The CD Complex

I​t was dark. The leaves are blowing in the wind & the sound of whistling flows through the air. It’s mid-november & the trees are already losing their leaves. Like a dried up sponge, they shrink & break off to gather along with their leaf relatives. The moon shining brighter than normal, it lit up the space around the area.

Standing in front of a gate, that’s Victorian. Images of characters such as a master sword & a silhouette of a Mario cap. Pictures of ghouls connected with ribbons made up this gate that I stand in front of. Hard as iron, these gates was about 10ft (at least) high & wide enough to let in a car.

M​ind racing trying figure out what to say. I’ve been there for 5min & yet my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. “Am I ready for this?” I say to myself breathing heavily while I do a bounce as I adjust my book bag. I had rehearsed a speech I had prepared last night. Wanting to see him for a last time & let him know what’s been on my mind since that time at the cabin, I spent hours coming up with what to say to him. How to say what I need to say & if I should rip the band aide or build up to it.

I​t’s been 30 minutes now & I have finallybeen able to gather the courage to ring the bell. *DING* *DONG* *SCREACH!* A loud screech escaped from the speakers surrounding the gates. A sound like the doors of the Adams family estate. We’ve been friends for some time now. First meeting was way back in high school.

I was a junior & he was a freshman. He was always a hyper kid. Always excited to explore the world around him. Back then I was a shy kid. I was always to myself & kept to myself anytime I was around people. I was scared of everyone & anyone who gave me attention. Awkward as I was, my education was important enough to be focused on compared to the rest.

The first time I saw him was at a school assembly. We were all sent to the gymnasium because the auditorium was occupied. The gym was divided into two mostly so the other classes can have their time without affecting the others. This time, they unlocked the doors & moved the big platform so that they two can become one. There were bleachers on the opposite side of the entrances as you came in. The seats were bright colored blue & It wasn’t comfortable. The gym was a weird orange color that was some mix between school bus yellow & city cab orange.

I was sitting on the left side of the room with my peers & he was on the other end of the gym with his group of classmates. I had entered the gym on the right side & upon entering, that’s when I saw him. 5’8 wearing ‘Fall Out Boy’ jeans & a tri-force emblem T-shirt (which was black by the way) He was conversing with his classmates & fooling around. I wasn’t sure what the feeling is at first, the way he worn his hat (backwards with a star in the center of it), or he carried himself (shoulders broad & head held high) So confident & assure of himself (at least from where I was looking from) He had an athletic physique & always gave a vibe that he was a sweet guy under all the vibrato & masculinity he exuded.

Glancing over at him, it felt like time had stopped, for a moment. I was staring way too long at him I thought. Like having seen such beauty that had beseeches me. He was not paying attention to me but had a feeling like someone was watching him. I knew because he made the look of feeling like someone was watching you. Even for a second, it felt like hours had went by.

I was wearing sweats at the time because my fear of people & reduction of clothes. I had such anxiety around big groups of people. Every time I had gym class I would wear sweats. I continued to my seat and the day went on. After seeing him for the first time, I wanted to find him & let him know that I existed. Feelings of giddy & blush rushed to my cheeks like Pikachu from Pokémon. I did my best to hide them but nobody cared to give me the time of day, so I was safe either way.

Months later & add some new friends, & event was occurring where I actually ran into him. I was a taller & gained more confidence in myself due to the friends I obtained. “Hey man, what’s up? You’re Rachel’s friend right!?” He says in a voice that sounded like Marty from ‘Rick & Morty’. “Yeah! She’s my friend from math class.” I responded nervously, “My name is Derek!” He replied cheerfully with a smile on his face & a stern voice. As if he & I were the only two people in the room, I blushed as he extends his hand out to give me a handshake.

I responded as I reached out my hand to confirm the handshake, “uh…my name is Charley.” With subtle shyness & slight squeak in my voice I shared the courtesy. We began to exchange words & automatically hit it off. Spend the whole event talking & getting more & more comfortable with each other. We were easily becoming really good friends. Discussing things like, why the game was called “Legend of Zelda” & not “Links Return” or how a hot dog is not a sandwich (which is true).

