"Bird"

Bird. This is probably the worst word I could have pulled out of the gold mug. I did not need to be reminded of you today. I'll never forget the first time our eyes met across the room of music class.

Everyone always called you Bird. I still don't know why for sure. Maybe it was because when you first moved here, we noticed that you always stayed in Mr. J's class after school to talk to him about the stuffed ones hanging from the ceiling. Or maybe it's because you always said you wanted to fly whenever they would ask us, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I guess I'll never know for sure. But, for whatever reason, you were Bird and probably still are, wherever you are.

I remember you telling me all about your flight from California to Pennsylvania, or your love of the bright blue sky, as we walked to my house, hand in hand, everyday after school. How amazing it was for you to fly. But after we both lost the mind game that Ashley had played with us, we never spoke again. I lost everything and apparently, you gained it. You had the looks, the friends, but then you started to fly on those little blue pills. I guess, at the time, that was better than your dream of actually flying. But me, I lost all of my friends including you, the one who mattered the most. You didn't come down to save me like I had always hoped you would. You just stayed up there, flying, while I was left sad and alone.

I know we were young but I loved you. And I know you loved me too until you let her lies consume you and ruin us. I'm still shocked at how blind you were when I pleaded with you not to leave me like everyone else had. You would have been better. Probably a pilot or just about. But you chose a different way to fly. I tried to help you. Maybe I should have tried harder and I'm sorry for that. I hope you're better now Bird. I hope that addiction has left you alone so that you can live up to the potential I always knew you had.