𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, charlie conway

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 | the world before

     "HEY, I FOUND ONE!" Charlie calls along the edge of the river bank. "This is a good one, just you wait!"
"Took you long enough, slowpoke." Crystal smiles, making her way to his side from the rock she was sitting on.
They had been out all afternoon looking for nice rocks — it was still the first days of spring, the ones where your mother finally tells you to go on and play without your coat and boots.

Crystal, behaving like the bright child she is, had gathered about ten "pretty rocks," all speckled, or smooth, or otherwise attractive to the eye and hand. Charlie has just one in his palm — his magnum opus of a rock.

"I think this one looks like your eyes." Charlie admits, showing her the smooth brown rock when Crystal's eyes are, in fact, blue.
"So my eyes look like a nugget of poop? Don't make excuses, Charlie... you're just jealous that I found all the good rocks first."
"You always assume I'm jealous. Have you ever considered that I might just not care about rocks as much as you do?"
"...I know you don't care." She stands, collecting her rocks in her shirt as if it was a basket. "C'mon, the streetlights are almost on, we have to get home."
Crystal tugs Charlie's hand, and he follows her blindly.

Though they were nearing the age of embarrassment, Charlie was still unafraid to say (to most people) that Crystal, a girl, was his best friend since birth. He'd follow her anywhere, just as she'd follow him; he believed everything she said, even relating to her little Atlantis obsession. Something about how she spoke of the mythical underwater city had him convinced she was there in a past life, that it was meant to be her life's work in some way. Charlie Conway was no believer in these mysticalities, but he could be for Crystal Nelson.

"Geez, my head hurts." Crystal sighs, rubbing the back of her head as they walk along — away from the brook and out of the wooded part of the neighborhood. "I've been having a lot of headaches, my mom is taking me to the doctor to see if I've been having migraines this week."
"Can't you just take an Ibuprofen?"
"...We tried that."
"Well I hope it gets better."
"Thank you."

The walk went on, quieter as the sun began to set, the sky painted purple with orange melting into the horizon. Birds were tweeting their typical happy love ballads, and Crystal was thinking — she had something she'd been meaning to say for a while, and she knew now was a good time. It was like she could predict that in just a few days, she wouldn't remember her childhood of memories with her best friend.

As the path of pavement reached its fork in the road, the two kids stopped to say their daily goodbye.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Charlie suggests. "I hope you enjoy your rocks." He started walking on his way.
"Thank you." She took a deep breath, looking at him for a minute. "I love you."
Charlie stops in his tracks, turning around after a moment, still slow. "Ew." He remarks with a smirk.

"Charlie!" The girl practically whined out of frustration.
"Oh, you're serious?"
"Of course I'm serious! I'm not trying to imitate your mom!" Crystal suggests.
"Wait a second..." He walks back to her like he's ready for an interrogation. "Really, you love me?"

Crystal gulped back her tears, not letting them fall. There was no point in crying or being emotional. She was just telling him the truth, and hopefully he wouldn't reject her for all time because of it. Charlie wasn't exactly unemotional, but he was a boy, and she didn't want to look lesser to him because of her sensitivity.

"Yeah, of course I do." She admits. "Cross my heart, hope to die."
The pinky finger she holds out is soon linked by Charlie's. "So you pinky swear you're serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious."
As they let their hands go, Charlie takes a minute to decide what to do, or find what he thinks of the situation. He doesn't know in the moment.