Rhian (standard:romance, 2030 words)
Author: Matt Zee	Added: Oct 25 2005	Views/Reads: 3389/2277	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
She was amazing. She saved me.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

this class was probably one of the most artsy ventures one could take 
in the city. It included everything from pulling emotions out of your 
heart, to bringing your spirit to the outer region of your body. After 
about fifteen minutes I really needed a break and quietly excused 
myself from the room. 

I walked back into the “lobby” of the school and took a look around.
There was a leather couch and a water cooler, as well as some odd 
looking ‘art' on the walls. I was looking at a black and white picture 
of a naked old man holding a crying naked baby when I felt someone tap 
my shoulder. Startled, I turned around. 

“Not enjoying the class?” Rhian asked. 

“You scared me.” I told her. 

“Yeah, you're in for a lot of that stuff here.” 

I wasn't sure if she meant the class or her scaring me. An awkward
moment passed between us as we looked into each other's eyes. “So, uh, 
what class do you take?” I murmered. 

“I'm in ‘Advanced Emotion'. I just don't go.” she told me. 

“You don't go?” 

“No. I can't stand it.” 

Another awkward silence. 

“Do you want to grab a coffee?” she finally said. 

“Sure.” I smiled, “Let's do that.” 

So we walked out of the school and down the street to Starbucks, where
we both ordered ‘Espresso Macchiatos with caramel and whipped cream'. 
We sat outside in the sun. 

“So Matt, what's wrong with you?” she asked. The question took me by
surprise. 

“I'm not quite sure what you mean.” I responded. 

“Everyone who signs up for that class has a problem. What's yours?” 

That seemed true. 

“Me? No problems here.” I lied. 

Rhian gave me an unconvinced look. 

“Fine! I mean, I've got problems. But what teenager doesn't?” She smiled
at me, leaned forward, and looked me in the eyes. “I've got problems 
too. I think that's why we're getting along so well.” 

From there on, every Saturday when my Mother would drop me off for
acting, I'd meet Rhian inside and we'd go for talks. Some days we'd go 
to Starbucks, other days we'd find some funky little restaurant or 
bistro. Everybody always stared at us; I thought it must have been 
because Rhian was so beautiful. We'd have the most amazing talks, and I 
slowly realized that after every Saturday with her, things seemed to be 
getting better. Rhian would have a solution to every problem I brought 
up, a story from her own life that helped me fix a problem in mine. 

One day Rhian and I were walking downtown when we came across an old
city park. We were sitting on one of the old park benches when Rhian 
whispered in my ear: 

“I have a surprise for you.” 

I looked at her and smiled. “What do you have up your sleeve this time?”


Rhian reached into her pocket and pulled something out. 

“Close your eyes.” she said. I felt her put something on my arm. “Now
open them.” 

I opened my eyes and gasped at what was there. It was a beautiful,
shiny, silver I.D bracelet, and engraved in it was the word ‘Dream.' 

“It's beautiful. Thanks.” I managed to let out. 

“Turn it around.” she said. I did, and on the back of the bracelet were
the words ‘Of me.' 

“I will Rhian. I definitely will.” 

I took out a little pocket knife and carved into the bench: “R + M”.
Rhian grabbed the knife from and me and carved below that, “Forever and 
For Always”. Rhian kissed me on the cheek. 

Rhian helped me gain confidence, just by telling me that everything was
going to be alright, and with that confidence I was able to mend 
relationships with my family and friends, get my grades in school back 
up to where they once were, and gain a whole new outlook on what was 
important in life. Rhian was my miracle, one of the best things to 
happen in my life. But, alas, human beings have always seemed to take 
the best things in life for granted, and so did I with Rhian. 

With my life back on track and things going well at school, when
Saturday rolled around one week I decided I wasn't going to go. A girl 
from school had invited me to the movies, and so I told my parents I 
was going to do that instead. Rhian didn't even pop into my head. 

I didn't go to the acting school the next weekend either. In fact, my
Mom asked me if there had been some kind of mistake, because when she 
got the bill at the end of the month, the school had only charged me 
for one lesson: the first one. I decided to stop going to the acting 
school altogether; I had more important things to do now. Selfishly, I 
forgot about Rhian. 

It wasn't until a few weeks later, when I was cleaning up my room that I
found the bracelet Rhian had given me. I stared at it for what seemed 
like a decade. I had forgotten her. I had to find her and apologize for 
abandoning her when everything for me was fixed. I left the house right 
away and headed to the acting school. I climbed up the stairs and 
entered the school. I looked around for someone, and saw that there was 
a receptionist in the lobby. I had never seen her before, but I 
approached her anyway. 

“Hi, um, I'm looking for a student.” 

“A student?” she responded. 

“Yes, I have a message to give her.” 

“Oh. I see. What's her name? I can pass it along for you.” 

“Rhian.” 

She typed something into a computer. “Last name?” 

“Oh, I- I'm not sure.” 

“You're not sure?” 

“No.” I said embarrassed. 

“Well we have no record of a girl named Rhian ever attending this
school.” 

“But... that's impossible.” 

“I'm sorry I can't be of more help.” 

“Check again.” I insisted. She typed into the computer again. 

“No girl with that name ever went here. I'm sorry. 

Confused and embarrassed I left of the school. 

“How could this possibly be?” I thought, “Did she give me a fake name?
No, she couldn't have.” 

I ran down the street to the Starbucks we had frequented so often. I
approached the man at the counter. He had seen us so many times; maybe 
he knew something. 

“Excuse me, sir?” 

“Oh hi, it's you.” he said. 

“Uh, yeah. Listen-“ 

“Yeah I know, two caramel macchiatos right?” 

“No actually, I was wondering if you have seen the girl I'm usually with
around here.” 

“What girl?” 

“The girl I always come in here with; tall, brown hair, beautiful.” 

“Look buddy, it's true you always come in here, but never with any
girl.” 

“But- I know you've seen us! You're always staring at us!” 

“No, I'm staring at you, because you come in here, you order two drinks,
you drink one and leave the other sitting on the table, and you talk to 
yourself.” 

“What are you saying? That's not funny!” 

“Well it's true. Look, I don't know what kind of illness you have kid,
but there's no girl. Now order your two coffees or please leave, 
because you're disturbing the other customers.” 

I stumbled out of the building and headed to the little park we had
found that day, weeks ago. I headed over to the bench where we had 
carved our message. My carving was there, “R + M”. But the carving 
Rhian had made was not, there was no “Forever and For Always”. I could 
not believe what I was seeing. Rhian had never existed. She was a part 
of me all along. 

I could call myself crazy or delusional, but both of those words have
negative implications. Rhian was a manifestation of my own mind and 
spirit. She was a defense mechanism created by my own body to help me 
overcome my depression. Either that, or she was an angel. I'm a 
romantic, so I prefer to go with the latter. I still have the bracelet 
she gave me, and whenever I start to get sad I put it on, and I can 
feel her. I don't know if I got that bracelet made myself, or I just 
happened to find it. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Everybody has 
their miracles, mine came in the form of a girl named Rhian. 


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