Touch, something everyone craves. I remember the last time I had touch. It was with my best friend in the hospital. That was the last time I ever saw him, the last hug I ever got from him. I felt so weak and helpless standing over him, watching him suffer of the inside. He never showed he was sick; he was always up doing things because he never knew when it would be his last day.

His name was Ethan Walker. He wasn’t popular but people knew who he was. Everyone just had sympathy for he and they treated him like a kid which really annoyed me. I’ve known Ethan since birth. Our moms have been best friends from high school, so we practically grew up together. Ethan was born with a brain tumor. So, he had to stay in the hospital for months after he was born. The doctors didn’t think he would make it through the night. But that night turned into days, and days turned into months, and months turned into years. He was a miracle. But he was my best friend.

The last time I ever saw Ethan Walker was March 8, 2004, at his funeral. His pale, lifeless face laying there. I sat next to his coffin for hours. I didn’t want to leave him. I couldn’t believe he was actually gone. All of our memories flooded my head all at once. When I finally realized I lost my best friend, my whole body went numb. I couldn’t feel any emotions. I was too sad to cry.

I took a look at his face one last time. Holding on to that touch that was lost too soon.