Gilbert Stone

PREFACE
It was an unusually beautiful day, and even with the sun shining brightly in the late afternoon, I could feel the anguish settling deep into the pit of my stomach. The irony of having such a glorious day at hand, was that my mind was in a dark, desolate place. It was time to make my choice. Not just any choice, but one with the power to move mountains, destroy cities, break hearts, relinquish love and betray who you are as a person.

Let me paint you a picture. Imagine you are traveling down a long winding road, and you come to a fork. Your options are standing right before you. Two paths that can take you to far off places, that are both terrifying and beautiful. You can choose to take the one road, the one that your heart lights up just thinking about. The one that will lead you to a career, marriage and kids; the choice that any sane person would make. It would be like walking towards… complete and total happiness. That’s all we can really ask for in life. To experience happiness to the fullest extent, and then give it back in return. Then there’s the other road. The choice that brings you nothing but heartache, the choice that is so difficult to make that you can feel your feet already walking in the other direction. The choice that you wish would kill you, because it’s just not worth living through. It seems like a no brainer, right? Anyone would take the first road. But what if it wasn’t that simple? What if the person that brought all that happiness to you…what if your soul mate had no choice but to take the second road? Would you follow them down that path, knowing that it would be the end? You see my dilemma then. I can walk away from this all right now. My God, I could run away from it if only my heart would let me. Choosing the second path would kill us both. But he is down tht path…never seeing him again, if even just for a moment… would be the biggest regret of my life Who is this man who’s doomed to be my destruction you’re wondering? That will come with time, but in order for you to understand exactly the weight of my decision I must start from the beginning. I must start with him.

Gilbert Stone was anything but normal. Not to say that he didn’t fit in well with his run of the mill classmates at Crescent Range High School. He did. In fact considerably so-but it is important to remember that fitting in and being normal can be two very different affairs. Fitting in requires that people like you. People liked Gilbert Stone. No, people loved Gilbert Stone. He was always the talk of the school, and the name on every girl’s lips. If asked, Gilbert would be described as handsome; actually, a better word for him would be majestic. Gilbert looked like a movie star. He had deep brown, silky hair, with natural golden highlights that swept across his forehead. I never thought a forehead could be sexy until I saw him. Sometimes when he stood in the light just the right way, it almost looked as if he were glowing. His nose went into a slight point but it was just enough to compliment his full lips, which seemed to always be turned sideways into a crooked smile. He had the most piercing green eyes you ever saw, the kind that looked like emeralds glistening in the sun.

His green eyes held something more though; curiosity. Just like the kind that killed the cat; and just beyond those curious eyes sat something even more appealing than that- genuineness. The unvarnished gaze that Gilbert Stone could unleash on a person was both a gift and a curse. The girls that have seen this look only feel honored up to the point when they realize they can’t tame the beast.

Gilbert Stone was never tied down to any specific girl, but instead engulfed himself in a pool of women whom he called “friends." These women were all referred to as “babe”, “darling”, “sweetheart” and occasionally “sugar." It’s actually unknown whose name Gil actually remembered. Gilbert was always sporting a varsity jacket with ripped tattered jeans and whatever shirt he happened to pick up off his bedroom floor. Although this look sounds appalling he pulled it off with ease, and soon the majority of the guys at school were donning similar looks.

Despite his natural beauty, the most appealing feature Gilbert had was the way he spoke to people. He was one of those guys that you could immerse yourself into a conversation with, and before you knew it hours had passed. He had this uncanny ability to make you feel like there was nothing more important in the world at that very moment than you. Gil was brilliant, and with his baritone voice, soft laugh, and unmatched wits he was an icon.

Unfortunately, Gilbert knew how amazing he was, and that brought about his biggest flaw, some would say his only flaw…his arrogance. He was the quarterback of the schools all star football team, was a shoe in for prom king, and even volunteered at the soup kitchen over summer break. He was too good to be true, and he knew it. Like I said, everyone at school loved Gilbert Stone… especially Gilbert Stone.

