Losing Oliver

Chapter 10

School ended an hour ago, so Payton and I were at my house in the kitchen, stuffing our faces with snacks.
I had just gotten done with telling her about my encounter with Lucas at Lunch. Somehow, she didn't seem shocked.

"You haven't been around him enough to know what he's really like." She started. "The group found him at his worse... He has been teetering on the edge ever since, with us keeping him from falling."

"He told me you guys helped him, but I didn't realize it was this bad." I bit my lip in regret. What if I had just pushed him off the edge?

"Some things just make people change. Oliver balanced Lucas's bad side with his good. It influenced him for the better, and now, without him, he has gone off the deep end." Payton replied logically. She was a lot smarter than people gave her credit for.

We had gone through the same thing, Lucas and I. Oliver was the one who kept us grounded, and in Lucas's case, he didn't have the strength keep himself stable. What if that happens to me?

I thought I was doing the right thing by trying to help Lucas, but it seemed that I just made everything worse

I couldn't help but continue to think about what Declan had said to me:

"I wouldn't do that to someone when I've felt the same pain."

Payton was about to say something else, but my thoughts got the best of me.

"Payton, did something happen to Declan?" I questioned, interrupting her.

Her eyes instantly widened in shock, "He mentioned something to you? He never tells people..."

"Well, he didn't tell me much, just that he had been hurt before." I admitted and grabbed the Hawaiian Punch from my fridge. "He seemed really... emotional."

"Lucy, it's not really my place to tell you..." She said, her eyes brimming with tears. She blinked them away before grabbing her own cup. "You need to ask him yourself. I think he wants you to."

I nodded, "Okay."

Just from seeing Payton's reaction, I knew this story was devastating for Declan. We had been pushing each other, and it seemed to change my idea of him. He wasn't a bad boy. He was misunderstood.

~

(WARNING: DANGEROUS TOPICS SUCH AS ABUSE AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AHEAD.)

That's what you get when you let your heart win Woah oh oh ohhhhh...

My ringtone sang from my phone, interrupting my light sleep. I hadn't been asleep for long, too many questions had clouded my mind from today's events.

Payton had gone home a few hours ago, and I was exhausted.

My hand slapped on top of my phone, pulling it near me before answering.

"Hello..?" My voice was groggy as I opened my eyes to check the clock on my side table.

1:07 AM

"Lucy... Lucy... Oh God." The voice on the other end whispered frantically. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for calling. I shouldn't have..."

"Lucas? No, it's okay. What's wrong?" The realization that he had called me woke me up. I sat up in my bed, red-alert.

"Emmy... Oh Emmy." His voice was raspy and distant. "She..."

"Lucas," I spoke urgently to get his attention. "Please, tell me."

"She..." He took a deep breath, and I heard him sniffle. "...tried to commit suicide."

My heart stopped. No, no, no..

"I'll be right over." I said quickly before hanging up.

I rushed out of bed, grabbing my sweatshirt and putting up my hair. I didn't even bother changing out of my pajamas before I sprinted to his house.

Ambulance lights flashed all over, and I could see Emmy and Lucas's parents crying. They were talking to a police officer while embracing each other closely. They glimpsed at me with glistening eyes before Mrs. Randall pointed toward the upstairs window, where Lucas stood. I gave a sympathetic look before heading inside and to Lucas's room.

"I shouldn't have called you... I just needed you to see something," Lucas's voice spoke hoarsely as I entered the room. His eyes were bloodshot when he turned to me. In his hand was a piece of paper.

"Is that...?" I couldn't finish, but the lump that grew in my throat told me my suspicions were correct. It was Emmy's suicide note.

"Read it." He threw it down onto the desk next to him before sitting on his window seat.

I picked it up with a shaky hand before reading it myself:

My breath hitched.
No.
This couldn't have been right. This was not something my Oliver would do. He would never say such cruel things, especially to someone he loved...

My world was spinning. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I couldn't think anymore.

Oliver was my world, and it came crashing down the moment I read those words.

~

Holy, I had a bit of writer's block, but this just came out flowing from my thoughts. It's a very sensitive chapter, so I apologize if it's touchy subject material. This is a sad book.

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