13 Reasons Why

prologue

» chloe «

the principal had gotten off the pa system after announcing her death to the school. the halls grew silent with fear, shock, and sadness. i closed my locker quietly, starting to walk to my next class.

i tried to pretend this wasn't happening, that i was only dreaming. but i pinched myself multiple times and i didn't wake up from this nightmare.

my mind flooded with thoughts of maddie and all of my memories with her. i was close with maddie. she was my best friend. i couldn't understand why she did what she did. i wish i had known about how she was feeling- maybe i could've stopped her.

it was too late now. maddie was gone.

and no matter what i did, she couldn't come back.

| four weeks later |

it's been about a month since maddie died, and i still couldn't believe it. my grades were slipping, i was unable of paying attention in class. especially in the classes where maddie's empty desk was. i pictured her sitting there, playing with her long, light brown hair and pretty blue eyes, looking down at her notes as the teacher spoke.

between classes, it wasn't much better. students had turned her locker into a memorial, with a picture of her and flowers taped onto it. sticky notes surrounded the picture, with kind words to maddie. i put a note on it, but the locker was so cluttered that i could never find my note anymore.

i walked out of school, with my friends paige and kendall on either side of me. we've always walked home from school, ever since fifth grade when our parents decided it was time to become a little more independent. we're freshmen now, so we've been walking home together for four years, and best friends since kindergarten. but our group felt empty without maddie walked quietly in between kendall and i. she'd always been quiet, but i wish i realized she hardly even smiled while we walked home just a week or so before her death. i could've asked her what was wrong. i could've helped her.

kendall, paige, and i reached my house first. i waved bye to them before walking up the pathway to my front porch. but when i went up the stairs, i noticed a box in front of the door.

i raised an eyebrow and picked it up, carrying it inside. i set it on the counter and took a knife from the kitchen.

"what is this?" i whispered to myself, making a slit into the box to open it.

inside the box were cds. thirteen of them.

"who ordered these?" i shrugged, taking out the first cd labeled with the number one.

i grabbed my laptop from its charger and put in the disc, plugging in my headphones.

the media player opened and a video frame of maddie popped up on my screen. her eyes were puffy and red, and she had a blank expression on her face.

"hey, it's maddie." she bit her lip, inhaling a bit. "maddie ziegler."

» trigger warnings ; i'm telling you in advance in case i forget to put one on a chapter that has the potential of triggering someone. i really hope i don't because i don't want anyone hurting themselves- but i forget things sometimes. :"(