Lover's End

Nathaniel's point of view

It was weird, she was the definition of unpredictable. Her ways of the world were new, that's was why I admired her. But not even my admiration could save her from running, running from her demons that I knew partly of.

Whatever Francesca thought of me wasn't totally wrong, but not everything was right. I knew her, I knew of her since we where children. The town was blind to her situation, other than partial gossip, but the mayor wasn't, so why would his son be?

Francesca was a seventeen year old junior, her grades were average but her origin story was anything but.

Her mother was a teacher who fell in love with a students father. Leona was a married high school teacher, who fell madly in love with Henry Burket. Leona and Henry had a affair, resulting in the affair was Francesca. The second Leona told Henry about the child they conceived he wondered back into the arms of his wife, moving two towns away from his responsibilities. After that Leona's life fell apart as well. Her husband left her, her first child, Zela, choose to live in the custody of her father and both wished to never be contacted by her. Leona worked til her back broke for Francesca, and a little after Francesca's seventh birthday was diagnosed with cancer. Francesca has no living relatives of her mother and her half sister wants nothing to do with her.

Her life was sad enough, still it rattled my mind why she never caved? Why she never gave in and let go, gave up?

The thought of her bravery is something I'll never know, something I never will.

But with a glance into her eyes you could see it scarred her, down to her deepest wound, she was in so much pain from her life. The second I saw her break I didn't think she was weak, I thought she was being reasonable. I will never be as strong as her, but her face reminds of the light, the reason I don't want her to leave, at least not yet.

As I steer away from my thought about her. I open the heavy, metal door to the high school.

"Sorry" I mutter as I bump into some girl entering the school as she grabs my arm.

"Omg!!! Adam" she says as she smiles and pulls hear hair behind her ears. "I thought you said that you were dropping out?" She ask me as I scoff at that stupid question.

"No, I'm not. Why? And who are you?" I ask her as her smile turn to regret, but deep in her eyes I could see pain that was turning into hate.

"Fine" she says as she grip to her backpack tighter. "If that's how it is so be it!" She says sternly as she walks away and I know that's not the last I'll see of her.

But I continue walking to my chemistry class and walk by a small classroom and see her beautiful eyes glimmering looking to the front of the class. I lift my hand to wave at her as she finally pulls her face away from the board to me and smiles. And even after I sit down at my desk in my Chemistry class I can't that one smile out of my mind.

*********************

"Mr. Bryant?" I hear someone call my name as I open my eyes from a groggy nap. "Mr. Bryant, would you be so kind to go and retrieve some copy paper for me from the maintenance room for the copier?" The substitute ask me as I quickly nod at her and walk out the door as I make my way to the maintenance closet.

Walking the dead hall except for the occasional person walking back to class. As I spot the closet two feet in front of me. The label on the door let me know it was my certain destination, I open the door and walk into the dark closet. Trying to grasp to the wall for a light switch with no luck. "Damnit" I whisper to myself as I walk into the room anyways, leaving the door open to pour in the little light from the halls as I search for the paper in the shelves.

"Nathaniel?" I hear through the darkness as I stand straight up at the sound of my name, the name only she knew.

"Francesca?!" I call out to the dark closet as I see a silhouette walk towards me and stop at my chest. As I hear her sigh deeply and her arms hung around my neck. As I leaned down to her lips press against mine. Right away I see it, nothing. The warmth of her lips on mine felt foreign and as her smell lingered of fruit, something Francesca never smelt like. My Francesca always smelt of vanilla and chocolate, never this tangy sent stinging my nose.

But suddenly as the realization quickly hits me, I have no time to push her away as I hear the loud nose of, Boom. As the lights in the closet are turned on and I look in front of me and instead of Francesca I see some random girl.

"Nath-...." I hear through stutters as I look to the door way and spot her, my Francesca. With a pile of books scattered around her feet and tears in her eyes, her eagerly trying to hold the hurt back.

As I pull away and turn to Fran but it's too late, without any warning she takes off.

"FRAN!" I call after her, through the empty hallways as I feel someone grab my hand.

"Just leave her" I hear from the girls mouth as I snatch my hand from hers and run after Francesca.

********************

I looked everywhere. The school, the park and even corner store. I left no stone unturned for her, but her house.

As I walked up the steps to see the door flung open and papers trailing inside. "Fran" I mutter under my breath as I look around down stairs first, seeing no sign of her and start upstairs.

"FRANCESCA!!"I call for her, but hearing no sign I start to fear the worst.

As I open the door to her room and see her backpack, sitting in the middle of her room and picture frames shatter as I rush to the bathroom speechless.

"FRANCESCA!!!!" I yell as I quickly grab a towel and wrap it around her wrist and silently pray that it'll work. "WHAT DID YOU DO??!" I ask her through the tears in my eyes as she smiles. As I hold her hand in mine I feel the fading warmth from her body.

"I had no choice" she says through her faded lips. "I want to be free" she whispers as her eyes close and I realize the blood surrounding my was too much.

"No!" I say through my tears as I beg her to stay with me as I pull her cold body closer to mine. I was lying to myself, it was my fault! This was all my fault! "Frannie" I call her cute nickname once more, hoping that her lying in my arms would be enough to save her, but it would never. "I loved you" I continue as my tears start to stain my cheeks in pain. "I wanted you, I was so selfish! I need you, don't leave me Fran" I beg her lifeless body as she continues to lay there, in her own blood. "I lied to you. And I regret it more than ever now."

I admit my guilt to her as I pull her body closer to mine as my eyes flicker to notice that the restroom was slowly starting to disappear before us.

"I told you that my biggest fear was losing, but it was really losing you Fran. I don't want to start all over with you because I will always love you. Now and forever" I say caressing her cheek as I continue to cry. "BUT I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN!!" I scream. "FUCK FATE, FUCK THIS CURSE!!! I JUST WANT YOU" I yell as the disappearing, white glow gets closer.

"I will always ever want you" I say as I give into the light, having nothing more to lose. Only intertwining my hand with hers, hoping we never separate again, and find each other once again.