Status: Done.
The Last Time
The Last Time
Everyone was bustling around as usual. It was like every other Tuesday afternoon around four o’clock, rush hour time. Students from schools all around the city were arriving to the downtown mall for their evening plans, employees for the government filed through to the different bus stations. Everything was chaotically usual, as it always was.
On the main floor, people stood around waiting for their bus passes, the beginning of the month marked the time that this floor was especially busy. A group of guys stood against the wall on one side, waiting for a few of their friends.
A girl stepped off her bus as it pulled up to the mall. As her feet hit the ground, she began walking quickly, an odd man on the bus had been glaring at her the whole way there, telling her he had business to resolve there that day, she’d politely wished him luck and decided to hurry into the building to meet her friend who was going to meet her at the entrance as oppose to their usual stop, this man had freaked her out quite a bit.
He caught up with her, clutching his bag to his chest. “You know, everyone has debts, some more than others. Some make others suffer because of it.” She smiled and said quietly, “Credit cards weren’t the best invention of mankind, I guess.” He pulled the door open for her, she smiled and walked in, her friend met her, he smiled and took her arm. She hated when he did this for multiple reasons.
The first was that he had a girlfriend, the second being that he had cheated on with said girlfriend before, and the third was that she’d seen him, a guy who hated her with a passion and yet her heart couldn’t resist him.
He was standing with his friends against the wall, his friends laughed when they saw her and pointed her out to him, “Yo Bryce, isn’t that her?” He turned around quickly and saw her, she was with someone. “Man, that guy, Sean knows him, he plays soccer, goes to that arts school, I know he’s got a girl but I don’t know if it’s her.” His friends laughed as he stared at her. She always caught him off guard, most girls he didn’t completely gawk at but he couldn’t help it with her.
Seeing her always lifted his spirits, he’d always played it as if he hated her, but in fact, he’d been crazy about her. When he’d met her, she’d been a mess. He had held her too many as she cried, it had killed him to know that she hated her life, no matter what he did, it wasn’t enough to keep her wanting to live. The night after she’d tried overdosing, he’d gotten mad at her, said things he wished he’d never said, but he’d been too proud to admit it, and in turn, he’d forced her out of his life. Whenever he saw her, he could breathe a sigh of relief, she was alive. She even had adorable dimpled coming in on her cheeks from smiling so much.
Bryce was watching her so carefully; he knew she’d seen him. Her dark brown eyes caught his, and he saw her stop talking to the guy she was with. She didn’t let his eyes go, she just stared back. When she let go of staring at him, she turned to talk to the guy, he watched her movements. She stood up straighter now. She’d gained a bit of weight, but she still looked amazing. She’d always had incredible curves, but with the little bit of weight, they were just that much better. Her dark hair contrasting with her pale skin had been what had caught his attention the first time he’d seen her. Bryce watched as she hurriedly hugged the guy, he felt a pang of jealousy watching, he could remember doing exactly what this guy was doing, burying his head in her neck, and smelling her hair, always sweet. His hands on her back. He felt a bit of anger well up inside him watching his girl being held by another. He shook the words out of his head, she wasn’t his. She hadn’t ever really been his. The jolt of realization he had whenever he really thought about her, he’d lost something special. He’d lost his Ellie.
Ellie let go of her friend and turned back to see if Bryce was still there. He was still watching her. She wished she could smile, but she couldn’t. Her stomach was all a flutter with seeing him, that’s what seeing him always did to her. She’d always marvelled about that, no matter what, whenever she saw him, he gave her butterflies.
She was so busy watching Bryce, she didn’t notice the man with the bag stride past her, through the crowds, heading straight towards Bryce and his group of friends. She didn’t notice that he strode confidently. She didn’t notice that he was pulling something out of his bag. As she half heartedly paid attention to what her friend said, she didn’t notice what was about to happen, her eyes were on Bryce.
Bryce noted the man walking towards him, he looked a bit familiar, but he paid no real attention, busy trying to keep up with the conversation and keep his eye on Ellie. The man came right up close to them. He smiled, “Which one of you is Mr. A’s cousin?” He had a glint in his eye. Bryce figured that was why he was so familiar, “Depends on your business.” He said still half his attention on him. “Well I guess you could say, we have a debt that must be paid.” Bryce nodded, “I’m his cousin, what do you want?” The man pulled the gun out of his bag, Bryce’s eyes grew wide, his friends began yelling at him to put the gun away. “Man, put the gun away, whatever the debt, I’ll get the money, trust me, I’m fifteen, I don’t even work for my cousin.” Bryce’s hands were up as he started backing away.
