Wilted Rose by Caitlin Keeton aka gaara (early readers TXT) 📕

one party my friend Jaggy had told me about. It was a big bonfire and there would be a really cool band playing.
“I was thinking after we go to where ever it is you have planed I have this thing I was invited to I want to take you.” I opened my mouth but before I could he held out his hand silencing me.
“I’m going to your thing I think we should go to mine.” I huffed.
“Fine.” I knew it was some kind of party with all the cool kids and knew that id hate it but curiosity made me say yes I had never went to one of those before. After what seemed like forever we finaly pulled into the party. Tyler sat there gaping. Ahead of us were nothing but hippies, Goths, and punks. The band we were about to see was a mixture of all that stuff. I grinned at him.
“well what are you waiting for?” He snapped out of it and shook his head opening his door and getting out. When I stepped out of the car I was immediately surrounded. My friend who called herself flower gave me a big hug.
“Shadow its been weeks!” she exclaimed I laughed.
“Flower its only been three days remember we were hanging out at that one club. She laughed.
“well it felt like weeks who’s this?” she was always jumping topics in one sentience.
“This is my date Tyler.” her eyes widened.
“Does he have a brother” I laughed. Tyler smirked as if he knew he was hot I rolled my eyes. He was so cocky.
“well I’m going to look for Jaggy! See you later.” after saying goodbye to everyone else we made our way further into the woods.
“You seem to know a lot of people here.” I shrugged.
“My friend Jaggy introduced me to everyone so technically they are all his friends.” Tyler shook his head.
“has anyone ever told you how weird you are?” at first I was a little hurt by his word but felt better when I realized he had said it in a kind way. Maybe there was more to him then what meet the eye. He had been able to face my father and hadn’t at all seemed to have any disgust towards any of these people. So why would he want to hangout with all those people.
“Hey Tyler can I ask you something?” He shrugged
“Sure why not.”
“How is it you can be so nice but hangout with all those mean judgmental people?”
“You know you should get to know them before you say that.” I snorted.
“I have and tiffany’s the worst.”
“How would you know that?” he challenged.
“because we used to be best friends until she got popular.” Tylers eyes widened.
“Oh I would have never thought that.” we were silent the rest of the way. We made it to the clearing where the band would be playing and as I had predicted a blue headed Jaggy was screaming orders at the crew setting up. I rolled my eyes.
“JAGGY!!!!” I yelled and ran over and jumped on him. He in returned tickled me. I hated being tickled!He tickled me five minutes’ straight until I gave up and screamed mercy. I stood up panting and glared.
“cant you go five minutes without doing that!”
“Awe shadow then it wouldn’t be fun! And who is this guy next to you?” oh no I had totally forgotten he was even there!
“oh well this is Tyler he’s my date” Jaggy raised his eyebrows.
“I would peg him for a guy who dated cheerleaders not the weird girl who talks to herself. Ouch what was that for!” I had punched him in the arm.
“How many times do I have to say I don’t talk to myself!”
“Oh I’m sorry I meant the girl who talks to her imaginary friends.” he smirked but jumped just in time to avoid another punch. Tyler stood there looking awkward not knowing what to do.
“So Tyler what’s your favorite band?” he shrugged.
“To be honest to you I never really cared for music I only listen to classical music. Me and Jaggy gasped.
“Shadow what where you thinking?” He asked me gravely. I shook my head.
“leave him alone Jaggy and be nice!” I knew I was asking an impossible thing Jaggy wasn’t a very nice person. Well he was but if you didn’t know him enough you could easily misunderstand his joking or his sarcasm can really burn.
“well I have to go anyways have fun you too.” with one last wink he walked away. I turned to Tyler
“A little advice never say you don’t care for music just say I like classical music or you will end up getting lectured about how important music is.” I smiled and he laughed.
“I guess I should have known not to say that. You sure do hangout with some wild people.” I grinned.
“yea but so do you.” he frowned.
“I don’t think my friends are all that wild.”
“Yea they are I mean they go to parties and play some game that involves a pong and a glass.” He started to laugh.
“I can tell you have never been to one of those parties. Yea we may play that game but when you go to one of those parties you always know what’s going to happen.” I frowned.
“what do you mean?” he paused.
“well you walk into the door you get a beer hangout with the guys or if you’re a girl you either dance with some random guy cause your drunk or you just stand on the side. And then you hear some shouting and you go into wherever it comes from its almost always Tiffney cause some girl looked at her boyfriend of the night wrong. that’s pretty much what happens. With some pukeing and fights and some innocent girl get corned in a dark room with some guy and at the end of the night she’s a slut.” I raised my eyebrows.
“why would you even want to go to a party like that?” he shrugged.
“cause what else is there to do here in deer pert besides drink and party.”
“well” I said slowly. “ you could go in the woods and take a walk and just think. Or you could read.” he burst out laughing.
“Yea ok but after a while that gets boring.”
“maybe so but at least your not killing brain cells or you could just have a party that doesn’t involve drinking have a bonfire have some games like flash light tag be creative and make up a fun game that older kids want to play. If you think about it most of the problems are because if the drinks. I mean the minute you walk in the door you have a beer in your hand.” we were now on top of the hill the stars were really bright hundreds of them we remained silent for a while just gazing up. Behind us the music had started. The words echoing.

