FANFICTION [rainingtearsofchocolate]
E-MAIL [itsrainingtearsofchocolate@gmail.com]

Unrealized.
Unfound.

School was out. The girl had stayed after hours for assistance, and she thought she was finally getting the hang of these new theorems. Leaving her locker with newfound confidence, she strode down the hall in quick strides toward the staircase leading to the ground level.

Pulling the door open, she walked through the threshold.

The boy was there. He sat perched between the bars of the railing, feet dangling off the balcony over the long drop below. The stairs were built into a faraway wall, with nothing but a distant floor beneath the spot on which he sat. The girl's cheeriness suddenly faded into confusion; what was her friend still doing here?

She called his name, and he turned his head to face her. For the first time, she noticed the notebook and pen on his lap, posed in the writing position.

"I waited for you," he told her.

She gave a small smile, but bewilderment still displayed itself on her face.

"How would you feel," the boy suddenly asked in a curious tone, "if I pushed myself off this ledge and fell to the floor headfirst?"

The girl blinked in surprise, and her eyes widened slightly. "What? No, don't! Why would you want to do that?!"

"Just ... curious." He turned his neck back around and continued his writing, as if nothing had happened.

The girl's concern remained. "You don't really want to do that, right?"

The boy paused before letting out a sigh. He chose his next words carefully.

"...It's not worth it anymore."

She remained frozen, and responding to her silence, he continued. "It's ... it's too much. I can't handle it anymore. I'm leaving."

"...Where are you going?"

"I'm going to end it. I can't stand this. Too much pressure, too many expectations. I don't have what it takes. I'm not worth anybody's time."

The girl began a baffled and horrified protest, but he cut her off. "Don't try to stop me, either. I need to do this. I just need you to have something."

"...Wh...what is it?"

The male got to his feet and for the first time turned to fully face her. He dropped the notebook to his feet. "Read this once I'm gone." He tossed the pen, and it skidded along the floor in her general direction, coming to a stop at the door.

The girl's terror gripped at her, almost as if he himself was desperately grabbing at her heart with freezing hands in a weak attempt to hold on. "N–no, you can't–"

He turned back around. "I'm sorry," he told the air. "Really, I am. I tried. But I'm done."

The cold hands swiped at her, then grabbed on and were yanked sharply down off the ledge, taking her soul along. Feeling a sudden jolt, she screamed and ran to the railing.

The crumpled body of a boy lay sprawled on the floor two levels below. The dark pools surrounding him told her everything.

With a sharp sob, she turned away, wanting to avert her eyes from the horrid sight. It had already burned itself deeply into the back of her eyelids, and every time she blinked, the etched image of his broken face was there waiting. She collapsed to her knees, and poured wretched tears from within until an adult arrived in search of the source of the noise.

She clutched the notebook, and nights later, as she lay on her bed crying yet again, her eyes fell upon the brightly-colored binding from across the room.

The girl gathered her emotions and struggled to her feet. She retrieved the book and opened to the pages that she now saw were stained with spots of darkness in seemingly random patterns. Some text was smeared beneath.

As she scrolled through the boy's history notes, the absolute reality fell upon her like a sheet dropped from the ceiling, which floated onto her back and face to slowly smother her and block out the light. The papers were evidence that this was not just some event, but a real boy was now missing from the world, and he would never be back again.

She came to the last entry, and as expected, the page was not filled with details about some war or random scribbles, but with fresh ink that cut her to the bone.

To my beloved friends_

I had to do this.
I know I'm not wanted here anymore.
I wish you all the best.
For you all, the promise awaits still.
Don't worry about me.
My promise awaits elsewhere.
Somewhere where I am loved.
We'll meet again. Someday.

The girl didn't understand.

The boy had been welcome here.

He had been loved by all.

His promise was here.

Why hadn't he known?

To all.
Just look to the morning.
The promise awaits.
Know that this life must go on.

Staying strong [or as strong as he can be]
dreams unfound

story stats\

a.f.t.e.r.s.h.o.c.k) - completed.

{BLAME} - in progress; will not be updated often.

/in the gravel - poem.

,plummet; - poem.

wernl dow - drabble.

]denouement[ - coming soon. He's witnessed a murder. But before he can remember the killer's identity, he'll have to remember his own.

////_the end_\l - possibly coming soon. They never fully recover.

seior memnek orbf osrac seht

the d
... ... r
... ... .e
... ... ..a
... ... ...m
... ... ... .s
we've y e t to find

what would it take?