The next couple of weeks had been productive.
But that was just it.
Productive may have been what I needed but it wasn’t at all what I wanted. I must admit I had developed quite a crush on my Bio partner. At times our work sessions became more of a personal opportunity to spend time with her. Probably the reason I liked it soo much. Part of me felt entitled to the afternoons we spent working on the project. Truth be told I knew things could change in the blink of an eye.
Melinda is actually a really nice person when she isn't drunk out of her mind. Not to mention intelligent too. Just a little distracted sometimes. Her mind would often drift off to different galaxies while we were having our late night philosophical conversations. Talking about the realities of our universe and what it truly means to be here. I could listen to her views on the matter for hours but of course Rose has always been a realist, so that would never last long. We even tried to include her once. She didn’t buy it completely, but we did leave her asking more questions than before.
One night we were working overtime at their apartment. The moon was full and the stars were watching us with their twinkling blue and bright yellow bodies. We were out on the balcony after a long afternoon's worth of work. Melinda had just brought us hot chocolate. I remember her pulling the trigger for the conversation.
“So guys. Have you ever wondered what’s the purpose of all the other stars in the galaxy?"
I probably already knew what I wanted to say. Without hesitation though, Rose made her intent to answer clear.
“My parents once asked me this question. We were star gazing back In Mountain view. I never had an answer back then but I think I do now. I think they symbolize our memories. Each one just as special as the other but not necessarily as bright", she said while gazing up at the inky blue night sky.
I think both Melinda and I were wondering what had gotten into her. She was almost never this deep or philosophical about anything.
“Rose. Are you okay?”, I asked.
“Yeah I’m okay. I guess I’m just a little homesick.”
I noticed a slight twinkle in her eyes and realized there were tears on the brink of cascading down her cheeks. If I’d ever seen her show emotion in the past few weeks, it was nothing compared to now.
“You sure?”, I asked.
“Yeah I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m a little tired. I think I just need some sleep.”
She hastily grabbed her cup of hot coco and rushed away from the balcony.
After disappearing into her room we didn’t hear from her the rest of the night. And hour later I went home, still a little puzzled by her behavior. I was now left with more questions than answers.
The next day while on my way home from the supermarket I noticed a girl sitting on the floor by my appartment door. As I came closer I realized it was Rose. She had buried her head in her knees and seemed to be hysterically crying at the time.
“Rose, Shhh don’t worry it’ll be okay. Come inside, let’s get you something to drink.”
I comforted her, consoled her on the floor and helped her inside. She sat down by the kitchen table. While making her some tea I tried to find out a little more about what was wrong but she was in her own mind at that point. Her face was blank with only a few tears running down her face.
“What’s the matter Rose?”, I asked.
"Things aren’t great back home. My mom told me she had a fight with my dad", she replied.
“Well, parents fight sometimes, I’m sure they’ll be okay.”
“Its not the first time. They’ve been fighting for a couple of months now", she said.
“Why though? I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I. Sometimes it seems like its about stupid stuff. Just as I assume the best, it escalates and ends up being uglier than necessary", she said.
“Have you spoken to anyone about this?”, I asked.
“Only Melinda. She has always known about it though. She practically grew up around my parents. When they started acting funny she noticed the difference too. The only problem is that she’s just about as helpless as I am right now. You’re the only other person I trust", she said.
“I’ve got you. You can trust me. I haven’t exactly grown up with the best parenteral circumstances either. My dad’s been in prison for as long as I can remember and my mom barely had enough money to keep us above water. I remember the last time I saw him. It was early on a Saturday morning. He told us he’d be making a delivery for car parts to a friend over in New York. That’s kinda how we thought he made money. By delivering stuff to people. Kind of like a courier. Anyway, he left and told us he’d be back the next day. The only thing we got the next day was a phone call from the FBI. He was caught with drugs at an airport security gate. A lot of drugs. Enough to put him away for a really long time. My point is. I understand what it’s like to have an uncertain future. Especially with the people you love the most. I’ll go through all of it with you though.”
“Thanks Carlos. I’m sorry you had to go through all that", she replied.
“We all have to face our demons at some point. One way or another.”
YOU ARE READING
IF ROSES BLED INK
Teen Fiction"Insert Synopsis", Imagine if I actually told you about the story before you read it.
