It Never Ends

Chapter 1

     Which leads us to where we are today. Coraline and I now share an apartment together. It's not huge, but it's enough for two people. My sister Milly still lives with Mother. We go visit them every once in a while, just to check up. We decided to move out of Ontario and into New Jersey. We wanted to start new, start fresh; and this was exactly the place we wanted to be.

     I'm laying down on the floor, in the silence. Thinking, wondering. Where did everything go wrong? Coraline suffers from depression and it worsens with each day. I look up and see her walking down the stairs, with tears in her eyes. I bolt up and run to her, arms out. She falls into my arms and begins sobbing uncontrollably. "Shh.. I'm here" I say quietly. "Why does this have to happen to me.." she says. I pull away from the hug and grab her face, looking directly into her eyes. "I wish I had the answer, Coco, but I promise you, I swear to God, everything will be okay as long as I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you. I won't let anybody push you around anymore. If anyone tries anything funny, they'll have to put up with me" I say. She smiles very slightly and hugs me again. I hug her tight, then kiss her cheek. "Let's go out for ice cream or something" I say. She nods as we walk to the door and throw our shoes on. I grab my car keys and walk out the door after Coraline, shutting it behind me. I turn the car on and we both hop in. "Duey's okay?" I ask. Coraline nods, looking down at her wrists. I frown and grab her arm lightly. "It'll be okay" I say. She nods lightly as I drive out of the driveway and down the street, heading towards Duey's.

     Once we get there, I look over at Coraline. "Do you want to go inside with me or stay out here?" I ask. "I'll come in with you" she says quietly. I nod as we both get out of the car and walk into Duey's.

     We walk up to the counter and order our ice cream. "I'll have a single scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cone please" I say, leaning over the counter a bit. "And you?" the girl behind the counter says, looking at Coraline. Coraline points to the double chocolate swirl, not making eye contact. "Double chocolate swirl?" the girl asks. Coraline nods. "Single or double" the girl asks again. Coraline puts up one finger, still not making eye contact. I look down and close my eyes. The girl behind the counter nods and scoops our ice cream before passing it over to us. Coraline digs into her pocket to get some cash. I stop her. "It's on me" I say with a smile. She looks at me and smile lightly. I can tell she's not looking into my eyes, but at my forehead. She hasn't been able to make direct eye contact with anyone since she was 16. "That'll be $5.60" the girl says. I hand her 6 dollars. "Keep the change" I say with a smile. "Thank you" she says. I nod. "Do you want to stay in here for a bit, Coco?" I ask Coraline. She looks down at her feet and nods. We walk over to a table and sit down, slowly eating our ice cream.

     "So..how are you feeling right now?" I ask her. She licks her ice cream cone a few times, looks up, then looks down at her hands. "I don't know" she says. I frown. "Things will get better with time. I know it may not seem like it right now, but I promise, everything will be okay. I'm here for you, and I always will be. You're not only my best friend, but my sister. I can't live without you, so you need to make me a promise right now" I say, looking right at her. She looks up at me, staring at my forehead. "What?" she says. "Don't you dare ever give up on me" I say. She looks down and takes a bite out of her ice cream cone. "Promise" she says. I smile and finish my ice cream cone, then lean back into the chair. I watch as Coraline quickly finishes her ice cream. I look over to the door and see a couple teenage girls walk in. They look to be about 14 years old. I shake my head. One of the girls look at me. I quickly look away. I see Coraline looking down at her wrists. I see the girls looking over and pointing to her, laughing. I get up furiously. "Problem?" I yell. They stop laughing and stare at me. One of the girls rolls her eyes and looks away. I feel my face get hot with anger. I look down at Coraline. "Coco, go in the car" I say quietly while passing my keys to her. She nods and quickly runs out. I watch as she gets into the car and sits there. I see her eyes begin to form tears. I look at the two teenage girls. "Not done with you" I say as I walk out and sit in the car with Coraline, and wait until the girls exit Duey's.

     A few moments later, I look up and see them walk out. "Be right back" I say to Coraline as I get out of the car and follow them. They turn around and stop. "What the hell do you want, bitch" one of the girls say. I laugh. "Bitch? Really? You're the fucking bitch. What the hell is wrong with you, laughing at my best friend over there. You think you're so cool because you walk around with shorts that ride up your asscrack and tank tops that show your pre-mature tits? Grow the fuck up" I say before turning around and walking away. I go back into the car and look over to the girls. One of them has their mouth wide open, and the other is frowning. I honk the horn and watch as they jump, then flip them the bird. I look over and see Coraline crack a smile. "I told you I'd be there for you" I say with a smile as I drive out of the parking lot and back home.