eternal peace | simon kalivoda

3

"Before tonight's game, out of respect for last night's tragic events, Sunnyvale will host a candlelight vigil for the victims. All player, cheer and band attendance is mandatory."

"Oh, really? come on!" everyone around us yells. as i turn to look at deena, she makes a gun with her hand and sarcastically shoots herself.

me, deena, and kate all get on the bus together. it's awkward getting on a bus full of football players, cheerleaders and band members.

as i'm walking onto the bus i see simon. he always sits one seat away from the back door. the very back is reserved for deena and sometimes kate.

"is this seat taken?" i ask simon. "nope, reserved just for you my darling" he says to me in a surprisingly good british accent. we both laugh as i sit next to him.

we both turn around and see deena sitting behind us. "hey didn't you quit band? or was that just a joke" i ask her. "i did but quit too late so i'm stuck with you guys for today." she says to us. we both turn back into our seats.

"you know simon, you look pretty good as a green guy" i tell him. "well thanks, i think i'll take that as a compliment" he says back. we both look at eachother and smile. i place my head on his shoulder as the bus starts.

As we arrive at sunnyvale highs football field, i see the sunnyvale mayor standing next to a microphone. everyone gathers around as he says "this isn't how i wanted to be here tonight. i wanted to be here as a fan. Our sunnyvale devils and your shadyside witches throwing down some good old american football. instead i find myself here as a husband, a father, as a neighbor, and yes mayor of sunnyvale. and on behalf of all the people in my town, i say all of sunnyvale mourns with you."

"yea, really looks like they give a damn. the only sunnyvalers who came were the ones who had to." kate says.

i turn to deena and see her looking around. i know she's looking for sam. i also know that if she finds her, it's not going to end well.

out of nowhere deena leaves, i turn to where she was looking and i see her. sam. she looks inlove with someone else. i just wish deena didn't love her still. because if she didn't, maybe she wouldn't have ran off crying with her stupid box of memories. i didn't go find her just because i know she needs her space.

while lighting our candles, we stand close to eachother. deenas still not back. me and kate look at eachother and give eachother a small smile.

as we all stand in silence, sheriff goode says his speach. "My family's been in sunnyvale for generations, and now my brother is mayor and i am your sheriff. we've prospered here. and yet, i've seen you, our neighbors in shadyside suffer tragedy after tragedy. it's easy in time like this to drown in questions of why. why this happened. but i know too well there are no answers that will provide relief. there's no peace found in the past. we must not fall into darkness. we must look to the light."

as sheriff good is still talking, i hear some sunnyvaler say "what we should do is light a fuse and burn down shittyside."

"what'd you say?" one of the football players from shadyside responds. this is going to get ugly.

as the two football players from opposite sides walk towards eachother angrily, i hear the shadyside player say "say that again, motherfucker."

some football players from each town start punching eachother. all of a sudden me and kate turn and we see simon, running towards a sunnyvaler with his broom stick. simon hits him and sticks the middle finger. he starts running with the other guy running after him.

kate yells "suck it in -" then something unexpected happened. one of the sunnyvalers punches kate.