I'll Be Right Here Forever

1

tw: mentions of blood 

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He left him with nothing but the stars. 

Jeremy laid awake for 2 weeks hoping that they got the story wrong. Or that this was a sick dream. Any moment now he'd wake up with Michael next to him. Maybe this was a side effect of the squipcident. Maybe he still hasn't woken up. 

His dad suggested therapy. He knew a guy that worked in the field. Jeremy turned it down. He was ok. Michael wasn't gone. This is a side effect of the squipcident. 

He went to school Monday. He held onto the straps of his backpack while looking around. No one seemed to notice him but he still felt himself being watched. He walked to the cafeteria and sat at the table he used to sit at. 

And waited. 

He pulled at the hem of his shirt. He looked around again. Nothing.

The bell rang. 

He found Brooke in first period sitting alone. Jeremy took a spot next to her. 

"Hey," 

"Hi." 

"I heard what happened. I'm so sorry about Michael," she frowned. "You must feel awful." 

This is a side effect of the squipcident.

But if it were I'd be my side effect.. no. Since we were all connected at the time the squip died we should all be affected. 

"Brooke. Michael's not dead," she looked at him with sadness "if anything he's probably hiding out somewhere waiting for me to find him." 

Brooke shook her head. "I did a bit of research, so I'd be able to help you today. Denial is the first stage of grief. There's five by the way. I know Michael meant a lot to you, so I'll try to help out the most I can." Jeremy drowned her out.

Jeremy looked down and shook his head. "I'm sorry," Jeremy shook his head again. "You don't really mean that.." He looked up at her. "That's just something people say when someone is grieving. That's all anyone says." 

A look of defeat settled on Brooke's face. "Jeremy it's not like that, we can talk more about it after class?" 

He shook his head. He didn't want to talk about grieving. He wasn't grieving. He was waiting. Michael would come back, and everything would be fine. 

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The day went on. Everything went by in a blur. Words slurred together. He was out the door as quick as he entered. He walked out to the parking lot going to his spot. He didn't come back down until he reached the car he arrived to school in. 

The dark red color of the PT cruiser is something he didn't think he'd ever get used to, especially after driving his dad's fading blue minivan for a couple months. He opened the door and got in. Before he even turned the car on, he looked around. Everything was exactly how he remembered it being. The sharpied drawings on the sun visor of different video game characters, the back man sticker below the cup holder, the lighter sitting on top of the car radio. He smiled. It's like Michael snuck in and sat in the car for a bit before disappearing again. 

He started the car. As the AC started blasting, the radio played almost in a whisper as background noise. Jeremy turned it up. 

"Don't worry. About a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright-"