When All Else Fails

Chapter Two

“Oh my god! You like totally have to go!! He was your BOYFRIEND of 4 years!!!” Screamed my friend, Haley.

“I don’t want to.” I replied, staring sadly out my window.

“Why?!?! You love him!!!”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t-didn’t love me back.”

“Yes he did!!”

She grabbed my hand and pulled a black dress over my head. It was the same dress I wore to Homecoming four years ago. The dress I was wearing when he first kissed me. Tears formed in my eyes again and I turned away so I could continue to pretend I didn’t care about Fallyn anymore. She frowned and looked at me, “Ren, I’m so sorry. Come on, let’s go.”

“Fine, but I’m not saying anything.”

She nodded and we drove to Fallyn’s funeral in silence.

I got out of the car slowly and it seemed like everyone’s eyes were glued on me when I walked in with Haley. I saw Brittany at the back of the room hanging on some guys shoulder, bawling. I felt sick that she could sit there and pretend she cared.

Out of nowhere someone threw their arms around me, I looked up and saw Crystal, Fallyn’s sister, “I’m so glad you decided to come. I don’t know what I’d do without you here.” She pulled me to the front of the room and into the spot in between her and Mr. Elliot.

Crystal was my best friend, she was the whole reason I knew Fallyn and Damien. When she went to talk about Fallyn she dragged me up there with her. At first I refused to cry, but as she talked about Fallyn, the tears forced themselves out of me. She talked about the way he used to help her through all of the rough of times in her life and about what a great guy he was. But that stuff I could handle, it was when she started talking about his and my relationship.

“Fallyn used to come home every day from school with this big, goofy, smile on his face and talk about something cute Serenity had done during the day. He used to talk about how they’d be together forever and about how much he loved her. How he wished he could hold her every night and wake up to her face every morning.” Her voice cracked as she got more emotional and that’s when my eyes started to water, “Not a lot of people know this, not even Ren because he said if I told anyone about him turning all gushy he’d kill me.”

There were soft chuckles as Crystal said, “Ren? Do you want to say something?”

I thought about it for a moment and nodded and stood in front of the podium, “I only have one thing to say,” I said and then quoted Mayday Parade, “don't fall in love, there's just too much to lose, If given the choice, then, I'm begging you, choose, to walk away, walk away, don't let her get you. I can't bear to see the same happen to you.”

I walked back to my seat as Damien got up to speak. “Well…I have to say I completely disagree without that.”

I rolled my eyes and bit back the question, ‘How would you know? You’ve never loved anyone.’

Damien looked at me, “I believe you should love over and over again because if you just stopped loving you would spend your whole life being hurt and jealous of whatever person that person is with. At least if you try to love other people you won’t be miserable your whole life. But we aren’t here to talk about that we’re here to talk about my best friend.”

He went on to talk about Fallyn and about how great he was. I had to leave though. I couldn’t take it anymore. I went back to my spot by the ocean, the one spot that Fallyn never went to with me.

The one where I could pretend I was alright and even if I wasn't, no one would be there to try to empathize with me. Nobody would tell me they would understand.

I always get so nervous when I get ready to post a chapter, so if you liked this, I would really appreciate hearing about that. If you hated it, maybe you could give me some constructive criticism on how to make it better. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. It makes me so happy and I am so grateful. (: