TEAR DROPPED AT THE EDGE OF HER LONG LASHES, LIKE DEW ON THE GRASS. A FEW WET SPOTS HAD ALREADY DOTTED HER WHITE SHIRT AND A FEW MORE ROLLED DOWN HER ALREADY TEAR-STAINED FACE. HER USUAL CHEERFUL SMILE AND HAD BEEN COMPLETELY ERASED. HER FACE WAS WRITTEN ALL OVER WITH QUIET ANGUISH. SHE HALF-WHISPERED A SIMPLE WORD. 'WHY?' THEN, A TEAR DROPPED FREE. SHE COLLAPSED ON HER FRIENDS LAP. BOTH OF THEM SHARED MOMENT IN SILENCE.
THEN, THERE WAS A FLASH BACK. SHE COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. IT WAS TOO PAINTFUL. SADNESS WAS LIKE A SHARP KNIFE THAT PIERCED HER BODY. A WAVE OF CONFUSION SWEPT OVER HER. SHE CAME CRASHING BACK INTO REALITY.
'WHY?" SHE REPEAT, LOOKING UP WITH DOLEFUL, 'WHAT DID I DO?' HER FRIND COULD ONLY STARE INTO THE INNOCENT SWIRLS OF THE JET BLACK. 'IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT LIZ, IT'S REALLY ISN'T," SHE SAID QUIETLY. ANN WAS TRYING TO BE STONG, BUT SHE WAS CRUNBLING INSIDE. SHE FELT EQUALLY AS LOST AS LIZ. 'LIZ MY BEST FRIEND', SHE THOUGHT, 'LIZ, THE SWEET YET PERKY ONE".
IT HAD BEEN A SMALL MATTER TO START WITH, BUT IT HAD BLOWN INTO SOMETHING REALLY BIG. JUST LIKE BUBBLE-GUM, SEEMINGLY HARMLESS AND FUN. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THE BUBBLE GUM IS BLOWN UP AND DROPPED, YOU WOULD BE LEFT IN A STICKY SITUATION. IT HAD STARTED ALL WITH A SIMPLE PROBLEM, PARTICIPATION IN AN ORPHANAGE PROJECT. JUNE, A CHILDHOOD FRIEND OF LIZ HAD WANTED TO BE THE GIFT-ORGANIZER, BUT LIZ HAD CHOOSE INSTEAD. THEN, AT THE CAMP JUNE HAD PUSHED HER LIMITS BY DEMANDING TO GO OUT BY HERSELF AT NIGHT. LIZ'S COOL TEMPERANCE SUDDENLY EXPLODE. 'WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?' USE COMMON SENSE. IF BETH SAID NO, THEN IT MEANS NO! IT WAS BOTH OF THEIR FAULT, JUNE HAD PUSHED BETH, THEIR GROUP LEADER TO THE LIMITS. LIZ WAS NATURALLY PROTECTIVE OF HER FRIENDS, BUT SHE WAS WRONG TO EXPLODE AS WELL. A SERIES OF INCIDENTS FOLLOWED.
THEN, NASTY RUMOURS HAD STARTED TO SPREAD. 'LIZ WAS FAILING SUBJECTS.' 'LIZ WAS GOING OUT.' THEN, THE REST OF LIZ CLOSE FRIENDS WERE CRITICISED FOR TRYING TO PROTECT HER. RUMOURS OF THEM BEING PROUD, MEAN AND CLIQUISH. IT HAD BEEN A HARD HIT. BUT THE WORST DAMAGED WAS LIZ. BEING A NATURAL BLUR, SHE HAD NOT WANTED TO BELIEVE IN IT UNTIL PEOPLE CAME ASKING HER WHAT WAS HAPPENING. HER PARENTS HAD HER SAT DOWN FOR A LONG LECTURE TOO. LIZ MADE MANY FRANTIC PHONE CALLS, THEN FOUND THE ROOT OF IT ALL. SHE BROKE.
SLOWLY, BUT SURELY, THE DEEP WOUND STARTED TO HEAL. UNFORTUNATELY, LIZ AND JUNE WERE FURTHER APART AND SEPARATED BY A COLD, UNFORGIVING WALL, THEY BARELY MADE CONTACT. LIZ THREW HERSELF IN SCHOOL WORK, ACTIVITIES AND OTHER FRIENDS. STILL, IT HURT THAT HAD ONCE BEEN SO CLOSE. YET, THAT SEEMED TO BE ANOTHER SPHERE OF LIFE ALTOGETHER.
A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, LIZ FOUND OUT THAT JUNE WAS GOING TO AUSTRALIA TO FUTHER HER STUDIES. A SMALL VOICE NAGGED AT THE BACK OF LIZ'S MIND. LIZ SMILED, AND STARTED WORK.
'HEY, THIS IS FOR YOU,' LIZ HELD OUT A SMALL PACKAGE, WRAPPED SIMPLY WITH A BRIGHT BOW OUTLINING THE TRANSPARENT BOX. THE BOX HELD A HOME MADE STATIONARY SET. PERSONALLY DECORATED NOTEPAPER, A COLLEGE NOTEBOOK WITH A BIG PICTURE OF ALL OF THEM AS CHILDREN ON THE COVER, AND A FEW PEN. 'HAVE A NICE TRIP AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF'. LIZ SPOKE IT SINCERELY WITH ALL HER HEART.
THEY HUGGED EACH OTHER, JUNE GAVE A HINT OF A SMILE. THAT SIMPLE ACTION HAD ERASED ALL MEMORIES OF PAIN, REPLACING IT WITH A STRONG, NEVER-ENDING FRIENDSHIP.
A STORY JUST FOR YOU..!!:))<3<3
