My Best Friend

• Kayden Marks, Grade 9, York District High School
• Short Story
• 2017

Excellence Award in the 'Spread The Word 2017' competition

Willa accelerated her pedaling as she reached the hill. She turned her head to Emery and smiled; her friend's brown hair flew out behind her and she had the brightest smile on her face.
The two reached Emery's house and made their way inside. "I'm home," Emery yelled as she entered. Her parents stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching the two girls. "I hope you don't mind, I invited Willa over." Emery gestured to Willa and her parent's faces dropped. They silently turned and walked away. Emery rolled her eyes; "Just ignore them." Willa got the notion that Emery's parents weren't very fond of her. They hardly ever spoke to or acknowledged her.
The two girls arrived at Emery's bedroom and sat down. "How's everything going? Is your medication working?"
Emery nodded her head, "The anxiclear is working for my anxiety but the SSRls aren't working for my depression so they've put me on MAOls. My parents keep insisting I should go see this new psychiatrist but I don't think I want to. I just feel so uncomfortable talking to people like that, so ... vulnerable"
"They're there to help you, you shouldn't be embarrassed. Em, I've been your best friend since we were 5. I'll support you no matter what decision you make but I think you should go see this doctor," Willa saw tears forming in Emery's green eyes.
"Okay," Emery whispered before she embraced Willa tightly.
Emery sat in the lounge chair while a clock hanging up on the wall ticked obnoxiously. Her parents had been in the psychiatrist's office for twenty minutes and she had been ordered to remain in the waiting room. The room looked and smelt foreign; Emery didn't like it. The door opened and her parents emerged, followed by a woman. Emery stood up and walked through the doorway. The psychiatrist closed the door and gestured for her to take a seat. She then sat across from Emery and pulled out a notepad, "Hi Emery, I'm Dr Esther. Now, I'd like to talk about your friend Willa."
"So, how'd it go?" Willa asked as the two girls sat in the kitchen
"I don't know, nobody'II tell me what's going on. They gave me some prescription. I've been taking these for the past couple days," Emery held up a bottle and swallowed two tablets from inside it.
"How do you feel?" Emery didn't respond as she left the kitchen. "Wait Em, where are you going?" Willa chased after her and reached out a hand to grab her friend's shoulder but her grip went straight through Emery's arm. Willa stared down in shock as her fingers slowly began to fade away. "Emery!" Willa screamed repeatedly as her arms and legs slowly began vanishing but Emery couldn't hear her; Emery couldn't remember her.
Tears ran down Willa's face as she realized what was happening, as she watched her best friend walk away from her, as she faded away into nothingness.