Angel walked on the side of the road, looking up at the tall pine trees. He was in shock and couldn't think straight. Every time he thought about what happened, he felt like breaking down and just wishing it were all a dream. He felt his heart shatter so much, just by thinking about her. It was cold out and all he had on was a flannel and some jeans.
He felt his phone vibrate in his jeans and looked at who it was. Robert. He ignored it, but kept ringing and ringing.
He pulled it out in annoyance and answered it as he felt his voice crack.
"H...hello"
"Angel, where are you, are you alright?"
"Im f...fine. Im walking through the forest now."
"How?"
"The short cut I used to take." He felt a lump in his throat.
He never imagined what a mess this whole thing turned out to be. He wanted to be left alone. He lost his best friend and nobody cared. They all wanted her dead. His thoughts where interrupted by Mr. Johnson's voice.
"Listen, son, go back to Marie house. We need to talk right now. Wait... ignore what I said. Where are you at exactly. Im going to pick you up."
Angel groaned. He face palmed as he looked at his phone.
"What? You don't trust me, sir."
"Angel, it's not that I don't trust you. I just need to make sure you get there. You know..I need to make sure."
"So you think I'm going to kill myself over this now?" he said with a sarcastic voice.
"That's exactly why I want to talk to you back home."
He grew angry all of a sudden. "I'm almost 18. I think I can handle all this shit in a respectful manner."
"Angel! Don't..."
He had hung up. He felt really bad he had talked to Mr. Johnson this way. He was really mad and couldn't take it anymore.
He walked along the green pond and sat on the log where he and Lyndsee had their argument.
After ten minutes of just thinking about how much life sucked, he got himself up, sucked up his pride, and walked up to Mary's house.
When he got there, his mom, Mary, and Mr. Johnson where all sitting at the dining table staring at him as he walked in. He sighed as he laid his jacket and keys on the couch.
His mother, his distraught mother that he suddenly felt he would never see again, ran up to him and embraced him. He clings onto her, not wanting to start crying.
"I could of lost you, honey. I was at work when it happened." She starts to cry. "I wish I could have picked you up, you have no idea how scared I was for you."
Mr. Johnson motioned him to the table and asked him to sit down.
"Angel, I need to know that you're okay or not."
"I told you guys that I'm fine!"
His mother looked at him with disapproval.
"Angel!" she said in a soft worried voice.
"I'm sorry, I just don't see what wrong you see in me."
Mr. Johnson sighed. "We don't think there's anything wrong with you. We just think you need a little therapy from what happened. I understand that you might be traumatized. After all, you just experienced a shooting. You saw your best friend commit such horrendous crime."
Angel stood up. "All of this is bullshit! You people don't understand! Therapy? Really? This is just ridiculous!"
"Angel! Angel come here!" his mother yelled as he made his way to the front door. She looked horrified at Mr. Johnson. Marie buried her face in her hands and let out a big sigh.
He stormed outside and ran to the woods. He looked up at the sky and saw that some clouds were forming again. The afternoon was cold and the sunset was going down. He needed to be left alone right now. He hated how everyone just kept coming up to him, offering him help from the "traumatic" event.
He kicked a pebble and the memories kept coming back no matter how much he wanted them to stop.
He put his head back and groaned. He sat down on the faded grass. He laid his head in his arms until he felt someone put their arm on his back.
He looked up to see his mother. He sighed as he saw her. She smiled as she pulled him into a hug and repeated over and over, "it's going to be okay."
He never had his mom act like this around him for a long time. She was always so busy with his stepfather and her business trips she took almost every week. He felt kind of better knowing someone was there for him.
She let go and helped him up.
"Let's go to Marie's. Everyone's really worried, Angel. I am. We'll have dinner with them, then we'll talk more."
They walked home and when they got there Fabi and her mother where there and welcomed him back. He had apologized to Mr. Johnson and sat down. He was ready to talk now.