An Old Friend

Chapter 2

Morgan's POV

"Morgan, we need to talk," Mom says in a sad tone. What the hell? She never says that unless it's extremely bad.

"What's up?" I ask in a suspecting tone. What's so bad that made her say that?

"Uhm," she sits on my bed, turning my chair so I'm facing her directly instead of the video I'm editing. "I don't know how to tell you this but... th- the police found Josh's body in the woods." My entire body tenses up as a bubble threatens to form in my throat.

"H-how?" I manage to clear my throat enough to ask.

"He, uh, was found in a tree. They said he was hanging with cuts all over his arms," she looks at her hands as she fidgets, finding the right words. I guess there aren't any right words to tell anyone that one of their best friends is dead.

"Oh my god," my head falls into my hands, hiding my face from my mom as tears fall into my palms. "I- I don't get it," I lift my head quickly. "He wouldn't do anything like that. What happened to him?"

"I- I don't know. I'm so sorry," she gives me a sympathetic look. "I am so sorry, Morgan. I wish I could change it." She wraps her arms around me as I finally break. How could he be dead?!

"He can't be dead. He can't be."

"I know," We sit like this for at least half an hour before Mom leaves to get water and tissues. I tell her to give me some space before laying on my side, staring at the wall.

Why? He couldn't have done it himself. He could never climb a tree. He couldn't even pull himself up to the first limb that was only five feet off the ground. How would he do that with cuts on his arms?

I spend the entire night staring at my walls and ceiling, tossing around unable to sleep. Who would be able to sleep after that!? "Morgan?" The voice of my, now-only, best friend comes from my doorway with a soft knock. "You okay?" I turn to the boy, sitting up in bed.

"No," I mess with my blanket as Ethan comes over to me, running his fingers through the shaggy blond hair on his head. His eyes are a slightly dark shade of blue as he sits on the edge of my bed. He's in simple jeans and a black T-shirt and by the looks of him, he hasn't slept much either. He and Josh fought a lot and were only friends through me but I know they still cared at least a little bit about each other.

"Me neither," he sighs. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"I can't believe it," I shake my head before Ethan moves to sit right next to me. "I don't understand how he could do anything like that."

"It's definitely not anything we could've seen coming," he sighs, resting his head on my shoulder. He's only an inch shorter than me but he uses my shoulder as a pillow a lot anyway.

"No, I mean he literally couldn't," I explain what I've been thinking all night as he listens intently.

"Are you sure? Adrenaline can make anyone do basically anything."

"Yes, Ethan. I'm a hundred percent sure he couldn't have done it himself. I know you guys weren't good friends but come on. He was working last night. He wouldn't just go behind an old friend's house and do that." I move so I can look him in the eyes as I speak. "Josh could barely carry his backpack around school all day, let alone climb a tree with his arms covered in cuts."

"Yeah," Ethan sighs. "What do you think happened then?"

"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out." There's no way in hell that I won't be finding out what really happened last night.

"How?"

"I don't know that either," I admit. "Do you know what the police think?"

"Just that Hayden Clark found him last night," he shakes his head. "Why?"