Perish

Tessa wiped a tear away as it rolled down her face. "What happened to us?" asked Kyle. But Tessa had no answer to his question. Over the past few months the two had grown apart. Since the beginning the two had come from different social crowds. But over the past two years Tessa and Kyle had always found a way to be together. They loved each other more than most married couples did. However all that changed as their high school graduation neared. The pressure of finishing all their classes with good grades, getting into college, and working out their social differences had finally taken a toll on them. Next year Kyle would be going off to Harvard, and Tessa would stay behind and follow her parent's dream of becoming a doctor.

When Tessa made no reply, Kyle said, "We're not the same anymore. You've changed. I've changed." Tessa took a deep breath before speaking, "Remember during junior prom, when we promised each other that no matter what happened we would always be together?" "Yeah," Kyle said softly as he sat down next to Tessa on the bench. "Why can't we go back to the way things were?" asked Tessa. Kyle thought for a moment before speaking. "Too much has changed, and too much is going too change," answered Kyle. "I know that some things have changed, but that doesn't mean that more has to change! You could stay here and go to NYU with me next year, exclaimed Tessa. "I wish it were that simple," said Kyle gently. "Don't I, or rather "we" mean anything to you anymore?" Tessa asked looking into Kyle's eyes.

Kyle reached over and held Tessa's hand before speaking. "My father has always dreamed of me going to Harvard. And to break my promise to him would be worse than when. . ." Kyle trailed off. But Tessa knew what he was thinking. When Kyle's mother had died when he was five, his father put all his time and effort making sure that Kyle would have a successful life. His father was a well-known lawyer, so money was never an issue during Kyle's life. It was very important to him that Kyle went Harvard where he had gone, and Kyle didn't want to disappoint him.

"Go then," Tessa said somberly. "The world doesn't wait for anyone." "If that's what you want," Kyle answered slowly. "What I want!?" cried Tessa. "Of course it's not what I want! But it's for the best. . . for both of us." They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Kyle finally spoke. "I'll come back and visit you," Kyle said with a look of sadness and pain in his face. Tessa looked away, blinking back tears, yet a sob escaped. She felt Kyle's hand slip away from hers as he stood up and walked away. Tessa watched him go. Her heart breaking with each step that separated them. "It's for the best," she reminded herself. Yet deep down she wondered if she did the right thing.

Tessa looked up at the sky, tears streaming down her face. Dark clouds hovered above, blocking out the moonlight. The wind was still, yet Tessa sat alone on the bench shivering. She listened for the comforting sounds of nature, but the birds were silent, and the crickets had stopped chirping. "This is the silence before the storm," Tessa whispered to herself…