Chapter 7- Cry tears
On that night, Mandeline heard the most devastating words she would hear in her entire life. Right there on the beach, she broke down. She cried a river with Shaun saying 'It's ok. It's gonna be alright' in the background. 'This isn't happening' Mandeline thought. 'I'm about to wake up from a horrible nightmare any minute now. . .' but she never did.
"Hey." Shaun whispered gently to Mandeline, stroking her hair. "C'mon, look on the bright side . . ."
"There IS no bright side!" Mandeline snapped back. Silence. Then she started crying all over again. "I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean to shout at you . . . it's just that -"
"I know. It's okay." He leaned in to kiss Mandeline but she turned away before he could. "Mandy? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What's WRONG? In less than fifteen minutes you tell me that you have cancer and you're leaving me forever in a few days, and you're asking what's WRONG? Everything's wrong!"
"Mandy . . . "
"You know what? Not too long ago, everything in my life was going RIGHT. Normal. I was actually HAPPY. An--."
"Remember I was A PART of the happiness!" he paused dramatically. "Look. Just . . . just forget it. Forget I even said anything tonight."
Mandeline lowered her eyes. "That's impossible."
"What do you mean?" Shaun asked.
"I'll always remember . . . this night."
"Why?"
Mandeline felt tears coming to her eyes again. "Because it's the night I'll regret forever."
* * *
The next day, was the first one after being graduates. Before the previous night, Mandeline was sure that she was going to spend most of the summer with Shaun. But now she wasn't so sure. After Mandeline had heard his tragic news, she hadn't spoken much to him. He didn't even call her last night like he always did before. Usually, just before Mandeline went to bed, he would call and they would talk until they were sleepy. But he didn't call at all. He didn't even call this morning to ask her if she was free so they could do something together. Mandeline's father didn't know about Shaun's sickness so he was pretty suspicious about why Mandeline wasn't going out with Shaun that day.
"Mandy?" the Reverend asked as they were eating breakfast. "Aren't you going somewhere with Shaun today?"
Mandeline, who had been poking her pancake, looked at him. "Um, I don't know." She answered truthfully.
Reverend Morrison raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong." Mandeline whispered. Now THAT was a lie. When breakfast was over, Mandeline intended to do some work, but for some reason she felt lonely and decided to go for a little walk into the city. She pulled on a sweater and set off outside.
She walked silently taking in her surroundings- the trees, the grass, the shouting of little children playing in a nearby park. All of these seemed to make her angry to see other people so happy, when she was living in a world of sadness. But then she saw what she would always remember. It was Shaun. He was standing alone on the sidewalk looking up at the dark gray sky. Mandeline's heart suddenly softened and all of the angry seemed to have dissolved. She watched Shaun for a moment and saw tears glistened in his eyes. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and when he opened them, it was clear that he was crying. And his face-it had a far off look but at the same time with an expression that was making an effort to stay strong. Suddenly, all Mandeline wanted to do was to make everything, for him, all right. She slowly and quietly walked up behind him.
"Hey." She whispered. Shaun turned around, forced a weak smile and said, "Hey."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, sure." Shaun sniffed. "How are you?"
Mandeline nodded slightly. "I'm doing ok."
Shaun nodded, too. He kicked at a small pebble with the toe of his shoe. "So . . ."
"Why didn't you call last night?" Mandeline knew that wasn't a very polite question to ask, but she wanted to know.
Shaun looked at the ground. "Well, I kinda just thought that you wouldn't wanna talk to me since . . ."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Mandeline knew what he meant. "What makes you think I wouldn't want to talk to you?"
He shrugged. "I just figured that after you found out about my sickness that you wouldn't-"
"That I wouldn't love you anymore?!" Mandeline interrupted, finishing his sentence. "Shaun, how could you think of something like that?! You know that I love you. I never stopped loving you for a minute."
Shaun kept his eyes focused on the ground. For some reason, he couldn't look at Mandeline in the eye. "But the way you turned away from me last night . . . well, I don't know. It just seemed like I was alone."
Mandeline stepped closer to him. "Shaun. Look at me." She put her hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her. "As long as I'm here . . . you'll NEVER be alone." She held back a few tears and gave a small gasp for breath. "Ok?" she added shakily.
Shaun wiped a small tear from his eye. "Ok." He whispered. Then at the same time, they fell into each other's arms for a warm, passionate hug, both of them crying.
~ Authors Note ~ if you wanna see my FanFic siggy go here: http://boomspeed.com/lylac/Sot.jpg if the hyperlink didn't work, copy and paste the URL into the web toolbar. Tell me what you think of it! tbc!
