| C H A P T E R : F I V E |
Caden's POV
I slowly began to wake as I heard the radio on low-level playing a club mix. As I became more awake, I could make out the lyrics to the song, and then my ear's beating resembling my heart racing. I felt like my head was wrapped around a tight band not allowing the blood to flow. I sit up and I opened my eyes but squinting, because the curtains to the room were open letting light in.
My vision focused and I could see that the only thing I had on were my boxer's. I looked to my left to see a girl with strawberry blond bed head hair snoring. I took a better look at her face and I notice it was one of the cheerleader's from my school sleeping under the covers.
Without bothering to wake her up, I quietly get dressed and grab the rest of my belongings and go. I open the bedroom door and all I could see is array of red cups, beer bottles, bags of chips, and dirty plastic plates. I carelessly walk through all of this garbage and out the door, without telling anyone I was leaving. I took notice in how my head was pounding as I walked and how my lower back ached. This was the same crap that I put myself through before I met Kaysly. Now look at me ... acting reckless. The reality was that I had no control; I did what I wanted and didn't think about the consequences. I got in my car and threw my jacket in the back and drove off into the dirt road.
When I was near home, I turned into the street where I could see that Mrs. William's house had many cars planted in front of her house. The meeting today for Zachary’s passing had slipped my mind. However, I didn't want to go... Not since the way that I have acted lately. There were some deep wounds in me just from the tragedy already.
I walk up the path to my house not making eye contact with anyone I might recognize, and opened the door to my house. I came into see my mother sitting at the dinner table drinking coffee. Her face was expressionless as I came through the door. Before I could dash for the stairs, she called me back.
"Caden, we need to talk." She said concerned. I knew what this was going to be about ... how I need to stop coming home late and all the trimmings.
"Look, Mom don't waste your time trying to make me obey your rules, we've been through this before." I say annoyed. "Then why don't you do what I say by now if you’re so annoyed by them." She said eyeing me
"Cause what you say doesn't matter to me and never will."
"What else do I have to do to prove to you that what you are doing isn't safe?" She says through her teeth. “
When is the last time you ever cared about my safety? You spent your whole life pouring your pathetic little heart out to Dad, because he didn't want to stay with you. I spent hours alone at home hungry wondering where you were, but you never checked on me once to see how I was doing. I was just a kid. Now that he finally got tired of you pleading to take him back, he realized that you would do anything for him, because you are that foolish to do anything for him ... Now where is he?!" I shout back, angrily.
"You-- didn't understand the thought of being a single-- a single mother and how it made me feel. I wanted better." She said on the verge of pouring her eyes out.
"When have my needs ever crossed your mind?" I asked honestly. I didn't wait for her to respond. I was already halfway up the stairs and to my room. I slam the door shut behind me and my ears started ringing, in my mind, I could hear the last words she said, sort of like it was echoing in my head.
"You-- didn't understand the thought of being a single-- a single mother and how it made me feel. I wanted better." I began to think that maybe I wasn't seeing what she was trying to say, but for so long she never made an effort to make me happy. Then the guilt started plummeting in as I kept in mind the hurtful words I said to her "...pathetic little heart ...foolish ..."
~~~~~~~~
This was the millionth time my phone has vibrated in the last couple of hours, this person obviously can't take the hint that I just don't want to answer or that no one is here to answer. I reach for my phone on the left side of the desk, I look up at the screen to see that it was Richard's brother Jared calling. This is a big curiosity since I barely talk to the dude, and I'm closer to his brother. I pick up once I couldn't take any more of the ringing.
"What is it man?" I said between yawning and speaking into the phone. I heard him say something but couldn't quite make it out because he started trail off, his voice sounding husky.
"What was that?" I said sitting up on my bed to get a better hearing. He cleared his throat and spoke into the phone again,
"Richard." He said his voice more harsh this time.
"What about him?" I said impatiently.
"He had a seizure ..." His voice fading away into hard sobs. "Is he ok? Did you take him to hospital?" I said on my feet now.
"Nah ... man, he didn't make it. At the house-- after the party, I found him on the floor this morning and by the time we got to the hospital he didn't make it. They said the alcohol in his stomach had intestine and continued to enter his bloodstream and circulate throughout his body."
I dropped the phone to the ground taken aback that Richard was gone ... just like Zachary.
