Forever, Bleached, and Always

Ch.6~ Mom and Mitchell LaMyse

Onyx's POV

Flashback

Two years ago

"Onyx, there's something you should know," Mitchell told me. We were laying on a picnic blanket, watching the night sky move above us.

Moving my eyes away from the brilliant stars, I redirected my attention to his face, "What is it?"

"Well, you know what today is."

"Yeah, your birthday."

"Exactly," he moved his dark brown eyes to look straight into my green ones. "So, there's something I need to tell you."

Pulling away a stray piece of brown hair, I asked him what he needed to say.

He took my hands in his, "Onyx Hall, I-" he swallowed, "I love you."

The biggest grin stretched across my face, "I love you too, Mitchell LaMyse!" I chanted, throwing my arms around his neck for the ultimate hug.

We both just laughed and laughed and laughed. And then, there was the occasional kiss, each one a little sweeter than the last. Nothing could ruin what we have. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing could ruin this. Nothing. Not one thing.

That is, until three months later.

For the year and a half we'd been together, not once did Mitchell even mention that he had a lung problem. He always told me everything was fine, and that he was healthy and well. I always knew that he wasn't telling the truth, he was going to the doctor all of the time. I couldn't bother him with my constant asking, though--I knew that I would get the same answer as before. Not once did he bring it up, whatsoever.

Then, I watched him die.

He was in one of those blue gown things, and a white blanked covered everything from this collarbone down, leaving his arms above it. Trying to keep myself from crying, I just watched his eyes flutter. Not once did he let them close for more than a blink. The beeps started to slow, and Mitchell held his hand in mine as he whispered his last words to me, just before letting his eyes close.

"I love you, Onyx. Forever and always."

Scary, how the last verse of the song matched how he died. But, of course, that was nowhere near being on my mind. But what was on my mind That the only person I had ever loved was gone. And I was alone.

Alone. Forever and always

Nine years ago, from present

"Yes, Ms. Hall?"

"Nine?"

"Correct." In third grade, math was the one thing I could do right. Nobody knew me as Bleach, yet, but nobody bothered to know my first name, either. I was always called by my last name.

When you were eight, the only real problem was what you were having for lunch. More importantly, if Mom left you a note. If she did, it was immediately tossed, along with unwanted food. Fortunately for me, you didn't care about what you looked like, or how much you are--food was food. And, if you really wanted to, you could run around and burn it off at recess. Unfortunately, Darin, who was in fifth grade, and I were called down to the office while I was there. A lot of kids looked at me like "She's in so much trouble!" And, honestly, I thought I was. Then I saw Darin and figured that there was no way that we were both in trouble.

Dad stormed in not too long after. He immediately fell to the floor. We rushed to him, paniced and worried and trying to see what was wrong. Darin stared when he saw Dad's face; tears were streaming down his still unshaven face. "Darin, Onyx," he practically whispered, pulling us into a tight embrace.

"Dad? What's going on? Are you okay?" Asked Darin. He looked around for a second or two, and his eyes went animated, "Where's Mom?"

"Daddy?" I questioned, "Is Mommy okay?"

"She will be, honey, she just has to meet the guy upstairs."

Being the naive little girl I was, I thought that he just meant my teacher. I had no idea that Mom was dead, until after all of the people were at my house, giving my sympathy and condolences.

I wore the new blue dress Mom had gotten me for my birthday. It made me cry even more, but sadness was taken over by pity. One year, I learned that she had died my her own fault. Texting while driving is serious, yead, but it just made my mom that much more stupid.

Don't ever compare me to her.

Don't ever say that I'm like her.