|THE DIARY|

•°•°•°•

ELLIOT SUMMERS HAD lost sight of his best friend around an hour ago. The last time his eyes had met with the familiar ocean blue eyes was after he had seen the blond hug his mother before he disappeared completely. He certainly was an expert in merging with the crowd.

The brunet was well aware that someone as shy as Evander Winters wouldn't have caught his eye or bothered him throughout their senior year, if it weren't for their lockers that were next to each other and if they hadn't been partnered for the chemistry lab. Without him, Elliot was sure that he'd have never made it past that horrible trauma. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't have collected his well-deserved diploma half an hour ago. 

Though he had never said it out aloud, he liked having Evander around. The polite, shy, timid kid was the absolute opposite of the loud and reckless Elliot. They were like Summer and Winter (no seasonal pun intended); Elliot was jolly and warm like a warm summer day while Evander was the cold, refreshing winter morning that one would enjoy with a mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

However, it was unsettling for Elliot to not see his friend and he suppressed a gloomy sigh. And this expression of his wasn't unnoticed by those around him. 

"You okay, bud?" Eskel Summers questioned. His blond hair was slicked back while his silver spectacles sat on the rim of his perfectly straight nose, covering the gleam in his stone-grey eyes. His pink lips were pressed into a thin line as he eyed his elder son with concern etched on his beautiful face.

Elliot Summers was a spitting image of his father, except for his hair, which was brunet like his mother's. He pondered for a moment, thinking whether he should share his concern about his blond friend out loud or not. 

"Well," he started, making up his mind to let his father know about the matter at hand. "It's been over an hour and Evander is nowhere to be found. Today's his father first death anniversary and I'm worried," he sensibly murmured the last part, almost eating away the word 'eating'.

The could feel his insides twist from worrying about Evander so much, but he couldn't help it. Staying in company with the worrisome blond was all to blame. But something about saying it all out loud felt odd for Elliot. 

He was just concerned for a friend. His friend.

His meek Evander Winters.

He shifted slightly, staring intently at his dress shoes as the chatter all around him grew louder. "You should give him space, Elliot. It's a huge milestone for him, graduating from high school without his father. You can always go meet him after Mrs Higgs's graduation party," Mr Summers negotiates rather politely.

Elliot contemplated for a while before concluding something very different from what his father had suggested. He knew fully well where Evander would have wondered after the graduation ceremony. Though he was unsure about his impulse, it certainly wouldn't harm anyone if he confirms his suggestions.

"Sounds fair, " Elliot started, carefully weighing down his words. "I'll just visit my locker for a while. It'll be empty as most of the students have already left." 

True to his statement, most of the students had already walked out of the gym where the ceremony had taken place almost an hour ago. Eskel Summers knew his teenage son too well to understand his son's sudden desperation to visit his locker but he complied with it.

"Sure, but–"

Elliot didn't want even for a minute to rush towards his locker, leaving behind his father and the rest of his family. He was positive that his father would understand the urgency of the matter at hand while he expected him to explain the situation to his mother and younger brother.

His locker was on the other corner of the school. He ran through the red-tiled corridor which had gone completely silent. It was certainly the first time that their corridors were free of the noisy student body. It was almost serene and Elliot would have enjoyed it if he wasn't worried for a certain someone.

Elliot's footsteps and his heavy breathing was the only thing which broke through the thick silence of the school. His navy blue graduation robe was now untied and it fluttered as he ran breathlessly towards his locker through the sophisticated maze of corridors.

After what felt like an eternity for Elliot (the eternity in talk lasted for one minute and thirty-nine seconds), he reached the corridor on whose opposite side was the polished caramel locker which belonged to Winters.

But it was the sight in front of him that made him cover the distance in five huge strides.

The door of Evander Winters' locker was ajar.

And knowing the blond, he'd never leave his locker open. Even though they had emptied their lockers together, he was particular sure about closing it properly for the next student who'd take the locker after him.

Elliot heavily panted as he reached the destined locker. He was certain that there was no sight of Evander around, but he was positive that he was here before he left.

He raised his brow eyes to the level of the locker but it was spotlessly clean. Except for something on the shelf. It was a diary.

Evander's diary.

A brown leather diary in which the blond would write from time to time. Elliot knew it was something very personal for him as it was a gift from his deceased father; precisely why Elliot always stopped himself from taking a sneak peek into it.

However, seeing Evander's diary kept inside an open locker felt like an open invitation for him to go through it in the hope of finding where and why he abruptly disappeared. 

Slowly, Elliot closed the locker and sat right beneath Evander's locker: a spot where he and the blond would have numerous conversations. A spot where he had his most memories with Evander, even the bittersweet ones.

He flipped through the cover when his eyes landed on the very first page of the diary which had a couple of sentences written in Evander's neat handwriting.

He was confused at first but the realization soon set in about where he had heard it.

He says that he's not even worth a page in my diary.
Little does he knows that it's him who owns this diary.

It was Elliot Summers who had said that to Evander Winters.

I don't recall mentioning this anywhere before but this story moves ahead simply. This story is the contents of Evander Winters's diary.

Now, Elliot Summers would see himself from the ocean blue eyes of Evander. And that's exactly what this whole story is about.

Also, I'm delayed in putting up this chapter for which I apologize. This would be updated every day (that's what I'm hoping for).

Do let me know what you think of this chapter as we delve into the main storyline soon.

If you are blessed enough, you'd get another update in a matter of a few hours ( I'm drafting, peeps! )

So, vote, comment and share if you like it!

Peace,
Shreya.