He gazed at her, mesmerized with the seemingly endless oceans that were her eyes. She was more beautiful than he could ever imagine, from her flawless flowing hair to her perfectly tan legs. She was all he had ever hoped for, and she was all his. She had put up with all of his idiosyncrasies since day one, and he had finally worked up the nerve to ask her out. Her answer seemed to take an eternity to leave her luscious red lips, but when they did, he breathed easy once more, and felt more at peace than he ever had before. She had been his best friend for months, and her very presence was enough to make his face turn red, and his palms feel clammy. He loved her, and despite everyone’s disapproval, he remained by her side in the toughest of times, and she him.
“Keith?” The teacher’s voice broke through his daydreaming, bringing him to a crashing halt back to reality.
“Sorry Mr. Kane, I wasn’t paying attention.” Keith mumbled at his teacher with loathing.
“And what, pray tell, is more important than your education?” Mr. Kane said snidely, with a knowing smirk on his face. “Can anyone tell me what it is that fascinates Keith so?”
“I know, Mr. Kane! It was that slut, Alice!” Jack called out.
Instantly, Keith was out of his seat, pocketknife drawn. “Wanna say that again, d*bag?”
“Keith! Put that away!” Alice shrieked with her eyes wide. She covered her face with her hands, terrified of what was coming next, and couldn’t bear to see it.
Keith turned around and his face softened. He turned back to Jack, bent over and whispered in his ear, “You got lucky this time. I’d watch your back if I were you, jackass.”
Immediately, Jack’s face paled, and he shuddered. “Mr. Kane, may I use the restroom?”
“If you must, you may. Class will be over soon enough anyway. Keith, I would like to see you after the bell, everyone else may go.”



“I’ll be out in a sec, babe. Meet me at the pond, okay?” Keith said with unusual tenderness, kissed Alice on the cheek, and shooed her out. “Is something wrong, sir?” He said, injecting unfathomable hate in such a short sentence.

“Yes, Keith; in fact there is. You have not been working to your potential and that disturbs me as your teacher. Now, I’m not one to get involved in student’s lives, but-“

“Then don’t!” Keith interjected.

“Let me finish. As I was saying, I’m not one to get involved, but it seems to me Alice has impacted you very negatively.”

“You don’t know anything! She’s the best thing that’s happened to me, and I would appreciate you not poking your nose anywhere it doesn’t belong! Good day, sir.” Keith snapped, maliciously. He hated Mr. Kane more than he had ever hated anyone before, and would like nothing more than for him to drop dead. Keith stormed out of the room, leaving Mr. Kane chuckling at how blind the poor kid was.




He heard her before he saw her, hiding in the bush next to their rock. He wheeled around to meet her flying at him, arms spread. He caught her midair and hugged her tight. Before he placed her back on the ground, he planted a passionate kiss upon her lips.

“How was your day, babe?” He inquired.

“Fine, except you really scared me in English. I thought you said you wouldn’t bring your knife to school anymore?” She replied, with tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry, force of habit. Would you rather hold it for me?”

“Very much so, hon. Thank you.” She said, forcing a weak smile. She then took the pocketknife from Keith and slipped it into her coat pocket, where it would be safe.
They lay there, feeling safe in each other’s arms as the sun set and darkness engulfed the earth. Neither he nor she wished to leave the comfort of the other’s arms and go home. They heard the rustling of the nocturnal wildlife, and were finally at peace. She looked over at him and saw him asleep, with a content look upon his face. He really was something else, with his wavy golden hair and perfectly tone skin. She, unlike him, had a family waiting for her back at her house, even if it only was an abusive father. She carefully weaseled her way out of his embrace and stood in the frigid air in only her undergarments, and laid his arm across his naked chest. He stirred but did not wake, and she covered him with his sweatshirt, making a mental note to bring him a blanket sometime. She quietly got dressed, kissed Keith on the forehead, and strolled through the woods to her house.



As per usual, Keith woke up at the crack of dawn on his rock, sore from the previous night’s sleep. He threw his clothes on carelessly, and ambled over to Alice’s house for breakfast. Her parents hated him, he knew, but she loved him, and that’s all that mattered to him.

He came in through the front door to her father screaming at her to get out of his face and to never come back, and he quickly shut the door again and waited outside for Alice to come out, hands in her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. He put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her, but all she did was shrug away and walk off, leaving him there, speechless.

In English, Alice sat alone at the table far in the back, away from Keith and all the others in class. Once, Keith made the mistake of going up to her and asking if she was okay, only to get a snappy response in return. Where Alice was sitting was where Jack usually sat, so Jack was forced to the table with Keith. He kept making snide remarks about Alice and her unusual behavior, and Keith felt himself fighting the urge to attack him with all his might, but restrained himself for her. She wouldn’t feel any better if he beat Jack up, not in the slightest. She would get mad, even, for exhibiting such an inadequate show of self-control. It was tough, but he managed to do it, for her.

Later, at their spot by the pond, Keith and Alice met up as usual. What was unusual however, Keith noticed, was Alice’s behavior. She seemed very on edge, and didn’t want to talk much. He knew better than to prod for information, but worried for her immensely, so he asked if anything was bothering her.

“Yes, Keith. Something is bothering me. But I doubt you’d understand, it’s not like you have a family that can let you down.”

“Aw, c’mon hun, I’m sure I’d understand. Y’know, you can tell me anything you want to,” Keith replied, starting to get nervous now. What had happened in her family this time?

“Well you see, you know how my father hates you?” she said, now with almost a glimmer of a smirk in her face.

“…yes?” Keith squeaked, now becoming more and more fearful. He cleared his voice, and tried to sound strong. “What about it?”

At this point, Alice started to get up and walk over to Keith, one hand in her pocket. “Hush, Keith, it’ll all be over soon.”

“Alice?!” Keith cried, pure panic keeping him held to this spot, now truly and utterly terrified.

She took out his pocketknife, and promptly slit Keith’s throat. Keith, who had always stood by her side and protected her when times had gotten tough, she now saw with crimson blood running down his neck, pooling by his feet. She left his knife in his throat, and walked away, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I’m sorry Keith, you wouldn’t understand.”

As the world went black, the only things Keith could think were that Mr. Kane was actually trying to help him, and how Keith had only disappointed him, and how the one he had loved so thoroughly and whole-heartedly had just betrayed him so immensely. She had never cared about him, and even if she had, not nearly as strongly as he had about her. He watched her walk away, and as the world went to black, rasped out the words “I… love… you… Alice.”