Thank you ill_eat_wince for all your editing help. As always, this is the drama of my imaginary friends's and enemies' lives and all of them are over the age of consent, 18+.
~~~~~
Dylan tried to concentrate on his letter, well blank piece of lined notebook paper. It stared at him from the counter top in an accusatory manner.
'Dear Connie, I'm so sorry for what I did. Please forgive me.'
He ripped the page from the notebook, balled it up and pitched it toward the other discarded pieces of paper in the trashcan. He missed the large open mouth of the metal container, once again.
'Dear Connie, I love you and I'm so sorry that I hurt you.'
Dylan ripped that page up while beating himself up. He dug his fingers into his shorn head, wishing he still had hair to rip out by the roots.
Why was it so hard to put into words what he was feeling? What he needed to say and what he should have said before he left?
Dylan slipped out of the house too afraid to face what he had done. He had seen the bruises on her pale flesh in the early morning light as he carried her to her pink colored bedroom. That was more than enough. In his head, he joined those images with her pleas of 'no' and 'stop'. They echoed in his ears and mind to torture him like nothing else in the world.
"Fuck," he screamed to no one as he raced to the bathroom and vomited up beer, pizza, and mostly bile until his stomach emptied. He dry heaved into the filthy toilet, then ran water in the sink to rinse his mouth of the vile taste from his stomach. He just couldn't look at his reflection in the mirror. The station announced it was time to board his bus.
'Dear Connie,
I hate myself for what I've done to you. Please forgive me. I love you more than I could ever say. I'm sorry I hurt you, please forgive me for what I've done.
All my love, your brother, Dylan'
He didn't imagine the letter could ever repair the damaged he had done to her as he tore the sheet of paper from the notebook, stuffed it in an envelope, and addressed the envelope for home. He handed his letter to the Postmaster before climbing on a bus heading to basic training.
~~~~~
Dear Diary,
My heart hurts. Dylan signed up for the army today. Happy 18th birthday to me. Not. I can't stand it. Angie said he was being a selfish pig. I can't believe she dumped him because he signed up. I think he did it for her. He said he wanted to be able to afford a house and stuff. As if the army is the only place where he could make money?
He's super smart. He's athletic. His knee injury last year wasn't that bad. So what if, he can't play basketball anymore? So what if he can't afford college anymore? He shouldn't have done it. And Angie dumped him so he doesn't need to go. I hope he changes his mind.
Mom and Dad think it's great. I hate it. He leaves next week. I have to tell him how I feel before he's gone again, like when he left for college. I'll take another one of his t-shirts to sleep in, but a Dylan scented shirt is not the same as having him here.
Sad Connie
~~~~~
Dear Diary,
Dylan leaves in 3 days. I have to do something to stop him. What can I do? I don't want to live without him here. I love him like a sister shouldn't. I'm glad Angie dumped him. Not like he'd turn to me, but still I love him too much to let him go again.
I need Mom and Dad to say something so he won't go. Except they think it's so great. Don't they know that it's dangerous? It's not like peace time. It's a war, that's what they say. How can he do this? I'm going crazy thinking about him leaving me.
Miserable Connie
~~~~~
Dear Diary,
Two days until Dylan leaves. I have to do something. I should tell him. Maybe he won't go if I just tell him how I feel. I've had a million fantasies about him for so long and I just think that he is the one. You know, that all gushy inside feeling of love, that's how I feel about Dylan. I don't care that he's my brother. I think even part of my obsession with him is the fact that he is my brother.