Gone

The car rumbled lowly across the highway. To the right and left of it, other drivers zoomed past. Though they sat at seventy miles per hour, it seemed to the others that they were going at a snail's pace. The city crept closer on the horizon; the shiny towers almost blinded them as they reflected the twelve o'clock sun. Chae-Young, who sat in the passenger's seat, put her sun visor down as they dashed around a bend in the road. The driver, a boy, named Alika, followed suit. He swore at himself silently for forgetting his sunglasses at home. Still, they sped along, quickly ignoring the slight annoyance in front of them.

              They came to a red light. He stepped on the brake gradually, avoiding his usual mistake of stopping on a dime. If he did, he'd make things worse. It was already enough that she was going through with this. Small things like this would make it harder. They didn't say anything to each other, allowing the silence between them to soothe them. There was nothing on the radio, and there wasn't anything really of importance to talk about. They could talk about where they were going. Maybe. The thought of it, though, filled him with some dread. Where they were going wasn't the best, at least not for what was ahead. He felt some color run from his face, and his heart beat faster. He breathed slowly in and out to try to relieve it. He was so caught up in calming himself that he didn't notice the red light turning a solid neon green in front of them.

              "Hey," Chae-Young said. "It's green."

              The words brought him back to reality. He stepped on the gas and sped forward, careful not to peel out. They turned right past a dome-roofed library with a name they didn't recognize. Chae-Young looked out the window staring at the cloudless sky above her, noting the bushy trees at the lower right corner of her vision as she gazed upward. She knew he was anxious; she always knew whenever he got in that mood. Usually, she'd be able to calm him with just a few choice words because she always knew what to say to him. This time, though, she wasn't sure what to say. This was the first time that she had no idea how to help him. She looked over at Alika, who himself looked like he was lost in thought.

              "The sky's beautiful out here." She said soothingly.

              Alike grunted in response.

              She pursed her lips in slight irritation. She hated when he did that. He did that only when he was spiteful. Chae-Young returned her gaze to the outside, resting her head on her palm to relax. Alika turned left, this time through the downtown area of the city they finally reached. She looked in awe upon the lights that shone brightly despite the equally bright sun. The digital screens on buildings showed various advertisements and sexy women, trying to appeal to the males who walked the street in a daze. Her lips loosened as they sped past it all.

              "It's been a while since we've been here, Ali." she quipped.

              Alika looked over at her, his face softening as he gazed upon her.

              "Yeah," he replied slowly. "Sure has been."

              Though they didn't recognize it, their minds wandered away, away to the same place that they shared that magic night last year, although it could've been decades ago. It was after prom, and they were walking about the city at random. They weren't really the biggest fans of dance, but they went anyway. They figured that if they didn't, even if it wasn't all that cracked up to be, they'd regret it forever. Of course, they were right. The music was terrible and the decorations even worse. They decided to hell with it; let's just leave. And so they did.

              She wore a beautiful red dress, the stereotypical dress worn by leading ladies in the old movies. He wore a simple tuxedo, nothing special about it (except he didn't remove his skull cap all night, despite the unnatural heat in the middle of autumn). They decided to walk through the city and hailed a cab. Anyone who dared to look could look. All they needed was each other. As they moved through the city square, jostling each other like the best friends they were until they stopped near the river. Despite the chaos of the noise, they could just barely note distant music away down the river. Immediately, they recognized the song; it was a low-tempo techno version of Forever Young. The night shone brightly and as they looked at each other. Something between them began to light and, without a word said, they held each other in each other's arms and rocked back and forth to the beat of the music. That night was one of the most beautiful between them.

              As they danced, she was overcome with a horrid feeling. She had to tell him. As a first-generation Korean-American with dual citizenship, she felt strongly the need to defend her ancestral country. Though she was not required to do so, she made up her mind that she would enlist. She spoke about it with her parents, who encouraged her with great pride. But she knew that it would break his heart. It broke hers, too. She didn't want to admit it yet, but she felt something for him, something that was beyond the best friendship that they had. And he did, too. Every time he looked at her, he always felt so much better every time she said something to him. When she did, he was furious. He took it as a sign of abandonment. They argued the whole night on their way back home. It was the first time that he ever felt cried tears of love and rage. Her choice was final, and there was no turning back. All he could do was be there.

              As they turned into the airport and he parked the car, Chae-young opened the door quickly. She didn't want to prolong this any longer than it did. With speed on her heels, she grabbed her belongings from the back passenger side. Alika got out of the car, something in him burning and desiring to get out. As she hurried to the airport terminal, Alika called out.

              "Hey!"

              She turned around an inquisitive and anxious look in her eyes. Alika bit his lower lip, nearly breaking the skin. Summoning his courage, he shouted,

              "I love you!"