What if he was like all the other boys?

Per­haps he wouldn’t be dea–

Gone.

He can’t be gone. He’s just play­ing. Pretending.

Per­haps he’d have some posters up or something.

Per­haps he’d love sports?

Per­haps he’d have a foot­ball or bas­ket­ball – or bet­ter yet, some tro­phies from either.

But he isn’t like all the other boys. Wasn’t. He never was.

He always went his own way.

You wish he didn’t.

Maybe he’s just con­fused. Maybe this is all a mis­un­der­stand­ing. Maybe he thinks he has to play dea–

Play gone.

Maybe he thinks it is a game? Maybe he doesn’t really want you to hurt so much?

Maybe if you were a bet­ter role model, this would never have hap­pened. He would have made bet­ter friends (any friends), would have fallen in with the right sort.

Not with who­ever did this.

Did what?

He can’t be gone.

If he’s gone, you’ll never see him find a girlfriend.

Never see him get married.

Never seem him have kids.

Never see him live.

He won’t be your friend, anymore.

Some friend you were. So much you were sup­posde to do, and never did. So much fun you were sup­posed to have, and never will. So many moments you out to have cherished…

Now it’s a strug­gle just to keep a grasp on those mem­o­ries you still have.

You were sup­posed to pro­tect him.

He’s gone.