Simply Meant To Be

Paint was drying from my canvas. The sun was shining but the wind blew my long hair all over my face. I wiped some strands away and felt the cold, wet sensation of paint on my cheek. I didn’t mind. I loved painting and being outdoors made me feel so alive. I could see white clouds scatter throughout the sky above my balcony. After hours of working, I managed to capture the beautiful hues of the sky to my liking. I packed my gear and headed inside. I looked down at my paint smeared ratty shirt and shorts and decided a shower was needed. I stepped into the bathroom and felt the heat of the water wash away my fatigue.

I lived in California with my mom. She was a free spirit and left me mostly to my own devices. She was an artist and I guess passed down the love of art to me. We sometimes both went out to the city and went to art shows. She was always the center of attention and I was always left on my own to wonder at the beautiful pieces.

I drew whatever came to my mind or whatever I saw in nature. I loved the feeling of pouring my soul into my paintings and I knew I would become something someday.

I loved living here in California. The weather was almost always perfect for walks outside. I loved being surrounded by nature and having the ability to go into the city at the same time.

I didn’t have many friends. I was always more concentrated on my art and never felt a connection with anyone. I did have a few friends that I hung out with but they all lived in the city and were kids of my mom’s friends.

I finished my shower and headed downstairs into the kitchen to grab a sandwich. I was surprised to see my mom in the living room with her laptop on. I went inside and sat down next to her.

“Hey mom, what are you doing here?”

“Hey Ali. I’m looking at plane tickets,” she responded. She closed the laptop and looked into my eyes.

“Ali I was offered a position to teach at a community college. I am considering accepting it but we are going to have to move to New Jersey for the year,” she said.

I was stunned. I knew my mom wanted to teach but I never could imagine that she would travel to the other side of the country to do it.

“Wait, what?! I thought you would get a job here,” I said through my stunned face.

“Well it’s so much less expensive there and I felt a new environment would help you. Plus we will be a short distance from New York City and you will be able to check out the colleges there,” she said.

Even though my mom left me on my own most of the time, she knew of my desire to study art throughout my life. I told her I needed a few minutes to get myself together, I wasn’t one to start a tantrum of moving. I knew my mom thought long and hard of this opportunity and wouldn’t have accepted if she didn’t think it was the best for the both of us.

“I guess it’s decided then mom,” I said as walking to the kitchen.

“Yes it is. I know how much you love it here but you need to go out and live life outside this home and this surrounding. I know it’s hard but you have to get out of this shell and not let the past take over your future,” she responded while engulfing me in a hug.

I felt my eyes water for a bit but I refused to let my emotions get the best of me.

“When are we leaving then?” I asked.

“In two days, we’re catching a flight to Newark,” she responded. I nodded and headed to my room to start packing. I looked out my window and decided to draw the night sky of California for one last time.

“I’m gonna miss this place but hopefully I will come back,” I thought to myself as I was busy drawing. I finished it and went to my TV to pop in my favorite movie of all time. I fell asleep right as Jack came to meet Sally on top of the hill with the moon behind them singing her song together.

We boarded our flight at 8 in the morning and we reached Newark around 1 in the afternoon. My mom had one of her friends come pick us up. Her name was Linda and she was apparently our neighbor as well.

“Linda, I want to introduce you to my daughter, Alice,” my mom said as she pushed me towards Linda. I shook her hand and stepped out of the way to let them catch up.

I looked out and saw a small figure make his way towards us. He stopped beside Linda and she introduced us to her son, Frank. Frank looked like your stereotypical punk kid but as soon as his mom introduced me to him, he immediately gave me a genuine smile and a hug.

“So you’re from California?” Frank asked.

“Yup born and raised there. I actually have never left there so this is a change of pace for me,” I said to him. We piled in Linda’s car and Frank and I started talking of our lives in the backseat. I found out we shared the same music and movie tastes and he genuinely cared for the many dogs he had.

“So you have a boyfriend, Alice?” Frank asked.

"Straight to the point this guys is," I thought to myself.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. I just wasn't interested in guys my age.

His questions were interrupted when we came to a stop and finally arrived at our new home

It looked to be just another suburban home. It was a grand home for the two of us but I saw the huge backyard in the back and was glad that we had some trees covering the side of the house. Frank helped carried our bags inside. My mom and Linda said their goodbyes and said I was welcome into her home anytime. I waved goodbye to Frank.

“It was really nice to meet you Alice,” he said as he engulfed me in another hug, “I’ll see you around.”

I nodded and shut the door. My mom was already busy talking to her boss on the phone so I grabbed my bag and headed upstairs to pick a room. Upstairs, I found out we had three rooms with two on the left and one on the right with a bathroom. I took the one down the hall on the right, with its window facing towards the trees on the side of the house.

I dropped my bag and opened the window. I jumped on the bed and instantly fell asleep as exhaustion took over my body.

I woke up an hour later and headed downstairs.

“Went out to dinner with the dean of arts. Won’t be back ‘til later. There’s money for food”

I read the note and sighed. I headed upstairs and grabbed my jacket and sketchbook and decided to head towards the park right next door.

It was near 4 o’clock and there seemed to be a few kids playing in the park. I headed towards the woods that were off to the side and found a small clearing to sit.

I started to write out words that came to my mind as the sun set behind the trees.

“Late dawns and early sunsets, just like my favorite scenes,

Your eyes vacant and stained,

And in saying you loved me,

Made things harder at best.

But does anyone notice there’s a corpse on this bed?”

On the last line I started to draw a girl bleeding on the white sheets of a bed with her dress smeared by the crimson liquid.

“Kinda dark no?” said someone behind me. I immediately got up and turned around. There stood a tall boy, with medium length dark hair. He was very pale but had these beautiful, hazel eyes.

“Oh I guess it is. Sorry it’s getting kinda dark now. I should head back,” I heard myself say to him as I walked past him.

“Wait, I’ll walk you home. Belleville isn’t the kind of place you should be walking at night by yourself,” he said to me.

“Umm that’s okay. I just live right around the corner. Don’t worry…”

“Gerard. My name’s Gerard.”

“Oh okay yeah don’t worry about me, Gerard,” I said to him as I started walking back home.

“Hey wait. I didn’t get your name!” Gerard yelled in my direction.

“It’s Alice,” I yelled over my shoulder as I rounded the corner to my house. I opened the door and locked it. I wasn’t one to be paranoid but seeing as I just met Gerard, I didn’t have the slightest idea if he turned out to be a homicidal stalker or not so I was being careful.

I turned on the porch lights and called for a pizza. I went in search of my movie but found “Edward Scissorhands” instead so I popped it in and waited for the pizza to come.

The bell rang a few minutes and I thanked the delivery boy who looked strangely familiar with his straight nose and glasses almost falling from his nose.

I ended up falling asleep on the couch with the movie halfway over and pizza still left in the box. I dreamed of the girl in her white dress with a boy who looked strangely like Gerard. He had a gun pointed to her head. A bang later he turned the gun on himself and said, “And there's no room in this hell. There's no room in the next. But does anyone notice there's a corpse in this bed?”

It would be the last thing he said as he pulled the trigger and collapsed on top of the girl with a pool of blood encircling their dead bodies.