Sound of Silence

Aftermath

As news spread across town of Quinton's death, panic set in. When you live in a small rural town, not a lot happens. So, when not one, but two strange deaths occur; naturally you panic. This resulted in a police enforced curfew. No one was to be out after ten o'clock pm.

Weeks passed and the hot, sticky weather of august changed into the cool, breezy weather of September. Vivian, Will, Wesley and I had to make statements and give accounts of what happened that night, but no one really cared what we had to say. The police had written Quinton's death off as an 'accident.' Just a bunch of stupid, drunk, teenagers who poured gasoline on a fire. But, I knew there was something else going on. Something was defiantly off.

My mother had also enforced her own sort-of curfew. I was only allowed to drive to and from school, and that's it. If I wanted to hang out with friends, they had to come to my house. This resulted in a lot of sneaking out late at night to hop in Wesley's truck with Vivian and Will. We drove to the top of Archer's Point, a large, grassy hill overlooking the vast woods on the outskirts of the town.

The night was crisp and chilly, I pulled my sweatshirt sleeves down over my hands, inhaling the sharp air. Autumn was fast approaching. Wesley turned the key, shutting off the car. We all four sat in silence.

I hadn't yet told the others about how I knew Noah wrote that note about his mom. Or how I though he'd been the one who pulled me from the fire. It made sense to me at the time, that he'd been the one to pull me from the fire, but as I pondered it more and more it didn't add up. But yet, I distinctly remember the smell of his cologne, cigarettes, and strong hands pulling me away.

"Wesley Baker," piped Vivian, breaking the awkward silence "Have you been smoking again?" she scrunched her freckled nose, sniffing the air.

Wesley shrugged and grunted, "One of my best friends just died, I think I deserve a damn smoke."

That shut her up.

We never had much to say to each-other. In the hallways at school we would acknowledge one another with a nod, or a slight smile. We sat together at lunch in silence, or sat solemnly on the green. None of us were the same.

Wesley didn't crack his usual inappropriate jokes. His usual cheery disposition and constant cheeky grin had turned into a solemn dreary expression. His lips always pressed into a thin line, dark bags underlining his eyes. Vivian tried to stay positive, keep everyone else happy. But it didn't work. She usually burst into tears at least three times a day, bringing whatever happiness she'd tried to build, crumbling back down again. Will, thrust himself into schoolwork. He was hardly ever seen without a book of some sort, when he spoke it was always soft and tender, tilting his head in a sympathetic manor. He would try to console Vivian by making some calculated dry response, stating random facts. This, drove Wesley up a wall. Causing him to snap at both Will and Vivian constantly. And me? I stayed quiet mostly, I hadn't known Q for as long as the others, but the little time I got to know him I could tell he was special. A big teddy bear with a soft heart, and a fierce loyalty to his friends. And I couldn't help but feel guilty, because I was partially responsible for his death.

What a lovely bunch we were to  be around.

No wonder everyone avoided us. We were like the newest addition to the freak show. The original member of course being Noah Steel himself.

I gazed out over Archers pass, the large stretch of woods on the outskirts of town, wondering what my life  would've been like if my parents had just stayed in New York. My eyes landing on a shadowy figure, legs dangling off the edge of the cliff. I squinted my eyes trying to see who it was.