Will you remember me?🖨️

I sigh, as another paper ball misses the trash can.

I'm trying to write a last will for myself. I'm not expecting to die soon, I just like to be prepaired.

I decided to try and write it based on the things I have now, and add on to it later. Sadly, I can't get any ideas on what to give people.

What if I hate someone before I die, and I don't want them to get whatever it is I was going to give them, but it's too late to change it?

Oh, wait. I've got an idea. How about this: Depending on how they act towards me today, will determine what they get from me on my will. If they annoy me, or something, they'll get something bad. And they can't really refuse it. No changing the rule.

So, the people that will be in it, are my mother, twin brother, best friend, boyfriend, and my grandmother.

I grab my blue notebook that has my name in pink letters. I place it in my bag, and finish doing my hair.

I look in my mirror. I have peach colored skin, straight black hair that I put in a neat braid, brown eyes, and tons of freckles. I'm in a purple shirt, and a black skirt.

My name is Quinn Loden. I'm fifteen, and in eighth grade.

"Quinn!" My mom yells from downstairs. "Your going to be late!"

Time to go.

🖨️

I go downstairs, and sit at the table.

"Hey, mom. What's for breakfast?" I ask.

She turns from the stove, and-oh. She.....doesn't look good.

"Good morning to you, too." She snaps.

Whoa. She's in a bad mood. This is not going to look good on the will for her. I can't really change my rule now, can I? It wouldn't really be fair...

But, Mom looks like she hasn't gotten much sleep. Or food. She looks really thin.

"Uh, sorry?" I try.

She drops an apple in front of me. "There. Breakfast."

"Uh...." I don't know how to answer to this. The apple rolls down the table.

She walks out to the backyard, slamming the door behind her.

Well. That happened. Is she okay?

My twin, Logan, plops down in the seat across from me, and puts the apple in the fruit bowl in the middle of the table. He's usually annoying, so I don't expect for him to get anything on my will. Excpecially not my laptop, which he's always wanted.

"Hey, Quint." He says, using his stupid nickname for me.

I stand. I can get breakfast from school. The bus will be here soon anyway. "Hi, Logan." I reply, grabbing my backpack on the way out the door.

"Quinn, wait." He says, following me outside. Quinn? Hmmm.

Logan and I look a lot alike. He has short black hair, and peach skin. He has less freckles then I do, but still a lot. He wears glasses, even though he only needs them for reading. We both love reading, and hate sports. I don't know why we don't always get along. Maybe it's because he always seems to be hiding something from me. I don't ask though. I know how to respect a person.

We walk to the bus stop before he says something.

"So, um, I'm dating....someone." He tells me. He sounds...nervous?

I raise an eyebrow at him. "And you're telling me?" He never does this. Is this what he was hiding?

He nods. "Yeah."

"Well, who is it?" I ask.

He bites his lip, then mumbles a name I can't hear.

"Hmm?"

"Brain Chanlor." He mutters.

My eyes widen. "Wait, your-"

He claps a hand over my mouth. "Shhh!"

I shove his hand away. "Seriously? Who knows? Why are you telling me?"

"Yes, barely anyone, and because I trust you." He says. He trust me?

I nod slowly. "Ok. Yeah, thanks for trusting me." Why am I suprised at this? I've suspected it for years. This is just verification.

"No problem." He says as the bus pulls up. "You can ask me more questions later. Please don't tell anyone."

So, maybe Logan isn't all that bad. Maybe he will get the laptop. He picked a good day to be nice.

🖨️

We get to school, and I go to the science classroom I always meet Lucas in. We've been dating almost all of middle school. We're planning to go to the same high school next year.

I can hear someone inside, so I assume he got here early.

I push open the door, and inhale sharply.

Katie, my best and only friend, is kissing Lucas. And he's kissing her back.

He has his hands on her waist, and her hands are tangled in his hair. Seriously? How long has this been happening? I need answers. I go to ask.

They turn, and when they see me, move apart, eyes wide.

No no no no no. Nevermind. I can't be here today. Nope. I can't do this. I can't.

I turn, and run. I'm not paying attention where, I'm just running. Down the hallways. To the front. I have to get out of here.

I can hear someone behind me, but I just go faster.

I can't believe this. Why? They were my only friends.

I turn the corner, and run into Logan, who somehow knows what happened. He puts an arm around my shoulder. I sob into his shirt.

He looks at whichever of them is behind me, and says something I can't, and don't want to hear.

He brings me to the office. "Do you want to call mom?" He asks quietly.

"No." I tell him. "She's not in a good mood." Right now, she'd probaly just yell at me, and send me back. Right now, I need comfort.

"Grandma?" He suggests.

I nod. Grandma always lets us stay over. She's excatly what I need right now.

Logan calls her, and she says she'll be there in ten minutes. Logan goes to class, but only after I promise I'll be okay. I look in my bag for something to do while I wait, and I pull out my blue notebook. I cross out Lucas' and Katie's names. In sharpie. Then I scribble over it. Over and over. I'm crying again.

