White Roses Fade to Black

“Lucie, this is Luke. Luke, Lucie. She’s my gir- my friend,” Freddie muttered, blushing a little.

Luke shook Lucie’s hand and flashed her an amazing smile with dazzling white teeth. His eyes were caked in black eyeliner, and he had a lip ring with a black bead on it. The skateboard under his foot confirmed Lucie’s suspicions that he was a skater. He was hot; he thought she was hot, as his piercing green eyes looked her over.

Freddie saw him staring, and elbowed his brother in the ribs. Despite being two years his senior, Luke wasn’t much taller than Freddie, and it was usually a tie when they fought.

They glared at each other, just as Bethany limped into the room. Lucie smiled and shook her hand, which Bethany politely returned with an identical smile to Freddie’s.

“I’ve seen you around school. Hi, I’m Lucie,” she grinned, watching the glaring between the two brothers escalate into a fight.

Bethany also watched, and laughed as her twin brother put her older brother into a headlock, then a Full Nelson.

“Are they fighting coz of you?” Bethany asked.

Lucie blushed and shrugged. If they were, it was a rare novelty; guys never fought over her. They mostly thought she was a freak and dated the chavs. She didn’t really fit in anywhere, but she didn’t care. She had great friends anyway,

“Hmm. Don’t you have a boyfriend?” Bethany asked this time.

“What? Oh, yeah, I do,” Lucie muttered, going red.

Bethany frowned and turned to go into the living room. Lucie followed confusedly, wondering how a complete stranger knew she had a boyfriend.

*
“So if y equals three, x must equal… five?” Freddie asked, unsure of his answer.

Lucie smiled and nodded, assuring Freddie that his answer was indeed right. His face lit up and he beamed at her; his piercing eyes went, if possible, brighter with happiness.

“Okay, lets try another,” Lucie grinned. “If x and y both equal the same number, what is the value of w?”

His brow furrowed in concentration, Freddie puzzled over the answer. He looked at Lucie’s smiling face and felt himself turn to jelly. Just as the trademark goofy smile was about to appear, Bethany hobbled into the room.

She peered over his shoulder, rolled her eyes and shook her head; as if to say it was so simple that even a retarded monkey with sight and hearing problems could figure it out. Which gave Lucie the impression that Bethany was smart, but didn’t really hold high hopes for her twin brother.

Which upset and infuriated Lucie in a way she’d never been before. Which, in turn, made Lucie’s opinion of Bethany fall somewhat greatly from potentially friendly to pure hatred. All because she’d hinted her brother was slightly on the retarded side.

Lucie cleared her throat and took a sip of the Diet Coke that Freddie had provided with a smile some four hours ago. Thus meaning it was getting late. Bethany got bored - she obviously couldn’t sit still, meaning the crutches weren’t working for her - so she wandered out of the room in search of entertainment.

As soon as she left, Freddie’s face lit up once more in realization of his answer.

“Is it two point five?” he asked.

Lucie grinned and nodded, forgetting her sudden hate impulse. Freddie became so excited that he pulled Lucie into a hug, briefly colliding his lips with hers in a sloppy yet puckish manner.

The pair, being suddenly struck dumb with shock, slowly took their arms from each other. Something around them felt strange and new; they wanted more than just a peck.

Freddie’s arm snaked around Lucie’s slim built waist, laying her gently on the sofa in front of him. One of his hands on the side of her waist, and the other cupping her neck and cradling it so her head fell back, he slowly pressed his lips to hers once more.

This kiss was different to the one prior to it. There was a surreal feeling around them, a strange feeling that they weren’t accustomed to.

Freddie’s hand moved from Lucie’s neck to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek ever so softly and gently. As the feeling of numbness finally faded from her senses, Lucie’s eyes drifted shut as her arms seemed to gain a life of their own.

Up his shoulders, down his chest; up again and round his neck, finally ending up entangled in his dark, spiky locks.

Freddie’s tongue began roaming over her bottom lip, and she complied by opening her mouth, granting him entry. Their tongues meshing together and their lips glued to each others, there was no place else Freddie wanted to be.

He felt alive whilst she felt dangerous. She felt a wanting, and he felt a needing and longing. He felt love, yet she felt pure unadulterated lust… all he thought about was her; all she thought about was David.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” Lucie whispered, pulling away suddenly.

Freddie hovered over her, his eyes slowly fluttering open and his breathing almost a pant. He tried to kiss her again, but she moved, avoiding any physical contact.

A rush of guilt flooded through her system, invading her senses and sending her mind into chaotic realization of what had just happened. And she couldn’t escape the dirty feeling that was now washing over her, making her skin crawl.

“I-I have to go, it’s getting late,” she muttered.

She picked up her many books and slipped her pen behind her ear for safe keeping. And with that, she turned on her heal and bolted out the home. Past a stunned Luke and a freaked Bethany.

Leaving Freddie, dwelling and swilling in a pit of his own fucked up emotions. It had felt so right to him; so damn right that his heart had felt like ti was going to burst. But it had obviously not felt so right to Lucie.

Boys don’t usually cry over something as stupid as a girl, but obviously, for Freddie, this was different. He genuinely loved her…

“Fuck love, I’m done with that shit,” Freddie mumbled through the tears.

He threw his book at the wall and brushed everything off of the table. He caught sight of her Diet Coke, with the slight pink lipstick stain on it, and just broke down…

*
Lucie’s tears drenched her skin and clothes as she ran the way from Freddie’s house on the outskirts of town to the hospital in the heart of town.

Her lungs screamed and she was almost doubled over in pain as she ran. Head spinning, heart thudding and tears falling, Lucie skidded into David’s room and collapsed in a bawling mess on his bed.

David jumped and looked up from his comic, his face curious yet lined with worry and confusion. Was this to do with her parents?

“What’s wrong, Luce?” David asked the only girl he ever loved into his arms and planting delicate kisses up her cheeks to her head.

Lucie sniffed and looked up at him. He looked so much more beautiful to her now than ever. His cherry-soda colored lips were curled into a caring smile that only his face wore; his soft pale skin almost seemed to glow against the white and blue hospital bedspread; his sparkling blue eyes, which Lucie expected to be reprimanding and chastising when she told him, were currently genial and cheery, mixed with anxiety and burden.

“I- Freddie kissed me… and I kissed back,” she whimpered, ashamed and chagrined.

She once again looked up to meet his gaze, but yet again, his eyes weren’t accusing or reproachful. They were more wounded, upset… hurt.

He wasn’t angry, he was disappointed. A feeling Lucie hated more than anything, more than her parents; they were usually the disappointed ones anyways.

“It’s- It’s okay,” David croaked.

No, it’s not okay, he thought. His dream had practically come true and he felt broken. But then he looked at Lucie; her face was soaked with tears, and her pleading eyes flashed with so much guilt that made David know he wasn’t going to lose her.

“Do you love him?” he asked hoarsely.

Lucie shook her head and, as her bottom lip started to quiver, buried her shaking head in David’s lap. He stroked her brown curls gently, staring down at her.

“I forgive you,” he whispered gently in her ear.

Lucie sniffed and nodded, not wanting to let go as the fear of losing him swept over her.

“David, honey, you can go home now. The doctor’s discharging you,” a kind, plump nurse smiled through the doorway.

David smiled back and nodded, then whispered in Lucie’s ear so that he could get up and dress. He was finally leaving! At least some good came out of today.