The first day of high school can provide an opportunity for one to shrug off old impressions of others and make new ones, allowing peers to do the same. Well, Marie was after just that.
The first day of school, Marie walked into class and was greeted by a partner assignment… something she dreaded more than anything in the world. Playing the ever so popular popsicle stick game, her teacher assigned her an intelligent-looking boy as her partner. Her partner, Charles, was unlike anyone she had met before, and thus, was very intrigued by him. After what seemed like mere minutes of sitting next to this boy with eyes that had a voice as charming as his own, the bell rang, dismissing Marie’s first class, and sending them into opposite directions without a word.
As the new school year passed, Marie and Charles spoke daily, becoming the sort of friends that you never see outside of school, but who really do mean the world to you. They spoke every chance given, even if it were stolen; they even went as far as blatantly skipping class in the library to talk, then returned to class together, boldly staring their teacher in the face. This little defiance between the two of them was so frequent that all efforts of separating the two were stopped. Despite their distracting chit chat, the two undoubtedly were perfect for each other, and worked harder than any other pair in the class.
Now, before I continue this tale of two, let me make something clear: Marie was utterly infatuated by this boy, Charles. He caused her to think in a way she had never thought before, and just charmed her more than she would ever dare to admit. But, she felt that twinge of doubt that one gets before they jump off of a high place, no matter how soft the landing may be. So, she kept her affection for Charles a secret, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he might feel the same.
The school year passed, and the two said goodbye for now, and then the glorious summer came. They two had very little contact with each other, save for one outing to the movies, which meant the world to Marie.
Finally, the moment Marie had been waiting for: the first day of school, meaning another chance to spend days on end talking to Charles. Although they had no classes with each other, they met in between classes every chance they had. In fact, they spent so much time together that teachers and peers alike asked the duo if they were a couple, which pleased Marie so much more than Charles would know.
But then, in a twist of fate, Charles came to her one day, and told her (to her utter dismay) that he would be moving to France in exactly twenty two days. Luckily, it was a Friday, so she had two days to allow her world to stop and think about what her best friend had told her. So, in a rash act she would never attempt again, she told Charles exactly how she felt about him that following Monday. The look on his face was unreadable, which scared her. It scared her until he opened his mouth in reply, saying, “It’s actually pretty, funny; I’ve been meaning to tell you the same thing for quite a while now.”
At this point, it was vain to try to mourn the days of secrecy between the two, for time was ticking away. The days counted down faster and faster, almost like a large rock rolling down a hill. On a certain Friday, there were only 3 days left, meaning this was the last day Marie would ever see Charles, her best friend and her love, for as long into the future as she could see. As they walked in silence to his car, it began to rain lightly. “How appropriate,” thought Marie, “Now, although cliché, no one can notice my tears.”
How right Marie was, because the rain disguised her tears; no one looked at her and asked themselves what thing had caused her to cry, or in her case: what wonderful boy had just driven out of her life as she stood there, rooted to the pavement, watching him go.
There was a little bit of light in this darkness that seemed to fill her emotions; they were still able to converse with each other over the phone, when possible, until Sunday. And, with the speed faster than the other 21 days, Sunday came. It was about 10 p.m. when Marie called Charles for a final goodbye. About halfway through her conversation, her father told her to put the phone down because he needed to talk to her about something that would only take a minute. “I will be right back!” said Marie, and then hung up the phone. This short talk turned into no less than a 45 minute lecture on time management. The entire time her father was talking, Marie was screaming inside, for all she wanted was one last goodbye before Charles evaporated from her life and into the colorless atmosphere.
When her father finally finished speaking, she could not get to her phone fast enough. As she flipped it open, there was a text message from Charles, the time sent being 5 minutes before hand. As she read it, she sunk to the floor and read it a second time out loud:
“I’m sorry; it is too late for me to talk, we should have called each other earlier today. By the time you get this, I will be on a plane. Adieu, mon Cherie.”