Completely Unrelated Title

First exam today. There was a story about a bus ride that we had to answer questions on. It was interesting, because at first we felt sorry for the main character - she's just caught her boyfriend driving around with another girl, and is certain that he's cheating on her. But as the story goes on and she continually insults the people around her we begin to like her less and less. At the end a very sick man throws up and collapses on her, and no one pays any attention to her. She starts crying and declares that no one in the world was more miserable than her. Strangely compelling. Then a 5-paragraph essay. I chose The Chrysalids, and the topic was loyalty. Inkeeping with my usual essay style, I proved that the "evil" characters were in fact the most loyal. Overall it went pretty well. I doubt the others will be so easy.

She's dropping hints like cherry bombs; she wants me to say it. To stop drawing hearts and just tell her that I love her. But I know better. Experience has taught me not to write those words down; first to say them, aloud, to her face. And an appropriate time has yet to come. Until then... for better or for worse... I hope she understands.

And now, a random story.

The Rift
(Part of the Ongoing Saga of Heather and the Heretic)

"Why are we here?"

It was a fitting question, but I didn’t really expect an answer. This wasn’t the first time I’d been dragged from my bed to go running about on some "experiment" that invariably went nowhere but was still somehow always a success. I wrapped my jacket further around me and shivered. We didn’t usually go this far.

"You’ll see." He kept walking, not slowing in the slightest as we left the light of the last streetlights. I hesitated, but quickly ran on as I began to lose sight of him. I had to follow; things seemed to go badly when he tried to do anything by himself, especially at night. Besides, he was the only one who knew the way back. Suddenly he turned and stepped onto the street. I let out a squeak of fright, but of course there were no vehicles around. Not out here, at this time of night. I rushed to catch up.

He stopped, right in the middle of the road. It was still completely silent, but even so I felt a pang of paranoia as I followed him. Two steps away from him he motioned for me to stop. "Heather," he whispered, "can you feel the rift?"

I listened very carefully. The answers to his riddles were never obvious, and it looked as though this would be no exception. "No," I said. "You know I can’t."

He smiled softly and raised his arms. "I finally found it. It all makes sense now." I had never seen him so happy about one of his ‘discoveries’. "Soon I’ll have it perfected. Tonight is the big test."

In the distance there was a faint roaring of an engine. "There’s a car coming," I warned. Worriedly I began to back away. He merely turned and wrapped his black jacket further around him. In the darkness he was nearly invisible. "Get out of the way," I hissed, an edge of panic creeping into my voice. Some part of me knew he wouldn’t listen. I didn’t stop. "Please, move… don’t do this… please." In the half-light of the approaching headlights I could barely make out his smile.

The car wasn’t slowing. It hadn’t seen him. He wasn’t moving. I shifted in agony from one foot to the other, watching as the car came closer and closer. I couldn’t move. He lifted one hand and gave me a tiny, silent wave.

At what seemed to me to be the last second I finally broke out of my trance and dived for him. I don’t know what I was thinking, maybe that I’d push him out of the way, or something. But just as I reached him he took a tiny step sideways and I missed him completely. I stumbled-

I saw the endless road, the roaring wheels, my sister’s body bursting like rotten fruit…

-and hit the pavement hard. The car swerved wildly, its horn still blaring in my ears, but didn’t stop. Slowly I stood up, steadying myself against the wall. He was gone. With shaking hands I tried to rub the light from my eyes. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. I couldn’t even cry.

"Got you, didn’t I?"

Before I knew what I was doing I’d whirled around and punched him in the face, smashing him into the wall. "Don’t you ever do that again, you hear?!" I screamed, tears finally streaming down my cheeks. "Don’t you ever do that again!" Then I took him in my arms and kissed him, long and hard. "Don’t you ever do that again."