Ink From the Past

Chapter 1

"Jackson Hoover?" I asked, even though I knew it was him. He lifted his head, with his arms still crossed. His eyes were puffy, and his nose was red. He had obviously been crying. It was the first time I ever saw one of the stars cry. Hell, it was the first time I ever saw an athlete show an emotion besides cockiness. He didn't say anything. He was just looking at me. His eyes were building up tears all over again. "Jackson, my name is Destiny Matthews. I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I know you and Gwen were very close."

No response.

"I'm sorry if I'm wasting your time, I just—

"Gwen was the nicest person I ever met. I don't get it. Why'd she do it?" The tears spilled from his eyes. I could tell there was a whole storm going on inside of him. Sadness, anger, confusion, and guilt. I could see it all in his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Jackson. I'd like to know why too. Do you know if she left anything behind?"

"You mean besides the people she got to love her, just so she could die and leave them wondering what went wrong. What they could've done differently. No, nothing. She didn't even leave a goddamn note. I'm stuck questioning if I had anything to do with it. I'm stuck with this empty fucking hole in my heart that she left!"

I felt bad for him. I really did. I tried to understand how he was feeling. I honestly couldn't imagine what it was like.

"Jackson, it's going to be ok. I doubt she did it because of you. Clearly she wasn't getting the help that she needed."

"Yeah, but what do you think caused it? It could've been me!"

"Sometimes there isn't a cause. Some people suffer without having reasoning. They're ill and can't control their thoughts."

"Fuck this." Jackson muttered and walked away. I regretted even going up to him. It just made him feel worse about the whole thing. Jackson needed closure. He needed to know that it probably wasn't his fault. I couldn't exactly determine if it was or not. That's why I needed more. More people who knew Gwen. I need the full picture before I can analyze it.

After school, I walked back to the dormitories with determination. I was determined to probe whoever I needed to for answers. Wouldn't it make my reputation even worse? Of course. That was a risk I was willing to take.

I knocked on a door covered with butterfly stickers and glitter. Gwen's best friend, Maddie, opened the door. Her eyes were puffy like Jackson's

"Destiny?"

"Can I talk to you?"

With no hesitation, she let me in. I gazed around the room. It definitely belonged to an optimist. Inspirational posters covered the walls. I didn't even know a person like that existed.

"First and foremost, I'm sorry for your loss. I know you and Gwen were close."

Maddie's eyes shifted to the right. She rubbed her arm before saying,

"Thanks. We were....Close."

I made a mental note in my head on how she was acting. I guess you could say she was just upset, but something seemed off.

"I'm doing a memorial article and video for Gwen. Is there anything you can tell me that I can use?" Yes, I lied. Was I supposed to tell her that I think there's a mystery to solve? Obviously not.

"Oh, well....Gwen was a genuinely good person. She wasn't like everyone else here. She listened. She cared about everyone. She put people's feelings before her own. For the most part, she was taken for granted. She just cared so much." Maddie's voice shook from trying to hold back her sobs. Losing control, she broke down in tears. I had never really been around too many people to show the sympathy I felt. I patted her on the shoulder.