I still remember the day I saw her. It was a normal day in school, and everybody had to give a presentation in science class. We had to prepare it ourselves, and have our posterboard, neatly decorated with a description our given ecosystem. I was glad that mine wasn’t the only one that looked like shit. The whole class had failed miserably in their attempt to get it right. Everyone but her. I never really took notice of her until that day, when she stood up in front of the class, nervously giving her presentation. You could tell that she was nervous by the way her voice shook and the sudden paleness of her skin. My fellow classmates weren’t helping either. Every once in a while, you would hear whispering throughout the room. But then it became constant. And she looked as if she was going to pass out any second. They started laughing, and to tell you the truth, the teacher could care less.

     She dropped the board and ran out the door, running down the hall. For the first time in forever, I felt sorry for someone besides my classmates. The bell rang and everybody left the room, laughing and carrying on about how much of a nerd she was. I walked towards the lobby, where we had our snack break. Before I settled down, I headed towards the rest area. It wasn’t long before I heard constant sobbing from the girls bathroom. Any other guy would have turned around and walked off. But I wasn’t like them. I looked around to make sure that there was nobody around, and stepped in. “Are you ok?” I didn’t expect an answer. Heck, I was in the girls bathroom! I turned around the corner, and there she was, curled up in a ball with her books scattered along beside her and a tissue box in her lap. She looked up through strands of black hair. It was then that I got a good look at her. She had a gothic appearance, but she wasn’t like the ones who had chains everywhere. She wore a black t-shirt that said People Like You Are The Reason I Take Medication, baggy pants, and red and black striped arm warmers. Her sad, brown eyes stood out the most compared to everything else. They frowned up at me with a look that was just calling for help. Tears flowed freely down her face, like a never ending river. I couldn’t help but to feel sorry for her. My hand found her shoulder somehow, and I didn’t even realize it until she finally pulled away.

     She gathered up her books and put them gently in her backpack, and without warning, she threw her arms around me and ran down the hall. I sat there, stunned, until the bell interrupted my thoughts. I quickly ran down the hallway to my last class. When the day was over, I started walking home, when I saw her. At first, I argued with myself, until I finally walked over. It was raining, so I held my umbrella over our heads. She looked up at me and smiled. “Thanks.” I smiled back “It’s nothing...” But I knew that it was something. For once in my life, I cared about someone besides myself. She looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes. “Um.. I feel uncomfortable being stared at..” I realized what I was doing and started throwing out apologies. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” She put a finger to my mouth and giggled “You’re funny!” When we arrived at her house, she looked up at me, and I thought that I would die. ‘Ok Daren, calm down. You’ll get through this. Just say goodbye, and I’ll see you tomorrow.' I stood there awkwardly, my mind completely blank. She hugged me tightly, and mumbled against my chest, “Thanks.. For everything...” She turned around and ran inside, slamming the door behind her.

     I walked home in the rain, wondering just what I had gotten myself into. The next day, I saw her sitting in a corner all alone, writing in a small book. I frowned as I watched her. She looked so lonely, over there by herself. But did I have the courage to say hi? I took a deep breath and walked over to her. “Um... hi.” She closed her book as I sat beside her. We talked and got to know each other more. I found out that her name was Serene, which I found as a strange, but beautiful name. At the end of the day, I walked her home. Everything was perfectly fine, until I noticed that she had stopped, holding her hand to her head. She fell on the ground, clutching her chest. “I can’t breathe” she moaned between gasps. I quickly called an ambulance with my cell, but by the time they arrived, she was already gone. I had held her in my arms, crying into her hair and hoping that somehow, it would be okay.
     
     She held my face in her hands, gazing weakly into my eyes. “Remember..” Her hands dropped and she was gone. Gone forever. We never knew how she died. And I never knew why she had to. I went on forever, wishing that I was the one who had died. I would stay up forever, crying my eyes out. I had nothing to live for..not anymore.. But that changed. A few weeks after the incident, my science teacher called me over to her desk and handed me a book that Serene had left in class. “She would have wanted you to see this.” And as I read it now, I cry, remembering again and again the lonely eyes that called for help. And got it.

?/?/??

I never knew I would see the day when someone would actually care. When anyone would just come up to me and give me their heart. He was the only one who had the strength to lend me a hand, and to take my life and make it his own. If I was to die today, I wouldn’t care, knowing that I’m not alone anymore. That someone actually cares, about me. And that I can love someone, and be loved in return. Because that’s all I ever wanted. It was only a dream...but I guess that dreams really do come true.
                                                                    Serene


THE END