A Heartfelt Goodbye

It was a rainy day that Saturday afternoon. Raindrops splattered against the windshield as the Barkers sped down the highway in their little, white car to the Timm's residence. My twin sister, Molly Towne, and her best friend, Natalia Barker, were practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation for the graduation party for our dear friend, Charles Timm.
I was smothered in the back seat against the side window, looking out at the dark clouds that overran the once blue sky. They were like ugly scars that disrupted the beauty of the once secure world that surrounded me. I guess it sort of conveyed with my mood. I was in complete terror at the thought of losing my best friend.
I had met Charles some years ago when I was in junior high. Back then we were just acquaintances but when high school came around, we became the best of friends. He helped me out a lot during my freshman year, since he was a "superior" junior. I giggled at the memory of him flexing his not-so-magnificent muscles as he said that.
He was two years older than me but that never really stopped us from hanging out. We were both into writing and fantasy and not many people cared about that kind of stuff in Pembine. Then I suppose that the both of us being complete computer nerds was another thing that kept us in touch. But now that his senior year was over, I was looking at two more years of high school without my fellow partner in crime and it really upset me.
My thoughts were interrupted as Molly accidently jabbed her elbow into my side as Natalia's dad turned into Charles' driveway. She gave a small apology but instantly went back to her state of insanity as she and Natalia piled out of the car and ran for the back porch. I reluctantly opened the car door and stepped out into the cool rain. I couldn't believe how nervous I was. It was only Charles! Why would I have any reason to be nervous?
I walked to the porch in a sloth like state, keeping my eyes to the ground as I mentally prepared myself for probably the most painful event of my life. I stopped in my tracks. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it. If I were to say goodbye now, that meant that I would never see him again, didn't it?
I could hear his cheerful laughter as he greeted Molly and Natalia into the house. "Hey Lenore! Do you think it's going to rain?" Charles shouted from the door frame.
"Not unless it gets cloudy," I retorted with my own witty smile. Our little inside joke made some of the pain go away but I still didn't want to go in there.
"Get it here or else you'll melt like the wicked witch," he said as turned back into the house.
Why did I have to be such a downer? I should be happy for him, shouldn't I? I was being selfish. I couldn't just keep him forever to myself. Maybe there was another person out there just like me who needed a friend. A friend like Charles. My one true friend. It was then and there that I knew it was time for me to let him go. I took in a deep breath and imagined the phrase in my head.
"Goodbye, Charles."
I said it so quietly that I wasn't really sure if I had said it. I repeated it again to myself to be sure that I had indeed said those exact words. In that little phrase, I instantly felt the guilt and pressure rise away from me towards the heavens.
I took in a deep breath as I made my way up the back porch stairs. I surprisingly felt much better than compared to how I felt when I stepped out of the car. My fears and pains of losing a friend were taken away by a simple, heartfelt goodbye.