--10 years later--
It's been a long time since Chloe, David, and Gabi had talked to each other. The once inseparable group of friends had drifted apart, each pursuing their own dreams and passions. After graduating college, Chloe majored in the programming department, and Gabi majored in the teaching department. Claire had walked out of college with her head held high, as she had become a full-fledged doctor. It had always been her dream, and since there was a hospital near her hometown, she decided to move back there and get a job in the said hospital.
David, on the other hand, had stayed in his alleyway. He had no choice but to stay there, as he had no money and no place to go. People would rob him when he was asleep, and the only thing he had bought was a guitar, which he decided would be enough. He looked like a normal man on the outside, especially with the clothes Gabi had bought for him a few years prior. He had been sitting mostly right outside his alleyway, playing music requests for people, which he charged for about $5 each request. Some people would leave a few 10-dollar bills now and then, but it was never enough to make ends meet.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and David's situation only got worse. He had to beg for food and money from strangers to survive. The once proud man was now a shadow of his former self. He had lost all hope and saw no way out of his current situation.
Chloe, Gabi, and Claire had no idea what David was going through. They were busy with their own lives, and they didn't even bother to check up on him. David felt abandoned by his friends, and the loneliness was unbearable. Every day, he would sit outside his alleyway, hoping that someone would stop by and talk to him. But nobody ever did.
Years went by, and David's health started to deteriorate. He had no access to medical care, and his body was slowly breaking down. He had no idea how much longer he could go on like this. He had lost all hope. One day, when Claire was walking out of her favorite cafe, she saw a few people standing over a man who had a black shirt, grey jacket, some sweatpants, and used tennis shoes, with a guitar next to him.
When Claire got closer to the group of people, she could hear everything they were saying. "Well well well, look how much money you have. It's ours now, alright?" one of the robbers said with a twisted smirk as he started to reach out for a jar full of money. The guy they were trying to steal from looked at them with a menacing glare that even Claire had felt. "No," he said, still keeping the glare. The robbers were taken aback by this and hesitated for a moment. But then, one of them lunged forward and tried to grab the jar from the man.
The man fought back, but he was outnumbered. The robbers overpowered him, took his guitar and the jar of money, and left him lying on the ground, beaten and bruised. Claire rushed over to the man and tried to help him up. She recognized him immediately. It was David. Claire couldn't believe what she was seeing. One of her best friends who always had a smile on his face, was now a broken mess, lying on the ground, with no one to help him. She felt a wave of sadness wash over her. How could they have let this happen to him? She knew she had to do something to help him.
David would slowly open his tired eyes t see the one person whom he very much missed and would have loved to see much earlier in his life. "Hey, Ann. beautiful as ever, I see," David said, even though he had just been jumped he still smiled through both physical and mental pain, Just like how he had done when they were kids. Claire could only look at him with a look of despair and sadness. the person she truly only really loved and had forgotten about was in the streets. "D, what happened to you? Is this where you've been all this time?" she asked.
"What do you think, Idiot? I'm surprised you were able to recognize me. I loved being almost the only one if not one of the few people to be able to distinguish you and your sister." David said, to which Claire had stifled a giggle. "Jeez, I forgot how much of an asshole of a friend you could be." She said with an amused grin but as she looked back down she saw david had a hurt expression on his face. "What?" Claire asked oblivious to what she had said. "So... you're still mad about that aren't you?" David said his voice full of sadness that his best friend still hated him for what he had done 14 years ago. Claire had now realized what she had said.
She had started to feel a lump in her throat as she started to hate herself at the moment for what she had said. she had forgotten about how David had told everyone about her fake 'crush' on Fritz, even if what he had done hurt her very much, the person she loved forever was standing right in front of her. Hurt and sadness clear in his eyes and his face. she had always been trying to find him even when Chloe told her to stop looking. And once she finally stopped she had forgotten all about David. She didn't remember anything about him. But seeing him now, she couldn't help but feel guilty for forgetting about her once best friend. She felt ashamed of her ignorance and her indifference towards David's life. She couldn't believe that she had let so many years go by without even thinking of him.
As she looked at David's bruised and battered face, she realized that she had failed him. She had failed to be a true friend to him when he needed her the most.David's eyes were filled with pain and sadness, but also with a glimmer of hope. He had always been a fighter, and he refused to give up on life. Despite his current situation, he still had dreams and aspirations. He wanted to make something of himself, to be someone important in the world. But now, he was lost and alone, with no one to turn to. "I'm sorry for what I did and I hope you can forgive me," David said still thinking she was mad at him.
"No. No. it's not your fault. it's my fault. I'm sorry I never bothered to keep searching for you. I'm sorry that I could never help when you when you needed it. I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. I'm sorry for... for... forgetting about you." Claire said with tears running down her cheeks. but yet she felt a hand on her head. a hand that she missed oh so much. a hand that belonged to the person she loved and cared very deeply for. she looked up to see David with a fake and pained smile. she had known it was fake because she could see the sadness in his eyes but whenever he smiled he knew that it would always cheer her up no matter if it was a fake smile or genuine it always cheered her up.
As she looked up at him with tears streaming down her face, she couldn't help but think about all the times she had failed him. All the times she had turned a blind eye to his pain, all the times she had been too selfish to see how much he was hurting. And now, after all these years, he was here, in front of her, but it was too late. David's smile was pained, and she knew it was because of her. She had hurt him so much that he couldn't even bring himself to smile genuinely anymore.
The hand on her head was a small comfort, but it couldn't erase the pain she had caused. With a heavy heart, she whispered, "I'm sorry," one more time, hoping that somehow, someway, it would make things right. But deep down, she knew that it was too late to apologize. The damage had been done, and she would have to live with the consequences of her actions for the rest of her life.
...
...
...
"I forgive you."
YOU ARE READING
The Last Friend
Random(So this is my first story and I'm still kind of new to all this story shiz but please if you have constructive criticism, tell me and I will do my best to rewrite some parts of my story) The Lost Friend is a story of a young middle schooler kid in...
