One day my dad said find someone new.
I had to tell my Leon we're through.
Whatcha mean when you say you had to go find somebody new?
He stood there and asked me why.
But all I could do was cry.
I'm sorry I hurt you
The leader of the pack.
Two and a half months passed like nothing at all. Due to my friends being away all summer and my extremely passionate and close relationship with Leon, I spent nearly all of my time by his side. I could hardly wait for Yuffie and Tifa to return so that I could fill them in on all of the details. I knew they would hang on my every word, giving me tips and congratulating me on a fine boyfriend.
I kept my job at the flower shop, though only working a couple days out of the week. Basically Leon would pay for anything that I needed, but I still wanted to feel worth something. He would visit me at my job often, although once he did get told off by the store manager who did not appreciate him loitering around. We had a good laugh at it later on, but then had to be more careful about how much time he spent in the shop.
I did not speak much at all to my parents for that entire summer. Even if I did manage to start a good conversation with either my mother or father, they would end up slipping something in about how wrong Leon was for me and I refused to speak to them any longer.
It was usually past midnight by the time Leon would drop me off at home. Time just seemed to be so meaningless when we were together, so that it just sped by and we lost track. We could spend hours on end just cuddling and staring into eachother's eyes.
He was more than just a highschool sweetheart, he was my other half. I can remember being a child and pawing through thousands of puzzle pieces to find those that fit together. The chances of finding the one that fit was one in ten thousand, and yet somehow I always did. Leon was like my matching puzzle piece. He completed me and I completed him.
This night was an ordinary one. It was about 12:35 AM as we pulled in front of my house. We both stepped off the bike and he walked me to my door, holding my hand as always.
"Goodnight. I love you, Flower Girl," he said and gave me a romantic good night kiss.
"I love you too. See you tomorrow."
"I'll pick you up at 8 in the evening."
"I wish it could be earlier," I sighed, but knew it could not. Leon had to go to work, himself. Oh well. I smiled and then, with a final wave, entered into my house. I could hear Leon drive away on his motorcycle.
I was surprised to find that the light in the kitchen of my house was on. Usually all of the lights were turned off and my parents were asleep in bed. I slowly peeked into the kitchen and found my father sitting at the table, facing me. His expression was a mix between sadness and anger, and certainly gave me a bad feeling. He beckoned me in.
"What's wrong?" I asked, approaching the table.
"I'm sorry that it has to come to this, Aerith, but your mother and I had a serious discussion this evening," he said in a very somber tone.
"About what?"
"You. I doubt you have noticed, but you have changed badly over the course of this summer, honey. It's that man, he is a bad influence on you. You hardly talk to your mother and I and you come home so late. It needs to stop," he explained.
"You are setting me a curfew?" I questioned curiously. I was not getting the point, my father shook his head.
"No, I am forbidding you to see Leon anymore." His voice was matter-of-fact, very stern.
I gasped, and my jaw dropped. "Daddy...you c-can't," I stuttered.
"Actually, Aerith, I can."
"No! I can still see him, it's not up to you!"
"I was afraid it would come to that. If you do not stop seeing him, you may not live under our roof. Your mother and I will no longer have anything to do with you. We will not pay for your college tuition, nor will we help you at all. Now, honey, we both know that you do not want to do that. Your mother and I love you, and only want what is best."
Tears began to spill out of my eyes. I did not know how to respond. I could not sever ties with my parents, I loved them. Also, I was counting on them to pay for my tuition and still take care of me. I did not have enough of money to take care of myself. My heart felt as though it was being torn in two, because on the other hand I loved Leon so much. Still, disobeying my parents was something I never could do.
"Don't make me do this...I love him," I whimpered.
"You'll thank me later. You can find someone new...anyone but him."
"It's not fair!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, sobbing and running into my bedroom. I collapsed onto my bed, screaming and sobbing into my pillow. I cried myself to sleep, and rather cried during my sleep as well. I would dream of Leon, wake up, and start crying all over again.
I could not imagine how I possibly would break up with him. I loved him. I needed him. But I had always decided that my family came first in my life. Especially due to the fact that in my society children obeyed their parents.
I awoke just before noontime, and prayed that the talk with my father had all just been a dream. But then, after waking myself up some more, I realized that it wasn't. Pulling myself out of bed was hard, as I knew it would begin one of the worst days of my life. Looking in the mirror, I realized I was a mess: blotchy eyes and tangled hair. I pulled myself together in order to fix my appearance.
I refused to face my parents, to give them the pleasure of seeing me preparing to break up with Leon. Why did they have to do this to me? Therefore, I spent the entire day in my room.
I did not cry anymore. I was hardening my heart to the best of my ability. If I did not prepare myself for that evening I would fall apart. That would make everything even worse, if such a thing was possible.
The time stood still to me; the time before my break up with Leon. Still, it did come, the sun rose and then fell. Around 3 the sun was covered by clouds and a dreary drizzle began. By the time 8 rolled around, it was pouring rain. Normally, I did not mind the summer rain. It was refreshing, and Leon and I would still ride his motorcycle through it. But now it was just dark and dismal.
I heard his motorcycle even over the sound of the rain. I took a deep breath and hurried through the house and outside. He stood at my door, smiling at me. His hair was drenched from the rain, sticking to his face. He looked so cute.
"I missed you, little flower." He leaned to kiss me and I could not refuse, but I ended it quicly.
"I missed you too, Leon...but we need to talk," as I began to talk I lost all of the courage I had worked up. My bottom lip began to tremble, I felt a huge lump in my throat, and I knew the tears would come soon.
"What's wrong, Flower Girl?" His smile remained, and he caressed my cheek with his hand.
I brought my gaze to the side, pulling away from his comforting hand. I could not stand to look at him. "We...we can't do this anymore. W-we're through," I just managed to say. Suddenly the rush was too much, and all of the tears streamed out at once. I cried quietly, holding my hand up to my face.
Leon looked even more hurt than I had imagined him to be. "N-no..why?" he stuttered, looking terribly confused.
"Please, just d-don't ask. It's just better this way." I just wanted it to be over with.
"I love you, Aerith...I thought you loved me." His pleading was too much to bare, my crying became intense sobbing.
"Of course I love you...but we can't be together. It's not meant to be. We're too different," I sobbed.
A dawning look of comprehension overcame Leon's distraught face, but it failed to hide his internal, emotional pain.
o--------------------o
A/N: Okay, so that's a little bit of a cliffhanger I suppose (the next stanza connects to this one). I wanted to update last night but I had trumpet lessons and therefore no time to finish writing the chapter. In response to Leon being out of character, yes, I must admit that I realized that. I guess it is AU and OOC...him being rather cold and distant would have been harder to work with. Plus, I love a sweet Leon, even if such a thing doesn't exist.
Only two chapters left. I hope I get more reviews!
