This was a story of a boy. A girl too, since everything in this world must be balanced in order to work.

It follows that eventually the girl became quieter and paler until she faded away altogether and the boy smiled more and stopped worrying about peoples' lies.

They met for the last time when they were 20.

They didn't speak to each other, but the girl laid her head on his shoulder and went to sleep, her breathing in time with his heart beat.

The boy sighed and watched for her stop so that she wouldn't have far to walk in the rain.

When she got off she kissed him on the cheek and he caught a whiff of her old smile, her old mischief. He found, in his pocket, the bus card he'd given her. It made him glad he'd put the tape of his songs in her pocket.

It was an ending, of sorts.