Drawings on the Pavement

Chapter Twenty-Five

~Rose~
I try to comprehend what had happened in the past few days.
Leona moved to our school.
Leon was hanging around with Logan.
Logan forgot me.
Then the rest is a blur.
I'm looking at my reflection as I sit on the ground looking at my mirror. My hair was dripping from the rain.
I don't know why I did it. I thought if Logan couldn't remember me through pictures, maybe kissing him would trigger something.
On top of school work, this is too much drama for one person to handle.
~*~
"Rose, would you care to show Leona to her next class?" My teacher shrilled at me as I stood up grudgingly. Through gritted teeth I replied,
"No problem."
I quickly picked up my stuff, shoving the contents in my bag. Leona was waiting at the door looking at her feet awkwardly.
I threw my bag over my shoulder and walked out the door, not waiting for her to follow.
She caught up with a few brisk steps and flicked her glossy hair in a swift movement.
"So what class are you in now?" I asked hurriedly.
"Um... B7" she replied looking at her crinkled time table.
I took the time table and looked at it. It was complicated compared to an average high school but quite simple when you got to know it.
"Actually you'll find you're in A20" I said, tracing my finger over the paper.
"Oh" she replied.
We took a few turns through the twisted corridors until we made it to a dingy class room.
"Here we are. The joys of A20. I'm sure you'll have a blast" I called sarcastically.
"Uh bye" Leona replied. She glared at me and opened her mouth. But she stopped mid-air, deciding against whatever decision she was about to make.
I left her standing there as I walked to my next class, thoughts brewing in my head.
~*~
"Dean, Johana, Scarlet, Maya, Coby...." My English teacher drawled through the list of names marking them off as they replied.
"Layla, Megan, Tyler, Logan... Logan... Logan?"
Beside me Logan's eyes were dazed, as if he was in a daydream.
"Logan!" My teacher called.
"Huh? What, I'm here. I'm here. Yep. All good"
Before he could continue he returned to his mindless expression.
----
"Uh Rose?" Logan whispered next to me.
"Mm?"
We were supposed to be brainstorming some atmosphere and setting factors but the rest of the class took this opportunity to talk.
"Um, you dropped this last period"
I looked over at him and my note book was in his hand. Shoot!
It must've fell out when I was in a rush.
I'm always losing things.
He handed it back to me, and our fingertips touched slightly.
I thought back to when I kissed him.
He hasn't said anything since.
"You're a really good drawer" Logan said shyly.
"Ha thanks" I replied.
He lightly took the book from my hand and started flicking through the pages. It landed on one I drew of the waterfall which I used for our English assignment.
"This is my favourite". He blushed and hurriedly continued, "Not that I was looking or anything"
I smiled down at the drawing.
"This was the one that we used for our assignment. Where we won the trip to the rainforest"
He looked at me, confusion spread across his face.
"You don't remember do you?"
He shook his head sadly, with a look of concentration frowned on his face.
"I'm trying Rose" he said desperately.
"It's fine" I insisted.
Even though deep down inside me I felt anything but fine.
I could feel my face falling with every word he said, even though I tried in vain to hide it.
I took the notebook back and buried it deep within my bag, not wanted to see its presence again.
"Well the fact that 'its' fine implies that 'it' is something" Logan said knowingly.

I wanted to tell Logan how I felt. There was so much I wanted to say. But all I did was swallow those words, and they fell into a deep pit, so dark that those words could never be retrieved again.
--------------------------
A week had gone by and I felt like utter crap.
It was stupid of me and I don't need any more people to tell me otherwise.
But my nightmares were becoming more frequent. And some of my worst fears were coming true, right in front of my eyes.
Bryce was completely distraught when Logan started hanging out with Leon. All I wanted to do was pierce my nails through Leon's skin and rip him apart for what he was doing to Logan. The way he treated him and the grief it put me through, because there was nothing I could do to stop it.
~*~
Time was evaporating like smoke in the air. It was disappearing so fast.
In a month it would be Christmas, and in two months it would be Logan's birthday.
And that's the time of his surgery.
---------
It was a Thursday afternoon and I was sitting on a bench in the local park. I was on my laptop, scrolling through my photos.
My jumper was wrapped around my fingers as a chill breeze swept through the air.
I sat there for hours, my eyes glued to the screen as it displayed photos that I'd taken, photos of my past, quotes and sketches.
I was so fixated I didn't even notice the burley figure that sat down beside me.
I looked up in shock. Staring at the sad face that looked directly at mine.
It was Bryce. His muscular appearance and broad features were hunched as he sat.
After a long but comfortable silence Bryce said,
"I can't take this anymore. There's got to be something we can do Rose. You can't let Logan get away from you that easily. I can't lose my best friend. I just can't. If he was going to die and not even remember me... I just can't take it."
His warm eyes met mine. That usual knot reappeared back in my throat. But this time I greeted it.
"There's some things we can't control in life. One day, whether you are 14, 27, or 68, you will stumble upon someone who will start a fire within you that cannot die. However, the saddest most awful truth you will ever come to find. Is they are not always with whom we spend our lives"
"Rose... Stop reading that shit from your computer."
"It's a very inspirational quote if you ask me. I even wrote some of it myself"
Bryce just shook his head as his body shivered. He covered his head in his hands and let his shaggy hair dangle around him.
I looked back at the quotes still on my screen. I flicked through them but I noticed that they were all the same. All about love, death, and sadness.
Then again, most things are these days.
"Look who it is. The flower petal and the gay boy"
I shut my laptop and looked into the awfully familiar face of Leon.
Bryce didn't react and kept his face hidden while he silently shock, fighting back tears.
I put the laptop on the bench and stood up. Leon leaned against a tree a few metres away, as a few of his cronies stalked behind him.
Controlling my emotions I calmly replied to Leon's snide remark.
"Say that again to my face. I dare you"
"It's the flower pet-"
I lunged at Leon. Soon realising it was a stupid mistake.
My will power may be stronger, but that doesn't make a difference to his considerable strength and size.
I kicked him square in the shin as his fist collided with my throat.
Pain erupted inside me and I fell backwards hacking and coughing.
Leon soon fell after me, most likely on purpose as he pinned me to the ground.
Rocks dug into my skin but all I focused on was Leon who now loomed over me.
Not knowing what to do I balled up my fist and connected it with a bruise that laid on this arm. He screamed in pain and cradled his wound.
I heard loud roars. Most likely from Bryce or some of Leon's friends.
I was making my next move when I felt two pairs of arms pull me back. I pushed against them. But they eventually won over and dragged me back to the bench.
Leon was already in the distance, piling into a car, moaning in pain.
At least that was a partial success.
I saw Bryce and Logan looking at me with worry and concern.
Logan must've been with Leon and I didn't even realise.
I massaged my throat, trying to sooth the pain. I grabbed my laptop and starting walking home.
"Wait!" Bryce and Logan called out in unison.
But I wasn't in the mood for sympathy. If they really wanted to talk to me, then they could prove it.
~*~
I spent my entire weekend locked in my room doing my essays.
I had to get this work done.
I was falling behind at a dramatic pace.
-----
I don't talk to anyone at school anymore. Not even Bryce.
Horrible thoughts have been bursting through my mind.
I feel like I'm slowly drowning.
But no one's noticing.