Status: Completely written- now, to post it all
The Last Place
03
The first day back at my boarding school, I sat alone at dinner.
Whenever anyone came to comfort me, I pushed them away, just like I’d promised myself I would.
But there was one girl who came over and sat across from me. She wouldn’t leave, even when I flat-out said, “I’m not in the mood for conversation.”
Her response was, “Then we won’t talk.” And she ate her dinner quietly, neither looking at me nor speaking so much as a syllable. But there was a strange comfort, in knowing that she was there. That someone had ignored the five-foot radius that was otherwise clear around me.
I’d seen her around before. Her name was Carmen, and Fallon used to say that she was as fiery as her name. He’d known her better than I ever did, though.
Carmen stayed with me after dinner, too. She walked by my side and didn’t seem to mind that I wasn’t acknowledging her. I didn’t understand why she was so content to stay with me.
Wondering about her kept my mind off of Fallon more than it had been since… the event. It was like a miracle.
But all of my curiosity flew out of my mind when I nearly walked right into Shea Silva, my rival for the last decade.
“Watch it, Connelly,” Shea spat at me, sneering.
I don’t think either of us were expecting my reaction. I backed him up against the wall. “You filthy bastard! You’ve been tormenting me for years- or trying to. If you think that just because Fallon’s gone, I’ll be an easy target, you’re mistaken.” I snarled, giving him my fiercest glare.
He gulped and said, “What, are you mental?” But his tone was lacking its normal bite.
He was afraid of me, I thought almost giddily. But he was right. “Yeah, I think I might be,” I muttered, moving away from him.
I wouldn’t apologize, though. He needed to know that I wasn’t going to take his crap. On more than one occasion, Fallon had stepped between me and Shea, to stop an all out brawl. Something about the boy irked me beyond reason.
He grabbed my wrists and spun me around so that it was my back against the wall. “If you ever pull a move like that again, you’ll regret it.”
“Ooh, I’m so scared,” I snapped. I glared into his eyes and my stomach flipped when his gaze burned right back.
We stood there like that for a while, and his expression shifted. My heart flipped and I leaned up closer…
Someone grabbed my hand and tugged me away. I looked up. Carmen. “Aislin, what was that?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I responded automatically. She grinned slyly.
“Didn’t look like nothing to me.”
“Well, it was,” I snapped, storming off toward the girl’s dormitories. She followed me and laughed, slinging her arm around my shoulders.
“And I was beginning to think you didn’t have any fight in you. I think we can be good friends,” she said.
That nearly was my undoing.
I didn’t want another friend. I didn’t want to get hurt, yes, but… I didn’t want to replace Fallon. I wanted him to be my best friend, forever. I shouldn’t have another. After all, he’d never get a chance to have another friend. Why should I?
But… he would want me to be happy. I told myself that a lot. It seemed truer today than ever. Besides, he’d liked this girl. They’d been on friendly terms. So it wasn’t a complete betrayal, was it?
Still, it was more than I could take to talk to her any more tonight. I headed up to my room, saying a quick goodnight to Carmen, and cried myself to sleep again.
Whenever anyone came to comfort me, I pushed them away, just like I’d promised myself I would.
But there was one girl who came over and sat across from me. She wouldn’t leave, even when I flat-out said, “I’m not in the mood for conversation.”
Her response was, “Then we won’t talk.” And she ate her dinner quietly, neither looking at me nor speaking so much as a syllable. But there was a strange comfort, in knowing that she was there. That someone had ignored the five-foot radius that was otherwise clear around me.
I’d seen her around before. Her name was Carmen, and Fallon used to say that she was as fiery as her name. He’d known her better than I ever did, though.
Carmen stayed with me after dinner, too. She walked by my side and didn’t seem to mind that I wasn’t acknowledging her. I didn’t understand why she was so content to stay with me.
Wondering about her kept my mind off of Fallon more than it had been since… the event. It was like a miracle.
But all of my curiosity flew out of my mind when I nearly walked right into Shea Silva, my rival for the last decade.
“Watch it, Connelly,” Shea spat at me, sneering.
I don’t think either of us were expecting my reaction. I backed him up against the wall. “You filthy bastard! You’ve been tormenting me for years- or trying to. If you think that just because Fallon’s gone, I’ll be an easy target, you’re mistaken.” I snarled, giving him my fiercest glare.
He gulped and said, “What, are you mental?” But his tone was lacking its normal bite.
He was afraid of me, I thought almost giddily. But he was right. “Yeah, I think I might be,” I muttered, moving away from him.
I wouldn’t apologize, though. He needed to know that I wasn’t going to take his crap. On more than one occasion, Fallon had stepped between me and Shea, to stop an all out brawl. Something about the boy irked me beyond reason.
He grabbed my wrists and spun me around so that it was my back against the wall. “If you ever pull a move like that again, you’ll regret it.”
“Ooh, I’m so scared,” I snapped. I glared into his eyes and my stomach flipped when his gaze burned right back.
We stood there like that for a while, and his expression shifted. My heart flipped and I leaned up closer…
Someone grabbed my hand and tugged me away. I looked up. Carmen. “Aislin, what was that?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I responded automatically. She grinned slyly.
“Didn’t look like nothing to me.”
“Well, it was,” I snapped, storming off toward the girl’s dormitories. She followed me and laughed, slinging her arm around my shoulders.
“And I was beginning to think you didn’t have any fight in you. I think we can be good friends,” she said.
That nearly was my undoing.
I didn’t want another friend. I didn’t want to get hurt, yes, but… I didn’t want to replace Fallon. I wanted him to be my best friend, forever. I shouldn’t have another. After all, he’d never get a chance to have another friend. Why should I?
But… he would want me to be happy. I told myself that a lot. It seemed truer today than ever. Besides, he’d liked this girl. They’d been on friendly terms. So it wasn’t a complete betrayal, was it?
Still, it was more than I could take to talk to her any more tonight. I headed up to my room, saying a quick goodnight to Carmen, and cried myself to sleep again.