Lucy passively stared at her reflection in the mirror. Dark circles
swooped out from under her eyes, like a crow spreading its dark feathers.
Her eyes, usually an intense pool of dazzling blue, was now the colour of a
washed out sky: slate grey. Her skin, usually a delicate pink that turned
ruby red when she blushed hotly, was now permanently painted the colour of
a discoloured dishrag. Her hair, bouncy and full, and brushed until it
shone, was now rough and tangled, and as flimsy as a pot of cooked
spaghetti. She had also laid off from colouring her hair, so now; instead
of her hair being its usually strawberry blonde colour, it was a mix of
dirty blonde and dishwater brown.
She carelessly flung her hand out, sending the oval-shaped mirror skittering across the polished oak table and crashing to the tiled floor. If it had been one month earlier, she would have leapt up from her padded chair and fallen to the ground laughing, cracking a joke about how she was so ugly that the mirror slipped away. Then Kevin would have rushed in and swept her up in his arms and kissed her on the nose and tell her she was beautiful, and that he loved her. But it wasn't one month earlier, and Kevin wasn't there, and Lucy wasn't laughing, and nobody was kissing her on the nose and telling her she was beautiful.
"Maybe that's why Kevin left," Lucy reasoned with herself, picking up the pale purple dustpan and crouching down to sweep up the silvery shards. "Maybe I was too ugly, and he just left because he didn't want to see my face anymore." Lucy dumped the remains into a nearby plastic wastebasket. But Lucy knew it wasn't true. He left because he loved her, and Lucy let him go because she loved him. Tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, Lucy sat cross-legged on her twin bed, smoothing out the lumps in her bedspread. Leaning back against the headboard, Lucy's eyes roamed around the small room, and fell upon her night table. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she picked up the single framed photograph that was positioned over her digital alarm clock. She had remembered there being two frames sitting on the table, but now, only one stood, and laying beside it an empty plastic case.
Lucy swallowed hard. She remembered that photo. She was sitting on Kevin's lap, mouth open in a wide smile, revealing her perfectly straight teeth and impossibly deep dimples. Her vivid sea blue eyes reflected love, and hope for the future. Lucy's forehead wrinkled, as she turned the frame over in her hands. Where was Kevin? Someone had folded the picture back, and slipped it behind another photograph. Ruthie grinned back at her, cheeks the colour of wild roses, and chocolate fudge brown eyes sparkling. She had spilled grape Gatorade over her summer dress, but was frolicking happily, despite being soaking wet. As Lucy turned the picture in her hands once more, a small strip of blue paper slipped out.
Curious, Lucy unfolded the slip, and shakily read the words aloud. "There's always room for love, in the places you least expect it." Lucy remembered slipping the fragment of paper into the frame after going to a Chinese restaurant with Kevin. She had gotten that message in a fortune cookie, and had just brushed it aside, slipping it into the case, forgetting that she had even slid it in there. Delicately taking out the photograph, Lucy smoothed out the crease marks and stared at it for a moment. Kevin really did love her, and she really did love him. But there was nothing she could do about it, now that he was buried underneath the ground in a wooden box. But nonetheless, Lucy slipped the photograph into the second case lying by, and stared at it with satisfaction. Putting the two photos side by side, she slipped the piece of paper in between the two frames.
"There's always room for love, in the places you least expect it." Lucy whispered under her breath. "Uh, Luce? Am I interrupting anything?" Lucy whipped around, to face Robbie, who had an expression of pure concern, but the goofy grin pasted on his face showed how much he really enjoyed catching Lucy talk to herself.
Throwing a stuffed bear in Robbie's direction, Lucy innocently stared at the bedspread with wide eyes. "What was that for?" Robbie pouted, with his best impression of a puppy-dog look. "What was what for?" Lucy feigned mock ignorance. Chucking her pillow in his direction as well, she dived off her bed and sprinted out the door, leaving Robbie trailing after her. "That," she panted, short of breath, "was for smiling." Robbie finally caught up with her and pinned her to the ground, stuffing the pillow over her mouth to muffle her fake screams for help. And for the first time in a month, Lucy's laughter filled the corridor.
