Invisible

Introduction/Prologue

Death is a mysterious phenomenon, like something unexplainable. Or at least that's what I thought when I was younger. There was always something about it that intrigued me though. I was 7 when I found out my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and 9 when he finally died. I locked myself in my room and cried for three days, unable to cope with something I already knew was going to happen. I couldn't understand why him, out of all the people in the world, why my dad. It wasn't until well after the funeral that I could think about him without this morbid feeling wash over me. I wasn't necessarily upset or sad, but more angry. I was mad that my dad had left me but sometimes as I look back on my childhood, I remember the day of the burial and what my mom had said to me. That death was just as ordinary as going to the store or waking up in the morning, it was an everyday occurrence and you just had to accept it and move on. But as I sat there listening to her, I didn't know which was worse; seeing her cry or my dad's casket being lowered into the ground. I had asked her why my dad was dead and of course I knew that it was due to the sickness, but nevertheless, the answer I got wasn't really what I wanted but some answers in life aren't always clear.

"Sometimes bad things happen to good people, I don't know why but that's just life I suppose. Everyone ends up leaving in one form or another."

The only response I could form was, "I just can't understand that though. It's not fair." It really wasn't. It was bullshit.

"You're right Jacky, it isn't fair. But I guess that's just God's way of collecting us I suppose." She grabbed my shoulders and started walking us towards the car. "But I want you to know something; even with all the bad in this world, there will always be a light to guide you. One day you will do extraordinary things and your life will be full of purpose and you will be a remarkable man Jackson Lee."

It was fair enough to say at that point in my life I truly believed I would amount to greatness but even now at my current age of 16 I still have yet to level up to the magnitude she was referring to. (I'm sure it will happen soon)

Anyways, as I had went through the rest of my elementary and middle school days, I always tried to avoid any form of attachment. It wasn't that I couldn't form a proper bond with someone or make friends, I just chose not to. Not only was it too big of a commitment, losing one person I truly cared about was bad enough, I couldn't risk befriending someone and then have them walk out of my life like my dad. It was too much emotional damage that I personally couldn't handle. Even though I didn't have many friends, I still hung around a few guys here and there that I grew up with around town. I think that even the most introverted people need some sort of socialization or they'll go mental. And if I'm being honest, girls didn't exactly throw themselves at me either so it was safe to say my virginity was still intact, besides, I had my hand for that type of stuff anyways. With that being said, I was a pretty average guy. I got decent grades, stayed away from the hardcore crowds and made sure not to get in anyone's way. Although, I lived in a small town, I basically prided myself in my ability to remain undetected from the outside world.

Ketchum, Idaho was probably the most uneventful place to ever exist in mankind. The monotonous neighborhoods that I lived in were unchanging. The faces, the houses, everything stayed the same and nothing ever happened. With a small population of only 2,706, there was only one high school in the entire district. I was just starting my junior year when my life had drastically changed. No, not in the cliché way, but in the "I met a girl" way. Maybe that is cliché. I'm not really sure. However, I do know that when Charlotte Louise Anderson moved in next door right before summer ended, there were parts of me that came alive. The part of me that I had tried to smother deep down within me. She made me not want to be invisible to the world anymore, or at least not to her.

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If you made it this far, thank you for reading! This is basically my first attempt at writing and I hope you enjoyed the introduction. I'm super excited to get into this.