Crown of Jewels
Stone-cold guilt. It was partly her fault. Every time she opens her eyes at the beginning of another day. Every time she drives by the familiar pizza place. Every time she visits the old neighborhood. The looks in people's eyes. The sneers on every face. His grieving mother. His crazy grandmother. His suddenly orphaned dog. His now empty house. The way he got himself killed.
She wants to slap Joe's face.
She, too, is angered. She, too, is saddened. What the Hell was he thinking? Now she feels like she's cursed. What if she can't be happy again? Is that what he wanted? The night the bullet ripped through the air, she sat up in her narrow bed, clutching the blanket to her naked chest, still warm and cozy from the most amazing and magical sex. She didn't scream. She just stared. At the blood. At the death. At the beautiful naked muscular man. The last man standing. The man of mystery. The man with secrets. The man who claims to be an opportunist. The man she can not live without. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. She was in shock. She still feels the the claws of guilt. All her bad decisions. All her wrong choices. On-and-off. Off-and-on. Immaturity. Commitment phobia. Foolishness.
She looks down at her hands. Are they bathed in blood? Will they grow into claws? She looks down at the ring on her hand. A beautiful ring. Specially designed. Custom made. She looks at the small blue sapphire. Her friends screamed. The neighbors stared. Her mother's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. Words spread. She didn't bother to explain. "Someday." She said when her dark knight put the ring on her hand. He smiled and kissed her on the top of her head. "Someday." A promise ring. A crown of jewels on her head. The cause of a man's death. It was soon ruled self defense. He finally turned around and she stared at his blank face. It wasn't a game. She was stunned by the beauty and intensity of his eyes and face. Yeah, it was probably her fault but she won't be enslaved by the guilt. One shot through the heart.
She wasn't the one who gave love a bad name.
~Theme Song: To You I Bestow from Romeo+Juliet~