Never Too Late

Chapter Thirty Five

"Are you feeling Alright?" Johan's mother asked him as he entered the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine." He responded before sighing. Since his parents had found out about his partial blindness, they had been babying him again, but Johan wanted them to see he didn't need to be in a bubble. "I'm going out later, Luke and I are going to hang out."

"Okay, but don't stay out too late," she told him with a soft smile that masked her worry. "Let Luke drive. Remember, your surgery is coming up in a few days, so I don't want you to strain your eyes."

"Sure," he nodded before heading out and meeting Luke in the driveway. He had thought a lot about his upcoming surgery, but he didn't know if he should feel excitement or dread. He tried looking up details on the Internet but it didn't ease his worry. For now, he chose to ignore those feelings and focus on the present.

As he and his brother drove together, the night was quiet and warm as summer inched closer by the day.

"So hey, at school they mentioned that everyone should do a project before graduation, did you hear about it?" Luke asked and Johan nodded.

"I have," he said watching the buildings blur in his vision as they drove along. "I have something in mind but I'll probably need Mom's help."

"Oh, I've come up with any ideas as yet. What do they even mean by 'giving back', isn't that a form of community service?" Luke hissed. "We're not even getting a grade for it!"

Johan remained silent as his brother continued ranting on. The street lights blurred as they drove by but the sky full of countless stars remained still and reminded him of the night he had first met his family. As they passed where his Dad had found him, a surge of bittersweet gratitude found him.

Did he really deserve the life he was given?

"Hey Luke, what do you plan on doing after graduation?" Johan said looking over at his brother.

"College of course." He smiled. " I'm going to study Electrical Engineering."

"Wow, that's not much different from what I'm planning on doing." Johan teased.

"I know, right? I'm so original." Luke joked before they both burst into laughter.

"It's not much different for me, Dad was the one with inspired me," Johan confessed. He recalled watching his father at work and realizing how cool his job looked, but more importantly, how much he saw himself in him. There was still so much he wanted to learn from him, and he hoped he would have enough time before he left for college.

"It was Oxford that accepted you right?" Luke asked as he cruised down the highway before taking a detour to Shelly's restaurant.

"Yeah, it was. I guess I got lucky." Johan said, reflecting on how elated he felt getting his acceptance letter.

"Why did you choose somewhere so far away?" Luke said, looking over at him, puzzled. "I'm going to Stanford, you should come with me. I don't think it's too late to apply."

"Oxford is where I want to go, it's just something I need to do," Johan said declining his offer.

"Damn, so I guess we'll barely get to see each other for four years." Luke lamented and Johan chuckled.

"We'll get breaks so it's not a big deal. Also, I thought you hated me." Johan teased.

"I do," Luke gritted his teeth, annoyed, before his tone softened. "So your surgery's coming up soon. How do you feel?"

"I don't know, there's a chance it won't work so nothing would change for me," Johan admitted. He didn't want to get his hopes up, and he was content with the idea that he had at least tried to do something about it.

"But it might work," Luke said optimistically. "You'd have your full vision back."

"I don't even know what that would be like," Johan murmured before looking out the window as they pulled into the parking lot of Shelly's.

"Don't worry too much about it. It's the weekend and we're graduating soon so let's have fun!" Luke told Johan as they both exited the vehicle and met with their friends. They talked about baseball and parties that were going to be thrown before and after graduation, but Johan was quieter than usual since he had a lot on his mind.

"So Luke, who do you plan on bringing to Prom?" One of his friends asked about the music that was playing.

"I have someone in mind." He smiled before lighting up a cigarette.

"Yeah, who?" His friend pressed but Luke gave no details.

"You'll know when I bring her." He said taking a drag before looking over at his brother and grinning. Johan immediately knew he was talking about Ericka but his expression didn't change. It was to be expected since Luke liked her too and it was only a matter of time before they got together.

"Hey, who are you taking Johan?" Luke's friend asked him but he shrugged.

"I don't think I'll be going, it's not my thing." He told him before sighing.

The rest of the night was spent with them talking about school and girls until it got late so they eventually decided to head home. Once there, Johan showered and was about to head to bed when he walked by the TV and saw that the late-night news was on. He glanced at it for a minute and saw a familiar face that made him do a double-take to confirm that what he saw wasn't a mistake.

On the screen was Asher, and the words 'Wanted for Murder' were under his name.

"What?" Johan muttered, confused, before he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"According to reports, the person of interest in the recent gang-related homicide downtown has been identified as Nathaniel Asher, formerly of 341 Rutherford Ave, Hartford, Connecticut." The news reporter stated before showing scenes of what looked like the aftermath of a shootout.

"No way," Johan muttered in utter shock with his mouth almost hanging open.

"If anyone has any information on his whereabouts please contact the nearest police station." The news reporter continued.

Johan was so aghast by what he was seeing, he had to take a seat, and even after the report had passed, he didn't move.

It has to have been a mistake! That couldn't have been Asher! Johan thought to himself.

The Asher he knew was unbelievably kind and had always put others before himself. He wasn't a gangster or murderer, he wouldn't wouldn't hurt anyone! However there he was on the news not long ago.

"How on earth could something like this happen!?" Johan said out loud as he pondered what had happened to his best friend in the past few months. He felt a mixture of sorrow and guilt for not reaching out to him sooner as the world around him seemed to be crumbling.

***
~Author's Note.

Sorry about the lack of Updates. Life has me by the reins right now but I'll try to get back on schedule with uploads.