Chapter 24. I will catch you when you fall.

Em sat down facing her friend and started telling the story from the moment where she fell on purpose and hurt her leg for a second time. Of course, she didn't know she was actually possessed, so she described it as a dark thought, which wasn't that far away from demonic possession... Perhaps she was aware of it, she just chose not to tell Lorene. She mentioned how she skated as fast as she could, how she reached the cliff and was ready to jump. Lorene, who was scrunching the blanket with both of her hands, was hooked on the story, still crying, but definitely hooked.

"So, what stopped you?"

"Not what, who. There was this guy. He was a bit strange, if I'm being honest. I think he was a stalker or something... HE KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME, LOR! AND HE OFFERED SOLUTIONS TO ALL OF MY PROBLEMS WITH GREAT DETAILS! I'm pretty sure he was bluffing. He told me you and Roz were rethinking the whole situation over and over again. Anyone would have guessed that!"

"...Stalker? Is that what people associate us with nowadays? Awesome! Just what I needed!" I said to myself as I sat on the chair in front of them.

"Em, I don't want to scare you, but he was right," confessed Lorene, "We couldn't stop thinking about the whole thing for days! It just wasn't like you to rat your friends out."

Emersyn's face changed after her friend enlightened her with that answer. She started rethinking everything in her life, trying to see if she knew me from a school event, or maybe from a roller-skating competition, but it was useless, I was still a stranger to her.

"I SWEAR, LOR! THIS GUY HAS TO BE A STALKER! I DON'T REMEMBER HIS FACE FROM ANYWHERE! HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT BEING IN ONE OF MY CLASSES BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE! AND HE EVEN HAD A WEIRD LOOK TOO! WHO HAS YELLOW EYES?!"

"Wait, yellow eyes?"

"Yeah, that's what I said... Why do you sound so surprised?"

Lorene took her laptop and after a few google searches, she landed on the Wikipedia page for the celestial beings we all know as angels.

"An angel? What, like, looking after me? Yeah, right. That's bull— "

"HEY! IT COULD BE! You said he had yellow eyes... Well, it says here that angels look like humans, but they all have something that makes them different from us. And I'd like to believe that's why he had yellow eyes."

"Yellow eyes... YELLOW! OH, WHAT IF HE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE CAT I FOUND?!"

"AND THAT CAT YOU FOUND WAS THE REASON WHY YOU MET JASON!"

At first, I thought these girls were two of the smartest humans on the planet. But, as soon as they came up with all those theories, they laughed their heads off, as if it was all just a big coincidence.

"Well, girl." said Lorene after calming herself down a bit, "As you already know, I'm a big believer in God and all that stuff. And I remember we used to go to mass everyday when we were kids. Now, I know you are not in touch with that side of yourself anymore... But, maybe there's a little bit left inside... and maybe that's why that angel was looking after you. You still have a bit of faith left inside of you," comforted the caring friend, "Now that we are catching up, what happened with that attractive dance partner of yours?"

Emersyn's face changed again, but this time it was more like a heartbreaking frown as her head was hanging down and with just a few tears falling from those beautiful blue eyes, she narrated to her friend what had happened between them, of how she had ruined things and how she never talked to him again after that night.

"NO WAY THIS IS ENDING LIKE THIS! I ORDERED T-SHIRTS AND EVERYTHING!" shouted the fangirl as she grabbed her phone and sent a few texts.

"You did WHAT?!" snapped Emersyn, trying to take her phone away and failing.

"Stevie said he hasn't seen Jason in a few days. The last time he was seen was the day after the festival and he looked more depressed than Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh... Stevie's words, not mine. The only thing he's certain of is that Jason hasn't been himself lately. I wish I could do more for you, girl."

Em was confused. Where was he hiding? Was he sad about their relationship, or was it something else? Apart from all those questions banging inside her head, the thing that she couldn't forget about was what I had told her. He has a dark past related to what you showed him that night on the beach. Of course I knew what it was, but the poor girl didn't, and the uncertainty of the situation made her even more worried about him.

"It's okay. Don't worry." acknowledged the girl as she hugged her friend with her right arm. The red-headed girl got up from the couch and while picking up her things, she added, "I need some time to myself... I have to think about things."

