The Forest 

Today is kind of different from the other days. I'm walking home from school with my friends, Silas and Kaiden. Kaiden and I walked side by side while Silas walked behind us, a tense silence overtaking us all as we walked. It all started because I chose Kaiden over Silas but it was only because I've known Kaiden practically all my life considering he's my next-door neighbor and his parents moved in when they were expecting him. My parents bonded with them over the fact that they were also expecting. Their friendship was very quick. They bonded over the fact that they were both expecting baby boys and didn't have a clue in the world what to do. 

Our parents wanted us to be close so they hoped for our names to be similar but different at the same time. So my name is Atlas because of the Greek meaning to carry and they wanted me to take Kaiden with me and be there for him. Although they didn't know what Kaiden's name was going to be, when researching names they found that Kaiden meant companion and warrior in Arabic. They didn't think twice when he was born to give him that name. Our parents always wanted us to be together like gum on the bottom of a shoe. They wanted us to be like peanut butter and jelly.

I was born 76 days before Kaiden and never let him forget it.  Kaiden has always been the smarter one of the two of us. He's been put in some advanced math classes throughout middle school and I was in the same class in seventh grade but I couldn't keep up. So I was dropped back to average math while he excelled in advanced. Kaiden's looks have always been one of his many assets. He's a tall brunette with green eyes that can make any girl fall in love with him with just one look. Kaiden has never been afraid to express himself and show his emotions. He is the most creative person I know and will tell you when your line is crooked or something is out of order. Kaiden is what people call an extrovert and that is one of the things that I admire most about him. He can make friends with people even if it’s his first time meeting them. He can talk to them like he’s known them all his life. Kaiden has always been there for me and I know that even if we don’t talk he’ll always have my back. 

Kaiden was the one that met Silas and they became friends first. They met during elementary school when Kaiden and I started to want to be more independent, which our parents didn’t like. That made us better because when we started hanging out more in high school it felt like nothing had changed. Silas and I met through my friend Larry. He introduced us even though Silas was already friends with Kaiden, but I didn’t hang out with that group of Kaiden’s friends, so I knew of Silas but never made an effort to be friends. As Larry invited Silas to hang out with us more often, I got to know him better. 

Silas is the type of person to not say no to you just because you said it nicely and they feel bad. He has brown hair and eyes. He has always excelled in his classes and tried his best, but has never tried to take advanced classes because of the fear of failing. Silas is the type of person that overthinks every decision and stresses about them even though they are in the future. He lives in the future and not in the present, he likes to be in control of everything and doesn't like things changing. Silas likes to stand up for what he believes in even if that means going up against someone twice his size and will argue with them until someone tells them to shut up.

Today was different because we decided to go to my house and take the shortcut through the woods. We wanted to get home as fast as we could so that we could play the new Fortnite map that came out.

As we were running towards the woods, Kaiden and I looked at each other and we knew what the other was thinking. We were going to prank Silas that we got lost. It was perfect since he was behind the both of us and he had his nose stuck in a book and wasn't listening. As Kaiden and I started to walk away from each other, we saw Silas look up from his book and start looking around and saw us running away from him. I saw him turn to run after Kaiden so I stopped running and turned around to go find them because I would end up being the one that got lost. 

As I started to get closer to where they headed I heard someone whisper in my ear, “Run.”

 I whipped my head around so fast I felt like it was going to fall off, but no one was there. 

“What the hell?” I mumbled to myself, confused.

I decided to continue looking for Kaiden and Silas, but then I heard a blood-curdling scream. Instead of running away from it like I should have, I ran toward it because I knew that scream. It was as if I was running a marathon and I wanted to win first place. When I got close enough I could hear a person talking and it sounded like Silas.

“You were just always in the way. It always had to be Kaiden and Atlas. Well now it's going to be Atlas and Silas,” he announced over Kaiden's body, who laid there limp with his head covered in blood. His hand held a rock that had traces of blood all over it.

“Silas??” I asked, voice shaking. His head turned in shock as he dropped the rock in his hand and started approaching me. As he got closer I stepped back.

“Hhh…he attacked me aaaa..and I had to defend mmm..myself” Silas said as his face changed from a deer being caught in headlight to a hurt animal pleading for help.

“You're lying,” I said.

Silas’s face changed into one of anger when I finished talking.

“You're going to regret saying that. We could have been best friends,” Silas announced 

Just like that Silas ran at me and everything went black.

“Atlas? Atlas wake up!” The voice sounded scared but I knew who it was.

“Kaiden” I scream, while getting up and running into his arms.

He looked different, like he was there but not actually there. I looked around and realized why he looked like that. Our dead bodies laid there as Silas stood between them looking back and forth.

“Idiots” he murmured as he shook his head. He then turned and walked away toward the freeway.

Kaiden and I stood there watching Silas walk away in shock. Then turning and looking at each other with shocked expiration on both of our faces.

“www…why would he do that?” I asked Kaiden.

Kaiden with a calm tone said “ He was jealous.”

“Iii… what? No they're no way! why would he?” I cried.

“Just let it go, we have to go anyways.” 

“What to where?”     

“You know” he said as he gave me a look.

“Ohh,” I responded “ right now I didn't think it would happen this fast.”

“Me either but look, the light.” 

We both turned our heads and saw the light above our bodies, I gave him a look and he took my hand and started walking toward it. When we were in front of it he say “together.”

“Forever,” I respond

We were together just like our parents always wanted us to be and nothing could change that.