Who We'll Be

BOOGSH.

BOOGSH.

BOOGSH.

That's what my heart's been saying in the last couple of minutes.

And it was so piercingly loud, that I could seriously feel that it was destroying my rib cage as it tried to violently escape from my chest.

But it wasn't this loud earlier.

At first it was at its fast-but-normal phase when Sky started laughing, because I knew he was just teasing me as usual.

But it reached its ultra-mega-super-fast phase as he stopped chuckling and made the spaces between us vanish by moving closer.

Closer...

Until his lips was about to completely close the gap between us...

...when we both suddenly jumped away from each other as my phone started ringing.

I awkwardly picked up the phone from my pocket, and looked at the screen to realize that it was my mom calling.

"Mom? What's the problem?" I asked, but at first what I was going to say was: Good timing, mother.

"The problem is that you need to come home now, dear. I just realized that you still haven't packed your things yet, and your hotel room's a mess. We're leaving this afternoon, you know," my mom told me, sounding more awake than my last call to her before. The sound of zippers and moving of luggage seemed that she was already packing her things.

And I completely forgot about that.

We're leaving this afternoon. And I still haven't prepared my stuff yet.

"Um...okay," I told her, and hung up.

I bit my lip as I looked at Sky awkwardly.

"Um, I need to go now. I need to prepare my things, and we're leaving this afternoon..."

"Oh, okay..." he said, looking a bit uncomfortable too.

The night sky was still black and starless as we stood on his front porch.

"Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll come, on the airport, won't you? I mean, you'll at least say goodbye to me...right?"

He bit his lip.

"I don't know...I still have some important stuff to do this afternoon. I guess I'll see if I can..."

My eyes narrowed as I sternly looked at him.

"Oh come on! You wouldn't even say goodbye to your best friend? Promise me you'll come."

He smiled.

"Okay. I promise."

I returned back his smile before I walked alone in the night.

Sky wouldn't break that promise my heart again...

...would he?

I hope so.

* * *

The plane will now takeoff in a few minutes, and tears of mixed emotions began to drown the whole airport as the crowd around us started to burst their feelings out for their loved ones before they went away. My parents and I were now walking towards the area with the conveyor-thingy-where-people-put-their-bags-and-stuff-to-see-if-there-were-any-bombs-and-other-forbidden-things, ready to go.

I looked around.

Still no Sky in sight.

I guess he couldn't make it after all...

I frowned to myself.

What a good best friend he is.

Really.

He preferred his 'important stuff' over me, his best friend....

On the second thought, I guess it's okay.

I mean, it's not like it's my last time here, I could still visit him on occasions and everything, and he told me he'd come visit me too. It's not enough for me, but I guess that's a pretty good thing to do as best friends.

Here in Jersey, Sky had learned to live his own life without me.

I guess I need to do that too.

Just then, a familiar voice lingered in my ears.

"Hey."

I turned around.

The boy who called me was smiling sincerely at me, and made a quick wave as he slowly sauntered towards me.

Ian.

I ran and hug him tightly, and tears came blasting down my cheeks like a waterfall.

"Ian!" I cried. "I'm going to miss you!"

I may have known Ian for only a week, but it felt like I've known him forever, and the thought of leaving him made me feel so heavy inside.

I looked around and realized that his friends were with him, and they all gave me their last smiles of goodbye, which made me feel a little better.

I smiled back to them, and I let go of Ian.

"Don't forget me, okay? Promise me you'll call and everything."

He smiled at me.

"Sure, sure. But promise me you would, too."

I tried to smile back at him, but my lips were trembling harshly.

When I had bit my lip, Ian's eyes were suddenly filled with concern as it bored in mine.

"Hey...is there a problem?" he asked.

"Huh? No...nothing."

"Oh, c'mon Symmery. You're not gonna lie to me before you go, are you?"

"Well..." I looked down. "Sky...he said he'll come—"

"Why would he?"

I didn't tell Ian about me and Sky's make up last night. But I think he understood, because the expression on my face must've said it all.

And with the smile now exhibiting in his handsome face...I knew he understood.

He just looked at me reassuringly, and put his hands on my shoulder.

"Look, if he really loves you, he'd do anything to be with you. But I guess he's too much of a wimp to do that..."

I finally managed to show him a smile. I realized that maybe this was the reason I feel so close to Ian.

He knows how to make me smile.

"No, that's okay," I said. "We agreed to stay friends. And it's not like it's my last time here in Jersey, right? I mean, I'll come visit—"

"Really? That's great!" Ian gave me another hug. "And you should come here when the snow's all gone, you know. That way you won't lose to me on snowball fights."

I chuckled.

"Okay, I'll visit again soon."

I hugged him back, and wished that the feeling would last forever.

"Honey, we need to go now," my mom suddenly called out to me a few feet away as she went to the door on the other side of the airport, where the plane awaits.

The door where only the passengers of thd plane were allowed.

The door that would completely separate me from me and my first love.

And after I had bid goodbye to Ian and his friends...

...I finally entered that door.

A few rays of the sun suddenly touched my eyes as I walked out of it, and I took one of my last gulps of the Jersey air as it caressed my face, and its essence of farewell started to make me feel lonelier than I had ever been.

Goodbye, New Jersey.

I may have spent only a few days here, but it had left me so many special memories that will last for life.

Goodbye, Sky...

My best friend.

My first love.

Soon you'll be far away from me...

...but you'll always stay right here with me; in my heart forever.

I'll miss you.

"Where the heck have you been? I've been here forever waiting for you," a stern voice suddenly filled my ears.

I turned around, and found a man beside the door, with his back resting against the wall.

He looked really handsome, despite the deep and dark look that was flooding his eyes.

But the darkness suddenly faded and turned into a blinding gleam as he began to smile and move towards me.

A smile crept upon my lips too.

Because it wasn't just any man.

It was the man I love.

"Sky, I-I thought..."

When he reached where I was, Sky bowed so that his eyes could closely meet mine, gave a smile as he laughingly patted my head with the passport in his hand - a smile my heart wished to stay with.

"You don't think I'd let you get away from me that easily, do you?"