That's the thing about endings. They're not all happy.
That's a lie.
My ending just didn't seem happy in someone else's point of view. Yes, I got shot, but to me, it was one of the most perfect ways I could've gone.
I had a great family, supporting friends, and in my eyes, the most perfect girl.
I believe that one way or another, everyone meets their soulmate before they die. Whether it'd be someone they can marry and spend the rest of their life with, or just a really good friend.
She was mine. I'll never know if what we had could've been more. I guess all I can say is that it wasn't meant to be.
After my death, it felt like the end for Brooklyn. I knew that. It's like I could feel the pain she went through. The nauseous feeling stirring in her stomach, feeling like there was a weight just sat on her chest making it hard to breath. Her heart feeling like it was literally shattered, slicing her open with every piece. Uncontrollable tears streaming down her cheeks. Screaming, making her throat dry and her lungs burn. That day, we both lost our best friend, we lost each other.
She didn't know it, but I would watch over her. The days before the funeral, when she would lock herself in her room, her knees pulled to her chest, a lump forming in her throat trying to keep the weeps silent, I would be by her side.
When the funeral did eventually come around, it was like all her feelings went numb. I watched as she knelt next to my casket. A blank expression on her face. It was like everything inside her died along side with me. She softly placed a key chain in the casket and I glanced over her shoulder. A small butterfly paired with the wing of an angel.
"Now we both have wings," She quietly forces a sad chuckle, "Don't go too far, you might be my angel now, but I'm still your butterfly. You gotta show me how to use these wings Jax."
Just from her shaky tone, I can tell there's still a small part of her that wants to believe I'm still alive. Part of her wants me to sit up and hug her. To tell her everything's going to be okay. That it's just a bad dream.
She slowly gets up, rubbing her hand down her face softly, trying to keep it together.
She stops and glances in my sisters direction. Come on Brooklyn. All that she knows is that you're still there, and to her, that 's more than she could hope for.
She takes a deep breath, having trouble looking at Juliet without the thought of me crossing her mind.
Come on.
She kneels in front of her and stays silent, pulling her into a tight hug.
Juliet gladly wraps her arms around her and cries into her chest.
"I know I can't replace him," Brooklyn whispers softly, "But I'm always going to be here for you, okay?"
Juliet stays silent and Brooklyn hugs her tighter, "We're sisters."
Juliet pulls away slowly and stares at her with helpless eyes, "Sisters." She repeats, giving a sad salute.
Brooklyn does one back before taking a seat next to her and wrapping an arm around her. Juliet leans into her and they stay in that position, quietly pondering over memories and thoughts.
As soon as she went back to school, there were those assholes who would just stare as she made her way down the hall without me by her side. Her hands would rest in her pockets, her head down avoiding all eye contact.
Ellie followed close behind, hand in hand with Tommy. Without me there, Tommy was doing his best to take on the best guy friend position. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. He knew it wouldn't be the same. They just didn't have the connection like we did. She wasn't only someone that I could see myself with, but even though Ellie would argue, she was my best friend.
As she grew older, so did Juliet. Like she said, they were sisters, and that's exactly how they grew up. I guess you could say Brooklyn took over my job in interrogating Juliet's first boyfriend, then second one, then third. The third one stayed the longest, which is when she also took my role in comforting Juliet's broken heart.
I tried my best to send guys Brooklyn's way, but she just brushed them off.
She ended up leaving for school to become a cop. You'd think after hearing about what happened to my parents, then seeing what happened to me, this would be a trigger to her. Instead, she did it to prevent things like that happening. She wanted to stop it because she knew how it felt.
Every night before bed, she would talk to me. She always mentioned that she wasn't sure if I was listening, but talked about her day and hoped I hadn't forgotten about her.
I smiled, listening to her ramble on about her day, when I felt a touch on my shoulder.
Slowly I turned around, my heart dropping into my stomach at the sight in front of me.
"Mom. Dad."
They send a soft smile my way.
"There's someone I want you to meet," I turn back around, realizing we're at a celebration.
My eyes instantly fall on Brooklyn, and I have to admit, she looks absolutely stunning in her graduation gown and cap.
"We know." My dad whispers softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
My mom places a hand on my cheek, cupping it gently, and gives a half smile, "Honey, you have to let her go for now. You can still listen when she talks to you,"
"And you can still check in every once in a while." My dad adds on.
"But she has to finished living her life. Brooklyn needed you, and now your sister needs her."
I glance back at Brooklyn.
"In order to teach her how to fly, you have to learn." My dad says quietly, watching me, "Don't worry, you can be the one to greet her when it's her time."
I nod slowly and watch her pick Juliet up in her arms, while our families, Ellie, and Tommy crowd around for a picture.
"Okay." I quiet say, turning away from the scene.
"Okay."
Something people don't understand about death is that it can happen to anyone at any given time. When that time comes, it's not just that one person that dies, but there's a little something that dies inside of everyone else whose life they've impacted.
It's those people who have to stand through the funeral and go through life knowing that one person isn't going to be there anymore. I don't think death is the worst pain someone can go through, I think it's the death of someone else that hurts the most.
Like I said, the thing about ending's isn't that they're not happy, it's that ones ending isn't happy in someone else's eyes.
Even if I didn't exactly get the girl or the ending everyone dreams about, I got enough time with her and enough time to experience everything else life could give me.
If I'm being honest, I got all I could ever ask for. I know this isn't the ending everyone wants, but this is my ending and it's the only ending I have. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing. Not one. Because if I went back and changed something, I don't think I would've ever met her; my butterfly.
The end
YOU ARE READING
His Butterfly
Short Story"If this is the part where you plan to kill me and bury my body in the dirt, jokes on you, this was what I wanted anyways." I say, trudging along side him. He exhales through his nose, giving somewhat of a snicker, "If I wanted to kill you, trust me...
