Glass Skies Over Home

Valentine's Day. This was the day of red, red roses. Love filled the air. Laughter and smiles dripped over hearts and cards. Friendship lifted the spirit, and the day felt like air, drifting over perfection. Humanity was the sweet wine savored, and hatred died for one day. But it was a day hated by the lonely heart, the ones left far from warm embrace.

Abby always hated Valentine's Day. When her classmates had to exchange Valentine cards, she rarely got one. The ones that she did get were unfriendly, taunting, and when nobody was looking, she crushed them in her hand and threw them into the garbage. If nobody had anything nice to say or to give to her, then she wanted no part of it, but it was a day that she could not escape. And time could not move fast enough before the overwhelming burden of loneliness enveloped her, but not this time. Not today.

The school corridors were painted in red. Hearts born from construction paper clung to walls and classroom doors. Lovebirds swooped by, hand in hand, and with a skip to their steps. Laughter and smiles were as brilliant as if the sun were shining outside, but all that remained outside the building were dismal, gray skies. Winter refused to fade even under the warmth of this day, but not even its cold grip could take hold of Abby. She finally felt alive.

For a long moment, she held Ken in her sight. A smile slipped over his lips and covered hers. Their eyes twinkled as if a secret was only known to them. He moved slowly out of view, but he turned for a moment to see if she was still watching him. And she was. She waited until he disappeared completely, and then she walked toward her next class, holding her books in front of her heart. She could feel it. Happiness. For once in her life, she was happy, and it was because of him.

Tonight would be their night. Nora was having another party, and she would meet him there. She would take the bus back with Nora and help her set up as she did once before. Then, she would wait for the party to start, and they would take their place, where they sat once before. And they would talk, but now they had something to talk about. And he mentioned having a surprise in store for her. She could hardly wait, but the day was already passing quickly. Just a few more hours, and then another week would be gone. And all that would remain would be him and her.

She was no longer grounded. Her parents even noticed a change with her especially when she mentioned Ken's name. They still couldn't hold a conversation without argument, but they stopped pushing her. She was free to do what she pleased as long as she could maintain a C in all her classes including Gym, and she agreed. This semester was actually almost a breeze, and maybe she could bring home a few B's. She knew English was going so well that she could possibly earn herself an A, but she didn't want to get ahead of herself. And she didn't want them to be disappointed, so she would wait for the next report card. In the meantime, she finally had room to breathe, and the weight of the world was no longer crushing down upon her. And there was no more monster outside her glass window.

The night came quickly. The living room was dim with several red, paper lanterns. Flower petals covered the carpeting. Candy hearts filled a crystal bowl. Wilson Phillips played softly from the stereo. You're in love rang like a bell inside Abby's heart, and a smile slipped across her lips. Maybe she was.

As the party started, Abby took a seat on the couch. She was able to talk more to Nora's friends, and she realized that they were her friends now. She became a part of the group. How did that happen? Was it because of him? Did it matter? She valued their friendship, and they seemed to value hers. And no more was she testing her limits or pushing relationships to their breaking point. She was content where she was, and time slipped by, breathing memories into her heart.

It was growing late. There was no sign of Ken. A cold tremor raced down her spine, but it was not possible. The monster never attacked anyone except for her, but if she did love him, would it see Ken as a threat? Would it destroy him to break her heart? Was this payback for what she did to Danny?

"Ken." Nora leaped across the living room toward him. "Where have you been?" She glanced at Abby. "We've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry." His voice was different. "It was like Murphy's Law. Anything that could go wrong did, but I'm here now." He looked at Abby. His eyes were dark, almost black. "I'm here." Instead of feeling relief, Abby shuddered. "Abby." He moved away from Nora and now stood in front of her. "Would you like to get some air?" He touched her hand, and she nearly withdrew it. It was ice cold. "What's wrong?" A smile slipped across his lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"No." Everyone was looking at her now. "No. Nothing's wrong." She took his hand, and a deep tremor raced down her spine. "Some air sounds nice." He pulled her up to her feet. "Isn't it cold outside?"

