Steel My Soul ✓

40 | Epilogue

C H A N C E Y

1 year and 6 months after Indigo's death...

She didn't show up to the memorial last night. 

Dawn Robbins promised she'd be a good friend and show up when everyone needed her most, but the asshole didn't. And now I was fuming.

I was fuming and sitting in front of the memorial the town had built for Indigo to support Mrs Maxwell in our long journey of grief. The wooden bench beneath me was built last week, and the long flock of statue doves flew vertically up to the sky before me. Each bird was painted to represent each colour of the rainbow, but the paint job had been done in pale, soft tones. It was beautiful. Flowers and evergreens stretched out behind it, and I knew Indigo would've loved this place. 

She'd also be mad at me for being mad at Dawn. 

Dawn had left for college months after Indigo passed away. I hadn't seen her in person since, or many of my classmates for that matter. They'd all chosen to study abroad, and I hadn't. I didn't mind that. I'd made new friends here, too, but it wasn't the same. 

Still, Dawn promised to visit the memorial when it had been made a week ago, and then last night over the phone, and yet, she was not here. 

"Hey, punk," Her voice didn't affect me as she called out to me from behind. 

I hated her for not showing up. She'd promised. 

Then again, hadn't I? I'd made too many promises to Indigo and her mother to show up and took my damn time doing so. Why was I so mad at Dawn for doing the same to me? I deserved it. 

"Sorry I'm late," She continued, not taking into account that I wasn't giving her attention. "I had a last-minute quiz earlier this week, and my flight got cancelled, and- well, it was a mess, but I'm here now."

Silence. I might as well have glared the green dove into oblivion. 

"We're still doing that, huh?" Her voice hardened. "Alright, fine with me, pretty boy."

I sighed heavily as she took a seat beside me and rested her back against the bench with a deep sigh of her own. Dawn hummed out of contentment and chuckled softly at the sight of the memorial. 

"She'd love this. The flowers behind and everything, aye?" 

I gave her no reply. 

"I'm transferring to the college here. That's also why it took a while to get here. Paperwork."

My head snapped to face her. She was already looking at me with the evilest grin I'd ever seen on her mouth. 

"That's right, you attention whore," She taunted. "I'm moving back here. I need to - for my sanity. It's hard being away from home."

Dawn looked different. Her skin was more tan than usual, and her hideous bangs were gone. Okay, so they weren't that bad, but still. She'd dyed her hair with lighter highlights, and they glowed a caramel shade in the sun. Her nose was pierced, and I could finally see her sharp eyebrows. Dawn's eyes were gentle, and there were no dark circles beneath them. She seemed happy. She glowed, and that hurt. 

As selfish as it had sounded, it hurt to see her happy when I wasn't. 

"Finally got that haircut," were the first words to leave my mouth.