I won’t be getting back on for awhile. I’m sorry, but there are just too many things going on in my life, too many problems I have to solve, too many demons I have to face. You have all been good friends, but I guess that for awhile I’m gonna have to go it alone

Goodbye.

Ellie’s Point of View.

     I absently crumpled up another sheet of my unicorn stationary, marked up by my magenta gel pen, and tossed it into the wastebasket before I folded my arms across the desk and buried my face in them. Why do I even try? I thought to myself. He’s never going to write you back. Face it, Ellie. He’s done with you. You’re just another page in his book. And that’s all you’ll ever be.

     The tears came, and I started to cry into the sleeves of my maroon sweatshirt. He’s promised. He’d promised never to forget me, and he had lied. He probably didn’t even know I existed anymore. Maybe I should just move on, hook up with some other boy who was in the here and now, someone I could see and touch, rather than a boy who was only in my memory. He’d found new friends, and so should I. But no. I just couldn’t give up on him. He may not have needed me anymore, but I needed him. Desperately. Dare I admit it to myself? Yes, I was desperately in love with Devin Connors, a boy I hadn’t seen or heard from in three years.

     “Ellie!” Mrs. Evans called up the stairs. “It’s time for you to head out to the bus stop!”

     I got up, wiped away the traces of my tears, grabbed my back-pack, and raced down the stairs. “DO you have your letter for Devin?” she asked, when I reached the bottom. “I can put it in the mailbox for you.”

     “No,” I said hastily, “I haven’t finished it yet.” And I went out the door, trying to put Devin out of my mind.

     That afternoon at lunch, I saw some kid throwing Mickey Gibson, a nerd with glasses who just happened to be my friend(I don’t really hang out with any particular crowd; I have my own varied circle of friends), up against the wall by his jacket lapels and demanding that he pay up or he’d get beaten to a pulp. Needless to say, I ran over to rescue him and recognized the bully to be the punk I’d encountered the other day. Who cared. All I wanted to do was the right thing, and I knew that the right thing to do right now was to stop an injustice.

Devin’s Point of View.

     “Leave him alone,” somebody said.

     I whirled around to face my challenger. It was just a girl, and a skinny one at that, with green eyes glittering with rage and long, pretty auburn hair; she was standing beside me now, arms crossed. I recognized her as the girl I’d teased the other day when she walked past me and they guys. There was something about her that bothered me, but I easily ignored it,

     “Make me, *****,” I said belligerently.

     We had a battle of looks for about thirty seconds before recognition came into her face, and all animosity melted away like cotton candy in your mouth. Her eyes widened and she took two steps back in fear.

     “It is you!” she exclaimed in pained surprise.

     “What’s me?” I wondered, confused.

     “Devin, what happened to you? Why are you--I don’t--you’re supposed to be…” Her eyes filled with tears. “Devin, why?”
     “Why what?” I released Mickey and he scuttled away. “Who the hell are you?”
     She spoke quietly, yet full of pain, just like my mom had the other night when I came in late. Except this made me feel ten times worse, and I didn’t know why. “You don’t know.”

     “**** no!” I yelled. “Am I supposed to be psychic?”

     “No,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “You’re supposed to keep your promises.” And with that she ran away, sobbing as if I’d just broken her heart. And hell, I didn’t even know her name.
That afternoon when school let out, I was hanging around with Mitch Michaelson and the gang when I saw her walk by as fast as she could, avoiding my gaze. “Hey, Mitch, who’s that?” I asked, nodding my head towards her.

     “You don’t know?” he said, surprised. “That’s Ellie Mason, the school do-gooder. She’s always gettin’ in our way with that nasty little righteous temper of hers--that’s why we call ‘er “Hellfire.” Funny,” he added after a moment of though, “You guys used to be best friends when we were kids.”

     It all came back to me now. I still had a heart underneath the stone, and I felt sick when I realized how betrayed Ellie must feel. I’d been her only friend in the world, and I’d abandoned her, tossed her away like a worthless piece of trash.

     But who needs her? I said to myself, ignoring my conscience yet again. I’m gonna go my own way.