There she was, lying on the ground. It was cold, it was raining and she had seconds to live, but that wasn’t what was on her mind. It was him. He’s who she had been hurrying home for so fast that night. It was his birthday and she ran from work the second she had gotten out. It had been raining on and off that day so the roads were slippery. Without thinking, she foolishly had darted out into the road, the only thing she I wanted was to be with him then.
Who knew one foolish mistake could cost her her life?
People were shouting and running over to her, but she ignored them and instead stared up into the rain. She wished she could see the stars. She closed her eyes and no longer was it raining, in fact she wasn’t even in pain.
She was taken back to about a year before, to a warm summer night. Instead of lying on the cold, hard concrete, she was lying in the soft grass, the one she loved most by her side. His name was Joe, Joe Jonas. They laid in his backyard since it was a clear night and stars had shone brightly. It was silent that night and it felt like it was just the two of them and the stars. She was aware of Joe’s eyes on her and she turned her head to look at him.
A thousand thoughts raced through his head as he tried to find words for the way he felt. But every time she met his gaze, he lost his train of thought. So he just pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her as she rested her head on his chest.
She sighed happily then giggled.
“What?” he asked.
“I can hear your heartbeat,” she said, lifting her head slightly to smile at him.
Her smile made him smile and they lay in silence for a while as Joe tried to figure out his feelings in words. There was only one word needed to describe it and only three words needed to say it.
He took a deep breath, “um…” he began hesitantly.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“I love you,” he whispered.
She smiled to herself, listening to his heart race. “I love you too,” she said and tilted her head to his as their lips met in a sweet, tender kiss.
Despite the pain she felt and the chaos going on around her, she smiled at her happiest memory.
She imagined the beautiful face. The dark hair that often flopped down to cover his eyes. The soft lips that always said the right thing. And the gorgeous eyes that could see into her soul.
With his first, “I love you,” echoing in her head, she slipped into unconsciousness, never to wake up again.
- three weeks later -
Joe's POV
Joe sat in his room, staring at the wall. That’s how he spent his days now, hidden in his room thinking of her and grieving his loss. He had withdrawn from the world, even his own family rarely saw him anymore. They would duck their heads in every so often to check on him, but there was nothing they could do. There’s not much you can do for a broken heart except to let it mend on it’s own. But his brothers, Nick and Kevin, wouldn’t give up.
“Hey Joe, let’s go for a walk,” Kevin said.
“No,” Joe said in a even voice.
“No, we are going on a walk,” Nick said to his older brother.
Joe looked at them. What shocked them more than his puffy, red eyes, was that his eyes, that normally were so full of life, were dead. It scared them. But Joe, heaving a long, heavy sigh, got up and followed them.
Nick and Kevin shot each other worried looks and they led the way. The three brothers walked together slowly, Joe lagging behind slightly, lost in his own thoughts. They came to a park and
Joe felt like he was being watched.
He raised his eyes to meet the gaze of none other than the girl he had spent weeks mourning the death of. She sat beneath a weeping willow, wearing the same clothes she had that fateful night.
She looked the same except for that she was giving off a slight glow and she was translucent.
Her face broke out into a huge grin, one that even makes eyes light up and sparkle.
She stood, made a heart with her hands and mouthed, “I love you.”
Joe started to run to her, but the closer he got, the more she disapered.
“No! Don’t go!” he pleaded and stopped.
She stopped fading. He stepped backward slightly and she became a bit easier to see.
“I love you so much. Don’t leave. I need you with me,” he said then whispered, “please.” Lowering his head as tears filled his eyes.
He looked up again and she sadly smiled, tears in her own eyes, shaking her head. Then she slowly vanished until he couldn’t see her anymore.
“No!” Joe yelled, stumbling forward, grabbing at the air where she had been. He sunk to the ground in fustration and pain.
“Joe!” Nick and Kevin exclaimed, running over to him.
“What the hell?” Kevin asked his younger brother.
But Joe remained silent, the tears rolling down his cheeks. He couldn’t tell them, they’d think he was crazy. Right then he questioned his own sanity. Had it just been an illusion? She hadn’t talked and there was no proof that she was ever there, he thought to himself as he looked around the area she, or her ghost, had just occupied.
He stared into space, lost in his thoughts, unsure of what to think.
“Let’s go home,” Kevin suggested.
They helped Joe up and walked on either side of him.
“Joe,” the soft voice said from behind him. He looked back but saw no one. She continued. “Live your life to the fullest. Don’t miss out on life because of me. Live for the both of us. I’ll see you one day in heaven. I love you.”