The man moved closer to him, the gun pointed directly at the boy. Ellie saw the gun glint in the sunlight let in from the windows. She wanted to scream for him, she wanted to call the security guards, but she couldn’t, she just started running across the room towards him. He turned just as she was about twenty feet away, then the man pulled the trigger.
The pops of the gun as it went off over and over again filled the room. People began screaming and running in every direction. Ellie watched as Bryce fell to the ground, blood everywhere. His friends were running in the other direction. People pushed and shoved her as she tried getting to him. The friend she was with caught up with her and tried pulling her towards the exit, she started screaming, “I can’t! I can’t!” He let her go and she finally got to Bryce’s side. The gunman pointed the gun right at his head, “Little lady, you’re a smart girl, get along, he deserves this.” She pulled his head in her lap and tried covering him with her body, “Please, don’t. Please, he’s everything to me, just go, please.” She sobbed, the gunman let out a sigh, “Whatever kid.” Then he bolted.
She went through his bag quickly, Bryce was a creature of habit and she knew she’d find his gym clothes in the bag. She pressed the clothes down on his chest where the bullets had entered. He woke up at some point, and just stared at here, coughing up blood, she tried wiping the blood off of his face, away from his mouth. He squeezed her hand as they waited for the ambulance. It seemed like it took hours for them to get there, but they did.
She sobbed as they loaded him in the back of the truck, the paramedic lifted her in with him and she held his hand as they began shoving tubes down his throat and getting the bleeding under control. The ride to the hospital was filled with beeping and the orders of the paramedic who now had Bryce’s life in his hands. Ellie held onto his hand, Bryce squeezed hers every few minutes, just to let her know he was alive.
Ellie was ushered into the waiting room after reaching the hospital. The paramedics rushed him into surgery and the nurses told her there was nothing else she could do. She sat there, crying off and on, calling people to let them know where she was.
After a few hours, his family was there, his cousin was happy to see her, “Ellie, what happened to him?” She sobbed as she explained what had happened. She described the man and he looked furious, “Yeah I know him. Bryce didn’t have anything to do with this shit, he’ll get his, don’t worry.”
When the doctor came in, he came in with a big dorky smile on his face. “Well, you’ll be glad to know, he’s stable and he’s awake. He’s asked that an, Ellie, come in first...” He looked around, Ellie stood up, her eyes red and squinty from crying. She followed the doctor as he went at a fast pace to where Bryce lay, “He’s a little groggy, and he’ll be sore, but he’ll be fine, you may have saved his life stopping him from bleeding out, good girl.” Then he patted her on the shoulder and left her in front of Bryce’s door. She opened it carefully, stepping into a room that reeked of bleach.
Bryce lay in the hospital bed, he was so tired, his eyes couldn’t stay open, but he tried, he wanted to see Ellie too badly to let them close. His chest was sore, but he didn’t mind. When the door opened, he turned slowly and saw her standing there. He felt tears well up in his eyes when she started crossing the room to come to his bed. “Bryce.” Her voice was barely a whisper, he reached out his hand to her, “Ellie, I need to tell you something.” She moved closer and held his hand tightly in hers as she began to cry. He looked into her eyes, carefully, he scooted over on the bed, leaving a bit of room for her, “Come in, please?” She nodded and climbed onto the bed beside him. Her head rested on his pillow as she looked at him. He brought his hand up to her face, he cupped her cheek with his palm and his thumb gently wiped the tear away that started to fall down her soft cheek.
“I’m sorry for all the shit I put you through. Ellie, I love you.” She broke down and moved closer to him, sobbing uncontrollably, “I thought I’d lost you again.” She whispered once she caught her breath. He held her as firmly as he could, “I’m an idiot. Just tell me you can love me again? Please?” He moved his mouth close to hers; her breath was just as he remembered it, warm with a bit of mint. “I never stopped loving you.” He smiled, tears starting to come to his eyes, he ran his hands through her hair. He brought her head closer to him, his lips meeting hers; gently he kissed her, letting the tears fall down each of their faces.
