Chapter 1

The Garden of Roses

By Kayla Marie Krassa

 

Chapter One

Elly Elizabeth Bell

“I’m sorry” I sadly sighed as the last ray of sun disappeared on the far off horizon. The darkness brought upon a depressing chill, and the stars that were slowly lighting up the sky only added more heartbreak to the moment. “This just… isn’t going to work… Ever.” I glanced down, unable to meet his eyes. “I just cannot be happy with you and obviously you feel the same way.” This came out sharper than I wanted it to, revealing how hurt I actually was. A sharp feeling of pain in my finger reminded me of the beautiful red rose I was holding. It was in full bloom and had an intoxicating sweet smell. Without a second thought I walked over and handed it to him, somehow feeling that it was his.

“I don’t want this.” He said trying to hand it back to me. Frustrated by its meaning, mainly because neither of us knew what it really was. I shook my head and tried to back away but he grabbed my wrist and closed my palm around its stem. The thorns pierced the soft flesh of my hand and I drew back with a sharp gasp of pain, dropping the rose. “Oh... I’m so sorry, are you okay? Elly I’m sorry I really am!” He ran his fingers along my palm trying to meet my eyes. I purposefully looked away not wanting him to see the tears or the irritation. I had to remember that this one sweet moment wasn’t going to fix anything. He moved a hand up to my cheek and turned my face towards him. My tears fell among his fingertips and I could see the hurt look in his eyes as he noticed this. “So this is really it? It is really over?” I nodded my head a few times just wanting the moment to be over. What I wasn’t saying was that we were over, but I wasn’t quite over him. He pulled his hand away from my face and I turned and began to walk away. Without thinking I turned back around.

“Nathaniel?” He looked up at me. “Goodbye…” He nodded his head in understanding and without another word between us I left. As I cleared the trees of the beautiful woods that was a short distance from our houses I thought about the rose. I had picked it off a bush on my way over, somehow wanting to give it to him. I stopped and looked back at the wall of trees. “I still love you.” I whispered to myself, but hoped that somehow it would reach him.

 

Nathaniel Zachary Shores

        I waited until she was a good distance away before I picked up the abandoned rose. Something about it just couldn’t let me leave it there. I didn’t know how to feel, relieved or broken? I was waiting for her to break it off for a while now but I didn’t know that it would feel this horrible once it happened. Senior year was half way over and we had been together since sophomore year.  These things started to fade from my mind as I reached the front door of my house and unlocked the door. Walking up the stairs I assured myself that a serious relationship wasn’t what I wanted going into college anyways. I flopped down on my bed and the sudden movement caused the rose to shift and stab me. Irritated by the sliver of pain and what the rose stood for I threw it across the room. I didn’t want to remember her anyways.

          The next morning at the sound of my alarm I sat up groggily rubbing my eyes. Glancing towards where I had thrown the rose I realized it was gone. Shamefully I remembered waking up and putting it safely in my desk drawer. It was getting harder to convince myself that I had no feelings left for her. Trying to push it out of my mind I got up and did everything to get ready for school. Without a doubt I knew that I was going to feel something when I saw Elly today, whether it was regret or anger. There was no way that I could stop that from happening. What I had to focus on was not paying her any attention, and making her think that I had no feelings, good or bad, towards her at all.

          Worthington High School was like every other high school; you don’t need an imagination to know what it looks like. We had all the groups and all the outsiders. We had the ugly, the cute and the gorgeous girls. We had the geeks, the nerds, the average, and the elite. I loved walking down the hallway when I could see a gorgeous girl everywhere I looked. I was engrossed in this right up until I looked one direction and saw someone I had thought more beautiful than any of the others… Elly. It caught me off guard and I almost dropped my act. She was so… modest. Unlike the other girls she didn’t flaunt her looks in a tight mini skirt or low cut shirt. She appeared reserved and quiet, and very shy, but it was so easy to make her laugh, and when she laughed her eyes lit up like angels during Christmas time…

          STOP! I had to stop thinking about what was good about her. She had just broken up with me three weeks ago. With her few faults flashing through my mind I continued past her without looking again. Stupid me! I had thought that it wouldn’t be a challenge at all to play down my feelings. I didn’t even think that I felt that strongly for her. Even lately when we knew it wasn’t going to last I would still hold her hand every day and hug her good morning. I would text her good night and sweet dreams. She would meet me outside of class and help me with anything at all that I needed. Until now I didn’t realize how much she had been a part of my life…

          A hand landed on my shoulder shaking me from my vicious thoughts.

          “Dude, she really ended it?” Damion asked me as we walked down the hallway.

          “How did you find out already? Is she going around telling people that? Geeze I knew it that sounds just like her!” I was suddenly furious.

          “Whatever man that does not sound ANYTHING like Elly. I just could tell by the dam look on your face. I knew you would never end it. In a way it was kind of sick to watch how long she would hold on before she gave up on your lame a*s. I don’t know how you gave her up. Is there something like seriously wrong with her??? Does she have like a weird disease or something? What’s the problem?”

He ranted down the hallway and it strangely made me calmer. Of course she didn’t have some strange disease and of course she wouldn’t go around telling everyone we broke up. Elly was… Elly: sweet, kind, giving, loving. Everything you ever wanted from a girlfriend. The thing was that I didn’t want a girlfriend. I didn’t want to have to worry about anyone else but me. It was just too much work. Maybe I loved her or maybe I didn’t. All I knew was that I just wasn’t ready to love at all.

Author's Note

Don't judge to harshly, but please be honest. It is a work in progress.