What do I do?

Chapter 3

My mom was huddling over me, worried. I was woozy and sleepy, but I remembered. I remembered what had happened. I remember why I was in the hospital. I think it's safe to say I was not happy.

"Are you alright? Aiden?" My mom jolted me back to reality.

"Yeah, mom, really great. Fabolous. My best friend got shot and some bullies blamed it on me and made me go to the hospital. Couldn't feel better," I replied, sarcastically. I punched the pillow.

"Your... your best friend? Got... shot?' My mother asked, timidly.

"You don't know?" I answered her question with a question.

"What... no, you mean Robert, he got shot!" My mother was starting to understand the words Best friend got shot.

"Mom, you saying it does not help, it really doesn't. I... I'm not... I am sad, I haven't felt so sad in a while. Not since dad died."

My mom gritted her teeth and turned around. Her fists clenched. "Don't mention him. Please."

"Then you don't mention Robert."

And that was the end of our conversation. Looking back, I probably should have told her what had happened.

The next day, I didn't go to school. It wasn't because I was still hurt from the punching, it was that I was hurt by what had happened to Robert. My mom didn't really know Robert, she felt sad when someone died, but I guess you can't really understand or even feel fully sad when someone dies if that someone wasn't someone you know. I thought she would understand, I mean, when dad died she understood.

I guess I just overestimate people.

I started to think about school. It was pretty obvious that when I came back if I went back , even if I could go back, those bullies would claim that I killed my best friend. But I didn't want to be blamed. I wanted to blame someone. I wanted to know who did it. I was very suspicious of those bullies. They hadn't been there when Robert was being shot.

I know I'm not a detective or anything but if you ask me, I'm pretty sure that person, that murderer, hadn't teleported over the moment he did the thing to Robert. Police sirens wailed outside. They were heading for the school, though I'm pretty sure they should have been there sooner. Then it finally sank in. That he was gone, erased from this terrible violent world. I started to cry, and not only because of Robert, but because of how this happens every day. But humans aren't trying hard enough to stop it. They obviously aren't. People are so focused on other things, like politics. They don't focus on killings that happen on a daily basis. They only realize the weight of this when someone they know gets killed. Or maybe even they get killed. People are stupid, and that is a fact. A solid fact.