"Christopher, that's not fair! I'm gonna tell your mother." The little red headed freckled girl yelled up the tree. He always did this. Alone together he was wonderful, the type of boy she loved being friends with. But as soon as his group of friends came around, she was left to find something else to do...alone. She was a good friend wasn't she? What did she do to make him treat her this way with all the other boys of the neighborhood? All she wanted was her best friend back, the one she told all her secrets to, the one who knew her inside and out as she did him. He was two years older, but they were inseparable so long as the other boys were out of sight.
After fighting off his little giggle fit, Christopher gave in and threw down the rope ladder that allowed one to climb up and enter the old tree house. "Fine, come up here. But you know girls aren't allowed!"
"You let me up all the time!" Sara Beth said as she began to climb the long ladder. "You just don't want your friends to think you're less manly for hanging out with a girl all the time."
Reddening in the face, Christopher became upset she would say that in front of his friends. She knew he didn't like them knowing they were so close. She didn't know why he didn't want them knowing, but she still knew. Hearing the snickers from the other boys behind him, Chris decided to prove he didn't like the girl he secretly loved with all his heart. "You're such a liar!" Smacking the rope as hard as he could, he watched as it shook all the way down to Sara Beth. He was happy when she looked so scared and tried to get a good grip on the rope so she wouldn't fall, but she couldn't. Chris's smile and laughter immediately turned into a look of pure horror and worry as the girl tumbled off the rope and down to the ground, a 3 foot fall that shouldn't have hurt as badly as it had.
"Sara Beth!" Chris called as he made his way down the ladder as quickly as possible to get to his best friend. How could he have done that? Those other boys weren't worth hurting her over, she meant too much to him. "Sara, are you ok? I'm so sorry, I never meant for you to fall."
Feeling the tears seep from her eyes, Sara Beth looked to her friend of five years. How could he have done that to her? She though she had meant more to him, but apparently she was wrong. No true friend would have ever done that. "Stay away from me, Christopher. I never want to see you again."
Chris watched as Sara Beth stood up and ran away from him. Something inside him snapped as he heard the snickers and yells coming from above him back in the tree house. She was his friend, and it was time he started to show it, no matter how the other boys felt about it. "You know what? You guys are such assholes! I can't believe I would do this just to make you think I was cool. Sara Beth is my friend and I don't care what you think. I just hurt the best girl I could ever know because of you. I'm done with this." Turning and running away from the tree house, Chris felt liberated. He had never stood up for her before, but he made a promise to himself that day. He would never let anything come between them again, no matter the cost. And he most certainly wouldn't let anything happen to her unless it was for the better. She meant too much to him.
---
"Sara, are you sure you're alright? You haven't been yourself lately. Ever since I made you fall from the tree house." Chris stated with worry in his eyes. Since that day he had noticed a lack in her usual happy and perky attitude. She was withdrawn, pale, and it was hard to get a hold of her. He told himself it was all in his head, but deep down he knew something wasn't right. The fall had been two months ago, surely any injury that happened from it would have been healed by then.
"I'm fine, Christopher." She answered in that same monotone voice he had heard from her too many times in the past few weeks.
Stopping, he turned to his best friend. Putting his hands on her arms, he stopped her movements. "I know you're keeping something from me. Sara, you know I love you, you can tell me anything." Seeing a tear roll down her cheek, Chris put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. "Hey, what is it?"
Visibly trembling, Sara Beth took in a shaky breath. "Christopher, there's something I need to tell you." And in those few words, his world shattered. Nothing was the same ever again. He should have known, he should have read all the signs, but he didn't, he couldn't. Sara Beth was his best friend, his first love. This couldn't be happening. She was a perfect sixteen year old girl. No, this wasn't happening, it was a dream. It had to be, and any moment now he would wake up from this nightmare and everything Sara Beth had told him would be forgotten, but he never did and it never was. It was real. His Sara Beth was being taken away from him a little at a time, and his world was crumbling down around him.
Over the course of the next few months Chris never left her side. Sara Beth, his soul mate, best friend, and true love, was dying. She needed him now more than ever, and he would be there through thick and thin, no matter what.
Walking up the front porch steps to Sara Beth's house, Chris just walked right in. He had been doing it for so long, he never thought twice about it. The Masterson's house was a second home to him. He found Richard, Sara's father, in the living room watching an old time movie. After getting the information that Sara and her mother were cleaning out the attic, Chris made his way up there with the bouquet of purple tulips he had bought just for Sara. It was her favorite flower and seemed to make the worst of days a little bit brighter.
