The Void Between Stars: Book 4 Of The Orion Series

Losing Stacy

[TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING] Scene of self harm. Reader discretion is advised.

Having to think about and talk about what Stacy had done to me (or rather, what I allowed her to do) made my stupid brain dig up the most horrible period of my life; the death of Stacy. My brain was up to its tried and true antics, making me relive the worst of things. How I didn't see it coming I don't know. But as I walked back to my room that night, exhausted from all my therapy, feeling physically sick, I was reduced to tears, lost within the confines of my memory.

My cell had rang that day. I was confused; it was really early on a school day. In fact, I had barely woken up. Frantically I looked for my phone in the blankets of my bed, fearful my dad wasn't awake yet and I'd get an ear full for my phone waking him up. I felt a bit fuzzy when I see Jake's name on the screen, but answer it anyway.

"Yo Jake, you butt dial me? It's early, you fuck; you're lucky I was up."

"This isn't Jake."

My heart skipped a beat. "O-Oh. Mrs. Larson. S-sorry about that."

"Are you sitting?"

Something felt wrong-really wrong. Not only was my best friend's mom calling me at six-thirty in the morning, but she was crying. Bracing myself, I sank onto my bed. "I am now."

"I have some horrible news."

I nearly was flung into a full-blown panic attack. "Is it Jake? What happened, is he alright?"

"It's not Jake," she said, and it broke my heart and made me panic even more when she started to cry harder. "I'm so sorry to tell you this, but Stacy died."

I literally stopped breathing for a few moments. Any panic I had was swiftly washed away with a profound and utter numbness. Dead? I certainly had heard her wrong.

"W-what?"

"Stacy passed away early this morning. I'm so sorry, Orion."

"H-how?" I managed to croak out.

There was a long pause, much longer than I would have liked. "We're not sure."

I literally couldn't speak. My brain was trying to process the fact that the mother of my unborn child was dead.

"Are you alright, Orion?"

"Y-yeah. I mean no. Er, I d'no?"

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Larson told me with a sniff, "that was a really stupid question. I didn't get much sleep last night. She was like another child to me; I can't think straight."

Dead? "It's okay. I-I understand."

"Jake asked me to tell you," she continued. "He's upstairs in tears. He couldn't bring himself to tell you."

I nod, which, looking back on it was stupid because it's not like Mrs. Larson could see me.

"He's taking some time off from school," the parent of my best friend said sadly, "A week or two. Probably two, they were so close. I mean, not that you two weren't close."

I nod.

"Orion, it-it's not really my place, but if you can, you should take some time off, too."

I start to bounce my leg up and down, and I gnaw on my thumb cuticle to the point where I broke skin immediately, ripping it off in my mouth and quietly spitting it out. Even though I'm bleeding, I go right back to chewing. I don't reply, the weight of everything starting to sink in slowly. Mrs. Larson doesn't say anything for a while, either.

"Orion; are you still there?"

"Yes Mrs. Larson," I reply as the first tears spring to my eyes and immediately streak down my face.