Such a Fun Age

Bittersweet Tragedy

Noah's Point of View:
I stretched my arms as I woke up today. Last night it rained very heavily but today it was very calm and peaceful and the sun was out.

Yesterday my phone died at basketball practice and I had left it at home to charge. My dad and I went to get Naya from the airport right after practice and I came home super tired and fell asleep instantly.

I pulled my phone off the charger and turned it on.
I had received 17 missed calls from Chloe from 11:47 pm to 12:02 pm.

" What the fuck?" I said to myself.

I called her but she didn't respond.

I put on a shirt and was about to leave to Chloe's place when Naya burst into my room.

"Noah have you seen Chloe?" She asked, she was sweating slightly and she looked really anxious.

"Nay is everything okay?" I asked.

"I woke up early today to go see Chloe before she went to school. She wasn't home. I asked her dad, step mom, Alex, Tess, Esha... no one knows where she is. She didn't go home last night." She explained to me.

"The last I saw her was yesterday at school..." and then the realization hit me, I knew where she was.

I ran out of my room, out the door and all the way to the fence at the end of the school over the cliff.

I was too late.

Several ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks were parked on the grass behind the school. They had taken down the chain link fence and several officers were observing something over the cliff.

"No... no, no, no." I ran to the edge of the cliff. An officer pushed me back.
"Hey kid stay back." He said.

"What's going on? I need to know... my girlfriend she-" I tried explaining to him but my mind was racing and my heart was beating out of my chest.

I waited near a police car... several minutes went by and then I heard some yelling and then a few seconds later a body was pulled over the cliff on a wire rope.

I started running towards them, praying that it wasn't her. Please don't be her.

I stopped in my tracks and my heart sank when I saw the lifeless face of the person who was being placed onto a stretcher.

Naya arrived after me and stopped as she saw what was going on. She shook her head several times, "no." She croaked.

I fell to the ground from shock and Naya screamed as she ran to the ambulance. It was pointless.
She was gone. Chloe was gone.

℘ ℘ ℘

One month later, Noah's Point of View:

I walked out of the school building. I walked to the back of the school to the meadow.
I stood in-front of the lone bench that was placed here, near the new fence. The fence was now made of barbed, sharp wire and was much taller. The bench had the words "In memoriam of Chloe Rae Hudson 2003-2021" I chuckled at the thought of Chloe cringing seeing this.
This is the shit they do when a tragedy like this happens , they don't open suicide prevention centres or raise awareness. They make benches.

I sat on the bench and sighed, holding back tears. Today was graduation day. The day most people look forward to most in their life. It was supposed to be a happy day, despite everyone celebrating and partying, I couldn't help but feel empty. Empty of emotions.