in which she swims to forget all the pain, but he sees it all because dallas edlen is not ok and, having loved her for years, seeing that was no task.
ONE BREATH
MINIMINTER
SIDEMEN
DEATHLIES 2016
[COMPLETED]
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EIGHT s i m o n
As he steps out of his front door, he is met with her light eyes and her bright smile. It was only up close that you felt her aura radiating.
Her confidence was off the chart and her manner was even further beyond. Carrying her into the stars where she belonged. Where she could shine without hesitation and without the mask that held her back ever single day.
"I'm glad you agreed, Simon," Dallas says and he swore he could smell her cherry lip balm from how close she stood to him as she spoke. And the way his name slipped from her tongue seemed like living a dream. In reality, it was. He'd loved her for as long as he could remember, but couldn't do anything as they'd drifted apart years before.
And here she was, beaming at him like he'd bought her a puppy with the prettiest eyes and the shiniest coat.
Then, as the sun said its goodbyes to the world, she grasped his hand in hers and wound her fingers between his. Simon's breath caught in his throat. If he told the boys about the way his body responded to her, he'd never hear the end of it.
Her next words are like a sad teenage poem. "Run with me until we can run no more."
Her fingers pressed into his hand.
But he did not hesitate to agree once more and they run like secretive lovers down the streets they played in when they were young. Playing for hours upon hours with one another; pretending to fly, faking death and acting out scenes from their favourite movies. One of which included Star Wars. Dallas always made Simon play along. Star Wars was always her favourite, but you'd have no idea of that looking at her now. Now, she was far from that girl down the street he used to spend summer days with, but, at the same time, she was the spitting image.
Dallas never used to be so mysterious. It was strange to look at her and not know how she was. It was the simple things that he missed, but holding her hand with the wind battering their faces as they ran made up for the lost time in an instant because in that moment it was as if he had Dallas back, even if she would be gone in the blink of an eye.
And he knew that as he ran with her, his long legs easily keeping up with her. Dallas always had energy, but all at once seemed drained.
Her eyes don't shine like they used to.
Despite it all, she looks wonderful as she runs. One foot after the other, laughing like she used to, but Simon couldn't help but wonder why tonight of all nights she'd asked this of him.
Shoes pounded onto the concrete pavement, not quite in time, but that was ok because being together again was enough, being away from home was enough, being able to breath in air free of bad blood was beyond enough. Especially when all you'd let fill your lungs for years was the toxic gas that flooded your home and black lungs were all you could remember.
They've run further than he thought they would by the time they stop, out of breath. Chests rising and falling as they smile at one another with grins that took Dallas back ten years.
Suddenly she hated her mother just that little bit more for tearing her away from everything good in her life.
She lets go of his hand, stuffing them both into her pockets and scuffing her shoe on the ground as if she were some how nervous to be existing there.
"Thanks for running with me," She says, her words distorted as she caught her breath. "But why did you agree to run with a stranger?"
"You're not a stranger, we've known each other since we were young," Simon replies, looking over at her with his brilliant blue eyes that filled with overwhelming concern.
"Even so, we're still like strangers," Dallas tells him, sounding as if she knew everything in the world. She spoke like that often; maybe that's why people never questioned her, or maybe it was the underlying anger that she beheld, that swelled in her eyes whenever someone doubted her motive. It was unpredictable. "So, why did you agree to run with me, Simon?"
"It seemed like the right thing to do," Simon says, turning his eyes away from her and forcing himself to pay attention to the walk back because he knew if he looked at her for a second longer he would blurt out everything he'd never had the chance to say to her.
Dallas shortly hums a note of approval, by her standards, signalling her satisfaction with his answer. Perhaps it was because it had the right level of mystery to it to make her wonder.
The rest of the walk was in silence. It wasn't awkward, it was appreciative. By now, they were almost back at Simon's house and a question had been gnawing at him for a large proportion of the journey.
At last he asked.
"Why did you invite me and my friends to the party on Saturday?"
Dallas glances at him with the last breaths of the evening sun dancing on her cheeks and says, "It seemed like the right thing to do." And she smirks, her rosy tinted lips turning and Simon has no clue how to respond to such a reply.
In his eyes, he beheld a mystery in the shape of a girl, in the shape of Dallas Edlen.
And that night he concluded something:
Dallas Edlen was not ok, but she was a delicate mystery striving to be solved.
