Strong Enough 2

"Tré?" I walk over to him slowly. He's not dead. He can't be dead. "Tré wake up please!"

A couple nurses and a doctor rush into the room. "Get her out of here," the doctor says.

"Come on sweetheart," one of the nurses pulls me out of the room.

I'm left on the ground sitting outside the door. Tré can't die! I need him and I don't know if I could live without him. I can't breath and it seems as if time has stopped and my whole world has been turned upside down.

Tai comes back and drops the honeybun and apple juice as soon as he sees me.

"What's wrong?" he asks, lifting my chin so I can look into his eyes. I don't say anything. Instead, I start to cry harder and bury my face into his chest.

"Come on Mya. Tell me what's wrong," he says softly as he rubs my hair.

"He stopped breathing. He--he's dead," I try to say through my tears.

"I don't think he's dead Mya. Sometimes people stop breathing and the doctor is gonna do the best he can okay?" he's trying his best to calm me down but its not working. I cry harder and he holds me, still stroking my hair.

Tai's mom tells him to take me home. I don't want to leave my brother but I agree to go because staying here is going to drive me insane.

The walk to my house is quiet and Tai tries his best to keep me calm. We get to my house and he kisses my cheek and wipes away my tears before saying goodbye. I walk in and see my mom in the kitchen. She turns around and gives me a nervous smile before noticing the tears in my eyes.

"What's wrong?" she's says so quietly that it's almost a whisper. "I mean if you don't want to talk to me about it, I understand." I rush over to her and I hug her. I can tell she's nervous and shocked but she wraps her arms around me. I can't believe that I'm actually hugging her. I haven't hugged her in years.

After a long silence I finally decide to tell her. I'm not sure if she will care but I feel like she needs to know. "Tré stopped breathing," I say, still crying.

I look up at her to see her reaction. She's staring strait ahead and I see a tear fall from her cheek. We're both crying and holding each other and then my dad walks through the door.

"What the hell are you two crying about?" he asks. He's obviously drunk.

My mom tries her best to tell him about Tré through her tears and he laughs in our faces.

"Serves him right," he rudely remarks. "Go to your room Mya."

I look over to my mom who is still crying. "No," I tell him.

"What did you just say?" he says through his teeth.

"I said no," I say, turning towards him. He punches the wall and leaves a huge hole.

"Mya go to your room please," my mom begs. "I'll be fine."

I look back at her. Her eyes are filled with fear and I don't want to leave her. I try to grab her arm so I can take her upstairs but he pushes me to the ground. He stands over me, looking down at me with bloodshot eyes. My mom steps in front of him.

"Please leave her alone. Mya go to your room," she says looking down at me with pleading eyes. I rush to my room and lock my door.

I hear yelling, mostly from my dad, and I hear things breaking. I grab my headphones and try to drown out the noise. I look to the door, expecting Tré, and I start to cry when he doesn't come.

I sit in the far corner of my room, rocking back and forth and listening to music. I stay this way for hours until I finally cry myself to sleep.