All the Best People Are | ✓

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In the garden of memory, in the palace of dreams.
That's where you and I shall meet.
~Alice
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Listen to I See Fire by Ed Sheeran for this chapter.
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There's nothing greater than having someone you love back into your life.
There's nothing greater than moving on from past mistakes and learning to accept flaws and imperfections.
This was all that went through my mind that last day of summer, so many years ago. I'd felt terrible about the things I'd said to Robin and all I wanted was a chance to take them all back and go back to how things were before.

Robin tried apologizing to me on numerous occasions, but I turned her down every time. The fact that my mom didn't believe me didn't make things any better. That day, however, being the last day of summer, meant something more to me. It was my last chance to make it up to her and gets things back to normal.

"Skott, where are you going?" Mom asked with a smile as I placed my hand on the front door knob.
I took a deep breath. "I'm going to apologize."

That was honestly a pretty good blow to my ego. But it was worth it.
Mom pulled me into a hug. "Oh, honey," she whispered, stroking my hair lightly. "I'm so proud of you."

I felt tears brimming in my eyes." But I should've done it sooner," I whispered. She pulled me even closer to her chest and smiled. "It's never too late to apologize."

I opened the door to the sound of sirens. People were shouting, crowds were forming, neighbours were coming out of their houses to see what all the fuss was about. Chaos. Chaos, everywhere.

A large red firetruck was pulled into Robin's driveway, so large that it extended into the open road. I watched with wide eyes as the scene played out in front of me.

Mr. Finley was holding onto Mrs. Finley as tightly as he could as she sobbed uncontrollably in his arms.
More and more people were forming a circle around the burning house in horror.

The smell of fire lingered in the air and I could feel my eyes watering from the smoke. I saw the orange of the flames, the red of the burning and the blackening of the ashes.
When it finally started to register in me what was happening, my legs whirred to action without my consent.

The neighbours started to swarm around the Finleys and I started finding it harder and harder to breathe.
As soon as Mrs. Finley saw me, her face broke into relief. "Skott! Where's Robin?" She asked, looking around to see if she was hiding somewhere behind me.

I froze.
My legs stopped moving.
My body stopped trembling.
My heart stopped beating.
I stopped breathing.

"Skott?" Mrs. Finley asked once more, her face blanched with fear. I shook my head side to side, convincing myself this was all just a dream. I wrapped my arms around my chest tightly, waiting for the nightmare to pass over.
But it didn't.
It crossed over into reality and never, ever left me.

"She was in the house," Mrs. Finley whispered, not daring to believe what she'd just said. "SHE'S IN THE HOUSE," she screamed, and people rushed to her side as she started to bawl. I remember people rushing towards me after that, someone's sturdy arms carrying me back home to safety. I remember the scent of smoke drifting further and further till I couldn't smell it at all. I remember feeling terrible afterwards because I didn't do anything to help.

I knew I blacked out after that because the only thing I remember after that day was waking up in my bedroom the next morning, thinking it was just a bad dream. I remember crying. No, wailing. Screaming at the prospect of not having Robin around anymore. It didn't take me long to figure out what had really happened, though. And I hadn't cried harder in my whole life.
That was the day I lost my best friend.

The fire had started because of an old oil lamp that had been tipped over on accident. Robin should've been at my house then, while her parents were at work, but because of our fight she chose to stay at home alone. By the time we found out she was still inside, it was too late.

I knew it was all my fault. If it hadn't been for me, Robin wouldn't have been in the house when the fire started. If it hadn't been for me, Robin wouldn't have tipped over that oil lamp in the first place and the fire never would've started.
It was all my fault.

My mom had been wrong. Sometimes it is too late to apologize.

For an entire month following the accident, I didn't speak to anyone. I hardly came out of my room, save for the few trips to the bathroom. Either Mom or Dad would come up with food during mealtimes and every time they asked me a question I just nodded or shook my head.
I didn't speak a word.

Eventually they took the hint and stopped asking questions altogether. Even though I'd hate to admit it, I really missed when they asked me how I was feeling or if I was up for a game of Pictionary. Even Gran came to talk to me a few times, inviting me to tea parties to help cheer me up.

But I couldn't even try to be happy when I'd lost the most important person in my life. If I thought I was lonely that summer, this was a whole other level of darkness in my life. I just felt a blank space where my other half used to be, because then, if I was ready to face it or not, Robin was dead.

I couldn't even bear to make it to the funeral a week after. I was ready, dressed in a black lace frock with shiny black leather shoes. Mom and took took one hand of mine each and we slowly walked out of my room together, and downstairs.
I felt like it was the first time I'd ever left.

Sadly, two steps away from the door, I broke down all over again. The door reminded me of that day. When I was so ready to apologize and begin again, I'd only come face to face with the end.

Deciding not to push me, my parents went without me that night and I stayed in my room, sobbing into my pillow for hours.
At one point I didn't even have enough energy in me to cry any longer. I just felt this unsettling numbness all over my body and I couldn't imagine returning back to school the following week without my partner in crime.

I thought I'd lost everything that day.
What I didn't know was that there was so much more to lost on the way.

I lifted my head from the pillow and went over to the window. Looking out at the black, endless sky and the glittering stars dancing across it, I whispered,
"Together. Forever and always."

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A/N For some reason writing this chapter got me very excited. Maybe it was the milestone of finally having killed a character.... Well, I hope you liked it as much as I loved writing it!

Thanks for everything!
~Via ❤