Fancy

Krish

"I know I took the path that you would never want for me."

 Krish was tired of being a disappointment. That was all he seemed to be capable of lately. His parents were disappointed in him, his friends were bored with him, his teachers were baffled by his poor performance. He needed someone to confide in, someone who could boost his morale. But the only person who had been able to do that was gone. He wasn't gone for just a few days or a few months, he was gone forever. And that had been Krish's fault too. Nobody would say it outright, but he knew they all blamed him. He could see it in the way they looked at him when they thought he wasn't paying attention. He could feel his mother's hatred and his father's indifference. He could tell they wished it had been him instead of his brother.

He had wanted to end it all so many times. He wondered what their reactions would be. Would they be relieved? He occasionally imagined his parents grieving for him, his classmates crying at his funeral. But then he saw the way they averted their gazes when he tried to catch their attention, the way they spent as little time around him as possible. And he knew that he wouldn't be missed. 

Krish sat on the terrace of his apartment. He had a gun belonging to his father in his hand. All it would take was a second. He could finally be with his brother again. The only thing that was stopping him was the promise he had made his brother as he lay dying in his arms. But he couldn't take it any longer. He raised the firearm, looked up at the sky, whispered, "See you soon, little brother." and pulled the trigger.

They found him two hours later, lying in a pool of blood, a serene smile on his face.