Stay A Little Longer: A Short Story

Sixteen

The walk home was agonizing. How was I going to face my family after all of this?

It's been a month and a half since the hospital, and I just got checked out earlier this week. I stayed at a hotel for a while, getting my thoughts together. I cried a lot, even though I tried not to. At least we got married before...

The hot tears threatened to steal at my face once again, but I wiped them all away. I would not cry in front of my parents. I would not.

When I opened my front door, no sound or light came from the living room. That was fine with me, I headed straight up to my bedroom and shut the door behind me.

I wanted to crawl into bed and cry, but I walked over to my closet, pulled out his sweatshirt, and tugged it onto my torso. It was warm, and it still held the smell of his cologne.

A tear dropped onto the fabric.

How much I hated that stupid little tear. It ruined his sweatshirt, one of the only things I had left of him. I let out a roar and punched the closest thing to me.

My wall.

It left a small dent, and my hand turned a horrible shade of blue. Footsteps rushed to my room, the door flying open.

"Jo--"

Joanna rushed into my arms, her own tears matting her hair to the sides of her face, her sobs filling the disgusting silence I relished and required to cope with the events of late.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, wiping at her face and sniffling. "I'm so sorry."

"Where are M--"

"They went somewhere. I don't know where. They'll be back soon when they hear you're here."

She gives me a weak smile and hugs me again. "I'm just so happy to see you, Andy."

My face falls. "It should've been me."

Jo pushes away and glares at me. "Don't you dare. I need you, Andrew, and you know that."

"And I need Greyson!" I shout. "And you know that! He was perfectly healthy, and I was dying anyways. But the universe screwed me over. It should've been me."

Both of us let out any pent up anger and sadness we were holding in, yelling back and forth, hurling meaningless insults and spewing tears and snot everywhere. In the end, though, we end up curled up in a collective ball of sadness, comforting each other until we both fall asleep, having cried ourselves out.
~•~•~•
When I wake up, someone moved me from the floor of my room to my bed, and the moon shines in from the window. I crawl out from under my sheets, and make my way to the door.

Voices ring out from downstairs and I follow them, finding Greyson's parents arguing with my own. Realization hits me and I crumple to the floor, overwhelmed. My dad notices me first.

"Andrew, go back upstairs," his grief stricken voice reaches me. The other three adults turn to me, as well.

"It's all my fault," I cry out. "It's all my fault."

My parents spend several minutes trying to coax me back into my room, then Greyson's parents try to forcefully carry me upstairs, me fighting them all the way. They finally give up and decide to leave me on the couch, the Huangs leaving with arguments still on their tongues and dirty glances shot at me.

I'm not entirely sure they care that their son is dead.