White Roses Fade to Black
Old Habits Die Hard
Lucie pulled away from David and sighed, looking at the floor and pushing him away slightly.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” David asked.
Lucie’s eyes filled with tears. They’d been friends for so long; she didn’t want to ruin it. It’s easier to turn a friendship into love than it was to turn love into friendship. If her and David fell out, there’d be no going back.
“Do you think we’re rushing things?” Lucie whispered, pulling David close again and putting her head on his chest.
David shook his head. He’d been waiting for this day for the whole time he’d known her, since he met her. He wanted them to last forever, he wanted to stay with her and be with her until the end of time.
“No. No sweetie, I love you, we’re not rushing things,” he smiled, kissing the top of her head.
Lucie smiled. All the shit that was going on just seemed to fade away when she was in David’s arms. All the pain she’d felt since Mike passed away subsided slightly and made space for happiness. Happiness she’d never felt before.
“I love you too,” she smiled.
David grinned at her and kissed her, sighing slightly. Everything he’d ever wanted, he’d found in this girl.
*
“I’m so sorry, Les. I shouldn’t have kissed you,” Calum whispered.
They were sat at the side of the road, having a break from all the walking. Turns out they’d each run so far that they’d gone to the other side of the next town. Lesley just sighed. She’d loved every moment of that kiss, but the regrets flooded her mind. Regrets of pulling away, regrets of letting it linger so long… regrets for shouting at Lucie. Even the thought of it brought tears to her eyes.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t blame you for anything,” she mumbled.
Calum brushed the hair off her face and went to kiss her again, but Lesley moved back.
“Calum, I’m sorry… I just… I can’t,” she sighed, the tears running down her bruised cheeks.
He hung his head and stood up. He held out his hand to help her up, and Lesley wiped her eyes and took it. He pulled her up and they walked to his place.
*
Katherine sat in the corner of her bed crying. Nothing had felt more right to her than when she was round Mike. She knew he’d been in love with Lesley; hell, everyone but Lesley knew that he loved her. Seems almost ironic that Katherine would love the one guy she could never have.
“I’m so sorry, Mike, to be holding onto you so long after your death. I know you loved Lesley… I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
She blinked to ease the soreness in her eyes, pushing more tears over the running eyeliner covered lids. Her nose ran, her eyes were teary and her cheeks were pale. So much for popular, beautiful Katherine.
“You know what, mirror! Fuck you!” Katherine yelled at her pocket mirror.
She threw it at the wall, making it shatter into hundreds of pieces. She burst into tears one more; that was her grandmothers. Rocking backwards and forth, trying to stop crying, Katherine thought about all the fun times with her real friends.
“Hey Katherine! Catch!” Mike grinned, throwing an egg at her.
Katherine giggled and tried to catch it, resulting in it smashing in her hand. Mike just laughed and hugged her; him being four years older, he thought of it more as a brotherly hug. Not Katherine, though.
“Dude, what’s it like being eighteen?” David asked.
Mike shrugged and laughed, sitting down between his two younger brothers. Calum laughed and put a daisy in his hair, earning wolf whistles from his brothers.
“Um… not much different than seventeen. But waaaaay different from being fourteen. Or sixteen,” Mike grinned, ruffling Calums hair.
Those two were like best friends. Poor David seemed to be left out sometimes, but they always brought him into fights. Yeah, he always got his ass beaten bad. He just laughed and fought back. With being the youngest, David was scrawny and tawny, not as athletic as his brothers. ‘Athletically challenged’ as Lucie always teased him about.
Ah Lucie. She was the glue that held everything together. She could fix anything! Always understood; she was the only one who knew about her little ‘thing’ for Mike. They’d covered it up by pretending she had something for Calum. Which she didn’t.
“Hey Mike, I want a hug!” Lucie, with being the youngest, was always getting hugs off people.
Mike just smiled and walked over to her, giving her a bone-crunching bear hug. Lucie just giggled and bear hugged him back.
“Whoa, dude, you’re getting so strong!” Mike smiled, ruffling her then short-ish brown and red hair.
Lucie grinned proudly and flexed her muscles. She was always self-conscious about her weight, height and looks. Sure she had some puppy fat, and was a little tall. But she was smart and pretty. Despite everything the chavs said to her. Those stupid assholes had made her believe that everything they said was true.
David laughed and hugged Lucie. Lucie blushed, but only slightly. Those two had loved each other since that day in year seven, the first day. Lucie had come from the small yet respectable school down the road, whilst David had come from the large and not-as-respectable one on the other side of town. Those two met on their upcoming into Bellview Comprehensive. Lucie and Lesley had been best friends since Reception, and David had lost all his friends, as they were going to the school in the next town. Lucie never liked people being lonely. Mike was in year 11 then, and Calum was in year 9, and they were out to protect their little brother. They were sceptic about Lucie and Lesley at first, but soon armed to them.
In the second term, Katherine moved over. She fell for Mike on sight. Lucie and Lesley befriended her instantly, but she was pulled cruelly from them and sucked into the popular clan. Where she stayed and remained to this day. Yet never seemed to stray too far from her best friends.
The fourteen year old Lucie ran about before Katherine’s eyes, slowly joined by Lesley and Calum, and finally also joined by Mike and David. Katherine sighed and closed her eyes, the images in her head slowly fading.
