Bleeding Hearts

Empty Hearts

My face was burning with embarrassment and Isaac reached for me like he wanted to hold my hand, but it just went through my hand instead. I placed my hand over his, and it looked like we were holding hands, even if we weren't.

"I love you," the words came out before I could take them back, but not that I would. Isaac looked at me, nothing but gentleness and love in his eyes.

"I love you too," he said to me.

My heart swelled. I was completely devoted to Isaac and I'd do anything for him. As school went out and summer came in I spent countless hours with Isaac. We sat together and talked. It was all we could do, and it frustrated both of us.

"You don't know how bad I want to kiss you right now," he told me. No matter how many times he said endearing things to me I blushed deeply.

"I wish there was a way for us to Isaac, but we just happened to be ships in the night. Passing each other by without even realizing it."

"God, I wish I could go back in time, I'd never join the track team, I'd talk to you first thing on the first day of school, I'd ask you out. We'd go to homecoming, spring fling, and after school you would come over to my house and I'd come over to yours..." he trailed off lost in his big beautiful "what if" fantasy and I began to cry. "Don't cry Cassy," he begged me.

"I'm sorry, I just... it's so unfair we're not together," I sniffed.

"It's okay Cassandra," he said wispily. "I've come to realize that not all things go right for me. I tend to be a huge source of misfortune. I hurt my sister because I'm such a bad luck charm."

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"It happened at a party. Jacob Wilcox was throwing a huge Valentine's Day bash and for once freshman were invited, well mostly the popular ones, me included. My sister found out about it, begged me to take her. I told her she couldn't tell anyone she was an eighth grader and that she wasn't allowed to stand next to me the whole time. She agreed of course, but the party was much wilder then we'd anticipated. Alcohol, crazy stunts being pulled. The place looked like a scene out of Project X. I was offered some beer... stupid me accepted out of peer pressure. I passed out quickly.

When I woke up I discovered what a couple of seniors had done to my sister..." Isaac's fists clenched and I could feel the anger from him. Sticks skittered away from us. Had that been him? But ghosts couldn't move things.

"Hey, Isaac it wasn't your fault," I said trying to comfort him.

"But it is!" he screamed. A tree branch snapped and I screamed running away as it landed right where I'd been sitting moments before.

"Cassandra I—" Isaac might've been calling after me, but I was running too fast to hear him.

A whole week went by and I stayed away from Isaac. I was sincerely afraid of his anger, and didn't want to see him if he was going to almost hurt me like that. Another week went by. I spent more time with my family, my mom, although spacey, knew something was up.

"Running from your problems only gives them time to gather more troubles," she told me one day, sitting in her rocking chair. "Mrs. Florence says that if it's a young man even more reason not to leave him in distress." Mrs. Florence was only a person Mom and I could see, she used to live in the house before my family, and had died falling from the stairs. When I was little she always told me to be careful going down them, because they were steep.

"Truly Sandra," Mrs. Florence said to me gently. "I was quite popular with the boys when I was your age, and I'm telling you they just hate being ignored." I wasn't sure if her definition of "popular" meant flirtatious or slutty, but I didn't want to know. I just knew she was right, staying away from Isaac was like putting off the ripping of a Band-Aid, might as well do it while I still had the courage.

Going to the lot I thought carefully of what I was going to say to Isaac when I saw him. I couldn't be with him anymore, I didn't feel safe with him, at all. Maybe it wasn't right for us to be involved romantically. After all, he was going to have to crossover, I still had a whole life to live.

Arriving to the lot I didn't see Isaac so I went to the park. Not there either. I went behind the gas station. No cigar. I thought of one more place he could be. We'd only gone to it a few times since it made me uncomfortable. The beach.

I didn't like beaches, too many ghosts. Too many drowning victims, too many sailors who'd only been meters from shore. Too many tragedies and it was absolutely crowded. Looking to the beach I had slight trouble picking out the living from the dead, but sure enough there was Isaac hugging his knees and staring at the ocean. He'd found an isolated part of the beach, not many people, very few ghosts, maybe the aura he was giving was keeping everyone away.

Scrambling up the rocks he looked at me and stood up.

"Two weeks and now you show," he sounded so hurt, I felt so guilty.

"I'm sorry Isaac, I just—"

"I thought you loved me!" he shouted. "I thought you were going to help me!"

"I do love you," I cried, "But I just got scared." Isaac shook with rage.

"You haven't helped me at all! All you've done is hurt me! Don't you want to be with me?!" He yelled.

"I do!" The tears falling down my face, the tremble in my voice. People were staring, and I didn't care.

"Then let's be together." He said darkly.

The rocks under me shuddered and I shouted as the boulders started tumbling into the ocean.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Che-wish!

Bubbles tickled my ears as I sank below the waves. I couldn't swim away, ankle was pinned between two boulders. Below the waves, watching me, was Isaac. I gurgled scream escaped me as I tried reaching for him.

"Since you won't help me. I'll help you Cassandra. This way we can be together, and we won't need anybody but each other."
Darkness swallowed me as I struggled, pining for air. Heartbeat in my ears and then silence...

~~~