Blood in the Water

Chapter 9

It feels like time froze itself and along with it, myself. There in front of me was my father, hanging from the ceiling with a rope around his neck and a note on his bed with the simple words I'm sorry written on it. 

"Hey Max, is-" Charlie starts as he comes up the stairs and notices what happened. "MIKE! CALL 911 NOW! C'mon Max, let's go, c'mon."

I don't want to move, I'm in shock I think and all I can keep doing is stare at my dad's lifeless body in the air. I hear Melanie talking to the EMT's who rush up here into my dad's room and police officers who usher me to the downstairs. 

"No, no, no..." I mutter as I am made to sit down on the couch. Mike and the others gather around me, telling its gonna be okay but I can't understand them. I feel like passing out, my head go dizzy and their voices sound far away. I look over as they're carrying down my father in a white bag and I try to get up and go to him but the moment I stand up, the world goes black. 

I'm in the hospital when I wake up, in one of their beds and Mike by my side. I try to sit up but my head is rushed with pain.

"Hey, hey, hey, take it easy mister." Mike says as he grabs my hand. "You passed out and hit your head hit the floor before we could catch you." 

"Where... where is everyone else?" I ask.

"They're settling things, for what happened." 

I don't know what happened but I just break down in tears, the drops of water dripping down my face like candle wax. I can't believe my dad is gone, the guy I looked up to the most, dead. Mike gets up from where he is sitting and hugs me, my head resting on his shoulder. 

"I'm so sorry," He whispers and rubs my back. 

"I guess we have another funeral to go to huh," I try to joke but it just makes me cry harder. Charlie and them come back into the room saying I can go home now and my dad is officially dead. 

"You can stay at my place, if you want." Charlie suggests. 

"No, no, no. I can stay home by myself, yeah yeah." I don't want to burden anyone and don't want to seem as vulnerable. I sit up and stand up and wobble a bit but I can walk without help. Mike leads me over to his car that he took and gives the rest some money to take a cab back home. As he drives, I lean my head on the window and soon we are at my house. He walks me inside and makes sure I will be okay on my own and I assure him that I'll be fine. 

"Call or text me if you need anything, alright? I mean it, my phone will be on me at all times." 

"Mike, seriously, I'll be fine." I smile at him to assure and he finally leaves my house. 

After he leaves, I order a pizza since its almost 7 o'clock. The pizza soon arrives and I place in on the kitchen counter to eat it. I barely eat a couple pieces before I realize I'm gonna need a job or something to support myself, or just move to an apartment. I think that's what I'll do, just move to an apartment, wait, I'm not eighteen yet.

Shit, shit, shit

I get up and search throw my parents room to see if there's any hidden money laying around or his ATM card to get money out of his account. I find his card and place it in my room so I don't loose it. I get back down stairs and lay my head on the counter, trying to calm myself down from what happened, from what I technically did. 

"How could you do this? I could I do this?" I repeat say to myself. "It's all your fault! You just lost someone crazy important to you, someone that LOVED you!" I stand up throw the the barstools across the room, feeling the surge of anger rush throw my veins. 

"ALL YOUR FAULT! THIS WAS SUPPOSE TO HURT GRIFF, NOT YOUR FATHER! AND NOW, YOUR FATHER IS DEAD! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SURVIVE? WAIT TILL EVERYONE FINDS ABOUT YOU AND YOU GO TO JAIL!" 

I make it into the living room and start throwing the pillows and cushions all over the room, along with the lamps. I'm like a tornado, breaking everything in my path. I sit down on the stairs and take deep breaths, attempting to calm myself down. 

Calm down, Max. Deep, calm, breaths. It'll all be okay.

I decide to go take a shower, and get ready for school tomorrow. I can't believe this happened to me, I'm fucking 17 and have to plan my own father's funeral. I'm basically an orphan since I'm not 18 yet. I get into my bed and surprisingly fall asleep.

I awake the next morning to pounding on the door and realize its Mike. I open the door and forget I'm just in boxers, but I don't really care at this point. He comes in the door and his eyes widen at what happened.

"I told you to call me if anything happened! Why didn't you?" He exclaims at me. 

"I... I don't know. I didn't want to burden you and the anger went away as fast as it came."

"Next time, call me and I'll be right over. I came over wondering if you want to come with me and my buds to school. You're coming whether you want to or not, so get dressed." 

He waits downstairs and tidy's up as much as he can while I get dressed. I'm not in the mood for school but it will be better than being home with my thoughts all by myself. I hop into his car in the front seat and he goes to pick up his friends one by one. They all seem shocked that he's friends with me but I don't really care at this point. He gets to school and places the car in park and we all head into school. I go over to my friends and he stays with his. To be perfectly honest, I just want this day to be over.

Don't forget to vote, please and thank you. You can also comment, it would make me happy :)