Terrible dream

Rachael was pretty and she knew it.
She could get any guy she wanted.
I knew I didn’t stand a chance with her, but I never gave up.
Every night, the girl would meet a new guy. Sometimes, they would call her back. Sometimes they wouldn’t bother.

Every night, the girl would cry herself to sleep. She hated her life. She hated being used by guys. She wanted to meet a genuine guy, a guy with a true heart who would really love her.

I knew exactly what she was going through. I could see through all her fake smiles, but I never had the courage to speak up and tell her how I felt.

As time went by, the girl became more and more depressed. Even the fake smile on her face began to fade. All of her friends deserted her. They began to spread vile rumors about her. Her heart was broken and her past was beginning to catch up with her.

One day, I finally managed to work up the courage to tell her how I really felt about her. I wanted to take her away from the life she was living and show her what true love was like. I wanted to treat her the way a girl should be treated, with kindness and respect.

I made my way to her house. With every step, I rehearsed what I was going to say to her. I was so nervous. I was dreading what would happen if she turned me down. I hated rejection. I couldn’t stand the embarrassment.

I waited at the bottom of her driveway, unsure of what to do. Then, I saw a middle-aged man come out the front door. As the man walked past, he asked me if I was next.
I didn’t understand and slowly approached the front door. It was open, so I went inside. I saw arrows on the wall, pointing towards the lounge. When I got in, I saw a letter lying on the couch. It read:

"Dear Mom,
I have finally made enough money to help you pay off all our debts. I hope this will make you happy. Mom, I’ve been thinking about something for a while now. I have ruined my life and I just can’t take it anymore. My whole life, all I’ve given you is sorrow. It would be better if I was gone from this world. You are better off without me. I know you will probably be too wasted on alcohol to understand what I am saying, Mom, but despite everything that has happened, I want you to know that I always loved you. What I am about to do is nobody’s fault but mine. My whole life, all I wanted was true love, Mom, but I guess it wasn’t for me. I guess it was never meant to be. Bye Mom, I love you.
Rachael."

I dropped the letter and began desperately looking for the girl. I was worried I might be too late to stop her. Just then, I heard the garage door close. I ran to the garage and found the girl sitting there on a chair. She was holding a knife.

I walked up to her and knelt down beside her. She looked at me and started to cry. Tears of shame flowed down her cheeks.

“All I ever wanted was true love,” she wailed.

I didn’t say anything. I just put my arms around her. I hugged her and held her close. I stayed with her all night and kept her company. I told her I would never let her go. For the first time in her life, she felt loved.

Then, suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. I began gasping for air. The girl asked what was wrong and realized that I had forgotten my inhaler. I was suffocating right before her eyes.

The girl didn’t know what to do. She wanted to run and get help, but she didn’t want to leave me alone, not even for a second. I didn’t want her to leave my side either. I had finally found true love and now I couldn’t bear to let it go.

Finally, the girl got up and tried to go for help, but I refused to allow her to leave. I told her I wanted her to hold me. I said I just wanted to stay in her arms. She sat next to me and held me tight. She kissed me on the cheek.

“You showed me what true love is,” she said. “You can’t leave without me.”

I looked up at her with tears flowing down my face. Then, my eyelids fluttered and my eyes closed. They didn’t open again.

The girl got up and searched the garage, opening cupboards and looking under tables. Then, all of a sudden, something caught her eye. It was her grandfather’s shotgun.

She lay down beside me and covered us with a warm blanket. Looking up at the ceiling, she put the barrel of the shotgun in her mouth and started counting backwards.
10… 9… 8… 7… 6…

All the girl had ever wanted was to feel true love. Now that she had found it, she didn’t want to let it go.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

She pulled the trigger. There was a deafening boom and her brains splattered all over the garage and on my face.

Suddenly I woke up sweating in bed. Everywhere was quiet except for my wheezing breath. Then I reached under my pillow and took two puffs from the inhaler.
What a terrible dream!