When they pulled away from each other, he held her hand in his, “Stay with me?” She nodded and he shut his eyes, finally letting sleep take him. She rested her head on his shoulder. For the first time in a long time, she slept, without worrying about whether or not she’d see him again. She knew she would.
On the main floor, people stood around waiting for their bus passes, the beginning of the month marked the time that this floor was especially busy. A group of guys stood against the wall on one side, waiting for a few of their friends.
A girl stepped off her bus as it pulled up to the mall. As her feet hit the ground, she began walking quickly, an odd man on the bus had been glaring at her the whole way there, telling her he had business to resolve there that day, she’d politely wished him luck and decided to hurry into the building to meet her friend who was going to meet her at the entrance as oppose to their usual stop, this man had freaked her out quite a bit.
He caught up with her, clutching his bag to his chest. “You know, everyone has debts, some more than others. Some make others suffer because of it.” She smiled and said quietly, “Credit cards weren’t the best invention of mankind, I guess.” He pulled the door open for her, she smiled and walked in, her friend met her, he smiled and took her arm. She hated when he did this for multiple reasons.
The first was that he had a girlfriend, the second being that he had cheated on with said girlfriend before, and the third was that she’d seen him, a guy who hated her with a passion and yet her heart couldn’t resist him.
He was standing with his friends against the wall, his friends laughed when they saw her and pointed her out to him, “Yo Bryce, isn’t that her?” He turned around quickly and saw her, she was with someone. “Man, that guy, Sean knows him, he plays soccer, goes to that arts school, I know he’s got a girl but I don’t know if it’s her.” His friends laughed as he stared at her. She always caught him off guard, most girls he didn’t completely gawk at but he couldn’t help it with her.
Seeing her always lifted his spirits, he’d always played it as if he hated her, but in fact, he’d been crazy about her. When he’d met her, she’d been a mess. He had held her too many as she cried, it had killed him to know that she hated her life, no matter what he did, it wasn’t enough to keep her wanting to live. The night after she’d tried overdosing, he’d gotten mad at her, said things he wished he’d never said, but he’d been too proud to admit it, and in turn, he’d forced her out of his life. Whenever he saw her, he could breathe a sigh of relief, she was alive. She even had adorable dimpled coming in on her cheeks from smiling so much.
Bryce was watching her so carefully; he knew she’d seen him. Her dark brown eyes caught his, and he saw her stop talking to the guy she was with. She didn’t let his eyes go, she just stared back. When she let go of staring at him, she turned to talk to the guy, he watched her movements. She stood up straighter now. She’d gained a bit of weight, but she still looked amazing. She’d always had incredible curves, but with the little bit of weight, they were just that much better. Her dark hair contrasting with her pale skin had been what had caught his attention the first time he’d seen her. Bryce watched as she hurriedly hugged the guy, he felt a pang of jealousy watching, he could remember doing exactly what this guy was doing, burying his head in her neck, and smelling her hair, always sweet. His hands on her back. He felt a bit of anger well up inside him watching his girl being held by another. He shook the words out of his head, she wasn’t his. She hadn’t ever really been his. The jolt of realization he had whenever he really thought about her, he’d lost something special. He’d lost his Ellie.
Ellie let go of her friend and turned back to see if Bryce was still there. He was still watching her. She wished she could smile, but she couldn’t. Her stomach was all a flutter with seeing him, that’s what seeing him always did to her. She’d always marvelled about that, no matter what, whenever she saw him, he gave her butterflies.
She was so busy watching Bryce, she didn’t notice the man with the bag stride past her, through the crowds, heading straight towards Bryce and his group of friends. She didn’t notice that he strode confidently. She didn’t notice that he was pulling something out of his bag. As she half heartedly paid attention to what her friend said, she didn’t notice what was about to happen, her eyes were on Bryce.
Bryce noted the man walking towards him, he looked a bit familiar, but he paid no real attention, busy trying to keep up with the conversation and keep his eye on Ellie. The man came right up close to them. He smiled, “Which one of you is Mr. A’s cousin?” He had a glint in his eye. Bryce figured that was why he was so familiar, “Depends on your business.” He said still half his attention on him. “Well I guess you could say, we have a debt that must be paid.” Bryce nodded, “I’m his cousin, what do you want?” The man pulled the gun out of his bag, Bryce’s eyes grew wide, his friends began yelling at him to put the gun away. “Man, put the gun away, whatever the debt, I’ll get the money, trust me, I’m fifteen, I don’t even work for my cousin.” Bryce’s hands were up as he started backing away.
