Heart to Heart

The apartment building screamed with hallowed halls of sadness, once filled with cheery thoughts of imaginary friends and playtime……

Mac has spent many a nights looking up into the heavens, dreaming of his friends, of his hopes, of his loved ones……

Now……darkness can be seen and felt everywhere……

The room left a cold, bitter, heartless feeling to it, like someone had savagely crushed the joy and beauty out of this home and dumped it into a pool of faded nothingness……

Frankie sighed as her sneakers lightly click together, her bare legs rubbing nervously against the tear soaked strands of Matt's blanket on his bed. Mac's mother and brother were both out for the moment, thankfully. Frankie needed to talk to Mac alone and to desperately try to bring back the boy she had created so many wonderful memories with.

Frankie half smiled "This is a r-r-really nice place you got here Mac, I'm serious. When Eduardo showed me those pictures he took from that slumber party, I had no idea you".

Mac's sorrow filled eyes stared blankly into the clean, shaggy strands of carpet that borders his room. Frankie sighed seeing Mac was still as doubtful and sad as ever.

"Look Mac, you know why I'm here and its okay if you're feeling upset about all this. It's nothing to be ashamed of" Frankie said.

Mac sniffled "But you're wrong".

The girl blinked and tried to stare into the boy's face, Mac continued to bare his tear drenched cheeks into his white shirt sleeves.

Mac repeated "You're wrong; it is something to be ashamed of".

Frankie immediately protested "NO, no, don't say that Mac, please, you know that's not true".

Mac continued to sob "It's not normal (cries) it's not normal at all! You don't even have to say anything; I know it's not right to feel this way".

Frankie shook her head "Mac, everyone gets these feelings sooner or later. People always experience it differently".

The young boy looked up at Frankie with a shocked look on his face, his frightened little olive colored eyes. Frankie gasped as Mac looked outside his window and gently bit his fingers.

"Is there something wrong with me? Am I sick, is God punishing me for thinking this way?" Mac whimpered.

Frankie sadly sighed "Oh good god Mac".

The boy was about to say something but suddenly his eyes widened open as he felt a rush of warmth and cloth around him. Frankie tightly hugged the boy; Mac's face was pressed against Frankie's shirt as she stroked Mac's brown hair and sighed.

"Hold me"……

Someone had spoken those words, but neither one knew who said it, and neither one cared. Frankie just closed her eyes and stifled a few tears off her angelic face. This was a moment that was too beautiful and sad to be spoken of or even understood. Frankie's soft fingers gently caressed Mac in a loving hug, a hug she never wanted Mac to forget.

Frankie whispered "You are the sweetest, nicest, and most loving boy I have ever met……don't EVER think otherwise, not ever".

Mac gasped "Frankie".

"There's nothing wrong with you……nothing……and don't you ever let anyone to tell yourself different" Frankie said.

As Mac looked up and smiled to Frankie with the kindest, and gentlest of smiles, his face briefly pressed against the bare skin of Frankie's belly. Mac blushed and immediately tore himself away from Frankie.

The boy screamed "ARGH what is wrong with me? I can't even keep it together for 5 minutes".

Frankie pleaded "Mac please stop doing this to yourself. I'm flattered and touched about the way you feel, really I am, but I want you to know that this doesn't change our friendship".

Mac groaned "But that's the point, that's the problem, the way I feel inside is more then just friendship. Even if you don't feel the same, I can't help the way I am".

Frankie nodded "I know and I'm not asking you to change who you are, just to change how your looking at this. You've had a different kind of childhood, it's only natural you'd act this way. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you".

The boy scoffed "Oh yeah, I doubt any of the kids at school or head shrink would call this natural".

Frankie crossed her arms snarled "Stop beating yourself up and listen to me Mac, if you're so smart and grown up then start acting like a MATURE kid for a change".

Mac turned around and growled "You're not the one with the problem, I am. You don't know how it feels having all this weird stuff in your head".

Frankie replied "I most certainly DO buster, I've been in love too you know".

Mac raised a curious eyebrow "Did it happen to be with someone who still carries a lunchbox to school?".

The red headed girl frowned and said nothing, her head and heart spinning with distraught and frustration. Mac turned his back to her again and sat down with his arms crossed. The young boy was too upset or anger to even think clearly. Frankie approached Mac and gently put her hand on his shoulder, the boy scoffed and jerked his shoulder away from her hand.

Frankie sighed "Please don't do this Mac, this isn't any easier for me then it is for you. I just want you to know that this can't work. We can't be the way your thinking of, but that doesn't mean we still can't be friends".

Mac rolled his eyes "You of all people should know being friends never really works out".

The girl rubbed her face as she desperately called out to him "Mac, listen to me, please, I love you……just not in that way. I'm sorry, it's the way things have to be".

Nothing escaped Mac's lips for the next few minutes, he seemed completely unphased by what Frankie said and he seemed almost totally motionless. But as Frankie's green sweated coated arms reached out to hug Mac, the young boy turned around and hurled his back pack at Frankie's face. Frankie fell back and gasped, Mac was red in the face and screaming with icy tears.

"I HATE YOU" Mac screamed.

The little boy ran out of his apartment and rushed down the stairs, his eyes blinded by tears and unbridled anger, burning through his veins like a vicious poison. Frankie frantically called out to Mac and tried to catch up to him. The boy was blindly running to the street with his eyes closed shut. Frankie gasped as she saw a speeding car racing right towards Mac, he was right in the middle of the street and about to be struck down by the vehicle.

Frankie gasped "MAC WATCH OUT".

The red headed girl leapt into the street and shoved the boy out of the way, Mac grunted as he collapsed on the sidewalk.

CRASH!

THUMP!

The car's wheels suddenly grinded to a screeching halt as the driver gasped in horror, seeing what had just rolled over his windshield.

"Frankie?" Mac weakly asked.

The young girl laid lifelessly on the street, her eyes closed shut and her body soaked in a colored liquid that made Mac feel sick to his stomach. The boy's heart suddenly sank as he stared at Frankie's body in horror.

"FRANKIE"

To be continued……