Green Eyes

Cosima Peterson smiled in reflex as a loud chorus of Happy Birthday greeted her an hour before she was supposed to get up. Honestly, it was worse than her alarm clock. She was already beginning to loathe the out of tune song; what was so happy about being woken up so early anyway? If her sister and mother had really wanted to make her day, they ought to have left her well enough alone. Soon as she’d saved up enough dough she’d be out of there. No reason to hang around really.

After roughly ushering her sister out of the room, Cosima firmly locked the door and selected her clothes for the day. She had a wonderful variety to choose from - a uniform dress or a uniform dress. Guess it was the dress then. Flopping back down onto the mattress, Cosima yawned and closed her eyes. At least I still have an hour…

Bang! The girl awoke with a start and glanced at her alarm clock. 6: 54. Damn she cursed I’m late! Leaping up, she threw her hair up and flung the dress over her head all in record time.

“C’mon Cosima, we’re gonna be late!” called the nine year old Yolanda. As if she didn’t know already. Despite looking alike with their brown hair and eyes, the sisters were complete opposites. When Cosima couldn’t care about her appearance, Yolanda always looked perfect. Nothing could motivate her to do so.

“Wow sis, your face is all red!” a usual jibe about acne was ignored. Why should she be bothered with covering it with make up? Not like she cared. Not like any of the cute boys in her class were going to look her way anyway.

The brunette plopped her bedraggled self down onto a seat on the train, Yolanda attempting to sit on her lap. Pushing her sister (who had burst into tears) away, she opened a book and began reading. After five minutes of not being able to concentrate, she unearthed her ipod from her bag and began listening.

…I can’t feel the way I did before
Don’t turn your back on me
I won’t be ignored
Time won’t heal this damage anymore
Don’t turn your back on me
I won’t be ignored

Now
Hear me out now
You’re gonna listen to me like it or not
Right now, hear me out now
You’re gonna listen to me like it or not
Right now

With such a song blaring in Cosima’s ears it was almost possible to block out Yolanda’s wails. Had that girl no shame? It was embarrassing beyond belief to be seen with her.

“Please stand back from the doors,” a voice sounded as the train slowed to a stop. Cosima strode out onto the platform and walked towards the High School, where her sister turned a left to her Primary.

Ten minutes early. Cosima sat down on the ground next to the classroom, begging the bell to ring early. There was nothing to do, no one to talk to and no guys nearby to ogle at secretly.

“…and like, oh my god, he actually spoke to me!”

“And what did he, like, say?”

“Randall, like, asked me out!”

“Oh my god! No way!”

Lucky Marcy, thought Cosima who happened to be eavesdropping guess I’ll have to cross Randall off my list. The two gossips stared at her and she abruptly turned her head away.

“Man, she’s weird.”

“Heard she had some family problems.”

“Anyway, about Randall…”

Cosima sighed. The only boy who had ever upheld a conversation with her was when? She didn’t even want to remember him. Ten years ago on her birthday, there had been a horrific car accident involving Nye Watson and a drunk driver. Funny how she remembered his name even after all these years. But then again, she was there. How could she forget?

“Hey Cosima, let’s make s’more mud pies and potions when we get to the park!” a boy with fair hair and green eyes exclaimed excitedly. The girl next to him grinned.

“Or we could make mud balls and have a mud fight!” she chattered, skipping along beside him.

Cosima’s mother, prepared as ever, began attempting to wrestle her daughter into some gum-boots. Nye’s parents had also reminded her to pack spare clothing in case the soon-to-be-muddy duo needed a bath later. They obviously knew their children very well.

“Race ya!” Nye called, shooting off ahead.

“Hey, you cheated!” Cosima responded, sliding between her mother’s grasp and tearing off after him.

“Stop!” Nye’s father shouted as Cosima reluctantly halted. Nye, however, couldn’t hear him.

“Nye, stop!” the girl called as Nye darted towards the middle of the road. He turned around slowly…

Tires screeched and brakes squealed in agony. Ignoring the orders, Cosima sped forwards to her friend.

“Nye! Are you alright? Why are you sleeping? Do you wanna play ‘Sleeping Lions’?” inquired the five year old. She was grabbed by her mother and hugged closely, not understanding why everyone was crying. “We can put a really big band-aid on him right? Then it’ll be all better!”

As the sirens built up behind them, two men got out and began loading the fallen boy onto a stretcher. Nye’s limp arm flopped over the side, dripping blood as he was lifted into an ambulance.

“NO!” wailed Cosima later on, “He can’t be! Death is only for old people! I don’t want Nye to go to hell just because he has green eyes like the devil! I want to go with him!”

“Who the heck told me the devil had green eyes…” muttered Cosima to herself, earning a ‘shush!’ from the teacher. Oops, she hadn’t realized she was speaking aloud. Spending too long alone in her room tended to do that she supposed. But it was better than last year.

She hadn’t spoken for months after some…issues…at home. She had never told anyone, and yet the whole school knew. Ah, the idiocy of gossip.

On the bus back home, Cosima leaned her head gently against the bus, her head banging lightly against the glass. Silently she hoped the journey would continue forever, never finishing…just traveling on forever. She let the rhythm lull her into a light daze.

Suddenly someone poked her, “Sis-tah” Yolanda said, “We’re supposed to get off now,”

“Shut up, at least I don’t poke people to death.”

“At least I don’t sleep on buses.”

“At least I can spell ‘water’ correctly.”

“At least I never took d-OW!”

The exchange of comebacks was halted by the words of Cosima’s fist. Silently cursing her sister she plodded off the bus, ignoring the tears leaking from her sister’s eyes. She eventually turned around to give Yolanda a glare that would have made ink pale. Gulping their retorts back, the two sisters approached the door, both smelling chocolate cake.

"Happy Birthday!" A beautifully iced cake lay on the table, decorated with pink and white sugar balls. Fifteen candles adorned it, creating little punctures in the icing.

"Make a wish, Cosima!" Yolanda shouted as her elder sister was about to blow the candles out.

I wish...Nye Watson was still alive...I wish...I could have saved him...

Is that your wish?

“Yes…”