You Said Forever

"Aiden. Do we have to go to school today?
Can't we just stay here, in our own little world?"1

"Come on Ev, we have to go. Come on, I'll
carry you if I have to."2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3

"Ev, come on, we're going to miss the
bus back to the school, we can't stay
at the bowling alley forever,"4

"But, I got a turkey. I got a TURKEY
Aiden."5

"Yes, very well, but do you want
to be stuck in this unknown town
for the rest of your life?"6

"That is not possible. We could
just take a bus silly!"7

"Oh silly me. Of course we could.
With no money."8

"We could hitch a ride."9

"Thats illegal Evelyn."10

"Back to using full names?"11

"I'm allowed to when I am annoyed
with you. Besides, I happen to thing your full name is lovely."12

"Well I don't like it."13

"Nobody is happy with their names."14

"I like your name Aiden."15

"Let's go to the bus Ev."16

"Fine then, be that way! Trying to
tell me what to do, stupid overbearing best friend..."17

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I watched as the moving truck zoomed
passed my house. And as a boy skated
passed me on a skateboard. His head
turned, and I saw his face. His beautiful
honey eyes, and red hair, and the varying
degrees of sharp and soft bone structure
in his face. His tanned skin was dotted
by a few freckles. But I recognized his
eyes the most. Aiden. He was my best friend
until he had moved. I'd never made friends
after him, and still thought of him often.18

I still pictured as an awkward little kid,
but, he seemed almost inhumanly beautiful.
Like nothing else could ever be so wonderful.
I kept picturing the last moment I saw him.
Sorrow in his honey colored eyes, his lips
in a pout, and puffy red around his irises.
He'd been crying.19

His porcelain skin was dry and hard from the
tears, and he still had one tear remaining on
his cheek. He'd looked beautiful, even in that
one last moment of bereavement. He waved goodbye.
And tried to leave.20

But as he opened the door to their truck, the
tears once again started flowing freely. He
ran to me, and hugged me as tight as he could.
I would miss him. We'd been friends since we
were old enough to have conscious thought. I'd
had a crush on him at first, when I saw him
there, playing in the dirt. I suppose, at that
age, I should've thought boys were icky, and
that they had cooties. But Aiden, he just wasn't
that way. Not at all. He seemed perfect, covered in
dirt, with the content grin on his face that I later
came to love.21

I walked up to talk to him and said, " Hi, what's your
name? I am Evlin." I hadn't been able to pronounce my
name properly then, and I had no idea why I was named
Evelyn as I brushed my raven hair out of my face.22

"I'm Aiden Clancy Russo. Hi Evlin." He didn't know how
to pronounce my name either.23

And from there, our friendship grew. I had my first
kiss with him, at the age of six, the innocent, kiss
on the cheek, but it still meant the world to me. I
hadn't kissed anyone ever except for Aiden.24

I had spent my afternoons and mornings playing cars
and barbies with Aiden, and when we outgrew those
toys at age seven, we spent the time reading or playing
video games. And at school, we were always in the same
class, and he always stuck up for me when I was noticed
by the stupid boys.25

But then, a few months before we were to turn eight,
his parents announced that they were to move to
the ever sunny California, so that they could
have a better life.26

During the first year, we sent e-mails
back and forth. He told me about his new
life, and his new friends. I told him
how much I missed him, and how nothing had
changed since he left, except
for the town's sun was now gone. He'd
tell me new jokes he heard from his cool
new friends. And I'd laugh, even if I
didn't find them funny. During the first
few months after turning nine, his e-mails
started to decline, and finally, his last
e-mail he ever sent to me came. As if not
knowing that he'd forget his first ever
friend, who used to be his best, as if his
memory had been erased of all contents of
me. Saved forevermore in my memory, and in
my inbox. It read:27

Hey Ev. I miss you. I hope you know that.
Jacob and Andrew told me the funniest ever
joke, I'll tell you later. How's our town?
Do they miss me yet? My homework is piling up.
But it's a breeze. Jacob is calling. Gotta go.
Love, Aiden.28

And I'd replied dozens of times, never getting
a reply. And finally, after a month, I gave up.
Always thinking of him, wondering if he still
thought of me too. I realized over the years
I'd become dependent on his presence, and when
I needed it, it wasn't there. Barely sustained
by the letters. I needed him. I was the lungs,
and he was the oxygen. But, he fell off of the
face of the earth, and with him, most of the
lungs died. A machine breathing for them,
like I wasn't alive, only my body was.29