Back in Lucy's room, a whisper of an echo sounded, "There's always room for love, and in the places you least expect it." And then, all was silent, except for the laughter bouncing off the walls, and melting everyone's hearts.
She carelessly flung her hand out, sending the oval-shaped mirror skittering across the polished oak table and crashing to the tiled floor. If it had been one month earlier, she would have leapt up from her padded chair and fallen to the ground laughing, cracking a joke about how she was so ugly that the mirror slipped away. Then Kevin would have rushed in and swept her up in his arms and kissed her on the nose and tell her she was beautiful, and that he loved her. But it wasn't one month earlier, and Kevin wasn't there, and Lucy wasn't laughing, and nobody was kissing her on the nose and telling her she was beautiful.
"Maybe that's why Kevin left," Lucy reasoned with herself, picking up the pale purple dustpan and crouching down to sweep up the silvery shards. "Maybe I was too ugly, and he just left because he didn't want to see my face anymore." Lucy dumped the remains into a nearby plastic wastebasket. But Lucy knew it wasn't true. He left because he loved her, and Lucy let him go because she loved him. Tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, Lucy sat cross-legged on her twin bed, smoothing out the lumps in her bedspread. Leaning back against the headboard, Lucy's eyes roamed around the small room, and fell upon her night table. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and she picked up the single framed photograph that was positioned over her digital alarm clock. She had remembered there being two frames sitting on the table, but now, only one stood, and laying beside it an empty plastic case.
Lucy swallowed hard. She remembered that photo. She was sitting on Kevin's lap, mouth open in a wide smile, revealing her perfectly straight teeth and impossibly deep dimples. Her vivid sea blue eyes reflected love, and hope for the future. Lucy's forehead wrinkled, as she turned the frame over in her hands. Where was Kevin? Someone had folded the picture back, and slipped it behind another photograph. Ruthie grinned back at her, cheeks the colour of wild roses, and chocolate fudge brown eyes sparkling. She had spilled grape Gatorade over her summer dress, but was frolicking happily, despite being soaking wet. As Lucy turned the picture in her hands once more, a small strip of blue paper slipped out.
Curious, Lucy unfolded the slip, and shakily read the words aloud. "There's always room for love, in the places you least expect it." Lucy remembered slipping the fragment of paper into the frame after going to a Chinese restaurant with Kevin. She had gotten that message in a fortune cookie, and had just brushed it aside, slipping it into the case, forgetting that she had even slid it in there. Delicately taking out the photograph, Lucy smoothed out the crease marks and stared at it for a moment. Kevin really did love her, and she really did love him. But there was nothing she could do about it, now that he was buried underneath the ground in a wooden box. But nonetheless, Lucy slipped the photograph into the second case lying by, and stared at it with satisfaction. Putting the two photos side by side, she slipped the piece of paper in between the two frames.
"There's always room for love, in the places you least expect it." Lucy whispered under her breath. "Uh, Luce? Am I interrupting anything?" Lucy whipped around, to face Robbie, who had an expression of pure concern, but the goofy grin pasted on his face showed how much he really enjoyed catching Lucy talk to herself.
Throwing a stuffed bear in Robbie's direction, Lucy innocently stared at the bedspread with wide eyes. "What was that for?" Robbie pouted, with his best impression of a puppy-dog look. "What was what for?" Lucy feigned mock ignorance. Chucking her pillow in his direction as well, she dived off her bed and sprinted out the door, leaving Robbie trailing after her. "That," she panted, short of breath, "was for smiling." Robbie finally caught up with her and pinned her to the ground, stuffing the pillow over her mouth to muffle her fake screams for help. And for the first time in a month, Lucy's laughter filled the corridor.
Back in Lucy's room, a whisper of an echo sounded, "There's always room for love, and in the places you least expect it." And then, all was silent, except for the laughter bouncing off the walls, and melting everyone's hearts.