“You if I could take it back I would,” Colin said. He shifted in the chair next to my hospital bed. Aunt Cami told me it would be good to talk to him. But she wasn’t the one who had lost her Mom.

“Just say something please,” Colin whispers, I can hear the faintest sound of tears creeping into his voice.

The thing is, I don’t want to say something. If I open my mouth the only words that will come out will be my pain. And even though it was Colin who killed my mother, he didn’t deserve pain. No one did.

Colin leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. I can see his eyes more clearly now. A dark brown, it reminds me of soil right after a thunder storm.

“I’m really sorry,” Colin says, “And I’m going to make it up to you. No matter how many times you tell me to get lost or tell me nothing will fix what I’ve done.”

The corners of my mouth almost break into a smile. But I hold it back, I’m not going to smile at the boy who drove into my car and killed my mother. Even though what he’s saying does make me feel like there’s no reason to be mad at him. I can’t smile or pretend like he isn’t the one who turned my life upside down.

Colin straights up and I realize that I’ve been thinking for five minutes.

“I mean it,” Colin says, “I really do.”

I nod my head once, to let him know I understand. That maybe in the future, the far away future I’ll forgive him.”

Colin stands up, his blonde hair falling over his forehead.

“Just one thing,” Colin says, “I know you won’t answer but I was just wondering if you have a name.”

I wanted to speak to say what my name was, but something was keeping my lips from parting.

Colin stares into my eyes, “Alright then, since you don’t seem to have a name I’ll call you. . .Belle. Because I ruined your life so that makes me the beast and you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen so that makes you Belle.”

Colin lifts a hand in a small wave before leaving the room.

I feel like I’ve been hit by something. By a basket ball, but it didn’t hurt. It just surprised me.

“Belle,” I whisper, smiling to myself. Maybe there was a chance that I would forgive him. Maybe there was a chance that I would find what I had always wanted.