everything stays.

  Let's go in the garden,

   She stepped outside, letting the front door shut behind her. Tears streamed down her face as she walked into her yard. She had planned on driving off in anger, but something she saw stopped her.

   You'll find something waiting,

   She walked over slowly, her car keys dropping to the ground, forgotten. 

   Right where you left it,

   It was a small area of flowers, but she had been proud of it. They had been proud of it. Right in front of it was a small, hand-crafted sign. It was painted white, with red letters that read:

   "MELODY'S AND HAZEL'S GARDEN!"

   She stooped down to where she was eye-level with it. She brushed her hand over the familiar wood she had once painted, all the cracks and crooks in the oak, before reaching around and opening a secret compartment in the back. Inside was her most prized possession- or at least, what had once been her most prized possession- a small necklace with a golden heart that read:

   "M & H

   4/14/17"

   She picked it up, pocketing it, before going to retrieve her car keys.

   Lying upside down,

   It had been a week. She was staying at a friend's house, trying to figure out the ins and outs of getting a divorce. As she leaned back into the bathtub, she checked her phone. 4 missed calls from Hazel. She stared at the screen for a few more moments, before shutting her phone off.

   When you finally find it,

   She laid in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling. Making shapes out of the texture. It was new; she had left her friend's house and moved into her own small apartment. The bed was creaky and the shower wasn't big enough. She looked over to her small dresser, where the necklace was. She had set it down when she first moved in and hadn't touched it since. But she looked at it a lot.

   You'll see how it's faded,

   She clicked the pen once, twice, three times. The worker looked up at her, obviously annoyed with her antics, but Melody simply lowered her head and signed the papers where he had told her to. She felt the necklace in her pants pocket.

   The other side is lighter when you turn it around,

   She stared at the envelope that had been sent to her over three days ago with Hazel's neat handwriting on it. She felt her stomach drop as she opened it and pulled out a wedding invitation. Hazel was marrying the girl she had cheated on Melody with. She stared at it for a moment, absorbing each intricate detail of the card, before ripping it into shreds and leaving it on the table. She went into her bedroom, before pulling the necklace out of her pocket and staring down at it, thumbing the cold metal.

   Everything stays,

   She finished talking to her mother before ending the call and beginning to cry. She hadn't told her mother yet about her and Hazel, but she had finally called to arrange a meeting with her. 

   But it still changes,

   She stepped inside. Her mom had painted the house a different color; it felt unfamiliar. Her mother led her down a hallway to her old bedroom, and she was relieved to see her bedroom was still untouched- the same olive green color, the same soft yellow bedsheets, the same books scattered throughout the room. They sat down on the bed.

   Ever so slightly,

   While her mother held her, she pulled the necklace out of her pocket and looked at it through teary eyes. She rubbed her thumb harshly against the engraving, as if to wipe it all away, but it stayed there, unchanged. She squeezed it in her fist and sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

   Daily and nightly,

   She had cleaned out her car of the memories- the candy bar wrappers, the empty Starbucks cups, the CDs in her glove compartment. She washed the outside and vacuumed the interior, cleansing her car of the laughter that still reverbrated through the radio when she played a song.

   In little ways,

   She dragged the rag over her skin, rubbing and rubbing away every touch, every fingerprint, every echo of Hazel's touch from her flesh. Her skin turned red, raw from the harsh fabric, yet still she rubbed her flesh clean with soap.

   But everything stays.

   She set the necklace in her memory drawer, staring at it amongst old letters and souvenirs, before finally she shut the drawer and crawled under her covers, drifting off to sleep.