"It's perfect." He escorted her away from everyone. "We'll be back in a few." He looked at Nora and saw the concern on her face. "Don't worry, sis. Everything's fine." This seemed to relax her. "I just want to talk to Abby alone."

As they left the living room, whispers chased after them. Nora's eyes shined with concern, but there was no need to worry. She knew about his surprise. She knew Abby was safe. Yet, she felt cold, and an unsettling tremor raced down her spine. Something was wrong, but it couldn't be her brother. She shook it off and put her focus back on the party, getting it moving again, but once everyone's attention moved onto other things, she turned toward the window, peering outside.

"It's cold out here." Abby crossed her arms over her chest. She should've brought her coat, but she didn't think about it until now. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." His voice had an edge to it. "I'm sorry things lasted this long." His eyes darkened. "It's not fair to you, and I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about, Ken?"

"I'm talking about killing you, Abby." She moved away from him, but a cold hand clamped over her arm. "I should have done it sooner."

"You're not Ken."

"Oh, I'm Ken." A sinister smile stretched across his pale face. "I mean... He's in here with me. Would you like to say hello?"

"What do you want?"

"I told you. I want to kill you."

"Why? What did I ever do to you?"

"It's not what you would ever do to me." Abby was confused. "It's what you are."

"And what am I?"

"Stupid girl."

"What? What am I!"

"Don't you know?" He pulled her closer. His lips hovered over hers. "Don't you know?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

His lips brushed against hers. A cold breeze wrapped around her body. She could feel her breath slipping away and into him. She felt faint, and her body softly shook. He was killing her, and she was letting him. Nobody would be the wiser. They would think that she just died, and it would finally be satisfied. One more breath, and it would be over. And she would finally be in peace.

"No!" She slammed her fist into his stomach. "No!" She threw herself out of his arms and down into the snow. "No!"

Ken leaned forward, holding his stomach. His eyes ignited, and a sound of breaking glass was heard. He struggled forward, moving toward her, but Abby jumped to her feet. He met her gaze, and she realized that it was him, Ken. But did he know what just happened?

"Ken?"

"Abby." His voice trembled. "I told you that I love you, and this is how you respond?" He continued to hold his stomach. "I thought you felt the same way." Tears stung his eyes. "I thought you loved me."

"Ken." She moved toward him.

"Stay back!" The front door flew open. "You broke my heart!" He glared at her. "You broke my heart." He turned and went up the front steps, disappearing into the house.

"But that's not what happened," Abby cried. Nora glared at her from the front door. "Nora, that's not what happened."

"Go home, Abby." She leaned inside and grabbed Abby's coat off the coat rack. "Go home." She threw the coat at Abby and slammed the front door closed.

"Nora." Abby started to cry. "I can't walk home. It's too far away." Abby moved toward the front door. She could sense Nora on the other side. "Please. It's too far for me to walk."

In the end, one of Nora's friends volunteered to take her home. The ride to her house was quiet, and the man beside her offered no conversation. He was angry. They were all angry, and the perfect night that she envisioned was destroyed. She began today, thinking that things were different. She had friends. She was going to have a boyfriend, someone that she could finally love, and she let her guard down. And the monster attacked, nearly killing her again, and she heard that damn sound, the breaking of glass. But that was Ken's heart that she shattered, and he would never know the truth of what just took place. All that he would know, all that they would know was that she was exactly what was rumored about her, a crazy outsider better left alone.

She wanted to kill the monster. She barely registered stepping outside of the car or having the driver take off like a bat out of hell. She just stared at her house. She knew it was watching, laughing in darkness, and she hated it. She hated what it just took from her. What did she ever do to deserve this? Her eyes closed, and then they snapped open. A realization dawned upon her, and she knew. She finally knew. It was afraid of her, and its continuous onslaught was to tear her down before she was able to destroy it. Well, it failed. It failed. She would find a way. If it took her last breath, she would find a way to kill the monster outside her bedroom window.