When I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even I, Addison Carter, loved Gilbert Stone. No, Gil is not my soul mate waiting for me on the wrong side of the fork, but like I said in order to understand my dilemma we must start from the beginning, and the beginning of my story… starts with the death of Gilbert Stone.

Chapter 1: The Beginning
“You’re dead Gil! Do you hear me?” Benjy taunted me as he playfully punched me on the shoulder. I sighed, dramatically rolling my eyes. “God bless Benjy.” is all I could think.

It was our fifth game of Halo and this kid was still determined to beat me. I don’t know why but I was unnaturally good at the game, although it was only my second time playing. I watched Benjy’s face turn crimson as he lost again. I bit my tongue as hard as I could just to hold back the laughter. Not that I was trying to spare his feelings, but his mom was in the kitchen, and well, she was a little over protective and hot.
Actually she was a complete knockout. She had long tan legs that went straight to heaven, platinum blonde hair, gorgeous eyes and lips that were severely underplayed due to her natural makeup look. She was smart too, not as if that mattered at all. I’m sure she would find it very upsetting if she thought I was picking on her only son. Benjy was my best friend, but he was a little bit over sensitive. Besides I could find better things to do the torment him, like think of ways to talk to his mom. For now though, I just sat in their ugly two bedroom apartment wasting time until football practice.

I despised being in his tiny apartment. The walls were a foul peach color with deep cracks running up the sides. The white carpeting had stains splattered across it that made me feel uncomfortable about the, “no shoes in the house” rule. The air was thick, and congested feeling. Benjy’s family was pretty poor and found that running the air conditioner wasn't one of life's necessities. It wouldn't be so bad if they had more to drink than just water and cranberry juice.
This particular day however was not that bad. All three of the windows in the tiny apartment were open, letting the cool breeze the day so freely offered inside. The couch, which was usually a hot sticky leather texture, was covered in a soft, cool, only slightly stained white sheet. The kitchen just happened to overlook the living room, and the way Ms. Birch was leaning on the counter was not bad to look at. Still, it was always a little disheartening being in that small space. Not only was it stuffy and filled with bad snacks, but Benjy’s mom had this habit of never leaving me alone with him. She would watch us like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey. Usually she would be subtle; pretending to talk on the phone, or doing the dishes…over and over again. Not today though. Today she had no problem standing in the kitchen, leaning over the counter and watching every move I made. I'm not sure if she was doing this because of the violent nature of the video game we were playing, or just the plain simple fact that she thought I was a “bad influence" for her little Benjamin.

“Ha.” I laughed out loud not being able to restrain myself any longer, considering the statement. I quickly shifted my eyes towards Benjy to make sure my laughter had gone unnoticed. I received another blow to my arm and quickly dropped my demeanor. I lunged for him. It wasn't until we were both on the floor and I had Benjy in a headlock that I remembered Ms. Birch. I quickly let go. I picked up my controller to start the next match.

Ms. Birch had no idea how lucky she was that I took little Benjy under my wing. She hadn’t even the slightest clue how many times I saved him from the wrath of bullies, or just plain social suicide.

It’s not the he didn’t try to be cool. He did-he was just bad it. Take his appearance for instance. He had shaggy brown hair just past his ears and instead of getting a much needed haircut he had a tendency to just throw on a ball cap. His eyes (which come to think of it, I’m not even sure what color they are) are constantly framed behind thick black glasses. He always wears basic levi jeans that are a couple of sizes too big, and a plain black crew cut tee shirt. His ugly, puke color new balance shoes don't help him out much either. More than that though, Benjy had an innocent look about him. This look was reminiscent of a wounded puppy. Anybody who has been to high school knows that is a dangerous look to sport, especially if you are a Junior. I can’t count the amount of times I stood up for him. Truthfully though, Benjy was a good guy. I felt that I needed to protect him.

I thought about this for a minute, when I was quickly yanked back to reality. I have no idea how, but I managed to pull out another Halo victory.

“Man you’re good!” Benjy whined. “But hey, don't you need to get going to football practice? If you don’t hurry up you’ll be late.”

