The rest of the school day was spent talking to her other friends, but Ella didn't tell them the news. She wanted to spare them from the existential pain that she felt.
After school ended, she walked home, as her house was only about a mile away. Kel and Jordan wanted to walk with her, but she insisted that they let her walk alone. They'd be at the performance anyhow.
Ella wanted to enjoy the greenery that lined the streets on her walk home, but more now she realized that the plants had since been pushed back by buildings and parking lots. The cute shrubs and luscious trees she ran past and played in as a child were long gone. Instead of taking the normal route, she decided to take the scenic approach. A simple left.
The old cemetery with its crumbling arches at the entrance, and a fence gate that creaked with every gust of wind. The brick path seemed to feel more welcoming to Ella than before. She knew she'd be here only a few days later, amongst the stones. Each tombstone marking a house in her new neighborhood yet to come.
The brick path continued past the cemetery to the city park. Ella chuckled to herself, remembering the times spent walking through this cemetery to get to the playground. She could almost see her old childhood friends running rampant atop the mulch in front of her.
Suddenly, a sharp stabbing pain entered Ella's chest. She collapsed to the ground, feeling the grass poke into her side as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Memories flashed into her head of her father. Glass bottles. Bruises.
As quickly as the pain started, it stopped and the memories melted away. She sat up, looking at the swings rock quietly in the wind. The world seemed gray again. She stood and walked back through the cemetery to continue home. The remainder of the old trees seemed to bend towards her as she shuffled away.
Soon, her house was visible to her and her twin brother was sitting on the porch, rocking back and forth in a wicker chair.
"So, Leech," he said, "I heard the news."
Ella put her hands on her hips defiantly. "Peter, I told you to stop calling me that."
"One time almost drowning in a lake gets you nicknames like that."
She walked up to him and shook him by the shoulders playfully. She was going to enter the house, but Peter grabbed her arm before she could leave.
"Seriously, Ella. I'm worried about you...and I don't have time to say goodbye."
She turned to face him and his eyes were watering.
"Aww, Peter," she pulled him into a standing position and hugged him.
He struggled to choke out the words. "I-I can't lose you. You're my other half...it's not fair."
She looked past his shoulder out towards the street. "I'll still be here. Don't worry. You'll feel me."
YOU ARE READING
One Last Song
Teen Fiction"She saw her mom collapse to the floor dramatically, fighting tears. Her father drew Ella into a tight hug, whispering comforting words into her ear. She could barely hear them. She felt a tear fall slowly down her face, but the gray world made it d...
