The Sky Under the Sea

It was a hot San Diego day, and as the sun beat down on my tanned and tatted skin the only thing I could think of was jumping. I looked at the ocean below me as it beat wildly against the jagged California cliffs. I had visited these cliffs many times before, and never once had the same urge as I did today. That's because the previous encounters I had with this location included him. My best friend. The boy I had been in love with since kindergarten-Tony Perry.

Among the many thoughts swirling through my head I began to think back to the very beginning. I haden't always been as utterly hopeless and deeply depressed as I am today. In fact there was a time when I was the happiest girl in the room; the life of the party, if you will. However, these times of joy were long ago before my life got flipped upside down.

I thought back to the very first day I met my best friend Tony. It was the middle of my kindergarten year, and there was a new little boy in class. He looked so scared and he seemed very shy. I was immediately intrigued by his big brown eyes and sweet looking face. He sat in the corner alone during playtime and didn't join any of the other boys at recess. When I saw him sitting alone on the playground, and I then decided that it was my chance to go introduce myself (despite the fact that I was painfully shy myself).

"Hello. I'm Noelle Peterson. What's your name?" I asked holding out my hand to the small, petrified looking little Mexican. "I'm T-Tony, Tony Perry." He stuttered, shaking my tiny hand. "You wanna come swing with me?" I questioned hoping he would say yes. The two of us then made our way to the rickety old swing set and that was when our 11 year friendship began.

After that day Tony and I hung out nearly everyday. He and I even had sleepovers. We were inseparable.

I wiped a tear from my face as I thought of the times we shared. I began to reminisce on something a bit more recent; the beginning of my problems.

Tony held me as I cried into his chest. "Tony I don't know what I'm going to do. He was the only one who understood me. He was the only one in my family who seemed to get me." I sobbed. I had just heard the news that my father had died of a severe heart attack. "It's gonna be okay. I'm here and we're gonna get through this together." Tony said as he rubbed my back. He kissed me on the forehead "I promise I'll help you through." I tightened my grip on his torso as we sat on my bed. "Tony I'm not gonna be able to handle being alone with my mom. You know how we don't get along." I cried.

My mother and I had never seen eye to eye. She had very high expectations for me. Nothing I ever did was good enough for her. She wasn't pleased with everything from my appearance to my grades (which were all A's and high B's). I wasn't the child she had dreamed of having, and that killed me.

"You don't need to worry about your mom because you have me and my family." Tony comforted. He was the only one that really knew how to make me feel better. "I love you, Tony Perry." I thought to myself. The three words screamed at the back of my mind. I wanted so badly to shout them, however I resisted the urge because I knew he didn't feel the same.

--

 It had been one month since my father's death. My mother had just arrived home, toting her new man, Charles, on her arm as though he were a new accessory. The fact that she was over the death of my father this soon disgusted me. I knew she had been cheating on him with Charles anyways. She had called me down from my room saying she had an announcement to make.

"Noelle, I have to talk to you about something." She exclaimed, her plastic face gleaming. "Yeah?" I questioned. "Charles and I are getting married!" She nearly screamed. I felt my heart drop. A severe surge of anger pierced through my body. How could she do this to my dad? It had only been a month. Not wanting to cause a scene, I plastered the fakest smile I could come up with upon my face. "Great." I said indifferently. "When?" I questioned. "Two months!" She squealed. I then felt my hands start to shake with rage. "Oh... I'll be in my room." I said as I got up from the battered living room sofa and made my way up to my bedroom. I locked the door and laid  down on my bed, screaming into my pillow, and sobbing. I hadn't known Charles for very long, but I could already tell I hated him.

I immediately grabbed my phone and dialed Tony's number. As soon as he picked up I frantically told him what had happened. "I'm on my way." He said. "Tell your mom I'm staying the night." He then hung up the phone. I quickly texted my mom telling her he was gonna spend the night, not bothering to read her response as I didn't feel like communicating with someone like her. Moments later he showed up to my bedroom door. He didn't say a thing, he just laid on my bed and held me while I sobbed into his chest. He gently stroked my back and played with my long blonde hair. He stayed with me for the next 3 nights until I felt better.