Things to Keep Forever

It was a warm January day. Yes, warm. Unusual but pleasant. Life was in full bloom in the busiest sense and stress was beyond the normal level with the students of Fergusson High School. Exams were coming up, presentations were the next two weeks, essays were due, tests and quizzes were being given, and more information than they knew how to handle was being shoved down their throats as teachers tried to cram before exams.
         Allison slammed her locker shut and huffed, mumbling to herself. “Why the –(grunt) – did he have to be such an – UUUHHH!!!! All I said was give me time to think about it but noooooo that’s just not good enough for him ‘cause he gets what he wants. Always.” She started gesturing with her free hand as if she were actually talking to someone while she continued her rant. “Oh, of course! He’s so manly! But to force? (psh) He’s just such a --” She turned quickly and her armload of books went flying as she bumped full force into the guy standing behind her.
         “Oh…” The tall guy she’d run into said quietly. “Sorry.”
         “Yeah, you should be!” She snapped in a very snobbish tone. She met his eyes as smoke came from her nostrils, but their sea green tint caused her to back down. She put a hand on her forehead. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. You’re not the one I’m mad at.”
         He nodded then squatted down to gather the rest of her things. Placing them gently in her hands, he smiled genuinely. “No harm done.”
         Looking around her, she looked at him with question. “Were you waiting for someone?”
         “Oh, no.” His gaze grew intense and she froze inside. “I found who I was looking for. I was just about to leave when--” He shrugged “You know.”
         Allison found her cheeks getting warm. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Again. I feel like an idiot.”
         “We all make mistakes.”
         She ran her hand through her hair. “I know.” She shook her head. “I know all too well.”
         She started walking away as he called out after her. “No mistake is too far from fixing.” She cast the thought aside and made her way to math class.
~
         “Hey, honey!” Allison’s mom called out as she came in the front door. “How was your day?”
         Well, Mom, to tell you the truth, it sucked. My boyfriend got into a pressure-y mood and we had a giant argument over last night and now I’m not sure I will ever speak to him again, I failed a physics test, my best friend got drunk last night and almost killed herself in a car accident, my creepy forty-year-old history teacher is hitting on me, and to top it all off I’m almost flunking my junior year. Allison mumbled an insincere “Fine.” as she headed upstairs.
         “What does your homework look like for tonight?” She heard her mom call up the steps.
         “Nothing much, just a test that could determine whether or not I completely fail high school”
         “That’s great, honey.”
         Allison scowled. Once again she was acknowledged but not heard. Entering her room, she saw the mess and fell on her bed, the weight from the day, the weight from her life, pulling her down. Seeing the picture of her and her beau on the nightstand she reached for it and slammed the frame down, ignoring the sound of the protective glass cracking. What did she care anyway?
         She rolled over on her back and looked at the ceiling above her bed. The posters from yester-year made her heart heavy. What happened to being a little girl? What happened to innocence? What happened to that cute world of love and life that Disney had painted for her?
         It was gone now. And so was she.
~
         Allison bent over slowly and lifted the books she needed from her locker. She sat them on top of the lockers and then exchanged a few from her backpack so she wouldn’t have to carry all of them home. She turned to the mirror on the door of her locker and winced at the sight. Any person with eyes would notice she had been crying. So much for hiding anything.
         She closed the locker door slowly and leaned on it until she heard a click. Leaning her forehead against the metal door tears began their flow once again. She tried squinting away the tears, squinting away the pain but to no avail. Nothing could stop it. Nothing could help. No one would ever understand.
         Turning slowly while looking at the floor and trying to wipe away the falling tears she noticed a pair of shoes – feet actually. They were connected to legs and working her way up Allison saw through tears the guy she had run into almost two months ago. She hadn’t seen him since.
         She met his eyes. His face was filled with hurt. Hurt? Why hurt? He hadn’t just heard the worst news of his life. His life wasn’t ruined by a night’s mistake. He wasn’t – wasn’t. Allison couldn’t even think it.
         “Oh, Allison.” He reached out a hand and touched her face. “Don’t cry.”
         How does he know my name?
         “A bird.” Her heart stopped. “Now, Allison, what makes you cry?”
         A stranger. She was considering confiding in a stranger. She was an idiot. She didn’t even know the dude in front of her, yet she felt like she could – and should, even – talk to him.
         “I-I-I made a mistake.” She trembled.
         “We all make mistakes.”
         “I know.” Memories from the day she first met him poured back and she looked at him deeper, saying, “I know – all – too – well.”
         “No mistake is too far from fixing.”
         “Not unless it’s the one I’ve made.”
         “No mistake is too far from fixing.”
         “You don’t understand.” She shook her head, pulling her books to her chest.
         He looked at her. No, not at her. In Her. “Then tell me.”
         She turned her head from side to side, checking the halls to make sure no one was within earshot. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I know some mistakes can be fixed, but not this one. Not mine.” She took in a deep breath. Her eyes dropped to the ground. “Not when it has to do with a--” Her voice dropped out and became almost inaudible. “baby.”
         He came beside her and fell against the locker next to her. “My God.” He took it in. “What are you going to do?”
         “Well, I have options.”
         His face turned red. “No. No! There ARE no options here, Allison!” His raised voice drew the attention of the few students in the hall around them. He leaned down to her and whispered fiercely. “You say you’ve made a mistake and it’s obvious that you regret it. Now how many mistakes are you going to make here? Just the one? Or two?” He shook his head, pain showing in his eyes as he continued. “Don’t make that child suffer for your mistakes. Don’t let something like a broken heart and torn relationship be completely bad. Make one right choice here. Let this kid have life because of your mistake. Does that not seem worth it to you?”
         His passion made her heart stop. She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
         “Yes, you do.”
         “Then what do I do? What do you expect me to do?”
         “See that no mistake is too far from fixing. You may not be perfect, but you can be forgiven.”
         “Forgiven? Me? I think you have the wrong girl.” She shook her head sadly. “I can give you so many instances – of others, I mean. My mom, who doesn’t care, my dad who walked out on us, my boyfriend, my so-called friends. You should see what I go through each day.”
         “I do.” He touched her face gently and smiled one last time. He then turned and walked slowly away.