Prompt of meulin2spooky
"Aradia, why?" I think as I stare down at the coffin. Her face looks waxy and pale, not at all like her real self. The lively, bubbly Aradia. "Aradia," I whisper out loud. "You fool. Why'd you have to leave me?" My throat catches; tears start spilling down my face. One of our school friends pulls me into a hug, I smell something flowery but salty. Probably Feferi, but I don't care at this moment. A pat on the back, soft whispers. I can't tell who is who anymore.
After the funeral, I feel like I have no more tears left in me. So I do what I normally do- log onto my computer. Opening Pesterchum – it's pretty outdated, but childish memories with Aradia always kept me from deleting it, and especially now I would never delete it – I pause by all twelve of my contacts. All childhood friends, we're still in the same class. Unfortunately, for some of us. Now I know that one of those contacts will never log on again. My finger rests on it lightly, then I close Pesterchum and try to get busy so I can forget.
It doesn't work. The handle "apocalypseArisen" haunts me throughout my typing. I maximize Pesterchum and stare at it. Click.
tA: hey what'2 up aa.
tA: ii know thii2 ii2 really 2tupiid but god ii mii22 you 2o damn much. already and ii wa2 liiterally ju2t at your funeral. ii really wii2h we had the chance to grow together but ii gue22 that won't be happeniing anymore.
tA: ii gue22 ii'll ju2t keep talkiing to you liike thii2.
tA: ii really mii22 you aradiia. ii wii2h ii could have told you ii loved you more.
tA: ii wii2h you were here riight now mo2t of all.
Birthdays pass and so do holidays. I find myself pestering Aradia more and more. Graduation comes. What a sight I must seem now, hunched over my computer and seeming more and more withdrawn. Feferi comes and goes. Nepeta says she had a crush on me, but I don't really bother with that anymore. Karkat still worries about me. I feel like I'm the only who's changed and hasn't changed at the same time.
tA: aradiia karkat got marriied today.
tA: to terezii. liike you prediicted. aren't you proud.
tA: iit wa2 pretty 2appy. ii wouldn't tell them thii2 but ii thought iit wa2 really 2ad too –and happy, no worriie2, but wow. we're all growiing up now. gettiing marriied even.
tA: ii 2hould probably have told you thii2 earliier. feferii liike2 me apparently. ii don't even know what ii'm goiing to do though.
tA: 2he'2 nice and all. but ii have to 2ay, aradiia, ii'm 2tiill iin love wiith you.
tA: yeah, pretty 2ad, ii'm the lone nerd who never got over hii2 fiir2t love.
Soon enough most of our old group are settled down with families and even kids. We don't see each other as often, if at all. We're middle aged now, with more things to think about. I feel like I'm the only one who still reminisces about our childhoods together. Death looms closer, and I find myself thinking about her more and more, and pestering her more and more. I start to type with her old "quirk", still missing her.
tA: aradia
tA: i'm in the h0spital n0w
tA: i h0pe i see y0u s00n
I can feel it. I'm slowly dying, and the only thing that makes me feel better is the thought of Aradia. I'll see her soon, I know it. I sense people passing by. Their tears stand out with different colors, from Pesterchum.
When I'm on Pesterchum one day, reading old logs, everything starts to dim. It's over.
tA: i'll see y0u s00n
Everything goes black.
aA: i missed y0u s0 much 3 0u0