Come Back

17

"Anthony?" I asked, tapping the table.

"What do you want now, Mr. Hecox?" Anthony responded. My heart flourished. I loved his sarcasm and his I don't give a shit-ness. I knew he would be annoyed with me but the curiosity was eating at me. 

"Why do you wear so many bracelets?" I asked, an oblivious and childish smile on my face. Anthony chuckled.

"I like bracelets." Anthony smiled. Something was off about it though. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Anthony quickly said, getting up from his seat. He rushed to the bathroom. I waited to ask him what he wanted for dinner. 5 minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. I decided to go check up on him. I knocked on the door for about a minute. 

"Anthony! Open this door this instant!" I yelled. I knocked again. All I heard were sobs.

"What are you even doing in there?" I asked, still angry that he was ignoring me. I pushed the door open with force I didn't even know I had. I gasped. There was a bloody razor blade on the counter, which was smothered with blood, like Anthony had tried to pull himself up with the counter. I dropped to my knees. Anthony was bleeding out. He looked calm. His cheeks were soaked. I dialed 911. An ambulance was rushed over. That night, I lay there, in the dark, alone. I jumped at every noise. Bad thought creeped up from behind me and pounced. I cried. A lot. 

The sun arose and the moon fell with the stars. I awoke. I walked down the short hallway that now felt miles long. I reached the kitchen. I made myself some pancakes. I arrived at the hospital a little later. 

"Is he okay?" I  asked the nurse standing in front of Anthony's hospital room. 

"I'm afraid we cannot save him. I was told to ask you to pull the plug." She responded. The last thing Anthony heard was me yelling at him. I entered the room and saw Anthony lying there. I sat down next to him and spoke words he would never hear.

"I can't believe I never told you how much you mean to me. If I had just gotten there sooner, if I had called the cops sooner... maybe you would've still been alive... It's all my fault, Anthony! I'm sorry!" I sobbed. I sat there and  cried for a few minutes. Then... I pulled the plug. The deafening sound of a flat line made me cry. 

Anthony died at seventeen years old.