Abe=Finagain
Jo=Dot
Camille=Dusty
Rick=Topper
Tess=Whipper Snapper
Bee=Boom Boom
WARNING: TIME SKIPS
As we played the last chords of our new song Good Times/Days I laughed and banged away on the drums.
Then all music stopped. The drums wee silent. The guitars were quiet. The fiddle echoed as Abe and Jo sang the last prolonged line. "Good, times." with Camille and Rick backing them up. Then the piano played it's last rally of notes before the song ended. Tess howled while looking at the camera screen. "That was awesome! Boom Boom, nice add in at the end." I stood up and bowed dramatically.
"Thank you, thank you!"
The gang huddled around Tess for the last goodbye.
"To everyone out there watching this, Good Times was our last song. The band is parting ways after a summer full of fun and music. Camille is going to college in Wyoming, Finagain is going back to college in Mississippi, Jo is going to London for drawing school, I'm headed to France to keep up my still life, and Boom Boom... well, she'll be staying and working on her writing. Last song, last goodbyes. It's not likely that we'll see each in one place again." our smiles became forced. "So long, fair well, have a great school year, a great life, and don't kill anybody while we're gone. With Finagain and Dot as our main singers playing the guitar and flute, Topper and Dusty as echoes on the guitar and piano, as well as the violin, Dusty again on the piano and violin, Boom Boom on the drums and our main song writer, and me, Whipper Snapper, doing camera and sound. The Small Town Band is signing off. Bye folks." Tess chucked and shook her head at the camera. "Remember all those good times we had?"
She clicked the camera off after we all waved saying "Bye!".
We sat there in silence, everyone finally realizing that we would never be together like this again. No more making songs or music. No more late night bashes. Heck, it was doubtful that we would all be in the same place at once!
The band packed there instruments quietly but slowly, all dreading the goodbye's to come.
"I can't believe that it's over." Abe mumbled sadly,
"Me neither." Camille replied.
"Maybe we can get back together at Christmas?" Jo said hopefully, but it was more if a question because we had gone over if backwards, forwards, upside down, right side up, sideways and slantindicular. If Abe won, which he will, then he would be gone.
No band hellos.
"Has it really been three months?"
"Last Thursday." Tess told Rick.
"You'll put the video up?"
Tess agreed and we all piled into Camille's vintage orange van. The Band's Van used to call it. Camille will give me the keys until she comes back for Christmas.
When we reached the airport, a trip that seemed to take too short to be quite sane, we unloaded all of Camille's stuff, along with Tess's, Abe's, Jo's and Risk's. They wouldn't be flying on the same plane, but were all leaving right after one another.
Once we sat down with some food things became easier. We chatted and laughed, sharing jokes and news from around the fandoms.
Camille's plane was called.
This was it. Us parting ways. My best friends will go to school and fulfill their dreams and I got to stay behind.
I felt a lot like how Jackie must have felt with the Obserbatron.
I hugged my sister tightly. "Bye Camille. Have fun at school."
"I never thought I'd here the words 'fun' and 'school' come from your mouth in the sand sentience."
"It's for you benefit."
"I love you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah. I love you too." I have her a squeeze then she gave hugs and said her goodbyes to her friends. None of the parents seemed to be able to make it tonight, all havering various important things to do that couldn't be missed or rescheduled.
Camille was gone. She had boarded the plane and flown off.
Abe was to leave next, and his turn came all too soon.
While hugging me he whispered, "Don't wait for me."
It broke my heart.
When we were younger we were playing the Family Game and he couldn't remember all of the names so he said "Wait for me!" as if to slow everyone's memory in time for him to remember. Over the years we said that as a joke. Wait for me to get ice cream! Wait for me until I finish the page! Wait for me to go to college so that we can go together!
But now he didn't want me to wait. He was telling me to leave him behind. To follow my own dreams.
How can he ask this if me? He will always be there.
When Tess left, she gave me a card with a pencil drawn on it. Inside it read, 'If you had the opportunity, If you had the heart, Would you smile, to yourself, as you walked down, the street, while thinking if, me?'
It was a line in Will You? that we had thought up together.
I nodded numbly and handed her a plain paper notebook with a copper sword on it.
"For drawing and things."
"Thank you." She mumbled into the hug, then she was off and on the plane.
We waved until it was off the ground.
Rick hugged everyone and gave us picks, new sticks, and gift cards to various music stores.
Then he too was gone.
Jo was the last to leave. She was just about to board her plane when she handed me a charm bracelet, each charm reminding me of a inside joke or a story or song that we made... she had already given Camille and Tess theirs.
"The Small Town Band will be united once more!" I giggled.
"Ha ha, yeah. Don't forget me?" She whispered.
I gave her a bear hug. "Are you kidding? Your an honorary member of the Castole family, a BM, a drawer, and a best friend. No duh I won't for get you! We basically grew up together." I looked into her eyes and realized that she was crying. "Hey, if anything goes wrong, call me and I'll use my magical teleportation powers and get ready to beat someone spitless."
That earned a laugh. "Aren't you always ready for that?"
"I'll be getting extra ready for the idiot who messed with my friend."
"PLANE 35 IS NOW BOARDING. LADT CALL."
"Bye Bee. See you at Christmas. Write!!"
"Bye Jo, ha, yeah, see you soon. Oh! Wait, here's this." I handed her a blue journal that looked like the doors to a police phone box in Britain. It had 21B typed in gold on the front.
The small Doclickian have me one last hug and a thank you before she disappeared up the stairs.
Jo was gone. My last best friend was gone. What was I supposed to do now?
"Write."
I turned my trench cost hood up and put my hands in my pockets as I walked away.
I couldn't take this.
If I was going to be alone.
I wanted to be alone...
To Be Continued...
† Silent Guardian †
†
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