six
1276 Words
Today was the last day. They hadn’t come to college for classes. They had come to say goodbye. To take photographs. To make promises of staying in touch, no one the wiser about how many of those promises were made seriously and how many would be kept.
Today was the start of the rest of their lives. That was all that mattered to El. She couldn’t wait to walk out through those huge gates of the campus, hand in hand with Bee, and start the rest of their lives. She was waiting for the burst of happiness.
What she had in store, however, was an explosion of a very different kind.
“I don’t want this,” Bee said. “Let’s end this here.”
That had come out of nowhere.
It took several minutes for the words to sink into El’s head, and even longer for her to understand the meaning. Even then, she couldn’t believe it. This had to be a joke. A very stupid and an absolutely unfunny joke.
“Stop it,” she said, to Bee who had been waiting patiently. “It’s not funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny,” he said. “I meant it.”
“Why?” She demanded.
He had no answer.
He never did give her the answer, right to the very end.
That day was supposed to be start of great happiness. Instead, it was the beginning of the nightmare.
-
El was at home. She woke up in her bed, cold and sweaty. And her chest felt heavy and full.
She was having the nightmares again. It had been so long ago since she stopped having them, the sudden arrival overwhelmed her. She missed Lizzie dearly.
She quickly stopped herself from thinking about Lizzie. It would do her no good.
Instead, she forced her thoughts towards what brought back the nightmares. The sight of Appie and Bee so close. Like they were together. Like they were a couple. They certainly looked happy. Appie was definitely much more excited than usual.
El couldn’t un-see it. The last few days, she couldn’t see Bee without Appie. Ever since Appie started sitting next to Bee, they were practically inseparable. As if that wasn’t enough, they were even going back home together. Their homes were not exactly near. They couldn’t even take the same bus. And yet, El had herself seen the two getting onto the same bus. Sitting next to each other. It was Appie’s bus. So, clearly, Bee was taking Appie home, before heading home himself.
El wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Bee had never dropped her home. Sure, he could argue that she had a scooter. But that wasn’t the point.
The last few days, El was of the opinion that she wasn’t able to free herself from the memories of the previous lifetime.
Today, she had another thought. She thought, maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe this was something else. Maybe, this was about Appie.
Once she had this thought, El couldn’t stop. She could see Appie’s face superimposed upon hers from the previous lifetime. She could see Appie’s great joy. How special Bee made her feel. And then, she could see the smile wiped off of Appie’s face when Bee ended it unceremoniously.
El didn’t want another girl to go through something like that. Definitely not Appie. And most definitely not because of the same guy. She had to do something. She had to protect Appie.
Running with that thought, El went to college. She saw Appie arrive. She grabbed Appie and dragged her out to the balcony. The same balcony upon which she spoke to Bee.
“I told you, I need to talk to you,” El said as she let go of the struggling Appie.
“Fine,” Appie said, rubbing her hand where El held her so tight. “We’re here. There’s no one else. Talk. Did you have to pull so hard?”
“What?” El asked.
“My hand,” Appie said, showing her hand. “Look how hard you pulled. It’s all red.”
El looked at the hand. She wasn’t sure what she was looking at. There wasn’t really any redness. And she couldn’t allow herself to doubt her eyes. The best she could do was shake her head and bring the conversation back to what actually mattered.
“You like Bee?” El asked.
“What do you mean?” Appie asked.
The two girls were staring at each other now, looking into each other’s eyes without blinking. They couldn’t be more serious.
“Do you like Bee?” El asked. “Simple question.”
“Yes,” Appie admitted. “I like Bee. Simple answer?”
“Yeah. Simple enough. You can’t.”
“Why can’t I?”
“You can like him. Sure. You can like anyone you want. You can’t be with Bee.”
“Why not?”
“You just can’t.”
“What exactly are you trying to say? I can’t be with Bee, why? Because you like him? Because Bee has to be with someone else? Or something else?”
El was stumped. How was she supposed to answer? What was she supposed to say that would sound convincing?
“Something else,” El said in the end. “I’m saying this for your own good. You can’t be with Bee. He doesn’t like you, not like the way you like him. You need to watch out for yourself.”
Appie stared quietly for a long minute. And only then replied, shaking her head.
“Know what I think? I think you have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Appie “
El started to speak, but Appie cut her off.
“El, thank you. I know you care about me. And it is because of this care that you are speaking out now. But I must repeat myself. Just to make it clear to you. I do like him. I like him very, very much. I liked him a long time. I haven’t told him this. I will tell you. We’ll just think of this as my confession. Practicing it with you. I like him since the day I called him and heard him answer the call with a Hi. So cheerfully. I remember it clearly even now, two years later. Every time I see him, it’s with a smile on his face. Even when he isn’t really happy. He’s always so polite. Even when he doesn’t want to be. He’s so nice, even if he isn’t that on the inside. He tries so hard to be the better person he is supposed to be. How can I not like him? And now, he’s just being himself. It’s like he has become the person he wants to be. He’s actually nice, without needing to try. I like him so much more. So, yeah, I do like him. But you also have no idea what you are talking about. El, don’t worry about me. And please don’t concern yourself too much about Bee. Like I said, I like him. Very, very much. And I will feel jealous.”
Appie gave a smile. And left.
El stood stunned for a while, before coming to her senses and heading back to class. The moment she walked in, she saw Appie and Bee sitting together. Appie had leaned over and was whispering into Bee’s ears, her hands covering her lips, so no one could listen in or read her lips.
El couldn’t comprehend how she felt. She could only quietly return to her seat.
- Writer
