before goodbye
I'd never felt so alone as I did then, placing the folded shirts and dresses into the open suitcase that lay across my bed. Tears threatened at the corners of my eyes, but I fought them back, refusing to show even the smallest sign of weakness. Sonic sat with his legs crossed and back against the headboard. His eyes were closed and he was thinking. Perhaps his mind was already gone, wandering back to the open grounds of the world he'd come from.
He told me of his home once. He'd described the flowers and the sweet smell of the spring's grass and the way the wind felt as it whipped past him when he went out for a nice long run. It hurt to see him so uncomfortable here.
Sometimes on my way home from school, I would catch him resting by the windowsill of my bedroom, watching the unfamiliar world outside, daydreaming of his own clouds, his own sun.
"Chris," he says finally, his eyes opening, his expression similar to that of the policeman who wanted nothing more than to prevent the jumper from jumping.
"Don't say it," I reply because I don't want to hear anymore. "I'm coming with you!" The words come fast from my lips and my breathing is heavy and there again is the threat of hot tears, but I fight it back. I fight it all back. I won't scream. I won't cry. Because I'm going with him and there's nothing anyone can say or do to convince me otherwise.
"Chris," he says again his hand reaching out to catch my wrist as I lay another folded shirt into the suitcase. "No."
"But I have to come," I retort and it's true. Before I'd met him I was weak and sad. Depression followed me around like a thick grey cloud, turning my emotions and my actions sour. But then, there had been him. He'd fallen into my life just when I needed him, a little blue beacon to help guide my ship through the oncoming storm. And he done it, he'd made me happy again and he'd made me feel good and proud of myself in ways I'd never felt before. Even know, with his hand wrapped around my wrist and my fingers moving softly through the fabric of my folded shirt, I could remember the metal of the baseball bat in my hands, his smile and him telling me I could do it, even when I knew I was the weakest link of the bunch. And yet I'd done it, I'd run and we'd won and he'd smiled at me, winked. He'd been proud of me and I can remember the warm feeling in my chest, because I'd done good, I'd done right and someone was happy to see me succeed.
He would go on to do this every time I was in his presence. He'd made me feel happy to be me and happy with the things I could do. And the thought of him leaving, of him disappearing into a foreign world I could never reach, made those far-gone feeling of sadness come back harder than ever before. He couldn't leave me, not like this. I'd done everything in my power, deep despicable things to keep him here, and he'd still surpassed my obstacles and he'd still forgiven me for placing them.
"S-Sonic, p-please don't leave me. Please."
My shoulders begun to shake and I couldn't stop them. The scene before me blurred as the hot tears fell. "P-please Sonic, I can't do it without you. P-please let me come t-too."
He came closer to me and placed his hands in mine. He face was stern as he said, "No, you can't come with me, Chris."
"B-but why n-not?"
"Because your place is here with your family and your friends."
"B-but you are my friend, aren't you?"
He chuckled, the stern appearance lightening almost instantly, "Of course. Why do you ask? Do you think differently?"
"No, no!" I replied, my face blushing slightly for the silliness of my earlier question.
"It doesn't matter how far across the galaxy I go because we'll be friend forever. Right, Chris?"
"F-friend f-forever. O-Okay, I like that."And despite the feelings that had arisen, those dark feelings, I did like the sound of those words on my tongue and the idea that he would still consider me a friend, even when he was far across the galaxy.
Now, don't get me wrong. It still hurt as I watched him leave and my friends, well, my human ones that is, had to hold me back, had to convince me not to jump through that wormhole right after him. And I was tempted so, tempted, but as the hole grew smaller and smaller, until it disappeared, I knew this was the ways things were supposed to be. And as everyone left, saying their goodbyes, hugging me, some even crying at the loss of our furry friends, I knew that this was where I was supposed to be. I was here, my own world and he would soon be in his and that was how things were supposed to be. We weren't supposed to cross paths again…
But of course, that didn't stop me from trying.