This is actually based on true and real happenings - the two kids Rose (13) and Ben (12) have had their names changed for privacy, and for the fact that we both - er, they both didn't like the names they had formerly. Or at least Rose didn't. I can't be sure 'bout Ben. 
-
He stood there, shaking mindlessly. She was gone – forever?
It just wasn’t fair that he’d never found out what was wrong in the first place, that she’d never told him where he’d messed up. He knew that trying to debunk what she’d so ardently believed in wasn’t a good idea, but then he had never been too good around girls. Acted, then thought; that was his incompetence.
Stomach twisting and turning wretchedly, he brushed a lock of curly brown hair from his hazel eyes, realizing that the more he thought about it, the more he hated himself.
“Hey, Ben! What’re you doing hanging around her house – I thought she ditched you?”
The boy struggled to hide the pain that fought be known on his pixie-like face. Amy would bug him to no end if she saw him upset about – about that girl.
“Yeah, I was just walking past,” He lied quickly, remembering with another wave of sadness how she used to be able to tell when he was lying. She’d always laugh, then point out he smiled when he tried to split hairs so shamelessly.
“Like that wasn’t obvious already, Ben!”
Her voice echoed through his head, burning whatever it touched.
“Uh, Ben? She might come out, you know.”
He gritted his teeth; Amy’s voice dripped disgust for his former friend.
“Mhmm, I’m coming. Just a sec.”
The click – click of her bike announced Amy’s hasty exit, and Ben sighed. Her voice was getting stronger in his head, more insistent as memories zipped through.
“Hi Ben! I’m Rose.”
“Hey, dumb pokemon! C’mon, you idiot! Kill that ugly mouse-thing!”
“Why do you lie so much, silly? It’s not like I can’t tell…”
“Yeah, Amy is pretty stupid sometimes, isn’t she? Why don’t you just ignore her?”
His feet itched to move forward – to go up to her door and demand an explanation. She was always busy, or gone, or hiding somewhere. And then there was the fact that she probably hated him, now.
“But what did I do?” He whispered brokenly, fists clenching and un-clenching at his sides. None of his made any sense – none of it. And she still left him in the dark, to wander alone.
“Ben, come on! We’re gonna go over to your house for Popsicles.”
The nod of his head was automatic, as were the words that fell listlessly from his mouth.
“Be right there,”
Sylvie walked off, like Amy before her. Wind brushed his hair back into his eyes, and his pushed it away again – angry this time. How could she be so heartless?
“Hey, where’s Rose? My Mom wanted me to come over and pay her for helping us paint.”
"Honestly, what is it with you and lies?
“Ben, you are so ridiculous!”
Her laugh rang out – but only in his imagination. He hadn’t heard her voice in ages, let alone any hint of happiness from the girl he’d lost so quickly... with so little notice.
The boy turned, shoulders hunched, shuffling off down the street. As it started to rain, he smiled without humor.
Could anything numb the pain?
~~~
“Oh, but I just don’t get it!” The girl yelled, frustrated. Her shoulder-length, dark brown hair stuck out at odd angles – brushing didn’t seem to help.
“Rose, c’mon. You were a huge jerk, and you probably like, broke his heart. Either go and apologize, or don’t. But stop talking about it. It’s bugging everyone.” Her sister snapped, exiting the room quickly.
Rose sighed, putting her head in her hands. Why had he just – left? So nice, so sweet, so cute, so smart, so funny – and then nothing. Just gone. And when she drove, or walked, or rode past his house, and she spotted him? He just looked at her with what she was sure must be hate. So she’d failed; but how? What had happened that he needed to stop being her friend? She missed his silly jokes, his big smile, his endearing lies.
Of course – as she admitted often to her family – it had been some her fault. At the block party, she’d walked past him without even smiling: really dumb mistake (and not even on purpose, she thought miserably).
And she’d never answered the door when he came to ‘call’.
And she’d never tried to apologize in any way – other than pathetic little letters.
And she’d left dumb notes here and there, right before school started, that were really stupid.
And she’d tried to blame a lot of it on him, when it really was all her fault.
And she’d been too shy to go to his door and say sorry right there.
And she’d failed in every way possible, but…
Maybe there was a way to apologize – something he could find, somewhere he’d remember?
“That was so funny! You thought I was following, and really I was walking backwards!”
His voice forced itself into her head, every joint tensed as she remembered that sunny day, down in their ‘hang-out’. He’d tricked her – but not maliciously.
“Hi, Rose! Where to?”
“Oh... My Mom says I can’t go there now, ‘cause she can’t keep an eye on us.”
“But that’s all fake! None of it was ever real.”
She was sorry that what she heard was the worst part of their summer. The part where he stopped being Ben – and became the kind of guy she’d always loathed…
But why? What had happened to change him so quickly? What had she done… what had anybody done?
And now it was too late, and everything she’d enjoyed about those summer days was fading quickly… much too quickly.
She wanted to remember the good, funny things that had happened in the neighborhood, but nothing came – except tears of frustration, of regret.
“I bet she’ll go home crying. Isn’t that ridiculous? Fake, of course.”
Rose wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or break something. He’d been so right, and she’d been so embarrassingly wrong. Now, how could she make it up to him? Going to his house and openly apologizing just seemed too risky – maybe Amy or Sylvie would be there, and they’d mess it all up. Or maybe he wouldn’t accept the apology, and hate her even more.
Shaking her head in despair, Rose stood. She had no clue of what to do, where to put any notes she left – nothing.
She knew Ben had like, a million friends – that was a given. He was funny, and likeable, and smart. It seemed silly not to befriend him.
“Well, I’m not jealous. I have a marble tower at home – it’s my little brother’s.”
It was her voice this time, when he’d shown her his marble-rollercoaster-thing. Almost scornful, but not particularly mean. Could that have been it? No, of course not.
“’Bye, Rose…”
It wasn’t anything she remembered from past experiences, it was just – there. He was saying he didn’t want to see her anymore. He had so many friends now, no one needed someone like her to mess up their lives.
Good bye? She didn’t want to say.
-
Really random, inspired by a Blink song. I just - yeah. And then it was there, I couldn't stop.
Please review! I may end up putting some more - maybe not. =D
