Who We'll Be
Bracelet
The sun was already setting as we sat on the lemon-colored swings, eating another batch of ice cream, and the ambience of the playground was just breathtaking, really. It's just the two of us, all alone and quietly eating out our frozen dairy product, but I seriously felt that I could hear something clamorous in my chest.
I glanced at him.
Sky's hand was carrying his ice cream, and the other was wrapped around the chains of the swing when I noticed something familiar.
I remembered that thick studded bracelet, the one that he had always been wearing ever since we were kids that was a bit big for him. It fit him perfectly now.
"Wow, I can't believe that bracelet of yours survived over the years," I commented.
"Yeah."
Sky beamed.
"My older brother gave it to me."
"Oh."
I can't believe I only knew about that now.
"What...?" he asked.
I realized my curious expression hadn't left yet.
"Sky...how did he...?" I suddenly uttered, which I felt was stupid of me.
"Hmm?"
"Your...y-your brother.How...?"
Sky laughed without humor.
"He's killed."
My eyes grew wide.
"Well..." Sky said. "Wanna know the story?"
I nodded.
"It might creep you out."
I nodded eagerly. "I-I can keep up."
"Well, my brother's kind of a freaking idiot who always gets into fights more often than I do," he started, staring at me.
I listened attentively.
"She had this girlfriend. They were really into each other back then."
"Did you know her too?"
"Yeah. They were always at home. Anyways, things didn't stay the same after a few years. Every now and then they'd start arguing, and she couldn't put up with it any longer, in the end."
"Oh."
"But my brother really loved her, you know. He tried to put things back together."
Sky smirked.
"But he found out that she already had someone else. Things were going really great for both of them, until my brother...well, he met the guy. One day she saw them fighting, both covered with thier own blood."
I shifted in my swing uncomfortably. It's first time I've seen Sky tell a story seriously like this, and I didn't know what to do.
"She sided with her boyfriend, of course. Told my brother not to go anywhere near her again."
"Sky, how do you know all that?"
"He told me. He's the reason I learned to stand up for myself, you know, to never let some bastard step on you and all that."
So that's where Sky got his annoying wanna-piece-of-me-punknesse, I thought.
"But one day my brother just disappeared. His body was found buried near an isolated place a few days later. She was with us on the day of his burial. Told us that her bastard of a boyfriend never showed his face again when the death of my brother was reported."
My ice cream was melting on my hands. I didn't really care.
"And when my brother's last messages on his cellphone were opened to be examined, it turned out he had been communicating with him--don't ask me why they have each others number--and it says..."
Sky looked at me.
I just nodded.
"Well, that he would fight for her, that he would never let him do anything to her. And his last text to him was to meet at an alley, at a specified time. Turns out that her boyfriend had just been toying around with her. Good thing that asshole turned himself in--out of guilt."
Both our ice cream had melted in our hands.
"Oh." was all I could say. Chills ran a marathon down my spine.
"I wear this bracelet because this reminds me of him."
In spite of everything he said, I couldn't help but smile. The way Sky told for his brother's story is like seeing him in a different light.
"And because this is freaking awesome too," he said, touching the bracelet with his fingers. "You can hide something in..."
Sky suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
"OH FUDGE!" he almost cursed, well, for some reason, he doesn't want to curse around me, you see. "Why did I just tell you that...?!”
"What?!" I looked at him, puzzled completely.
I looked at the bracelet again.
I understood what he had said.
It has a secret compartment thingy.
“What’s in there?” I moved my swing near his and took his hand.
“Nothing!” He shoved his arms away.
“Let me see!”
“No...!”
I let go of his hand and made a face.
"But its a secret!" he defended, a bit weakly.
"But I’m your best friend!"
"Yes...but, well, best friends respect each other's privacy, right?" he said as he patted my head, sounding all teacher-y.
"Fine...!" I gave up.
“Fine...to be fair, I’ll just give you a clue who this secret thing is from," he smiled. “It’s from someone special.”
“Who...?” I asked, so very curious.
“She’s the person I love the most.”
She...?
“Your mother?”
“Idiot, I meant the woman I wanna marry someday...though I doubt that’ll happen...”
I froze at the moment he said this.
MARRY?!
WHAT THE...
WHO THE FUDGE IS IT?!
Oh my God...don’t tell me it’s…
“Rowena...?”
Sky’s eyes widened.
Well, who else? Sky had told me that he had many girls back in New Jersey but hadn’t had any serious relationship with them. It can’t possibly be me—I wish. I don’t remember giving anything special to him. I wonder when he'll be able to confess to her...
My heart is dying right now...
Calm down, Symmery. Wait, didn't he say he doubts it will ever happen…
in that case...
...BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA--
...but still.
At first I thought his eye-widening moment meant ‘Dang...how did you know?!’
But he suddenly laughed and said, “Rowena? Are you kidding me?”
"Well, you like her, don't you? I mean, you've known each other since you were kids..."
Sky looked at me, a confused expression in his features. "What are you talking about...?"
"Well...you used to always look at her and stuff..." I looked away.
Suddenly, Sky stood up and walked in front of my swing and lowered his head until our eyes were on the same level, and started scrutinizing me for a moment. And then he smiled.
My heart just leaped its way out of my ribs.
The sun beamed its orange glow around him, and I honestly felt like I want to cry. I don't even know why. He looked so pretty, and so pure, and--
All of a sudden, his innocent smile turned into a naughty grin.
"So...you're jealous?"
WHAT?!
"WHAT?!" I screamed, looking away from him, because I was blushing. "Where in the depths of hell did you get that from?! I'm so not!"
Really, I don't get why he always has to tease me like that...
Sky's smile widened.
"There's no need to pretend, you know..."
