"…Is this Kai..?" the voice repeated, more urgent this time.
Kai's grip on the phone tightened, his palms slick with sweat. "Y-Yes," he stammered, his voice cracking. "Wh-Who is this?"
The voice on the other end wavered, heavy with worry. "This is Eli's father… I'm calling from the hospital. Eli… he was hit by a car while crossing earlier this morning. He's in the ER now."
For a second, the world stopped. The noise of the graduation — the laughter, the snapping of cameras, the congratulatory shouts — all of it dulled into a distant, muffled echo. Kai's vision blurred at the edges as his heart dropped like a stone. He couldn't breathe. His fingers dug into the phone so tightly it hurt.
"I—" his throat closed up. "I'll come right away," he managed to say, his voice breaking like thin glass.
The call ended. Kai lowered the phone slowly, his hands trembling. He could feel Mina's eyes on him even before she spoke.
"Kai? What happened?" Her voice was soft but already laced with fear.
Kai's mouth opened but no words came out at first. His throat felt dry, heavy. Finally, he forced the words out, each one tasting like ash. "Eli… he's in the hospital. Car accident."
The small circle of friends froze. The shock rippled through them like a sudden cold wind. Jace's fork clattered against the table. Mina's hand flew to her mouth. Leo's expression crumbled, but she was the first to act.
"Go," he said firmly, grabbing his arm. "Go now. We'll tell the teachers. We'll explain everything. Just get to him."
Kai didn't wait another second. He spun on his heel and bolted across the school grounds, his graduation gown flapping behind him like a torn flag. His heart thundered in his chest, drowning out everything else. All he could hear was Eli's name pounding in his skull, over and over again.
His parents, startled by his pale face and frantic movements, hurried after him in the parking lot. "Kai! What's wrong?" his mother demanded, but the look in his eyes silenced her. He managed a choked explanation, and without hesitation, his father unlocked the car.
"Get in. We're going now."
The ride to the hospital felt endless. Kai sat in the back seat, hunched forward, his hands pressed together as if in prayer. His entire body shook. Images of Eli flooded his mind — Eli laughing with marshmallows at the fire, Eli nudging him during study sessions, Eli's shy smile when their hands brushed. And then, unbidden, the image shifted: Eli lying on a hospital bed, pale and still.
"No…" Kai whispered, almost without realizing it. "Please, no."
His father glanced at him through the rearview mirror but didn't say a word. His mother reached back, placing a hand on his knee.
Kai closed his eyes tightly, his lips trembling. Please, Eli. Please be okay.
Behind them, his friends were already calling, promising to follow as soon as they could. But in Kai's mind there was only one thought, raw and desperate, echoing louder than anything else.
He can't leave me again.