"Sure" answered Lorene before taking a second look at her and adding, "Why the long face, Em?"

"It's just that... I think he hates me."

"Hey! No one could ever hate you!" encouraged her friend as she lifted Em's gloomy face with both of her hands. "But if that's the case, then I will personally egg his house."

Lorene always knew how to make young Em laugh. Even in the worst moments, one silly joke and they would start cackling as loud as those cats that are always meowing at three in the morning. There's no doubt in my mind, these two girls were soulmates. They would never stop being friends. No matter how far apart they would end up being in the future, they would keep in touch. And most importantly, they would always know when to make each other laugh.

"Wanna meet later for coffee?" suggested the caring friend.

"That's enough Gilmore Girls for you!" joked Emersyn as she opened the door.

Em gave her another hug and then roller-skated to the beach, the only place she believed she could be truly alone with her inner thoughts. As she was sliding down the streets of the old town, I noticed that the preppy blue dress she was wearing was the most bewitching outfit I'd seen her use. Not only did it match her eyes, but it also made her freckles and soft lips stand out. As soon as she arrived, everyone's eyes were on her, for she looked like an angel. I should know! But despite being the center of attention, she ignored everyone there, took off her skates and wandered through the crowded beach, heading towards the reckless waves.

She started feeling the cold sand in between her naked toes, the powerful wind tangling her hair, and all her thoughts bouncing inside her concerned little head. Her eyes were glued to the horizon, and she looked as if she was unaware of everything surrounding her.

As I stood next to her, I sensed a portal opening near me, welcoming a tiny and fluffy spirit into my dimension.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS WAS THE FRIEND YOU WERE VISITING?!" shrieked Willow as the portal closed behind it.

"I thought it was obvio-"

"AND YOU DIDN'T THINK I DESERVED TO SAY GOODBYE TO HER? YOU THINK ONLY THE GUARDIAN CARES ABOUT THE HUMAN? NO! I CARE TOO! AND I CARE A LOT!"

"You're right," I sighed, "I'm sorry Willow… But you're here now!" I smiled, hoping my partner wouldn't hold a grudge over this in the future.

Before the sheep could answer, we noticed a boy running towards the dangerous waves. He was screaming something we couldn't comprehend due to him being so far away.

"Poor guy, he looks desperate." stated Willow by taking one quick look at the guy.

"This is going to get interesting..." I remarked as I understood what he was screaming.

"EM! EMERSYN!" he kept screaming, making the girl turn around.

"Jason? What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"How did you know I was here?"

"That friend of yours, Lorene... she told me where to find you." explained the boy as he tried to catch his breath, "I need to tell you something." added the boy in a breathy voice as he grabbed both of the girl's arms.

Em nodded, giving him permission to share what was on his mind. But before he could do so, she started thinking of the things she wanted to share with him. There were so many things, so many feelings that she wanted him to know. But was it the right time?

"Listen, the past couple of days I've been thinking about a lot of things. About what you said and how I reacted to it- There's no excuse. I was a jerk to you and I feel awful…"

"No, I was the jerk. You tried to help and I just pushed you away."

"But I should've stayed anyway! What if something happened to you after I left, something I could've stopped if I had stayed!"

"Nothing happened."

Jason's eyes were slowly filling up with tears as he tried not to let them fall. He sighed loudly as he said "I'm sorry… I care about you, Em. I care so much it's killing me… And all of this you're going through- I just... there's a lot about me you don't know, Em."

"We all have a little darkness, Jason." murmured the girl loud enough for her friend to hear.

"How did you... Why did your mind go there?" asked the boy with a troubled expression on his face.

"Well, these past few days have been hard for me as well. I had a huge argument with my friends and then I almost died so I—"

"YOU WHAT?! ARE YOU OKAY NOW? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ALMOST DIED?!" trembled the young man as he gently pushed away the curls from the girl's eyes, using both of his hands to hold her warm face while softly brushing her cheek with his thumb. She took his hand, held it tight and answered.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm better now. I honestly don't feel like that anymore. But... There was this guy that helped me out. He saved my life that day."

