Well, here it is. . . the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Please review.
Cindy didn't know how the bomb squad could handle it. Each time they were faced with a life or death decision, they thought out the process and proceded with caution. They were given a time limit- shown in most cases, brightly on the outside of the explosive. Cindy had also been given a timer. The minutes until Jimmy's death had been burned into her brain since finding out that she only had twenty-four hours left with him.
Time had run out. The bright-red digital numbers in her mind had ticked down to zero. The bomb had went off, and she hadn't been able to stop it before it exploded. But, really, what could she have done? She wasn't in control of Jimmy's life. Cindy knew that, if it was his time to go, then it was. It was as simple as that. No amount of wishing could change that. No groveling and begging could revert time. She'd already been given longer than she was supposed to have been given. She'd had a last day in order to do what she needed to do and say what she'd needed to say.
She had done what she'd needed to. She and Jimmy had spent the entire day going places that held a special place in her heart. At first, Cindy hadn't known how exactly she would spend the day. But, she had no regrets about what she had ended up doing. She and Jimmy had gone to just about every place that she held dear, and that was enough for her.
She'd also said what she'd needed to. It wasn't exactly when or how she had planned to, but Cindy had revealed her feelings for Jimmy. She didn't know if he felt the same way, and truthfully, she never would. But, she did know that he died knowing that she loved him. That was also enough for her.
Or was it? Despite the fact that Cindy knew that she'd been given more time than she'd earned, Cindy felt that she deserved more. She'd told him that she loved him. She'd taken him to so many great places. What else was there? What was missing? What would feel the dark hole that seemed to be spreading from her heart to her mind, faster than poison?
Cindy knew exactly what it was. Jimmy was gone. It wasn't that she didn't know that it wasn't going to happen- she'd been plenty warned. She just hadn't expected him to actually be gone. She would never see him again. She would never call him another mean name, all in the name of fun. She would never grow up and marry the boy next door, as she'd planned to do all along, despite how she'd teased him.
Cindy looked up. She was standing outside of the hospital room. It was twelve o' clock, the time she'd been anticipating. She saw and felt it as Jimmy's parents rushed past her into the room. She saw Carl, Sheen, and Libby sitting in the lobby, glancing nervously towards the room. Carl was sitting by himself, obviously singing a song to calm his nerves. Libby and Sheen were side by side, hand in hand. Cindy could clearly see the tears streaming down Libby's face as Sheen wiped them away, as he tried to hold back his own.
Cindy could see and hear everything that was going on around her. But, it didn't seem real. Something wasn't right. Cindy witnessed those scenes for a moment more before it finally clicked. She knew what she needed to do.
"Take me." she said, quietly at first. Then louder, " Take me instead!"
Libby, Sheen, and Carl looked her way and knew that something was wrong.
"Please, just let him live. Take me instead. He has so much to live for." said Cindy, sitting on the hospital floor, back against the wall.
Her eyes filled with tears, and then she felt them streaming down her face. The room stayed the same for a moment more before it filled with a brilliant light and time seemed to freeze in place.
Cindy looked up. She could see the angel as he stepped out of the light.
He smiled. "Cynthia, you are a tough one." he said, looking at her.
"What do you mean?" she asked, standing up.
"You would really sacrifice yourself for him? You would give up your own life to save his?" he asked.
"Yes, I would." replied Cindy, her face like stone.
"Life is so fragile, don't you think?" asked the angel. "People of this world are so caught up in wordly things to pay attention to the greater things of life. You, for instance, were so focused on your achievements to realize how short of a time you actually have. You let your will to be number one cloud your mind. You were not able to see what was in front of you all along." said the angel.
"I know that, but I can't do anything about it now." said Cindy.
"You are not only tough, you are wise beyond your years. Maybe to wise. I think that maybe you should stop focusing so much on growing up, and instead enjoy the here and now. After all, one day you may be here, and the next you may not. You never know. Life has a funny way of doing that."
"Doing what?" asked Cindy.
"Ending." said the angel, with another knowing smile.
Cindy nodded.
"It is time for me to leave you now." said the angel, suddenly.
"Are you taking him?" she asked, looking at him nervously.
"No. And, I'm not taking you, either." he replied.
"Is it because I said that I would take his place instead?" asked Cindy, genuinely confused.
"No. It's because this is what God planned on happening in the first place. When are you going to realize that you are not the only one who wishes that you strive in everything you do? God wants you to do your best in life, and He let this all happen to show you what you were missing."
Cindy thought about it for a moment before coming to the conclusion that the angel was right.
"What was I missing?" she asked, looking at the angel as he faded.
"God isn't going to do all the work. You have to figure that one out yourself." he said, fading into the light.
Cindy awoke to the sound of chirping birds. She looked at the clock; it was seven.
She sat up in bed. Cindy's mind filled with images of what she thought was the previous night. The last thing that she remembered was a bright flash of light. What had happened? Was Jimmy okay?
Cindy flung herself out of bed and threw on clean clothes. Cindy ran down stairs and threw open the door. She was on Jimmy's porch before she knew that she'd even ran across the street.
Cindy rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer.
Luckily, neither Judy nor Hugh answered the door. Jimmy gave her a confused look as he answered the door.
"Cindy, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" he asked, yawning.
"What day is it?" she asked.
"It's Thursday, why?" he replied.
Cindy couldn't believe it. It was as if the past few days hadn't happened. She remembered them so vividly, though!
Cindy knew what she had to do.
"Jimmy, you know that there's a dance tommorrow." she started.
"Oh yeah. . . I forgot about that. I'm just going to stay at home and. . . "
"Do you want to go with me?" she asked, before he got a chance to finish his sentence.
"Um. . . Cindy, are you feeling okay?" he asked, giving her a worried look.
"I'm fine, Neutron, just answer the question!" she snapped.
"Sure, I'll go with you. Okay. . . " he said.
"Good. Okay, then. I'll see you at school." she said, crossing the street and entering her house.
She glanced out the window and smiled as Jimmy gave one last bewildered look before closing the front door.
The past few days played over in her mind. She'd been faced with a horrible situation, but she'd come through it. She had actually told Jimmy that she loved him. And, if she'd done it once, why couldn't she do it again? Cindy smiled once more as she headed up to her room to get her backpack. As she looked out of her bedroom window, at Jimmy's house, the angel's last words came back to her. God isn't going to do all the work. You have to figure that one out yourself. Before, she hadn't known what was missing from her life. But, as she watched Jimmy exit his house and walk down the street towards school, she knew just what it was.
For the first time in her short life, Cindy wasn't going to plan for the future. She was going to take life day by day, and enjoy the here and now. She would just have to wait and see what happened next.
Well, there it was. Not much of an ending, I know, but oh well, I liked it. Please Review!