All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
When The World Falls Down
Emilie leaned against the freezing marble and sighed. The snow and ice cold wind was getting to her, through her multiple layers of clothing, biting at her face.
“After everything…. Adam…He still hasn’t come back…I wonder if he even knows what’s going on down here. You would think mum, that even in his precious little boarding school his mother would have told him about this… I mean, she dislikes me, with everything in her, I never understood why of course…. Maybe it was because I corrupted her son….She loved you though…. She would have told him right? Unless he just doesn’t care… I mean, he probably has a new girlfriend…One that isn’t as… insecure like me…”
No voice answered hers and she sighed, turning to the gravestone.
Bronte Pleasant, adored mother, loyal friend, See what tomorrow brings.
“No…I guess you wouldn’t answer. It would be nice if you could though, or even dad… You could input some wisdom…You are a professor after all… Fine…Don’t then…You were never good at boy troubles anyway… You’re always squeamish about them interacting with me…. But Adam was okay…You liked him…. Only boy I’ve ever seen you like straight away… You know… I’ve finished reading all your Harry Potter books again….They’re all well thumbed through… I remember falling asleep with dreams of witches and wizards…. I remember when I was really sick, I told you I had a crush on Harry cause he looked like Adam…You poked your tongue out and… changed the subject.”
The gravestone beside the one she leant against still had the words clearly engraved.
Cal Pleasant, silly and lovable father, smart man, kind hearted. Be what tomorrow needs.
“Adam’s in boarding school, the peppy little s***. Bet he has an honour student for a girlfriend. Bet she gets an A+ in every subject, I bet they have study dates… I bet he finally has a normal f*ing life…. A normal girlfriend…. I mean, who wants a girl whose only dream is to make it on Warped Tour? Apart from the guys…It’s basically no one. He’s probably glad to be back on the straight and narrow…. I screwed him up. He was too good for me… Things would never have worked out. I mean, he was going to a doctor school, or a lawyer school or whatever. I don’t care. He never came back… It’s been two years.” Emilie sighed and stood up, stretching out our aching limbs.
She kissed each headstone and pulled out her fake black wand from the back of her pants. A present from her father, it was the nerdy version of a friendship bracelet, because there was a matching white wand to give to your best friend…Or lover.
Pointing the wand up she smiled as she whispered the memorised incantations from Harry Potter.
“Accio Adam.” The wind picked up and Emilie blushed for believing such a silly thing might work.
“You’re so sad Em’. I mean, c’mon… You just Accio’ed a boy… Get a grip.”
“I would have to agree, you are sad…. That pronunciation was awful.”
Emilie spun around, hardly believing her eyes when they met the hazel eyes of her ex best friend and boyfriend. Adam stood in the snow a few feet away from her parents graves, a black leather jacket over a grey hoodie, a black and white checked scarf, dark grey skinny jeans and a black beanie that pushed his dark brown hair over his pierced eyebrow and curled in on his cheeks. His cheeks were tinted red with the cold and he had his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.
It was nothing like the boy who had left her two years ago. Who had told her he was leaving in a blue sweater and black dress pants. The boy she had yelled and screamed at in the middle of the park. The boy who had not sent a single word to her like he promised, even after she yelled at him.
“Adam…” Adam smiled at the girl. His girlfriend, the one who taught him all about being himself, about showing the real him, instead of being who his parents wanted him to be. His girlfriend, whom he cried over days after he left for England. His best friend who stood, her pale blond hair coming out of her plait, her green eyes watering at the sight of him.
Emilie dropped the wand and ran to the boy, leaping at him and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.
“You’re here.”
“I had to come back. Cal and Bronte, I never knew until a couple days ago.” Emilie sniffled and rubbed her cold nose against Adams warm cheek. His arms tightened around her waist and he shook his head. “I’m so sorry Ems'.” Emilie shook her head and let go gently. Moving back she picked up the black piece of wood and rolled it around in her hands.
“Now they’re gone. You’re going to leave soon as well. You have a successful career in the making… I bet that school is a lot of hard work, but you were always a smart guy, it must be kind of easy right?”
“Used to.” Emilie looked up confused at her ex. He stood staring at her with a small bashful smile.
“Used to?” Adam nodded.
“The school work used to be easy. Now it’s practically non-existent.” Emilie forced the smile.
“You nerd.” Adam shook his head.
“You misunderstand. I mean I quit. I dropped out. I high-tailed it out of there with a few belongings and came here.” For a second time the black wand dropped from her hands and Emilie looked up stunned as Adam made his way closer to her.
“You what? You left?” Adam nodded nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.
“I left something behind. It took me a while to come back and get it, but finally dad grew some balls and sent me the money to come back and get it. I’m kind of useless without it. I guess you could say it's kind of my only hope for a real life.”
Emilie felt her breath quicken and her wide eyes stared up into those hazel ones of her ex best friend and boyfriend. She thought she knew the answer. In the bottom of her heart she felt it stir against her ribs, but she asked the question anyway.
“And what was it? This only hope?” Adam grinned and his teeth gleamed in the rising moonlight.
“You.” With his last word he wrapped his arms around Emilie and dragged her up against him and kissed her passionately on the lips. It was rushed, and it was heated. The emotions that both teens had buried came flaring up to the surface, raging like an inferno. When both of their lungs began to ache for air they pulled apart. Emilie brought her fingers to her lips and looked at Adam with tearing eyes.
“You left that school and disobeyed your mother…For me?” Adam nodded and grabbed her hand that covered her mouth.
“I don’t want to be a fancy lawyer, or a doctor, or anything like that. The person who I want to be, is standing in front of you right now. I want to be a writer, I want to travel with you while you become an amazing musician, I want to be driving down a desert road with the car roof down, you reading a book beside me, and eating pocky. The person I want to be, is the person who’s your best friend, and your boyfriend. The one standing beside you even when the world falls down.”
The boy finished his little speech by leaning in and pecking Emilie’s lips gently. The simple act made her blush and she smiled feeling the love radiate between herself and Adam.
“I... I want you to be that person too. More than anything else in the world.”
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.