“You were my love yesterday
But today you became my sorrow
But something made me feel like we weren’t meant to be
You were meant for something greater
Something to make you feel more alive
To make you feel like you belonged
This world that I come from is no match for you
Cause girl your so much more”

“those words are amazing.” Tyler whispered. “I thought I didn’t like music but now I think I understand why people rely on it.” I nodded.
“Yea” we were silent for a few more minutes until Tyler broke the silence.
“what was Tiffney like before she is who she is now.” I looked up at the sky.
“She was amazing.” I whispered. “she was smart and a good friend if you would have traveled back in time and told me she would be the person she is now I would have laughed in your face. She was innocent but when people said the mean things they did she would just laugh and throw it over her shoulder. She acted like it was no big deal I should have seen it was all an act. I thought she was the stronger of us while I let everyone’s words effect me and cry in the bathroom she was always there to tell me to suck it up. And I would cause I never wanted to disappoint her. When she first got her looks she stayed with me but little by little I watched the strong independent friend become weak and watched as she turned her back on me. You want to know what the worst part is?” I looked over at him I could feel the tears forming in my eyes as I remember that day.
“she isn’t even happy anymore she sacrificed our friendship for nothing.”
Flashback,
It was chilly out I had been waiting thirty minutes for her to separate from her new friends so she could sneak over to me. It was taking longer then it usually did. What was taking so long? I thought impatiently. But then thought it was worth it I thought of the day before how she had walked down the halls with the girls behind her the envies looks that were thrown her way. I remember how she shinned. She had never been that happy when we had been together. I felt a mix of anger and sadness. She was slipping away I had known that for a few months in my heart I had known but my mind had refused to except that. I heard approshing feet and looked up relieved to see her approshing. But the smile vanished when I saw the girls with her. She looked behind her they gave her encouraging nods.
“hey Tiffney my dad got tickets to that band we wanted to see.” I forced a smile. I knew in my heart what she came here to do what those encouraging nods meant but I still refused to believe.
“I’m not going.” my smile froze then turned into a frown.
“But why? We have been trying to get these tickets for weeks my dad finally agreed to let us go!” My voice turned desperate which made all the girls laugh. Tiffney shook her head.
“Why would I want to hangout with a freak like you?” I felt a knife stab me in the heart I finally knew what all those books meant when they said that. My breath was no longer there just gone. Sometimes when I think about it I think that I haven’t been able to breath right since. Everyday I passed her in the hallways I would feel that same hurt I always did. It never went away. I became alone not wanting to make friends not wanting to let people near me or my shattered heart cause all they could ever do for me was take it all away.


End of flash back
Tyler held me he was warm but I couldn’t help but think about Lucian and how when he held me at a time like this he felt strong and warm. Tyler felt warm yes but he lacked something. Lucien when you looked into his eyes you could see that he had been through life and been through pain but Tyler he was too innocent to know real pain. I shook my head I refused to think about him its not like I loved him anyways. Plus I was here with Tyler
“I’m sorry that it happened to you don’t know what id do if my friends ditched me” I sighed but smiled.
“well I promised we would go to your party so lets go. But promise me one thing.”
“Yes.”
“Promise me you