Status: Completely written- now, to post it all
The Last Place
06
I’m standing on the slopes with Fallon by my side. He’s grinning in anticipation of today’s competition. “Be careful out there,” I tell him as always.
“Relax, he says. Have I ever gotten hurt before?” I shake my head. He always asks this, too. But it doesn’t stop me from worrying about him.
I kiss his cheek and walk away to take my place in the stands.
That’s where the routine ends, though. Today, instead of giving me a reason to cheer, he doesn’t even finish. Today, he falls and breaks his neck.
And suddenly, I’m running down the slope, though I’m sliding more than anything. I’m chasing after Fallon. “Don’t go!” I shout. “Don’t leave me!” But he’s too far ahead. I can’t keep up and he can’t hear me.
But then there’s a zombified Fallon heading towards me. I scream and try to get away, but he’s too fast for me. “Don’t hurt me anymore! Stop!” I shout, but it’s no use.
“Stay away from her,” a hard voice says as someone steps in front of me. Fallon comes to a stop and is suddenly just… gone. I’m sobbing and shaking with relief and grief and every other emotion known to man. My savior turns around.
Shea?
I jerked awake and saw a shadowed form over me. I screamed, my nightmare still fresh in my mind.
“Relax, Ash. Relax. It’s okay, you’re fine,” a reassuring voice whispers. I know that voice.
“Carmen?” I ask groggily. I switched on the lamp on my bedside table. She was looking concerned.
“You were screaming. And you’re crying. What’s wrong?” I glowered, but I had a feeling I wasn’t as intimidating as I’d been aiming for. What was ever wrong with me? “Sweetie, Fallon… it’s been months. It’s time you started healing.”
You try having the most important person in your life die, I wanted to say. But I knew that none of this was her fault. She’d done nothing but try to help. “You’d better get some more beauty sleep. You’re kind of scaring me right now,” I joked weakly, earning a small smile.
“Sweet dreams, Ash,” Carmen said as she got back into her bed. I turned out the light without comment. Sweet dreams? I was beginning to think those were impossible for me.
Things were pretty ordinary until the next Monday in Physics, when the teacher announced that we were going to be working in pairs. That was no big deal. Actually, I was almost looking forward to it. Carmen was in my class. She came to sit in the seat next to mine and leaned over, whispering in my ear, “would you mind if I swapped with Shea? I want a piece of his friend over there.”
I started to refuse, but I thought about how good she’d been to me. She hadn’t had to be my friend, to put up with the effects of my prolonged grief. I owed her this, if not more. “Fine. But don’t think I like it.”
“Atta girl.” She flounced to the other side of the room, where Shea and his friend, Chase, were sitting. Chase smiled in the way guys always did when rewarded with attention from Carmen and nodded a little too eagerly. Shea grimaced and packed up his things before trudging across the room to take the seat Carmen had vacated.
“Connelly,” he said without the usual bite.
“Silva,” I responded automatically, but it sounded more like a question than anything.
“Relax, he says. Have I ever gotten hurt before?” I shake my head. He always asks this, too. But it doesn’t stop me from worrying about him.
I kiss his cheek and walk away to take my place in the stands.
That’s where the routine ends, though. Today, instead of giving me a reason to cheer, he doesn’t even finish. Today, he falls and breaks his neck.
And suddenly, I’m running down the slope, though I’m sliding more than anything. I’m chasing after Fallon. “Don’t go!” I shout. “Don’t leave me!” But he’s too far ahead. I can’t keep up and he can’t hear me.
But then there’s a zombified Fallon heading towards me. I scream and try to get away, but he’s too fast for me. “Don’t hurt me anymore! Stop!” I shout, but it’s no use.
“Stay away from her,” a hard voice says as someone steps in front of me. Fallon comes to a stop and is suddenly just… gone. I’m sobbing and shaking with relief and grief and every other emotion known to man. My savior turns around.
Shea?
I jerked awake and saw a shadowed form over me. I screamed, my nightmare still fresh in my mind.
“Relax, Ash. Relax. It’s okay, you’re fine,” a reassuring voice whispers. I know that voice.
“Carmen?” I ask groggily. I switched on the lamp on my bedside table. She was looking concerned.
“You were screaming. And you’re crying. What’s wrong?” I glowered, but I had a feeling I wasn’t as intimidating as I’d been aiming for. What was ever wrong with me? “Sweetie, Fallon… it’s been months. It’s time you started healing.”
You try having the most important person in your life die, I wanted to say. But I knew that none of this was her fault. She’d done nothing but try to help. “You’d better get some more beauty sleep. You’re kind of scaring me right now,” I joked weakly, earning a small smile.
“Sweet dreams, Ash,” Carmen said as she got back into her bed. I turned out the light without comment. Sweet dreams? I was beginning to think those were impossible for me.
Things were pretty ordinary until the next Monday in Physics, when the teacher announced that we were going to be working in pairs. That was no big deal. Actually, I was almost looking forward to it. Carmen was in my class. She came to sit in the seat next to mine and leaned over, whispering in my ear, “would you mind if I swapped with Shea? I want a piece of his friend over there.”
I started to refuse, but I thought about how good she’d been to me. She hadn’t had to be my friend, to put up with the effects of my prolonged grief. I owed her this, if not more. “Fine. But don’t think I like it.”
“Atta girl.” She flounced to the other side of the room, where Shea and his friend, Chase, were sitting. Chase smiled in the way guys always did when rewarded with attention from Carmen and nodded a little too eagerly. Shea grimaced and packed up his things before trudging across the room to take the seat Carmen had vacated.
“Connelly,” he said without the usual bite.
“Silva,” I responded automatically, but it sounded more like a question than anything.