“I miss you Mike…” she whispered, slowly drifting into another restless sleep.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” David asked.
Lucie’s eyes filled with tears. They’d been friends for so long; she didn’t want to ruin it. It’s easier to turn a friendship into love than it was to turn love into friendship. If her and David fell out, there’d be no going back.
“Do you think we’re rushing things?” Lucie whispered, pulling David close again and putting her head on his chest.
David shook his head. He’d been waiting for this day for the whole time he’d known her, since he met her. He wanted them to last forever, he wanted to stay with her and be with her until the end of time.
“No. No sweetie, I love you, we’re not rushing things,” he smiled, kissing the top of her head.
Lucie smiled. All the shit that was going on just seemed to fade away when she was in David’s arms. All the pain she’d felt since Mike passed away subsided slightly and made space for happiness. Happiness she’d never felt before.
“I love you too,” she smiled.
David grinned at her and kissed her, sighing slightly. Everything he’d ever wanted, he’d found in this girl.
*
“I’m so sorry, Les. I shouldn’t have kissed you,” Calum whispered.
They were sat at the side of the road, having a break from all the walking. Turns out they’d each run so far that they’d gone to the other side of the next town. Lesley just sighed. She’d loved every moment of that kiss, but the regrets flooded her mind. Regrets of pulling away, regrets of letting it linger so long… regrets for shouting at Lucie. Even the thought of it brought tears to her eyes.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t blame you for anything,” she mumbled.
Calum brushed the hair off her face and went to kiss her again, but Lesley moved back.
“Calum, I’m sorry… I just… I can’t,” she sighed, the tears running down her bruised cheeks.
He hung his head and stood up. He held out his hand to help her up, and Lesley wiped her eyes and took it. He pulled her up and they walked to his place.
*
Katherine sat in the corner of her bed crying. Nothing had felt more right to her than when she was round Mike. She knew he’d been in love with Lesley; hell, everyone but Lesley knew that he loved her. Seems almost ironic that Katherine would love the one guy she could never have.
“I’m so sorry, Mike, to be holding onto you so long after your death. I know you loved Lesley… I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
She blinked to ease the soreness in her eyes, pushing more tears over the running eyeliner covered lids. Her nose ran, her eyes were teary and her cheeks were pale. So much for popular, beautiful Katherine.
“You know what, mirror! Fuck you!” Katherine yelled at her pocket mirror.
She threw it at the wall, making it shatter into hundreds of pieces. She burst into tears one more; that was her grandmothers. Rocking backwards and forth, trying to stop crying, Katherine thought about all the fun times with her real friends.
“Hey Katherine! Catch!” Mike grinned, throwing an egg at her.
Katherine giggled and tried to catch it, resulting in it smashing in her hand. Mike just laughed and hugged her; him being four years older, he thought of it more as a brotherly hug. Not Katherine, though.
“Dude, what’s it like being eighteen?” David asked.
Mike shrugged and laughed, sitting down between his two younger brothers. Calum laughed and put a daisy in his hair, earning wolf whistles from his brothers.
“Um… not much different than seventeen. But waaaaay different from being fourteen. Or sixteen,” Mike grinned, ruffling Calums hair.
Those two were like best friends. Poor David seemed to be left out sometimes, but they always brought him into fights. Yeah, he always got his ass beaten bad. He just laughed and fought back. With being the youngest, David was scrawny and tawny, not as athletic as his brothers. ‘Athletically challenged’ as Lucie always teased him about.
Ah Lucie. She was the glue that held everything together. She could fix anything! Always understood; she was the only one who knew about her little ‘thing’ for Mike. They’d covered it up by pretending she had something for Calum. Which she didn’t.
“Hey Mike, I want a hug!” Lucie, with being the youngest, was always getting hugs off people.
Mike just smiled and walked over to her, giving her a bone-crunching bear hug. Lucie just giggled and bear hugged him back.
“Whoa, dude, you’re getting so strong!” Mike smiled, ruffling her then short-ish brown and red hair.
Lucie grinned proudly and flexed her muscles. She was always self-conscious about her weight, height and looks. Sure she had some puppy fat, and was a little tall. But she was smart and pretty. Despite everything the chavs said to her. Those stupid assholes had made her believe that everything they said was true.
David laughed and hugged Lucie. Lucie blushed, but only slightly. Those two had loved each other since that day in year seven, the first day. Lucie had come from the small yet respectable school down the road, whilst David had come from the large and not-as-respectable one on the other side of town. Those two met on their upcoming into Bellview Comprehensive. Lucie and Lesley had been best friends since Reception, and David had lost all his friends, as they were going to the school in the next town. Lucie never liked people being lonely. Mike was in year 11 then, and Calum was in year 9, and they were out to protect their little brother. They were sceptic about Lucie and Lesley at first, but soon armed to them.
In the second term, Katherine moved over. She fell for Mike on sight. Lucie and Lesley befriended her instantly, but she was pulled cruelly from them and sucked into the popular clan. Where she stayed and remained to this day. Yet never seemed to stray too far from her best friends.
The fourteen year old Lucie ran about before Katherine’s eyes, slowly joined by Lesley and Calum, and finally also joined by Mike and David. Katherine sighed and closed her eyes, the images in her head slowly fading.
“I miss you Mike…” she whispered, slowly drifting into another restless sleep.