When Daisy's Fall

Chapter 18

Leo

It wasn't long ago I had heard the news from my mother. I was only now waking up from a nap when I saw her come off the phone. She looked shell shocked.

"Leo.." she said in that voice I hated. The voice that everyone used when they were holding something back. It was always the same mixture of sad, confused, dishonest. Followed by that disgusting fake smiled plastered across their faces. I knew it too well. Not from my parents but more from my friends. Raine especially.

Raine, my stomach curled at her name.

Why?

The words hit me full force.

Why? I kept saying in my head.

Even when she broke down in tears telling me what Hope just said on the phone. She came towards me, holding me close so I wouldn't have fallen.

Crying wasn't my first thought. I hadn't cried in front my parents in a while. Not since I was eight.

No, My first thought was. Zack.

I needed to be there with him, for him. I fought that urge to throw up, pushing it down in my throat. But the tears were fighting it.

*********

I drove over to his house not caring if my seat belt had been fastened or not. A ticket was something I could care less about getting this time. When I arrived at his house I pound my fist so hard against the front door I almost apologized to it afterwards.

Mrs. Regis appeared before me; she was holding a kitchen towel. Clutching it tightly. I looked down to the floor behind her, and there were broken glass, shattered, scattered all over the kitchen floor.

"He's upstairs." she said, her voice was a little brittle. I just nodded then went up to see him.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed. His desk lamp was the only source of light. But it was enough to see that his face, hair, clothes were soaked.

Had he been in the rain?

I'd walked over and silently sit next to him. He never moved an inch.

"I know you're hurting right now; I am too.... you're not alone. I'm here for you."

No answer.

I would glace over and see him circling his thumb in the palm of his next hand. He was shivering, slowly jerking every now and then.

"You should get out those clothes." I said lowly but he heard me. He just shook his head staring into the carpet on his floor.

The water from his shoes were still dripping. They made a little puddle between him.

I took a sharp breath, feeling the pulling in my throat again. This silence was killing me. "Did you see her?" the tears in my eyes formed and I cursed internally.

He gave a little breathy laugh but never looked up "I saw her all the time. All the time. And now.... she's gone." he sniffled wiping his nose with his arm "I just wanted to be with her. And she's gone. Nothing I can do bout it now."

"You shouldn't talk like that."

"Don't worry about me." He smiled halfhearted. His eyes were sore making him look like he was crying for weeks with no sleep.

"I know you...and I know you would do something stupid at a time like this." My voice made it sound like I scorning him but I needed him to hear me.

No jokes no fooling around.

"I'm not gonna do something stupid." He laughed but it sounded more like an attempt to hide a sob.