"Special delivery for a special lady." Chris said, bowing over and holding out the bouquet. Seeing her favorite man in the doorway of the attic, a smile immediately graced Sara Beth's lips. Bouncing over to him, she took the flowers and circled her arms around his neck. He always knew how to make the pain go away, if only for a moment.
Letting go of Chris, Sara looked down at the flowers. "Thank you. They‘re beautiful."
"I agree. But not quite as beautiful as their new owner." Feeling the blush creep up on her cheeks, Sara kissed Chris softly on the lips, thanking him once again. "So, what have you girls been up to all day?"
"Just trying to get rid of some junk. Well, mom's trying to clean out dad's old stuff from the ‘60s, but he just won't have it. Now she's trying to sneak it out with my old baby stuff."
"Hey, your father's junk is leaving this house one way or another!" Carey spoke up from behind a large mirror.
"Do you mind if I steal her away for the rest of the night? Well, until about eleven?"
Looking to her sick daughter and her boyfriend, Carey sighed. "I don't know."
"Mommy, please. Just one night. I'll be home and in bed by eleven, I promise. Just please let me go out this one time?" Sara Beth begged her mother. The past few weeks she had only been allowed to leave the house under the supervision of her parents since the news of her cancer beginning to worsen, even with her treatments. If she didn't get out of the house she was afraid she was going to go insane.
Realizing she couldn't keep her baby girl cooped up forever, Carey gave in. "Alright, but you have to be back by eleven, no later."
"Thank you, Mom." Sara said, kissing her mother on the cheek. Chris did the same, only he kissed her on the other cheek.
"Yeah yeah, you kids have fun."
After leaving the house, Chris had surprised Sara Beth with a beautiful dinner at the beach, something he had set up hours before. Seeing the beautiful candles and flowers set up around the table with the white table cloth, Sara couldn't help but to cry silently. She had the most amazing boyfriend, if only she could spend more time with him.
After their amazing dinner, of which Sara ate very little, the couple walked along the beach, arms around one another. Stopping shortly, Sara Beth turned to Christopher. Looking at him with her sparkling green eyes that never seemed to lose their luster, she said in a soft voice, "Dance with me." Never needing to think about it, and even through there was no music, Chris put his arm around her waist and she put her hand in his, together they swayed, her hair blowing softly in the wind.
"Can I ask you something, Sara?" Keeping her eyes closed as they danced, she let out a soft "mhm." "Are....are you scared?"
Chuckling a little, Sara said "To death." Feeling Chris stop dancing, she looked at him. "Lighten up, Christopher."
"That's not funny, Sara Beth." Seeing the unshed tears in his eyes and the way he had said her name, Sara knew he was scared. But was she?
Taking a shaky breath, she looked away for a moment. "Not of dying." She shook her head. "That's not what scares me anymore."
"Then what does?"
"Knowing that I'm never going to have a future. Knowing that my life is being cut short before I can get married and start a family with you. Two years ago I had so many plans for my life. And now I'm never going to get to see those plans through. That is what hurts the most." As the tears fell from her eyes faster, Chris took her in his arms and held onto her. He was so upset with himself for breaking his promise. The promise of never letting anything happen to her. He wished that he could hold her in his arms forever, that he could kiss away the pain, that he could protect her from the cancer that was slowly eating her alive, but he couldn't. And he hated that more than anything. How could the doctors say they caught it in time? That it wouldn't come back? They were all liars, and now his Sara Beth was going to die and there was nothing he could do to save her.
---
Feeling the warm rays on her skin, Sara Beth rolled over in bed, slowly waking. It was a brand new beautiful day, and she could feel the sickness overtaking her once again. Sitting up slowly as to not disturb her stomach, Sara couldn't help but to feel as though something were missing, something from her head. Turning a little, she looked down at the mass of red curls laying on and around her pillows. She felt the tears fall as she called for her mother. She ran to hold her little girl and let her cry into her chest. Why was this happening? How could God let such a horrible thing happen to such an amazing young lady?
As she rocked Sara Beth back and forth, Carey fought long and hard to keep her tears at bay, but she could hold them in no longer and she cried along with her daughter.
