Cheerleader

Word Count: 783


My best friend used to be my cheerleader. I couldn't ask for someone more supportive, always in my corner, encouraging me to strive for whatever I wanted. If something didn't go my way, she was always at home waiting for me with open arms and a massive tub of ice cream. She was always there for me, whatever the time, when I needed her. We were inseparable from the moment we met. I had never believed in soul mates until the day that I met her. Our love was platonic, but it ran deep and true.

However, that all changed one horrible night that I will never forget, no matter how much I want to. I got the call in the middle of the night. As soon as the phone rang, waking me up, my stomach sank. Nothing good ever came of a middle of the night call, especially from a strange number. It was with trepidation that I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I asked, all traces of sleep had gone.

"Is this Eleanor?" It was a strange male voice. In the background I could hear beeping and the white noise of many people rushing about.

"Yes, who is this?" I sat up in bed, clinging onto my teddy bear without realising it.

"I'm Dr Dean Harper, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Your friend Lexi has you marked in her phone as her emergency contact." It was true, she was mine as well, except she didn't have any family that could be contacted unlike myself. "I think you should come down the hospital." I don't actually remember how I got to the hospital, or anything the doctor said to me once I got there. All I know is that was the night I had to say my final goodbye to my best friend.

"I don't know what to do, Lex." I said through a sniffle. I had long ago stopped bothering to wipe away my tears. In the lonely graveyard there was no one to impress. Even if Lexi could see me right now, she had seen me looking even worse. "You were my sounding board, my cheerleader, my everything. You were my best friend." A silent sob racked my body. I cuddled myself by folding my arms into my chest. I was leaning against the gleaming marble headstone. "What should I do?" I pleaded with the empty air.

It was at that moment that a small gust of wind pushed my bedraggled hair in front of my eyes. When I raised my head to shake it back, I saw something that I had never expected. A single white feather, soft and downy, was fluttering in front of my face. I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped me. I couldn't help but think this was a sign. I knew white feathers were supposed to be a sign from beyond.

"Lexi?" I asked, feeling hope begin to build within me. Another gust of wind, from a previously breezeless day, started up. The little feather danced across the air, almost beckoning me to follow.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I stood up quickly, stumbling slightly as my legs protested, being cramped up for too long. I followed the prancing feather across the cemetery, winding among the tombstones. Up ahead I saw the first person that I had seen all day; I wasn't quite as alone in the cemetery as I had first thought. The gust got stronger and plucked the feather from the air. It sailed down to land close to the young man who was knelt beside a grave, much in the same way I had been only moments ago. The movement was enough to disturb him. His handsome face turned in the direction of the feather. Not a second later he reached out and picked it up delicately from the grass. Then his eyes gazed upward to meet mine.

"Are you looking for this?" he asked kindly.

That day was the worst and best of my life. It was the lowest point of my grief and the height of my loneliness, yet it was also the day that I met my closest friend. He wasn't my soul mate, that title was truly held by Lexi, but it was the person who held my heart. Our friendship was passionate, burning and true, a romance for which I hadn't been looking. It was the day that I started believing. Lexi had always looked out for me, showed me what do; my own personal cheerleader. That day she picked me up and showed me the rest of my life. She always had been my best friend, and always would be.