Playground

(Photo submitted by Dez)

I took a seat on the swings, wondering when she would show up. I had to talk to her, to tell her the truth. I did not think she would ever listen to me, but I had to try.

I started swinging back and forth, looking toward the gates. She should have been here by now. Where was she? As I grew higher and higher up in the air, I saw a figure standing just behind the gates.

She had arrived. I stopped the swing and stood up. I walked over to her, hoping I would not frighten her. When I was about ten feet away, she held up her hand to stop me.

She opened the gate and walked to me. She did not look at me when she came to stand in front of me. Her gaze did not leave the ground between us.

“Sam, I’m sorry,” she said, playing with her hands.

“No, Em, I should be the one who is sorry. I brought it upon myself. I never should have left you,” I said, looking at the top of her head.

“I never should have done what I did,” Emily said as she looked up for the first time. I looked her in the eyes and saw the girl I had fallen in love with. However, she was not completely herself.

I tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away as I touched her. She walked over to the tire swing and sat down. “Emily, do not speak of it again. You hurt me when you did that, and I know it is going to be very hard to try to forgive you. But, you know what? I don’t care right now. I miss you. I need you. I love you.”

She stood up, her hand still resting on the chains of the tire swing. “Sam, look, you’re an amazing guy, and I don’t think that I will ever get a chance to be with a guy like you again. You are wonderful. I miss you. But I don’t know if you can ever forgive me.”

“I can, I know I can. Just promise me you will never do it again. I love you, Em. I want to be with you.”

“Then why did you break up with me, Samuel?” she said, her soft voice grew loud and harsh.

“Because I didn’t know what else to do. I thought you would have rather been with him. Mike is my best friend. You were all over him. I thought you wanted to be with him, not me,” I said, looking into her eyes.

“Sam, I am sorry. I never want to be with Mike. He’s rude, he’s obnoxious, and he’s a real jerk. I only want to be with you.”

“Well you have a funny way of showing it,” I said. I turned toward the gate and started toward it.

I forced myself not to turn back and look at her one last time. She had cheated on me with my best friend. How could I forgive her when she was lying about it? I loved her, and she had torn out my heart.

As I got to the gate, a large force hit my back. Emily wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me toward her.

I did not know what to do. She had come running after me. No girl had ever done that to me before. Perhaps I could forgive her, one day.