Why me?

Chapter 1

A/N: Kiara_Jayne and caroline_art02

The bang was deafening. I heard mum shriek and dad yell a muffled cry.
I ran to the basement as fast as my short legs could carry me. As soon as I got to mum's laboratory I knew her newest range of explosives had gone off.
"Mum? Dad?" I asked tentively. The room was full of dust and smoke. Dad was sitting next to mum and whispering into her ear.
"Please. Keep it together Julie, you can make it through. Please stay." His pleasing voice broke my heart as I saw her body, covered in blood.
"I love you, take care of Suzie and Carly. I love you." She croaked as blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth. I knelt down and held her hand and I thought I saw the tiniest of smiles before her body became still.
It was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry. He was such a strong man. He had the best life, working in a car factory, every day building replicas of old cars. He had me and my sister Carly. But most of all he had mum. He loved mum so much. And she loved him the same. They were inseparable. Once he went to a hot rod show in L.A. and every night for the whole week mum cried and barely slept, staying up until 4am just to say that she loved him. And now she was gone.
"Mum? Dad?" I heard Carly call from upstairs. She must have known something was wrong because she came straight to the lab and screamed. She ran to us and collapsed on top of mum, sobbing. I was crying to. Her and mum had the greatest bond anyone would dream of. Mum helped Carly with her uni assignments and in return, Carly would take mum shopping and help her in the lab.
Our lives were about to change. And not in a good way.

***

Two days before mum's funeral dad made me go to school. Somehow nobody had any idea about my mum passing or the accident, and if they did, the teachers told no one to bring it up.
"Where have you been?" Ugh. The school drama queen. Claire. Her uniform was miles too short, her hair was out and perfect, and it was dyed hot pink at the tips. Wow. I put my head down and walked away. I don't have time worrying about what people think of me. Claire just thinks that she owns this place. Even though we are only year 8, she thinks she is year twelve. Her and her little minions, Hannah, April, Tahlia and her closest friend jess followed me to see if there was something to pick on me for.
"Umm, hello? You didn't answer my question. Where have you been?" She asked, dumping her stuff on top of mine. "2 weeks away from school? Missing 3 assessments? I see you didn't grow at all. So tell me. where were you?"
"Shut up Claire." Said my best friend Emma, she knew about mum. She spent most afternoons with me.
"Oh wow, loser and nerd. I'll let you two talk about, I don't know, Shakespeare."
"I find him quite interesting Claire." Said my other friend Dylan, who Claire had a massive crush on, "it's nice to see you again, Suzie, I was beginning to think you'd died or something." I looked up at him, then at Emma, who was shooting him daggers.
"Hey Dylan, why don't you come hang out with me this lunch. Someone as cool as you shouldn't hang 'round-" dramatic pause "-these two."
"Bye." He said plainly. Scoffing, Claire and her minions stormed off.
"So, where have you been, if you don't mind me asking?" Dylan asked.
"Well-"
"It's complicated and she doesn't want to talk
about it." Emma snapped, saving me. Dylan looked down.
"Come to the park this arvo and I'll explain everything." I sighed.

***

Dylan and I sat on the 2 swings and He was dead silent as I told him about mum.
"Wow." He said as I finished. He looked at me with empathy. "I-I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Who else in the school knows?"
"Nobody. Dad told Mrs Harper not to tell anyone else, not even the teachers. That's where Emma's been going every afternoon, to my house. It's just horrible, everything." I stopped to look at him, and he was teary, he liked my mum so much. "Would you like to come her funeral?" He nodded slowly. I slowly came over and gave him a hug. We both cried and cried for a while until some kid came and told us to stop hogging the swing.

A/N this is my first book so yeah 🎵