Together Forever~Tod Belle

Together forever


When I got home from the Teen Game Night, I bolted out of the van and ran to the woods. I knew exactly what I had to do, and I wanted it done. The note had sat in my pocket the entire time, and it seemed as though it was now threatening to explode. I felt the place where the note stayed safely in my pocket. Behind my I heard Niki calling my name, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t worry about her catching up to me. She was a faster runner than me, but I had gotten a head start and I wasn’t turning to look back.
I ran through the trail in the woods that only I knew well. I was halfway down the trail when I heard Niki running after me. She was a good ways behind me, but I picked up speed none the less.
I finally got the clearing. My lungs were on fire and my legs were aching from the force of falling on them as I ran. I stooped down into the mud and pulled the heart out of the tree, ignoring the deep cuts I suffered on the tips of my fingers. The rain poured down on top of me and I took the note carefully out of my pocket, shielding it from the water droplets. This was all that mattered to me right now. That note was the last piece of Milly I had and I wanted it to be with me forever. The note I had written was a piece of me, and once I replaced the heart, the two pieces would be together forever.
When I pulled the heart away, my note was still in the tree, as dry and safe as ever. I took Milly’s note and pressed it to mine, still holding the wooden heart cutout in my hand. I heard Niki running toward the clearing and I quickly pressed the heart back into the tree, leaving no trace it had ever been removed.
Niki came into the clearing and saw me stooping on the ground in front of the tree. I said a silent thanks that it was raining so she wouldn’t see the tears rolling down my cheeks faster than I could stop them. “Tod why did you run like that?” She said. I didn’t turn around her. I clenched my teeth an effort to regain my composure, but it did no good.
“Tod, what’s wrong?” She stooped down beside me, ignoring the fact that she was putting her knees into an inch of mud and water. She put her arm around my shoulder and tried to look at my face.
I took my fist and slammed it into the truck of the tree, making her jump. “It’s not fair. She shouldn’t be gone.” I collapsed into her arms and cried. Nothing she said could help me now. The girl I loved was dead. The girl that had loved me back. I cried harder as I remembered the last line of the note.
“Tod, it’s okay. It’ll be okay.” She said, trying her best to console me.
“NO!” I yelled. “NOTHING IS OKAY! SHE’S GONE AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT HER!” I struggled against her, thinking of running again, but she held me like a squirming child.
“Tod, it’s gonna be fine. You’ll see. It’s okay.” She said. When I could struggle no more, I collapsed into her arms again feeling worse then I had the day of Milly’s funeral. I couldn’t go on like this. Life wasn’t worth living now that she was gone. I couldn’t go on without her. She meant to much to me.
“I loved her, Niki. What am I going to do?” I said, still sobbing uncontrollably.
“She loved you too Tod. She’s okay. Everything is going to be alright. You’ll see her again. It’ll all be okay. You’ll see her again.” She said, wrapping her arms more tightly around my shaking shoulders.
“Why did she die? Why did he take her?” I asked. “Why did he take her away?” I whispered. All the fight went out of me and I continued crying and getting soaked to the skin by rain.
“I don’t know Tod. But she’s safe now. She’s with God. She be okay, and she wouldn’t want you to worry about her.” She said. I tried to take a deep breath, but in only came in sobs. My breath refused to come any other way. Niki held tight to my shoulders, almost succeeding at keeping my still. Even on my knees I felt as though I was about to collapse. “It’s okay. You’re fine. You’ll be alright.” She said. I stayed folded into her arms. I didn’t want to go back to the car or back to my bed. My dad would only question why I had run into the woods in a rain storm without stopping to look back.
All of the sudden, I heard lightning strike dangerously close and Niki screamed. When I looked up, I saw a huge tree falling in our direction. Before I could even think, I pushed Niki out of the way. She had just enough time to fall back against a tree before the huge tree collapsed on top of me.