Faceless Friend | Teen Ink

Faceless Friend

March 30, 2012
By _ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."


For what felt like my whole life, everyone always said, "That's the man you're gonna marry." My whole life. Because that's how close we were. And I thought so too. Two seconds glance at his face... And it was like I could see my whole life rolled out like a silver carpet, not red, silver with originality, stretching on forever and ever. I wish I could see that picture now. When you're that close to someone... I'll let the story speak for itself.

It was the fall of the tenth grade. New year, new face, new teachers to avoid. I remember slamming my locker door shut in a fury. It bounced back with a terrible clattering bang, and only my insight saved me. I stepped back, quickly, before what would have been a devastating injury could wreck my left eye. That's when I saw him for the first time in my life. An exaggeratedly long two second glimpse at the face. I felt my heart flutter up into my throat, forcing its way painfully up through me as it expanded with not to be questioned love. My anger melted away like water when it hits fire. And that's what it was like. I was fire, quick to fury, and he was like water, only when we hit each other, we grew stronger, immune to everything. There wasn't one of us that disappeared like science says we should. And that was beauty in itself. I remember, he came up to me, and he said, "You would pretty even without that eye," and it makes me laugh so hard just thinking of it, even now. That moment was beautiful. I felt like walking on... On something! Clouds, water, you name it, and I would sure as heck walk on it.
From that very moment on, we were moonstruck lovers. I looked into his eyes and it made me physically shiver. There was just such a deep reassurance resonating from inside of me that this was him, this was love on two feet of its own. Not infatuation or overly saturated romantic feelings, but real down to earth and at the same time infinitely far away love. At my age, few could say that. I could... I could...
Once upon a time...
But once upon a time was the rest of high school. I swear, I never had one single argument with him. He was so considerate and magnanimous... Even if I had a twenty minute screaming fit over something, where I may or may not have been entirely kind to him, he would just kiss the bridge of my nose and say, "I know." That's what true blue understanding is.
Even after high school, you could see us together, still genuinely in love with each other, still the little tenth graders in the school hallway. Two little fish in a very large sea. Looking back, I feel like high school was us in a gold fish bowl sunk under the ocean; everyone and everything else was out there, but we were in our own secluded bubble.
And maybe, maybe that's why the currents began to carry us away. Don't get me wrong, we were still in love, very much so. But soon, it began to feel Sisyphean, like loving each other so hard wasn't going to end, like there needed to be a break. And so away we went with the currents.

I guess the way I've spun this story makes him look like a faceless friend. I like that, someone you love but who just doesn't have a place with you. So now, I sit with two knitting needles between my knees, acting like the stereotypical grandma, while staring at the picture of he and I. The glass was accidentally shattered by my youngest grandson, but it seemed kind of fitting. The picture, the love, was still there, but the glass was shattered, so that love, the picture, couldn't be seen clearly again. But for all the world, it does exist, the love, it's just sunk a little deeper under the waves, down in the goldfish bowl at the bottom of the sea. But for all the world, it's still there.


The author's comments:
I wanted to spin a story where there was love that lasted through everything, just not the traditional way.

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This article has 54 comments.


on Apr. 28 2012 at 2:18 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Thanks!! Glad to have another reader!!

on Apr. 28 2012 at 2:18 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Thanks!! Glad to have another reader!!

on Apr. 28 2012 at 12:56 pm
i_am_so_very_large_and_towering SILVER, Mililani, Hawaii
5 articles 1 photo 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops?"

i really love this!!!!! such a great job, especially on the characters!

on Apr. 23 2012 at 6:48 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Thanks! I really was intending for the reader to do most of the work on this :P

 


on Apr. 23 2012 at 6:47 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Well thank you very much! I'm glad u read into the whole "deep and meaningful" part!

on Apr. 23 2012 at 6:44 pm
Tennisboy BRONZE, Brentwood, California
2 articles 0 photos 5 comments
I love how you used the readers imagination to make the scene instead of creating it for them, that was very clever, and I enjoyed reading it.

on Apr. 15 2012 at 11:30 pm
RazzleDazzle SILVER, MI, Washington
9 articles 0 photos 8 comments
I love how deep and meaningful it is! It really makes you think, and feel the love between them, it was beautiful! 5 stars

on Apr. 15 2012 at 4:51 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Thanks for noticing! I wasn't being lazy, i deliberatlye left out specific things about the characters to make them more vaugue! THANKS FOR READING!

on Apr. 15 2012 at 4:49 pm
AgentOrange789 GOLD, Friendswood, Texas
16 articles 0 photos 59 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's a saying they have, that a man has a false heart in his mouth for the world to see, another in his breast to show to his special friends and his family, and the real one, the true one, the secret one, which is never known to anyone except to himself alone, hidden only God knows where."
-James Clavell, "Shogun"

Hey! I really like it. I like how it sort of makes you think a little bit, and use your own imagination to construct his character instead of just describing everything out for you. Very well done! :) 

on Apr. 15 2012 at 4:40 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

HAHA!! Thanks for the reread!! AND THE SCOND COMMENT AND THE STARS!! soo... want to read it again?? jk! jk!

on Apr. 15 2012 at 4:35 pm
Logan_Elizabeth28 BRONZE, Willard, Ohio
4 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
Just Promise Me You'll Think Of Me Everytime You Look Up In The Sky And See A Star
-Eminem
"You're The Beautiful One, It's Society That's Ugly"
-Marilyn Monroe
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock!"
-The Big Bang Theory

 I was once called BakeryBoss28. But i re-read this. and i love it more than i did the first time 5/5 Amazing!

~Logan~


on Apr. 15 2012 at 4:27 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

THANKS for reading AND the stars!

on Apr. 15 2012 at 4:27 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Thanks!!!! Realy glad you enjoyed!

on Apr. 15 2012 at 12:15 pm
C.K.Snow SILVER, Morden, Other
6 articles 10 photos 71 comments
Well done! 5 out 5!

on Apr. 14 2012 at 11:41 pm
selenafan1 BRONZE, Freeport, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 27 comments

Favorite Quote:
" Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it but only you can feel it's warmth"
"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to be absolutley ridiculous than absolutley boring"-Marilyn Monroe

Wow very well written five stars!

on Apr. 14 2012 at 11:41 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Well thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

on Apr. 14 2012 at 11:40 pm
_ella_herondale BRONZE, San Diego, California
4 articles 2 photos 222 comments

Favorite Quote:
"...If the Thames that ran beside them...recalled a night where the moon shone as brightly as a shilling on the same boy and girl... and thought to themselves, 'at last, the wheel comes full circle,' they kept their silence."

Thank you! It makes me glad that people like this!

on Apr. 14 2012 at 11:33 pm
bloodroselove SILVER, Spring Mills, Pennsylvania
7 articles 0 photos 33 comments
loved it! i really like the detail and how u talked to the reader. i was hooked from the first sentence (: awesome job and keep writing!

Skrone SILVER said...
on Apr. 14 2012 at 11:22 pm
Skrone SILVER, Leawood, Kansas
8 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
Jafar, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for me."

That was very good :P

MamaBama said...
on Apr. 6 2012 at 1:21 pm
I really love this work and all of your other pieces.  You have an amazing talent.  I can't wait to read more!!!  When will you post a new story?