Don't Wish For Love

While reading, listen to When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne.


I woke up to the sound my alarm clock.

I rubbed my eyes, and got out of bed. I walked out into the hallway, and into the bathroom. I got ready, and walked out, entering the kitchen.

That was when I noticed I wasn't in the right place.

Or I was in the right place.

“Morning, Mal,” My mom smiled. “You woke up late, so I'm making your lunch for school. Is that okay?”

My heart raced. “School?” I asked.

“Yeah. Oh, and Ashley called. She was wondering if you were walking today. She wanted to walk with you.”

My heart stopped, and I almost died. “H-huh...?”

“Mal, are you okay?” Mom looked at me with great concern.

I felt light-headed, and I almost fell over.

“It was all...it couldn't be...Just a dream...” I muttered. My mother set me on the couch and put a hand to my forehead.

“You should probably stay home today,” she suggested.

Suddenly, I remembered something. “Sometimes the greatest things are only a dream...” I recited. I remembered it all. The hideout. The necklace. The wristwatch. The brainwash. Mr. Palif. Tom, the limo driver. Dan the camera man. Nancy the rude lady. The band. The concert. The closet. Everything. I remembered it all.

I felt my neck for a necklace. Felt for a heart. A chain. But I didn't feel anything.

I looked down, and there was nothing around my neck.

“No!” I cried. The tears fell down my cheeks. My mother tried to calm me, but nothing worked. “It wasn't real! It wasn't real!” I sobbed.

“What are you talking about?” My mother shouted, trying to keep me calm. It wasn't really working. “Whats wasn't real?”

“It wasn't real!” I sobbed in my hands. I couldn't believe it. None of it was real. But it felt so real. The pain. The endurance. The happiness. The touch. The sound of the heartbeat. It was all so real.

But why did I come back now?

Then it struck me.

The wish.

My wish.

The wish I had made in the wishing well when I was with...

What did I wish for again?

I reminisced the scene in my head:

+~+~+~+~+~+

He reached into his pocket, and handed me a penny. “Make a wish,” He whispered softly into my ear. I could hear the disappointment in his voice. I knew he wasn't smiling.

I sighed, accepting the penny. I remembered the times when I was little, throwing the coins into the wooden well. I would close my eyes, and whisper the wish into the penny. Then I would toss the coin in.

I whispered my wish into the coin:

“I wish I could love Tanner like I used to.”

+~+~+~+~+~+

I sobbed harder. I didn't mean 'used to' as in just a crush in my old life. I meant 'used to' as I failed to remember.

Tears trailed down my cheeks.

I would never see Tanner Reidy again.

I ran to my room and locked the door. I searched all around the room for the necklace. It had to be there somewhere. Had to. I knew it wasn't a dream. It couldn't be.

I searched and searched, for what felt like hours. Tears still streaming down my face, I knew I would find it.

I kept searching, and finally decided to give up.

I dried my tears with a tissue, but I knew it wouldn't help, because the tears kept coming. I sat down in front of the mirror and wiped my eyes gently with a tissue. Suddenly, I noticed a reflection of light.

I looked down, and there it was.

The necklace.

It was real.