Husbands But Not

40: The End Is In Your Eyes

Noah

I didn't know Ruby Red much at first. Hell, before I knew Raiken, I didn't know her at all. If I were to be honest, I wouldn't have befriended her on my own. She didn't seem like someone I'd enjoy being with, or have fun in her company. That was all based on observation. It was all wrong, though.

I shouldn't have assumed anything about her.

Once we met, we became too close too quickly. She understood me in ways I didn't understand myself. She knew things about me that I didn't know existed, figured out what I needed before I needed it. She was like a mom to our small group, and a good one at it.

Sawyer Scott was fairly new to our circle. She was a good friend to Ruby, and a good friend to us by association. She liked the same things we did, including robots, which with Ruby's help, was the theme of this year's spring formal.

Raiken Red was a weird kid. He was the strangest person I've ever met. He wrote stories about vampires, even though he thought vampires were creepy and had a deep irrational fear of them.

He was many things. He was a supportive cousin to Ruby, a supportive friend to Spyder and I, and an aspiring vampire novelist.

Ronan Haynes, Spyder, was my best friend. He had my back since we were kids. We fought, we played, we laughed, we cried, we cursed the world and loved life.

I couldn't deny that he went through a lot. He had a secret crush on his best friend, found out that his best friend likes someone else, then found out it's his half brother. It wasn't easy, but he got out of it unscathed. He was the toughest person I knew.

Although he only transferred to our school recently, and became my friend outside the team even more recently, Gavin Ross was a sturdy, dependable person who I could count on when I needed.

André Herrera, a hungry, supportive friend. He was there in the rare times we needed him, still there when we didn't.

I had expectations when I started the school year.

I knew that my 11th year was going to be critical. It was a major academic year. It set us up for our senior year, and for some reason put a huge focus on the all-year Home Economics project, which ended with a fictional wedding that happened during the spring formal.

For once, I took a look inside of my head. A real deep look at what I were getting myself into: A future of him and I. A cerulean blue future. I walked through the halls of the school once again, but this time, everything was coated in a glossy finnish extracted from deep within my mind. A fresh coat of paint, made from daydreams woven into plans that may or may not become real.

We did win the game. The last game of the season was won because Gavin was a great captain, and the team did their best.

I couldn't go.

I couldn't play.

I missed my one chance at seeing you, Kent Sinclair.

As I walked, one could barely notice my limp anymore.

I was on my way to the gym. Not to work out, not to practice.
The spring formal had started, and I was around ten minutes late.