SIRENS BLARED THROUGH THE neighborhood, waking Aura up from her slumber. She wiped at the dried drool beside her mouth and frowned as red flashing lights filled her room.
She rushed to the window, and peeked over only to see a group of paramedics run into Mrs. Smith's house.
"Tyson," she breathed out.
She ran out of her room, bumping into her father, who was on a similar mission as her. They stopped to stare at each other before running out of the house, still in their pajamas.
Grandma Ruby and her mother walked outside behind them, peering their heads towards the house next door.
Her father stared from the front porch, assessing the scene. Aura wasn't satisfied with just looking. Instead, she ran towards Mrs. Smith's home, aware that her family called her to stay back.
From the front door, a team of paramedics carried out a gurney with a filled body bag. She almost threw up her midnight snack. The paramedics paid no mind to her and continued towards the ambulance with casted eyes and sagging postures.
"What just happened?" Aura asked. A paramedic who was tending to a chart, looked over at her and frowned.
"She suffered a heart attack and passed. By the time we got here, it was too late."
A numbness crept all over her body, slithering like an unwanted snake. She gazed at the body bag and was sure she would throw up in a few minutes.
Turning towards the house, Tyson walked out, looking over at the ambulance with tears streaming down his face. He sat down at one of the front steps, shaking no doubt from what he dealt with in the last few minutes.
She didn't even bother to call out to him. She walked over, arms around her body, not knowing how to approach the guy who meant the most to her. Soft tears trailed down his cheeks, but silence surrounded him. He was dumbfounded, confused, grief-stricken, and in shock all at once, and Aura had no idea what to do about it.
She noted the gray sweatpants and wrinkled tee he had on, which meant he woke up to his worst nightmare.
"Tyson?"
His head snapped up at her voice. He shook his head, already getting back up from the step.
"Tyson, I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Aura," he said, voice shaking. "I cannot deal with you right now."
She was left speechless as he moved away, creating more distance between them. She didn't blame him, but she knew how heartbroken he was and wanted to be there for him.
"You don't have to deal with me." She reached out to him. "I just want you to know I'm here for you."
He scoffed as more tears ran down his face. "How about you go be there for Zachary, hm?"
Before Aura could say anything else, he walked over to the paramedics and police officers who arrived at the scene. Her shoulders hunched over as she realized he didn't want her around at all.
She looked back at where the now late Mrs. Smith lied. In a stupid bag. She wanted to curse at life for taking away such a beautiful soul.
Tyson kept his back towards her, so she figured it would be best if she left. She didn't want to make things worse on him by being a constant reminder of what she did to him.
But a sliver of hope remained, despite all the signs telling her it was never going to happen, all because Mrs. Smith had told her to give Tyson time.
GRANDMA RUBY TOOK THE loss hard. She sat at her couch, crying and recounting old memories between the pair. The way they would talk smack about other neighbors, how they would team up when they were younger to shop for their home necessities at the same time, how they were there for the other when they dealt with loss.
YOU ARE READING
Forever Glamorous
General Fiction"I put on makeup to express myself. I could care less about my so-called insecurities." Aura Chandler was so sure she had her life figured out. After securing a photoshoot gig with up-and-coming musician Lacey Redd, she was convinced she would get d...
