Even a white rose has a black shadow (Luke Hemmings)

Chapter 2

I woke up startled remembering that I had school today. It was ten in the morning and I had already missed two classes and half of my third one, if I had luck, I would get there in time for my fourth class. My mom must have heard me running around and getting ready because she rushed into my room with a coffee mug on her hand.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" My voice was croaky because I had just woken up, and my throat was also hurting because I had been crying the entire night.

"Because you're not going to school. You're staying at home today because your father and I want to have a talk with you." Her voice was calm, just like her look, but I knew her well enough to know that the tension inside her was building up more and more.

"I was getting ready for nothing then."

I didn't want to argue, so I closed my closet door and wore my pijama top and the jeans I had already put on. In that moment I remembered that I had a small math project that was worth twenty percent of my grade, so not going to school today came in handy. I had never been good at math, but in all other subjects I knew what I was doing, even in physics.

I went back to lying down on my bed and got my speakers and connected them to my phone. One of my favorite All Time Low songs started playing, so I left my phone on the table and put the speakers on my pillow while I waited for my parents to come talk to me. I had given up, there was no use to keep fighting it. I knew that I had no other choice other than to move, so I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself getting to the airport in Sydney.

Just when I was falling back asleep, my door opened to let in the two dark silhouettes that were getting close to my bed. Each one sat on either side of my bed.

"Keiler, honey." My mom started saying, but I decided to interrupt her.

"I get it." I kept looking at the ceiling with my hands resting on my stomach.

"What do you get?" My father turned off the speakers and held them in his hands nervously without taking his eyes off of mine for even a second.

I sat up, finally looking at them. "I get that you both want what's best for me. It's going to be really hard, but I know that there are worse things that could happen, right? I know you're doing it for Alex, for you to move on, and I'll do it to." I put on a forced smile.

"That's my girl, you're brother would be proud." My mother sigh and the three of us joined in for a group hug.

When they left for work I got my phone and noticed that it was break time at school, so I called Ben. The phone rang two times before he answered, as always.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bed."

"Hey, what's up? Why aren't you here, cheering me up, in this shithole that is school?" I couldn't help but smile at his response. Today Ben's school had gone to visit ours.

"My parents wanted me to stay at home so that they could talk to me about Australia." I heard a sigh on the other sigh of the phone. We remained in silence, until I decided to break it. "I'm actually going."

"I know."

"But it's okay, I'm not gone for another month, so we still have time." I forcefully let out a small laugh..

"A month!?" Ben yelled into the phone.

"Yes... Bu-..." Just when I was about to answer I heard a weird sound.

"Keiler Hood, you're not serious. You're not leaving in a month." I felt my heart stop beating when I heard her voice.

"Kate, I'm going to miss you so much." I hadn't realized I started crying, only when she started crying along with me.

"I'm going to your house right now." She said trying to hide her sniffles.

Before I could say anything else the call had ended.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang and I ran to answer it. Kate and Ben were on the other side of it looking at the floor, and slowly lifted their heads so that they could look at me. Without saying anything, the three of us joined in a group hug letting each others' tears wet our clothes.