Unravel

Chapter 1- The News

A few years have passed and Ethan was waiting for Grayson at a clothing store, where they said they would meet up to find something nice to wear for their high school graduation. Ethan had been waiting for about 2 hours or so and Grayson would not respond to any of Ethan's messages or phone calls. Ethan decided to go home, worried about Grayson. "It's not like him to stand me up and not notify me," he mumbled to himself walking home.
     Upon entering, he sees his parents sitting on the living room couch talking amongst themselves. They see Ethan walk in and call him over to them, Ethan sits besides them on the couch ready to be lectured for arriving later than he said he would.
     "Look guys, Grayson never showed up, but I thought he would so I decided to wait for him, I won't be late again, I promise," he says to avoid their anger, but his mother gives him a sorrowful look. "Honey we have to tell you something," she says sadly. "We're really sorry Ethan," sighs his father,"Grayson died."
     Ethan looks at his parents with a shocked expression and gets up,"excuse me? He what?" Ethan gets angry not wanting to believe what he has been told and looks at his mother,"tell me this is a prank or a joke or something."
     His mom gets up and hugs him gently,"I'm sorry, he died this afternoon and it's real."
     Ethan pulls away and runs to his room calling, emailing, texting and trying to contact Grayson in anyway possible, but to no avail. He realizes his best friend is gone. Forever.
     That night is sleepless for Ethan, and so are the next few nights. He skips school for a couple of days locked up in his room in the dark.
     A week passes and his mother has continuously tried to get him out of his room, but this time it works. She made some comfort food for the grieving family and knocks on Ethan's door,"Ethan sweetie, take this to the neighbors please?" She asks sweetly. Ethan opens his door looking like a mess. His hair is matted and unkempt, his white t-shirt is messy and stained, and his eyes have deep bags under them. "Ethan go take a shower, okay? Then go take this and I'll make you something to eat," she smiles sadly and Ethan nods going to take shower.
     Ethan takes a very much needed shower and stares at the shower wall trying to comprehend how his best friend died and now he's on his own. Grayson was the one who always worried about him, if he could he would've called Ethan now and ask if he's okay. Something not even his girlfriend had done.
     Ethan ended up crying in the shower muttering "why" over and over to himself. Not being able to grasp at the fact that he will not be able to see Grayson ever again.
     He exits the shower and dries himself off, stares at himself in the mirror for a few minutes and gets dressed.
     He gets the food to take and walks over to Grayson's house and knocks, he sees Mrs.Young looking like a wreck, similar to the way Ethan was looking before a shower. Her hair messy and in a ponytail, in her pijamas which are messy and dirty, she has eyebags as deep as the Grand Canyon and red puffy eyes, making it evident she has been crying for a long time.
     "I'm sorry you had to see me this way," she says softly, her voice slightly raspy as if she wants to cry again right now.
       "It's okay, I looked the same, but my mom forced me to shower before I came here," he looks at her and hands her the food,"my mom sends comfort food."
      "Are you doing okay? How are you holding up?" She asks concern written on her face,"I know how close you were, it must hurt a lot."
      Ethan looks down a tear coming down his face,"it does, it really does hurt, I'm not holding up very well to be honest with you. I still expect a call from him asking me if I'm okay" he let's out a sad chuckle.
     "Me too" she smiles ever so slightly,"why don't you come in and we can enjoy this comfort food together and mourn over my son."
     Ethan nods and comes in sitting in her couch with her to eat his mother's food.
    Mrs.Young realizes something and gets up,"I forgot to tell you, Grayson left a note and he mentioned you in it." She looks at Ethan.
     Ethan looks confused,"at note? He knew he was going to die?"
     Mrs. Young nods and looks down,"it was a suicide dear." She sniffles about to cry again and goes to her room to get the note Grayson had left and hands it to Ethan.
     Ethan opens the folded piece of paper slowly, terrified of finding out the reason for his suicide.