I noticed a hint of jealousy coming from our young lover boy after she mentioned me. I didn't know how to feel about it. Not going to lie, it felt kind of good.

"Huh, so there was a guy?" commented in a snarky way while slightly pushing away from her.

"Are you jealous, Mr. Clark?"

He made a weird expression and then said "No, actually, I'm grateful. He saved you and that's all that matters. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be here with me. God knows what would've happened..."

Jason hugged the girl as tight as he could, as if she were going away soon and he wanted to remember every little detail about her. She let herself be embraced by his strong arms for a while, and then she pushed away gently so that she could keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, well, he did more than that, actually. It's weird but he seemed to know lots of things about me and the people in my life. He knew what my worries were and what my friends and family were feeling at the moment, at least he thought he did. I talked to Lorene about it and he was right about her feelings. Roz' too. Most of the things he said were stuff that I could've guessed... but then he mentioned you and he said something about a dark past of yours, something that I might have triggered by showing you my arms that night. I still believe the guy is crazy, but he was right about Lorene and Roz, so I've been thinking about what he told me about you-"

Unwittingly, the boy went back to that warm hug Em had pulled away from, for he was in desperate need of her comfort. She could feel his heart against hers, they were both pounding on each other's chests like drums in a marching band. But the boy's heart was louder, his eyes were watering once again, and he was shaking like a leaf.

"M-my dad... he killed himself when I was 14 years old. We never knew the reason why he did it, but it's something that we carry with us every single day. For some reason I can't let it go! And it hurts so much, Em. It's the kind of pain you can't get rid off no matter how hard you try. That's why when you showed me your arms I got so worried and I tried not to show you how angry I was."

"Angry?"

"Yes. Furious actually. At everyone who made you think you deserved those things. I got even more angry when I got home that night, knowing I left you all alone. GOD, I HATE MYSELF FOR LEAVING YOU LIKE THAT! I'M ANGRY BECAUSE OF IT. ANGRY BECAUSE I DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. ANGRY BECAUSE I WAS A BAD FRIEND TO YOU. ANGRY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO GO THROUGH THAT ALONE. BUT I WAS MOSTLY SCARED. SCARED OF LOSING YOU... CAUSE I CAN'T LOSE YOU, EM! NOT YOU!" Wailed the boy while holding the girl's hands, squeezing them and feeling their warmth. He gazed deep into her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that were so shocked with his story. He appreciated every tiny freckle on her cheeks and on her nose, admired how the wind played with her curly hair and how her shy lips trembled more and more with each word that escaped from his mouth.

"I'm sorry" cried the girl, "I didn't know it would affect you this much… I just thought- Pushing people away always seems like the safest thing to do. Even if I want them to stay, I know that if they do, they'll leave, making my heart break twice." said the girl while looking at the sand below them, "When you left that night, I felt my heart break. It's been so long since I've gotten my heart broken like that... I never thought my heart could break like that… certainly not over the sweetest boy I've ever met."

Jason's heart had never felt such pain; agonizing and hopeless pain. All of it caused by Em's true feelings about his answer that night. He knew how his words were going to affect her, but he never expected his actions to break her like that. Tears started blurring his sight as he started having trouble breathing, for it felt like all the pain the girl had been carrying was passed on to him.

"I'm sorry, Em. I'm sorry for leaving and for not staying that night when you clearly needed a friend. GOD, I CAN BE SUCH A MORON WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING!" screamed Jason as he pulled away from her burned arms and kicked the sand in anger. He turned to the ocean and added "I don't want you to feel like you can't trust me, cause you can. I want to be there. Whenever you feel like you're falling, I want to be the one to catch you. And I don't mean on your skates cause, let's face it, you are amazing at that. Just... just promise me you'll let me know... if you ever feel like.."

The girl went in for another hug, and as she rested her face on his aching heart, she whispered, "Don't worry. I don't think I'll be using my lighter anymore."

