Thunder

Mac was finally remembering what he had, and what he lost. And that was fine by me.

I took a drag of my cigarette, blowing the smoke up and away into the wind. It went in whimsical little wisps, and for a second I couldn't even believe a substance so toxic could look so beautiful. Mac and I used to come here, to this isolated little patch of trees, all the time. We'd kiss and stand around, making good use of the little alone time we had together. We'd hold each other, and I'd kiss all around his face and neck. I swore I loved him, and I swore he loved me, too.

My mother told me once, "Players only love you when they're playing." And, well, that line applied to Mac. It described our entire relationship. He told me I was the only boy for him...and I was.

There weren't any other boys, but there were plenty of girls.

Mac loved to play. He tossed the word love around like it was going out of style. I fell for it, and eventually he dumped me, like he had to so many people before. But I convinced myself that I was different, and to Mac, I wasn't. I was just Rhiannon: a boy with average intelligence, an annoying smoking habit, gangly limbs, and nice hair. For somebody, that would be enough. For Mac, it wasn't.

In the stillness of remembering what I had, and what I lost, I felt relief flood through my body. I felt like a million weights were being lifted from my shoulders because I felt myself finally let Mac go. He could go and be who he wants to be; it's only right for him to play the way he feels it.

Then, I looked down at the note Mac had shoved into my locker through the vents. Mac had such curly, feminine handwriting. He wrote much too big, too. A note that could've just taken a few lines took a whole page for him. The note itself would've touched someone's heart, maybe. It would've touched the heart of someone who was naive and foolish, someone who was a stranger to Mac's games. Someone like the boy I used to be.

Rhiannon,

You don't know how horrible I feel about leaving you. I promised you that I never would, and I broke that promise. And I'd like for another chance to make this work, because I know it can. I love you, Rhiannon. You may not think so, but I do. I know I do, and I hope that you still love me, too.



Sighing, I placed the note gently on the ground, and it was taken by the wind.

Mac and I used to come here all the time. We'd kiss and stand around. Mac didn't come around here anymore, so it was a place for me to stand around, and be taken by the wind.