My heart pounded and the tears seemed to stain my skin. My hands trembled still, but I couldn’t feel my body anymore; did I still exist? Will had closed his eyes and rested his head against the seat, since we had already boarded.
“Jake…” I murmured, quiet enough so that Will wouldn’t be able to decipher what I had yearned for. I swiftly turned to face Will, and apparently he couldn’t he could not figure out what emotions I bore.
“Will, why are you like this? You used to be my best friend. You were such a great person; what turned you into this monster?” I inquired; my face stubborn yet revealing sadness. The words falling out of my lips were shaky and a little hoarse. Will continued to stare at my eyes for a moment or two, unable to find the right words.
I strived to see Jake’s face again. I longed so much just to get a glimpse. I was wondering what Jake was doing right at that moment, if I had possibly stumbled across his mind at all. He had certainly dominated my thoughts.
Will hadn’t answered yet, despite all of my thinking. Suddenly, I heard him whisper.
“Once you moved,” He began, his eyes wandering away from mine. “I thought my whole world would fall apart. You were the only one in my life that truly cared for me, and I didn’t ever want to lose you. I loved you so much. I just didn’t want you to know.”
I sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating what he just confessed. Wow … I had no idea … But, that gives him no permission to take me away from Jake!
“What about Christie? She cared about us like we were her siblings!” I questioned.
“You … don’t know yet?” Will asked me, his face looking stunned.
“… Not that I know of … ?”
“Oh. Then I really don’t think you should know. Just forget it; never mind.”
“What, Will?” I pleaded. I was too curious to ignore what he said now. “Please tell me! Did something happen to Christie?!” I was beginning to hear a faint shrill appearing in my voice.
“I don’t want to see you crying.” He said, glancing at my frightened face and wincing, as if he had done something terrible to me.
“Will … I’m begging you. If something happened to Christie, I really need to know. She’s the sister I never had.”
“Okay. But, Vanessa, please understand that it was painful for me to finally realize, too. Here goes … Vanessa, last month, Christie …” Will held back tears. “Christie died.”
It felt like my heart stopped. I found it hard to breathe; as if someone was crushing my lungs. My eyes were wide with shock, and tears uncontrollably rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t speak at all, but I faintly shook my head, over and over. I couldn’t believe that the person who had been there for me throughout my life had disappeared. I realized that I would never, ever see her again. I wouldn’t ever see her face light up, or even hear her voice. I would never see my sister again.
“I don’t believe you …” I whispered, staring at Will, shaking my head more and more.
“Vanessa, really, I’m not lying to you. I’m sorry …”
“What?” I asked, suddenly infuriated with pure anger and hate. “Now you apologize?! When you separated me from Jake, the one person who’s loved me, and the one person I could love back? You know, my parents were never there for me. It’s like I didn’t exist. And when they realized I did, they regretted it, and made a slave out of me. Don’t you remember?” I said, gasping in between sentences.
“Yes, I do. Way too vividly.” He sighed, still trying not to cry. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you loved Jake so much.”
I could only stare at him for a few moments, wondering if I should forgive him for what he’d done to me. And Jake. Suddenly, memories began to pour into my mind. Christie and Will stood there, smiling at me, and we all sat on an outstretched blanket on the grass. We each held ice cream in our hands; Will had strawberry, Christie licked some Cookies N’ Cream, and I got my favorite; Watermelon Sherbet. I absolutely loved ice cream.
“OH!” Christie shouted, pointing to the east. “The parade’s starting!” the Lily Parade was beginning, and the city’s crowded streets all scrambled around, looking for a good place to settle down. We all enjoyed it, and we each got our faces painted by the clowns jogging in the streets carrying paint and brushes. We would laugh uncontrollably, sometimes for no reason at all. They were my family; they were the ones who truly cared for me, and the only ones I truly loved. At night, we would call each other and do three-way calls, talking until 3:00AM, when their parents kicked them off the phone, because Christie or Will had been laughing so hard that it woke their parents up. We told each other our feelings, secret crushes, problems with our families, and so many other stories. I couldn’t believe that was all gone and history now.
TO BE CONTINUED JULY 06, 2008 =]
R a i n b o w N o o d l e Community Member 
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