Rachel Stanton and The Darkest Night

CHAPTER 16: MY FATHER'S REQUEST

16. MY FATHER'S REQUEST

Fred couldn’t almost say something. He stammered while he spoke and I couldn’t understand any word he was saying. Jared held his shoulders both with his hands, shaking him hard, forcing him to say something. Fred was sobbing.

“I ju-ju-just co-could-couldn’t t-take i-it,” he said, trembling. Jared shook his head confusedly, and then he threw Fred a look telling him to say it again, clearer than the previous. “I just couldn’t take it,” Fred finally said.

“What d’you mean?” I said. Jared nodded in agreement.

“It’s all my fault,” he said not conversationally. “I want to die.”

“You know Fred,” Jared said, “killing yourself is not the right thing to do. If you want to clear this thing out with her, why not talk to her and tell her everything.”

“It was me,” Fred sobbed. “It was me.” Jared took his hands back from Fredrick’s shoulders and put them inside his pockets. I exchanged looks with Jared as Fred covered his eyes with his arm. “It was me,” he repeated.

“Shh,” I shushed quietly, “it’s not you, Fred. It’s not you,” I assured him.

We stood there the whole minute, looking with each other. Fred never stopped and Jared flung an arm around Fred’s neck.

“Let me take you home,” Jared muttered.

“They won’t allow you to go out,” I reminded him.

“I don’t care,” he snapped.

They took over the pathway to the parking lot. I watched them disappear while Fred still sobbed. I hoped they would make it home safe or else two of them would die. The whole moment I stood over the same place, I waited something to come to my head—a premonition if they would be in danger. But none came.

I directed to my English class to building C. I was late twenty minutes already. And as I walked to the quiet room, everybody shot gazes of disbelief, wondering why I was late. When I sat down beside Josephine in the third row, Ms. Woodrow asked where I was in these past minutes. My mind didn’t respond. Nothing came. I had no excuses to say.

“I’m all right, Ma’am,” I said weakly.

“Detention Ms. Stanton,” Ms. Woodrow snapped, and once more, she discussed the topic without letting me know what it was.

By the moment my English finished, all eyes turned to me like I were a criminal. They examined me thoroughly before they walked out of the threshold. But only a pair of eyes seemed to comfort me from this situation. Josephine.

The hall was quiet except for the noise that broke it few minutes later. The voices of Melanie and Kimberly broke in and I recognized they were the only person talking. A feeling of disgust rose to my chest. They flirted Fredrick. And they destroyed the relationship between him and Allison. Now I had to know what exactly happened. If it was their fault or both them and Fredrick.

When History came, my mood decreased. I had no companion in this class. I had no friend to talk to. By this, I waited until the bell rang and signaled everyone for lunch.

Jared came hurrying to me as I walked to the cafeteria alone. “Fred’s all right. He’s with his father. And I bet he’s not going to be in school the next few days and maybe next week.”

I nodded.

“Did you ask him what’s wrong?” I said.

“Well, he told me it was Kimberly’s fault. Fred and Allison should meet there behind the English building but then Kimberly came and Fred started to argue with her about why she kissed him before it happens.”