Say Goodbye (Dan Avidan)

2 - How Much Longer?

Four months.

Thirteen days.

Twelve hours.

I had it right down to the hour. A long period of time that I found myself counting endlessly on, adding each day as it came by, to add another month, another cross to the calendar.

Today was Day 135. There was a cool breeze in the air, and clouds in the sky, covering it in grey. A threatening observation that it might rain later on today. I didn't mind, though I did forget to bring an umbrella.

She would have liked this, though. She always told me about how she couldn't wait for Autumn to come around. She loved playing in the leaves as a child and liked how much time her Mum kept her indoors because that meant she could play her Sega for as long as she wanted. She practically lived on that thing. Though, I couldn't blame her. My Nintendo was the closest thing to my best friend. Key word being 'was'.

It's been collecting so much dust. Over time, I've abandoned it. It's just become a painful memory every time I look at it like I can't walk past it in the living room without seeing her face smiling next to me as she beats me in whatever multiplayer game we can dig out of the cabinet. Fuck, I miss her smile. I miss her laugh, and her triumphant howl whenever she won. I remember getting so annoyed at how skilled she was in gaming, now it's something I just wish I could experience one last time.

A light breeze rushes over my hand, creating goosebumps along the way. It's not all that cold, but I place my hand in my jacket pocket anyway, sighing and creating a small cloud of fog from my lips. I wonder what the time is, and whether or not I've stayed out too long this time.

A small creak from the double doors behind me make me spin around, and my friend Arin begins to walk down the steps of the ramp, his girlfriend, Suzi, linked on his arm.

They spot me almost instantly. Suzi sighs, before leaning over to whisper something in Arin's ear, at which point I turn back around, staring into the street again. I didn't need their pity.

But whether or not I needed it wasn't the problem, because soon enough, I hear their shoes walk up behind me before Arin offers a comforting, "Hey Dan."

I turn my head again, forcing a smile at Arin. "Hey man."

I then look to his girlfriend. "Hey, Suzi."

She doesn't respond typically. Instead, she asks, "Are you okay?"

What a question. For the past four months, thirteen days, and now thirteen hours, that's all anyone really asks me anymore. Whether it be Arin, or Suzi, or the counsellor, who Mum and Dad forced me to go and talk to, they all ask the same question. Am I okay?

There was a truth to that, though, and it was that I wasn't. I could admit that to myself. I wasn't okay. But to admit that to others? That was a whole other ball game.

Turning away from Suzi, I replied like I always did. "I'm fine."

I hear Arin sigh. He can tell that I'm lying, and he's probably now giving Suzi a concerning glance to let her know that he knows that I'm lying. But he doesn't say anything.

Instead, he just speaks, "Just let us know if you need anything, buddy. Okay?"

It's not okay. "Okay."

I hear the two of them walk off again, and when I glance at them, they walk arm in arm down the street, away from me, possibly back to the warm interiors of their homes.

Which, right now, doesn't seem like a bad idea. To go home, sit in front of the fire, turn on the radio and listen to whatever updates they might give on the situation. It sounded a lot better than sitting out here, in the cold, where it might possibly rain.

But I know this is where she would find me. I know that she knows I would wait here for her. Wherever she is, wherever she's gone, I'll wait here until she comes back.

The question is: how much longer?

...

I know, I know! This is such a short chapter!

But I really wanted to get this out and give you guys an insight into the current story, instead of a flashback. I know it's short for now, but I could only give away so much information.

If you liked it though, thank you! I like writing about Dan, because this is such an easy story to write. He's a very easy character to write about, and I feel since I don't watch a whole lot of Game Grumps, this would be an interesting experiment to try out.

Anyway, thank you, lovelies! I'll see you all for the next chapter! Bye! :D