Boy Across The Hall

Chapter 14

❝I did not know how to reach him, how to catch up with him... The land of tears is so mysterious.❞ㄧ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

          The next day, I got out of bed and texted Matt good morning. I didn't get a reply. Maybe he was still sleeping. I went to the kitchen. My dad was already at work, and left me a note with some money on the table, saying that I should go to the store and get some groceries. There was a checklist of things I needed to get written on the back, and he also said that he left the car, to make my life easier. I made myself some scrambled eggs with bacon and got on my computer. I wanted to start looking for decent colleges I can go to. After a couple hours of searching and discovering, I decided to go to the store and buy the groceries. Being the stupid idiot that I was, I forgot my phone at home, so I couldn't entertain myself with music while I was in the most boring place ever. I hated grocery stores. And I hated buying groceries. It was the most dreadful thing I could possibly do. Especially when I was with my dad. We took forever to remember all the things we had to buy, and what we should get 'just in case we ran out' and it just pissed me off. A lot.

          I finished paying for everything and went back to the car. I bought some lunch on the way home, just for fun, and also from laziness. I got home and unpacked all the bags. After everything was perfectly placed in the fridge and cupboards and got back into my room. I checked my phone to see if Matt replied. Instead, he sent me a voicemail. It said: "Hey Lena... Ummm... My dad kinda drank a lot, during the time we were in Cuba because he felt really lonely again... And at night I heard... Anyway, I rushed him to the hospital because he was very intoxicated from... all the alcohol... and... now I am sitting in the waiting room... waiting for the nurse to let me... in and see him... Please don't come here, they won't let you in anyway, but um, I'll see you later. If I'm gone for more than just today... Don't worry, everything will be fine. And I love you. Bye!" I could hear him sobbing while leaving this. I should have taken my phone with me. If I would have heard his call, I would have taken it, and talked to him. He was always there for me when I needed him. I couldn't even be there for him when he needed me... I was a horrible girlfriend...

          Tears started to roll down my cheeks because I felt extremely bad for Matt. His father almost died there, and I wasn't even there for him. I can't even imagine what he is going through. If my dad started drinking, and I came home to him lying on the floor, barely breathing from intoxication, I would have just melted down into non-existence. I would go completely insane.

          I slept for the rest of the day. The sudden shock might have made me extremely tired. I woke up in the morning, to my dad taking a shower. I walked into my bathroom looking like a monster. There were dark circles under my eyes, my hair looked like a bird's nest, and I smelled terrible. I took a quick shower, and after I dried myself off, I called Matt. He didn't answer. I didn't think much of it because he told me that he might be unreachable for a couple of days because of his father. I walked into the kitchen, seeing food already set up on the table. It was a Saturday, so my dad had time to actually make breakfast for me. I ate everything because I was starving. I haven't eaten since yesterday's early lunch.

          "How are you doing, sweetie?" My dad asked me, walking out of his room with wet hair, and sitting in front of the TV.

          "Great dad. You know I'm always doing great." I lied, not wanting him to worry about anything. I did all the dishes and put them all away. I went for a jog to clear my mind.

          On every corner I made, I saw couples, and friends that were so happy. That made me depressed. I nearly started crying on the streets. Why couldn't I be with Matt right now? Why me?

           I came back home and lay in bed. I didn't get up for anything. Not for lunch, not for dinner, and definitely not to watch TV with dad. All I did, was wait for my phone to ring. Guess what? It didn't.

           The next day was the same. No phone calls. No texts. No voicemails. Just absolute silence. I didn't get up from bed either. I just kept waiting. I couldn't eat, and now I couldn't sleep at all. My dad knew that something was up with Matt and me, but he knew not to bother me. The only thing he really came in my room for was to force some food down my throat. But, I didn't let him because I was too nauseous, and I would throw it all up anyway.

          It was now Wednesday. Meaning, that another three days passed. My dad forced me out of bed earlier and locked me out of the house so that I could stop grieving so much. It's not like it happened to me... I knocked on Matt's door. As I thought, nobody answered. I left the building and went for a walk. I decided to go get lunch to try to eat, but I almost threw up once I walked in. The smell of food was gross to me. I ran out of the place and walked to a secret part of town, that was an abandoned construction site. I used to go there with Cleo. It was our hideout. Nobody was ever around, and it was always quiet. We used to meet up there every Friday and talk about random things. When I got there, I saw the whole place trashed. A bunch of broken wood planks everywhere, old metal scraps were lying on the ground, and something was written on a cement wall standing in the middle. I stepped closer. It said: "Why would you lie to me, L?" It was clearly written by Cleo. She probably came here after I told her about Isaac, and trashed the place out of rage. Honestly, I understand her, but it makes me so upset anyway. I sat down with my back against the wall and started sobbing into my hands.

          I ended up staying there all day. I headed back when it started to get dark. When I got home, I wanted to watch a movie or something, just so I could take my mind off of my own problems.

          I fell onto the couch and turned on the TV. I scrolled through channels, trying to find anything interesting. A while later, I came across a news channel, that was reporting some car accident. I settled on that. I turned up the volume so I could hear what the reporter was saying. "... The accident was on Putney Bridge... There is no evidence how this happened, but police predict that the driver was drunk driving..." Oh, my God. That looked like Matt's car. I turned off the TV and ran as fast as I could to that bridge. Nobody was there, but the car still was. It was his car. My poor Matty. How could this happen to him? He was so happy... and now he's... dead? I fell over and couldn't get back up.

          I heard cars drive by but nobody saw me. It was too dark. I got inside his car. I looked through all of his compartments and found a piece of paper and a pen. I started writing whatever was on my mind:

Dear whoever is reading this,

          I am writing this note because I want you to know that I love you. I know, that you may think that I don't, but I really do. I am sorry that everything turned out this way, but I just can't take it anymore. First Cleo left me and trusted a boy who almost raped me, instead of her best friend since kindergarten. And now, Matt is dead. He died. Right here on this bridge. I need to be with him now. I need to see him again.

          P.S. Dad, if you are reading this, tell Spencer the truth. Don't lie to her and say something cheesy, like I went to go live with unicorns, or I am now an elf helping in Santa's workshop like you did with mom.

Lots of love,

Elena Cullen.

          I folded the note and held it tight in my fist. I heard a car going by. Without thinking, I ran out at it. I heard the loud roar of the horn, and in a blink of an eye (literally) everything went black.