On the night when T and I hungout in an old small lodge, the place was hideous, creepy even. T confessed that he was in love with me. I didn't feel the same way he thought I'd be.
At that exact moment is where everything began to go wrong.
I wish I had just left the lodge. I should've just left the lodge when I had the chance. But T looked like he was suffering. So I stayed. I approached him slowly, careful with every step. At that moment I saw T as an animal to not enrage. I carefully steped closer, trying to not make a sound.
"T, Are you okay?" I whispered
"I'm fine." He say in a monotone voice
I took a step back, I noticed something was different. T wasn't like before. Something in him snapped and took over. I was naive, I really was. I should've called my dad or T's mom.
T was on his knee bent over, his head on the wooden floor. He was sobbing, whining, like a wounded dog. He then fell incredibly quiet. He raised his head, his hair down covering his eyes. He grit his teeth and grinned. He stood up and stared at me for a moment.
I froze, I was scared I didn't know what to do. T turned around and walked over to the shelf with the items. He grabbed the bloody scissors and glared at me. He had a malicious intent I figured. But I just couldn't fucking believe it.
I approached him nervously. Shivering in fear. He didn't move a single muscle, he stayed still, glaring at me. A good 3 foot gap between us. I was unprepared. T lifted the scissors and launched an attack from above. He swings down with haste. His attack was sloppy, and weak. But the scissor would pierce even with such a sloppy strike.
I lifted my right leg and pivot backwards. His strike misses and I instictively punched him in the throat. Something I learnt from my father. He always taught me to hit the weakspots in case if my life is threatened.
T dropped his scissors and was pushed back to the shelves, the back of his neck hit the edge of the shelf. T raised his hand and tries to punch me, I caught his arm before he ever punched. I dragged him counterclock wise until we are standing directly in front of the boxes we sat on.
I didn't punch him or kick him, I pushed him. With all my strength. He tripped over the big box, he turned his neck around to see the ground and fell over. He stopped moving.
"T?"
"T? Come on buddy answer me."
I walked over the box and to him. His eyes were opened and they looked lifeless. I tried waking him up but to no avail. That's when I started panicking, I was confused.
Should I run? Should I stay? What do I do? I killed him? He isn't breathing. I need to do something. If I run what would happen? If I stayed what would happen?
I went through the back door and saw a door that leads underground, a basement of some sort. I opened the door and a scent of concentrated blood drowned my nose. I threw up on the grass. I walked down the stairs and saw a lifeless corpse lying on the ground. It was rotten. Then I ran out, closes the door and went back inside the lodge.
Then dilemma hit me like a truck, but fear got a hold of me. I glanced over to the rope on the shelf and grabbed it. I tied the rope on the wood close to the roof and I tied T's neck. I tightened and shortened the rope length to make T float above. I pushed the box he tipped over next to him.
"What have I done?"
"I started crying, I started feeling that fear I had. That bitter taste of the truth, it was sickening. I was disgusted at what I did. I wish no one knew what I did. I wish it had never happened. I killed my best friend, I didn't wanna die. But maybe there was another way. Another way to resolve it. Something that could've saved him."
"You.. You did what you had to do."
"What?"
"Cal, there wasn't any hope for him. He should've been in an asylum. But I just wanted him to live a normal life."
"Why aren't you angry with me?"
"Cal, I don't feel vengeful towards you. You gave him a normal life. I'm grateful to you. It's not your fault, it was either you or him. "
Aliyah looked at Neil and Leon. She was having a silent conversation about what they saw the other day. The two shook their heads in disagreement, Cal doesn't know what they mean. But he didn't question.
And so the truth was told, Cal faced the truth and went on to live with it. He'll never exactly be able to forgive himself nor get over it, but he keeps his head up high with uncertainty and optimism.
He started hanging out with his friends again, he's able to feel happy again. Though he feels guilty to do so, Aliyah, Neil, Leon, and even his dad will be there to keep him on track.
