After Goodbye

Chapter 4

They make it through Sunday. No one leaves the house, but there are frequent phone calls that no one wants to answer. Jess stays without anyone questioning it.

Monday morning comes early. Normally we would be getting dressed for school instead I'm dead, my brother's sleeping with my best friend (not in that way you creeps, at least I don't think so), and Victoria is..

"Hazel wake up." I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep on the couch with Death, my head in his lap, until I had to roll over to see my living room again. I sit up quickly, scooting away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I had fallen asleep."

"Victoria is awake." I can see the light from down the hall as I stretch my arms above my head. It's almost six in the morning.

"What is she doing?" I don't wait for him to answer, getting up to find out for myself. She's walking around her room, Jordyn is with Mom, completely dressed. "Tor, what are you doing?" She looks in the mirror and sighs, walking down the hall.

In my room, she's the only one who will go in, she rifles through my makeup until she comes up with my concealer. Cringing, I watch as she puts on more than she should to hide the bags under her eyes. There's a knock at the door.

"You can come in."

"I'd rather not." Mom. She tried coming in here yesterday and Nate had to carry her back out since she couldn't get to her feet. Tori walks to the doorway.

"What is it?"

"What are you doing?" She's talking to the wall. She doesn't want to see any part of my room even though it means not looking at her daughter.

"I'm getting ready for school." Victoria closes the door more behind her so it's only cracked and there's no way Mom can see in.

"Honey, you don't have to go to school. Nobody expects you to."

"I'm going."

"Victoria.."

"Mom, I'm going! I can't not go. Sitting around here in all this sadness is not doing me any good. I miss Hazel like hell, but I cannot sit here crying for another day. I refuse to be the person that people pity just because her sister made a fatal mistake. Okay? I have to go. I love you." She kisses Mom on the cheek and trots down the stairs, grabbing her bookbag off of the doorknob.

"I'm going with her." Death nods and follows me down the stairs and out the door to the bus stop. Tori keeps to herself the hood of her hoodie pulled over her head, earphones in. It's raining.

There are two girls standing off to the side glancing at Tori out of the corner of their eyes. Tor pays them no mind, keeping her eyes on the same pebble she's been kicking back and forth with her Converse.

"Uhh Victoria?" Here we go. She pulls out one earphone, looking up at them under her lashes.

"Yeah?"

"We heard about your sister. That really sucks and I'm sorry for your loss." Tori doesn't look up at them as she mumbles her thank you.

"We can't believe you're here. That's pretty brave of you," Tor just nods. "I mean if my sister had just died I wouldn't even be thinking of school, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"How come you are here? I mean, all the power to you or whatever, but it is a little weird. I mean, you must be totally scarred or something." I can see the streak of a tear making its way down Victoria's cheek. This girl is completley oblivious to the storm she is creating behind my little sister's eyes.