It was my 16th birthday.
So why wasn't I happy? Did it have anything to do with my absent best friend? Well duh.
Quil
He had been gone for about three months now and I have felt like part of me has been missing ever since, like he had taken it with him when he left.
I was in my room, on my bed doodling in the back of my geography book when I heard Quil call me from downstairs
"Claire, can you come downstairs please?" His voice sounded sad.
Usually at this time of the day Quil was upstairs with me, just hanging out at my house after he had picked me up from school but today he said he had to go see Sam and he be back later, I was confused but I left it at that.
"Coming!" I yelled
I took the stairs two at a time, my feet of there accord because my mind was off in some distant place thinking about the way Quil's voice sounded, was he upset? Did he not want to be my friend any more? My head span at that conclusion and I was suddenly very weary of seeing him.
He was sitting on the edge of the loveseat with the strangest expression on his face I couldn't quite understand it though
"Claire…" he said my name dragging out each letter
"What is it Quil? Whatever it is you can tell me" my voice on the verge of hysterics
"I'm…im leaving for a while" he looked up at me after he finished, he'd been staring at the ground and tried to read my expression
I was horror struck.
Truth was I was expecting something bad but nothing like this, I was fixed in the same spot unmoving Quil the one constant thing I my life after all my sad attempts at pets had failed and Holly had left for college and I was left alone with just me and mum in the house Quil had always been there my steady rock keeping me grounded day after day, Truth be told after one faithful day while we were at the park think I had truly started to fall for him.
And now he was doing this to me, my breathing became erratic and my legs started to wobble, I forced the tears back that were begging to be shed so I could form I coherent sentence without babbling
"Quil…why?...where?...don't-" he cut me off then
"I don't know how long I'll be Claire bear, it's uncertain" he stoped for a second to draw in a ragged breath, now I wasn't the only one breathing erratically
"Im…well…we have to leave soon before everything gets bad"
"What do you mean...bad?" I really tried to understand but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he was talking about
"Its nothing you have to worry about Claire, I just wanted to say goodbye before we left"
He sat up at that moment and turned for the door, he wasn't able to take a step before I grabbed his shirt
"Quil…you don't have to…please don't…" the words came out half strangled; I still had so many questions to ask him, why was he leaving?
Would he come back? Would I ever get to see him again?
He seemed to be able to read my mind because he turned away from the door and faced me
"I told you Claire bear don't worry, I promise I'll come back" his grimace turned into a slight smile
"like I could ever leave you on my own free will" he chuckled then sighed
I reached up to take one on his hands and held it firmly in both of mine
"Promise?" I looked into his deep brown eyes and he lent down and gently kissed my cheek for the briefest second while answering
"Promise" and with he walked silently down the hall before pausing turning around sneaking one last glance at me and walked out he front door.
I was still frozen in place, staring down at my hands were Quil's hand had just been a moment ago, my eyes finally leaked of the tears I tried to keep back and they rushed down my cheeks giving me the feeling that someone had thrown a glass of water in my face.
Oh I wish they had, then maybe I could wake from this horrible nightmare and go back to seeing my Quilly every time I wanted, but this wasn't a nightmare it was real. Abnormally real. And I didn't want any part of it
My Legs started to uncontrollably shake harder than before and without notice I fell to the ground with a thud, i just barely noticed the moisture escaping my eyes had formed a quite sizeable puddle next to me on the cold carpet and at that moment mum came around the corner obviously listening to our conversation then my breakdown afterwards, honestly
I was surprised she hadn't come out earlier from her secret hiding spot-The Kitchen. "Claire!" mum called bending down onto her knees to get a better look at me
"Claire, are you alright?
Her voice sceptical but wary
I just kept staring at my hands my face emotionless and my eyes red from the unloading of tears I forced upon them. I didn't reply to i just stood from where I sat taking a deep breath to steady myself turned without saying a word to my mother and trudged slowly up the stairs one at a time my usual eagerness gone for what it might seem to be forever.
I opened the door to my bedroom at the end of the hall and crossed the room to my bed grabbed my iPod hastily shoving the headphones in my ears with a bit too much force than necessary, turning the music up loud enough so I couldn't think straight and collapsed onto my bed.