Jaylen Evans

Grief and decisions

The next day
Jay: come on kid school
Jaylen: fine
I got up and ready
Jay: you want breakfast?
Jaylen: nah I'm good
Jay: make sure you eat something at school okay
Jaylen: mhm
Jay gave me my meds and I took them without fighting it. He gave me a worried look.
Jaylen: I'm going to school
Jay: you want a lift
Jaylen: No thanks
I left and took the long way to school. I signed in at reception and she gave me a sad smile. I'm guessing everyone knows but to be fair it was on the news. I went to my lesson with Miss Wilson.
Miss Wilson: good morning Jaylen
Jaylen: morning
I sat down and just zoned out for the whole lesson
Miss Wilson: Jaylen
Jaylen: hmm
Miss Wilson: step outside for a moment
Jaylen: I didn't even do anything
Miss Wilson: outside now
Thomas: ah is he gonna cry to mommy and daddy.
Miss Wilson: Thomas that's enough. Jaylen outside now
Thomas: oh wait that's right they're dead.
As soon as I heard him I was immediately pissed off. Everything I was feeling was toppling over. I went over to him and started laying into him.
Jaylen: talk about my parents again I dare you
Thomas: what parents?
I started hitting him harder. All the emotions I was feeling that had been building up this anger made it all explode.
Miss Wilson: someone go get help
I was just hitting him harder and harder. Thomas was getting in a few hits but I didn't care. I felt two pairs of arms lift me away
Jaylen: get the fuck off me. Get off

They pulled me into an empty classroom. I started throwing chairs and flipping tables. Coach Marlon restrained me.
Jaylen: get off me
Coach: not until you calm down
Jaylen: get the fuck off me
Mr Simmonds: sit down and talk to us kid
Jaylen: what do you care?
Mr Simmonds: I care very much. I know your going through a tough time. We just want to support you
Coach: I know how you feel
Jaylen: yeah right
Coach: my dad was killed in front of me when I was just a little older than you. I remember feeling so alone and I was mad at the world. I didn't understand how my dad could be taken away from me. I was mad at god for a while. How can god allow bad people to live but the good ones leave. What did I do to deserve it? I became such an angry kid and would lash out all the time. It wasn't until I talked to someone about how I was feeling that it allowed me to process his death and begin to grieve.
Mr Simmonds: whenever you are ready to talk we will be ready to listen. Just come and find us.
Jaylen: am I going home?
Mr Simmonds: yeah we think it's best that we send you home and you come back in a few days. We don't think that you being in school is helping you.
Coach: when you are ready to come back we'll be here for you kid. Make sure you talk to someone. It doesn't matter if it's a profesional, us or even Jay, Kelly or Hank. Just someone you trust.
Jaylen: thanks. You don't have to get anyone to pick me up I'll walk
Mr Simmonds: you know we can't do that. Who are you staying with?
Jaylen: i erm i don't know Jay I guess
Mr Simmonds: I'll ring him
Coach: how about we go play some basketball
Jaylen: cool
We went to the court and was playing

Jays pov
It was a quiet day so Hank sent us all home. I was watching tv with Will when my phone started ringing
Jay: hello
??: detective Halstead it's mr Simmonds. Principal at south Chicago elementary
Jay: please call me Jay. What's happened?
Mr Simmonds: erm Jaylen was involved in a physical altercation today which started from some remarks of his parents dying. As you can imagine he flipped.
Jay: is he okay?
Mr Simmonds: he's fine but I think it's in his best interest that he doesn't come back for a few days. Has he talked about what happened yet?
Jay: No. we've all tried to get him to open up but it's hard for him as he doesn't know how he feels and why or how to put it into words.
Mr Simmonds: well we've told him that we're will be here when he's ready to talk. A member of staff that Jaylen seems to trust went through losing a parent when he was a little older than Jaylen so he said that he'll work with him to handle his grief.
Jay: that will be good. Do I need to come get him
Mr Simmonds: yeah. He's not in the right frame of mind to be here. It's only doing more harm than good.
Jay: I understand I'll be there in about 10