Valentine's Day

I've been trying to get this where I want it since February. It's not working.

On a Valentine's Day in middle school,

they were selling $1 carnations.

Between classes, I found one, the stem carelessly

broken off, lying on the floor, the colored petals

only slightly damaged.

I picked it up before it could be trampled on.

Two hours later, the First to ever matter

quickly begged to buy it off my hands

before scampering off to class.

It did not matter that half of the stem was missing,

I think he just needed something to hold on to.

Four years have passed and

he is not the only one to have mattered,

decisions became actions that became mistakes.

Our friendship barely survived.

But now, I question  where we stand

when I've already forgiven him.

I hold him close

but when he seems so broken,

the other half of his stem lost in a moment of carelessness,

it's hard to remember that some wounds

are as irreparable as a broken flower.

Author's Note

The middle of the second stanza is where I'm having difficulties. I love the first, I love the last 5 lines, but in the middle I can't find a way to say what I need to say. Ideas? thoughts?