02

"You're home early," Chelsea remarked as she watched Sarah, her roommate trudge inside the apartment, kicking her boots off without a word.

Sarah nodded at her best friend. "Hiya, Chel."

Chelsea's short, red hair was tied back in a small ponytail and she had clear blue eyes that were regarding Sarah with concern. Her heart-shaped lips formed into a playful pout. "You didn't even touch breakfast."

A faint smile played on Sarah's lips. "I wasn't planning on suicide anytime soon."

"Hey!" Chelsea crossed her arms across her chest. "My cooking's not that bad."

She rolled her eyes. "You're right, it's worse," she murmured as she stepped around her friend and made her way into her room.

Chel stuck out her tongue at her when she heard her. "Bitch..."

The small smile disappeared as soon as Sarah closed the door behind her and sighed. It was hard putting up a brave face, especially around Chel who knew her more than she probably knew herself. They had after all been together through good times and bad ever since middle school.

Sarah had been there every time Chel broke up with her various boyfriends in high school and the two of them would bitch about what a jerk the guy had been anyway and how Chel could do so much better. And Chel had been Sarah's partner in crime and would back her up every time she was suspected of creating mischief in college. They were known to crash several parties, the two of them and now, thinking about those simple, carefree days Sarah once again thought about how naive and innocent they had once been.

There was a picture on her dresser of her and Chel, the day they had graduated. Chelsea's red hair was longer then and Sarah's dark hair were curled that morning by Chelsea. Both were wearing goofy grins on their faces, hardly believing that they were able to graduate at all, and were waving their middle fingers at the camera.

She glanced towards the next frame momentarily before tearing her gaze away. It was painful to even look and at his death, she had almost destroyed the picture before Chel had brought her back to her senses.

She fell down on her bed, exhausted and looking at the shelf on the opposite wall of her bed, she saw that her roommate had arranged all her books and novels there neatly, which took her by surprise. Chel wasn't exactly a neat person and living with her often resulted in Sarah cleaning both of the their rooms. Something she'd stop doing since a week and that's when Chel had taken charge. Cleaning, cooking, dealing with people and taking care of her broken friend. And for that, Sarah loved her and owed her so much for everything she had done and was doing.

Shaking her overcoat off of her, she threw it on the floor and pulled up the blanket to her chin. She closed her eyes, hoping she'd be able to get some sleep when the encounter from earlier this morning came back to her. The guy that she had met at the cemetery.

She couldn't argue with the fact that she was genuinely interested in him. She wanted to know who was it that he had lost, that caused him to go through the same pain as hers because it couldn't be anymore clear that they both were hurting. Still are.

She had given him her hankie...

She frowned as she realized that she was never going to see him again so her hankie was pretty much lost and she really liked it too. "Bummer..."

Chel knocked on her door. "I ordered pizza! So don't complain and get your butt out here."

Sarah groaned, grabbing her pillow and stuffing her face into it. Her stomach grumbled just at that exact moment. She groaned again and pulled herself into a sitting position.

"Coming," she mumbled, standing up.

While they were watching T.V, chewing on their pizza slices, Chel turned down the volume and Sarah raised an eyebrow at her. "What? Supernatural's on, what gives?"

"What are going to do about your job?"

She gave a deep sigh and took her time answering her. "I quit, didn't I?" She turned back to the screen, avoiding Chel's piercing blue stare.

"I know you did," Chel said, slowly still looking at her. "But Mammy's offered you a job at the school and she called today-"

"I don't want to go," Sarah interrupted her, her jaw set as she refused to meet her friend's eyes. Why couldn't people get the hint? She wasn't ready to start her life without him. She wasn't ready to get a job and to start living normally. It felt wrong, even deceiving. It didn't feel right without him. Nothing felt right without him.

"Sarah, you know this time she means it. Mammy's not gonna take no for an answer an-"

"I don't want to do it, alright?" Her head snapped to Chelsea. "Will you please leave me alone? I don't want to do it and I won't."

Chelsea's rosy lips puckered, an old habit of hers when something really got on her nerves and right now, her best friend's stupidity and stubbornness was getting on her nerves. "So what? You aren't going to work for the rest of your life?"

Sarah took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She knew Chel was only trying to help and she hadn't done anything wrong, but she couldn't help her attitude. Everything pissed her off easily these days and she would snap at people who only had the best intentions for her. "I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to go to work...at least not at the moment."

Chel nodded, looking away from her. She took the remote in her hand and before increasing the volume, she added, "Mammy says everything is all set for your new job. You start on Monday."

And she raised the volume of the T.V really high, so Sarah knew the conversation had now come to an end.

----

The next day, on Thursday, Sarah was pleasantly surprised to see the same guy at the cemetery standing right where she had seen him for the first time.

He turned when he heard her footsteps and smiled as recognition sparked in his green eyes. Sarah halted for a second not sure whether to go up to him or to simply wave and turn away politely. She didn't get to choose from the two options as he started to walk towards her, coming to a stop in front of her, a few feet away.

"Thanks for yesterday," he said, his voice gentle as he dug out the hanker-chief from his pocket, holding it out for her in his palm.

Sarah smiled. "I was afraid I lost it." She reached out and took her hankie from his hand, when his cold fingers closed around her hand, catching her by surprise.

She looked up to see him grin crookedly at her. "I forgot to wash it so it probably still has my boogers on it."

"Yuck!" She pulled her hand from his grasp, dropping the hankie to the ground.

The stranger chuckled, his tall frame shaking with laughter and Sarah scowled. "Not cool, dude." She bent down to pick it up and then examined it closely just to make sure he really was bluffing. When she found it clean, she put it inside her pocket.

"May I have the name of the fair maiden whose hanker-chief I was in possession of?" He cocked his head slightly to the side, causing a stray brown lock to fall on his forehead which made him look quite adorable.

She frowned and shook her head. "Now you just sound weird."

"I was trying to come off as charming."

"Well, you failed miserably."

He pouted for a moment and stuck out his hand. "Joey Harding."

She smiled, putting her hand in his. "Sarah."

He was also smiling down at her, his green eyes twinkling a little. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Sarah realized that he was still holding her hand and it suddenly felt warm in his grasp.

"Well," she said, removing her hand. "It was nice meeting you, Joey."

He buried both his hands in his pockets. "Now, don't go all cliche on me using that line."

She smirked. "Okay, then. Thanks for returning my hankie and also cleaning it, because if it really did have your nose all over it, I'd stuff it down to your throat."

Joey laughed as she gave him a final wave before turning away.

She was smiling but paused at his grave and looked down at it for a moment before her smile vanished. Her light mood had disappeared and she felt guilty for laughing and talking like she felt normal. She started climbing down the steps and didn't look back. How could she be laughing like everything was okay? Everything was a mess after he'd gone. She shouldn't be okay.

"I'm sorry," she muttered under her breath, her voice breaking. And she apologized again, the guilt eating her up.

Chapter 02 to be continued...