The Boomerang Effect

Three | 35 Seconds After The Jump, New York |

                |TOMMY|

35 seconds after the jump, new york

I'm just leaning against the wall and staring at my phone, not wanting to believe what the rhythmic beep-beep-beep of the dial tone is trying to tell me. Ethan hang up on me. And told me to give her the letter. Which means that he's actually going trough with it. Yes, it. I can't name it anything else because it's so freaking horrible and I can't believe he'd even think about doing such a horrible thing. And writing a letter about it.

To Alicia, nonetheless, the girl who hasn't said one nice thing to him since they broke up. Honestly, I don't know why he's always been so hung up on her. I mean, she's pretty and funny and smart and everything, but they're just not made to be together. It's like Ethan's part of one puzzle and Alicia's from another--they don't fit. 

I think what hurt him the most was that Alicia was the first to realize it.

Finally, I thumb the END button, trying to channel all my frustration in that one simple touch. But it doesn't work. It just makes things worst, like I ended the metaphorical bridge connecting us. Like I abandoned him.

I'm staring at his side of the room. It's all messy and disorganized, just like he described his state of mind for the past few months. His suitcase is open on the floor, his clothes pouring out from it, and his bed is ruffled and unmade. There's a slight dent in it from where he'd been sitting, checking something on his phone, before he jumped up, gave me the notebook containing the letter and headed out. Giving me a vague "I've got something important to do." as an explanation.

I feel so dumb now for letting him go.

But you can still do something about it, I think to myself, peeling off of the wall, putting on some jeans and throwing on my jacket over my my pajama top. I don't know where he is exactly, but I have a few ideas. Besides, anything beats sitting around and not doing anything. We didn't have a very good connection on the phone, so I'm guessing he's either high up or in the subway. Probably the subway. I'll start there. I shove my hotel card in my pocket and lock the door. Then I run down the wall and--

Great, just great. I just had to rat out Ethan as soon as I read that letter. Anybody else would have waited, thought things through, but not me.

Nope. Not little stupid impulsive Tommy. And now I have to face the consequences. Ethan's probably lying in a ditch somewhere or about to commit the biggest mistake of his life and I can't do anything about it because the Holiday Inn's foyer is overcrowded with the few teachers who chose to accompany us on this trip. They're literally everywhere. Attempting to get out would be like suicide-no pun intended, of course. I'm about to go back up to my room to figure out another escape plan when my English teacher, Mr.Tanguy, spots me. 

"Mr.Liu, what are you doing here?" he asks. He's one of those teachers who always feel the need to call you by your surname even though you're a minor and you've known them for over a month. I never got those people. The thing is, Mr.Tanguy doesn't look like that type of teacher. He's actually pretty young with blue eyes, a goatee and an intense liking for skinny jeans.

"Just wanted to see what was going on."

"Go back to your room, there's nothing to see down here," he says in the most patronizing tone ever known to man.

Has he forgotten that I alerted them? That I'm the one who knocked on their door at 11:05 P.M, still in my pajamas, Ethan's letter clutched in hand? That if I'd been smarter, let the initial shock of it all sink in before taking action, that he and his coworkers wouldn't have known anything? No, he hasn't forgotten. I can see it in his eyes; in the way they glaze over with pity as he takes me in. 

I freaking hate pity.

"Yeah, well, Ethan's my friend." My words come out with an involuntary edge to them.

He nods and arranges his glasses so that they stand on the bridge of his bony nose, then, without looking at me, says."Yes, well, you should head back upstairs. They're starting to check the rooms now."

I feel my hands curl into fists and I tell myself to calm down because he doesn't know. He doesn't know that my best friend's out there trying to kill himself and that I'm partially responsible for it. All he knows is that Ethan sneaked out. That's all he knows for now and that's how I want to keep it. So, even though every bone in my body is begging me to go after him, I turn around, head upstairs, lock myself in the room that I no longer share with Ethan and scream.

Hi!

This chapter was mostly to show that Tommy wasn't just sitting around doing nothing. It's probably the only chapter that will have his POV because the main POVs are Alicia and Ethan.

If you liked it, don't hesitate to vote or comment.

Amanda xo