The Beautiful Ones

Chapter One: Stand by Me

It was in the middle of July when I received the most shocking text message of my life. I was doing my English homework in my room when the message alert tone of my antenna-less Nokia phone beeped. I grabbed my mobile phone and saw that it was Hugh who texted me. Opening his text message and reading the only three words that he sent me almost caused me to fall to the floor where I blurted out, "What the fuck!"

Those three words burned deep into my brain that I can still vividly remember up to this day how I read those words from my dark-blue 3310 Nokia phone. Those three words were staring at me in its dark finality. Hugh's text message was:

Robin is dead

I just could not believe what I was reading. I had hoped for it to be a joke but I know that my best friend Hugh would not joke about Robin being dead. I knew from that moment when I read his text message that Robin was really gone. Tears began streaming down my face while I still stared at the message with disbelief at what has happened. Several questions erupted in my mind that without hesitations I started calling Hugh's cellphone.

His phone rang several times but he was not picking up. I tried to call his phone for the tenth time but he still did not frickin' pick up his phone. I was pissed at him at the moment that I stormed off my room and planned to go to Hugh's house which was just a 5-minute bike ride.

"Hey son where are you off to?" asked my Mom who was busy preparing dinner.

"At Hugh's," I said.

"At this hour? Are you gonna play some video games again?"

"It's not that Mom!" I said adamantly, "But I really gotta go," I told her and closed the front door behind her. I was really sorry that I had to do that but I really need answers at that time.

I got my bike from the garage and rode off to Hugh's house. While pedaling my way there I realized that tears were streaming down my face. I wiped them off with my hand and was thinking about Robin, about the good things that he has done for us. Why did he have to be dead? I must be in a nightmare.

A couple of minutes later I arrived at the gate of Hugh's house. I parked the bike in front of their gate and rang their doorbell. The front door was opened by their house maid who looked pissed for no reason. I immediately asked her, "Is Hugh at home?"

"Yes," she curtly replied and without any more hesitations I walked into the house like what I used to do since I was always welcome at their home. His parents were usually not around yet since they were both doctors, so I went upstairs to his bedroom, kicked his door open and found him there in his bed staring at the ceiling.

"What the hell Hugh?! You aren't answering my calls! That text message you just sent, yuh-you're not joking, aren't you?" I imploringly asked him.

"Why would I joke about Robin? You know I would not make jokes about him," he defended.

"What the hell Hugh? What happened? Why is he dead?"

"It was Drew who told me. He was found dead at school. He was shot in the head."

"What the fuck?! Why would someone shoot him? Who shot him?"

"I don't know. I just got the news 30 minutes ago. The police are probably all over the school now."

"Why did this have to happen?"

"Yeah, of all people to be murdered, why would it be Robin?"

"Don't say that word!" I exclaimed.

"What word," Hugh asked slightly disconcerted.

"Murder—it sounds fucked-up and morbid. I still couldn't believe he's gone. I mean... who would have killed him? He's just 16, like the rest of us."