Some people wait their whole lives to find the perfect friend.
But not Isabella Washington.
She knew she'd be best friends with Aiden Cunningham the moment she set eyes on him. But staying friends through school is easy. It's what comes after that c...
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Isabella arrived at memorial park and parked her car in the parking lot. She turned the car off and stared out the windshield. The cemetery looked the same every time she came there, but the sun was out, making the atmosphere lighter.
She grabbed the flowers she bought at the store and got out of the car, locking the doors. She walked into the graveyard, past all the tombstones, to find what she was looking for. After a few moments, she reached the tombstone and stood before it, reading the engraving.
REST IN PEACE
Aiden Daniel Cunningham
July 14, 1992 - March 26, 2011
Our Beloved Son and Best Friend
She sat on the grass, crossing her legs.
"Hey, Aiden. It's me, Bella. Happy birthday, Boo." She placed the flowers in front of the tombstone and arranged them neatly, then stared at the grave, imagining Aiden was there in front of her as she spoke.
"I hope you're doing okay. I've had a long day, but I'm so glad to see you. I know I haven't seen you in a while—so much stuff happened." She sighed.
"But I have exciting news to tell you. Do you remember Harrison? He asked me to be his girlfriend the other day, and Aiden, he's amazing, caring, and funny. I always remember the promise I made to you to find someone who will respect me and treat me like I deserve to be treated." She smiled dreamily.
"I think that's him."
Isabella and Harrison met in English class in their sophomore year of college. One day, everyone was assigned to do a group project, and he was paired up with her for the assignment. They talked and became friends.
Isabella was tense at the beginning of working with Harrison. He was the only person in her group for the assignment, and she didn't know him. After days of working together, he tried to make conversation with her, but she wouldn't respond except for what was related to their project.
She knew it was rude back then, but she didn't want to talk to anyone. Isabella wondered why he was trying so hard like he wanted to be her friend.
When the project was due, Isabella finally didn't have to worry about talking to Harrison anymore, which was a relief. However, Harrison came right back and tried to talk to her again. At that point, Isabella was frustrated at his presence and tried to ignore him, but he didn't give up.
When he had asked if she could give him a chance to be her friend, Isabella was tired of hiding from him, so she agreed to give him one chance only. Fortunately, Isabella was wrong about him. He was a nice person to be around, he wasn't annoying as she'd thought he was, and she talked to him a little bit when they would hang out.
It was months later, during the school year, when Isabella started to get scared. Her personal life had been eating her alive when she felt detached from reality after she started to hear the voices again—voices about how Harrison would never be friends with her and just wanted to use her. She thought she had gotten rid of the voices and the delusions years ago when her psychiatrist had given her medication to control them.
The moment when she was starting to change, they came back.
She had spoken with her psychiatrist about her concerns and made an appointment to figure out another solution for managing her symptoms.
She'd stopped talking to Harrison because she didn't want to get hurt again. He noticed Isabella's change when he saw her in class and wanted to know why she acted differently. Isabella tried to run away, but he stopped her and begged her to tell him what was wrong.
After years of grief, terror, heartbreak, and depression, she told him her life story.
She told him about herself and why she wasn't as talkative as she was before. She told him about her past and talked about Aiden—what he was like, how she loved him more than a friend. Harrison understood how she felt for him and had just been there for her.
Isabella didn't tell Harrison about her schizophrenia and her attempted suicide at the time because she was terrified that he would judge her. She didn't tell him until after graduating college when they were still friends, and he didn't judge her. She couldn't help but be happy that her friend didn't leave her like she thought he would. He was very supportive.
Isabella had managed to create a relatively normal life despite her diagnosis. It was still hard at times, but with medication and therapy, it was manageable. Most of the time, she didn't hear any negativity about herself or harsh comments being thrown around in her head anymore. She felt free. It was a long journey, but she couldn't be happier.
Isabella remembered Aiden from time to time, reflecting on their friendship and their love for each other. She would never forget how much Aiden had made her life whole and made her life worth living. No matter what, Aiden was always going to be her first love, and she was eternally grateful to have had that chance with him until the end.
A big part of her heart would always love Aiden the way she loved him years ago . . . but life was about moving on.
Harrison was the key to that.
"So, I said yes. Now we're together. He understands that I'm going to need more time to adjust to being his girlfriend. It's going to be weird at first, but I know he will help me, you know?"
She grinned, but then it faded to a thin line.
"I hope you can see how happy I am. Harrison has surprisingly changed my life after everything I've been through. But you know I will never forget you. I will always love you." She felt tears building up in her eyes. "You know, you called me Angel and explained how I saved you. I understand what you meant now . . . because you saved me. You're my Angel.
"I believe you've helped get me where I am right now. I've struggled with so much and wanted to give up so many times, but I would get right back up. I can't explain it, but I feel it. I still promise to fulfill the rest of my goals. I'm going to make you proud."
Isabella wiped away the tears that had fallen and placed her hand on top of the tombstone, gliding her hand over it. "I love you, Aiden," she whispered. She stood up from the ground, still with her hand on the stone. "Happy birthday. I'll see you later, okay?"
She withdrew her hand and looked at Aiden's stone once more, turning around and walking back to her car.
No matter where I am.
I know Aiden is watching over me, making me see the positive things in life.
I'm keeping my promise to him that I will never give up on my dreams, who I want to be with for the rest of my life, and just me being Bella.
