Broke but Not Broken

He shivered slightly as a cold gust of wind brushed against his body, and pulled his sweater closer to his body. The cool autumn air seemed to try it’s best to send the young man back inside, but he did nothing to signify he was going in anytime soon; he just sat there his legs pulled up to his chest, his stubble covered chin resting on his right knee as he stared out blankly into the world.

He was numb to the world, and had been for the better half of the week. There was nothing anyone or anything could do to snap him out of his new found funk; though his friends tried with all their might, none could help for they didn’t know what the problem was to begin with. He always was good at keeping his personal life to himself.

This day was just another day he decided to waste away and contemplate how everything has changed. Deep breaths repeating, his heart skipping beats every now and then when his thoughts focused on her for too long. He never thought that she’d leave him there all alone. He never thought that she’d be willing to take away his home; and he was already sick of being alone.

The door inside the belfry of the house he had rented with his friends opened and closed behind the youngest of the four young men. He shivered slightly and rubbed his bare arms quickly before leaning out the window and observing the young man on the roof. With a quick nod of his head to himself he hoisted his body out through the window and onto the roof. Cautiously he stood and made his way to his broken friend.

The elder boy hardly noticed the presence of his friend until a shoed set of feet placed them beside his own flip flop clad feet. Glancing up slowly, he caught his friend shoot him a supportive smile before he turned and stared out at the forested area before them. He studied his friend for a while, noticing how the younger boy held himself; trying to fight off the cold wind, trying to ignore it just like he was. He noticed how his friend didn’t glance down but up; pretending he wasn’t as high as he could be, ignoring his fear of heights.

The elder boy’s back straightened up as he turned to stare out over the tops of the trees as well, watching as the sky turned orange and pink. He felt a weight being lifted from his chest slowly, with the colours as they turned darker. Knowing his friend was there just to show his support, it meant the world to him. True friendship is being there for the good times, as well as the hard times.

As the first star shone down upon the two, the elder boy cleared his throat and without turning to face his friend, opened his mouth to thank his friend. The younger boy then turned towards his friend by the littlest, his left hand scratching the back of his head, “What are friends for?” The smile in his voice carried the smile from his lips onto the elder boy’s as he nodded in agreement.

‘Maybe soon, I can learn to wash my hands of this, and start anew,’ He thought to himself as he stood up and stretched out his body. And with that he and his friend headed back inside the house, ready to work on this starting anew business.