The Last Friend

Goodbye...

-- 4 years later --

It's been four long and difficult years since Chloe found David in the alleyway. Although she was the one who discovered him, another person soon followed in her footsteps. A year after the incident, on his birthday, someone found him once again. This time it was Gabi, who had been out shopping and had heard David's singing from a distance. She walked towards the sound and found him there, just like Chloe had before her. After Gabi found David, she started visiting him every day and always stayed by his side. Chloe, on the other hand, would come once or twice a week to check on him and tell him the latest news about his cat. 

Now, it's the last day of high school for the girls. Chloe walked to his alleyway at 4 a.m. to tell him the news. She stopped to see David already awake, with a tired smile on his face. "Hey, Chlo," David greeted, who already knew what would happen. "Hey D," Chloe replied, with a sad smile, knowing this might be the last time she'll see her best friend. "Excited for college?" David asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I am. Claire is still worried about you, you know?" Chloe stated, to which David rolled his eyes in playful annoyance. "Yeah, I know. You've been telling me that for the past 4 goddamn years," David responded, to which Chloe giggled. She sat down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"David, I'll miss you. All three of us will miss you," Chloe said with tears starting to well up in her eyes. For a moment, David was silent, lost in his own thoughts. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and hesitant. "I know I'll miss you three too. But, hey, you all will live your lives like how you always wanted to, without me holding you girls back... like... like I always do..." David's voice trailed off, and Chloe felt a sense of sadness wash over her. She knew what he meant - David had been living in the alleyway for so long that it was hard for him to imagine a life outside of it. He was used to being alone, and he had grown accustomed to the darkness that many people around him emanated towards him in physical and any other abuse you could think of.

"You never held any of us back, David," Chloe stated, saddened even more that her friend would even think that that was the case. "Yeah... but... but..." David hesitated, struggling to express his thoughts. Chloe waited patiently, giving him the time and space he needed to speak. Finally, David spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is it selfish of me to want to be with you girls for the rest of my life?" 

Chloe felt a lump form in her throat, and she swallowed hard to keep from crying. She knew that David was lonely and that he longed for the kind of companionship that he had found with them. But she also knew that it was impossible - they were all moving on with their lives, and David was stuck in the alleyway, unable to leave. For a moment, Chloe felt a wave of despair wash over her. She knew that she would never forget David, and that he would always hold a special place in her heart. But she also knew that they couldn't stay with him forever, and that they had to move on with their lives. It was a painful realization, but one that she knew was necessary.

Chloe and David looked up to see Gabriella standing over them with tears in her eyes, a suitcase full of new clothes for David on her left, and 3 big green bags worth about 14 months of snacks and food on her right. "Hey Gabi, how long have you been here?" David asked. "I've been about a block away from Chloe," Gabi replied, her voice hoarse from crying. Chloe stood up and hugged her other friend, grateful for her presence but also dreading the moment when they would have to leave.

As they sat there in silence, a heavy sense of sadness descended upon them. They were all acutely aware that this was their last day together, and that they would soon be going their separate ways. Chloe couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt - guilt for leaving David behind, for moving on with her life while he remained trapped in the alleyway. She had tried to help him, to get him to come with her, but he had always refused. And now, as she looked at him sitting there beside her, she knew that she had failed him.

David, too, was struggling to come to terms with the situation. He had grown so accustomed to the girls' company that he couldn't imagine life without them. They were his only friends, his only source of comfort in a world that had been cruel and unforgiving to him. And now they were leaving, and he was once again alone. He knew that he should be happy for them, that he should be proud of all that they had accomplished, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of bitterness and resentment. Why did they get to leave while he was stuck here, in this godforsaken alleyway?

Gabi, for her part, was struggling to keep her emotions in check. She had always been the most empathetic of the three, the one who felt things the most deeply. And now, as she looked at her two friends, she could feel their pain and sadness as if it were her own. She knew that she couldn't fix everything, that she couldn't make David's life better just by being here. But she also knew that she had to try - for his sake, and for hers.

They sat there for what felt like hours, talking and laughing and crying. They reminisced about old times, about the silly things they had done, and the dreams they had shared. They talked about the future, about all the things they hoped to accomplish and the places they wanted to go. And through it all, they held onto each other, knowing that this was the last time they would be together like this.

As the sun began to rise, Chloe knew that it was time to go. She stood up, feeling a sense of heaviness in her chest. "David, we have to go now," she said softly, her voice breaking. David looked up at her, his eyes filled with tears. "I know," he said quietly. "I'll miss you, Chlo. I'll miss you both." Gabi stood up beside her, her own tears flowing freely. "We'll miss you too, D," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "But we'll never forget you. We'll always be here for you, no matter what." 

"I know and I want you to know that I love you both and Claire too. and, Chloe?" David said making Chloe look at him again. "Take of Claire for me please don't let her do anything stupid again... like trust someone like me..." David said with a sad smile that Chloe, Claire, and Gabriella had grown to know too well.

And with that, they hugged each other one last time, holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it. And then they turned and walked away, leaving David behind in the alleyway. Chloe couldn't help but look back one last time, feeling a sense of profound sadness wash over her. She knew that she would never forget David and that he would always hold a special place in her heart. But she also knew that they had to move on with their lives and that they couldn't stay with him forever. It was a painful realization, but one that she knew was going to have to live with.