You Have To Choose

chapter 26

As I saw Benny and Smalls approaching us, I glanced at Yeah-yeah.

He must've seen them too, because he was tapping his hands on his leg nervously and taking long, quavering breaths.

As they arrived, they instantly looked at all of us with confused expressions.

I gestured to the seats beside me silently, so as not to make this moment any stranger, and they sat down.

We all turned our gaze toward Yeah-yeah, who slowly stood up.

He glanced at Ally, who gave him a small nod.

He breathed heavily, standing up and standing in front of us, his hands trembling, no force on earth strong enough to stop them.

He stared at his shoes, his eyebrow furrowed, a slight frown playing on his forehead as we all sat silently. Finally, he began to speak, his voice sounding strange.

"I-I gotta leave in three days," he began, his frown deepening, "My parents signed me up for military school, because they think I'm not taking school seriously," he muttered quietly, staring at the floor.

My heart dropped, and I closed my eyes, stopping the tears that were threatening to fall.

Squints was the first to react. He stood up deathly slowly, his lip trembling and his eyes stormy.

His shaky voice trembled as he spoke, "How could you keep this from me?" He asked, and you could see his eyes become glossy, "we're supposed to be best friends." He stalked away, his usual confidence and zest gone, just like that.

"I-I better go check on him," Ham muttered awkwardly, gesturing towards Squints with a sigh.

"Tommy and I will be at our house," Timmy muttered, and for once, Tommy didn't repeat him.

"Smalls and me are gonna walk home, too," Benny said gently, patting Yeah-yeah on the shoulder as he walked by.

"I better go," Bertram muttered softly and walked away, Kenny following him and giving a sympathetic glance to Yeah-yeah.

"I'm going home," Ally muttered, standing up, and she walked by Yeah-yeah.

"Tell her, this is your last chance," she whispered to him as she walked by, but I heard.

After everyone was gone, I glanced into Yeah-yeahs eyes. This boy, who had always seemed incredibly happy to me, looked like the flame inside him was just doused with water. He looked defeated.

He looked up at me, his sad eyes a bit cold, "Aren't you gonna leave me, too?"

"No, you're gonna leave me," I said sourly, looking down at the floor.

He sighed, sitting beside me.

"I don't want to go," he said softly.

"I don't want you to go either," I admitted, laying my head on his shoulder.

"There's this girl," he began softly, "and I really like her a lot, you know? And I want to kiss her before I go, but I'm not sure if she likes me back," he finished, and I stared out at the field.

"You're a great guy, I'm almost positive she likes you," I muttered.

I quickly turned my head towards him, wide eyed, realizing what I'd just admitted.

He leaned in close to me, until our lips were just millimeters apart. His hand reached up and gently cupped my cheek, rubbing his thumb under my eyes to wipe the tears that had escaped earlier.

"I love you, Adeline," he whispered, his warm breath tickling my lips.

"I love you, too," I finally admitted, to myself and to him. I gazed up into his eyes.

He leaned in, our lips making contact. His lips felt so soft against mine, and I felt warm and safe while his other hand gently rested on my waist.

When we pulled apart though, I was filled with concern and I looked down.

It suddenly became even more apparent to me that he'd be gone in just a few days.

"I don't want you to leave," I muttered, the tears once again flooding my eyes.

He didn't speak, just pulled me close to him, placing one hand in my hair and the other rubbing my back gently. His touch, his scent when I leaned into his chest, I couldn't believe this would all be gone so soon.