Elias began to frantically look for Becca. He first ran to the student center but it was the middle of the night and no one was there. All outside doors were locked at night so she was still in the building somewhere. “I don’t know where Aaron’s room or Georgia’s room is. I may need to just look for her in the morning. She has a fight at noon tomorrow. I’ll just catch her after the match unless I find her beforehand.” Elias slapped his forehead. “Ugh I’m such an idiot! No I’m not just going to let life take her away. I want one more chance. I’m going to keep looking, even if it takes me all night. I don’t care about my 4th fight right now. It won’t be worth it if Becca isn’t here.”
Elias started back on his floor and searched the roof. He knew chances of her being there were slim but he could’ve missed her on his way back down. Nothing. He checked any room that wasn’t locked throughout the entire school. Still no sign of Becca. “Why did I say those things? How did that train of thought even get through?” He knew there was only one thing left to do. He had to knock on doors in hopes of finding her. Some doors were never answered and Elias moved onto the next. Some doors were answered and the annoyed owner would tell him to go away and that they haven’t seen Becca at all.
This continued all night long. Room after room. Door after door. Minute by minute. Hour by hour. Still no luck in finding her and it was now 0730. Elias was supposed to fight again at 0900 but right now he wasn’t even going to show up for the fight. Elias came to another door and knocked on it.
It opened and it was Aaron. Elias was exhausted and could barely hold himself up. “Whoa Elias what happened to you? You look horrible!” Elias had dark patches under his eyes and he looked pale.
“Don’t worry about me. Do you know where Becca is? I said something really stupid last night and left the room. When I got back her stuff was gone and her keycard was in the trash.”
“Becca’s gone? Did you try calling her?”
“Yea. She already had me blocked when I tried. Aaron I really messed up.”
"What did you do?"
Elias then told him what had happened.
“Why didn’t you call me? I would have been up to help you. Have you been doing this all night?”
“I didn’t want to wake you. But yes I’ve been knocking on doors hoping for an answer all night.”
“You didn’t want to wake me yet you knocked on doors all night.” Aaron deadpanned.
“Look man, my head isn’t on straight at all. I was too worried about Becca and trying to figure out why I even said what I said.”
“Alright let me give her a call and see where she’s at.”
“Hey Becca are you there?”
“Ok. Where are you right now?”
“The train station! You’re not in the building at all!?”
“You’re leaving back to your parents house and dropping out?!”
“Ok. Hold on I have someone here who want to speak with you.” Aaron turned around to hand the phone to Elias but he was gone. “Oh brother...”
“Becca I’m going to have to call you back. Do not get on that train you hear me? Just wait a little bit.” Aaron hung up the phone. “Elias where the heck did you go?"
Silence.
“Elias you idiot! Don’t tell me you’re running to the train station.” Aaron looked out the window to see said person running away from the building. “You’re a crazy kid I’ll hand you that. Then again if it was Georgia I would be doing the same thing. But it’s 5 miles away from here. She’ll be on a train before he is able to get her. I need to stall her.” He flipped out his phone again and called her.
Adrenaline was pumping through Elias as he made his way towards the station. “It’s only 5 miles away. I can catch her.” This wasn’t going to be an easy run. He wasn’t running on any sleep. What would normally take Elias 30 minutes to do was going to take 45 minutes with his current condition.
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“Hey Becca it’s Aaron again.”
“Yea, I know. Phones tell you who’s calling you. What is it?”
“You’re really planning on leaving?”
“Yea. I just... I don’t think the whole super hero thing is going to work for me?”
Aaron knew this wasn’t the reason but he was stalling so he was going to go along with it. “Really? I remember in middle school that becoming a super hero was all you talked about.”
“Yea... I changed my mind.”
“What about Elias?”
“...I don’t want to leave him but I feel like I should be somewhere else. I’m sure he’ll find someone else. Someone much better than me.”
“Do you really believe that Becca?”
“I...”
“Becca we’ve known each other since we were little kids. You know you’re giving up on him right?”
“Y-Yea...”
“Ok. Me and Georgia told you it was going to be a very hard road and it’s not one that most people are able to finish.”
“I know. I wish I could keep going but after what he said to me last night... you didn’t hear what he said.”
“He told me Becca. I know what happened.”
“What am I supposed to do? I was starting to open up to him about how I felt and he shut me down and basically told me that I’m worthless to him.” Tears began to well up.
“Do you think he believes what he said?”
“The words came out of his mouth.” Her voice broke.
“How badly do you want to know what he’s thinking right now.”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t care what he thinks anymore.”
“Becca.”
“Ok fine. I really want to know. But-“ She was interrupted by her own sobbing. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ve made my decision. I’m going home.”
“Who do you think I was going to have talk to you earlier on the phone?"
“Elias.”
