Grow up and Move on (Redacted ASMR)

The Past Still Hurts

"I remember it all too well"
!Death, car accident, reference to drowning!

David's POV  (Past)
"What the hell is the point of a 'sleepover' if we don't even sleep?" I asked, rolling my eyes as Asher continued to play his game, tongue out in focus. "Aw c'mon don't be boring buddy! The whole point of a sleepover is you don't sleep!" He said in an 'Everybody knows this' tone. I rolled my eyes again and pulled out my phone. 10:27 p.m. Dad would be home soon, he always arrived home at 10:45 p.m exactly, maybe he could knock a bit of sense into Ash and realise that we DO in fact, need sleep. 10:32 p.m. Asher was still playing Mario Cart while I scrolled on my phone reading mindless articles and sending pointless messages to fill in for my immense boredom. 10:44 p.m. Dad would walk through the door any second now. Suddenly I hear the click of our front door opening and I immediately get off the couch, leaving Ash to play his game. "Say hi to Gabe for me!" he yelled as I left the room. Just as I was about to enter the hallway, I was met with Milo and his mom, Marie. Her face was red and tear-stained, her hands shaking and her slight body trembling. 'What the hell is going on?' I thought. "Marie? Milo? What's going on? Where's dad? Did he have to work late again?" I was the first to speak. My voice came out calm and gradually sped up as my mind ran at 100 miles a minute. Marie took my hand and enveloped it between her's in a loving manner. "David...I-I'm so sorry" Her voice broke and tears flowed like waterfalls from her eyes. 'Sorry? Why is she sorry?' I thought. I looked to Milo who was staring at his shoes, a solemn look on his face. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" I asked in an anxious tone. "It's your father" said Marie, so quietly I could barely hear her over her own sobs. "He...he...he died David..about an hour ago...car accident" She said quickly before she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably and falling against her son for support. It took me a moment to process what she had told me but when it finally registered, my world stopped. My head was spinning uncontrollably, my body was trembling and all the colour had drained from my face. "He's...he what?" Is all I could manage. My throat had gone dry and hoarse as I stared at Marie waiting for a definitive answer. Just then, Asher bounded into the hall like a golden retriever puppy with a sugar rush. "What's going on? Where's Gabe? Oh! Hey Marie, Milo, what's-" he trailed off as he noticed the atmosphere in the narrow hallway of our- my, home. "D-David?" I heard my name being said but it sounded weird, like my head was under water. That's what it felt like...at first. Like I was drowning. Like my whole world was being submerged in water and I had no one to hang onto. My dad was always my safe harbour, reeling me in and keeping me safe from everything. But now he was gone, I had no more safe harbour and I was drowning, fast. Someone grabbed my arm and took me into the living room, sat me down and talked to me but I wasn't listening. All I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat, pounding loudly in my ears as I tried to make sense of the whole situation. And then, after listening to Marie for hours on end, it finally clicked. My dad was dead. My home was gone. And I don't know how to do this on my own...