We'll start our story around 10 years ago - on August 25th, 2006. I remember this date so well since it was my 15th birthday. It also happened to be the last birthday I spent in Toronto with my childhood friends.

"You don't have all day to clean the kitchen, hurry up so I can start cooking!" my mother yelled from the distance, her booming voice echoing throughout the thin walls of the apartment.

This was typical of your mother - having her son do chores on his birthday. Her rationale was that she was paying for everything, which, come to think about it, was completely true. Back then, I would have contested that argument, since I had put my own allowance money towards buying a new racing game which I hoped would serve as the event's main form of entertainment.

"I just have to wash the dishes, which would be a lot easier if this family had a dishwasher!" I replied. And yes, back in the day, I had to wash the dishes by hand. Of course, I immediately knew what her response would be.

"There's only three people in this family, Malik! When I was your age, I had to wash dishes for a family four times the size!"

Your grandmother was always comparing her seemingly insurmountable childhood struggles to mine, as if it was a competition. Reflecting back on it, her childhood was definitely tougher than mine ever was, especially since she immigrated from Kenya. But, as a fifteen-year-old, I didn't really like that fact being pointed out. 

"But, you know what, it is your birthday. I'll wash the dishes for you, go get ready," she added. While she acted very tough and authoritarian, gestures like these helped define what exactly I loved about your grandmother. Deep inside, she's one of the most caring and gentle people you'll ever meet.

"Thanks," I replied.

As I ran to my room, my over-sized feet pounded against the flimsy wood, resulting in high-pitched creaking sounds echoing throughout the house. I pulled out my phone to see what time it was. 12PM. Great, that still gave me around 2 hours before --- and before I could finish my thought, someone rang the doorbell.

Of course, I already knew who it was. My best friend, Angus Smith. When I went back to the front of the apartment and opened the door, I saw his slightly chubby frame and his pale, acne-ridden face glaring back at me. "Angus, ever thought about laying off the nachos for a while?"

Angus laughed. "You must be joking, mate," he replied in what sounded like an odd mix between an Australian and an Indian accent. I should also mention that Angus was never the greatest at pulling off accents, and while I had pointed that out countless times, he actively chose to ignore that fact.

I sighed in response. "Come inside, bro."

"As if I need your permission to go inside this place," he replied, while flashing his slightly crooked smile at me.

I really couldn't say he was wrong with that statement. He showed up whenever, as our friendship was that close.

"Well, let's start playing. How about Melee?" Angus said, with his smile widening.

Becoming a professional gamer looked to be Angus's calling, as he was good at nearly every video game to grace the Earth. Of course, that's not what he ended up doing - I think he's working at some bank now out in Vancouver. 

But, if there was one thing he was near masterful at back then, it was Super Smash Bros Melee, a competitive fighting game. 

However, I wanted to play my new Mario Kart game, as it was one of the few games I was able to beat him in. "Sure, but after we play Mario Kart," I replied. "After all, this is one of the last times I'll ever get to beat you at a video game."

"Stop bullshitting. The gaming consoles coming out this year will have online multiplayer, so we'll both be able to play online once you and I get them."

"True, but this will be one of the last times we'll be able to play in person. Doesn't local multiplayer mean anything to you?"

"Fine, I'll spare you the humiliation of losing to me again. Let's play Mario Kart."

As I took the shiny disc from its cover and put it inside the video game console, I reflected on this moment likely being one of the last times that we would be able to talk, in person. While I sorely wanted to stay in Toronto, I had no choice. It was either this or living with your grandfather, who lived in Montreal at the time. Either way, I would be moving away from my friends, which I felt terrible about.

"Bro, it'll be fine. We can still talk through MSN and stuff, it'll almost be like this. Trust me, things aren't about to change anytime soon," Angus said reassuringly.

He couldn't have been more wrong at the time, but I just nodded my head, desperately wanting to believe what he said. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Either way, Boston is only a 9-hour drive away, so I'll get my parents to drive up here like every month. As long as you do the same, we'll still see each other once every two weeks," Angus continued.

Of course, he failed to visit me every month, and I didn't end up visiting him that often. But, when you're faced with the reality of losing something, you want to try to cling to whatever hope you have of keeping it.

Over the next two hours, we played video games as the rest of my friends began to show up. Soon, we were all sitting on the long, worn-out leather couch in my room. Angus, Chad, Ryan, Melissa, and I.

"So, when are you moving again, Malik?" Melissa asked.

Melissa fit the girl next door archetype perfectly. Coincidentally, she also happened to live in the house next door from me. Her black hair shimmered every time I saw her, and I was entranced by the way her shiny, metallic braces wrapped around her pearly white teeth. Whenever I spoke to her, my heart started beating faster, and my mind would go blank.

"Tomorrow," I replied.

I definitely had a crush on her back then, but I knew she didn't see me in the same way. Angus, Melissa and I all met in the first grade, and up until that point, we had remained close friends. I started to like Melissa in Grade 9, but at the time, I was sure that she had placed me into the friend zone, and if we had a chance, that chance was destroyed by Chad.

"We're all going to miss you, buddy," Chad said, as the glaring sun from the window reflected off of his glasses, which were clearly too small for his head.

