Song: Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?, The Offspring
Focal Character(s): Presea, Lloyd
Time was relative, they said. A minute could be so short, or so long. Her time, the time she missed, seemed so long. Like she'd missed out on so much of her life. And she had. Her childhood was gone. Suddenly she was an adult-yet-child, lost and alone.
"Presea?"
She turned at the voice. Lloyd was standing there.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Presea didn't answer immediately. Ordinarily, she would have said "yes" without hesitation. They didn't need to worry about her, and she wasn't the type to answer that question with a "no." But she didn't know what to say. Was this... conflict, inside her?
"Actually, that was a dumb question. What's wrong?"
How could he tell?
"It's about your lost time, right?"
...he knew that, too?
"Well, I've been thinking. The past... won't come back. We can't change the past. And... I know it's hard sometimes, but we can't keep looking back. I know I've made mistakes, but I can't keep looking back at them. We've gotta move on. And, well, I'm not gonna waste my whole life trying to get back something I can't. I'm gonna look forward."
Look... forward?
"I don't wanna be insensitive, you know, but, I just thought maybe you were feeling like I was about your lost time... wanting to live in the past and all." Lloyd shrugged, then turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually, uh, forget I said anything. Sorry."
"Lloyd."
"Huh?" He turned back, confused.
"...Thank you."
She had been wrong. She may have been lost, but she wasn't alone.