“Don’t worry they won’t start without me.”
Ok, I thought. That was cocky, but true. I wanted to see if I was going to receive a dinner invitation from Ms. Birch. Of course I would decline but it’s the thought that counts. Benjy and Kimberly…oops I mean Ms. Birch exchanged a quick, uneasy glance. I could immediately feel the tension in the air. It was thick ,uncomfortable and made me feel nervous. I didn’t like that. Nothing ever made me nervous.

“Well Gilbert we would love to invite you for dinner…” Ms. Birch began

YES I thought. I knew she liked me.

“…but Benjamin and I are meeting his father at the attorney’s office.”

My hopes immediately diminished. I felt my face grow hot and I could no longer look at Benjy or his mom. My palms were sweaty and I began to subconsciously pull at my shirt collar. “Errr, right. I have football practice anyways. I’m the quarterback you know.” I choked out, purposely flashing my crooked smile. A weak attempt at trying to regain some confidence.

“So I've heard,” she replied in a dull, uninterested voice, not even bothering to glance up at me.

Damn. She was good

“See ya later Benjy” I said playfully rubbing his hair as I jolted for the door, more than eager to leave the tiny apartment.

Despite my popularity and influence over him, Benjy still had his priorities mixed up. He never drank, was always studying and was too nervous to date. Actually, maybe I had my priorities wrong. Needless to say Benjy’s upbringing was far from perfect. I guess that was the reason Benjy was such a good kid. He hated parties, avoiding them at all costs. In fact the only time I remember him coming to one was to pick up a friend who wanted to drive home drunk.

When I say friend, I mean me.

Now that I think about it, maybe Benjy protected me as much as I did him.
--------------------------------------------------
When I finally got to football practice I noticed that the whole team was already there, and in gear; the whole team except for the coach. Apparently he had gotten a flat tire. I ran to my locker room and quickly began changing.
When Coach Tanner finally did enter ten minutes later I was ending my impromptu motivational speech with, “You guys are all like brothers to me." Not that it was true, I was an only child and I enjoyed it that way. A burst of applause broke out, echoing around the room making the cheers sound ten times louder than they actually were. Coach Tanner’s eyes widened briefly, “So you boys ready to practice?” he stuttered a little, shocked at the enthusiasm that was radiating off the walls. Another round of cheers broke out as all the players started hustling for the door. I was trailing behind them; something was almost pulling me in the opposite direction. The pool entrance was on the other side of the locker rom and as soon as I noticed “the pool this way” sign, a bizarre panic swelled inside of me. I immediately felt drawn to go that way. It was as if some strange force was beckoning me. I began to turn, inching closer to the pool entrance when I felt someone’s hand clasp my shoulder. “C’mon Stone!” coach barked, and the panic was gone.

Football practice was finally beginning and the sun was almost out of the sky. The bright stadium lights were already beating down hard on us, making it annoyingly hot. I could smell the fresh cut of the grass, and with the illuminating lights the blades almost looked too green. The white chalky powder spelled out STALLIONS on the left side of the field, and the team was already huddled together going over plays. I loved it here. I never felt freer then when I was playing football. For a couple of hours I stop being just “Gilbert Stone” and I become a part of a team. A piece of an unstoppable machine that is both powerful and graceful.

Although I was good at every sport I played, football was definitely my favorite. I had this uncanny ability to target exactly where I wanted the ball to be thrown, and what force to throw it at. I was never wrong, and if the play did not go through it was because some idiot on the receiving end dropped the ball.

