Bereaved

Present: June 19, 2014

"Lex wake up! We have to get to the hospital. They don't think dad will make it to morning." my mother cries from the door of my room pulling me from my slumber.

I turn over in a daze from the deep sleep I was just in moments ago. I try to roll over and fall back asleep. Then all of a sudden the words click. Dad. Hospital.

    "What?" I ask confused. I thought they had said he had the good kind of cancer just yesterday. "I thought-"

"I know, they were wrong. His liver failed. He isn't breathing well." my mother cries. She yells for my brother to wake up as she hiccups from her tears.

    "Try not to wake up Courtney." she says to my brother and I, "Get ready! We need to go!"

Flashback: June 11, 2014

I've always been a happy kid. My mother and father have raised me in a warm home where nothing ever goes wrong. My dad works as an electrician. My mom is in sales at a local business. We've always had enough money to live happily without too much struggle. My older brother Michael, older sister Victoria, and younger sister, Courtney, make my life interesting, but fun. I couldn't be happier.

I walk into my ninth grade gym class with a smile and begin to run laps with the rest of my classmates. I run up to my friend Kayla and grab her arm suddenly earning a screech.

"Lex! Don't do that!" she yells and playfully hits my arm.

"You're fine! Just a little adrenaline rushing from being scared red." I tease her. She has this weird habit where she gets embarrassed and red when she is scared. I make sure to do it all the time just to remind her of her habit.

"Oh shut up!" she says pushing me a bit and laughing, "By the way, how's your dad?" she asks. My dad has been getting a lot of tests done because he hasn't been feeling well.

"He's okay. They can't seem to figure out what's wrong. They think he may have pneumonia." I tell her and she nods.

"I hope he feels better!" she says and pats my back. She knows how sad it makes me seeing my strong dad so under the weather.

Gym class comes and goes and so does the school day. There are only nine days left of school and the talk of the approaching summer is in full swing.

"Lex!" Audrey screams from down the hall.

"Hey love!" I yell and hug her.

"So on the Monday that we have a half day, I was thinking you, me, and Kristen can go to Kayla's house and have a pool day!"

"That's a great idea! We can talk to them at lunch." I say and pull her toward math class. We've never been late and I want to keep it that way. We chatter about what to do for the pool day and make it to class right as the bell rings. Once class is over, we go to lunch and meet the rest of our friends. We tell them about our plan and everyone excitedly agrees to come over. We all sit and discuss the latest rumors. That's what we do. Life is full of things to do, but all we do is gossip and drink smoothies by the pool. It doesn't get old though. Life is easy if you make it that way.

The rest of the day flies by until I'm walking to my final class. The bell rings as I walk into my study hall and sit in my assigned seat. I hate having last period study hall. All I want to do is leave. I pull out my homework feeling the normal drag of the Wednesday homework pile. I always seem to have much more homework on Wednesdays than any other day. I'm so absorbed in the math homework that I don't hear the phone in the front of the auditorium ring or the teacher calling my name. I feel a light tap on my back and turn to see my study hall teacher.