I tried not to show it, and I did a pretty
good job of it too.30

But when I saw him skateboard passed my
house, without even a glance, I knew
he'd forgotten, and another part of me
died, but the machine stopped breathing
for the lungs, who started to breath by
themselves again, for they'd found oxygen.
Only, the oxygen didn't care. But it didn't
matter, I had oxygen. I was alive. And I
finally found emotion again. And I realized,
that like the moment upon his leaving, tears
were flowing, I finally remembered I had cried too,
and again, I was crying as he reentered my life,
unknowingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aiden looked at me. He smiled.
"It's good to hear your voice again Ev.
And to see your smile." Aiden was always so kind to me.
My best friend, and sun. My light. My oxygen.
He was mine. And I had him wrapped around my finger.
But he still knew where to draw the line. Aiden was
so perfect. There were times when I would go camping
with his family during the summers, and when everyone
was in bed, we would cuddle up by the fire pit on a
chair. He'd roast the marshmallows for me, and make me my
smores. He'd pull down a blanket from the picnic table
near us.31

He smiled again. He was visiting, and had
taken me camping with his family. It was
lovely. I curled up on his lap and yawned.
"You should sleep Ev. It's getting late.
I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon."32

"Do you have to Aiden?"33

"I wish not. But mom and dad are forcing me
to go back to California. You know how t
hey are sometimes. They have to have
everything perfect."34

"Aiden, why are you so smart?"35

"I am not smart."36

"Yeah, but you are smarter than the
rest of the people our age."37

"Riiiiiiight. I think you are delirious
from lack of sleep Evvi" And this was where
I could tell he was getting sleepy too.
He always called me Evvi when he was tired.
And the last conscious thought was, that I loved him.38

That night I dreamt of camp fires and Aiden.
And I awoke through the night, and heard Aiden mutter,
"I love you forever Evelyn." And as I heard that,
I drifted into sleep again. And I dreamt
of kissing Aiden again. Only more passionately.39

The next morning I couldn't remember my dream.
After breakfast we got our swimsuits on, and swam
in the lake until it was time to go.40

As they dropped me off at my house, Aiden walked
me to our door, before I unlocked it, he motioned
for me to stay still for a moment. "Evvi, promise
me something before I go again. Evelyn,
promise me that we will be friends forever,
nothing less. Please promise me that please."41

I pecked his lips quickly. "Only if you keep
your end, and a promise to me."42

"Yes?"43

"Never forget me. Always remember me as
your first friend. And that I will love you forever."44

"I promise Evvi. I'll love you forever too.
I could never forget."45

And he left, looking back at me the whole
time.46

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~47


I smiled sadly. I couldn't figure
out why I was bawling so much when I was so happy. I watched as he skated on through the cul-de-sac.48

I realized I was running. He finally
looked back. I didn't see a spark of
recognition in his eyes like I had imagined
him to all those times. He just looked somewhat
confused.49

"I'm sorry, but why are you following me?"
He asked. I smiled disappointedly, I hadn't
expected this, to be forgotten so easily.
But I was so happy to see him.50

"I'm surprised you've forgotten me so
easily Aiden."
"Seriously who are you?"
"I'm Evelyn. Remember?"51

"Evelyn, you've changed so much.
I'm sorry. You look so different.
" He said awkwardly.52

"So do you want to catch up?"
"Okay. So ask any question.
Ask of any story." He said.53

"Well," I paused dramatically,
and then continued on angrily. "Lets start
with what has happened since your last e-mail.
Not even saying goodbye for good!"54

"I'm sorry, I meant to reply, I was just-"55

"Too busy with Jacob and Andrew for me,
stupid the stupid girl who used to have
a crush on you, got over it, and became
your best friend." I said bitterly.56

"Don't put words into my mouth Ev-"57

"Oh, so now I am Ev again am I?"58

"Evelyn- if you prefer to be called
that now- I am sorry. I just got caught
up in my new life. And you've obviously
changed too. You probably have hundreds
of friends, and guys all over you." At
this, I snorted. Ignoring that, he went on.
"You've changed too. You don't seem like
the sweet person I used to know either.
I think that maybe it is better off this
way, just being friends from a distance.
Pretend that the other person doesn't
exist. As if they neve did." And he walked
off.59

"Oh, so now I am nobody again? After four
years of not hearing from you. You just
walk off like that? When I have been
literally dying inside to see you again.
My heart never healed. I never made
any other friends. And I just died,
for you!" I yelled, but he just walked
on, and I heard him mutter.60

"Sure, try to guilt trip me for something
that wasn't my fault. Like I could ever
believe another word out of your mouth..."61

"WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS FROM YOU
AIDEN CLANCY RUSSO?" And with that,
I ran off to my house, I saw him
turn back to me once more, before
going in the opposite direction.
That night, I cried myself to sleep.
As if he were gone. Now it mattered
that oxygen didn't want to bring the
lungs back to life. Now, the machine
was back in use. And the lungs would
need to be revived.62