A/N: Short story about Minella. Everyone is fictional. I do not own rights to the name Minella.
I had a friend, well-not just friends. Her name was Minella Junes Harkipi. We call her Harkipi but some classmates call her Hawkip. Why? Minella (aka Hawkip)has two thick glasses framing her golden eyes. This makes her look like a hawk....with her glasses, messy hair, and long fingernails that had reached the length of bottle cap. She was the one on the corner of the room with a sturdy book glued to her eyes, you would call her a bookworm ....and unsociable...but she was a pretty kind girl. Why do I know this?
In middle school, we got paired up as lap partners. I didn't want to be near her if I was honest. It was just her .... appearance....her messy brown hair with un-enven straight lines, and the way she hesitates to talk...blushing red and pink as her eyes roll around to the floor, up the roof, practically everywhere except the person she was talking to. I hated these kind of shy girls who's cheeks were the color of rubies and hiding their bodies to some wall. I misunderstood her, it seems she does have a soft spot.
Well hey, we were kids right? As soon as we were in the lab, the teacher told us to find our partners and work on a couple of steps to look at, such as minerals-studies of rocks as you would say. I couldn't find the small girl anywhere so I decided to call the teacher. It was wearied but she was behind me. I was looking everywhere, thinking she would be in some random corner or something but I had never noticed that Minella was behind me the whole time. It looked like she wanted to say something but fidgeted and stopped.
With a sudden sigh, we both had to work together. I wanted to try step 2 first but Minella insisted to try the Introduction with step 1 then 2, I was more of a take action role kind of character but she was right. We needed research, and judging from her report cards-she would be the one who corrects other people's mistakes. I shrug it off and we both went to work. Somehow, somewhere-we bonded. I know that we both are magnets to each other, I had tons of friends surrounding my locker, she was a complicated girl who earned trust from the teachers and stutter in every sentence.
Just then, I knew ever since we were together as lab partners-we would be great friends. Every month I would urge her to try to talk to a couple of my friends but she suddenly shook her head replying with a small 'no'. By her actions, I wanted to spend more of my precious time with her-and every minute my so called friends would just leave me behind. But I didn't care, all I ever wanted to do is be with Minella. She was a sweet kind girl. Where has our years gone?
The fall of High School came along and that's when our friendship steered down. When we met at our first day of High School, she seemed more different then she used to be. Minella actually smiled for the first time. I wanted to savor her smile every minute but it soon smeared away when we took our first steps to high. The boys had facial hair, almost looking like smelly strong apes (well, most of the men-mostly the jocks), the girls had looked like bright flashy clowns covering their faces, it looked like a regular high school. The sad part is, Minella's locker was near the girl's locker. She would hesitate and slowly enter her locker, well I had to hold her dainty fragile hands to get there but I soon let go and stroll to my locker.
I was lucky that my locker was a row in front of Minella. When I enter everyday, it seemed as if time would go so fast. What I didn't notice is that Minella would pull me apart and chat with the girls instead. Months after months, I would smile at her and check up what she's doing, hanging out with the girls instead of me. I was happy she had a social connection but I wanted her all by myself. I was greedy, each day I would force a fake smile at Minella and she would tell me to go away with such a harsh tone.
Where had our days gone away? When we had graduated from High School, I would glance back at Minella and stare at her wasted dried up body, scars on her face as Minella would dip a bucket of cocaine in her pockets. I missed her old self. I didn't see my eyes water up every time I take a sight at Minella. I didn't even tell her a simple good bye or any last words. All I can muster up is 'Good luck.'. My days past ahead of me, I was the one succeeding in life. I was the one who wishes to go to Harvard, some college in New York. I didn't even talk to Minella since.
I was 20 now, still breathing. My goal had been wished, I had a great life. Every now and then I would dream about Minella as faded tears strain my cheeks. I had everything, what was missing from my life? Someone, I knew her a long time, ever since I was in Middle School-Minella. She would be the key to my heart, I would be the key to her heart. On a Saturday morning, my fingers would browse the early TV programmings, that's when I dropped the remote when I clicked at Fox 5.
"Minella Junes Harkipi. She had died because of suicide. Usage of illegal drugs and shots on her shoulder were seen...."
That's when I realized...I didn't protect her.