-BOOK ONE- Gone Home (Smosh FanFic)

[Chapter 1] He's Not Here

-Anthony's POV-

I drove up to the Smosh house, it looked different even though it's only been a few years. The grass was about three weeks overgrown, all of the lights were off except the one on the porch, and Ian's car was missing. Rain speckled my windshield as the wiper blades swiped the drops away. Lightning flashed in the distance and a boom of thunder sounded.

I looked over at Heather, my friend. She and I met in college. We just graduated, and I invited her to stay at my place while she was looking for a place to call her own here in California. She used to live in Washington D.C.

"So, this is your friend Ian's house?" She asked me.

I sighed, "Yeah, it is." I opened my car door and got out. Heather mirrored me. I ran up to the front door so I wouldn't get soaked and went for the scuffed-up gold doorknob. When I turned it, though, it wouldn't budge. "Shit..."

"What?" She inquired, walking up behind me, pulling her now-wet sweatshirt hood down.

"It's locked."

"Isn't there a spare key? I know me and my friends used to have one under the doormat in front of our dorm room."

I bent down and lifted the corner of the doormat - nothing. I stood back up and tried my best to remember where the key used to be. I haven't been here in two years and I can't remember where a fucking spare key is. Then I remembered. I opened the mailbox and pushed aside the large pile of mail to find a key at the bottom. I picked it out and slid it into the key hole. The door clicked and I pushed it open.

I walked inside, closely followed by Heather. "Ian?" I called. "Ian...?" The house looked terrible. Even worse than it did after we'd shoot a Smosh video where we'd have to tarp everything. Empty pizza boxes laid on the floor and coffee table, soda cans were scattered here and there, and dirty clothes were thrown everywhere. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Maybe he's not here," Heather suggested.

"No, duh, Heather," I snapped at her. She looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just...Ian...he hasn't been picking up my calls or answering my messages for months. And he's really starting to worry me."

"Are you sure he just didn't...?"

"He wouldn't just not answer my calls!" I yelled, "He and I have been friends since sixth grade, Heather. He wouldn't do that kind of thing to me."

"You did go to college and left him behind," She remarked softly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I remember the first time we met. I just wanted to take notes in the class, but you insisted on talking to me. And I'm really glad for that. But...I remember you telling me how you didn't want to be there. You missed your best friend. And how terrible you felt because you didn't tell him until it already happened."

"Don't remind me, please," I said before starting to look around the house. I walked through the bedroom hallway, which was also a mess, looking at the portraits of him and me. Good memories flooded back to me. As I passed the office, something caught my eye. I retraced my steps and saw that the computer was on with a video up. Ian's face being the thumbnail.

I sat down in the chair and pressed the play button.

"Hey, Anthony," He began. "Well, it's a Saturday and...you just called me and told me you were at Harvard University. That you got accepted. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, I really am. But...you could've told me that you applied. Or told me that you got accepted. These kind of things are what friends tell each other, right?" I stared at the screen in disbelief, I didn't know how hurt he was. I could see it in his face and I could tell it in his tone, "So...while you're gone, I thought I might make these vlogs for you when you come back. Catch you up on what you missed while you were gone." Another flash of lightning lit up the room and the computer screen went black, leaving me in the dark.

"No!" I exclaimed, jumping forward and clutching the screen, wishing for it to come back. I leaned back in the chair and stared at the blank screen. Until Heather called for me in the front room.