I, Ashlynn Leigh Slater, have only one single friend. His name is Kyle Jonah Reece, kindergarten made our friendship soar.

“Hello?” I answer the phone frantically sweat pouring from my face. I heard a silenced cry.

“Ash-Ashlynn; I-I don’t know what to do. I'm so scared.”

“Where are you at, what is happening to you, Kyle?” I asked hurriedly grabbing my coat and car keys, while all the while locking up Madeline, my exhausted Dalmatian puppy.

“At home, I can’t explain… What I'm doing! I NEED HELP!” Kyle screamed.

“I'm coming! Kyle, hold on! I'm coming! Don’t touch anything!” I say calmly.

“Oh-Okay.” He said sobbing harder, he hung up the phone and I followed slamming the END button and shoving it into my pocket.

I rushed out of the door slamming it shut behind me, not even bothering if it was locked.

I quickly pull out of the driveway and rev the engine and speed down the normally quiet, Kincaid Lane. As I pull into Kyle’s driveway, I only see his car; a blue beat-up mustang, sitting alone.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and jump out of the car, barely making the door close. I sprint up his sidewalk and march up the porch steps and burst through the door.

I see Kyle sitting on the couch.

“KYLE!” I screech.

He quickly gets up and rushes into my arms, hugging my waist. Kyle starts to cry harder than I have seen anyone cry in all of my seventeen years.

I shrug him away, “What were you doing?” I ask reaching behind him for a piece of paper.

“Don’t-“he says trying to grab it but he is too slow.

The paper read:


To Whom It May Concern…

I have decided to choose this road because my life is going nowhere. I needed an escape from LIVING HELL! The only person who is keeping me from possibly doing this is my best friend, and true love, Ashlynn Leigh Slater. She sat by me in Kindergarten and made my life exciting and vibrant. She is the only one who showed love for me. My f***ing parents, well who can blame them, abandoned me a few years ago to live with drugs, sex, and alcohol. Do not make my death local news, please only let Ashlynn know of this and dispose of me immediately. Thank You! I Love You, Ashlynn Leigh Slater.

Somewhere Better,

Kyle J. Reece

Beside of his suicide note was a ring, I picked it up and shoved it in his face along with the dirty letter.

“What is this? What were you trying to do, Kyle?” I asked sobbing and barely breathing.

“Trying to get some quiet time, for eternity, isn’t it obvious?”

“Well, that part is… What is the ring for?”

“You didn’t you read the note?”

“Yes, I did… Wait, proposal?”

“Yeah, I was gonna do that, but decided I was worth nothing more to you than a friend, so I wrote a note, set up a buffet and was ready to rock, until I re-read the letter over and over again. Re-reading your name tugged at my heart-strings. I couldn’t do it, you make me weak.” Kyle said trying to catch his breath.

“Buffet, show this buffet to me,” I say looking at Kyle, with no emotion on my face, who was looking elsewhere. “NOW!”

Kyle led the way through his over-sized house. He stopped at the entrance of the kitchen. “Look, Ashlynn, before we go in here, please do not hit me. I know you will have a very strong urge to hit me or even kill me, but please, just don’t.”

“Fine, I won’t, as long as it isn’t that bad.”

“Well,” Kyle moves to the side and I walk in, he sees my expression and says, “Told you.”


“KYLE, what is this? Seriously, why would you do this? Do you want me to just crash and burn?”

There were bottles of everything scattered about, filling up every little space on the counters and bottles of water, soda, and even alcohol.

“No, I-I want you to be happy and-.”

“Then why, explain this!”

“Because-because,”

“Because why, Kyle?”

“You don’t love me, Ashlynn!”

“What, you will never understand how-how hard I had to hide my feelings, because I never thought you would like me more than a friend.”

“What?”


“I have loved you, ever since that day in kindergarten. When every other little girl thought boys had cooties, I was in love. Ever since then, your name has been scribbled onto every page in my journal.”

“I'm sorry, Ashlynn. Really, I am.”

“Fine. What we are going to do now is, trash everything on those counters and every other bottle of anything harmful to you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I’ll go get a bag.”

As Kyle walked away, I couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Kyle was still here with me.

Kyle suddenly reappeared and I grabbed him into a warm hug, I never wanted to let him go.

“What- what was that for?” Kyle asked leaning his head towards me.

“I'm just very happy you’re here with me.” I said squeezing his hand.

“I'm glad too, very glad.”

I started to cry, “Please-“

“I won’t.” I knew he understood where I was going with my sentence. Before he could slip out of my grasp, I leaned in and kissed him delicately on the lips.