Derek is into video games. He would always go on tangents talking about a video game that he was reminded of because of what is going on in current events. His way with words drew people in. Like a vampire hypnotizing their victim confidently.

Derek is persuasive when it came to things he cared about. Anytime he would talk about a show or something he played, you would always leave the room wanting to experience it for yourself too. There was this one game he talked about where this knight that saved some princess during a war & became part of a tri-force. I was so into it that I wanted to experience it too. (I want to hold a freaking sword too) I said begrudgingly to myself.

T​he more I had spent time with Derek, the more I felt connected to him. Not having to worry about vanity or comparing myself to others. High School was bad enough with bullies & pressures to be the best, let alone meeting new people. Spending time with my new friends & mostly Derek was the focus that I had anticipated.

M​y feelings for Derek grew a lot stronger. After my graduation right before I went off to a higher education where I ended up sitting at a desk staring mindless at the wall because everyone else is working, right before I went off I went over to Derek’s house to confess how I felt & in hopes he felt the same way too. I realized I couldn’t go another day thinking about him. He would always motive me to get out of my shell & not be afraid of being themselves because everyone else was afraid of much worst things than what you’re going through. He would ask things like, How is Charley feeling today” or “Are you okay with that” As if he was a waiter at a restaurant.

A​s encouraging as Derek is, he was the person I had ended up making me a better person By not just being a nice person but by showing compassion & understanding. Dereks house was big. His mom was owned a tech company, & his dad is living off the money he obtained through a gaming accident. I approached his house ready to confess, shuffling back and forth against the cold metal bars, pushing the ghoul like ribbons & master sword silhouette just to work my way up of letting him know. ” I hope he feels the same” I said rubbing my hands together for warmth.

Right before I rang the bell, a loud bang occurred. It’s coming from Dereks house. Suddenly, waves of heat made its way to me as if someone was second hand smoking & you was there not just exposed to the smoke but the weird warmth it brought. “Holy pistachio cheesecake” I said in shock as I looked up to see pieces of the house separating from each other; flying in different directions. “DEREK!” I yelled concerned & frightened. With no way to pass through the gates, I backed up more & more to protect myself from the ash. The rocks & other objects that was flying from the building flew far enough to hit the gates. I went away for cover. I didn’t have my license at the time, so I grabbed my skateboard & made distance from where my heart were.

Clueless & confused, I was blocks down where I knew it’s safe to breathe. I had called the authorities as I was making distances so that there would be help to arrive. Scared & still confused, I noticed tears was falling down my face. I figured I was crying from the smoke & debris flying everywhere but soon after I made distances, more of this wet liquid dripped down my cold frosted cheek. I was crying.

Hours past & firefighters, along with reporters & police officers crowded the area. The smoke had cleared. Looking for survivors, There was no one insight. Blocks away I see a reporter looking at the camera getting ready to report what has happened. “On today’s news, just off the corner of ‘Waffles and Pancakes’, the Berry family estate has exploded into ashes causing a nearby forest fire to emerge. There were reports earlier of 2 shady individuals wearing all black with a mask that said 2020 on it, rushing to the scene. Nobody knows if they’re any survivors or if the Berry family was even in the estate. As we wait for more information, this is Yuma Sukkaki here for the morning news”. My mouth dropped in relief. My tears turned from fear to happy tears. “I’m glad he’s safe” I murmured to myself. Now confused & worried, something had happened where him & his family must have needed to escape to. “Something shady must have taken place with the Berry corp. That must have made them escape” said a passerby.

The next day during lunchtime, I wander around hoping I will see Derek to check in on my best friend & what had happened, but he never showed up to school. Kids all over school clueless, like me trying to figure out what happened. Stories began to emerge & rumors filled the lunchroom. Days became weeks & weeks became months. Soon after, I moved away from my home town. That was going on 10 years now. I find myself not along a winter crown tundra. Hard to see, I notice something in the distance that reads, “The Café“.