BFF (MunchingUniverse)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

"S-So... How long have you got?" He asked, swallowing hard.

"I dunno. Like, a year, maybe? I don't know. Can we just not talk about this?" the other boy asked, leaning forward and mashing the buttons on his controller as his on-screen character barely dodged a bomb.

"A year," the first boy whispered.

"Yeah, a year," the boy's friend huffed, rolling his eyes as he mashed more buttons. "Dude. You just gotta come to terms with it- holy crap, man, did you see that!? I just annihilated that boss."

The first boy laughed good-naturedly. "You're so violent."

"Pfft," snorted the second. "You're just too pacifisty for this game."

"Maybe so."

A few silent moments passed.

"Do you think... Would we be best friends forever?" asked the first boy, leaving his controller unattended as he glanced up at the second boy.

"What, if I weren't in the waiting line for the afterlife?" the boy's friend laughed, but he sobered up upon seeing the first's boy's somber expression. "Yeah, man. Forever."

"Would... you trust me with your life?"

"Obviously. You're the only person I'd ever trust with anything­- life, clothes, the deluxe copy of that new videogame I just got – anything, dude." He smiled reassuringly and scooted closer to the first boy, who was now trembling slightly. "You okay?"

"I'm okay when you're here."

The second boy frowned. "But I won't always be here."

"I know."

A few more silent moments.

"I worry about you sometimes," the second boy whispered, setting down his controller but not bothering to pause the game. "Sometimes you just seem so fragile, and I just want to protect you from everything – but I can't. And I'm... sorry. Soon, I won't even be here to protect you from the little things, like bullies and crap."

The first boy swallowed hard and dug his fingers into the carpeted floor he was sitting on. "Would you stay here? I-If you could?" he asked.

"Yeah. Of course! I wouldn't leave you if... if I didn't have to, you know?"

"Chemo will never work," the first boy muttered, standing up slowly. His friend frowned more deeply as he followed suit.

"You're probably right. But what can we do?"

"Do you have any, um... unfinished business?" the first boy asked, voice monotone and emotionless.

Cautiously, but unwilling to question his fragile friend, the second boy shrugged. "I guess so. I mean – I haven't exactly beat this fricking level yet," he laughed, pointing at the screen, at the abandoned game.

The first boy swallowed again. "Good," he choked out, and then he lunged forward, pulling the knife out of the waistband of his pants, burying it deep in his friend's chest, making sure to look away while the light faded from his friend's eyes.

He had gone.

But now he would never leave.