heartache

nineteen

"Soda, my feet hurt. I don't wanna walk any farther," I whined.

"Well it's your fault for wearing heels! Come on, let's go," Soda replied, pulling me along.

"Yeah but I look hot when I wear heels and you know it. Here, I'll just take them off, gimme a minute." I reached down and took off my heels instantly feeling better. I sighed in relief and stretched my legs out.

"Why did we park so far away from the restaurant anyway?" Soda then explained that it was the only good spot and no toll or whatever, blah, blah, blah. All I was thinking about was the high amount of bugs or other things that I was stepping on with no shoes on. Great. Just great. I trudged on until we got to a park and I collapsed against a tree. I slid down until I was sitting on the ground. Soda cocked an eyebrow at my position.

"I'm wearing shorts under this, not a thong, perv." Soda chuckled and sat down next to me. I looked over at him and he looked very serious.

"Hey Soda, what's the matter?" I asked as I touched his arm.

"It's just that I don't know how to say this. Okay, you're dad had a talk with me a while back, when we first started dating. He gave me something to give to you and told me to give it to you when the time was right. I've carried it with me wherever I go just in case we got to the right point. And I think we have." Soda pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Stella, this is from Willy. You're dad found it while packing to move here and he couldn't bear to give it to you so he told me to. I can go over there if you want to open it in private..."

"No, no, stay with me." Soda handed the envelope to me and looked down at the ground. I slowly opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, along with a silver heart locket that fell out with it. I placed the locket in my hand and then opened the letter. There was a lot of things in it, but what really stuck out was a poem-like writing on the back. It read:

"I hope one day you give your heart to someone and they will hold it tight as if it's their own.

I hope one day you wake up and have something to live for.

I hope one day you can go to bed smiling without a worry in the world.

I hope one day the battle is over and you have won.

I hope one day you meet someone who makes you realize how beautiful you really are.

Stay strong Stel. For me.

Love your pain in the ass,

William Banks."Here comes the waterworks. Tears welled in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Soda looked up at me and then wiped away the tears from my face.

"Hey, don't cry. He wouldn't want you to cry. Come here." Soda pulled me into his arms and I silently cried. The tears didn't last too long, which was good, but they lasted long enough to smear some of my makeup. I pulled away from Soda's grasp and tried to wipe the mascara off of my face. I stood up and smoothed down my dress, sniffling.

"Hey, let's not ruin our night. Come on, let's go be weird together," I managed to get out. Soda got up and engulfed my small frame in a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck and just relaxed. I pulled my head away from his shoulder and reached up on my tip-toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. "Let's go be annoying teenagers."

Soda and I ran to the street and then I slipped my heels back on. I whispered Soda my plan and he eagerly agreed. We were walking down the street, acting like we were anxious or on edge. When I saw someone who looked about right, I squeezed Soda's hand, giving him the signal. When the woman was near I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. "YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!" I gasped. Soda and I began to run away, but we pretended to trip. After we fell we began to crawl away towards an alley. We both burst out laughing as soon as we were out of sight.