Behind the Screens

Chapter 2

Why exactly do we need to move so suddenly? What about my friends? My girlfriend? My favourite teacher, Mrs. Brown!

I entered my school. The one that I'd enter for the last time. As I lined my feet up with each other, taking one step at a time, I looked around the main lobby hallway. The vending machines. The drink machines. Even the stairs.

For the last time, I'll climb those stairs. For only one class. Twice. Once up, once down.

I enter the double doors to the cafeteria and continue to my friends table. We sit at the same table each day. Today would be my last day at that table. I look around at the people I'll never see again. Kaylee. Kenali. I make my way to my seat and sit down, facing everyone one-by-one.

Caleb, the corny comedian, turned to me. When he gave me that certain, joking look, I knew a corny joke was coming up, so I prepared myself from Elsa's let-it-go joke to pun-filled Dad jokes.

"Why are pirates so good?" he asked.

I don't think I'm ready for this.

"I don't know," I sighed, "Why?"

Caleb snickered slightly, "'cause they just arrrrr."

I hated myself for snorting so loud at that corny word-play joke.

When I stopped snort-laughing, Kaiya turned to me.

"So, what's new with you?"

I sighed, "Bad news."

My friend, Earla, turned to me, "What is it?"

I took a deep breath, getting ready to tell them. "I'm moving."

I could hear the surprise in everyone's faces. Jack. Brian. Donald. Caleb. My girlfriend, Faith. Earla. Kaiya. Alice.

"What?!" they said, all in unison. It turned the cafeteria quiet for a moment, as they tried to figure out who yelled it. Nobody could tell, so the cafeteria got filled with conversations quickly again.

I turn to Earla, glaring into her beautiful, brown eyes and long eyelashes.

"Good news," I told her, hoping to at least fill her spirits, "It's to Hague, Connecticut.

"What?!" Faith panicked, grabbing onto my hand quickly. I could see tears already forming in her eyes. "What about us?!"

"Long distance," I frowned, pulling her into a deep, tight hug. She held onto me, sobbing onto my clothed shoulder. I could feel her tears deepen into the sleeve and come onto my naked skin. I continued, "I'll be moving Saturday. Going back to school Tuesday. Which is a Day 1 at Hague Burg High, so it's perfect."

Earla walked over to me and tapped me on the shoulder, "Drag me with you, please!" She begged. I could hear the loneliness feeling deep in her heart. A best friend is leaving her all alone. I know how that feels.

"I can't, I'm sorry," I finally tell her. She whined slightly and tears feel down her face. Her face became emotion-less and pale.

Jack, being his stupid self, said "Nuevermind." He says it a lot, and that's the last time I'll hear it.

Kaiya turned to me again, "You can't have me take care of Alice all by myself!"

"Don't worry," I told Kaiya, "I'll still call you!"

She whined, "But it's not the same!"

Of course it's not the same. It never will be the same again.

"Kaylee can replace me," I said.

"She's too smart to do that," Kaiya said. Which was true. Kaylee was too smart to even coming close to replacing me.

"Faith is currently caressing my ear," I said, trying to add a small bit of comedy. It didn't work. Luckily, Jack is always there to talk about something completely unsensical.

"Do penguins have striped scraves because triangles are hot or are triangles purple because penguins are superheroes?"

Kaiya played along. "Yes, because Lego bricks are gay."

"Yes, Legos must be happy because they always blantly murder our feet," I replied, chuckling.

Faith nodded aggressively. She was still crying.

"So, you're gonna leave us," Kaiya asked, setting the scenery said again.

"Today's my last day," I said.

"But it's only Wednesday!" Faith replied.

"We need to pack and stuff," I answered. I could see the hurt still in her eyes.

"Is the square root of an equal sign a penguin?" Jack said, trying to lift our spirits again.

"Yes, because the sun is purple," I replied, chuckling as a tear fell from my eye.

Alice slowly shook her head, "I question y'all."

Yes," Kaiya smiled, "Because greed is yellow."

It felt like an eternity until the bell rang. My friends and I all staring at each other. That would be the last time I would speak to Jack. To Brian. Donald. Caleb. All of them.

The last time I would touch Faith's hand, romantically. Hold her tight when she's sad or hurting.

"So..." I said, finally, "I guess this is it. Jack, I'll contact you through YouTube."

He was the only one without a true phone number.

"Okay," he replied, coldly. I knew he was hurting on the inside. I could tell.

"I guess this is it," Kaiya said, looking into my eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes met mine. "Farewell," she saluted, "my idiot friend."

It felt like a 100 pound aura left my body as I watched my friends walk away. The ones I had known since 3rd grade. It would be the last time they would ever say "Elli" to me in person. The last time Kaiya would have to get onto me for yelling at Alice.

The last time they smiled at me face-to-face. The last time I spoiled a GT episode before it released.

The last time I smiled truly when I thought of seeing Faith at prom with a beautiful blue and pink dress.

Now, it would all be behind a screen.

I walked to my first class as I continued thinking about life without my old friends. Oldest ones I've had since I was 7. Kaiya and Jack. My girlfriend of 1 and a half years. Faith. My school daughter, Alice.

What else could I do? Why can't I drag them along with me?