Heart Of Hope

• Claire Stanley, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2018

As I stood there, I knew it was a bad decision. But it was too late now. I had to go in. I had to fix this problem. Even though it hurt me inside, I couldn’t live like this anymore. He was just too precious.
I started walking closer to the door. Then I stopped dead in my tracks. What was that? It sounded like a child crying! Half of me told me to stop being such a baby but the other half wasn’t sure what to feel. I decided to keep going and just forget about what I was feeling. Forget about him, forget about her, forget about the big lump in my throat.
With the wind in my hair and rain streaming down my face, the only way out was in. But could I afford to lose him to her? Could I really forget? By now my face was drenched not only with rain, but also with tears. The rain and tears got heavier and heavier. By now, I knew going in was the only way to escape this. I took a deep breath and walked confidently into the house. I was hit with instant regret. The front hall started to spin faster and faster until I was washed away into a sea of memories. Our first kiss. It was beautiful. Him and I touching lips on the sidewalk in the starry night sky. Him gazing into my eyes and telling me how beautiful I was. Then, the next day, a huge fight. Screaming, crying and being called the worst person alive. I gasped and instantly fell onto the floor.
There was a voice. “You can never escape” it whispered. “What do you mean?” I replied. But I was cast into another memory. The jealousy of our friends at school. The sound of people telling us how cute we were together. But at home, it was a completely different story. I would always end up stomping up the stairs and slamming the doors.
Then it hit me. Maybe we weren’t meant to be together.
I kept on running, but it never ended. The voice just kept following me. “Girl, I can feel your anger and frustration!” it screamed. “You can never escape!”
What was I thinking? I should have never believed that coming here would let me forget. I was so stupid.
I kept running further and further down the hall, but it never ended. Then, another memory.
Finding out he cheated with my best friend killed me inside. I wanted to leave them both, but I couldn’t. I had to live with it. I had to stay strong.
I hit the ground and instantly curled into a ball. The dam collapsed, and I burst into tears. I couldn’t live with myself anymore. I couldn’t stay strong. I was hurt enough.