At the end of summer, moving day.
Cal's dad was inside his house waiting for Cal. Cal was outside his house with Aliyah, next to his car. Aliyah brought a thin rectangle wrapped present.
"This is it, huh?" Aliyah said in soft voice, almost sobbing
"Yeah."
"I'll miss you."
"Yeah, I'll miss you too."
"Promise you'll keep in touch?"
"I will. I promise."
"Hey, Cal. I've been thinking. Maybe we should... We should..."
"Break up?" He finishes her sentence
"Yeah."
"Honestly, I've been thinking the same thing. It may be for the best, we'll focus on ourselves more. And when we meet again, if we both still feel the same, maybe we should get back together."
"Deal." She said
For one last time, Aliyah wrapped her arms around Cal's neck and the two kissed each other goodbye.
Leon and Neil came by to say their final goodbyes too.
"Hey, Cal." Neil greeted
"Hey, guys."
Neil hugs Cal goodbye, and so did Leon.
"Good luck with your basketball career, Leon. If you have a tournament closeby I'll be sure to watch it." He wishes Leon good luck
"I'm looking forward to it." Leon smiled
"Neil, buddy, man, pal. You'll always be second fastest." Cal said
"For now, I'm coming for you. I'll be faster than you in your dreams." Neil said
"Go ahead, keep dreaming."
"Cal, this is for you." Aliyah hands over the present.
"Can I open it?" Cal asks
"When you get to your new house."
"Okay, I'll be expecting it to be something good."
Cal's dad then walked out of the house and joined them.
"Hey, everyone." His dad greeted
"Hi, Mr. Moore." The three said in unison
"I wanna say thank you to you guys for being friends with Cal, and helping him out. If you ever need help, call me, okay?" He said grateful
"We'll keep it in mind." Neil spoke for them
"Come on, Cal. We gotta go." His father said
Cal then opens his arms for a big group hug. All of them embraced him. They were happy, sad, nervous, optimistic.
"I'll miss you guys."
Cal's voice cracked. They let go, and Cal went quickly inside the car. He was hiding the fact he was shedding tears. His dad entered too and they finally drove away to New York.
4 HOURS LATER
Cal and his dad arrived at their apartment. Cal brought the present with him. He quickly—but carefully—unwrapped it. It was a picture frame, inside that frame is a drawing that Aliyah made. There were signatures from her and Leon and Neil. A drawing of a Cal, Aliyah, Neil, Leon, and Terrance. It wasn't realism rather anime style drawing. Cal was dumbfounded by the beauty of the drawing, he started crying.
Later that day he hung the picture frame in his room. A piece of memory to a bitter chapter in his life. He'll remember it. He'll remember it forever.
EPILOGUE
Three months have passed and a lot has changed. Leon's career is talked about all over the country. Neil was about go up against Cal in an 800 meter dash again, this time in an actual race with higher stakes than just public opinion. Aliyah improved her art by a huge margin, she started selling the pieces online and made quite the fortune. She got an internship as a rookie illustrator in a big shot production company.
Neil has a girlfriend now, short black hair, glasses, quite athletic in swimming. Her name's Lau.
Aliyah's still single, she misses Cal a lot, thinks about him a lot too. Cal felt the same way. He would make the tea that Aliyah bought when he misses her.
Nothing going on with Leon's dating life. He says that he has no time being in a relationship
Ms. Harol started working at AFSP (American Foundation of Suicide Prevention) eagerly.
Cal and his Dad was living happily together, Cal made new friends and they were planning to meet Cal's old friends back in town at the end of the year.
End
Message from author:
Well that's a one helluva story to write as my first official project. There are a few things I thought I could've done better, but either way, I'm quite happy with it.
I wanted to draw the art that Aliyah made but I can't add images to chapters.
Anyways, thank you for reading this story from start to finish. Even if you don't, thanks anyway.
I'll be writing a new story soon, I have a longer story in mind. Hope you'll look forward to it.