Our Beautiful H e a r t s
whereitallbegins
22-year-old Landon Crane walked down the cold sidewalk that was empty of any frolicking children and concerned parents. He breathed in the thick, frigid air and exhaled slowly, the puffs of smoke appearing and then slowly dissipating. His hands were stuffed in his jacket's pockets and he continued his stroll, his thoughts lingering on that of the past.
His walk led him to Westchester's old movie theaters. The booth was still there, the last of the movie's poster, something from 2001, still taped onto the window. A tattered, yellowed over flyer next to it. The colossal sign that hung over the movies had the letter "W" for "Westchester's Hollywood Movies" swinging by red and blue wires. Landon frowned, staring up at it. He went back to searching the broken down theater entrance. He walked deeper into the coven-like area, the atmosphere around him escalating to an even chillier degree. He leaned into the offset pink wall, the paint having peeled off over the years of isolation. He leaned in, his eyes squinting. There it was, what he was looking for.
"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there," she apologized, reflexively wiping away at the soda stain she created.
He chuckled and took her hand. "It's fine, really. You don't need to do that." He smiled down at her, surprised to see the blues of her eyes; darker than midnight, shinier than a brand new Mustang. He dabbed the damp tissue on his shirt, his eyes locked on the gleam of her eyes.
She smiled softly and ran a hand through her golden tresses. "Uh, I'm..."
He smiled at the initials that were there. The memories that were left. How they had first met. His fingers felt the the depth of the carving and he sighed sullenly. It still hurt to think about it. He shook his head and continued his walk down the path, the memory crushed. He stopped in front of Ronda's, the local mini mart. The shiny glass windows reflected his sad appearance, and he ducked his eyes away, not wanting to see his rugged exterior. His eyes quickly found the little carousel that was placed there to attract children.
A small smile crept onto his face and he sat on one of the horses. It felt cold; like how his insides had frozen over.
"Come on, Landon, come on! Hurry before one of those kids get my favorite one first!" She ran ahead first, leaving Landon chuckling from behind.
"Sweetie, be careful!" he yelled after her, rushing forward.
She nodded and turned around, showing off the smile that he adored. She gracefully hopped onto the spinning carousel and held onto the golden-glittered stick that was attached to the horse. Her golden waves spun around with her, flying behind her magically. Her smile dazzled brighter than the tricked out roof of the tiny carousel and her blue eyes shined with every blink she made.
He smiled at her, falling in love all over again.
He shook his head and clenched his teeth together, again turning away from the once appealing carousel. He sighed as he made his way down another distanced and cold sidewalk. He turned a corner and came face to face with Briarwood Academy, the high school he had attended. He watched it, his eyes exploring every inch as best as he could. He gritted his teeth together and kept his gaze on the old oak tree that was still standing. He pushed his fingers through the gate, watching it, attempting to think of an old memory there.
"So," Josh Hotz started, smirking at Landon's arm draped around the blond-haired beauty, "I'm guessing you guys are going to be sending wedding invitations soon?"
Landon chuckled and the blond frowned, her blue eyes looking up at Landon. "Why'd you laugh?" she quietly questioned, her tiny voice reverberating loudly in his ears.
She shrugged innocently and whispered, "I actually did think we were going to be sending people our wedding invitations." She frowned, the lines on her forehead creasing.
Landon laughed and tapped her nose with his middle finger twice. "We are, sweetie, I just didn't want everyone else to know, because then our wedding wouldn't be a surprise, and I kind of want it to be."
She giggled and then nodded with understanding, her eyes widening.
He sighed, remembering that. He looked up at the sky, gray clouds swirling together, the thick air surrounding him. He despondently looked back at the school that filled his head with the memories; the ones that hurt, the ones that made him laugh, the ones that helped him get to where he was now. It was all there in that high school. He only wished he could keep it all.
He didn't know what brought him there in the first place. Was it the fact that he just couldn't get enough? Maybe he was feeling nostalgic, he just wasn't aware of that yet. Or, he just really needed to hear about her. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door; the wooden door that he had leaned her against while kissing her many, many nights. He smiled and traced the rustic patterns that had been embedded into the wood.
It opened slightly and from the entrance, a woman of about 50, with a purple and white cardigan, trousers and fuzzy bunny slippers appeared. Her eyes widened at the sight of Landon, the dark circles under his eyes, his unshaved chin, the bushy hair. "Why, Landon Crane, if I'll be. Leonard, Leonard, come out and see who came to visit."
