Friends Undone

Friends Undone

From being friends, to being more than.

Part 1

“I got in! I got in!” It took two seconds for Jason’s words to sink in, of him finally achieving his first step toward making his dream possible. “That’s fantastic!” Kelly said, trying to smile, but it didn’t come off. Even staring into his comforting eyes was painful enough: soon that gaze she loved dearly, would be no more. Jason would be leaving for a film college in two days.

He’d dreamed of making movies his whole life. At that moment, Kelly realised that she was truly in love with him. 

She had since the day they met in pre-school. She loved him as a friend but through the years their friendship grew and grew, until they kissed at last year’s New Year’s Eve party. Until then Jason had always looked at Kelly as his best friend, just like one of the boys. She had been a tomboy for many years until she had an extreme makeover, before the end of pre school. Now all that remains of her favorite football is a shrivilled, deflated piece of material, that has a rim of lipstick around the bottom edge and a small blonde wig glued on the top. She stared at him intently as he spoke about the thing he’d dreamed about since the first moment he held a video recorder. 

She knew deep in her heart that she couldn’t destroy his dream by telling him she loved him, or otherwise he would want to stay and then he’d never get to reach his dreams. All she wanted to say were the words, “I love you.” But she bit her tongue and said, “Goodbye,” instead.

***

The next evening, Jason tried to call Kelly four times, but she didn’t answer.  She listened with tears in her eyes to the two messages he left, one saying, “Kelly, I’m leaving tomorrow, please come to the bus stop so I can say a real goodbye, please.” The other message said, “Please don’t let this be the end of us, I’m sure you don’t want it to, do you?”

What could she do?

Kelly saw the taxi Jason was getting into, and she ran as fast as she could, but the taxi drove away. Kelly saw Jason’s parents and asked if she could lend their car. She explained in such depth that Jason’s father said a quick, “Okay.” “Thank you,” she said, snatching the car keys out of his hands.

She drove like mad to try to get to Jason cutting in between every car that was stuck in traffic. Would she make it, only time would tell?

Part 2

Jason was just about to get on the bus to the airport when all of a sudden he heard a sweet unmistakable voice shout, “JASON!” He turned around.  “Kelly?” They hugged as she said, “I got here as soon as I could.” “Why are you here and with my dad’s car?” Jason said. “Jase, after you said you were leaving I realised something… I love you.” Jason’s face was in disbelief; he was in a state of shock. But ultimately he knew. “But if you stay and don’t get to live your dream then it… it … it wouldn’t be fair.” Kelly stunned herself when she said the words. Her face felt like it was burning with hatred for herself for taking away her one true love.

Jason had to say, “Kelly I feel the same way, I mean after we kissed last year I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I don’t want to not be around you. I knew if you came, I’d say these things that I really want to say and now I have to stay. I can’t go. I can’t leave you.” Kelly’s lips grew moist and she bit her lip nervously to speak. The distinct sound of her heart beat two beats per second and her blood getting hotter and pumping faster than the sound of fire ripping through a burning building. Kelly Sullivan finally knew she had what she wanted and loved so dearly: Jason Straus.

But Kelly had to say, “Jason you can’t stay. You have to get on that bus and go to the airport and get on that plane to L.A. and you will. You will go and you will make movies because that’s your dream and it always has been.” She paused. “Your dream is finally here. You have to go.” Kelly gasped, beginning to shed a tear. She regained “We’ll see each other again. I know it. Even when I go back to college, you’ll visit and I’ll visit you and one way or another we will end up together. I know it and you know it.” “Come with me!” Jason exclaimed. She shook her head, dismissively. “No, this is your dream; I have to follow my own.”

***

In the moment, Kelly kissed Jason. It was a tender, sweet and a mesmerising kiss. This was the kiss that they both knew would happen and the kiss which was soft and made of beauty. “Now go make some movies,” said Kelly.

He kissed her one last time. Stroked her soft, long, brown hair and then he ran to get on the bus. He went straight to the back and saw Kelly through the window.

They both smiled and waved good-bye. Kelly looked at his face, his strong jaw, short blonde hair and bulky nose would soon be in her life again. She watched as the bus drove into the distance, leaving behind a solid trail.

She kept on looking on to the horizon, with a smile on her face. She knew everything would be okay.

The end.