Forgiveness? (Stu)

[Olesya]

Meet me at Jordans lake. 7pm.

Bzzt, bzzt. Her cellphone buzzed in her pocket, Olesya turning from the muffins she was putting in the display case to check her phone. Jordans lake? That wasn't too far from Golden Gate park, maybe about a 15 minute walk. It was an attraction for old people and ducks during the day, but it was pretty quiet at night. What did he want to meet her for? Why there?

Sighing, the junior slipped her phone back into her pocket, finishing stacking the muffins in the case. She was working tonight at the cafe, though Gabri could cover for her if she asked nicely enough.

Five minutes to seven, she reached the edge of the lake, shoving her hands in the pockets of her dark blue hoodie. Her hood was pulled up over her head, a few strands of brown and violet hair falling into her face as she glanced around for signs of Stu. She didn't know what to expect, and had half considered not showing at all.

[THE Justin]

He was standing at the edge of the pier, hoodie wrapped around him in an embrace bequeathing warmth. He looked out towards the lake.

She came to the side of the lake with hardly a noise, but she was early. Always on time, if not before. He smiled to himself. She didn't notice him.

He turned slowly. He took a few hesitant steps towards her, gravel crunching under his feet. He stopped but a few feet away.

"Olesya."

A big part of him wanted to run, to embrace her. but he had moved on from that person. He was something else now. He was different. He had other people in his life.

But he had to get over this first.

He took another step forwards, trying not to intimidate. He knew he had made many mistakes concerning her, the first of which was falling in love with her.

[Olesya]

When she recognized him, her eyes widened slightly. Visions from the fight at the arcade, the fight at the pier, the day they met in the cafeteria all melded together in her mind. She had seen him at the meeting with Gabriel and Emily, and she had noticed a difference in him. He was more contained, less...insane. But she couldn't tell for sure.

"Olesya."

"Stu."

She was visibly tense, as she didn't know what to expect from her former friend. Was he going to try to fight her again? Hurt her? What was the purpose of this visit? The uncertainty bothered her more than what he was capable of doing. But she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[THE Justin]

He sighed as she at least recognized him. She was tense, he could tell as much. She was hesitant towards him, and with good reason.

He had done some terrible, terrible things.

He took a final step forwards, only 5 feet away. And he sighed. Heavily.

"I... I am sorry."

He turned, and walked towards the pier. He walked down the planks, creaking and moaning with his every step. He held the rail as he walked, until he reached the end. If she wanted more closure than that... she would follow.

If not... he considered them clean.

[Olesya]

She tried not to flinch as he stepped closer. She shouldn't be scared of him, this boy. It took a lot to scare her, even horror movies didn't make her jump (much), but this...she didn't understand this. She didn't understand him.

"I... I am sorry."

And then he walked away. Just like that. What was that supposed to mean?! Sorry? What did he mean by sorry!? After a moment of hesitation, she stepped up after him, pausing halfway down the pier. She knew that a pier was a danger zone as it only had one exit (not including the water), and she didn't want to be pinned down there with a dangerous boy. She was optimistic, but she wasn't stupid.

"What do you mean you're sorry??"

[THE Justin]

He looked out, wind whipping against his open hoodie, pulling it to the side in an almost eerie sentiment. He looked out, black eyes shining with the reflection of the lake.

He sighed, turning half towards her.

"I mean I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. You didn't deserve any of it."

He turned completely, leaning against the railing. He felt awful. He felt like throwing himself over the side and drowning amongst the fishes. But he had friends now. People who liked him. A reason to exist.

Admittedly, a lot of his friendships were based on the flesh and the motions therein, but he knew that if he needed them, they'd be there for him.

But would Olesya?

And thats why they were here...

[Olesya]

"I mean I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. You didn't deserve any of it."

Damn right she didn't! A mixture of emotion appeared on her face, and she seemed to fight inwardly, her lips pursing to keep words from passing through her lips. What exactly could she say in this situation? 'Oh hey no big, man. Mistakes happen all the time, let's go get a rootbeer.'

Um, no.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead beneath her hood.

"You don't even know...you don't even know what I've been through, Stu."

She broke off. She didn't know where to begin. She didn't know what to say to him, her thoughts melded together in a colorful tornado of thoughts in her mind.

[THE Justin]

The wind whipped, the hoodie fabric crackling in the wind. An ominous thunderclap, a bolt of lightning lighting the clouds behind them with much extremity. He didn't make a movement from the sound of the explosive rippling of energy in the sky.

A small amount of rain began to fall, pinging off of the wooden deck they stood on. It stopped quickly, but the sky remained gray above them.

"You think it was all rainbows and fucking sunshine on my end Les? Because it wasn't. I didn't do those things to you because I wanted to. They happened because something inside wanted them to.