“OHHH YEAHH!” some of the guys howled as the cheerleaders began prancing on to the field. I immediately straightened up and began targeting my next throw. While those idiots gawked and drooled over the bait, I would impress the ladies with my talent. Make them come to me. I was scanning the field looking for an opening when all of a sudden it felt as if someone punched me in the stomach.
All the wind was knocked out of me and I abruptly fell to my knees. The alarm that was sweeping across my body was almost overwhelming. I couldn’t catch my breath and even though every part of my brain told me to stop, I felt a powerful instinct to run. So I did. I ripped off my helmet hoping that I could get some air into my lungs, and I ran. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I could hear the stunned “Gil’s?” and the coach yelling, “Where’s he going?” But I didn’t care.
The panic was feeding my body, forcing it to go faster, push harder. As I sprinted out of the stadium I saw another small group of cheerleaders passing me. My senses were amazingly clear. I could see the shocked looks on the girl’s faces as I raced past them, and I heard them whisper “Is that Gil Stone?” I even caught a hint of some sort of vanilla perfume the one with the curly black hair was wearing.

It took me a couple of minutes to realize exactly where my feet were carrying me. I was heading straight for the indoor swimming pool. Although the alarm was stronger than ever in my body, I was eager to see what would meet me on the other side of those doors. As I pushed them open, I was startled by the intense lighting.

It was so blindinglybright that I finally stopped running, only being able to back up and shield my eyes. I could see nothing, but I knew I needed to start moving again. Once my eyes adjusted to the lighting I began to look around. No one was here. The lights were burning bright, but there the room stood still, with no sign of being used. I cursed under my breath. What had drawn me here? Why had I just embarrassed myself in front of my whole team?
I sighed heavily and mumbled “idiot.” I turned around eager to get back to the field and explain my eradicate behavior, when everything horrible happened at once.

Oh God. Agony, pure agony poured out over my entire body. My legs locked instinctively and I crouched low to the ground, like some sort of wild animal about to make a kill.

Nothing about the scene had changed one bit, and yet my body like a puppet was being controlled by an unknown master. I don’t know why, nor can I fully explain it, but something felt “insecure” about this place. I began to run once again, feeling the need to find the unknown danger that haunted this room.

All of my senses seemed heightened. I could smell the chlorine coming from the pool, and now that my eyes had fully adjusted to the lights it didn’t seem quite so bright. I began to calculate in my head all the possible places the “danger” could be hiding. 42. I was looking at everything, taking in every detail the room could offer.

Then as if a map had been layed out before my eyes I knew instantly. All of my attention was immediately drawn to the large body of water encompassing the center of the room; the pool. Something eerie and dangerous was beckoning me.
I was beyond fighting my feet at this point, knowing that I would lose if I tried to resist. I was approaching the pool now, curiosity washing over my entire being. When suddenly, I slipped. My head ricocheted off the cement, and I was immediately submerged under the water. Every instinct told me to get out, to swim to the edge and pull myself up and yet I couldn’t. I was dizzy and nauseated at the same time. Before I could register what just happened red began to wash over my eyes.

I was bleeding; profusely. Clouds of blood were swirling all around me, and my sight was growing darker and darker until all I could see was crimson. My lungs began to burn, begging for air.
This was it. I was dying, and no one could hear me scream. There I was helpless, locked in by my watery grave waiting for the end. I began to drift towards the abyss of nothing, when out of the corner of my eye I saw her.

Swimming towards me was a girl, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Her blonde hair looked like pure gold, yet soft and gentle. I felt myself longing to touch her face. Her blue eyes were the biggest I had ever seen. She wore a long green dress, which flowed away from her body creating the impression of a bird about to take flight. Her long blonde hair swam around her face, which wore a panicked expression. Why? Why would she fur her brow and make even one wrinkle in her beautiful skin?

And then all at once it made sense. Why I was here. Why I was dying. It was for her. And I was okay with that. Actually more than okay…like everything in my life was leading up to this point. I got to see her, and that’s all that mattered.

I was watching her closely now refusing to close my eyes until the end completely consumed me. I watched her delicate hands dance through the water, her lips part gently letting out air bubbles. I was so immersed in her beauty that it took me a second to realize she was drowning too. She was flailing her arms in a sporadic circular motion, fear overtaking her eyes.

My body was on fire. Not from the burning that my lungs were feeling, but every single one of my muscles tensed. I felt a serge shoot through me and suddenly I could breathe. My vision became clear. I could see everything in great detail. I could hear everything. I listened closely, picking up on my coaches voice from the football field, as if he were right there yelling at me. Everything was illuminating, it was as if I had just woken from sleep.

