Wrong Way

In a world where maybe love exists, John O'Callaghan stood on top of a cliff that hovered over the Pacific Ocean and stared at the waves crashing against the huge rocks.

Crash.

It was a beautiful sight, really. To even think that the ocean is a whole new world with it's own ecosystem is an astounding thought. The earth is one hell of a planet–so much going on in it and yet, it all comes together to create one huge Earth. Every single detail keeps us all alive, one way or another.

Garrett appeared, the rocks crunching beneath his boot-clad feet, and he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"You ready, man?"

John did nothing except stare the vast ocean in front of him. Everything was rushing in his mind and he didn't know what to focus on–Garrett, The Maine, the ocean, the earth, Mom, Dad, rocks, Mavis...

The drive home was a long one. John had driven the same roads so often that it usually went by fast, because he knew how to keep himself occupied and not get bored. It took approximately six hours from Los Angeles to Phoenix and the entire time, instead of playing travel Clue with Pat, or surf the internet and post ridiculously confusing tweets on his iPhone, he stared at the scenery going by.

How he never noticed how beautiful it really was was a mystery to him. He always focused on the stupid things, not the real things.

When they arrived home, John had a routine–greet his family, briefly talk about the trip, go upstairs and take a nice long shower, and finish it off by collapsing on his bed and falling into a peaceful slumber.

It worked every time.

"I'm just gonna shower and sleep. It's been an exhausting weekend," he smiled at his mother. She kissed her eldest son on the cheek and sent him off.

John couldn't fall asleep. He tossed and turned and just stared at the ceiling. He even tried counting sheep but that had no effect whatsoever. His mind was running around, except instead of thinking about everything, he only thought of one.

He never thought that he was capable of love. He saw it every single day with his parents and his friends, but he never thought that he would ever experience it. Sure, he wrote songs about it and sang in front of thousands of girls but he never truly felt that way–how did he know that his lyrics were true? He could be sending a false message, for all he knew.

John grabbed his phone from the bedstand next to him and looked through his messages. She said that she would text him as often as possible, but she didn't text once. She was gone a whole three days, and not a single form a communication.

John fell asleep thinking about her.

A week later, John still hadn't heard from Mavis. He had no idea where she was, who she was with, anything whatsoever. It was like she dropped off the earth. He missed her very much and he wished she would just come home.

Another week passed by and another and another and another. Mavis was gone, his friends said to him, she isn't coming back.

He even drove up to L.A again to find her. He asked her sister if she had any idea where she was, but Melissa Blackstone shook her head and said, "Sorry, John. Mavis is like this. She just picks up and goes and won't come back for awhile."

Mavis once said to him that she would love to journey up to New York. She never been and when she was a little girl, she dreamed about climbing on top of the skyscrapers and shouting at the world. She always sounded so nostalgic about New York whenever she spoke about it.

"What would you shout about?" John had asked, as they lied in bed. He took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

Mavis smiled and replied, "Everything. What I love, what I hate...everything."

She was a secret keeper. Mavis loved to keep her secrets and it drove John up the wall. She never told him the real reason why she had a scar just above her right eye. She never told him why she had a box full of old trinkets underneath her bed. She, especially, never told him where she came from.

Mavis Blackstone literally came out of nowhere. All John ever knew about her was that she previously lived in L.A with her step-sister until she decided to go down south a little more and landed in Phoenix. John didn't know anything about her, and that was why he fell so hard. She was the most intriguing enigma he had ever met.

John found himself in New York after another week passed by, with his brother Ross, and his best friend Jared.

They looked everywhere. He thought of all the things that Mavis loved and tried looking for places relatively similar, but she was nowhere. He even looked her up and asked around–nothing. Mavis Blackstone vanished.

"I'm sorry, John," Ross said, sympathetically. "We tried."

John nodded his head and agreed to go home.

Years would go by and John's mind would wander back to Mavis Blackstone. Just the little things would trigger it–the soft scent of roses, the color of fire, the whooshing sound of wind against glass, a piercing laugh from a girl from one hof shows...just the tiny things he remembered about her.

