Together Forever Date Thursday, April 25, 2024 - 12:49 PM PST Topic Entertainment She always felt sick when she took a shower. She detested the heat, and yet it took so long to wash her thick long hair that by the time she was done it was like a sauna in that tiny bathroom. Her skin was red now, and she wrapped herself in a towel stumbled through to her bedroom to lie down without even bothering to dry herself off. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, waiting for the nausea to fade away. It was comfortable lying there on her back and she didn’t want to get up, but she knew she had to. She had work to do. She’d had second thoughts so many times that she’d taught herself to ignore them now. She was doing the right thing and she couldn’t allow the weakness to take over. Slowly she sat up and began the methodical process of getting ready. Unlike the others, she didn’t take that much pride in her appearance. She always took care of the basics; shaving, clean hair, covering up any blemishes on her pale face. But she didn’t understand the appeal of the sticky, shiny lip-gloss, the little gold chains they wore, the tight jeans, and the tiny tops that showed off their stomachs. Maybe that was why they didn’t want her. The boys would never jokingly flirt with her like they did with her friends. She didn’t even get to screw up her nose at the knowledge that someone from her computer class liked her. But she never really minded, she didn’t have that urge to giggle and mess around with one of the boys. Even if she had the opportunity, she wouldn’t know what to do. It just didn’t interest her. Besides…she’d always had her friends. Friends like Katie. Best friends. A friend she’d known for five years now. They’d done so much together. They’d be together forever. That’s what Katie used to say. It was raining outside, as usual. The sky was a dense grey, and the rain wasn’t visible until she looked down on to the patio below and saw it speckled with typical English raindrops. She was glad. It was beautiful just to sit there on her bed sometimes and watch the rain streak the windows. The leaves on those tall trees in the garden looked so lush when they were wet, and it somehow made the dull view she saw from her window look more magical, even unique. It also gave her an excuse to cover up, so she didn’t receive weird looks for once, have to politely smile when people asked in that accusing tone, “Why are you wearing a coat?” Today, she got to hide under her clothes. She chose something comfortable because this would be necessary for her work. A hooded top would nicely camouflage the excess around her waist and yet leave a sort of mystery to her unimpressive chest. Katie always told her that she didn’t have an ugly body. She nagged at her for constantly wearing those jeans that had ripped at the bottom over time. They were going to go shopping, though, and Katie bet she’d look real pretty if she just tried something different. But Katie never had any time to go shopping with her anymore. Katie went out with Matt now, and they went to lots of cool places. It was just so fun, she told her when they came to school, in the queue before assembly. Katie had pulled aside her shirt collar to show her the hickey that Matt had given her and giggled. She wore her hair down to cover it up. Matt thought she looked really beautiful with her hair down. She went to get them from her drawer before leaving the room. She couldn’t be late. If something went wrong she wouldn’t have this chance again, not when it was as easy as this. On top of the desk was the photo in its gilded heart-shaped frame. They were both smiling, grinning even, unusual for her lately. Katie had big, bright eyes and shiny hair, so when you first looked at the picture, you hardly even noticed she was in it, but she looked happy too. They had their arms around each other, resembling some sort of death-lock. And they were wearing the necklaces. She wore hers today, still. “Together Forever”. Hearts weren’t her thing but she liked to wear it anyway. Katie used to until it was replaced with that brash pendant bearing her name. Matt gave it to her. It was gorgeous, wasn’t it. It looked expensive. She’d keep it forever. She put it them in her pocket and hurried downstairs to pull on her trainers. Mum was at the surgery today. It was a lucky coincidence; because of Mum, she had so much to choose from. Normally she wasn’t allowed near the cabinet. But it was just so incredibly simple to go and take them. She silently thanked her mother and slipped out into the grey landscape. If you didn’t know your way, it would be easy to get lost. It was a non – descript place to live. Everything oddly seemed to have been built from the same brick. It was getting late; most people had come home from work, but hadn’t yet gone out again. Perfect. Not too busy. The walk into town would do her good. Twenty minutes, maybe shift some of that ‘puppy fat’. But all too soon she was there. She paused outside. But it was okay; she was expecting to be hesitant like this. She ought to get inside in case they came earlier than expected and saw her by the door. She hurried indoors and the fluorescent lighting of McDonalds made her wince. She quickly climbed the stairs and sat down in one of the plastic booths near the railings at the top. Only a couple of minutes, now. There was one other family up here. The giant leaves of some plant, presumably planted to liven up the atmosphere, obscured them. The little kid was playing with some Happy Meal today. She watched, in a sort of blank trance, until Matt came running up the stairs, bearing a tray stacked with chips and burgers. No drinks. Good. That meant everything was running smoothly. “He’s such a gentleman, too. He always helps me carry my food.” Katie must still be downstairs, holding the drinks. Sure enough, Matt slid past her table, not even noticing her underneath the hood of her sweater. Even if he saw her face, he wouldn’t recognize her. In the past months, they’d only met once in passing, and no one ever remembered her anyway. Immediately she stood up and crossed the where the brown bags were left unattended. Click. Click. Click. Then she did it. She replaced what was left of them and sat back down, on the other side of the booth this time. Opposite the family. The man glanced up, and she smiled. He nodded back, expressionless. She sat back and waited. She’d hidden herself just in time. Katie and Matt came up the stairs now, laughing. Katie looked so beautiful. She longed to look like her. In that skimpy top and those designer jeans she’d tried on for half an hour, changing positions in front of the mirror. Counting the seconds was a good way to pass the time, but she knew instantly when it had happened because she heard Katie ask what was wrong. Then she heard the gagging, and Katie whimpering. The man opposite leant back to see that the couple was okay. He leapt up. “God…” Seeing what was happening, the mother ran across to get some napkins. No one was watching the stairs. She left, swiftly, only turning her head to see the blood he was coughing up, the shocked look in his eyes as he choked over his own cheeseburger. “Matt!” squealed Katie. She couldn’t bear to look at Katie’s face, though. That would hurt. She didn’t want to hurt her. She’d be there for her now. Everything would be okay. As she re-entered the street and began her journey home, she thought again of the picture on her desk. Maybe she would give it to Katie. A present. Something she could always keep. But Katie would always be hers now. She wouldn’t have to share her anymore. The first few months would be hard, but she’d hold her close and tell her it would be alright. Together forever. gotta love your friends This article comes from Shmeng http://www.shmeng.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shmeng.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=515