The man moved closer to him, the gun pointed directly at the boy. Ellie saw the gun glint in the sunlight let in from the windows. She wanted to scream for him, she wanted to call the security guards, but she couldn’t, she just started running across the room towards him. He turned just as she was about twenty feet away, then the man pulled the trigger.
The pops of the gun as it went off over and over again filled the room. People began screaming and running in every direction. Ellie watched as Bryce fell to the ground, blood everywhere. His friends were running in the other direction. People pushed and shoved her as she tried getting to him. The friend she was with caught up with her and tried pulling her towards the exit, she started screaming, “I can’t! I can’t!” He let her go and she finally got to Bryce’s side. The gunman pointed the gun right at his head, “Little lady, you’re a smart girl, get along, he deserves this.” She pulled his head in her lap and tried covering him with her body, “Please, don’t. Please, he’s everything to me, just go, please.” She sobbed, the gunman let out a sigh, “Whatever kid.” Then he bolted.
She went through his bag quickly, Bryce was a creature of habit and she knew she’d find his gym clothes in the bag. She pressed the clothes down on his chest where the bullets had entered. He woke up at some point, and just stared at here, coughing up blood, she tried wiping the blood off of his face, away from his mouth. He squeezed her hand as they waited for the ambulance. It seemed like it took hours for them to get there, but they did.
She sobbed as they loaded him in the back of the truck, the paramedic lifted her in with him and she held his hand as they began shoving tubes down his throat and getting the bleeding under control. The ride to the hospital was filled with beeping and the orders of the paramedic who now had Bryce’s life in his hands. Ellie held onto his hand, Bryce squeezed hers every few minutes, just to let her know he was alive.
Ellie was ushered into the waiting room after reaching the hospital. The paramedics rushed him into surgery and the nurses told her there was nothing else she could do. She sat there, crying off and on, calling people to let them know where she was.
After a few hours, his family was there, his cousin was happy to see her, “Ellie, what happened to him?” She sobbed as she explained what had happened. She described the man and he looked furious, “Yeah I know him. Bryce didn’t have anything to do with this shit, he’ll get his, don’t worry.”
When the doctor came in, he came in with a big dorky smile on his face. “Well, you’ll be glad to know, he’s stable and he’s awake. He’s asked that an, Ellie, come in first...” He looked around, Ellie stood up, her eyes red and squinty from crying. She followed the doctor as he went at a fast pace to where Bryce lay, “He’s a little groggy, and he’ll be sore, but he’ll be fine, you may have saved his life stopping him from bleeding out, good girl.” Then he patted her on the shoulder and left her in front of Bryce’s door. She opened it carefully, stepping into a room that reeked of bleach.
Bryce lay in the hospital bed, he was so tired, his eyes couldn’t stay open, but he tried, he wanted to see Ellie too badly to let them close. His chest was sore, but he didn’t mind. When the door opened, he turned slowly and saw her standing there. He felt tears well up in his eyes when she started crossing the room to come to his bed. “Bryce.” Her voice was barely a whisper, he reached out his hand to her, “Ellie, I need to tell you something.” She moved closer and held his hand tightly in hers as she began to cry. He looked into her eyes, carefully, he scooted over on the bed, leaving a bit of room for her, “Come in, please?” She nodded and climbed onto the bed beside him. Her head rested on his pillow as she looked at him. He brought his hand up to her face, he cupped her cheek with his palm and his thumb gently wiped the tear away that started to fall down her soft cheek.
“I’m sorry for all the shit I put you through. Ellie, I love you.” She broke down and moved closer to him, sobbing uncontrollably, “I thought I’d lost you again.” She whispered once she caught her breath. He held her as firmly as he could, “I’m an idiot. Just tell me you can love me again? Please?” He moved his mouth close to hers; her breath was just as he remembered it, warm with a bit of mint. “I never stopped loving you.” He smiled, tears starting to come to his eyes, he ran his hands through her hair. He brought her head closer to him, his lips meeting hers; gently he kissed her, letting the tears fall down each of their faces.
When they pulled away from each other, he held her hand in his, “Stay with me?” She nodded and he shut his eyes, finally letting sleep take him. She rested her head on his shoulder. For the first time in a long time, she slept, without worrying about whether or not she’d see him again. She knew she would.