"Why did you leave?"
His now black hair flowed as the gentle night breeze blew by, the moon bright enough to show off all of the features he had grown into.
"To find myself."
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In ninth grade Harper became best friends with a cute nerdy kid named Caleb, she didn't even mean to. She had a majority of her classes with him and for some reason things just clicked.
Others looked at him with disgust but Harper on the other hand, she was delighted to be his friend. His golden brown hair shimmered in the sun, his bright blue eyes were unlike any blue she'd ever seen. Not baby blue, not sky blue, not even sea foam green. A brilliant blue with a few specks of eggshell thrown into the mix, it was like looking down into a pot of paint being churned. All the colors and metallic shines blending into one, it fit him. He was such a gentle person, she never saw him get angry or mad at someone. A little upset but god, never mad. Even when he got made fun of he wouldn't be mad. He would just brush it off and say.
"They obviously have bad things going on in their life, I don't need to add to that."
The aura he let off was so calming. If she was having a bad day as soon as she saw him, his bright toothy smile would light up her day. He radiated happiness.
He was also one of the smartest kids in the county, you could ask him any question and he'd have the answer to it. It was like his brain was a search engine, ready to type in the question even before a syllable left your lips.
He never had beef with anyone, never got into drugs or alcohol, never went to parties, never hung out with anyone really. He'd go home from school, do homework, study if needed, go to work as his convenience store job (which a lot of people might hate but for some reason he adored), and sleep. All in that order everyday. Of course if you wanted to hang out he'd fit that into his schedule. He was always early, always replied fast, always answered her calls. Harpers ringtone was the loudest noise in his phone, just so he'd wake up if she needed something in the middle of the night.
She'd never forget that groggy voice that would answer the phone around two in the morning every Friday.
"Yes Harper? Need me to come over?"
That was a thing she did too, ask him to come over so she could sleep. Her mother worked the night shift so being alone in her house at night was very, unsettling to say the least. Usually she could get to sleep just fine, but then it would take her hours of tossing and turning before giving up and calling Caleb.
Thankfully the distance between both of their houses was only about a 8 minute walk, which of course he ran so he could get to her faster. He'd bring only his backpack for the next day since by the time he rang the door bell, she already had a blanket and pillow laid out on the floor next to her bed.
He always refused to sleep in her bed. Even if they were about a foot apart with 5 stuffed animals between them, he would never agree to it. She finally gave up after asking about 50 times, but the thought did cross her mind every now and then about what if one day he said yes. She weren't one to push though.
His school attendance was also perfect, even if he had a cold he would never miss a single second of class. So one day when he didn't show up for first period, her whole heart sunk. Something was very wrong.
Anxiety started bubbling in the pit of her stomach, making her feel like she'd vomit at any second. As the bell rang she tried to push that feeling away, maybe his bus was late? She looked around the class and realized that everyone else that was on his bus was here. Everyone but him was sitting in their seat with their books spread out across their desk. She hadn't even realized the teacher put notes up. As her eyes focused on the front board it hit her that no matter how hard she focused she couldn't read a single word. The black Times New Roman font was clear as day, but none of the sentences would register in her head.
With her pink gel pen tight in her grip she started scribbling down random sentences in her notebook, the blue lines all blurring together which made the letters go all over the page. The only thing she could focus on was Caleb.
The whole entire rest of her day was a blur, she couldn't even force down lunch. Every feeling in her body was numb. Not hungry, not full, not happy, not sad, not awake, not sleeping. She went to the bathroom almost every period because the nauseas feeling deep in her stomach wouldn't go away. The thought of throwing up in the middle of class didn't help settle her anxious feelings.
As the final bell rang she threw her bag across her back, and ran out the front door. A few people yelled at her, telling her to watch where she was going and to slow down. She didn't hear them. The only sound in her ears was her rapid breathing and the slamming of her feet against the beige pavement.
Her street had started coming into her field of vision, making her legs move even faster. As the blurry colors of her house starting becoming clear, her feet slowed down until was standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Her heartbeat pounding in her eardrums when a police officer came out her front door. His eyes immediately locking with hers, and she knew something was wrong.
"It's him isn't it."
The officers blank stare turned to one of concern, and with a small nod the tears started flowing freely down her plush cheeks.
