Page 63 of Pocketful of Us

"About that stuff I said before about us not being friends?" Sketch reminded him. "When I said all of that, I didn't realize that I was looking at the greatest friend I never knew I had…"

"Please don’t." Holding a hand up, Pres waved us both off, "Just go before I completely lose it."

"Thank you, Presley," I whispered, "for everything."

Wrapping an arm around me, Sketch tucked me into this side. "Take care, Pres."

And then we walked away.

From our friend.

From our families.

From our hometown of secrets.

Boarding a bus to God knows where, with only each other to lean on, we took that leap of faith.

We took ittogether.

"Don’t worry about the future, Ro," Sketch said, entwining our fingers together. "Because wherever it takes you, I'll be two steps behind you." He smirked. "Tailing your ass, just like always."

I smiled up at him. " Since forever?"

He squeezed my hand. "And for always."

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Dear Presley,

It's been awhile since we last talked – and no, before you think it, I'mnottrying to sound like an Eminem track when I write this. I actually come bearing good news for once.

She did it, Pres. She gave me a son. You should've seen her, man. Romi was incredible. You've gotta see him, Pres. He looks just like his mama. I couldn’t love him more if I tried. Shit, I hope I can do this, man… be a good father to my kid.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that our son is healthy and well. We named him Christopher Raffaele. I won't write our last name on paper, but just know that we're all safe. We're doing okay. We're in Europe for now, but we'll be moving on soon. Gotta stay on our toes, you know?

I'm sorry I can't give you more information than that, but it's not safe. Not with Seth still out there, holding a grudge. He'll kill my family, Pres. His own sister and nephew first chance he gets. So please burn this letter as soon as you've read it.

Oh, and thank you, by the way. I don’t know if I ever told you that when shit was going down. You helped when you didn’t need to and I'm grateful. Like I told you the last time I saw you; you were the greatest friend I never knew I had. Still are. And who the hell knows; maybe we'll luck out and Seth will forget all about us.

Anyway, I hope this letter finds you well. More than that, I hope that one day, I get to give you that long overdue hug.

FromSketch.

P.S: Romi said that I had to give you kisses at the end of this letter.—>Xxx

P.P.S: Not in your wildest dreams, nerd.

Rolling onto my side, I reached a hand out and grabbed a lighter off the nightstand.

Without hesitation, I ignited the flame and held it up to the crumpled piece of paper in my hands.

Your secret's safe with me, buddy…

When the flame engulfed the paper, turning it gold before darkening, I leaned over the edge of the bed and tossed it in the nearby metal trashcan, watching as the paper slowly turned to ash and cinched out.

The shower motor in the adjoining bathroom switched off.

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