Aeipathy

2.

My heart beat increased the closer I got. It was almost 3 am by the time I got to where I was praying I should have been. I began to see random, drunk students walking along the side of the road. I tried to look away as a girl vomited, what looked, like ramen and blue lagoon near a bush. A least I was at the right place.

I pulled over and parked in front of one of the fraternity houses. I did my best to avoid stepping on the broken bottles and God know whatever else was littered across the lawn.

I began to wonder where the rest of the people were when I noticed a large group huddled a ways away across the street. I heard yelling again. This time it was paired with the flashing red and blue lights of four police cars. I walked a little faster in time to see a fifth car pull up next to the others in an attempt to block something off. As I got closer I saw they were surrounding a part of the stone hedge that bordered the river.

What is going on? Something felt off as I got closer and noticed some of the people nearby were crying. The police tried their best to calm them down when I heard one yell loudly to call an ambulance. I heard Grant's voice shortly after. I ran towards him when I heard the panic in his voice mimicked the students around him.

Suddenly my vision became blurry but my feet didn't slow down. I frantically looked for Jake in the crowd.

"Grant!" I could barely yell loud enough. He pushed himself between the couple that separated us and I saw his face for the first time. I felt my heart stop beating the second my eyes met his.

"Lola-," he croaked, tears stained his cheeks. Grant doesn't cry, and somehow I knew I would've seen Jake by this point. The combination of those realizations felt like a punch in the stomach. I couldn't look at Grant like that but my eyes stayed glued to an expression I've never experienced before.

The soles of my shoes felt like they were glued to the cement and I couldn't breathe. A strong hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me out of the way when I regained control of my body.

"What happened?" I yelled to the nearest police office. No one heard me. "Where's Jake?" I said louder, desperate for an answer. That was all I needed to know. It was all I cared about at this point. "Where is Jake?"

No one was answering me. Why is no one answering me? I ran towards the stone wall dividing everyone from the water below when I saw what the police attempted to hide and my question was answered.

Floating face down in the river below was a lifeless body. The sweater I got Jake last year clinging to his body. The absence of movement below sent my body into shock. Suddenly I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't feel the cool air that normally would've given me goosebumps, and I couldn't taste the saltiness of the tears streaming down my cheeks.

It took two rough hands tugging on arm to remind me I was somehow still alive.

"You need to get back!" the police officer yelled as he drug my stiff body away from the ledge. I was whipped back to reality.

"Get off of me!" I screamed louder. My adrenaline kicked in as I tried my best to break free from his grip. I heard another officer call for backup.

"I can't leave him there!" I cried, my voice strained. I feel the officer's hands lighten their grip.

I looked over to Grant for help but instead I saw him slumped on the curb with his head in his hands, his body heaving.

The air was a thick tar that struggled to make it's way to my lungs. It felt like the world was caving in and I was being crushed by its magnitude.

"We need to get these kids out of here. Clear the area." His order was stern but all I could focus on was the man dragging me away from the boy I loved.