love, not forgotten

Aqua was her name. She was just like her name, water. She came into my life like waves on a shore. They come and go. You never are able to catch them, even if you manage to go after one, they fade, fade into the huge ocean in front of you, forever. but, you remember the feeling of it hitting your feet. That's how my aqua was.

It all started on the first day of high school when I first saw her. Her soft black hair with hints of brown shined in the dull classroom lights. Her face like a burst of colors in my monotone world, her smile giving justice to every student, but there was something about those eyes of hers. She couldn't keep eye contact with a person for long. I wonder why? Maybe it was fear of people seeing something in her eyes. Everyone was amused to see her, she looked like an angel sent from heaven. But it looked like I am the only one who noticed her eyes.

She came to my desk at lunch and introduced herself. She said, " Hey! My name is Aqua, you were the only one who didn't come talk to me so I thought that I should introduce myself," "I am eric." I said staring right into her eyes. Noticing that, she turned away from my gaze, and without thinking, I said, "why don't you maintain eye contact with people?" hearing that her eyes widened a bit but she soon regained her composure. She replied," what do you mean, I don't know what you're talking about." I knew she was lying but I didn't say anything else.

A few weeks passed since her arrival and we became a little close. We used to walk home together, have lunch together, and used to sit on the rooftop together. She was perfect in every way, she had good grades, she was beautiful, she was wonderful in tennis and her father was the CEO of a big firm. She was the type of girl parents tell their children to become like. But even after all this time, I Couldn't shake away the look in her eyes. It was like she was in pain. A pain far beyond my understanding.

A few months passed and we became best friends, almost inseparable. I liked everything about her, the way her black hair gave a brownish glow in the sun, or the way my heart wrenches when I looked at her eyes. And just like that, I fell in love with her. The more I talked to her, the more I fell for her.Whenever I asked her "you there?" when talking through phone, she would reply "always". My feelings for her grew so much that I couldn't take it, Then the day came, the day it all started, the day I confessed to her.

I took her to a park we usually went to, we sat on a bench. I took a deep breath and said, "Listen, I've wanted to tell you this for a long time now. I-I love you, I can say it a hundred times if that's what it would take for you to believe me. I want to help you when you're down and I want to be the one to see all of your expressions and smiles. So, will you go out with me?" she sat there waiting patiently for me to finish, and when I did, she said, " yes." in a very low tone almost inaudible. At that moment I was so happy that I couldn't hold it back and I hugged her. She was surprised at this but didn't push me away. We sat there for a little longer and chatted for a little while, and then we parted ways.

It's been a few months since we started dating and I noticed a Downfall in her grades. She couldn't even concentrate on tennis. Worried, that I was the reason for it, I went to her house one day to talk about it. I noticed her parent's car wasn't there. When I rang the bell, I greeted by a pair of red and teary-eyed Aqua. As she saw me, she hugged me instantly and started crying even louder. I was shocked to see Aqua, who always put her emotions in check, like this. I asked, " let's go inside and talk about it." We went inside and I got her a glass of water. After feeling a little better, she finally said in a very shaky voice, " I can't take it anymore." "take what?" I asked rubbing her back. She replied, " I am sick and tired of being the perfect girl my parents and everyone around me to be. I have put on this facade of a perfect girl for so long that I've forgotten who the real Aqua is. I don't wanna put up with people anymore. I am tired." after hearing that I didn't know what to say to make her feel better, so I kept rubbing her back while hugging her. After a few hours, she relaxed and felt a little better. It was getting late at night, so I decided to go home. when I started to get up, she held my hands and asked, " where are you going? please don't leave me alone with myself. I am afraid of what I might do. Please don't leave." " Believe me, I want to stay, but I can't cause my mom would be worried. I am sorry, but I have to go." She said nothing and just nodded in response.

As I went out the front door. BANG I heard a loud noise a few feet away. I was shocked, I was wishing that it wouldn't be what I thought it was. I turned my head, and there, I saw Aqua, laying on the ground, covered in blood, Her face devoid of any expression. My mind went blank. I couldn't think of what to do. I wanted to move but my legs refused to. I finally regained my composure and called her parents. I didn't realize I was crying till I saw my reflection on my phone's screen. After a few rings, I called her parents.

"Hello?" they said. "Hi this is Ethan, I- I don't know how to say this, but you should come to your house. It's about Aqua." after getting off the phone, I called 911. By the time the ambulance came, her parents had reached. She was put inside the ambulance and taken to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, I took her dead, cold hands and asked "you there?" No reply. That was the moment I realised that she was really gone, and I may never hear her.

when we reached the hospital, her father came to me and grabbed a handful of my shirt and asked, " what did you do to her?" I explained him everything and how she was broken inside. Hearing that he was more furious. He said, " do you think my daughter's so weak that she would commit suicide over something so petty? that's it, stay away from her, you will not come visit her in this hospital or school if she's alive. I am gonna erase every trace of you and make it like you were never there." Hearing those cruel words made my heart wrench. I felt like i couldn't breathe. When he released me, I sat down on the ground and lot the tears come out. I blamed myself for it. I wish I had stayed, I wish I had listened to her, I wish I could've said something to make her feel better. So many possibilities ran through my head, if only one of them were true, This wouldn't have ended this way.

13 years later

"Daddy! let's go!" I look down at my son, with his sparkly eyes, and a big smile. I smiled and said, " get in the car." He excitedly jumped in the car and we reached the amusement park. After a few rides, we sat down near a fountain to eat some catton candy. There, near the fountain, I saw a girl with long, black hair, just like her. I could feel my past trauma and tears I shred in the back of my head, my heart hurt. I stood went to the girl. I tapped on her shoulder and she turned around, And then I saw the face I was longing and dreading to see. My heart was hurting badly. I wanted to touch her, to feel her, to know she was real. " Are you Aqua?" I asked earnestly. But then she said something that broke my heart again. " yeah, but who are you?" "uh, sorry I thought you were someone else." "its okay." She replied with a smile. I didn't know I was missing her smile so much till I saw it again. Of course she forgot about me, I was just a little boy who was crazy in love with her.