╰─➤ I was too young to know how to reach out to my lost friend. Where am I now? Where should I go?
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I sat on the blue-painted bench in the empty basketball court, the place we used to hang out at after school. My wanderings brought me here for some reason.
He taught me how to play basketball, he gave me a new perspective on the game. Now, as I stare at the orange and black lined balls on the court ground, I felt no strength in trying to pick one of them up.
I missed him...my childhood friend, my only best friend.
It's been a month since he's left, but his disappearance was sudden to me. It still replays in my head like a film on rewind. Still fresh in my memory.
———
Where was he? It's been a week and he hasn't shown up. He'd always tell me if he wasn't going to come to school, but all week, nothing.
I walked down the school hallway, passing by fellow students of different years, everyone in their own world. I walked into the teacher's office as I had to pick up a graded paper from my teacher.
I greeted my teacher with a smile and they told me to give them a minute as they dig in their gray metal file cabinet, through the sea of folders, to find my paper. While standing and waiting, my ears picked up the mention of my friend's name in the conversation between two of his teachers nearby.
"His grades have finally transferred!"
"Really?! Wow, that was fast! That American school is really on it!"
"Yes, right! Aw, I hope he enjoys his new school in the states."
My eyes widened and I whipped around in confusion and shock.
"Excuse me, w-what do you mean 'his new school in the states?!' What do you mean his grades have transferred over?!"
They looked between themselves then to me.
"Oh, Choi Jongho, you didn't hear from him?! Aren't you two friends?"
"Yeah! Your friend moved with his family just at the beginning of this week to the US! We heard it's a great school!"
My throat closed up and I felt tears swell up in my eyes but I blinked a bit to push them back. I didn't want to believe it, this is all a prank right?! My best friend is gone and he didn't even tell me?! We told each other everything. Heaviness held down my heart as I stood frozen.
After school, I went to his house and stood in front of it. It was true...he moved. The interior of the house was empty from the windows. His bedroom window that had his favorite anime posters hung on the ceiling of his wall, visible from the window glass, was taken down. His room was empty.
