An attempt at a 5 part short story.

[elfgrove]

If the word "Love" were easy to say, would it still be so valuable?

If "Trust" were given easily, would the heart not always be broken?

If "Hope" were stronger, would we never cry again?

If "Forgiveness" were given, would it heal the scar?

If I left, would you understand why?


The Raven, The Wolf, and The Little Bird
Part I
If the word "Love" were easy to say, would it still be so valuable?

            He turned towards me again, long hair falling across his face, hiding those familiar dark blue eyes from me.
            "I'm leaving now."
            I stood there, hands clenched into fists held straight against my sides. I couldn't say anything, couldn't think. My mind was filled with nothing but the void that should have been his presence. Had there been a time before I knew him? I couldn't remember it, couldn't imagine a life where he wasn't there. I started to call out his name, but my body wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t speak, or cry, or move. And he was walking away from me. How... How could this happen?
            "You’ll forget this someday. Just forget about me." He turned, shutting the trunk of his car, the metallic thud sounding all too final. "Don’t worry, okay?"
            I heard footsteps behind me, I still couldn’t bring myself to move, not even to turn away from him.
            "You better write you damn backbiter." Randy stepped past me, one hand on his hip, the other smoothing the fluffy mass of white-blonde hair out of his eyes. "You know..."
            "I know." Carefully flipping his silken black hair forward over one shoulder, he slid gracefully into the driver’s seat of the car. "Bye Randy. Jenna."
            The car door closed, and drove down the long cobblestone at the slowest pace I’d ever seen him drive. Randy didn’t turn to face me until the car was completely out of sight. He was the tallest person I knew, thin and wiry. Soft brown eyes looked at me carefully. "So, he...?"
            Finally my body seemed to come back under my control, and I took a nervous step backwards. "You knew..."
            Randy released a deep breath and looked up at the sky one hand at the back of his head, trying to exude the laid-back air that he didn’t feel. "Yeah. For a long time now."
            I’m not good with words. I’m not. I know it. I also knew perfectly well that I was choosing the worst possible words to say to him. "How... How could you? Both of you! I hate you!" I brought my clenched fists in front of my face, and squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears.

            Randy dropped his arm suddenly, and then slowly turned his face to look at Jenna. Her normally fair skin was bright red, with what? Anger? Frustration? Hurt? Her eyes were shut as if she couldn’t stand to look at him, and her curling brown hair cascaded across shaking shoulders.
            "Jenna... I..."
            He moved one hand nervously through his messy white-blonde hair again, wondering how much Brandon had told her. He wasn’t supposed to have...
            "Dammit."
            Randy stepped forward and leaned down the little bit necessary to wrap Jenna in his arms. She didn’t push him away at least. That would’ve really hurt.
            "I really didn’t know." Jenna was sobbing into his shoulder now.
            "I know." Randy let his bangs fall forward, obscuring his eyes. "Don’t worry about it. Just forget it. You and I, we’ll graduate next year, then we can go to school with Brandon again." He choked down the lump in his throat. "It’ll be the three of us. Just like always."

***
            Brandon pulled off at the first service station from his house. He didn’t need gas; he had a long drive, and had filled up the car the night before. He’d meant to put a lot of distance between himself and Jenna today.
            "I already accomplished that though, didn’t I?" He slumped forward, letting his forehead rest against the steering wheel.
            He mentally replayed his last words to her, the last thing he said before Randy had come out of the house, ending their private talk, "Just forget about me."
            I really thought I could mean it too... telling her to just forget me. I’ve got nothing to offer her. I’ve got no right. And... Randy’s liked her forever. I couldn’t even figure that much out until recently.
            The heat sank out of his face, taken over by cold sweat, and he was reminded just how weak he was. He got out of the car and headed to the restroom. This would be an incredibly long trip if this were going to be one of his Bad Days.

            Splashing cold water on his face, Brandon recalled the look on Jenna’s face as he told her about his cancer. She’d been about the same sickly color that he was now, her green eyes wide and pale. Randy had known for the last six months, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Jenna until today. Today, when he was leaving for a university a couple of hundred miles away, great timing.
            The doctors gave me at least another 5 years before the cancer ends everything. I’ll see Jenna and Randy again.
            Everything will work out. I’ll be stronger then.
            Maybe I’ll even tell her...
            Who am I kidding? She’ll be dating Randy by then, and I’m not an asshole.
            I just... I’m going to miss those two. It seems like we’ve been together forever... Like I’ve always been with them.

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Yeah... I seem to have to try writing every once in a while. A bit of a romantic story I guess.