After Sunset Read online

times. She got into a fight once and ended up suspended. And during her suspension, she went to the beach.

  I woke up to an uneasy feeling and then the sound of large thump. I jolted in my bed, hurling the covers off of me and turning on my light. I found Kendra, grabbing her toe in agony, at the foot of my bed.

  “Ow, shit!” She whispered loudly. “Don’t you sleep with a light on?”

  “No, I don’t, actually!” I whispered, just as loudly, back. I looked at my clock, then back at Kendra. “It’s 2:37 AM! What are you doing here? How did you even get in here?”

  “I walked in through the front door. I know you guys always forget to lock it.”

  “Why are you here?” I asked again, a little more sternly; I wasn’t incredibly happy that she showed up at my house unannounced in the middle of the night.

  “I’m leaving, Alice.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I talked, or yelled, with my parents again today about going to college. I told them that my decision about traveling was final, and they said that they weren’t going to have an ‘uneducated peasant’ in the house, so they’re pulling my college fund until I change my mind. They said if I left after graduation, they didn’t want to see me again.

  “So I’ve decided. I can’t be tied down by them anymore. I can’t deal with people trying to influence and criticize my life anymore. So I came to tell you that I’m leaving.”

  “You don’t have to do this. Kendra, we have just a few more months left until graduation. Then you can leave.”

  “It’s not like that. Besides, graduation is just a certificate showing you can successfully regurgitate information. Congratulations. No matter what you say, it’s not going to change anything.”

  “I didn’t think so. Do you have money or anything?”

  “Where I’m going, I won’t need money.”

  “Where are you going?” She opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped herself, thinking of what to say. I could barely think at all.

  “I don’t know, exactly,” She finally said, looking up and away from me as she said it. “I’ll find out when I get there. Oh, and before I forget, this is for you.” Kendra turned around and dug up a pristine, well kept envelope from her backpack, my name written across the front. She handed it to me, and I shook as I accepted it. My best friend was leaving, and therefore leaving me.

  “Alice,” She said in a tone so careful and deliberate, it required my full attention. “I hate secrets. Yet, like anybody, I have some. In this letter I talk about quite a few of them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t secrets anymore. This should only be read by you, understand?”

  “Yes.” My brain rushed with thoughts, but none of them could be focused on. Only words were formed, but none of them could turn into real sentences. I looked back up at Kendra as she spoke again.

  “Before I go, I need you to know how important you are to me. You are so kind and motivated and driven. You are my best friend, and the best person in my life. You’ve made happy on the days where I didn’t think I could be, and just made me feel alive on the days I wanted to die. I almost wish you could come with me.”

  “You know I can’t,” I spoke up in a cautious whisper.

  “I know that. It’s best for everyone if you stayed here. I can’t tie you down anymore. You need to be free to live your own life… You do understand why I’m leaving, right?”

  “I wish I could say yes.”

  “Maybe you will one day. Thank you for everything.” As she walked closer to me I got out of my bed and gave her a hug. I gave her the biggest hug in the entire world. Hopefully the hug could say all things I wasn’t able to. She broke it before I was ready, then took a step back and gazed in my eyes. She reached out and touched my face, giving me a small, sincere smile. Then she picked up her backpack and headed towards my door, then stopping to look back at me.

  “I’ll see you later, Kendra,” I said with a little hope in my voice.

  “Goodbye, Alice.” She replied with the most heartbreaking smile. Then she walked out of my room, leaving me alone. I could only stand there as I heard my front door close. I looked down at the envelope she had given me, scared to know what was inside.

  ###

  Thank you for reading my short story, “After Sunset!” Your support is incredibly appreciated, and I hope you continue to read my works. If you enjoyed this story, you can go check out my debut novel, “Infinity: Code of Law.” You can also leave me a review at your favorite retailer or contact me personally at [email protected].

  - S.A. Waters

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to everyone who has ever supported my writing career. I’d like to specifically thank Mr. Thomas Smith for being one of the first to read and edit this, and also for coming up with the title. I now realize, almost a year later, that this title is so perfect and personal. I really appreciate all the time you’ve invested in my stories and in me. I’d also like to thank Ms. Melissa Doll and Ms. Jenna Davis for helping get through the difficult time in which this was written. I honestly could not have done it without you both. Lastly I’d like to thank my father and grandmother for their continuing support.