When He's Gone

Chapter 7: What made you stay?

When we're back at the school, Lynzee parts her way for cosmo, and Johnathan walks me to our open art class for any grade.  My favourite teacher, Mrs. Smith, instructs us to sit with a partner and instantly John grabs my arm. I turn and look up at him and he just gives me the "I don't want to talk to any one else" look, which is understandable.

Once she's done explaining the assignment, Johnathan and I get up to grab the supply's we're gonna need. Basically, the assignment was to express the emotions you feel everyday, so for John and I it's not gonna be so happy now that our best friend is across the world. We sit back down with our paint palettes and get to work.

We work with everyone else's conversations closing us in until John breaks the unbearable silence. "I really miss him, I just feel so lost, and I'm sure you know exactly what I mean." His eyes meet mine and once again you can see how alone he feels. "Gosh John I know, I can't imagine how we're gonna make it, he keeps us all grounded." "He was the first person to accept me for who I am, you know? And he was the only one to ever keep the promise that he wouldn't leave me, but eventually he did." He starts to get all choked up and I can't help but wrap my arms around him. Johnathan was bullied growing up because he didn't learn as fast as the other kids and he had a hard time communicating with other people. Brooklyn was the only kid who wanted to be his friend and not just because of pity. He helped him with his classes and sports and attempted to break him out of his shell. Look where Johnathan is today.

After he finishes telling me all these stories from their childhood I can't help but smile until he asks me a question. "What made you stay? I mean, there's not a lot of people who would've stayed in a long distance relationship at our age. Brooklyn was the one who wanted me to ask you though, I just- I didn't really know how to bring it up."