Sacrifices

The rest of my day was miserable. I had no more classes with Bonnie, and everytime I visited the locker she was nowhere to be found. After school, I waited outside the front doors for forty five minutes, hoping she would show up. She never did.

At four fifteen I gave up the hope that she'd gotten held up in her last class and started the long trek home. As if on cue, the gray sky darkened and as thunder clapped, rain began to pour.

Pulling my tape deck out of my backpack, I inserted a random tape and turned it way up. I didn't care what I listened to, I just needed some noise to get out of my head for a while.

It's no big deal, I told myself. We fought like cats and dogs all the time, and we always forgave each other. One thing about me and Bon: To each other, we could always admit when we were wrong.

Besides, I had myself convinced that what I said was true. Harsh, but true. And she had said cruel things too. Somehow that qualified my actions.

In other words, I was a douche.

I walked into my house and dropped my soaking backpack on the floor. Not bothering to take my shoes off, I descended the stairs into my room.

"Gerard, you're soaked! Get a towel or you'll catch your death. And ruin the carpet!" My mom said in a nerve grating, nagging voice.

"Ok." was my monotonous answer.

"You okay, honey?" She said, all shrillness having left her voice, and concern replacing it. She never failed to get a rise out of me with her nagging tone.

"Yep."

I called Bon's house but her mother told me she had already come and gone, stating she was going for a walk. I hoped dearly she was walking to me.

After looking at the TV, sitting down to a dinner I didn't taste, half assedly finishing some homework and trying to assuage my mother's concern, I sank into my bed and commenced missing her. I wondered where she was, and if she was thinking about me. And if that was in a good way or a murderous way. I tried calling her several times, and again her unconcerned mother said she hadn't returned home yet. It was 10:30.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and some time had passed. Reading 12:07 on the clock, I guessed I must've fallen asleep. I could still hear the rain beating mercilessly against my small window. And another sound, one similar but less rhythmic, more frantic.

I climbed the stairs and followed the sound to our front hall, where it became apparent that someone was knocking. After grabbing the baseball bat from the coat closet, I cautiously opened the door a crack.

Bonnie's soaked, miserable face greeted me.

I dropped the bat and threw the door open, not caring if I woke my parents. I was about to crush her in a hug when something in her face stopped me.

She looked apologetic, scared, and hopeless. Even through the hair the rain had plastered to her face I could see her eyes were red and slightly swollen. She'd been crying. She was wearing the same clothes as earlier, but minus a jacket. Her skin was purple and covered in goosebumps.

"Bonnie, where's your coat? You're frozen! Where've you been all day? I've been so worried--" my tirade began, but she put her hand up and cut me off. After a long silence, her body shuddered as if she were going to start bawling again.

She composed herself, took a deep breath, and said,

"I'm moving."