I love you

• Sara Blakeway, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2004

I thought that we would last forever; I should’ve known the truth. I take another step further into the depths of weakness. Light headed, I hold my head high, and I have to tell you something

I love you.

I’m willing to admit it. But I expect no response. I was the girl you thought you knew. But what I say at dawn, I could never feel at sunset. I laugh in the day, yet at night I cry myself to sleep too many times to count.

Another step, my feet are in.

I thought you loved me too. I saw you looking at me across the room; I knew you felt the same way too. But as you said, ‘it was over before it started.’

Tears are forming as I remember the good times. Before I knew the truth, that there was another. She was better at sport, school, flirting. What my highlights were, were her downfalls, never good enough for her.

Up to my knees, now.

How could you let this happen?

I love you.

You were hugging her, more than friendly, you kissed her cheek. Not knowing who was watching in horror, my worst nightmare.

I had walked past you.

You hadn’t seen me? Had you. You hadn’t seen my eyes redden, or my hands shake.

I had run home that day.

I had collapses over the mirror then and there. My hands reached out, over the mirror, while I was still trying to accept the fact you had loved another. Deep breathes, while I was focussing in my eyes the pain inside I knew I couldn’t get rid of.

That’s why I'm here.
I am now up to my belly button.

You always said that you loved my belly button; it was a special joke between us, which only we knew.

It’s cold, not the greatest but cold enough. I look up, eyes too depressed to notice my life was ending before it had started, much like us.

I feel no smile.
But take a breath of pity…


It didn’t take too long to find me.

You found out today didn’t you? The principal had to talk to everyone. About me? Yeah, Why not, you had to find out the hard way. The pain was beating against me too much to bare.


Latter that day…You visited the river, didn’t you. By yourself? Hardly. She was with you. You disserved better. You looked into the water, didn’t you? I know, I watched you.

I love you, still.

But there is now a wall between us. I wanted to marry you, I wanted to love. But I've lost all that now.
As I said

The river, beautiful, isn’t it. Memories last there forever. The place we met, the place we had picnics. The place where forever we would have a connection to.

And the same place where twelve hours earlier, they found my body drowned with the words
‘I love you’
written around my belly button.