love, always

Chaper 25

Anyway, enough of that okay, so I don’t feel like panicking, but I can’t help it! I just can’t panic.

But am I any closer to finding out what is going on?

Of course I am because Zan keeps telling me stuff.

But is the stuff useful?

Yeah I beg to differ.

“Hello again Haley,”

Um, hello.

“I have good news and bad news,”

Bad news first.

“Do you want the good first or the bad?”

Bad.

“I’m going to tell you the good first because it’s easier that way,”

And that is?...

“The good news is that the story is nearly over - your story is nearly over, well it’s nearly up to where we are now, present tense,”

Oh thank you god!

“The bad news is...the last bit of the story, the bit I’m about to say is the worst bit of them all,”

Well I doubt that very much.

“After the bullying, or, rather, during the bullying, things started to go downhill a bit - a lot actually. You and your dad you, you didn’t talk much not just to each other but you hardly talked to anyone not even me. You didn’t seem to go downhill as much as your dad though. He, he was in a state and a real, big mess.”

OH. That is literally all I can say. No lie.

“Well, ugh, okay, this is literally the end, so I’m going to say it as quickly and as painlessly as possible,”

Okay.

“One day you woke up and found your dad out of the house...he’s done it before a few times just to have a walk or something and he always left you a note. That morning of the disappearance you looked on the surfaces for a letter, and sure enough there was one. But his letter was different, it was about a page and a bit long, you wondered what he possible could have written...I mean, it was only saying I’ve gone out for a walk didn’t it?”

I don’t want to know where this is going...

“The letter said...well, I’ll read it out shall I?”

If you must.

“It read: Dear Haley, ever since that car journey in August, it is no lie that our lives have never been the same, nor have either of us gone a week, a day, an hour, a minute or even a second without thinking about them. And it’s purely because of that fact that I’m doing something I know I will regret, and so will you. I don’t think I have to apologise, you know full well how and what emotions I’m feeling aren’t you? I hope you turn things around by yourself now. Having me there will just distract and remind you of them. And I don’t really think that is best for you right now. Don’t ever forget them though, because if that happens you will change forever, keep this letter, forever. For me...please?

Goodbye sweet heart.

Love, always,

        Dad xxx

And then he wrote

P.S I’m never coming back.

And that’s when you realised...”

No, NO.

NO that didn’t happen. THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.

THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN.

I don’t believe you!

I DON’T BELIEVE YOU. YOU HEAR THAT ZAN? I DON’T BELIEVE YOU. YOU’RE A SICK PERSON. A SICK, SICK, PERSON AND I HATE YOU. I HATE HATE HATE YOU. OKAY? YOU HEAR THIS?

Of course you can’t hear this. I can’t speak. I can’t do anything. UGH.

Dad?

NO STOP IT SHUT UP HALEY.

So that’s why he never came here, that’s why it’s always been Zan.

No of course not! MY DAD IS ALIVE!

Is that what the letter meant? That my dad ____?

NO OF COURSE NOT SHUT UP HALEY.

“I’m sorry Haley, I know you were waiting him,”

Oh, sake, why did it have to be me for GOD’S SAKE!

WHY ME, WHAT DID I DO? EVERYTHING I HAD HAS JUST GONE.

IT’S ALL GONE.

It’s all gone.

Everyone, everyone I knew, they’re all gone.

Bree

Mum

Megan

Josh

Uncle Ted (who’s not my uncle anymore)

And now...

Dad.

“Seriously, I’m so sorry,”

Wait is she crying?

“His body was found the next day...on the railway track...I’m sorry,”

NO. I want to cry so badly, I want to die so badly.

But I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.

“I understand you don’t really want to know any of that stuff, but there is one last chapter of this - your long story, want to hear it?”

No.