Nothing I say will make it go away. But I'm trying to overome it as best as humanly fucking possible.

I became something I never want to happen again, to anyone or anything. I've moved on, my obsession with you was destructive to the world. I won't let it happen again.

I came to say I'm sorry because I am... but don't think it was easy for me to do this, or any of the things before.

Because it wasn't."

[Olesya]

Les cringed slightly at the crack of thunder. She loved storms, but the thunder always made her nervous. She frowned at him as he spoke, the distrust that had embedded itself in her was fighting against her streak of eternal optimism. Was he changed? She didn't see the madness in his eyes that was there before, but she was still unsure.

"I...what...I'm not saying it was easy for you to say. I just don't understand it."

She shivered as the rain hit her hoodie, and she dug her hands deeper into her pocket.

"I never left you, Stu. I was taken to a horrible place where they experimented on students to try to make them super-human. I never stopped being your best friend...until you tried to destroy me."

The truth of the matter was that they weren't best friends anymore. What happened between them had done a lot of damage, and it wasn't easily fixed. She didn't know if she could look him in the eye again and not remember all the things that had happened. It just didn't work like that.

[THE Justin]

Stu turned from her again, the rain picking up once again, large droplets that smashed against the pier with great noise. She spoke the truth. Everything she said was true. Everything that happened was his fault. And he was apologizing.

But that didn't make it easier.

"I know. Thats why I'm apologizing Les. I know you didn't leave me. But it was so sudden... And I loved you. I did. We weren't just friends in my mind. I wanted more. I wanted to see you as you fell asleep at night. I wanted to hold you when you were upset, I wanted to assuage all your fears.

I wanted to be there for you... and then you were gone.

I was irrational. I did things I never want to think about.

Les... I've killed people. People have died by these hands and I... I just don't know if I can go on anymore..."

He slumped. He started crying, the rain mixing with the tears on his face. He hit the deck hard, head lolling as it banged off of the railing, though he felt no pain. He cried, hands held to his face as he was coated with the rain.

It was turning out to be a terrible day.

[Olesya]

He loved her? Well of course, she'd read the letter that arrived at her house, but she didn't understand it, the whole line just didn't make sense. But to think they were best friends, and for him to think they had been more? Or could have been more? That made more sense, but it meant little now, with all the scars of their broken friendship.

She frowned when he admitted to killing people...what was it with people she knew killing people? Was there no goodness in the world? Her stern optimism believed so, but still it made her soul ache a little bit.

Hesitating, she stepped forward after he collapsed to the deck, unsure how to approach the situation she was now it. Blinking rain from her eyes, she knelt beside him.

"There's always second chances, Stu. There's always ways to make yourself a better person. You can't change what you've done, but you can change what you do."

This was sounding a bit like deja vu, like the speech she had given to Mathew. Maybe her calling was to become a counselor, dealing with people who can't deal with themselves.

"It's alright."

[THE Justin]

Stu looked away from her, hair sagging into his yes from the rain that pounded down. He couldn't look into such justified eyes, her entire being screaming out how good she was.

He finally turned though, to stare into those hazel orbs. They ached with acceptance of regret, and it lifted his heart slightly.

"I just want you to forgive me. I don't want your help to make me better. I just want things between us to be better.

I know we can never be what we were before... but I would like to be your friend."

[Olesya]

Olesya's frown remained intact for a moment, though at his last words, the corners of her mouth turned upward. He wanted to be friends, he wanted to fix what had been broken. This was a good sign to her, and it made her feel better that her friend was turning around. Slowly, but surely, she could see specks of his old self in his dark eyes. She liked that.

Holding out her hand, she would haul him to his feet if he accepted it, ending in a shaking of hands. A truce, and understanding.

"I think...I think we can do that."

She said, her bangs sticking to her forehead from the rain, and she brushed them aside.

[THE Justin]

He smiled at her, his toothy grin. He stood and offered his hand to help her up. After she took it, he'd hold it, and then move to embrace her in a hug.

"I'm sorry for everything Les. Lets be friends, yeah? We have a lot of catching up to do."

He smiled, pulling away, brushing his own bangs out of his eyes. He began running down the pier, laughing.

Laughing. With Olesya.

It was a miracle.

[Olesya]

Les was surprised when he turned their handshake into a hug, and she stiffened briefly, but relaxed, patting him on the back. It was a relief really, because for a while there she would half-expect him to jump out of every darker alley way, and had even had a nightmare or two about their rumble at the arcade. But it was over now, things would be good again.

"Yeah, we do."

She grinned, feeling like a weight had been lifted up off her shoulders. Sure, it may be awkward for a while, but this was definitely the sign of better times to come. things would get better between them, and who know, maybe they could start hanging out and eating hot dogs and laughing about bad music again, like they used to.