((This story is based on a poem of mine and that's what is in the quotations above each section of the story.))

"The first rose that you gave me was yellow. It was to symbolize the friendship we had found and wanted to keep. It helped us to grow closer. You were the best friend I could ever have had."

Kayla was wandering the halls looking for her first period class when she met Brandon. She was a freshman who had moved to the school halfway through the year. He was a popular junior who knew everyone. The bell was going to ring soon and Kayla was about to break down in tears when Brandon walked up to her.
"Hi...are you new here?" He smiled at her.
"How can you tell?"
"Well, you look completely lost." He laughed. "By the way, my name's Brandon." He held his hand out.
"Kayla," she said as she shook his hand. Then she looked down at the schedule in her hand. "I can't seem to find my first period class."
Brandon took the schedule from her hand. "Philosophy?" He smiled and handed her schedule back to her. "Well, you're in luck. I have that class....C'mon..." As they started walking he turned to her. "So, what grade are you in?"
"9th..."
Brandon looked shocked. "You're only a freshman? Wow...You don't look it..."
Kayla smiled shyly. "Yeah, I've been told that a lot. So, what grade are you in?"
"I'm in 11th..." Brandon opened the door for her when they reached the classroom. He helped her out, showing her where all of her classes were and even letting her sit with him and his friends at lunchtime. For weeks he showed her around and they were never away from each other. Then one day he surprised her at lunch with a present.
He walked up to Kayla with his hand behind his back and a smile on his face, "What are you hiding?" She tried to peek behind his back.
"A surprise."
"For who?"
"For you." He pulled his hand out and revealed a yellow rose. He handed it to her and smiled. "Yellow symbolizes friendship and I just wanted t let you know that even though we haven't known each other for very long, I still consider you a really good friend."
Kayla sat there for a minute, just looking at the rose. Then she smiled and jumped up to engulf Brandon in a hug. "Thank you...that is so sweet."
Brandon hugged her back and smiled. "You're welcome."

"The second time I received a rose from you, it was blood red. We were going to Homecoming as friends. But that night started a passion that was undying. I'd fallen in love with you and it seemed you felt the same way."

"Kay!" Brandon called out in the hallway. It was October of Kayla's sophomore year and Brandon's senior year.
"What's up, Brandon?" Kayla smiled as she turned around to wait for him,
"I have a HUGE favor to ask you..."
"Huh?"
"Do you think that you can go to Homecoming with me?" He looked at her with puppy dog eyes.
"What about Sharon?" She asked referring to his girlfriend.
"We broke up..."
"Oh, Brandon...Why didn't you tell me?" She hit his arm.
"I just did...and anyways, it just happened..."
Kayla shook her head. "Sure, I'll go..."
"Good..." He smiled. "Gotta go! Love ya, babe!" He kissed her lightly on the cheek before hurrying off.
The dance was two weeks away and those weeks went by quickly. Brandon was up for Homecoming king so Kayla found herself having to be his escort numerous times. Then he was named Homecoming King she was nervous about the dance and all the attention that they were going to get. But when the night rolled around Kayla was so excited about going that she could barely hold it in.
Brandon showed up to get her and was shocked when he saw how beautiful she looked. Her fiery dark red hair was curled and messily piled on top of her head with curled pieces falling down to frame her face. Her dress was a simple green dress, the same color as her eyes. It was spaghetti strap that fell to the ground when she wore her two inch heels and had a slit on the right side that reached to just above her knee. Brandon stood there for a moment, just staring before realizing that he was staring. "Uhhh...Here." He held out a blood red rose. "This is for you."
Kayla smiled and stepped over to take it from him, giving him a hug. "It's pretty."
"Just like you." His eyes widened as he realized what had just slipped out.
Kayla looked down as her face began to turn pink. "I'm going to put this in some water." When she came back the two of them avoided the topic. They left and went to the dance. They had a lot of fun and Brandon never left Kayla's side.
As he walked her to her door the air between them was tense. "Well...Good night..." Kayla smiled and reached over to give Brandon a hug.
When Kayla began to pull back Brandon held on and then as he finally let go he kissed her. At first she didn't respond, but then she lost herself in it. When they pulled apart Brandon smiled. "I've wanted to do that all night..." He paused, taking her hand. "Kay, I think that I'm falling for you..."
Kayla looked up, surprised. "Really?" She smiled as she looked down. "I feel the same way..."
Brandon smiled and leaned over to kiss her again. "We'll make this work."

"I woke up to a white rose beside my face on the black sheets of my bed. You lay beside me and kissed me gently to let me know that you were there. The rose was to show the purity we'd had and given to each other."

Kayla and Brandon were laying on her bed watching a movie a little over a year later when her mom walked in, "Hey, guys...We're leaving now. We'll be back sometime Sunday." She started to leave. "Brandon, try to leave at a decent hour okay?"
"I'll try Mrs. Evans..." Brandon laughed as she left the room. Then his attention went back to the TV. At about midnight the movie marathon that they were watching was finally over. "I guess I'd better go."
Kayla grabbed his hand when he started to get up. "Do you have to?" She got up on her knees and kissed him. Eventually they ended up laying back on the bed, kissing.
They both knew what this was going to lead up to when Brandon pulled back and asked, "Are you sure?" And Kayla answered with a nod.
The next morning Kayla woke up and found a white rose on the pillow next to her head. It stood out against the black of the sheets. "Do you like it?" Brandon asked as he outs arms around her and kissed her neck gently. "I got it because I know how hard the decision was for you."
"Thank you, Brandon." Kayla rolled over smiled. "I love you."
"I love you, too..."

"But the last rose, that was for you. It was black, black as death. It was for you and only you. It stood against the blood red the rest of our friends had tossed onto your grave as we said good-bye. Good-bye one last time."

All around Kayla there were people in black. They all patted her arms or tried to say something to her, but she didn't feel or hear anything. As she walked up to throw the rose on his grave, she remembered all the time they'd spent together. Best friends for three and a half years, dating for two and a half years, and lovers for a year and a half. And then he was ripped from her life.
Who could've known that the store would be robbed that night? That he would just happen to be in the way of the robber. Who could've foretold the future? Died from a gun shot because of someone else's greed.
When Kayla reached the grave she had tears running from her eyes. "I love you, Brandon." She threw her rose on top of the others, the black standing out against the other red ones. "Good bye." Then she turned away from her dead true love and lost it.
She fell to her knees, screaming. "Why?" She sobbed and repeated the question over and over again as her parents helped her up. For days all she could do was cry and wonder why. But with help she was finally able to overcome the pain and learn to deal with the love of her life being gone-forever.