Breathe

Four

Nora

The many times I'd met him, it had been within the two months after we put a title to our unspoken feelings for each other. We'd been on dates and spent time with Collin, took him out for ice cream and to the mall and made him feel like a normal little boy.

But the last time I'd met Calvin, before he'd changed was that day. Everything was fine, we sat on the park bench, his warm hand clasped in mine watching as Collin played on the playground with his friends, climbing the jungle gym.

Calvin clenched my hand and leaned over on my shoulder blowing raspberries on my cheek. I let out a noise in surprise and moved away from him frowning.

"What did I do?" He asked, feigning fake innocence and batting his eyelashes.

"Oh you know what you did," I gasped putting a hand over my heart and pouting.

"I thought that's how you kissed fairies." He smiled devilishly and leaned over to me again, puckering his plump lips out to me. I rolled my eyes and covered his mouth with my hands, sitting up.

"Nora! Come join me!" Collin's small voice called out to me, and I'd looked to see him standing atop the slide with a big grin.

"I'm coming little man." I yelled back and faced Calvin give a shrug and winked before racing to the playground. I'd climbed up, not long before someone tagged my arm and yelled out, 'caught the fairy!'

I took that as my cue to tag him back and took off running and slid down the closest slide, watching as the kids tried to race down the jungle gym after me. I knew that they would play catch the fairy. That's Collin's favorite game, I had learned.

When I saw the younger boys running in my direction I let out a squeak, taking off around the park. I was pulled back into strong arms, a surprised scream emitting from my lips and the sound of Calvin's laugh being the only thing heard.

"Caught the fairy," he smirked and kissed my cheek before letting me out of his grasp. I took off running, only to hear a piercing scream ring through the air. Calvin looked to me the same look of fear in his eyes.

"Calvin!" Collin's voice cried out, a mix between pain and quiet sobs. It wasn't long until his voice cried out my name short after, Calvin held a dead sprint to his brother, my body following after, only to stop seeing Collin's body crumpled to the floor and Calvin next to him, frantically trying to figure out where he was in pain the most.

My blood ran cold and my mind geared into autopilot, pulling out my phone and calling 911. Everything was in slow motion, and Calvin's repeated words were only "please don't leave me Col." The next hour took the longest, the ambulance took him to the hospital, Calvin going with him. I had taken Cal's car up to the emergency room, and found him in the waiting room, his strong body crumpled as he sobbed into his hands.

If my heart could shatter anymore, it would have at the sight of Calvin in the chair. Everything was falling apart and nothing could make the situation any better.

At 3:45 am, Collin Polter passed away. His tumor had  grown adding pressure onto the veins on the frontal lobe of his brain, and with Collin's fall at the park, it was enough to rupture the vein and cause internal bleeding.

Calvin was never the same.