What Remains (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 15

6 years ago

3 weeks before

"Josh, talk to me," Carter said as he followed Josh down the hill. They had barely spoken to each other ever since Carter had brought the news of him moving away, and now Josh even sat next to someone else in the school bus. He couldn't take it anymore. Despite moving away in less than a month, he didn't want to lose his best friend. "Josh!" Carter said and grabbed Josh's arm.

Josh didn't turn to him but stopped in his tracks, his arm limp as it was being held by Carter's hand. "What's the use?" he said eventually. "You're moving away, and we won't see each other again."

Josh's words hurt. They made Carter want to cry all over again when he had finally stopped. "...So? Just because we don't get to see each other again for a long time, doesn't mean that our friendship will end. You'll always be my best friend, Josh. Always. No matter how far away you are."

"You're saying that right now, but in a few years, when you're all settled in there, you're going to forget all about me. So there's no use, alright? We might as well get used to being without each other," Josh spoke, and Carter could hear the sadness in his voice.

Carter looked down, his grip around the other's arm loosening. He wasn't sure what to say to him. He wanted to tell him that he was wrong, and that they'd never stop being friends, but knew that saying something like that would sound unrealistic and silly. He let go of Josh's arm and looked at the back of his head which was facing him. "I'm really sorry, Josh. I don't want to move away. I want to stay with you. I don't even think you realize how special you are to me," Carter said softly.

Josh didn't respond right away and remained with his back facing the other. "Whatever. I'm going home."

Carter didn't like seeing Josh like that at all. He wanted him to be happy, and to spend their last moments here together, carelessly and cheerfully. As Josh walked away to his home, Carter chewed the inside of his cheek and also decided to just head to his own home. The school year was practically over, which concluded Carter's last year of school at Hayland.

He walked towards his home, passing a few stores along the way. Absent mindedly, he looked at the windows of the stores. They were mostly convenience stores and every now and then a clothing store. Though when he passed a store where they sold glass art, his eye caught the attention of a small, glass butterfly displayed in the window on a shelf. It was a beautiful, small butterfly with beautiful blue and purple colors in the wings. Carter looked at it for a moment before he walked inside the store. If words couldn't prove his friendship to Josh, then he had to find something that did. He was glad that the butterfly wasn't expensive and rushed towards Josh's house when he had bought it. It was secured in a small box in a paper bag as he hurried towards his friend.

Once arrived, he rang the doorbell and not long after, Josh opened the door. He looked surprised to see Carter at his doorstep and he gave him a small smile.

"Hey," he said, and held out the paper bag. "I got you something."

Josh gave a quick glance inside his house, presumably at his father, before walking out to sit on the porch. "You got me something?" he asked. "Why?"

Carter went to sit next to Josh and handed him the bag. "As prove of our friendship, to put it simply. I saw it and it reminded me of you."

Josh got the small box out of the bag before opening it, revealing the small, glass butterfly which sparkled in the sunlight, making it even more beautiful than it was in the store window.

"It's... beautiful," Josh breathed, holding the butterfly up. "It's really beautiful." The way Josh looked at the small, glass figurine, Carter thought that he was beautiful as well, though he wasn't going to say that out loud.