Chapter 9: "How he left"

Kristina Valdez POV

My thoughts drift away to the past, back when we were kids and everything was okay. I saw Angelo running towards me, he playfully grabs my hand and take me by the mountain to see  the sunrise.

I remembered Angelo's light brown hair with colorful and girly clips that I put on him. I remembered his chubby cheeks that hides his eyes as he smiles so widely. I remember how he would pat my head everytime I fell on my bike or trip by myself. I remember how he would grab my hands with his tiny and soft palms.

He says, "Let's stay here forever and ever and ever."

I chuckled, "Wouldn't that be boring to stay in one place even if it's your favorite place."

"But this isn't my favorite place." He continued as he smiled brightly, "You are."

We climbed the trees together that day even though I knew how much he feared heights. It was a special day, it was my birthday. We made cakes out of mud and leaves, we made a mess of our clothes but we were laughing. We were happy.

We bought ice cream from the vendor that passed us by. The air was warm but under the tree, the grass was slightly cold. We stared at the leaves as they fall down on our faces. Angelo's thoughts seems so far than mine. We had no idea what was ahead of us.

I had no idea that that would be the last day we'll be like this.

If I knew, I should've stayed longer under the shade with him. I should've skipped playing computer games to be with him but we always regret the things we didn't do in the end.

"My mom said childhood friends are soon forgotten as soon as we enter different schools, do you think that's true?" I asked 

He sticks his ice cream on my face and replied, "Stupid, I'll never forget you. You're that kind of enigma."

I protested, "Hey, you're disgusting, you had saliva all over this!" and I continued, "What's an enigma?"

"Something I can't understand, something I can't explain... that will keep me searching for that kind of feeling no matter what." He explained, "So no matter what, I'll be drawn to you."

He laughs at me saying, "Yeah maybe."

That day I learned the word enigma, it was strange and deep for me to understand and I don't know whether it's a good thing to be or not. The way he said it though, made me blush. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking that day but I was too happy to dwell on it that long. I remebered how Angelo's eyes were a little bit swollen that day.

Has he been crying? About what? He said it was probably just because he overslept and even though I didn't believe it, I didn't poke into the matter any further. At the time, I didn't think it mattered.

I remembered her... she  came by to pick Angelo up, "Angelo, they're calling us."

She had a long shiny and flowy hair that perfectly matched her cute round face. I remember so vividly, specially how her eyes. It was heterochromia, the right was a bright blue one and the other was a shade similar to mine, a deep brown. Angelo always admired her eyes. But he was pissed that day.

He must've had some argument with her.

Angelo then directs his soft gaze at me, he looks at me hesistantly with such sad eyes, he said, "Goodbye,Kristina."

I nodded as I waved goodbye, "Yeah, let's meet again soon!"

Angelo was confused, so I shouted playfully, "I'll go hide and you have to find me, okay?"

He nodded.

I told my mom and dad to prepare the food for Angelo and tell him to find her as the clock strikes 6. My mom asks, "Oh about that, he gave you a gift."

"Why? I told him I'd receive it after he finds me." I pouts and I continued, "You can just leave it there for now."

My mom says, "Let me at least fix your hair!"

And she did, I had such short hair when I was a kid and I always envied her because of her long hair, I had to cut my hair every now and then because it was too hot and I kept playing outdoors. While Angelo and I were being kids playing, she was stuck indoors playing her instruments due to her heart condition.

After my mom fixes my short hair. I patiently waited for 6 o'clock and I hid carrying Angelo's gift. I went to the abandoned house where Angelo and I first met. I saw him there, he was laying down, just staring at the faded stars in the ceiling.

He knows I'll be hiding here because the day we met was my birthday too. I ran cheerfully my way there. I was peeking outside and I saw Angelo walking outside his house so I quickly hid inside the closet there. There was a hole there and directly to it is a window allowing me to peek outside.

I was giggling as I peek at Angelo. He was surprisingly wearing a formal attire that I was planning to make fun of later when he found me but my excitement suddenly fades away as I saw her with him, they were carrying their luggages as they load it in their car.

They were leaving?

I panicked and i tried to scream his name as loudly as I can but the room that I was in was sound proof and on top of that I was inside a closet. I tried to open the closet but I couldn't, it was locked from the outside.

I was panicking so much that I had trouble breathing, I looked outside, hoping Angelo would look back and change his mind. A lot of thoughts went through my mind that time, it was too messy. I can't breathe.

I felt the closet walls getting smaller and smaller until I eventually won't fit. My palms were all sweaty and my bloody as I try to get out so desperately. I sat down feeling so tired as I clenches Angelo's gift in my chest. I opened it and saw his gift inside. It was a box and inside the box was a bear that pops out each time you open it, it was singing happy birthday.

The melody soon fades as I lost conciousness as well. Angelo never found me.

My mom found me the next day. She was searching the entire house... Angelo must've told her I hid here. I knocked the closet walls weakly and my mom opened it to find me. The light shined through my eyes but I can barely see it, I heard my dad and mom's voice but it was clouded for me to understand what they were saying.

My dad carried me to the hospital. That was all I could remember. After that I was diagnosed with calustrophobia. I was still holding unto Angelo's gift every waking day hoping that he'd return one day and it'll all go back to normal.

But he didn't.

Not for a long time. He didn't send me any letters or messages and as I grew up, I tried contacting him and sometimes he would go back here to visit but he never once came to see me. I sent him messages and I also tried calling him but he never answers.

I stopped one day. I stopped reaching out to him but I never stopped waiting for his explanation.

I never stopped waiting for his return.