Landon then found himself sitting in a dimly-lit room, on a plastic-covered couch, his hands tightening around the warm tea cup he had been served. Just as he remembered him, Leonard still wore the same red Yankees cap, the same white button up polo and the same men's dockers. He grinned widely, adjusted his cap and leaned back in his faded armchair. Landon eyed it; the black coffee mark that he had stained onto the arm of the chair was still visible.
"So, how are you, Crane?" Leonard asked, still accustomed to the nickname he bestowed upon Landon.
He took a sip of his tea, winced and nodded. "It's good. Brown's treating me well. I'm taking anatomy, psychology, AP bio, and lunch," he joked subtly, not even laughing at his own tease.
Leonard, the jolly old man he was, guffawed loudly, slapping his knee and clapping his hands. Tears ran down his face like two rivers, reminding Landon of yet again, her. He cursed her silently and locked eyes with Helen, whose light blue eyes were glued on him. Landon slowly deciphered the meaning behind the gleams in her eyes; concern, despair, pity, joy, and most of all, love.
"Leonard," she mumbled, tapping his arm lightly, "go and check on Georgia from down the street. She's expecting me to stop by and chat with her, but I can't for today. I was hoping you'd take into consideration following the favor for me instead?" She smiled sweetly at him and he grinned lovingly back. And in a second, he was gone.
Landon watched as Leonard disappeared into the chilly dusk that was concealed behind the door. He once again set his eyes on Helen and tried tugging a corner of his mouth into a smile. He wondered what he looked like from a spectator's point of view; different, he was sure. Broken. Unloved. Lonely. Lost. A lost... Cause didn't fulfill it.
Landon was just lost. He was a lost soul. He was still walking the earth, still searching, still wondering, still hoping. He was just lost.
"How have you really been Landon?" she asked with pure sincerity underneath the curiosity. She leaned forward, a gentle look on her face.
Landon swallowed. He looked up, his eyes searching hers. He needed to tell someone soon. He was going to tell Helen. Of course he would. She was her mother. "I'm... I... She... I've... There's..." He sighed and shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He heard her soft exhale, slow and steady. He attempted to try again, his voice quavering. "I... I miss your daughter, Helen."
Helen's teeth clamped together and it was her turn to look away. Tears filled her eyes slowly, her breathing hitched. "I..." She cleared her throat and wiped at an escaping tear. "I know, dear." She leaned forward, placing her wrinkled hand on his shoulder. "I know... And I miss you."
Landon nodded, his lips pursed. "She doesn't miss me?" He was staring at a framed photo, one of her, her, Skye Hamilton; heart snatcher, love addict, driven strongly by the world. She was amazing; she was once his. She was smiling in the photo, her arm around someone else. Not Landon anymore; he was part of the Rejects box, the I'm going to forget him box; the He's done box.
Helen squeezed his hand and nodded. "She asks about you every now and then..." Watching Landon, watching as he visibly broke down in front of her. It teared her up. It made her want to hug him and assure him that everything was going to be okay again. She sighed and patted his back.
Landon bit his bottom lip. "Why, though, Helen, why? What did I do wrong? How did that happen? I thought... I thought... We were perfect. I thought... I thought I was the one for her."
Helen nodded and hugged him from behind. "I know, hon. But see... You never really know until it's the end of your story; the end of everything. Skye... She was... She was always one for spontaneous acting out. You think I'm fond of the boy she's with now?" She shook her head and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You were always perfect for Skye, Landon. Always. She just never saw that."
"But why?" he questioned. "I thought we were great. I thought
o u r
relationship was perfect. And if not, there was going to be a way to make it be perfect. I thought what we shared was... Was
b e a u t i f u l
and, and just... I thought... I kept... I..." Landon caught his breath, his snot flowing heavily now.
Helen nodded and rubbed his arm. "Shh, sweetie, it's going to be okay. It's going to end up great for you. I promise you that. And if it doesn't... Well, too bad," she chuckled hesitantly. "But, Landon... You can't stop loving because Skye found someone else. You shouldn't be so scared. Go out again. Go look for someone else. 'Cause if there's anyone that deserves love, it's you, Landon. If anyone deserves two
h e a r t s
to mend perfectly, I know it's yours." She patted his back again, listening to the rhythmic tune of his sniffling and sobbing.
Landon nodded slowly, not really understanding. He looked around the homey room once again, his eyes searching, his heart yearning, his brain stopping, his hands reaching...
But for once in his life, he felt as if everything was okay again.
an: disclaimed. made no sense to me whatsoever. for lisa, though. xD it ended horribly. i tried to be clever. i fayl'd epically. siiiigh D;
sorry, lisa :) p!nk it up, yo :)
love,
erycka/ericka/americka/ricky/dude :)