Locked in the Closet

Sitting in my usual seat in band, reading through the trumpet solo, I look up from the music as the door opens and a boy walks in. I've never seen him here before, so I'm guessing today is his first day here.

"Class!" Mr. Johnson, the band director, called out. "This is Raphael. He's your new band mate. Welcome him kindly." The bell rang right after that, signaling the end of class. I put my trumpet back in its case and put it away.

"Maybe this school year won't be so bad after all," I thought to myself as I walked to my next class with a smile on my face.

Not long after that, I realized that Raphael and I had all of the same classes. Then for the last few months of school, we both grew closer to each other; going over to each other's houses every weekend to stay the night or to just play video games.

***

On the last day of school, Raphael walked up to me with a doleful expression. Obviously something was wrong and I'm about to get the spiel of it.

"Alex... I have to tell you something..." he stuttered in a sorrowful tone. I nodded my head slightly, letting him know he could tell me what was wrong. "I'm... moving." He looked down at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing while he said this. I could hear the sadness in his voice, making me want to just hug him and tell him everything would be alright.

"It's only for the summer, right?" My own voice wavered a bit. Raphael shrugged, indicating that he wasn't sure.

If I had known that was going to be the last day I ever saw him, or talked to him, I would've tried to stop him from going with his parents. Or convince them all from going. I did try to convince my own parents into letting me go, but they had said no.

My last year in high school without my best friend and the person that I realized I loved more than a friend was horrible. He was gone and I wouldn't ever be able to tell him that... I love him... I only wish that he hadn't left for the summer.

That truck just had to be the one to stop him from making it back home. His parents barely survived. The police had said that the driver of the vehicle was intoxicated and had survived the accident.

I miss the love of my life. At the funeral that was held for Raphael, I sobbed like a baby as his mom and dad talked about what a great son he was.

My own parents thought I was crying because he was my best friend and I didn't want to accept that he was gone. It's true that I didn't accept his death and that I wanted him to be alive, but it wasn't because he was my friend; it was because he was my first and possibly my last love.

I believe in having a soulmate and I believe that Raphael was my soulmate. We could've gotten married, we could've adopted a child, we could've grown old together and then suffer the loss of the other.

Finding your one true love is hard, and after I found mine, he was gone.

I guess I have to stay in the closet longer than I thought...