After they stopped talking, they pulled away from that hug and without even realizing it, they got lost in each other's eyes once again. I have never understood why people do that. Perhaps they were looking for something, a sign, a glow in their eyes that indicated this person was meant to be with them. Or maybe they just wanted to stare into each other's souls to forget everything else around them. Besides, to get lost inside of those amazing eyes of hers was truly incomparable to anything else in the entire world. One thing Jason and I agreed on. They kept on trying to uncover the truth hidden in their eyes, ignoring everything and everyone around them, just focusing on their heartbeats, on their hands, on their lips. Being just a breath away from each other's mouths, the boy took the girl's arms and placed them on his shoulders and around his neck, while he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I thought we'd already been through this, Miss Howell."

"Excuse me? I've realized that I'm a great dancer. You, however..."

"What? You take that back! I will not stand here and let you-"

Before the nerdy boy could defend his dancing skills, Em stood on her toes and pressed her glossy lips onto his to shut him up. The boy's confusion turned into something different. Something sweeter. Suddenly, he didn't feel the need to explain anything to her. He just pulled her closer to him, so that he could take it all in. Inevitably, they both pulled away from each other. Just for a second, for they wanted to appreciate each other's faces after such a powerful kiss. They both grinned, making the boy laugh quietly and the girl blush so much that she resembled an adorable strawberry.

"You're lucky you're cute." grinned the enamoured boy while holding Em in his strong arms.

She smiled before adding, "Okay, but next time, instead of dancing, we're going to a skating rink."

"A skating rink?"

"You know, roller skating in circles with cool music and-"

"Oh, no. No way."

"What? Why not?"

"Skateboarding is my thing. Not rollerskating."

"Not fair!"

"How is this not fair?"

"I tried the skateboarding thing. Now you have to try roller skating."

"But you were good at it, Em! I'm only going to make a fool of myself..."

"Good at it? I fell on your skateboard!"

"And I fell for you, isn't that enough?"

Em tried to laugh so as to hide the red color that was abruptly invading her cheeks as she got lost into those soulful green eyes of his. She nodded and started to get closer to his soft lips once again. They both went in for a gentle and passionate kiss, the kind you see in those romantic comedies girls tend to obsess over. There's no doubt in my mind that the girl had more than just butterflies in her stomach. I could feel she had an entire zoo growing inside of her. Especially now, as she swayed on the beach with the guy she loved.

They danced away to Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie, which was blasting from the speakers near Forest Cloud. And the girl realized that the diner wasn't the only place where she felt safe; Jason's arms were her new safe place, the place where she could be herself without being judged, the place where she would go to find her strength whenever she believed it was lost. He was her safe place.

Finally, everything in Emersyn's life was as it was meant to be. She talked things out with her friends, the school authorities understood the misunderstanding and explained everything to her family, Jason was back in her life, and so many other wonderful things. After receiving another email from the principal, a different one this time, her mother apologized for everything she had put her through, and they started to trust her a little more every day. Her brother opened up about a lot of things to her. Like his crush on Roz, and his secret desire to write poetry. I knew my work there was done, since Em was truly happy and unquestionably on the right path, just like the Lordship assured she was. But I couldn't leave like that! I needed a grand finale!

So, after thinking a lot, for a good 6 minutes at least, I had decided to give out a few more signs. I sent a few things to her friends and family, but the sign I really wanted to send was the one I prepared for the nerdy boy. I discovered his obsession with quotes and anonymous messages people post online, and I used that to tell him how I felt about the whole thing.

"Take care of her for me."

He knew that he was Em's first boyfriend, so he could never relate to that quote. And yet, he decided to save it. I have a feeling he did relate to it, and despite being a tad jealous of him at first, I knew in the end that his intentions with her were good. I admit the kid had a good heart.

As for my lovely Em, I played her one last song as she laid on her flowery bed, a song that would hopefully remind her of that yellow-eyed boy that saved her life. Start a Riot by BANNERS was my choice. I observed how she thoroughly listened to the lyrics, analyzing every rhyme and every note. And right after the end of the first chorus, she walked up to her window and looked up at the sky, directly into a cloud shaped like a chubby bunny, and without a worry in her heart she whispered "Thank you, Yellow." Little did she know, I was sitting on that cloud, staring right back at her. "You're welcome, Blue Eyes." I muttered to myself, for she would never see me or hear from me ever again.