Shirley

My hero isn't someone who has changed the world, or even someone famous, but they mean more then anything to me. This is the story about how I was saved by my personal angel, Shirley.

In 10th grade, sometime before New Year's, I was depressed, almost suicidal. I cared for no one other than myself. School was a blur and time just sort of meant nothing to me. Then it was time for the Fall Festival; I had an act in the Fall Festival, one I wrote and was praised for. But so did she. She danced, tap danced, and she caught everyone's eye as she did it. I wanted to get to know this girl, I needed to. She seemed like she had everything I needed and that she would never leave me alone. My biggest fear is to be alone, in the dark... dealing with my demons on my own. But she could take that from me, she was my angel and that day... I fell for her.

She and my friend started dating, and I got to know her better and better over AIM. By Valentine's day I made the first promise that I would never break. I promised her that if she didn't get a rose I would run her one. And I did just that. On that day Cupid shot 2 arrows, and I realized that without her I could never know happiness. Time passed, so fast, and I started trying harder in school; for her. I swore I would never do the drugs my friends were so accustomed to. And I swore I would never leave her.

But with every story, there is a problem, and with every problem, there is a solution. I didn't know it at the time, but I wasn't giving her enough room, enough space. She grew closer to a friend of mine and became semi annoyed by my presents. But you can't blame her; when you're around someone all the time you tend to get sick of them. She didn't know it, but I became depressed again, unhappy, afraid, and alone. My grades started to drop and I didn't care about anyone or anything. I was me again, the old me. The one I grew to hate. Along with my returned depression, so came my suicidal ambition. I didn't, or couldn't, seem to find a purpose on this earth and the thought of that made my state of mind even worse.

Time passed, and problems at the house and school topped off with my own personal demons. I couldn't take much more and I opened up to a friend of mine: Sarah --- I told her everything. But she didn't comfort me like Shirley had, and she didn't tell me how everything was going to be alright; she just said "life sucks sometimes, Alex. Suck it up and stop feeding off this drama." And it hit me that everything I had become was everything I never wanted to. I became Shirley's drama; more stress on her already hectic life. The thing that pulled us together was that I could take away her stress and she could take away my loneliness. Then I IM'd her, and just started talking... not about anything important, just random things. And I was back, and she was back.

Over about a month I became happy again, overly happy. I had my hope and my angel back; she saved me one before and she did it again. She is my best friend, she always will be because I can't live without her. Do I know how things are going to turn out for us? No. But do I know she means more to me then anything on this planet? Yes. And I can guarantee that to be the truth. It's not the greatest lifesaving story, and it's not the greatest love or friendship story. But it is my life story, it is my meaning, and it is my everything. And to end this story I will end with this: Shirley just got home from dance and I'm going to go run her a rose. Because in the end that is all this comes down to: a boy, a girl and a rose.

Shirley, thank you for everything.