Starry Nights- Ashton Irwin

21

I woke up with a dizzy head and a distorted vision, mind flooded with exhaustion. My whole body felt weak, and my face was stiff with dried tears. Hands attemtping to feel round where I was at, while my eyes tried to concentrate on adjusting to the bright lights. I kept feeling around, and a voice sounded through the room, lighter, probably a women. I jumped a bit, and it sounded like they kept talking. My body jumbled again when a glass of water was pushed into my outstreatched hand, the water escaping it and pouring onto my hand, chilling it more than before.

I winced, even my fingers were fragile now. My whole self felt like I had been stabbed and shot in every nerve possible. More pain than I've experienced in a long while, mentally and physically.

I dipped my fingers in the water glass and splashed a little onto my eyes, finally being able to open them completely. My sleeve of my cardi wipped away the little droplets falling, no bigger than a few tears, which seemed to come after, also.

I was sat on a chair, a cold table in front of me. I kept searching, until my eyes met another pair. A girl, in her late twenties, it looked like. "Hello, Rose, how're you doing?" She asked, walking forward and sitting on the chair across from me. "I need to ask you a few minor questions, is that fine with you?" Her voice was calm and velvety, but it was then I realized where I was.

I began to think about my parents, and I hoped they weren't pissed. I mean, they have no reason to be, but they are who they are.And even though I was here for what happened to Conner, most likely, I would still be in trouble.

"Am I in a poice station?" I looked around a bit more, finally seeing a clock in the corner. It read '10'52'. I was worried, but my head wouldn't stop aching. In front of me was a pad of paper, a pen, a glass of water, and a few tablets, which I assumed were asprin. I took them, not even bothering to ask about them.

She looked profesional, her suit was nicely put together. Long oants and an open jacket to reveal a white button-up. It reminded me of one of my past dreams, there was another boy there, some guy named Harry. He wore a button up to a big meadow, which was bizzare, but she was dressed up for her job, detective or something.

"Umm, yes and no. See, you're here because of what happened to your friend, Conner. He was brutually-"

'CONNER. CONNER. MURDERED, DON'T YOU DARE SAY MURDERED," I was screaming, I got that from the pounding that took place in my head with every word, and my feet began to feel numb when I stood up, the women not taking any attention to me. She waved up at the camera, I'm guesssing to tell someone we were fine.

But, I wasn't.

I was a big mess and I quickly felt embarrased from my out burst, how crazy she must think I am.

"No, Honey, no. He was beaten pretty badly, but he's a strong boy. It would take a hell of a lot to kill that boy with just someone's bare arms. But, please, sit down. I have questions to ask you if you want your friend to be able to find who did this," She was calm, way too calm.A small chuckle even left her small lips, and I touched my own, remembering the insident that happened moments before Conner was thrown onto the floor.

She patted the table in front of her to have me sit back down, and I did. Almost calapsing. "So, how is he?" I questioned, tears spilling everywhere. They just kept coming, and no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't stop. Once I start crying, I can't stop. Usually not until someone comes to help, Conner, or I pass out, usually with Conner.

Conner, I've never thought of him this much, but now his name is in every sentence I think or speak, and I felt a pang of guilt knowing that it took him almost dying for me to see how much I really care for him.

"He's at the hospital right now, and you can visit him whenever you'd like, well, after we're finished here. He will probably be out in a few days, like I said, he's a strong kid," She smiled, reaching forward and handing me a little thing of tissues and patted my hand. She looked pitiful, her brown eyes full of bright specs of light. It matched her shoulder length hair, which swayed when she looked away.

'I know he's strong, but that kid...he..he was so strong. He only hit him, maybe, six times, but every punch left something cracked. he was so much smaller, and didn't look strong at all, but he just...he beat him bloody!" I didn't scream, but my voice raised more than I had expected it to. Images of Conner laying on the school floor haunted me, he looked dead. Conner, dead. I couldn't, I wouldn't be able to handle that.

"Can you, answer a few questions for me?" She almost pleaded, she has probably gone through this a million times before, maybe all those endings weren't so great.

The strong don't always survive.

I struggled to find the words, my mouth felt taped shut. I nodded my head and let out a struggled",Of course." I used the tissue and tried to dry my tears, but more and more slowly flowed. I kept thinking and thinking, no matter how much I tried not to think of the almost impossible situations that Conner could've done to get himself in that situation.

'Okay, so, first off, is he in any kind of...gangs? Drugs, drinking? Anything?" She asked, looking at me with her hands crossed on the table, I almost spit out air. Conner, drugs and gangs? Is she serious?

She is just doing her job, Rosie.

I looked around, the voice not belonging to either of us. It was way too deap, and slightly familiar. She saw me looking around frantically, and from the smell of cigearetts on my body she probably thought I was some kind of druggie. Shit.

Upon blaming it on my state of mind at the moment, I pushed it away. My mouth felt dry, and I sipped on the drink in front of me. She kept looking, and I flushed red when I remembered she had asked me a question.

"Umm, no. He's never done any of that...well..he might've drank before, but he hates pot and would never even come close to being in a gang," I slowly stated my mind, hoping she believed me as much as I believed me. Conner supposedly hated that shit, but you never know. Maybe that was just a cover up lie, because maybe Conner isn't just Conner.

She looked me over quickly, taking in my whole body. I looked down, my shirt having a small blood stain on it. I let out a small whimper, Conner. He was that hurt that his blood covered the middle of my shirt. I didn't even bother to ask where my hat was, probably eskew somewhere at school, I don't give a shit right now.

I just want to leave and go to a place I hate more than anything, except my own house, a hospital.

'Okay, that's it? You don't know of any kind of anything that could've gotten him into something?" She pushed further, and I realized she was trying to ask all the neccesary questions, but doing it fast. I must look pretty worn. "Kids reported that they fled their classrooms to see you laying on the floor next to him screaming. At first you were calling for help, then just a high pitched cry. You eventually blacked out, hitting your head against the floor next to him. He wasn't conscious then, but when he woke up in an ambulance he asked for you," My heart skipped a beat, not only had he woken up, but he asked for me. That's just, that's, wow.

"Your boyfriend, he-"

I snapped my whole body up immediatly, the information she was receiving was way wrong, and the idea of us together made me feel weird, even if we had kissed. He's still Conner.

'My boyfriend? Seriously? No, never. He's just my best friend," I scuffed, more rude then I intended. "Sorry, he's just..he means a lot to me. He's..he's all I have," She nodded and looked like she understood what I was saying, anyone would.

"Well, he seems too care about you. When he woke up, he sat up fast and looked out, his eyesight caught you coming out in a stretcher and he tried to get out and help you. We had to give him something to calm him down, but he asked us to tell you something." She looked at me, then pulled a paper out of her pocket. She read over it with big eyes, then read it aloud to me.

"I Love You."