I did not know what what was happening to me, but I knew the reason. I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t come here to die. I was here to save her
I felt incredible; invincible. This revolution my body encountered and the admiration I felt for it only took a few seconds…a few seconds too long. I looked again at the girl, the mystery woman who drew me here. She was drifting out of consciousness. I began to swim towards her as fast as I could. Her eyes were completely closed, but her arms were still tense, and her hands were balled into little elegant fists. She was still alive, but barely.

Her body started to go limp, death was taking over. With each second that passed I grew weaker. It was as if all that strength that had been transformed through me, had been connected to her safety. Now that she was dying, my body was giving up.

A thousand knives were stabbing into me. It felt as though I was disintegrating. I could barely move. I was terrified at the sudden realization that I would die. I would die before I could save her.

I pushed as hard as humanly possible…harder than humanly possible. I felt the heat spread through my body as my heart was exploding. My vision was bloody. All I could see was blood…all I could sense. I gave one last push towards her, locking my fingers around her waist.

It was painful to grasp something. As I pushed her towards the surface, my wrist snapped under the weight and I sunk lower…until death finally took me.

Chapter 2: Her
" He did it for attention."

"He wanted to kill himself."

"What's going to happen to the team?"

A sea of words swam in my mind. Different voices all saying the same thing; I was dead.

I could imagine hell being worse than this and it did not feel as though I were in heaven- I must be in limbo.

Everything was muffled. Not just the echoes of my accusers, but my body as well.

Flashes of what happened began to flood my thoughts. Football practice…swimming pool …green dress… her….

Her!

And just as my mind began to wonder what happened to the girl in the pool, I was released from my state of oblivion.

A rush of noise hit my ears. There was gasps, whoops, whispers and sirens, and yet past all the noise my attention was completely consumed with the thought of the golden haired beauty.

There must have been thirty people watching me. Waiting for me to be pronounced dead.

I rolled over and began vomiting up chlorine when heard people cheering with excitement because I was alive.

The truth was that I did not care that all of these people where here for me. I wanted to know that she was safe. I had to know.

I tried sitting up, but two burly hands pressed down on my chest.

"Whoa there sport!" said a dark haired man to my direct left. He was checking my pulse and scribbling on a clipboard at the same time.

Before I could sense what was going on I felt my body being lifted off the ground. I saw two additional EMT' jog into the pool area, pushing a stretcher.

As I was being held up I took the brief opportunity to search the crowd for any indication of what happened to her.

Nothing, and I mean nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I was horrified, mesmerized and confused all at the same time.

There in the back of the crowd was the blonde haired girl. She was leaning up against the bleachers that surrounded the pool. She was making eye contact with no one, and not a person seemed to notice she was there.

She was safe and sound, but that did not comfort me in the slightest. The fact was, and this caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up, she was completely dry. Not a single damp hair clung to her skin and her make up was perfectly applied. What was more was the look on her face. It was not one of relief or even fear, but one of disappointment. Instantly, as if she knew I was looking, her gaze met mine.

Before I knew it, a needle was stuck in my arm and I drifted back to oblivion.

--------------------------------------------------I had no idea how long I was asleep for, but when I woke in the hospital I could see the early morning sun peeking through the blinds. I looked around taking in my surroundings. The room was painted a dull yellow and scratched white tiles surrounded the bed. There was one nightstand that was overflowing with gifts. From get well cards, teddy bears, flowers, and sports magazines; These were all for me, and I wanted none of it. Benjy was asleep in the corner chair. His glasses were clenched tightly in one fist and there was a box of open chocolates on his lap. I laid their for hours unable to sleep before he finally woke up.

He rubbed his eyes hazily as I asked, " Where's Luke?"

"The note said busy, but he sends his love." Benjy responded glumly indicating to the box of chocolates.

