Too Much

Goodbye

Looking at Dimitri's pimpled face and braced teeth and his own chubby cheeks, he can't even remember how they were ever considered cool.

Flipping to the last page, he saw their senior year photos, and pictures from their graduation day.

They had their arms thrown over each others shoulders as Dimitri held up his cap in victory. Kaleb wore a soft smile as Dimitri was pulling Kaleb's head down a little to match his height.

Dimitri looked so handsome that day. The way his chiseled face glowed underneath the sun and how his shoulder length wavy golden hair lit up around him like a halo, made Kaleb crumble to his knees every time.

If they weren't already fated mates, Kaleb couldn't help but think that he would've fallen for his best friend anyways and that was a scary thought.

That maybe he was doomed from the beginning.

Kaleb himself wasn't that bad looking. He had straight black hair that he'd cut so it fell just above his eyes since the photo. He had high cheekbones and a sharp jaw and thick brows.

He was smiling softly, contrast to Dimitri who's smile was ever prominent, spreading as wide as his cheeks allowed as he gleamed at the camera. 

A couple weeks after graduation day, was Kaleb's birthday.

This night was only but a stain in the back of his head in those days. A dark thought of a foreboding future he never fully believed would ever come to fruition.

Kaleb brought the photo out of its protective sleeve, bringing it to his lips he put a gentle kiss upon Dimitri's face. The paper was cool against his skin and smelt of ink and plastic.

Before he got the chance to let the tears fall, Kaleb tucked the photo away like doing so would shield him from his silent woes.

He threw everything he thought he needed into a bag.

Small things kept interrupting him. Little carvings of teeth marks in the wood of his bureau from when him and Dimitri were teething. His bed was still partially held up by books because of the time they had broken the leg off while wrestling.

The sickening feeling of nostalgia kept bubbling to the surface as he found small remembrances of Dimitri and Kaleb's times together.

There was a box filled with old doodles and comics they used to make together. Kaleb even found their longest comic series of "STICKMAN THE INVINCIBLE" or, as they had spelt it, "STIC-MAN THE INVISCABLE". He remembered how proud they were when they finished the book, they showed it to everyone.

They put it in the library when no one was looking. Ms. Geldon, the librarian, kept it on the shelf for a month before returning it to the boys.

There was another box filled with old PlayStation games they couldn't use anymore. They were either scratched or couldn't be supported on newer models, Kaleb didn't care, he'd always said he'd keep them and sell them in case they were worth something.

He couldn't contain his laughter as random Nerf bullets kept popping up around his room from the battles and ambushes they used to have.

5am came sooner than Kaleb was prepared for. He doesn't even realized it was that time until his mother pokes her head into his room to see if he was awake.

She doesn't say a thing, just smiles sadly and walks away without closing the door. Usually Kaleb would yell after her to close it, but all he did was pick up his suitcase and follow her downstairs to where his Alpha was in the kitchen.

Again, the Alpha didn't say anything, just gave a small, sad, and understanding smile.

"Are you sure you wish to leave now, Kaleb? The sun isn't above the tree line," the Alpha asks.