The Struggle with Love and Life

Jeremy

     "Why does high school start so early?" My best friend, Zoey, protested.
"I mean they are always getting on us about getting sleep, then they make us get up at like one o'clock in the morning! I think I'm going to write to the president or something!" Zoey exaggerates like that almost all the time, but I've learned to ignore it. The thing that bothers her the most is getting up early. She gets herself so worked up about it. She's like the Grouch in the morning then at night she turns into Animal from The Muppets!
"Sure you will." I said sarcastically. "Plus we got up at like around six or seven. Not one." I taunted.
"Whatever Jackson! You know what I meant!" Zoey huffed. I and Zoey have been best friends since sixth grade. We are in our first week of ninth grade now. We had almost all the same classes all three years in middle school. Now we only have two classes plus lunch in high school.
"I keep meaning to ask you how your brother is," Zoey said questioning me.
"He was doing better. He went to the hospital last week."
"Again?"
"Yeah. He was acting strangely. The doctor said there might be something wrong with his heart." I choked on the words struggling not to cry. My little brother, Jeremy, has autism and his health has gone downhill rapidly. Mom and dad don't take him to school so I tried teaching him what I learned after school. When dad found out though he beat me and told me Jeremy isn't worth my energy and I should focus on myself. Other than Zoey, Jeremy isn't just my brother he is my only true friend. Our parents would let him die if it wasn't for me taking care of him. I would die without him taking care of me.