• The title, and following writing belongs to me. If anyone attempts to steal any of this without giving direct credit to me, will be prosecuted. Thank you.

      Why was she even here? This was so stupid. She could get kidnapped or shanked being out here all alone. Even though she gripped her cell phone tightly in her fist, she didn’t feel at all safe. Here she was, 5’2” and skinny as can be, walking down an empty street alone, all because of one stupid hope. She knew it was stupid, and she didn’t even know why she was doing it. Why go to the park alone? Sure, exercise would be good; she had spent all day inside cleaning and painting in her kitchen. Sure, it would be nice to get away from the house, where the silence was deafening to her. Sure, she kind of hoped he would find her there, even though she already knew he wouldn’t, but that didn’t count out the fact it was scary.

      Nicole’s feet tapped the sidewalk pavement in rhythm, making a small patter with each step. The sun rested on her skin, as if trying to comfort her and congratulate her on leaving the house on her own. The wind was very subtle, and the air just felt calm. She tried to relax, but she couldn’t help the wrenching feeling of anticipation in her stomach, her eyes darting around nervously, waiting for some creepy guy to jump out at her and knock her over the head and take her away. What a lovely thought.

      She finally arrived at the park, where a small girl swung by herself on the swing set, and an old woman, who she could only assume was the grandmother, sitting on a bench. The auburn haired girl sat on the swing next to the child and pushed off; swinging with her long, lean legs. Her legs were the only things she liked about her body, really. She was small chested, skinny, and very pale; the exact opposite of what people said she should look like. The wind blew through her hair, the silence almost as vociferous as the silence at home. She could feel the little girl staring at her from beside her, but she ignored it. She was focused on something else entirely.

      Her gaze was attached to the entrance to the park. Conscious of it, she tried to get herself to look away, but her gaze just homed in at the gate, however irrational it was. Even though Nicole knew he wouldn’t show, she waited impatiently, looking fixedly, as if expecting him to stroll by any minute now. To a passerby, it would seem she was merely waiting for someone that happened to be late, but as the minutes ticked by, it was apparent they weren’t showing. Not like she had honestly expected him to, but for some reason disappointment caught in her throat.

      Almost as if it were a miracle, the sound of Vans walking against the pavement snuck into the silence, shattering it. She looked up in shock. There he was, wandering by as if it had been any other day when they used to hang out. He looked at her and stopped walking, staring at her. Her legs locked and she couldn’t swing anymore. Her body wouldn’t work, and her mind followed suite. Eventually she swung to a slow crawl and she was frozen. He stood there, gazing at her almost blankly. Abruptly Nicole’s eyes filled with tears and she stood woodenly, swaying. He moved forward slightly, as if to catch her if she fell over. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was as if her voice had blown away with the wind, and the only thing she could do was look at him, trying to form her lips around something, anything. She tried to find the anger and the abandonment and the resentment and the longing that had been plaguing her for the last six months, but all she found was the overwhelming sadness stuck in her chest like a brick, and the longing to embrace him as she had missed doing for so long.

      Nicole jumped as there was a thud besides her, the little girl next to her having jumped from her swing and landing sloppily on the bark chips. She stared at the ground, shaking her head in disbelief. She had daydreamed the whole thing. A wave of misery crashed into her and she couldn’t sit here anymore. It was too disheartening. She jumped off the swing and flew through the air, landing quietly on the bark chips, leaving the park without a second glance.

      Ten minutes later she walked through her front door, slamming it furiously behind her. “Nicole? That you?” her mother called from the living room groggily. “No, mom, it’s a serial killer coming to finish you off.” She replied sarcastically, kicking her shoes off and walking moodily into the kitchen. “Oh, good. I was wondering when you were gonna do that.” Her mother laughed, standing and heading into the kitchen as well. “So, how was the park, hon?” Nicole’s eyes drooped a little at the pet name; that was what he used to call her. She just stared at the glass of orange juice in her hand, trying not to tear up again, her arms shaking with suppressed sobs. Her mom immediately rushed over to her, hugging her. “Honey, what’s wrong? Did someone hurt you?” Nicole just shoved her mom away and walked out, shaking her head. “No? What happened?” The teenager spun around, tears streaming down her face as her wall broke down for the first time in as many months as he had left. “I miss him. I keep thinking he’s going to come around, or he’s going to call me, or randomly appear at my door asking to hang out, but he never does, and he never will!” she said, her voice breaking with cries. Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed, sliding down the wall and curling up.

      “Honey, you can’t let someone get you this down…” “You’re one to talk! You’ve been depressed over dad for what, the past two years?” Her mom’s cheeks turned bright red. “That’s different, we were married for fourteen years-” “So does that not make mine valid? I dated him for a year, and we’ve been best friends for three years! I like him a lot okay?”