The first time she met him she was beyond embarrassed, Rose had been sitting under the old willow tree. It was midday, and with the sun beating down, it was unbelievably hot. She looked around to see if her mother was nearby. Rose was meant to be doing her Algebra assignment but all she could think about was how inviting the blue lake looked. There were some ducks swimming around, diving under the water. She made the decision to have a swim. She took another look around. There was no one in sight, so she took off her tee-shirt and shorts, and jumped into the lake.

The water was bliss. It helped cool down her overheated skin. Standing hidden nearby was a young man. He watched Rose swim around for a bit, just enjoying the enjoyment she got out of a simple pleasure. Having watched her for weeks at school it was clear how happy it made her. Deciding he had observed for long enough, he spoke up.

"Well, well, well, What do we have here?"

Rose screamed and tried to hide what she could of her body under the water. She turned to find the voice belonged to Daniel who, she recognised from school. They shared most of their classes, but had never spoken. Rose blushed when she realised he was smirking at her.

He walked over to the willow tree and took his top off. He ran and jumped into the lake near Rose so the water splashed onto her face. Rose watched him as she swam over. His hair was black and falling down into his bright eyes, Which were a mesmerising shade of violet. She couldn't help but to stare. He smirked again.

"What, see something you like?" he asked. Rose just snorted,

"Very attractive I know but I couldn't hold it in," she said as she watched him. His Italian accent was really strong, and was really endearing. She swam away after she playfully splashed him. She hoped that he couldn't read her previous thoughts from her face.

That night they both reflected on what had happened, not realising that they had started what could be the best or worst thing that could have happened to them.

The weeks that followed were the best ever. They would meet under the Old Willow. At first they just sat and talked, getting to know each other. They talked about everything, from school, art a passion they both shared, to their home life. Rose was shocked when she discovered how unpleasant Daniel's home life had become.

His father was cruel and demanding. He told her how his life has been filled with abuse. His father was a drunk. He feared for his life. His mother had died from cancer when he was five. His father blamed himself for her death, so to get rid of his depression he turned to drinking, which resulted in an unstable man.

For the next six months Rose and Daniel were happy together, sharing everything. Happy just sitting and talking. Not expecting everything to suddenly come crashing down.

It was Friday 19th March that she received a call from the police. In a drunken rage Daniel's father had stabbed him to death in his sleep.

For weeks Rose tried to cope, but she couldn't manage. That was why on 3rd April Rose was planning to join Daniel in death.

'Sometimes things don't work out the way you always expected them to.' Rose sat next to their willow tree and couldn't help but think how true that had become. She had never considered how empty she would feel without Daniel. Sitting there, blade in hand, tears running down her face, she allowed the memories of Daniel to take over her final thoughts.

Word Count 631