Hardest of Hearts
This is a stitch of “The Tests,” an unbound story. Write the story with us.
There is love in your body but you can’t hold it in…
Cris was sitting alone on the corner of the court in his school. It was a break time and all the other kids were playing and running around like they always do. Most of them actually didn’t even notice Cris’s presence. Except for Andrea, a Latin girl that was Cris’s classmate, and even though they never really talked to each other, she came closer and sat next to him.
“Hi Cris,” she greeted him. He just nodded with his head. She continued.
“Why are you here alone? I always see you with those friends of yours.”
“I don’t know about ’em,” He replied without looking at her.
“Is that because of what happened yesterday?”
“How do you know what happened?” Cris asked, still not even moving his head, not shocked at all, because he already knew the answer. The boys couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
“Everyone knows. Even Ms. Raymond knows.”
Cris remained silent. He could see far at the school building, some teachers staring at him through the window. He could only imagine what they were talking about him.
It pours from your eyes and spills from your skin…
“Did you and your friends fight?” Andrea asked.
“No. My dad thinks it’s dangerous for people to be next to me, that’s all.”
“Hmm…,” Andrea paused. “But you saved their lives. That’s a good thing right?”
“I don’t know anymore…”
“Some people said you could fly and shoot laser beams from your eyes.”
Cris finally turned his head to Andrea.
“What? No! I can’t do that, that’s stupid.”
“Some other people said that you’re black Jesus.”
“I’m not black Jesus, that’s even more stupid.”
Tenderest touch leaves the darkest of the marks…
The bell rang, it was the end of the break, time to go back to class. The other kids stopped playing and running around and headed back to the school’s building. Cris and Andrea remained seated where they were. After a brief pause, Andrea continued.
“I was just wondering… I know we’re not friends, but if something ever happened to me, and you were able to help… Would you?”
“I would, if I could. It’s not because we’re not friends that I would let someone hurt.”
Andrea smiled at him and reached his hand on the court floor. When she held his hand, Cris felt his heart starting to beat a little faster. He never had a girlfriend, and Andrea was a pretty girl. She held his hand more tightly, and his heart accelerated more. And more. And more. That didn’t feel right, something was wrong. Cris was not feeling so well now, his heart was pounding faster and harder than he ever felt. He tried to release his hand from Andrea’s, but she was gripping it strongly. She was not smiling anymore, and his heartbeat kept going faster and faster, and he started to feel nauseous and couldn’t breathe right. He was sweating, his heart pouding faster than ever, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t say a word, couldn’t get out of there, he looked around and the court was empty, there wasn’t anyone else around to help him or hear them or see them. No one staring through the windows, nobody. Heart pounding was unbearable, it felt like it would just explode, he saw Andrea’s angry eyes for the last time before his heart finally stopped beating completely.
And the kindest of kisses breaks the hardest of hearts.
And everything was dark.
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