“Becca he regrets what he said.”
“Oh yea and why’s that? Because now I’m gone? That suddenly he’s paying the price for being so cold. Aaron you can’t convince me to stay. Elias will do just fine on his own.”
“YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT HE WON’T!” Aaron yelled at her. Becca was shocked by his sudden outburst. Aaron was always calm and collected. He almost never yelled. “BECCA YOU KNOW HIM BETTER THAN ANYONE. HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY LIE AND TELL ME THAT HE WILL BE FINE!!!”
“I KNOW!” Becca couldn’t bear it any longer. “I know. I know he won’t be ok. It breaks my heart to know that he won’t be ok. I just-“
A train horn roared throughout the subway announcing its arrival.
“The train is here, can you get Georgia?” She asked.
“I’m here Becca.”
“Goodbye Georgia. You are a really great friend. I hope you become super strong and don’t be a stranger either.”
“So you’re actually going to leave?”
“Yea...”
Becca heard the defeated sigh from Georgia. “Ok. Goodbye Becca. I hope life treats you well. I’m going to hand the phone back to Aaron.”
“Ok.”
“So I couldn’t get you to stay huh?”
“No. I’m sorry but I just can’t do it anymore.”
“Ok. Goodbye Becca. Live a good one for me ok.”
“I will. Goodbye Aaron, treat Georgia well. If you don’t I’ll kill you myself.” Becca joked.
Aaron laughed. “Alright, I’ll hold you to it Becca. Just one more question before you hang up.”
“Ok.”
“Did you tell Elias goodbye?”
Becca closed her eyes and tears escaped them. She hung up the phone refusing to answer him. The trained slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. She glanced towards the front entrance of the station and paused. She felt conflicted. Part of her wanted to leave on the train, and the other part wanted to go back. She silently hoped that Elias would come rushing through the doors. But he never showed. Becca lost her hope, her eyes becoming void just like his. She stepped into the train.
“Parting to Glysco Station in 3 minutes.” The announcement was made over the train speakers. 3 minutes had soon passed. “Attention passengers please stand clear of the door.” The door closed. “Now parting to Glysco station.”
Slowly the train began to move. Then some commotion outside the train caught her attention. It was Elias. He was being held back by the security guards as he struggled against their grasp. “Elias!?”
She ran over to the door. “Ma’am you need to stay clear of the door please.” A security guard said. Elias managed to break free and frantically ran over to the door as the train began to speed up.
“No, I want off! I don’t want to go back! Please you have to open the door!”
“I’m sorry ma’am but the train is already in motion. We can’t let you off now.”
“No please you don’t understand! I need off! This was a mistake! I shouldn’t be on this train!” Becca pleaded as Elias struggled to keep up with its speed.
“I’m sorry ma’am but no one is leaving this train. We are already in mot-“
Becca watched as Elias slipped farther and farther behind. “Please! I can’t leave him behind! H-he won’t make it!"
“Ma’am, I am sorry bu- Hey! Stop that right now!”
Becca began to pry the doors open herself. Sticking her fingers between the cracks and slowly forcing the door open. The security guard tried to grab her but she slipped through the door just before he could reach her. Becca rolled with her landing to avoid injury.
“Elias!” Becca cried as she ran to him. She dropped her bags and practically tackled him to the ground. Life had returned to her eyes.
“Becca... I’m so sorry for what I said. I don’t think about you that way at all. I need you Becca. You’re the reason I keep pushing through life.”
“I know. I’m so sorry. I almost broke my promise to you, no I did break it. I’m so sorry.” She buried her head into his neck.
“You don’t need to apologize for anything. I made the mistake. I said those things about you that aren’t even true. You’re really sweet. You care so much about me. I’m so lucky to have a friend like you.”
Becca looked into his soulless eyes once more. They weren’t nearly as soulless as the night before. She noticed the bags under his eyes, his sweaty pale skin. She was surprised she didn’t notice that he was sweaty until now. “What happened to you? You look terrible.”
“I couldn’t sleep knowing you were gone. I stayed up all night knocking on every door in the school trying to find you.”
“You did all that for me?! Also why are you so sweaty? Did you fight before you got here?”
“No I skipped my fight. I ran all the way here.”
“You missed your fight?!?”
“Yea. I don’t care. I made it in time. That’s all that matters to me right now.”
“I can’t believe you ran 5 miles and skipped out on your fight after you pulled an all nighter. You did all of that for me?”
“After I said those things last night I couldn’t help but feel like I had done something horrible. I wasn’t going to let life take you away even if it was my fault.”
Becca didn’t respond and just hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and closed his eyes as his adrenaline faded away and his exhaustion took over him.
Becca suddenly felt the full weight of him leaning against her and pulled herself back to look. She giggled a little at the sight. “You sleep way too much Elias.”