23
‘Turning Page’
—Sleeping At Last
Scott
I may have started driving a tad over the speed limit, trying to make it to Lara. It pains me to hear her cry. I would never want her to be in pain.
As I arrive at her house, I hop out of my car and then rush inside frantically. I wave to her parents before running upstairs. I knock on the door when no one answers. I slowly creak the door open.
Lara is crying on her bed, curled up into a ball.
“Butterfly…” I sit down on the bed, the mattress dipping under my weight. I rub her back gently.
She sits up, looking at me.
“You didn’t have to come,” she says, rubbing her eyes. I pull her into a tight hug, not letting go.
“Baby, I love you. Of course I’m coming if you're upset.” I squeeze her tightly. She stops crying and looks at me.
“Do you promise not to leave me?”
“I promise, baby. I swear. I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”
“I love you, Scotty.” She kisses me.
5 years later
‘All I Want’
— Kodaline
Scott
I have to prepare for my Christmas game, so I haven’t been paying attention to social media or any text messages from my friends or family. I’ve basically been shutting everyone out.
I just want to focus on basketball since I can’t focus on Lara and me.
I spent the whole day working on my shooting.
The squeaking of my shoes echoes against the hard gym floor. My coach always said exhaustion creates discipline. My arms feel like lead every time I lift the ball.
“Scott,” Mason, one of my teammates, calls out from the sidelines. “Dude, practice ended an hour ago.”
Sweat drips down my forehead as I grab another ball from the rack. Everything burns—my knees, my elbows—but stopping sounds worse.
Exhaustion is the only thing quieting my mind, keeping me from spiraling into thoughts about Lara. I still can’t help but think about her, think about seeing no new notifications, or the look she gave me the last time we spoke. The coldness in her voice.
I really screwed up this time, and this time I wasn’t even trying.