He held both chains of my swing and pulled it towards him, until we're now closely facing each other.
So close that it felt as if...
...as if our lips were going to touch any second.
I glanced at him.
Sky's hand was carrying his ice cream, and the other was wrapped around the chains of the swing when I noticed something familiar.
I remembered that thick studded bracelet, the one that he had always been wearing ever since we were kids that was a bit big for him. It fit him perfectly now.
"Wow, I can't believe that bracelet of yours survived over the years," I commented.
"Yeah."
Sky beamed.
"My older brother gave it to me."
"Oh."
I can't believe I only knew about that now.
"What...?" he asked.
I realized my curious expression hadn't left yet.
"Sky...how did he...?" I suddenly uttered, which I felt was stupid of me.
"Hmm?"
"Your...y-your brother.How...?"
Sky laughed without humor.
"He's killed."
My eyes grew wide.
"Well..." Sky said. "Wanna know the story?"
I nodded.
"It might creep you out."
I nodded eagerly. "I-I can keep up."
"Well, my brother's kind of a freaking idiot who always gets into fights more often than I do," he started, staring at me.
I listened attentively.
"She had this girlfriend. They were really into each other back then."
"Did you know her too?"
"Yeah. They were always at home. Anyways, things didn't stay the same after a few years. Every now and then they'd start arguing, and she couldn't put up with it any longer, in the end."
"Oh."
"But my brother really loved her, you know. He tried to put things back together."
Sky smirked.
"But he found out that she already had someone else. Things were going really great for both of them, until my brother...well, he met the guy. One day she saw them fighting, both covered with thier own blood."
I shifted in my swing uncomfortably. It's first time I've seen Sky tell a story seriously like this, and I didn't know what to do.
"She sided with her boyfriend, of course. Told my brother not to go anywhere near her again."
"Sky, how do you know all that?"
"He told me. He's the reason I learned to stand up for myself, you know, to never let some bastard step on you and all that."
So that's where Sky got his annoying wanna-piece-of-me-punknesse, I thought.
"But one day my brother just disappeared. His body was found buried near an isolated place a few days later. She was with us on the day of his burial. Told us that her bastard of a boyfriend never showed his face again when the death of my brother was reported."
My ice cream was melting on my hands. I didn't really care.
"And when my brother's last messages on his cellphone were opened to be examined, it turned out he had been communicating with him--don't ask me why they have each others number--and it says..."
Sky looked at me.
I just nodded.
"Well, that he would fight for her, that he would never let him do anything to her. And his last text to him was to meet at an alley, at a specified time. Turns out that her boyfriend had just been toying around with her. Good thing that asshole turned himself in--out of guilt."
Both our ice cream had melted in our hands.
"Oh." was all I could say. Chills ran a marathon down my spine.
"I wear this bracelet because this reminds me of him."
In spite of everything he said, I couldn't help but smile. The way Sky told for his brother's story is like seeing him in a different light.
"And because this is freaking awesome too," he said, touching the bracelet with his fingers. "You can hide something in..."
Sky suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
"OH FUDGE!" he almost cursed, well, for some reason, he doesn't want to curse around me, you see. "Why did I just tell you that...?!”
"What?!" I looked at him, puzzled completely.
I looked at the bracelet again.
I understood what he had said.
It has a secret compartment thingy.
“What’s in there?” I moved my swing near his and took his hand.
“Nothing!” He shoved his arms away.
“Let me see!”
“No...!”
I let go of his hand and made a face.
"But its a secret!" he defended, a bit weakly.
"But I’m your best friend!"
"Yes...but, well, best friends respect each other's privacy, right?" he said as he patted my head, sounding all teacher-y.
"Fine...!" I gave up.
“Fine...to be fair, I’ll just give you a clue who this secret thing is from," he smiled. “It’s from someone special.”
“Who...?” I asked, so very curious.
“She’s the person I love the most.”
She...?
“Your mother?”
“Idiot, I meant the woman I wanna marry someday...though I doubt that’ll happen...”
I froze at the moment he said this.
MARRY?!
WHAT THE...
WHO THE FUDGE IS IT?!
Oh my God...don’t tell me it’s…
“Rowena...?”
Sky’s eyes widened.
Well, who else? Sky had told me that he had many girls back in New Jersey but hadn’t had any serious relationship with them. It can’t possibly be me—I wish. I don’t remember giving anything special to him. I wonder when he'll be able to confess to her...
My heart is dying right now...
Calm down, Symmery. Wait, didn't he say he doubts it will ever happen…
in that case...
...BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA--
...but still.
At first I thought his eye-widening moment meant ‘Dang...how did you know?!’
But he suddenly laughed and said, “Rowena? Are you kidding me?”
"Well, you like her, don't you? I mean, you've known each other since you were kids..."
Sky looked at me, a confused expression in his features. "What are you talking about...?"
"Well...you used to always look at her and stuff..." I looked away.
Suddenly, Sky stood up and walked in front of my swing and lowered his head until our eyes were on the same level, and started scrutinizing me for a moment. And then he smiled.
My heart just leaped its way out of my ribs.
The sun beamed its orange glow around him, and I honestly felt like I want to cry. I don't even know why. He looked so pretty, and so pure, and--
All of a sudden, his innocent smile turned into a naughty grin.
"So...you're jealous?"
WHAT?!
"WHAT?!" I screamed, looking away from him, because I was blushing. "Where in the depths of hell did you get that from?! I'm so not!"
Really, I don't get why he always has to tease me like that...
Sky's smile widened.
"There's no need to pretend, you know..."
He held both chains of my swing and pulled it towards him, until we're now closely facing each other.
So close that it felt as if...
...as if our lips were going to touch any second.