When You Were Everything

by Ashley Woodfolk

The darkness makes me love living in a place where taking a short walk with a boy after a day full of stress and sadness can feel like magic.

but I was starting to wonder, if I never texted Layla first, would she text me at all?

And still she stayed quiet. Her silence was the worst part of all.

It’s nice, sitting there watching people who have loved each other longer than I’ve been alive.

She studies her fingernails like they’re infinitely more interesting than I am.

My mood lightens a little as I fade into the bigness of the city and become just another face in the crowd. On the platform, no one is staring at me.

people change. That love and life are fluid. That even your heroes can make choices that fall into shades of gray.

Everything feels like a memory in the snow, but in the sun, everything feels new.

I hope that girl knows that I’ll cherish the friendship we had forever. Even after everything.”