Fiction.

Prologue : Dear My Closest Friend

Erin Parker-

I have to tell you one last time how beautiful you truly are in my eyes. You always have been, even before you knew I existed. I remember when you first moved here. You were still your natural blonde then. It was before you pierced your nose and covered the tops of your ears in shiny metal. You were so innocent at fourteen, and sometimes I find myself wonder what had ever happened to that girl that had captivated me throughout the entirety of my freshmen year. But then I look into those eyes, those gorgeous blue-green eyes, and I realize that she's still in there, hidden behind the makeup and piercings. You've always been her.

If I'm honest, I've always loved you. The day we were partnered up in biology was probably the happiest day of my life. I remember it as well as I remember the every detail about you.

It was a Friday in Mr. White's class. We were all in the original partners from months before when we had first stepped foot into high school. One look around the room and you knew you were surrounded by nerves. Like always, I was that kid that ran into the class and ducked his head, hiding behind a book. But as soon as you walked through the doors, tugging at the sweater sleeves you had worn despite the weather, I couldn't avert my eyes. I was so mystified by you. My best friend, Jordan, had at some point plopped into the seat next to me, but I wasn't paying him any attention. It was the same fascination I had as you stepped foot into that classroom in the middle of November. The air surrounding us was chilly and dry, but despite it all, you had worn a white sundress that reached your knees, a pair of sandals to match. On any other day, I would've thought you were crazy, but it wasn't just any day. It was your birthday.

But what had fascinated me most was that lily stuck behind your ear, making the yellow in your hair stand out. Do you remember that vase of white lilies that were sitting in your locker that morning? Because I sure do. I was so proud when I saw one of my lilies in your hair. Proud that you liked them enough to show them off, to parade them around school, despite not knowing who it was that had given them to you.

Mr. White was late like always. Everyone was jabbering excitedly. They talked of the party your older brother was hosting for you that week, the first basketball of the season, the upcoming band concert. They talked about everything that they could think of, but I just sat there, listening to the conversations around me, watching you animatedly talking about anything and everything as you sat atop of your desk, one leg crossed over the other.

I was quiet like always, sitting there as I sketched that exact image of you. i was so bewildered by just how perfect you looked that I couldn't just lost the image forever. I was going to save it in my memory forever by drawing it on a temporary sheet of paper. It was my only focus at the time. I had to get the basics down, I had to get enough to finish it later. I couldn't bring my attention away or to anything else. Not that it mattered. There was no one around that exactly demanded my attention.

Maybe I should have paid more attention, because the next thing I knew, chairs were scraping the floor and students were running to the wall, the same one Mr. White stood in front of the class pointing at. I rushed to gather everything, scared that you would see. It wasn't ready yet. It wasn't even close to good. I couldn't let you see it before you had a chance to meet me.

My eyes were pointed down towards the floor; my body swayed back and forth, waiting to hear my name paired with my new lab partner. At the time, it had never crossed my mind that there could ever be even the slightest possibility of us being paired. He would be nice and put you with either Carson or Jenny. You were his prized student.

So just imagine my surprise when his hoarse voice rang out, pointing at a desk toward the back, "Erin Parker and Nikolás Flores." My head snapped up and eyes grew wider than I had ever imagined was possible. I was frozen in my shock, just staring at Mr. White as though he had just lit the room on fire.

"Is there a problem, Niko?" I had quickly shook my head, rushing to the seat next to yours. Although I was rather nervous, it was nearly impossible to contain my excitement. My hands were shaking and I kept glancing at you from the corner of my eye. You were smiling slightly and I couldn't help it. I let my mouth stretch into a smile as well. You were so beautiful and I knew that this was going to be the start of something different in my life.

And I was right. You slowly became my friend over the course of that semester, and then you made your way to best friend, finding a place even deeper into my heart and into my life. That's why I'm so sorry to be writing this.

The fact that you're reading this letter right now means one thing: I'm already gone. But I want you to know none of it is your fault. Nothing could ever be your fault.

Te amo más de lo que nunca sabrás, Erin. Don't forget me.

Siempre Amo -- Niko

-

I love you more than you will ever know. . .

To understand me, there are certain things you must know. One, I could not live without music, two, my family is dysfunctional, and three, my best friend is the most important person in the world to me. And that letter - full of words that in any other context were meaningless, but together, were completely beautiful - killed me. Reading those last words in Nikolás' surprisingly neat handwriting, brought me to tears instantly. It pained me to know that he had finally given in, dropping a note on my doorstep just to explain everything. I tried calling him multiple times that day, tears streaming sown my face each time his voice played out in my ear. All I could hear was how fake his happiness truly was.

I had three simple factors to know, yet my story was far worse than others who had a hundred things. People always seemed to think they understood. And they never did.

But in order to understand Niko? You have to hear our story from a first person's point of view. You have to hear his story, what he's gone through, from his best friend. You have to hear the entire story. You have to know Niko as well as I do. And to tell it, we must start in the summer before our Junior year. You have to see what happened to m best friend. You have ti see what I never could.

So here it goes.