You & I, page 1

You & I are not so different
You & I were once the same

We were childhood best friends. "Practically joined at the hip," my mother would say. We did everything together, our lives like carbon copies of each other. Always in the same class at school; always walked home for lunch together--odd days at my house, evens at yours; did our homework together after school; joined the same summer camps every year; played community soccer together on the team.

You & I are not so different
You & I were once the same

One year they put you on a different team, and when they refused to switch you onto my team, you quit soccer altogether. Your mother signed you up for karate instead. We went to the park together every day after school except Wednesdays. Wednesdays I had soccer, and you had karate. We wouldn't see each other until the next morning at school. In grade five you didn't come to school one Thursday morning. At lunch I came to your house, but your mom wouldn't let me in. I didn't see you till Friday morning. You wouldn't talk about yesterday then. We went to the park and skipped stones on the little pond in silence until it was time to go home for dinner. You stopped going to karate on Wednesdays.

You & I are not so different
You & I were once the same

We both fell in love with the carrot-top girl in math junior year. We agreed to ask other girls to the end of year dance, that it was better if neither of us went with Jessie. But she came up to me after math when you had to run to co-op, and she asked me if I had a date yet. I told her no, that dances weren't my thing, so she asked me to a movie instead. I said yes. But I couldn't bring myself to tell you, so I pretended I was too sick to go and asked you to give Shyanne her corsage. We kept seeing eachother, in secret, because I couldn't face you. At graduation we told you we were together, and you just laughed. "I know," you told us. "Did you really think you could keep a secret from me?"

You & I are not so different
You & I were once the same

We hadn't seen each other since college started. It was Christmas Eve and I still hadn't seen you yet. When I answered a knock at the door that night, looking at you on the porch brought me back to the good old days in high school. You hadn't changed much, neither had I. You glanced up and smiled at me, then past me into the house. I looked back at the dining room, where my parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, little sister and girlfriend were all sitting, waiting for my father to say his prayers. They were talking and laughing, except Jessie. She was watching us intently. You cleared your throat and I looked back at you. I invited you in to have dinner with us, but you asked if we could go for a walk. You weren't smiling anymore. I looked back at Jessie again, and almost went back to the table to kiss her. Instead I shrugged on my coat and followed you out into the snow. We walked down the driveway into the street. Our whole neighbourhood was silent and the only light was twinkling strings of Christmas lights. We walked slowly toward the park at the end of the street, and I waited for you to say something. I always knew what my best friend was thinking, but tonight I couldn't figure it out. Finally you ask me if I'm still seeing Jessie. I know you know I am, but I answer anyway. You nod and glance away toward a black shadow moving across the park.

I've made my mind up to ask you why we're out here, why we're really out here, never mind the bull# I know you'll try to feed me. I opened my mouth and start to ask, but trail off as the details of a man become clear in the shadow moving toward us. He stops a few feet from us, hands shoved deep into his parka's pockets. "Hey boys, looking for a little Christmas cheer?" I shake my head, you tell him no thanks. We turned to leave but he called to us again, and you looked back at him. "Hang on, fellas. You may not want any Christmas cheer, but I sure as hell do." He stepped forward and pulled a knife out from his parka. "Hand over everything you got. And hurry it up." You started to shuffle ever so slightly back as I went to pull my phone out. I reached my hand out to pass it to the man, and he grabbed me by the wrist. He wrapped his arm around my neck so I wouldn't shout. I dropped my phone in the snow. "You too!" he barked at you. I could see that you were calculating the outcomes in your head. I had seen that look in your eye when we planned our senior prank. You pulled your wallet and phone out, and and he passed the knife off to the hand he was holding me with so you could pass him your stuff. You reached out, but at the last second you threw them at him. He jerked away to avoid catching your phone with his face. As he did so his grip on me slipped, and there was sudden pain and warmth on my neck. You didn't wait to see his reaction. You just ran. You didn't look back to see if I was following. You just ran. The mugger dropped me and ran too. I staggered and fell into the snow, lifted my head to look for you. I saw your shadow disappear at the end of the park, and then my vision was nothing but shadows.

You & I are not so different,
Friends forever, we both thought.
You & I were once the same,
but I am dead and you are not.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

No idea how this turned out, I had the idea for the refrain and wasn't sure what story to build around it. May mess around with it again later, but for now, it is what it is.