Apples Don't Just Mean School [in process of rewriting]

Breaking the News

Don't, don't let me go/It's not the end, whoa/Girl, you know, it's not so bad/It's not the end, whoa/No it's not the end ~ Simple Plan, The End

Matthew's POV

We had gotten all the kids out. After taking attendance, I was relieved to find out that everyone was present in 9R... except for Emily. Where is she? She might be trapped in the fire! But we can't go in... The fire truck and the ambulance wailed by, lights flashing red, white and blue. Yelling firemen jumped off, carting along a huge hose, followed closely by paramedics, carrying stretchers. Come on, Emily... Wait, where's Jenna? TWO people were missing now.

9R was unnaturally subdued and a few of the girls had tear-streaks marking their faces. "What's wrong?" I asked gently. They stiffened up, glancing at each other, asking a silent question. A minute shake of the head: no. "Nothing, Mr Harper," they answered all at once. They're hiding something... but I must respect that. Ugh, but I really want to know~ I mentally slapped myself. Control yourself, Matthew. Leave it be.

I heard a shout from my left and I turned around, expecting the worst. A small body was brought out in a firefighter's arms and placed gingerly in a stretcher. Emily! She's safe! But... where's Jenna? 9R immediately swarmed Emily, chattering, screaming, crying, the usual. "Is Ms Emily dead?" Francis asked. "No. She WILL survive," I stated firmly. If only I can believe what I'm saying... All of a sudden, Arthur tapped me on the shoulder.

"Where's Jenna?" I questioned immediately. He sighed, as if unwilling to tell me. "Matthew... Jenna is... gone. No one can find her... The flames were too great..." My heart skipped a beat. GONE? No way! Jenna MUST be alive. She's a good person, and good people aren't supposed to die... The dry voice in my head awoke. But this isn't a book or a movie, is it? People die, Matthew. It's a way of life. I closed my eyes, not allowing the treacherous tears to kiss the ground. "Is that what you came to tell me?" I asked hoarsely, reopening my eyes. Arthur nodded mutely.

Jenna is dead. Gone. Forever. I'm never seeing my good friend again. These things only happen in movies! The good people die and everything. This fire... It's not real, is it? I'm dreaming, right? In real life, this is a meeting and I'm fallen asleep... And once I wake up, everything will be fine. Yeah, that's it... The thought was too pathetic even for me. It IS real, Matthew. Now, don't you dare break down in front of the kids. 

I sank into a conveniently nearby chair, tears brimming, blurring my vision. A shapeless blob (one of my students, probably) handed me something, a tissue, from the texture of it. "Thank you," I said, voice embarrassingly thick. Wiping at my eyes, I continued the mental argument. Jenna Alastair was a kind and caring friend. She always endured my pranks and jokes- I was rudely cut off. This eulogy sucks. And you CANNOT. BREAK. DOWN.

I've already broken down.

Chin UP, Matthew, you're a MAN, not a coward. Or are you?

Crying is not being cowardly...

The kids will cry if you cry further. You love your students, don't you? If you do, STOP CRYING. Get your weak ass up and MOVE!

That was uncalled for. But... Fine. I'll calm down. Just LEAVE ME ALONE! The voice slunk away, leaving me and a soggy tissue sitting in a chair. 

Emily's POV

I woke up in a hospital. Again. I have GOT to stop patronising these places. Ugh. Besides, the food is rubbish. Home is still the best. Instead of a drip, this time, I had a stupid mask thing on. This mask is SUPER irritating. Can I just rip it off? I pressed the red 'call' button, hoping to get permission to destroy said mask. Huh, I'm all alone. This is the ICU... What happened? I fainted again? Didn't I die? I'm disappointed in this fire, can't do anything right...

After a few minutes (shoddy service...), a nurse opened the door and entered my ward. "Hello, Ms Fox! You're in Spring Hill General Hospital, and you've been admitted for smoke inhalation and some second-degree burns," she called out pleasantly and cheerily. Burns? I looked down and hey, lookie that! my collarbone had bandages all over it. "You also have some visitors, would you like them to come in?" she added.

I nodded, and quickly asked, "Can I take off this mask?" The nurse smiled but shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you can't. I mean, you CAN, but you'd probably die from lack of oxygen." Aww, shucks. She beamed once more at me and went over to the door, murmuring something to someone outside, before letting them come in. Matthew, Arthur, Jeremy and Amelia were there, holding a large (and relatively opulent) bouquet of roses and orchids. 

But someone was missing.

"Where's Jenna?" I asked. They all shared a look: a 'who-is-going-to-tell?' look. Finally, Amelia relented and sighed, walking over. Placing the flowers on my blankets, she sat down. "Emily... Jenna's g-gone." She choked a bit on the last word. WHAT? I was frozen in shock. "You're not... You're JOKING, aren't you?" They were silent. I stared at the bouquet on my bed, noting the pale, pink peonies laced in between. Tiny violets smiled back at me.

"No..." I whispered, falling back onto my pillow. Yes, she's dead, Emily. Now, take deep breaths. If you MUST cry, not for too long. You can't be incapacitated with grief forever. You need to get on with life. Jenna would want that, wouldn't she? And the voice sank back into the murky depths of my mind. One fat tear dripped out onto the bedsheets. It balanced precariously... and spread out into the fabric, leaving a small, wet splotch. 

Calm down... I clenched my fists tightly. "Why do all the good people die?" I demanded of no one. "Why? TELL ME!" The four continued to stay quiet. "TELL ME!" I screamed one last time, before burrowing my face into the pillow. Stupid mask, I can't cry properly with it! Dammit! I flung the cushion away, which hit Matthew in the stomach, but I didn't care. One of my greatest friends was dead. This can't be true. This only happens in... stories! WHY? WHY? Matthew wordlessly came over, taking the chair next to me, and taking my hand. 

We were just five people in a room, crying.

A/N: This chapter was utterly filler. :( I'm sad that Jenna died... She was one of the nice ones in this story... Shoutout to risrissaribena for being with me while I planned out this segment of the story! BUT DARN YOU TOO YOU KILLED HER >:( Anyway, ciao~