Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Dying Friendship ❯ Chapter 1

“Would you choose me over him?”

“Let's put it this way, he can do more for me than you can.”

A sigh rolled across the phone.

“So— you'd put him in front of me?”

“I don't think it's going to come to that.”

“It's okay. I don't blame you. Friendships, like romances, are a type of relationship. All relationships end in someone sailing away into the sunset and the other broken on the shore. That's just the way it works.”

Deep breaths echoed across the phone, then quickened. A dulled sniffle punctured the rhythm.

“Are you crying? You're a completely ridiculous, pessimistic, self-pitying drama queen.”

The seconds of silence hung in the air with nothing but the rhythmic rush of static. They lengthened, then suddenly the breaths lengthened and evened without reason.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Our friendship just collapsed.”

“No it didn't. Stop being stupid.”

“Sorry. It will.”

“Why? There's no reason to think that we're going to not be friends in the future.”

“Except for the fact that everything ends. It's as if relationships create little lives all on their owns. And all life ends.”

“You're over thinking this. You always do.”

“But when our friendship does end and you attempt to wound me, I'll be prepared and not get hurt because I chose to already feel the pain.”

“Once again, over thinking. I just don't understand you. You're sort of a freak, do you realize that?”

“I always overdo everything. And I just lost another best friend. It hurt, but I'm better now.”

The leaves on the browning, spotted rosebushes writhed helplessly against the fierce winds like tortured butterflies. Mottled, dead leaves left over from fall were jerked of the tree and whipped into the frenzy, scattering everywhere.

She stared in desperation as she watched it all, as if nature could know that the tumultuous chaos of destruction was identical to what was in her mind. As the leaves rapidly flashed the pale undersides and their dark tops, looking outside became an illusion with the shapes and sizes contorting in awkward ways. The heavily falling drops added to the shimmering deception. The angry storm clouds overhead sucked the pigmentation from everything. Her grayish toned skin and the world around her that was once so vivid seemed to awaken some other sense in her thoughts.

She closed her eyes. She could see her emotion; it was a long, blood red ribbon with small rips along it. She held out a hand and slowly wrapped it around her left pointer finger. When all the way wound, she tied the ends together and slipped it off her finger. In her mind, she looked at the violent storm. Small labored steps led her to the door, and she hurled the spool of ribbon into the storm where the wind seized it and scattered it like the dead leaves already flying through the air. A loud clap of thunder punctuated the real world, and her mind saw a large flash of thunder incinerate every scrap of he fragile red ribbon. She opened her eyes slowly, with a heavy leaden feeling settling in her stomach. She willed herself to become a solid rock wall. An emotionless wall that stood throughout time with no damage. She willed herself to lose her humanity and ability to love.

Meanwhile, the storm moved on and continued to rip apart the neighboring town. Outside the plants dripped limply and hung pathetically, as if worn out from the beating that had just whirled through. The girl sat down on the couch, and quickly yet subtly slumped into a sleeping heap against the leather arm, loosely grasping a pillow beneath one arm.