44. Heartbreak-2

"He misses you already," Aaron folds his hands over his chest, his eyes darting between Gray and me. I roll my eyes and run my hand through my hair. "Can we please just focus on you?" "I'm leaving the country not dying," He laughs, looking around at the sympathetic faces staring back at him. Elliot runs over to Zyair and Gray, who are standing a few feet from us, watching the scene unfold. "Are you guys just going to watch him leave! Can't you do something!" His voice is loud yet shaky. I watch as Gray gives Aaron one last stare before walking away. Zyair responds with a mock salute in Aaron's direction before walking back into school with Gray. Not only was I surprised at how quickly they left, but also angry at how they shunned a heartbroken Elliot. When Elliot comprehends that neither Gray nor Zyair could help, realizing the reality of the situation, he strides towards Aaron and hugs him. Mr. Baker had one the most disgusted expression on his face, dragging his eyes away from Aaron and Elliot, walking towards his car. Aaron drops his bag to the ground, throwing his arms over Elliot, squeezing his shoulders tightly. A sniffing Ashley shows up next to me, intertwining her hands in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze as a consolation. We stand there watching Elliot grab onto Aaron, hearing the soft sobs retch from their lips. "This school is gonna be batshit bullshit without you," Elliot whispers with a small, miserable chuckle. Aaron smiles and pulls away from the hug to kiss Elliot. "I'll miss you too, big guy," He says. "Can't we do something to make you stay?  Isn't there anyone we could call? This is not fair, " Elliot cries, clutching onto Aaron's hands. "I'm leaving because I want to, babe. There's no point in fighting my father. I won't have a phone, but I can write to you every day?" Aaron volunteers with a little nervous eye brow raise. "What's this? The 50s," Elliot laughs, smacking Aaron's shoulders. They pull away, wiping their tears. "It could be. Are are we so sure the calendar is right," Aaron laughs. Now wasn't the time for jokes. I couldn't even begin to explain the sorrow and heartache I feel at Aaron leaving the country. I couldn't help but feel like it was all my fault. I had been getting the messages for the past few months but ignored it because I enjoyed spending time with Gray. The guilt keeps eating me up inside, reminding me why ending things with Gray was the better idea. "I'm going to miss you, Baker, who can't bake, " Ashley punches Aaron's shoulders, and they both laugh. I laugh in between my pain, recalling the first time Ashley and I spoke to Aaron. Ashley had convinced me to be friends with Aaron because he was a Baker. She thought we could get free cakes, not realizing that his last name was Baker, but he wasn't an actual Baker. Imagine the shock seven-year-old Ashley felt when she found out Aaron couldn't do so much as boiling a bowl of water without scalding himself. Aaron pulls Ashley and me closer, hugging us tightly, patting our backs with his slender palms. "Take care of my boys," he whispers in our ears. He lets his eyes drag around the crowd, lingering on me for a second before smiling at Elliot. Aaron sticks his tongue out and raises both middle fingers in the air as he retreated towards the car. "Fuck me, " Elliot mutters under his breath, running after Aaron and throwing his arms over Aaron's shoulders, hugging him from behind. "Can't we run away? Into the woods or somewhere?" Aaron turns slowly. "Please don't ask me to stay. Leaving would be best for everyone. Trust me," he smiles. He looks at Ashley and me before running into his dad's car. "Wait, " Elliot tries to run after him again. Ashley and I take that as our cue to grab onto Elliot, intertwining our arms with his, keeping him in place. Mr. Baker starts the car, pulling out of the driveway, leaving with our Aaron. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ashley, Fawn, and I are at Desin's Ice cream with Elliot after school, attempting to make him feel better. Elliot keeps stabbing his oreo overload cup with his spoon, a sour pout plastered on his face. "Do you think he's already in London?" Ashley sighs and looks at her phone. "Well, it's almost six pm, so probably?" She turns to me for confirmation. "How do we know if he's safe? We can't even talk to him," Elliot slouches his shoulders, his eyes glassy like his melted ice cream. "Mr. Baker would get calls from his brother. Aaron is not a kid, so trust he'll be fine," Ashley replies. Elliot heaves a deep sigh, raising his head to me. "You've been quiet. Is everything okay?" My heart ached at him noticing my mood when he had issues of his own to take care of. I smile and shake my head. "Just missing Aaron, that's all." Maybe Gray, too. My mind wanders, thinking of him and what he was doing at the moment. My phone rings at that moment, interrupting my thoughts. I pick it up, immediately recognizing the caller ID with Zyair's name. "Hey," I answer. "Dove, bad news," his voice comes out hitched, in short breaths. Instinctively I stand on my feet, fidgeting with my keys. Zyair's bad news meant BAD NEWS. "How bad?" "Gray is missing. He left school earlier this morning, and I've spent the entire day trying to find him all to no avail. It's getting late, and I'm fucking worried, Dove. He wouldn't disappear at such a time without telling me first." My keys fall to the ground, and I struggle to pick it up. Ashley picks it up for me, wiggling the keys in my face. Her eyes widen when she sees the panicked look on my face. "What's wrong?" she mouths. "When did you see him last?" I ask Zyair, ignoring Ashley's concerned facial expression. "He left school after Aaron left." "Okay, tell me where you are. I'll come-, " "Dove. That's not all, " Zyair cuts me off. Time almost stops at the moment with the amount of anxiety I feel running through me. Why couldn't God just let us be happy for a day or at least give us a break? Some time to recover from the consecutive bombs he keeps throwing our way. "What is it?" I bit my upper lip, holding my breath, waiting for Zyair to speak. "Aaron ran away."