Luke was my Uncle, and became my legal guardian when my dad passed away almost 9 years ago. We rarely talked and the times that we did spend communicating to one another consisted of text messaging. He drove semi trucks for a living which meant the majority of his time was spent on the road. When he was home he usually slept at his girlfriends house.

"Luke listed my mom as the emergency contact. Basically your coming home with me until he gets home Tuesday morning." Benjy explained.

I sighed heavily as Benjy scooted his chair closer to the bed.

" Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Benjy exhaled dramatically.

I thought about this for a moment. I hadn't decided if I wanted to tell other people about my incident. I figured though Benjy was a safe bet and would atleast have some insight into the situation.

I began recalling the dramatic events, the weird pulling sensation, the way I fell into the pool, how she was there and how my whole life changed in that instant. I told him that I was ok with dying as long as she got to live.

I was surprised when Benjy scuffed at the end of my story.

"What, you don’t believe me?" I asked, angry at his betrayal. He was suppose to be supportive.

The door opened before Benjy could respond.

My doctor was a rather short, bald man. He had a bit of a rough German accent and began to immediately speak without even introducing himself.
" You were quite lucky sir. Regarding your accident, your lungs are in remarkable shape. More impressively, even though you were officially dead for four minutes we have yet to find any brain damage."

I touched my head, completely having forgotten that I hit it when I fell into the pool. There was a bandage that went all the way from the top of my eyebrow to the tip of my ear.

"Nothing more than a flesh wound," the doctor said reassuringly. "But you will have to come back in a month or so to monitor your progress and to run some more tests. You will be able to leave this afternoon though." He then turned on his heel and left as quickly as he had entered.

Once the door shut it was silent for what seemed like a considerable amount of time. I couldn't look Benjy in the eye.

" Well?" I finally asked with a tone of bitterness. "Do you believe me or don't you?"

" I believe you think you saw a girl down there with you, but you also hit your head pretty hard." Benjy wasn't looking at me either when he said this.

"I have no brain damage!" I exclaimed, pointing to the door the doctor had just emerged from. White heat engulfed my entire being.

"That they have yet to find." Benjy retorted. "Besides, even if this girl did exist you should be grateful you survived. She sounds crazy. What was she doing in the pool Gil? Trying to kill herself?"

"You don't know her!" I shouted accusingly.

"Neither do you!" he roared back.

This hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a sombering truth. This girl who had significantly changed my life was a ghost to me. I didn't know anything about her.

"Not yet I don't." I swallowed hard and refused to speak to him again.

We sat there in silence for another thirty minutes until Ms. Birch came to pick us up.

The next day at school was like nothing I could have prepared for. Everyone watched me, even more so than usual. They spoke slower and I didn't have to open one door. Normally I would love the extra attention, but in this case I wished that I could just fade in the background.

When Benjy and I sat down for lunch we were instantly surrounded by people. They wanted to know everything. Benjy drove them away exclaiming, "Gil needs his privacy." I felt that this was because he did not want her to be brought up again.

Benjy suddenly let out a low groan. I followed his eyes across the room and instantly knew what the problem was. Addison Carter had her eyes locked in our direction and was walking directly towards us.

"She called me three times looking for you." Benjy whispered.

"Gilbert!" Addison croked in a cheerful tone that was almost too chipper. She grabbed an empty chair from the adjacent table and pulled it up between Benjy and I. She swung her legs around and looked me directly in the eye. "As you know I'm on the schools newspaper now and I thought that if I could get an interview with you for my first piece…"

" No." Benjy chimed in, "Gil really doesn’t want to talk to you or anyone else about his accident!"

I was fed up with him at this point. I had no idea where he got off thinking he could control who I spoke to. I thought for a minute. I thought about Addison and her "know-it-all" personality. I made my decision. "Alright Addison, I'll make you a deal. If you help me find someone I'll tell you what happened." I did not even bother to look at Benjy.

Addison let out a coy smile and nodded excitedly.

"Ok, she has golde…blonde hair that's really long."

"Wait a minute? This is a girl you need me to find? I thought you knew all the girls." She remarked, laughing a little at her joke.

