A Former Friend

(Content Warning: suicide)

Julian's phone rang. He didn't recognize the number.

He picked it up anyway.

"Julian." The voice was hoarse and panicked, breathy and hard to make out, but he recognized it instantly.

The gun slipped from his fingers and hit the ground with a thud.

"Gideon." His heart raced in his chest. He hadn't heard from his best friend in years. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Gideon choked on his own tears. "I need help. Please."

"Where are you?"

Gideon gave him an address and Julian told him not to hang up. He snatched the gun up off the ground and ran out of the abandoned warehouse. He hopped into his truck and took off.

"Gideon, talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Gideon started crying. "I can't. I can't. I don't understand."

"It's okay." Julian's voice softened. "You're going to be okay. I'm on my way. I'm almost there."

He wasn't almost there. He was at least an hour away.

Gideon sniffled. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Julian." He whimpered. "I never should have let you leave. I never should have said those things to you."

Julian shook his head even though Gideon couldn't see him. "Don't worry about it, Gid. It's in the past. You know I'll always be there for you. You know I'll always help you."

Gideon broke down again and Julian's gut twisted. His friend had always been so strong. He'd never even shed a tear. He'd been thick-skinned and determined, while also generously kind and empathetic.

He sympathized with everyone. He understood.

Except in the end. In the end, when it came to Julian, he did the opposite of understand.

"Wait--wait--!" Gideon cried out, and panic flooded Julian's chest.

"Gid, what's going on?" No answer. "Gideon, what's happening?"

Gideon's phone hit the ground and Julian heard the screen shatter.

"No, wait, stop!" Gideon shouted, followed by the sound of a gunshot.

Julian hit the gas.

"Gideon!" He yelled. "Gideon, can you hear me?"

Only a faint buzzing answered him. The line had gone dead.

"Shit, shit, shit." Julian raked his hand through his messy brown hair.

He couldn't drive fast enough. When he finally reached the address, a little rundown house in the middle of nowhere, he swerved into the driveway and threw the truck into park. He jumped out, holding his gun low as he raced to the house. He kicked the door open and lifted his weapon, scanning around him for danger. The house was quiet, dark except for the green light emanating from the bedroom down the hall.

"Gideon?" He called out quietly. "Gideon, are you there?"

Muffled cries answered him, and Julian rushed into the green-lit bedroom, but on the threshold he stopped cold.

Gideon crouched on the floor, his body covering that of a middle-aged woman. Blood drenched them.

A little machine lay in the middle of the room, projecting green light across the walls, dancing with stars and planets. It had been Gideon’s favorite toys when he was little, but now it was broken, and the light shattered into crooked rectangles around the room

Julian didn't lower his gun.

"What happened? Was there someone here?" He demanded.

Gideon lifted his head slowly, his bloodshot eyes meeting his former friend's. He shook his head.

Julian took a step forward. He took one hand off the gun and held it out towards Gideon.

"Take my hand." He murmured. "You're safe now."

But Gideon shook his head again.

"I was never in danger." He breathed.

He turned back to the woman and as Julian cast his eyes over her, his blood ran cold. He recognized her.

It was Gideon's mother.

Julian's eyes widened in disbelief. "Gideon, what did you do?"

Gideon started crying. "I didn't--we got into an argument--I was mad and I upset her and she—she—” He sucked in a sharp breath.

Julian's eyes flashed back to the machine. Gideon's mother had bought it for him when he was little. It was the one present from her he'd truly loved. To her, it was her most valued connection to her son. Understanding dawned on Julian. "She shot herself."

Gideon nodded. He stared down at his mother.

"Julian," he whispered, "please."

Julian stuck his gun in his waistband and stepped back.

"No. That bitch deserved to die."

Gideon dropped his head into his hands.

"She's my mom."

"She was never your mom." Julian replied coldly. "She abused you for years--"

"She never laid a hand on me--"

"It doesn't matter!" Julian snapped. 'There are other ways to hurt someone than physically. You know that better than anyone."

"She didn't deserve to die." Gideon mumbled. "She didn't deserve to die."

"She was a stain on the earth. She got what she earned." Julian pulled out his phone. "I'm calling the police."

"No!" Gideon jumped to his feet, spinning to face his former friend. "You can reverse this. You can fix this. You can make it all go away."

"I'm not going to do that."

"Julian, please."

Shadows sharpened Julian's face. "Is that all you wanted from me? You brought me here just so you could use me?"

Gideon looked away.

Julian laughed, but pain tore at his insides. "I should have known."

He turned to leave, but Gideon grabbed his arm. "Julian, I'm begging you."

Julian ripped out of his grip. "Oh yeah? And what about me? What did you do when I was begging you? 'I'm sorry, Gideon. Please believe me, Gideon. Don't leave me, Gideon.' What did you do, huh?"

Tears welled up in Gideon's eyes. "I made a mistake."

Julian just shook his head. "No, you didn't. I did. I made the mistake of trusting you."

He moved to leave, but then he hesitated. His eyes flit back to Gideon, broken and distraught and something twisted inside of him.

No matter what Gideon had done, no matter how much he'd hurt him, he would still always love him.

And instead of walking away, he reached forward and took Gideon's hands. Gideon looked up with broken eyes.

"I'm sorry, Julian."

Julian looked away. He removed his hands and knelt down by Gideon's mother. He touched her brow and her body shuddered, breath streaming back into her lungs. He stood up, keeping his back to Gideon when he spoke.

"Don't call me again."