Chad was Melissa's boyfriend, and they had been dating for a year now. To be fair, they made a fantastic couple. Chad and Melissa were both on the debate team, and they were both extremely smart. Much too smart for a slacker like myself. 

Chad and his best friend, Ryan, were introduced into our social circle by Melissa. Ryan was on the hockey team, and while he certainly wasn't the smartest out of the three, he was still a decent guy. Not surprisingly, he was fairly competent at sports games.

"Yeah, but at least we'll finally have enough controllers," Ryan said half-heartedly, as he flipped his wavy, blond hair to avoid strands of it falling into his green-tinted iris.

Everyone laughed. Initially, Angus and I hated Chad and Ryan. However, we became friends with them when we learned they liked video games as well. Video games were one of the major reasons why all of us were so close. We used video games as a common interest, and for a huge part of my childhood, it was my most important hobby.

"Malik!" my mother yelled, her voice overpowering the faint sounds of the television. "Food's ready!"

The game was paused, and everyone went towards the kitchen to grab some food. As soon as I stepped outside of my room, the overwhelming aroma of smoked ribs and bacon permeated the air around me. This aroma only became stronger and more mouth-watering the closer I got towards the kitchen.

As we all sat down at the kitchen table, Chad began to ask one of his intellectually stimulating questions. "Guys, who do you think would win in a cook-off? Gordon Ramsay, Rachel Ray or Malik's mom?"

"Malik's mom, that isn't even a question," Melissa answered.

"I don't know, I think Gordon Ramsay could hold his own," I replied.

"Gordon Ramsay has potential, but come on. This stuff is a million times better," Ryan said, stuffing a portion of the succulent, mouth-watering ribs on his plate into his mouth.

I chuckled. "Fair enough, these ribs are amazing."

After lunch, we went back to my room for another round of gaming. Ryan had brought over his gaming console, and we planned to play on that for the next few hours of the party.

The muffled, static sounds of twelve-year-olds angrily sending us death threats and slurs over their poorly-made headsets filled the room. I really couldn't blame them, as it was quite easy to get angry at us. With the help of Angus, we destroyed nearly every other team in our path.

As the party was rounding to a close, we decided to play Super Smash Bros Melee. I won a few games, which made me feel great, but I knew that Angus went easy on me. The elated feelings I gained from winning soon faded after Chad and Ryan left, and it was just the three of us.

Soon after, Melissa had to leave. She stood up, turned to me, and said, "Even though you're moving, we need to stay in touch."

"You're always pointing out the obvious, of course we're going to stay in touch," I replied, with a grin on my face.

"I'm serious. You're like a brother to me, and I don't know what I would do if I started to lose you. I bet you're going to make new friends in Boston, but don't forget about us, alright?" she said, with a tear rolling down her cheek. The tear travelled down her dark brown skin, which had the slightest hint of acne. It eventually landed on the floor, fading away into the carpet.

I stood up. "I promise I won't, you guys are my squad. I'll visit all the---"

Melissa hugged me and for a second, time stopped flowing, as I stared down into her hazelnut coloured eyes and she stared up into mine. I asked myself whether or not I should tell her. As much as I wanted to in that moment, I was scared. More importantly, I knew the outcome if I did tell her. "I'll miss you," she said.

"I'll miss you too," I replied. As soon as she left the room, Angus began to speak. "You should have told her."

"Dude, she said I was like a brother to her. She literally told me I was a person who she would never have sex with. I'm basically like a table, or a chair to her," I replied.

"Exactly. But, you need to move on, there's tons of hot chicks in Boston," Angus said. "Getting rejected would have helped you do that."

"I really don't know why I should take relationship advice from the guy who's never had a girlfriend," I remarked.

Angus laughed. "The difference between me and you is that I choose not to have a girlfriend. You actively want one, but don't have one."

"You choose not to have a girlfriend? Last week you were rejected by Kaley! The difference between me and you is that I've had a girlfriend, and you haven't."

"Yeah, dating one girl for about a week when she technically didn't even like you doesn't count."

"It counts more than not dating a girl at all," I replied, with a smirk on my face. I felt like I had just won the argument. Angus was about to reply when his phone rang. He took the call, and I felt my heart sink.

"Sorry man, I have to go," he said. He was attempting to smile, as though we would see each other again tomorrow. I didn't say anything in response, as I was trying to hold back from crying. He walked towards the front door, and I followed him. Once he opened the door, I tried to give him a fist bump, but he hugged me.

"Later," he said, with a smile.

All I could say in return was, "Later," with a stoic look on my face. I went upstairs to my room and closed the door. Once I closed it, I sat down on the floor and began to cry.

At the time, I desperately wanted to believe that things would remain the same. That I would still be as close with my friends. I wanted to believe that I would still be able to go to the movie theatre near my apartment, or go to the local amusement park every summer. Even back then, I knew that everything couldn't stay the same. But, I wanted it to.

In retrospect, how I felt during that time is a part of life. Moving from Toronto to Boston was not an easy, or a fun experience. But it was an experience that I needed to grow as a person and one that I needed to find my true craft. Today, Angus, Chad, Ryan and I aren't close at all. Sure, I have them all on social media, but my relationship with them has been reduced down to acquaintances at best. The only one I'm still close to now is your Aunt Melissa. While I didn't realize it at the time, this move signaled a new chapter of my life.