"Don't worry," he says. The edges of his frown tugged upwards with a false smile. "Be happy!"
"Happy?" She laughed, her hoarse tone making him wince. Slowly, maliciously, she looks up at him. The cold, distant
look in her eyes have been replaced with irritation and a dull sense of anger. "Happy? You're telling me to be happy?
Even after all these years?"
He falters, "Why, of course . . . I want you to be happy."
Her threatening gaze is chokingly dangerous.
"When you were a child, you feared the dark." She began, "When ever you entered that dark hallway at night to go to
the bathroom, you felt as if it engulfed you. You were scared of the things that were inside of its seemingly endless void.
And you would run, hoping to escape it and return to the light. And your parents . . they'd tell you, 'Don't be afraid of the
dark, Tommy. There is nothing to fear'. Yet, no matter how hard you tried, the overwhelming feeling of paranoia overtook
you the moment you stepped into that darkness."
Her eyes locked onto his. He felt so exposed around her. He felt so . . . so . . insignificent. So tiny. So weak. As if she could see into his very soul.
Feebly, he nodded. "Yeah . ."
The girl took a deep breath before starting once again. "Then don't you dare tell me to smile after all these years of
depression, emptiness and isolation. Because you know full well, Thomas! You know full well that no matter how hard
I try , I will not be able to pull off a real smile!" She fumbled with the zipper of her sweater, trying to regain her composure.
"Abby - "
"Enough." She hissed. "I've had enough of your false hopes and support. I'm done."
He watched her go. He couldn't do anything. . . he felt so useless. He felt so . . so . . so insufferable and undeserving.
She had waited on him. She was patient with him. The girl could have abandoned him years ago, because she knew. He
knew she did. She knew that every single compliment, inspirational speech, every seemingly comforting hug was false.
Why? Because he didn't know and he didn't care. Nor did he know how to comfort her breaking form. So he lied.
And now he could feel the broken, empty feeling she had felt all these years when he watched her shoulders bounce as
she walked, holding in the sobs that threatened to escape her lips.
And he knew all along, despite his mocking words, that she had forgotten how to smile.
Omniscient