On that night, Mandeline heard the most devastating words she would hear in her entire life. Right there on the beach, she broke down. She cried a river with Shaun saying 'It's ok. It's gonna be alright' in the background. 'This isn't happening' Mandeline thought. 'I'm about to wake up from a horrible nightmare any minute now. . .' but she never did.
"Hey." Shaun whispered gently to Mandeline, stroking her hair. "C'mon, look on the bright side . . ."
"There IS no bright side!" Mandeline snapped back. Silence. Then she started crying all over again. "I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean to shout at you . . . it's just that -"
"I know. It's okay." He leaned in to kiss Mandeline but she turned away before he could. "Mandy? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What's WRONG? In less than fifteen minutes you tell me that you have cancer and you're leaving me forever in a few days, and you're asking what's WRONG? Everything's wrong!"
"Mandy . . . "
"You know what? Not too long ago, everything in my life was going RIGHT. Normal. I was actually HAPPY. An--."
"Remember I was A PART of the happiness!" he paused dramatically. "Look. Just . . . just forget it. Forget I even said anything tonight."
Mandeline lowered her eyes. "That's impossible."
"What do you mean?" Shaun asked.
"I'll always remember . . . this night."
"Why?"
Mandeline felt tears coming to her eyes again. "Because it's the night I'll regret forever."
* * *
The next day, was the first one after being graduates. Before the previous night, Mandeline was sure that she was going to spend most of the summer with Shaun. But now she wasn't so sure. After Mandeline had heard his tragic news, she hadn't spoken much to him. He didn't even call her last night like he always did before. Usually, just before Mandeline went to bed, he would call and they would talk until they were sleepy. But he didn't call at all. He didn't even call this morning to ask her if she was free so they could do something together. Mandeline's father didn't know about Shaun's sickness so he was pretty suspicious about why Mandeline wasn't going out with Shaun that day.
"Mandy?" the Reverend asked as they were eating breakfast. "Aren't you going somewhere with Shaun today?"
Mandeline, who had been poking her pancake, looked at him. "Um, I don't know." She answered truthfully.
Reverend Morrison raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Anything wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong." Mandeline whispered. Now THAT was a lie. When breakfast was over, Mandeline intended to do some work, but for some reason she felt lonely and decided to go for a little walk into the city. She pulled on a sweater and set off outside.
She walked silently taking in her surroundings- the trees, the grass, the shouting of little children playing in a nearby park. All of these seemed to make her angry to see other people so happy, when she was living in a world of sadness. But then she saw what she would always remember. It was Shaun. He was standing alone on the sidewalk looking up at the dark gray sky. Mandeline's heart suddenly softened and all of the angry seemed to have dissolved. She watched Shaun for a moment and saw tears glistened in his eyes. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and when he opened them, it was clear that he was crying. And his face-it had a far off look but at the same time with an expression that was making an effort to stay strong. Suddenly, all Mandeline wanted to do was to make everything, for him, all right. She slowly and quietly walked up behind him.
"Hey." She whispered. Shaun turned around, forced a weak smile and said, "Hey."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, sure." Shaun sniffed. "How are you?"
Mandeline nodded slightly. "I'm doing ok."
Shaun nodded, too. He kicked at a small pebble with the toe of his shoe. "So . . ."
"Why didn't you call last night?" Mandeline knew that wasn't a very polite question to ask, but she wanted to know.
Shaun looked at the ground. "Well, I kinda just thought that you wouldn't wanna talk to me since . . ."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Mandeline knew what he meant. "What makes you think I wouldn't want to talk to you?"
He shrugged. "I just figured that after you found out about my sickness that you wouldn't-"
"That I wouldn't love you anymore?!" Mandeline interrupted, finishing his sentence. "Shaun, how could you think of something like that?! You know that I love you. I never stopped loving you for a minute."
Shaun kept his eyes focused on the ground. For some reason, he couldn't look at Mandeline in the eye. "But the way you turned away from me last night . . . well, I don't know. It just seemed like I was alone."
Mandeline stepped closer to him. "Shaun. Look at me." She put her hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her. "As long as I'm here . . . you'll NEVER be alone." She held back a few tears and gave a small gasp for breath. "Ok?" she added shakily.
Shaun wiped a small tear from his eye. "Ok." He whispered. Then at the same time, they fell into each other's arms for a warm, passionate hug, both of them crying.
~ Authors Note ~ if you wanna see my FanFic siggy go here: http://boomspeed.com/lylac/Sot.jpg if the hyperlink didn't work, copy and paste the URL into the web toolbar. Tell me what you think of it! tbc!