I do -Part II-

Dead.Beat1

She had known Ben from the moment she was born, along with her sister who had known him for seven minutes longer. ‘Seven minutes,’ she thought, “can make all the difference.’2

They had all three been best friends since they could talk, maybe even before then, and it had seemed as if Laura had always been Ben’s favorite. It was she who he would have stick fights with, both pretending that they were royal knights in a completely different world where good and evil were the only true themes. ‘If only,’ she thought, ‘it was always that simple.’ It was Laura to whom he always came first to test out his latest toy or to make plans of the ultimate trickery.3

All of that changed when they hit puberty. Sure, Ben still spent the majority of his time with her, but the fleeting glances at her sister, Layla, could not be missed.4

Time had been cruel to Laura where it had embraced her sister. She was lanky and rough, uncoordinated as her sister was perfectly curved, smooth, and graceful. In time, Ben had increasingly spent less and less with Laura and more and more with her sister until their rendezvous ceased altogether. 5

Now all that was even left to remind her of her earlier friendship was the knowing smile he gave her when they passed, the smile that said, “I remember.”6

And maybe he DID remember. Maybe he did. But he didn’t remember enough.7

And it hurt with an intensity unimaginable to man or any other creature. It hurt to be forgotten.8