Brave

How to Save a Life

|Michelle's P O V|
I see Hunter's dad pull out of their driveway, I'm glad I didn't have to talk to him, he scares me.
I open the unlocked front door, I step inside to the quiet house.
I walk upstairs to Hunter's room, he said to meet me in there at five, and well, it's five.
His door is partially open, so without thinking I walk inside. When I look up from the doorknob into the room, I drop my purse on the floor in terror.
"HUNTER NO!" I yell at the top of my lungs.
"PLEASE NO!"
I run towards him, a handful of pills down his throat, his arms bleeding from several cuts, razors and stray pills spread across the floor.
Nine
One
One
Are the numbers I quickly dial into my phone, before the operator can speak I start to ramble,
"My friend is dying he's trying to kill himself there's pills and cuts and he looks beaten up please please hurry!"
I try to calm myself down,
I give more details to the operator and she says the paramedics will be here soon. I put my phone on Hunter's desk and I look at him, he's looking at me, his eyes lifeless, but he's still breathing.
There are scratches and blood all over his wall, he has other bruising and scrapes. I hold him in my arms, he's still here, but it just breaks my heart, I didn't know he was suicidal, I didn't know he had problems. I wish he told us, I wish I could have helped him.
At this point my tears are joining the blood in soaking his tank top, he's barely conscious, he's not talking, he's just staring, his breathing uneven.
I hear the sirens and I carefully place him on the floor.
I hear people coming through the front door,
"Up here!" I shout, "He's up here!"
Watching Hunter being taken away on a gurney is beyond incredible. I never thought I would ever have to see this.
The thought hits me, what if I got here a few minutes earlier, maybe I could've stopped this. But what if I got here a few minutes later, he might have been dead. He still might die.
If I had only just gotten here a bit faster...

I'm questioned by police in his room, it goes by quickly, I tell them the whole story, then I leave to drive to the hospital.
As I'm putting my keys in I stare at my phone placed in the drivers seat.
A text message from Eldon is on the screen;

Eldon: Hunter won't answer back, he said ur with him so can you please tell him to call me at 8 tomorrow instead of 7? Thanks.

I continue to stare at the screen.
He doesn't know what happened.
He doesn't know what happened.
He doesn't know his boyfriend might die. He doesn't know his boyfriend is suicidal. He doesn't know what happened.

The question enters my mind, should I tell him? I have to tell him, he deserves to know what's going on with his own boyfriend.
I take a deep breath, this is going to be hard to say. It's going to be hard to hear his reaction, but this has to be done. I'm not even okay, I'm shaken, I'm in disbelief still, my white sweater and pink jeans clearly stained with blood and tears, but I know it happened, and he needs to know.
I dial his number and put the phone in my cup holder. I start to drive waiting for him to pick up.

"Hey Michelle. What's up?" Eldon says, his voice so full of joy, full of bliss.
He doesn't know what he's about to hear, he doesn't know what's coming.
"Hey, um, I... I don't know how to say this... um." I start to get choked up, I start to cry again.
"Michelle? What's wrong? Where's Hunter is he with you?" Eldon asks, concern growing in his voice.
"Umm..."
"Michelle, spit it out." Emily demands, she must be with Eldon. Either way, I need to tell him.
Be strong Michelle,
Be strong and just rip the bandaid off.
"Hunter isn't with me. He... he's in the hospital, I'm on my way to the hospital to see him right now."
I wait for a response, holding back my sobs, focusing on the road.
"Wait what happened? Is he okay?"
Eldon asks, the concern in his voice maximized, and his voice also got a lot louder, the distress is clear.
"He, I don't know if he's okay, I'm on my way to find out... he... he tried to commit suicide. I found him in his room, there was, it was really bad."
The phone hangs up.
He hung up.

|Eldon's P O V|
Today Miss Kate had to leave early, so everyone is hanging around in Studio A, talking. Emily came in to do homework with me, we're in the same science class, so we figured we'd just do it here because we have nothing else to do.
"So, how are you?" Emily asks, writing stuff down on her worksheet.
"Other than being away from Hunter, I'm okay. How about you?"
Emily shrugs her shoulders, "Good, it sucks not being in A-Troupe and Michelle being in a different state right now sucks, but, I'm good."
I nod checking my phone.
I sigh, "Hunter isn't responding. He said he's with Michelle right now, I'll just text her."
I text Michelle, and moments later I get a call, that's weird.
"She's calling me..."
I pick up the phone, "Hey Michelle, what's up?"
I can hear movement and background noise, she must be driving.
"Hey, um, I... I don't know how to say this... um." I can hear her getting choked up, and I get really worried.
"Michelle? What's wrong? Where's Hunter is he with you?" I ask, growing impatient. I can tell something is wrong. "Umm..."
"Michelle, spit it out." Emily butts it, she must be able to hear the phone.
"Hunter isn't with me. He... he's in the hospital, I'm on my way to the hospital to see him right now."
My heart stops, he's in the hospital...
Oh my god.
"Wait what happened? Is he okay?"
I know my voiced raised, I can feel people glaring at me, but I don't care, something happened to Hunter.
I hear a small sob coming from the other end of the phone,
"He, I don't know if he's okay, I'm on my way to find out... he... he tried to commit suicide. I found him in his room, there was, it was really bad."

I drop my phone, it slides across the floor, shattered.
My heart, shattered.
My whole world, shattered.

Everyone is looking at me now,
I'm crying, I know I'm crying.
I lose control of my emotions.
"No, no, no... NO!" I angrily whip my books at the wall.
"Eldon..." Emily says softly, her eyes are filled with tears.
"No. He didn't do this. He wouldn't try to kill himself. He's has to be okay, he can't die!" at this point I'm shouting, crying, just looking at Emily, hoping this is just a cruel joke.
"I'm so sorry." she says, her lower lip trembling, fighting back tears.
"JUST TELL ME THIS ISN'T REAL. Please, just, please." I yell desperately, squeezing tightly on her arm.
"I can't..." she whispers, her eyes are shining from the tears.
I pick my broken phone back off the floor and throw it at the wall, I follow that by storming off in rage. My eyes filled with tears, I'm mad at myself, I'm mad at Hunter, I'm just mad at the world for being so cruel.
"Eldon? Are you okay?" I hear a puzzled voice coming from behind me.
What a stupid question, do I look okay? I'm clearly a disaster. I turn around and I see Daniel looking at me.
"Just leave me alone!" I aggressively blurt out, choking on my tears.
"Eldon..."
I start crying even harder, immediately latching onto him, I just need someone to comfort me right now.
I might have lost my boyfriend, forever.