Impact

“Friedlinde! Someone’s here to see you!” Lindy heard her mother call. Lindy was too exhausted to snap at her mother for calling her that stupid name again, due to lack of sleep. Not only had Lindy not eaten, but she had also not slept in the four days.

She dizzily walked down the stairs, grabbing on to the railings. To her surprise, Aimee was at the door. She had, of course, known Aimee, but had barely ever talked to her.

“Hi…” Lindy said, not quite sure what to say to her deceased boyfriend’s sister.

“Hey Lindy. Mind if I come in and talk to you?”

It had happened only once before. Lindy had been waiting for Riley to come out of the shower when she was twelve and he was thirteen. She had knocked on Aimee’s door shyly, and almost ran away, when Aimee opened the door.

“Hi…?” Aimee had awkwardly said. Lindy looked down at Aimee, being an inch taller already, and smiled shyly.

“I need your help. It’s about Riley.”

Aimee had taken her through the steps of telling Riley how she felt about him at least twenty times before Riley came out of the shower. Everyone always teased him about taking forever in the shower, but this time, Lindy was glad.

“Riley… we need to talk,” Lindy had said.

In the end, Lindy was the one to have asked Riley out, but the story was told differently to the world. Lindy supposed it was because Riley needed to keep his manliness intact, and she didn’t mind, as she had her femininity to upkeep.

“Not at all, Aimee. Come in.”

Lindy sat at the foot of the bed, while Aimee spun around in the desk chair.

“I hear you’re being home schooled. I thought only anti-social people didn’t go to school,” Aimee joked, with a smile.

“I’m just taking a break. I need to get used to going to school without him there.”

“Lucky for you, I have to get used to not seeing him every moment of my life.

“I wasn’t aware this was a competition,” Lindy said, with a cranky tone of voice. “I’m sorry… I haven’t eaten in awhile, and a girl like me needs her food.”

“It’s okay. I heard that one, too. I know you loved him a lot, but not eating isn’t going to make him come back,” Aimee sympathized as best as she could.

“Yeah, where have I heard that before,” Lindy smiled.

“I just came to make sure that you know I’m here for you. You’ll always be like family to me, no matter what, even if Riley’s gone.”

“I know,” was all Lindy said after a minute.