I woke up to the sounds of sirens. Blaring through the windows, seemingly loud enough to knock down all four walls, I scurried down the spiral staircase in my bathrobe trying to see where they were coming from. I opened the door and standing outside my house were two police officers. Confused and cold outside in the chill of a Michigan Autumn, I watched as they approached my house not knowing what would come next.
"Are you Alexa Lariss?" The tall, dark eyed officer questioned.
"Yeah, " I said, "that's me."
"I'm sorry to bring you bad news, especially at this time tonight, " and before he finished I knew I would come to dread this morning, "But, Dani Lane commited suicide two hours ago, we asked her parents if there was anyone they wanted to tell, and they said her best friend, Alexa deserved to know." In shock and mortally terrified I sank down on my front porch step, but no tears came, I don't think I was fully aware of what had happened in that exact moment, but I knew one thing, the only thing that mattered to me, Dani was dead. The officers drove away, lights blinding the entire neighborhood and the only thought in my mind was that this didn't affect them. It wouldn't affect half the people at my school tomorrow when they announced that she'd killed herself. It would affect me, and everyone would feel "sorry" for the girl who lost her best friend, her sister. Who knew if I would even go to school tomorrow. What the hell was I going to do without Dani? I drug myself back up the spiral staircase with a bowl of chocolate chip icecream, sat on my bed and ate hoping to fill the void. When I finished the bowl I pulled up the covers and fell into the deepest of sleeps, wishing I could wake up and this would be a dream, but things don't exactly work that way.
No sirens this time. I woke up and punched at my alarm clock until it turned off. I told myself I had to go to school. It wouldn't help me hide from my problems if I didn't. So i pulled on some jeans, a knitted coral sweater and some boots, straighted the coconut brown of my hair, and headed out the door. My bag was slung on one shoulder with it's zebra pattern showing. I waited at the bus stop until it came, and for the first time in 16 years I waited, alone. I sat down looking out the window. Nobody around me could possibly know what would be awaiting them when they got to school, I did. The bus pulled up and we all filed out, another day in prison. Why did I bother coming? Gosh just keep walking Alexa, I had to tell myself that to even make it in the double doors. I went right to my locker this moring, no more waiting by the waterfountain which I'd done since the first grade.
Being a Junior wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I had to push through the countless freshman that littered the already crowded hallways. At least freshman stayed the hell away from you, sophmores gave you dirty looks and liked to shove you aside, normally I just went with the flow but today I shoved them back. I got some weird looks but at least now they knew not to mess with Alexa Lariss.
Walking into homeroom was one of the hardest things to do in my life. Mrs. Deeann was perky as usual but she didn't know how naive she was. The bell rang and she called role, checking off Dani as absent. Little did she know she would be absent from my life and everyone elses forever more. Then they came over on the intercom, "Could all Junior homeroom teachers please bring down their students to the gym." and with that I broke down crying. Everyone looked at me, but I didn't give a dam.
