Impact

Aimee’s camera chirped as she went through pictures from years ago. The hollowness in the pit of her stomach ached even more now that the funeral was over. There were pictures of her and Riley playing with his Hot Wheels and even some of him giving in to her will and playing with her Barbies. She smiled at every single one and remembered the memories. Aimee stopped when she came across one of her and Riley on the top of a mountain trail.

“Riley, I can’t keep going… this trail is literally the bane of my existence!” Aimee whined.

Riley looked at her with an indifferent stare and shrugged.

“Sucks balls for you, doesn’t it?” he replied. She glared at him and continued to lug uphill.

After about an hour and a half of walking, they finally reached the top. Aimee remembered her jaw dropping in awe. She looked over at Riley and he too could not keep his eyes off the amazing view.

“The ocean… it’s so gorgeous,” Aimee finally murmured.

“I know… I guess this is what all those outdoors-y people mean when they say that nature is beautiful.”

“I guess so, Ri. I guess so.”

Even to the day, Aimee could remember the ocean, just as blue as Riley’s eyes. It was really the one thing her and Riley had in common. She could list out the differences between them for days – he loved dogs, she loved cats. He was tall, she was short. He loved sports, she would rather stay home and read. He went for girls with personality, she went for boys with looks. In the end, though, they were still brother and sister. They would, of course, fight, but they’d still be best friends through it all.

At seventeen, Aimee was only a year older than Riley. He told her everything and she was responsible, in part, for his and Lindy’s relationship. She had always liked Lindy, ever since she’d tagged along to one of their play dates. She knew that they were blind to the electricity between them ever since Riley was twelve and Lindy was eleven. At thirteen, she could have written a love story about the connection they had – the only problem being that they could not see it. She had given countless speeches to Riley about making a move, but the response level was low. Finally, after months of persuasion, she had convinced him to do something about her.

“Well, how does she make you feel, Riley?!”

“I don’t know! How is she supposed to make me feel, Aimee?! She’s pretty fun to hang out with, I guess, but I can’t think of anything else…” he trailed off. Riley being Riley was always quick to speak, but slow to think.

“Riley! You gotta give me more than that! Does she make your palms sweat or your heart beat faster? What about when you hug her, does that make you happy?”

“Aimee… if my palms sweat, she would think I’m disgusting and how would I know if my heart is beating faster, I don’t feel my pulse every second of the day! I don’t really hug her to know if it makes me happy… I’m sure it does, since she’s my friend, right?”

Aimee glared at him and shook her head. Walking away, she muttered to herself, “Spoken like a true boy.”

Aimee lay sprawled on her bed and closed her eyes. She was always full of thoughts and her mind was never cleared; especially now. Memories of Riley filled the brim, as well as different emotions. She was, of course, sad, but she was also angry with God for taking him away – surviving without him was going to be a hard task indeed. She was selfish in this point, but Aimee felt extremely self-righteous. An even weirder emotion she had was happiness. She could not quite place the origin of the feeling, but it could have been selflessness. Riley could be happy as ever right now, laying on a cloud in heaven, having grapes fed to him. It was possible. And with that happy thought, Aimee dozed off into dreams of her own, a world where Riley still lived, and she took back her last words to him.

“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” Aimee exploded, throwing books and other small objects she could find directly at Riley.

“I thought you would want to know if he likes you or not!” he said, trying to defend himself, while also dodging random objects thrown his way.

“I like the element of SURPRISE, Riley! Jesus, can’t you mind your own freaking business?! I hate you! You have this perfect life with the perfect relationship, so stop messing with my crappy life! Get out!!! Now!” she had yelled.

And just as she had asked, Riley left. For good.