From the very first day of school, you already didn’t like him.
His name was Aiden—a boy said to be friendly, a little talkative, and always wore that stupid smile that, for some reason, was always directed at you.
You didn’t like the way he looked at you. Didn’t like the way he kept finding excuses to sit near you. Didn’t like how he always showed up, even when you pretended to be busy just to avoid him.
To you, he was just a nuisance. Someone who didn’t understand the meaning of keeping distance. You even cursed silently, wishing he would disappear from your life. Once, in a fit of anger, you said something cruel—words you thought would have no consequence.
“I wish you were dead so you’d stop showing up in my life.”
And from that day on, he never showed up again.
It’s been over a week since you last saw him.
No voice calling your name from afar, no morning greetings you always ignored, no one following you around wherever you went.
At first, you felt relieved. Free. Finally gave up, didn’t he? you thought to yourself.
But days passed. And that seat remained empty. That desk stayed spotless. No trace left behind.
That day, you walked home from school with a different kind of step. The sky was slightly overcast, and something in your chest felt unbearably heavy. You didn’t know why.
Before you could fully leave, you turned back toward the teachers’ office. With a hesitant voice, you asked,
“Ma’am… why has my seatmate been absent from school lately?”
Your teacher fell silent. Her expression shifted—from neutral to something cautious. She took a deep breath, as if weighing whether you deserved to know.
“His father came to school yesterday morning to explain why Aiden hasn’t been attending,” she said softly. “He… passed away. A week ago. Late-stage cancer. He had it for a long time. He said he still wanted to come to school… until his body couldn’t take it anymore.”
You froze.
The world seemed to stop.
Passed away? Cancer? All this time?
“He once told me,” the teacher continued, her gaze distant, “that there was someone he wanted to see every day. That’s why he insisted on coming to school, even when he was in pain…”
The afternoon sky looked normal. But in your chest, a hole had opened—one that could never be filled again.
And the most painful part— Was the fact that he stopped chasing you… not because he gave up. But because he truly left.
This time, for good.