Time Heals All

Part One

I've had a pretty crappy year. I guess crappy would be an understatement, really. My dad has been sick for a long time. It's been hard having to see him every day at the hospital after school, instead of getting home and seeing him there.

I live in a small town. Everyone knows everyone. There are about 200 students in my school, and about 30 in my grade. I'm a junior. This town is quiet, nothing much happens around here. But when someone is reported sick and on life support, then things get a little hyped up.

“Kailya,” someone said to me. “I hope everything goes alright with your father.”

Everyone pronounces my name wrong. “It's pronounced 'ki-la' and thank you.” 

People always came up to me, telling me they'll pray for my dad, that they'll do anything they can, telling me they hope things get better with my dad. They don't know that I don't believe in god and what they say just makes everything worse.

Then one day the worst came. My dad had passed away. I was only a sophomore when he passed. It's been about a year since he passed. When he did, the whole town knew within minutes of his passing. People came to my house, sending their condolences, patting me on the back telling me everything was going to be okay, saying things they thought I wanted to hear... When in reality, I just wanted to crawl up in a ball and die too. I wanted to be alone, but my mom told me I had to stay and thank everyone for their time. This went on for weeks on end. Finally one day people stopped visiting, and I could finally have time for myself 

I didn't go to school for two weeks. My friends always came by after school to make sure I was okay. They'd drop off some homework, but my teachers never expected me to do it. They'd hang around for a while, making sure I needed what I need. (Except all I needed was to be alone.) 

“Are you sure you're going to be okay without us?” Isabella asked. Isabella was my best friend. She's been with me through everything. We were friends since we were in diapers. Since our parents were in diapers. She's like a sister to me. Some parents moved here and had kids, other moved in here. No one was really like Isabella and I.

“Yeah I'm fine,” I answered. “I'll be here tomorrow.”

I was in school, thinking about my dad. He passed only so long after winter break. I was in math class, trying to figure out one of the problems.

“Kailya, do you know the answer to the question?” Mrs. Bhorane asked me.

“No, I'm still trying to figure it out,” I answered.

She nodded her head and asked another kid. “Jacob, do you know the answer?”

Jacob... I didn't really know much about him, anymore that is. We used to be friends but it ended a long time ago. He's one of my twin brother's friends. (My brother's name is Logan.) I see him around the house sometimes. I've spoken to him a handful of times. Just small talk though.

“Do you want a drink?” I'd ask while he waited for my brother to come downstairs.

“Do you have Pepsi?”

I nodded and handed him one.

“The answer is...” He answered the question with confidence. Just to my luck, he was right. It made me feel rather dumb, actually. Math was never my strong subject. I'm more of an art student.

The bell rang, signalling lunch. I scribbled down the solution quickly so I could figure it all out at home. I packed up my stuff and went off to my locker.

At school, I was fairly liked. I knew everyone in my grade, obviously, and everyone knew me. There were only 30 of us anyway. But of course, there were two girls who hated me for reasons I'm not even sure why. But ever since my dad had passed away, they kind of left me alone. One of which was Jacob's girlfriend. I see her around my house a lot too and her friend who's dating my brother. I see them both a lot around the house. I've made small talk with them both.