Checkerboard Rose
By: CuteQuill
Chapter One
Virgil stood straight up, his back against the wall, black eyeshadow smudged from crying. He slid down to the floor, tears still falling. He tried so hard to be positive but was always shot down by others who didn't even say sorry.
"Why do I even try?" he mumbled, putting his head on his knees. Thoughts ran through his head. 'People don't care. They call me emo, they know I'm never positive, and people don't know how much the words hurt. People tell me to stop living because I'm weird. I don't even know why I keep going.' Suddenly, a terrible idea popped into his mind. What if he didn't keep going? Virgil slowly walked towards the cabinet in his room and saw an orange pill tube. He picked it up, and out came a small white cylinder. Slowly, he put it towards his mouth.
Wait. What am I doing? For a second he thought of not doing it, but then:
"Get a life, emo!"
"He's so weird!"
"He's a mistake. Get rid of it."
The words…. that people say about me…..
No. He was going to do it.
Virgil breathed in and out and put the pill in his mouth. Everything became blurry.
And Virgil passed out.
Bump.
Roman's novel was just getting good. But, he was expecting it, though.
What he didn't expect, however, that a loud bump came from Virgil's room. Roman sat up, quizzically looking towards the door. Stepping outside of his room, Roman called, "Virgil?" Silence. "Virgil?" he called louder. Still nothing. Roman rushed to Virgil's room, worried. Stopping in the doorway, what Roman saw made tears brim his eyes. And scream.
"And then you add the tint right…. there!" Patton said, teaching Logan how to tint roses, one of his favorite hobbies.
"So… like this?" he asked, holding up a white rose with a narrow line of red at the tips.
"Yeah," Patton said, beaming. "that's great for your first one!" "Now let's move on to this one-" he began to take a regular red rose, but was cut off by a scream. Both Patton and Logan recognized it as Roman's voice. Without thinking (which is odd,
considering Logan), Patton and Logan ran to where they heard the scream. Virgil's room. They opened the door for themselves to see Roman crying and holding a limp Virgil with closed eyes, and a small opening in his mouth, revealing part of his two front teeth.
"No no no no." Roman faintly whispered over and over.
"Roman? What's wrong?" Patton asked, looking at Roman and Virgil's condition.
Through choked sobs, Roman said, "Look at his hand."
And in Virgil's shaking right hand, laid an orange pill tube.
"Oh, my gosh," Logan said breathlessly.
"No, he wouldn't," Patton said.
Roman sighed. "He did."
"Did you call an ambulance?"
"N-no."
"Well," Logan gestured to Roman's phone. Roman, tears still running down his face, gently laid Virgil down again and dialed 9-1-1, putting it on speaker phone.
"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"
"I-I…." Roman stuttered, failing words.
"It's okay," the operator said, "just breathe in and out, and tell me what's going on."
Roman inhaled and exhaled, and started over.
"Send help, Virgil passed out, and he's not responding."
"What's your address?"
Roman silently mumbled the address.
"Ok. Help is on the way."
"Thank you," Roman said and hung up. He slowly sat down beside Virgil, and just started apologizing.
"I'm sorry, Virgil. I'm sorry for calling you names, I'm sorry for calling you an emo nightmare, a creepy cookie, Jack Smellington, Surly Temple, Brad Pitiful, and a lot of other names. I'm sorry for disagreeing with you, I'm so sorry for pretending to not like you, because, in real life, I love you."
Patton and Logan widened their eyes and listened more. Roman began to cry silently.
"I love your eyeshadow, I love the way you act, I love your- your personality, and just you in general. Please don't die. Please, please, please. " Roman said, choking on his final words.
The only response Virgil gave him was a shaking stomach going up and down.
"Woah," Logan said, watching silently. "You just vented." he held up a vocab card with the word "vented".
Patton turned towards Logan slowly.
"Really," he replied. "right now?"
"I always have to," Logan said.
"Do you hear sirens?" Patton said, changing the subject. Red flashing lights from down the street spiraled. Then the ambulance pulled up in front of the townhouse.
"It's the ambulance." a voice spoke through the door.
"Come in." they all said. The door slowly opened to reveal men in blue suits.
"Where is Virgil?" one man asked.
"Right here," Patton said, pointing to the mentioned man.
"Thank you," he replied. Then, he gestured more men to put him on the gurney they rolled in. People gestured the others to board the ambulance and sit in the back.
Roman closed the white door behind them as he sat down on a green bench. Patton and Logan both held tint packets in their hands. Patton looked down sadly.
"We'll get new ones," Logan whispered to Patton, but Patton shook his head subtly.
"That's not what I'm sad about," he whispered so silently that Logan could barely hear him.
On the other side of the ambulance, Roman wasn't speaking. He softly brushed Virgil's slightly pale cheek and thought what must've made him do this.
"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" Roman yelled, suddenly bursting into tears.
Logan ran to the other side of the ambulance, despite the fact you aren't supposed to do that and sat by Roman, who put his head in his arms. Logan wasn't very good at comforting people, but he tried anyway.
Putting a hand on Roman's sashed shoulder, Logan said, "It'll be okay."
"How can it be okay when I might never see….." Roman said, trailing off.
"See...?" Logan asked.
"I can't say it," Roman gasped.
"Say what?"
Roman struggled on what he tried to say. "V-v-v…" then he sighed. He then held Virgil's hand gently.
"Oh," Logan said.
"Yeah," he replied, as the ambulance pulled in front of the hospital, giving Roman small hope.
A/N: Hey guys! So, this is my first Fanfiction, and if anyone has any criticism (constructive) tell me, please! I really value your stuff guys! Read and review!
-CQ
P.S: Patton's rose coloring will come in handy at some point.
