Don't Let Go

Chapter 22

I closed the front door and walked back into the house. I thought about what Bradley said. But how could he stop me when he couldn't even stop his own brother? I was too high to care about that for too long.

I stared at myself in the mirror. My brown hair was a straight mess. I was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. I stared into my bright red eyes and tried to blink the red away but I couldn't. I went back upstairs and fell asleep replaying Bradley's words again and again:

"I won't let what happened to my brother happen to you." 

The next morning I got out of bed to see that the red in my eyes were gone but the pain of everything that was happening had come back.

I got ready and left for school. I glanced at the time and saw that I was 10 minutes late for school. When I reached the school parking lot, I hurried out of my car and to the main building. 

I turned the corner of the building and ran into Mr. Bennett.

"Oh sorry!" I exclaimed when we collided. I took a couple steps back and straightened my shirt.

"That's alright Hannah." he eyed me. I eyed him back. He looked more like a high school jock than a counselor but I guess his slacks and collared shirt made him seem more mature.

"Are you okay Hannah?" he asked, and I realized I was zoning out as I stared at him which must have looked weird.

"Yes!" I said, snapping back to reality. "Just going to class." I said.

"Hannah." he said again.

"Yes?"

"Is something wrong?" he asked me. I frowned. Everything was wrong.

"No." I said flatly. He frowned in disbelief.

"I don't belong here." I didn't mean to say it out loud.

"What do you mean?" he asked patiently. I wish I could've taken back what I said.

"I-It's just... How can any of this matter when someone's dead." I knew I wasn't making sense.

"How can any of what matter?" Mr. Bennett asked me.

"All of it! How can picking out a prom dress matter or studying World War I or solving the quadratic formula or reading that stupid Shakespeare book or - "

"Hannah, why don't you come to my office and we can call Aaron?" Mr. Bennett cut my off.

"No." I didn't want Aaron to think I was getting worse. "I have to go to class." I frowned realizing I contradicted my whole rant. Before he could say anything else I rushed past him and into my next class.

"I'm not giving you a choice. Go into my office." his voice turned serious. I would be scared if I hadn't known Mr. Bennett since I was a kid. But he was one of Aaron's best friends and if I made too much of a scene I knew he would drag Aaron into this.

I sighed and followed Mr. Bennett into his office. I took a seat in the chair across from his desk and watched he landed in his own desk chair. He put his elbow on the arm rest, his chin in his hand and he studied me.

"Is there a reason I'm here?" I asked after a long silence. I knew there was attitude in my voice but I really didn't care.

"How have you been lately?" he asked with a flat tone.

"Fine." I said immediately.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes really. Can I go to class now?" I knew this conversation couldn't end well for me.