"Fine. If you're not going to help me…" I began, standing up from my chair.

"No, please continue." She said gently touching my arm.

"Well she has really long blonde hair and blue eyes…and umm…" I glanced sideways at Benjamin, embarassed that I actually knew nothing of her. "She…uhhh…likes to swim..."

"Are you talking about Adrianna?" Addison interuppted.

Benjy and I looked at each other.

"She's new here…which is probably why you don’t know her. Actually she transferred in the day of your accident. Well, anyways she sort of fits your description…"

Her words became noise in the background. I could feel my heart stop. This girl really did exist, and now I was going to find her.

I stood up, and began walking towards the door when Benjy grabbed my arm.

"You don't want to do that." I said through gritted teeth.

Benjy's eyes widen as he took in my threat. He gulped and continued, "This has to stop! So ok, she exists, but she obviously has some issues. Look what happened to you." He placed his other hand on my shoulder and started to shake me dramatically.

"You can have any girl you want, so why this one? Do you have a death wish?"

"Do you?" I screamed back and shoved him with such force that as he fell to the ground his glasses flew from his face. He fell with a loud thud shock covering his face.

"Ben…" I started but was lost for words. I couldn’t believe I had just shoved him, I think he couldn't believe it either. I walked over to him and reached out my hand.

"I'm…sorry." I choked out.

At this point we had drawn the attention of a small group of people. Benjy got up off the floor, his face was red with frustration. "Promise me you will leave this alone. Promis me you won't talk to her!"

"I…promise" I said, not knowing if I meant it or not.

"Oh this is going to be good." Addison exhaled. I had forgotten she was there. "I'll meet you in the library at six for the interview." She walked over to Benjy and handed him his glasses.

--------------------------------------------------

By the time six o'clock rolled around, I decided I was going to blow Addison off. I had enough on my mind and the only real reason I agreed to the interview was to find out who she was.

Adrianna

I reminded myself of the name. Smiling because it was perfect.

I skipped the bus that day and decided to walk home instead. I needed a chance to be away from everyone so I could get my thoughts in order. I was walking along the familiar white picket fenced houses to the corner of Wilson and Sherman.

That's when I saw her sillhoute. Her back was to me and her hair was blowing widlly in the wind. It was Adrianna. She was talking hurridly on the phone and her body language was tense. She hung up with such force that I could sense her frustration. She began to walk quickely. Crossing the street and rounding the corner before I even understood what was happening. Desperation and intrigue stabbed me. Here she was and I was going to lose her again. I knew Benjy would get upset, but I decided right then and there to see where she was going. Afterall, I only promised not speak to her. She walked at this same brisk pace for about twenty minutes. I followed as closely behind her as I dared.

My mind was flooded with thoughts of where she was headed, when suddenly I realized we were walking towards the mall.

Shopping of course! I dramtically rolled my eyes .

But instead of walking in to the large Macy's shopping doors she veared left towards the mutlit teared parking garage.

She opened the door to the stairwell and began climbing two steps at a time. I kept up pace with her but was careful not to breathe too heavily for fear she might hear me. She stopped at the "Fourth Floor: Blue Zone" sign and opened the door.

The floor was empty except for a few cars miscellaniously scattered about. She was still walking with the same verocity until she got to the middle of the garage and abruptly halted. I crouched behind a dark green Nissan. It was late evening at this point and the way the sun was hitting the pillars created long shadows all over the place.

"Hello?" She called out.

I was too paranoid to enjoy the sweet symphony that was her voice. I began to slowly stand up. She knew I was here. I was just about to respond to her greeting when out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadowy figure appear from behind one of the collumns.

"I'm surprised you came." Adrianna said nodding to the shadowy figure.

"Yeah, well you need to be more careful." The voice responded.

A pang of fury shot through me at the sound. This voice was one that I had known all too well. I watched as my best friend in the entire world stepped out from one of the long cast shadows and into a strip of sunlight.

"Hello Benjamin" Adrianna uttered.