The Domino Effect

//Who knew Grammy's could be Interesting//

A/N:
~Unedited~
Yet, another weekend spent at the most boring place in the universe; my grandmother's house. My parents were busy at the court house so I'm stuck here for the time being (although I'm 17 and can take care of myself). At the moment, I'm just sitting in my Grammy's attic, trying to find something interesting to do, kind of like how every great cliché adventure starts- someone is looking in their grandparents's attic, when they find some strange artifact, then they go on some amazing and daring quest with their best friend who just so happens to be in love with the main character, then they meet wizards and dragons and some "random" traveler, who just so happens to *spoiler alert* be a double agent for the enemy! But we don't know that yet. No, the traveler ultimately joins the quest, and soon is the love interest of the main character (until they betray him or her of course), then guess what happens? A LOVE TRIANGLE GASP!! Then our main character gets captured, they somehow escape by that obvious flaw in the plan that every villain has, and then they realize their undying love for their best friend that wasn't even there during the rest of the story! The double-agent soon becomes an ally and falls in love with that random side character no one notices and it's a happy ending! Yay!! But that's just a story and this is real life. I'm only up here because I knew that Grammy had some old books left up here from years of... Living I guess. Shuffling and moving boxes around, I finally found a good sized one filled with dusty leather-backs. I heaved the box into my arms and I walked down the surprisingly long staircase that lead into the upper hallway from the attic. I hefted the box on the ground, coughing as dust filled my lungs and the air around me. I lifted the stairs back into their place, shielding the attic from anything trying to enter. I lifted the box once more, and I walked downstairs and into the dining room. I placed the box on the large table, trying and failing to avoid more dust. I rooted through the box, looking for something of interest, when Grammy walked into the room. Even though she was almost eighty, she was still hot on her toes.
"Whatcha got there Daniel?" Grammy asked, walking over to where I was.
"Just a box full old books I found in your attic," I replied, still sifting through the dusty items.
"Find anything interesting in there?" She questioned, sitting down in the chair across from me. I shrugged my shoulders, not entirely paying attention. I loved my Grammy dearly, but I wasn't in a talking mood.
"Not yet, but- wait what's this?" I began, only to interrupt myself. I pulled out a light brown book. It wasn't too thick, parts of the corners were torn and frayed, and the two leather strings that kept the book closed were tied neatly together. My grandma came around to where I was, standing behind me, keeping a hand on my shoulder. I untied the book, its pages lines with words.
"It's a journal," Grammy whispered behind me. My eyes fluttered from page to page, engrossed in the story that lay before me. Each day written was short, a summary of how the author was feeling. The story was amazing; this author had battled inner demons even worse than my own. They were suicidal, depressed, and extremely hurt. I found that I had reached the last entry (the journal was very short) and the words made my blood run cold.
"This is probably the last time I'll be writing here. I have no reason to be here anymore so why bother? Jared can move on without me, he's strong enough to do so. To whom ever may find this journal, I'll see you in the afterlife. May your life be plentiful and happy unlike my own. Please, don't do what I've done and learn from my mistakes. Maybe I can help you in ways I could never help myself."
That's it. I closed the book, the last words were still burned fresh in my mind.
'Maybe I can help you in ways I could never help myself.' How terrifying. I then realized something. The author never signed their name. Throughout the entirety of their story. Not once was their name mentioned. Why? This suicidal person, presumably a teen, had just killed them-self and I didn't even know them. Granted, it had only been ten minutes since I found their story in the first place, but that's beside the point. I ran a hand through my messy brown hair quietly.
"Grammy... Who does this belong to and why do you have it?" I whispered. My voice had suddenly given out. I felt Grammy place a hand on my shoulder for a second before she quietly moved to a chair next to me. She looked down to the floor.
"Daniel... I have it because it's mine."
"WHAT?!"
"Yes. The journal belongs to me. But as you can see, I'm still here."
"You wrote this?" Grammy chuckled at my continuous disbelief.
"That I did Daniel. That I did. But I couldn't go through with that suicide."
"This is gonna sound wrong but... Why not?"
"Because I couldn't bear the thought of the people I'd hurt. Not to mention Grandpa Jared had a fit. He found the journal before I could go through with anything and he talked me out of it. I really wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."
"Neither would I," I agreed. Grammy laughed again. She calmed down after a thought seemed to pop in her head.
"Daniel... I know you want to commit suicide."
"How did you..."
"You can't forget that I was in your place at one point. Divorcing parents, a failing school, a promising career no one believes in. I know how you feel."
"But what do I do? I can't go on like this anymore!"
"Can I tell you a story?"
"Go ahead."
"Your dad, he was maybe sixteen when he told me that he was in love. He was so obsessed about your mother I could hardly stand it. Finally, I told him that he was too young to understand what love was and that he was crazy. He scoffed but stopped talking about it. I felt bad to be honest. I realized then that maybe I was the one that was crazy."
"And what does this have to do with me committing suicide?"
"It has to do with you commuting suicide because if Grandpa Jared hadn't loved me, like I said, I wouldn't be here."
"I still don't see how-"
"Lana." The name of my girlfriend made me shut up for a second.
"What about her?"
"How often does she tell you to stay alive?"
"Daily..."
"Then hold on to that. With every fiber in your being." And just as she spoke these last words the doorbell rang. My dad was coming to pick me up.
"That's Dad..." I stood up, heading for the door. Grammy followed. She hugged me quickly and tightly, hoping she got whatever message she was telling me across properly. I pulled away from her, turning to open the door. Dad stood waiting and Grammy waved us off.
"Stay safe Daniel!" I heard her call. I smiled to myself as I let myself into the passenger side of Dad's car. Grammy had impressed me in roughly five short minutes. Her life story interested me more than I could admit.
I turn back to my audience, the memory fading as I finished explaining it (although much shorter).
"I learned two things from Grammy that day. The first was that you should let others try and learn from the mistakes you've made so they don't end up in a position that you're in. The second was that those who love you will do everything they can to keep you alive. But another doubtful thought popped in my head. Would my death really effect those who love me to a greater extent? Absolutely."

A/N:
Hi! I'm here! With a chapter... Sorry it took so long. I'm also sorry that this chapter sucked ;-; it's been a long week and this is what I've got. But I also wanted to get something out for ya and that's what I'm gonna do!! I hope you like it and I'll see you soon! (Hopefully...) (sorry again... ;-;)