adolescent ways. Shying away from boredom, the three immersed themselves in anything to keep them occupied. Unable to be still, the risks they took were fun, wild and exciting, trouble that they always were able to bounce back from because they looked out for each other. However after his graduation, Harry moved away and Cricket and Mae were left to finish their last year of high school on their own, having to learn to be ok without him. It wasn't easy, but they survived. Now, a few years later, and no longer kids, Harry's back, and the three of them are moving into an apartment together. Harry's a bartender, Cricket and Mae are waitresses. Things are good.....for a while. Soon though, Cricket, Mae, and Harry, start to realize that the knot that held them together when they were kids, is beginning to loosen, to retie itself in a different way, and that restrained pulse that always beat just under the skin's surface, when set free, might just be enough to tear it apart.