---
Sitting at her vanity, staring at her reflection, Sara Beth couldn't look away. It was a quarter to seven, and Chris would be there any minute to pick her up for the prom, only to be told she wasn't going. It would be a mistake for a boy to take a girl with no hair to the prom. He would just have to find another date, although she was sure he would not.
"Sara, he's here." Her mother told her through the doorway. Sighing, Sara Beth stood and slowly made her way down the stairs, holding onto the railing for dear life. Her legs were not as strong as they once were and she did not want to fall.
Seeing Christopher standing in the living room with her mother and father, Sara Beth wanted to cry. He looked amazing in his black tuxedo, and she looked horrible. Why was he with her?
"Christopher, I..." Before she could say what was on her mind, he had taken off the black hat he had been wearing, and her breath caught in her throat. Walking up to her boyfriend, Sara felt the tears well in her eyes as she reached her hand up, and where his hair had been that morning, she softly touched just skin.
"I don't want you going through this alone." He said softly as both her parents broke down and cried. Wrapping her arms around him, Sara squeezed tightly as she let herself break down once again. She truly knew what it meant to be in love.
---
"Chris? Chris, we're here." Christopher came out of his daze as he heard his mother's voice. Here? Where's here? He thought to himself. Looking out the car window, he felt nauseous as everything rushed back over him like a tidal wave.
"Good morning, Carey. Sara Beth still sleeping?"
"It's only eight thirty two, of course she is."
"Mind if I wake her up?"
"No, go right ahead."
Going up the stairs and down the hallway to Sara's room, Chris couldn't help the horrible feeling he just could not shake. That's why he was there so early, he needed to see her, he needed to talk to her, to make sure she was alright. Opening the door slowly, Chris saw her angelic form lying on her bed, seemingly asleep. Getting closer to her, Chris' heart all but stopped. She wasn't breathing. "Sara?" He whispered, gently touching her face with his fingers. Feeling the coldness of her skin, Chris' worst fears came true and he couldn't stop the tears from falling. "Sara Beth, wake up." He shook her this time, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. She was gone. "CAREY! RICHARD!" Chris called frantically as he kept trying to get Sara Beth to wake up, but she wouldn't. "No, Sara, you can't leave me. You just can't." Falling to the ground as Mr. And Mrs. Masterson rushed into the room, he completely broke down. She was gone forever, he had failed her.
Standing up at the podium in the large church, Chris stared down at the light color of the wood. His mind was filled with images of he and Sara Beth together, of her smiling face, of the way she looked when he had found her in her bed...dead.
Clearing his throat, Chris looked up to the filled pews of the church and his heart broke. "Sara Beth Masterson, what is there to say? She was the best person I've ever known. She was my rock, my angel, my best friend, and my first and true love. She was always there for me as was I for her. We confided in each other when the world seemed to turn its back us. We saw one another through everything, through thick and thin, but this was one thing I couldn't get her through, one thing none of us were prepared for." Stopping to take a shaky breath and try to control his rising emotions, Chris looked to the open casket to his left. He took in the features of the still girl, then he looked to the tulips, and his eyes began to well with tears once again. "I promised Sara Beth that if she died before me, I would go on as though nothing were wrong. We had our time together, she'd said. I'd move on, I'd know what it's like to be happy again. I couldn't keep my promise to keep her safe, so I'm going to try my hardest to keep my promise to live. I'm going to do it because its what Sara Beth wanted." Looking down at his hands as they clutched at the podium, Chris didn't notice the tears falling, soaking the wood. "She told me once that she wasn't scared of dying anymore. She'd accepted it. Some people go their whole lives without ever having found someone to love. She lived her life, and she knew what it meant to love and be loved in return. Even with the disease she thought she was the luckiest person in the world. And I'm going to miss her." Chris's voice cracked, more tears streaming down his tortured face. "I love you Sara Beth, wherever you may be."
---
Sitting in the back of the Masterson's house, Chris watched the clouds pass by, shadow after shadow going over him. For a moment, he looked away and glanced down the hill behind the house. Not sure if he was dreaming or not, Chris stood and took a few steps closer to the trees.
"I see you baby girl, I see you." He whispered as a small smile tugged at his lips. She may have been taken from them two days ago, but her suffering and pain was ended, and she was now free. "She's dancing, around and around without any cares and a soft wind is blowing her hair..." Chris sang lowly to himself as he watched the happy, carefree spirit dance around the trees. "for a moment, I'm not scared."
*Based on the song Skin(Sara Beth) by Rascal Flatts