Two years, approximately, had gone by since Mavis' disappearance and John was doing fine. He managed to get over Mavis. Not completely, but close enough to the point where he didn't get so sad.

Two years had gone by and Mavis Blackstone was back.

She was standing outside of the Marquee Theater where she expected him and his bandmates to come out of the backdoor to greet their fans. John was laughing at something Pat said while taking off his headpiece when Kennedy tapped his shoulder and said,

"Uh, John?"

John looked at his friend. "What's up, man?"

Kennedy pointed to the open back door and John eyes followed. He squinted at the figure standing outside, tapping her foot with a smile on her face. John's stomach dropped, instantly, when he realized that it was her.

John probably stared at her longer than he intended. He just couldn't believe his eyes. She was [i[there, right in front of him. She was back, she didn't vanish, she didn't die. Mavis Blackstone looked the same as ever, short, pink dip dyed hair, clothes looking like it came out of the garbage, and big round blue eyes.

John couldn't think of anything to say, so Mavis started, keeping the light smile on her face.

"I know, you hate me," she chuckled. "But please, don't speak, okay? I have this entire speech planned out and memorized and you can't interrupt me, okay, John?" John nodded his head. Mavis took a deep breath and said, "I intended to leave you, John. I intended to go far away and hope you'll forget me forever and not even remember my name in two years. I intended to forget you, too. I even searched for an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind type thing where they erase a part of memory that you don't want to remember anymore. I hoped for that–I wished for that. I couldn't go through with it. I came to Arizona, in hopes of finding the reason why I am on this planet. I met you, John. I met you and I fell in love with you and that scared the shit out of me. Especially because of my past? Do you know what I did, John? I was raped when I was twelve and when I was eighteen, I looked for my rapist and devised a plan to kill him. I made him think I was just a simple girl, walking down an alley in Queens, New York, and provoked him to try and rape me again so I could kill him and make it look like an accident. I killed a man, John. Later, I found out that he was in rehab and on probation. He was trying to get better. I killed a man who got a second chance at life. I ran away and went to L.A. I didn't like it there so I came here and I met you and I fell in love with you. You don't deserve me, John. You don't deserve someone who wants revenge and has personal vendettas with people. I ran away from you because I don't deserve someone as sweet and caring and innocent as you. I made it my goal of two years to find myself and hope that I can forgive myself for killing a man. I traveled the world in two years and I couldn't find myself. My mind just kept coming back here. Your face, your voice, your smile...that was all I could think about. That was when I realized that finding myself and forgiving myself...I can do that through you, the scrawny Arizona musician that I found myself hopelessly in love with. You steered me in the right direction. Can you believe that? I was wrong all along and I don't expect you to forgive me or to even love me back, because for all I know, you have a girlfriend in there, waiting for you, but I just want you to know that I am back and that I love you and if you don't feel the same why, then I'm okay with that. I had my chance and I blew it. I don't deserve a second a chance."

It was all sinking in. Every single question answered and every single memory rushing back to him. John continued to stare at the girl in front of him–the girl who took his heart and ripped it the shreds. He took one look at her and instead of being sad, like he was for two years, he felt happy.

Every single component of his life–his own personal earth–collapsed with Mavis' disappearance. One tiny little detail gone wrong and an ecosystem could shatter completely.

Mavis Blackstone was his key component. She was what held it all together. She was the girl that he loved so much.

John finally regained his voice.

"I don't forgive you and I don't know when I will," he said. "But I love you, too, Mavis. I don't know why but I do and I am willing to give you a second chance–something you do deserve."

Mavis' face brightened up. "Really?"

John nodded his head. "I spent forever and a day looking for you, I'm not giving up now, even if I am still healing."

Mavis smiled. She reached out and touched him, causing him to shiver just slightly. John was wondering if he made the right decision or not, taking her back, but the minute that he felt her touch, it was the right decision. Nothing was perfect in the world, not even the ocean. John found it in his heart to delve back into the ocean and hope for something better.

Turns out, love really does exist.