Far And Away.

Thanksgiving break had come and gone, kids went back to school and all became normal. Andy and Flora walked down the hallowed school halls, hand in hand as they laughed and made jokes with one another. They became inseparable-best friends who called one another every night before bed and sometimes they even fell asleep on the phone with one another. Flora went to band practice nearly every day, watching as an awkward group of guys transformed in to a very confident and excellent band. Andy would also sit with Flora as she wrote, his head in her lap as she scribbled in her notebook by the window, writing everything down.

Flora was always writing-essays, short stories, anything that seemed to intrigue her. Andy had tried to take a peek a few times, but Flora only hissed at him to go, covering her work with her hand. Andy was curious as to what Flora was writing, especially when she would get this little smile on her lips-she looked totally at peace. She would never tell him though, giggling as she shut her book and placed it back in her bag. Sometimes she would read him snippets of her writing late at night over the phone and it was those nights that Andy would fall asleep to her words and he had the best dreams.

Fall had steadily turned in to winter, December fading until finally the last day before winter break arrived. Andy felt nervous as he sat there with Flora in their last period Bio class, his legs jiggling up and down as he bit down on his lip ring. He was so nervous that he couldn't focus on what the homework assignment was, but he knew Flora would be able to give it to him. Why was Andy so nervous? Because today was the day that he would tell Flora the he loved her and it would be in a way that neither one of them would be expecting. Andy had thought long and hard about this move-especially about how he was going to do it, but in the end he knew-it had to be done.


"Will you calm down? The entire table is starting to shake." Flora whispered in his ear and Andy nearly jumped two feet in the air. Shit-now that she had noticed how nervous he was Andy felt even less at ease.

"Sorry, just anxious." Andy said lamely and Flora finally glanced at him for the first time all period. Andy's had his black hair, almost past his shoulders now, pulled back behind his ears and he was chewing on his bottom lip so hard that it was bleeding. What the hell was he so nervous about?

"About what? It's five minutes till the end of class and we were just told we have no assignments for the break. You should be jumping for joy..." She said, smiling at him as her small hand landed on top of his larger one and she squeezed. This small gesture from Flora seemed to calm him and Andy was finally able to focus.

"Will you come with me somewhere today?" Andy asked, his blue eyes on the clock instead of on Flora's face. His eyes held a look of worry in them and she was suddenly feeling rather anxious herself.

"Sure. Aren't you guys practicing today though?" Flora asked, her flannel shirt pulled tight around her shoulders as she moved around.

"N-no. I asked them if we could do it tomorrow instead. I wanted to show you something." He stammered, finally looked at her with that lopsided grin on his lips.

What on earth was going on with him today?


Finally the bell rang and they were dismissed, but while Flora was hurriedly packing up her bag, Andy was doing the opposite. Usually he was the one who was in a hurry to get out of here and either get to practice or spend time with Flora, but today Andy was taking his sweet time and it was beginning to annoy Flora. They had two whole weeks of no school and here Andy way-going at a snails pace. He was slowly placing his books in his bag, then he had to rearrange them to make them all fit and then he said something about checking his locker for something before they left. The halls were empty as they left the classroom-everyone else in the school had some sense and wanted to get out of there as quick as possible.

But not Andy.


"What is going on with you today?" Flora asked as they finally stopped at Andy's locker and she stood by as he put in his combo. There was a soft smile playing on his lips and Andy only chuckled as he opened his locker and reached inside.

"I have a surprise for you..." Andy said and Flora just looked at him and then her eyes grew wide as she watched him pull out his acoustic guitar from inside his locker. How the hell did he even get it to fit in there?

"And that entails us being the last people in the school?" Flora asked, smirking with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Precisely." Was all Andy said as he slammed his locker shut and grabbed for her hand. Flora took his sweaty hand in her own, smiling at the way that it felt. They had been dancing around one another for a month, ever since his admission about Scout on Thanksgiving.


Quietly they walked through the halls, hand in hand, until finally Andy brought her to a very familiar door. Roof Access-Flora sighed and turned to face Andy, their hands dropping as she stared him down. Was he fucking crazy? Did he not remember the huge amount of trouble they had gotten in to the first time they had come up here and gotten caught? If they got caught again then Flora could kiss her newly acquired Berkley Scholarship out the window. Andy smirked at her as he opened the door, the cold air hitting them both in the face.

Flora felt breathless as she looked around-the entire roof was covered in candles, the fading winter sun giving Andy just enough light as he walked around and lit them all. At the very edge of the building, where they had sat that first time together, was a blanket spread out across the roofs surface. Andy finally finished lighting all of the candles, the roof encompassed in a soft glow that flickered with the wind. He approached her, grabbing both of her hands as he slowly led her over to the blanket, producing another to drape around her shoulders as she sat down. Flora looked at Andy, looked right in to his eyes and immediately she knew what was going on.

And she felt like crying.


"Andy...what are we doing up here?" Flora asked and he only smiled at her as Andy took a seat across from her and pulled the guitar in to his lap.

"Flora, I brought you to this place because this was the place...the moment...when we first realized that we had something in common." Andy said and Flora only smiled.

"Oh-and what would that be? Our hatred for one another?" They both giggled at this and Andy only shook his head.

"I hated you for a long time Flora-longer than I'd like to admit, but now that hate has turned in to something else...something more." He said, licking his lips as his fingers starting to softly strum the strings of the guitar.

"Wh-what are you saying Andy?" Flora asked, her heart beating a thousand miles a minute and she could feel herself shiver. He looked so happy as he sat there and looked at her...he looked in love.

"I'm saying I love you Florence. I love you more than I thought possible and I never would of thought that I would sing this song again...but I'm going to sing it now because it's the only way I can show you just how much I love you..." With that everything became quiet and still. The whole world seemed to stop and as Flora listened to Andy sing and let the tears roll down her cheeks, she knew.

She loved him too and she probably always had.


I open my lungs dear
I sing this song at funerals... no rush.
These lyrics heard a thousand times, just plush.
A baby boy you've held so tightly,
This pain it visits almost nightly
Missing hotel beds, I feel your touch.

I will await dear, a patience of eternity, my crush.
A universe so still.
No rust.
No dust will ever grow on this frame,
One million years, and I will say your name.
I love you more than I can ever scream.

Notes