I trusted them. I loved him. I can't believe this. I will never forgive them for this.

Tears are falling for who knows how long, when strong arms wrap around me, and I smell cinnamon, and cupcakes.

Grandma.

I look up, and she's smiling sadly at me.

She has frizzy graying brown hair twisted into a neat bun. She barely has any wrinkles on her light skin. She has glasses, and is wearing a thick coat. She's not that old, since she had Mom in college, and Mom had Logan and I at twenty-two.

"Come on, sweetie." She says softly.

She leads me out to her car, and once we're inside, she asks what happened.

I tell her as she drives me to her house. She stops by the donut shop when she hears my stomach growl.

I spend the rest of the day listening to her tell me stories about Logan and I as kids. She doesn't mention Lucas or Katie at all. We make dozens of cookies, then go and pass them out to her neighbors.

She always knows just what to do to make me feel better.

On my will, Grandma gets almost everything. So does Logan. Inside of the notebook, I write a note for Logan.

🖨️

Two years later:

I convinced Mom to let me switch schools. I couldn't keep going. Katie and Lucas kept trying to talk to me, and I ignored them. They didn't stop until Brian, Logan's boyfriend told them to stop trying.

If Logan breaks up with him, I'm going to murder him.

Mom's been weird, so I found a boarding school close to home to go to.

I cut my hair, so now it stops at my chin.

Today I'm going to meet my roomate. I'm in the elevator, and the doors are closing, when I hear someone shout, "Hold the doors!"

I stop them, and a boy rushes inside.

He has messy brown hair, and light skin. He's taller then me, and I look up at him. He's panting, so I assume he ran to catch the elevator.

We start talking, and I find out his name, Joesph, and before he leaves, he gives me a phone number.

I can't fall in love again. I can't handle heartbreak.

I still keep the number.

I walk to my dorm room, and unlock the door.

A girl with dark skin, and frizzy black hair is lying on one of the beds.

"Hi! Are you Quinn? I'm Mirra. I love your hair. Do you need help carrying that stuff?" She says, coming towards me.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." She takes the some of my things, and we put it on the empty half of the room.

She talks and talks, and I don't have to tell her anything about me.

I go to sleep knowing I have a friend.

🖨️

Five years later:

"Quinn Loden died on April sixth. She died saving her twin brother from a gunshot. She was nineteen years old, and in college."

Logan walks towards her coffin, his face streaked with tears. She grew her hair back out, and it's in two neat braids, lying on her shoulders. It looks like she's sleeping. Maybe if he waits long enough, she'll wake up. But, no. He knows that won't happen. His turns away, not being able to see her face.

His grandmother wraps her arms around him, and he returns the embrace.

He goes to sit beside Brian, who sqeezes his hand in sympathy.

This is the second family funeral he's had to go to. He can't stand it.

His mom started acting weird four years ago, and it turned out she was drinking. Him and Quinn stayed with they're grandmother. They're mother would get mad, and throw things, and Logan got hit protecting Quinn. Two years ago, they're mother crashed her car, and passed away.

At least he had Quinn to help him get through it. She was devstated, even though she hadn't been much of a mother.

He needs to stop thinking about her. It upsets him too much.

He looks around, and sees Katie crying on Lucas's shoulder. He doesn't know why they're here. Quinn never forgave them. She never talked to them again. Who invited them?

He sees Mirra, Quinn's best friend, sitting with Joesph, the boy Quinn failed to not fall in love with.

His grandmother is speaking up front. He can't understand her words. He can't pay attention.

He stops looking around. Everything reminds him of her. He looks at the ground until Brian tells him they can go.

He goes home, and cries.

🖨️

One year later:

Logan inherited the house, but can't go into Quinn's room.

Brain stays with him, they're engaged now, and told him when he was ready to go inside, he'd be there to help him.

Logan didn't know if he could. But he knew he'd have to eventually.

One day, he tells Brian he's ready to look through her things. Brian calls his grandmother, Mirra and Joesph, and twenty minutes later, he's opening the door.

It still somehow smells like her. Flowers and cookies. All of her things are in perfect condition, nothing out of place. He almost goes back, but Brain slips his hand into Logan's.

He takes a breath, and walks through the door, tears already coming.

They look through everything, Joesph crying when he finds a box of love letters for him. He admits to loving her too, but not being able to tell her. Mirra cries when she see's all of the presents she gave Quinn in perfect condition. Brain finds the birthday present Quinn was going to give him. He can't open it. His grandmother smiles sadly at the sight of all the things Quinn got from her.

Logan finds all of her journals, and they all flip through them, everyone crying silently.

He finds a blue notebook with her name in neat, pink letters. He flips through it, and stops when he sees his name.

Logan, you are the best brother ever. If I'm dead, I thank you for everything. Thank yu for trusting me. Don't give up. Keep on going. I love you so much. Quinn.

He drops his head in his hands, and sobs. Everyone wraps their arms around him, and they stay like that, remembering Quinn Loden.

🖨️