Crazy Love

Chapter 3: Andy, Did You Know Him?

First day back to school was over. I walked outside to see Connor waiting for me in the car. I smiled as I sat in my seat and I turned the radio on.

"Spill." was all Connor said.

"Spill what?" 

"Why are you smiling like that? I haven't seen you smile like that in a while, bro." 

"Today was....okay." I said with a sigh of relief. 

"I'm glad, but I know you're still hiding something and I will find out what it is." Connor told me pulling into our driveway.

I ran straight to my room and pulled out my guitar. I sat down on my bed ran my hand down the neck of it and watched as dust flew off of it. I hadn't picked up my guitar since Freshman year. It felt good in my hands. The feeling of the strings pressing into my finger tips and the vibrations on my hands when I strummed the strings took me back. It took me back to times when nothing in the world mattered. It was just me and my music.

I stopped strumming for a moment and looked up to see Toby in the doorway. we shared glances for a few moments and then he quickly vanished. I could hear him calling for Connor down the hallway. I knit my eyebrows together, confused but then brushed it off and continued playing. 

"See! He's playing!" I heard Toby say. I looked up to find him and Connor both in my room. 

"I should learn to lock the door." I mumbled to myself. 

"If anything I thought today was going to make you miserable, Ri." Connor said. "What happened?" 

"I bet it was a girl." Toby chuckled.

"Shut up." I scowled at him.

I got up and leaned my guitar up against the wall and then sat back down. Connor sat down next to me and Toby laid down on my bed behind us. 

"Her names Andy." I said waiting for any unwanted comments but there were none, "I was having an awful day and I bumped into her. She looked so familiar. I still don't know where I know her from. I mean I'm sure I went to school with her back in Freshman year but I don't know why her eyes are sticking in my brain so much. She sat with me at lunch and she knew my name. Before she left she told me she liked my old music. That's what made me pick up my guitar again." 

Connor placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled, "I'm surprised you remembered how to play that thing." 

"Me too." I said and then was interrupted by the sound of Toby snoring. It was getting late so Connor and I left him there to sleep. I walked into Toby's room and plopped down on the bed. My breathing became steady and the room started to get blurry as my eyes fluttered shut. 

_____

I woke up back in school. The halls were empty and then I heard the loud echo of the bell. The halls filled quickly. I looked across the hall at my old locker from freshman year. I suddenly saw myself, my 9th grade self, walk up and open the locker. A look of hurt and sadness shadowed my eyes. Seeing myself like that hurt so much. I wanted to walk up to 9th grade Riley and just hug him because that's all he really needed. I watched myself as I looked around suspiciously. I watched as I took the rope from my backpack and stuffed it into my gym bag. 

Then it hit me. This was the day. The day I was supposed to end my life. 9th grade Riley took my gym bag filled with rope and headed down to the locker room. I followed passing right through people as they walked into me. Not one person knew what I was about to do. I started yelling at myself as the younger version of me got closer to the locker room. 

"No! Don't do it!" I screamed but nobody heard me. 

I kept my distance from the old me. I watched closely as I rounded the corner to the locker room. I heard two bodies collide and books fly across the floor. A girl was knelt down on the floor gathering books. She placed a long piece of brown hair behind her ear and handed me my gym bag that I dropped when we collided.