E V E R E T T
I GENUINELY THOUGHT COMING home from school would be easier once I moved to Lakewood, but it was the same crap all over again. I had lived in this new house for two days and the absence of Emma had already left this place gloomy and overflowed with an eerie silence.
"That school is messed up," I said after coming downstairs and slumping down in a chair by the dining table while watching mom and dad prepare dinner.
Mom seemed disappointed about what her old high school had turned into. The plan of running away from what killed Emma backfired because we ended up at a place that was even worse than what took my little sister's life. Not just drugs but tons of violence, crime, and gangs.
However, she did a good job of pressing out an optimistic smile and tried to point out the smallest of positive things about Lakewood High. Like the fact that I made a friend named Ali, and unlike at my old high school, the cafeteria's lunch didn't taste like the food had dishwasher soap in it.
"So if the place looks like it needs a change, and the student council is a fail, why don't you run for student body president?"
My head jerked up and I met dad's warm brown eyes.
Is he...serious?
"No. No, I don't want that."
"Just think about it. You loved being on the council back there. Why don't you give it a try? Get back into the groove?"
"First of all, don't ever say that groove thing again. Secondly,
it's not the same thing, dad."
"Of course it isn't. I know that. This school will definitely be a challenge but I think you can do it," dad argued, smiling positively.
That's not what I meant. It wasn't the same thing because back when I used to be student body president, Emma was alive. Things were good and normal, but nothing was normal now. Emma was gone, I was in a totally different town that actually seemed like being on another planet, and mom and dad were acting like these positive energy balls trying to radiate some of their light through the gloomy cloud I head clearly turned into. I hated being like this and feeling like this, but nothing seemed worth it anymore.
Honestly, I just wanted to keep my head low, get through my senior year, apply to some random college, and leave this place, and never come back. But on the other hand, I just simply wanted to stop caring about everything and just sleep for the rest of my life.
Instead of forming the storm going on in my head to some decent words, I just pushed my chair back and muttered, "Forget it. I'm not joining the council."
Pushing my chair back, I headed up to my room, climbing the stairs two at a time to escape their plastic smiles.
I could've gone out and escaped the sad cloud looming over my house. I could've gone to that party The Sirens and Ali told me to drop by at but I never even went to parties. I just didn't like them. In fact, I started disliking them even more after Emma died.
Died.
She is actually gone.
These four words had been roaming around in my head ever since the funeral.
It was weird how you woke up every morning expecting to see a close one by the breakfast table or at school waiting for you in the morning, but then suddenly they were gone forever and it felt like someone punched a hole in your life.
Back when Emma was alive, I countless times used to wish I was an only sibling but that was a universal thing. Siblings were the most annoying people on the planet even if they gave you money and stayed out of your room. But as much as they annoyed you and as much as you wished a car would run over them, they never died on you. They never disappeared from your life.
So when Emma died, it felt unreal for so many hours, days, weeks, and months. It felt unreal everyday day. It felt unreal even today. Thinking about how I was going to carry this black hole in me for the rest of my life, made anxious to the point that I felt nausea crawl up my throat.
So instead I sat on my bed and did my homework for an hour. Afterward, I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and climbed into my bed again and pulled the comforter up to my waist before I started reading Little Women for English literature which was handed out to us today.
While reading, my phone buzzed next to me. I picked it up and an Instagram notification had popped on the screen. It was a follow request from a username called Ali_05.
I accepted the request before sending him a request back, which he immediately accepted. I was looking at the few pictures on his feed when a message from him appeared.
Ali: Hey you didn't come to the party?
Me: Hey
Me: Nah didn't feel like it
Ali: it's cool
Ali: So you planning on leaving or you gonna stay?
Me: oh no I'm staying
Just have to figure
out how to stay alive here
for the next 9 months
Ali: I know it sucks
but it's not that bad.
Me: yeah hope so
Ali: so I'll see
you tomorrow?
Me: yeah see you.
I read until I started feeling sleepy and shoved the book back into my backpack. When I left my room to brush my teeth, I had to pass by mom and dad's bedroom. I thought they were asleep, but their quiet whispering was enough for me to stop in my tracks. When I heard my name, I couldn't help but inch closer to their door and gently put my ear against it.
Mom's voice was laced with anxiousness. "I'm really worried about him. I feel like I've made the wrong choice by moving here. I had no idea that running away from what killed Emma would lead us to a place that's even worse than what killed her. I thought things must've changed here, but they've gotten worse. I don't want Everett to get influenced by these kids and end up walking in the same path as Emma did."
Dad used the same reassuring tone he had been using since the day Emma died. "Hey, listen. It's Everett we're talking about here. He doesn't get influenced by others so easily. He's always been good at focusing on his own path. He won't turn to drugs, violence, gangs, or any of the bad stuff the kids in this town are up to. We have to trust him enough to let him make a place for himself in this town and be positive for him."
"Yes, I guess you're right. Running for student council might be really good for him. He loved being a part of the council before Emma died. I'm sure his interest in it will return once he runs for president and starts making a change," mom said, heaving an exhausted sigh.
They just wanted me to get distracted with student council work and with making friends so I would stop thinking about Emma. But even if I joined the council, she wasn't leaving my mind. She was trapped in there and I has no idea how to make all of this stop.
When the silence took over, I figured it was my cue to leave but I ended up resting my forehead against the door for a moment, fists clenched.
Students council, huh?
No way.
Eventually, I brushed my teeth and went back to bed, pulled the comforter over my head, and lay in the darkness, thinking about how drugs slowly but then all at once tore Emma into pieces of paper trails that could never be put back together ever again.
~
The next morning at school, I was trying to open my locker but it wouldn't budge even though I got the combination right because the locker door was smashed inwardly.
"Um, do you need any help with that?"
I glanced to the side and met a pair of bright blue eyes. It didn't even take me a second to recognize her as the girl from yesterday who was being cornered by that infamous Arjun guy.
"Lily. Hey. Um, yeah. I can't seem to open it."
"Don't worry. I can help." She slid her brown backpack off her shoulder and put it down on the floor before bending down to unzip it. My furrowed brows shot up when she pulled out a small tool from her backpack which people in horror movies often hit people in the head with from behind.
"Uh, Lily, why do you carry that in your backpack?"
She shrugged. "Locker smashing is pretty normal here. I have to use this to fix mine six times a day."
"Six?!"
She nodded. "People throw each other into lockers more than they attend classes."
I cleared my throat. "Wow. Okay. Good to know."
Lily shrugged and after a few minutes of tinkering, the locker was almost as good as new and slid open perfectly.
"Wow," I breathed before giving her a thankful smile. "Thanks, Lily. Thank you so much."
Her cheeks flushed pink while she returned the smile. "No need. I owed you one after what you did for me yesterday anyway."
"I think you owe a thanks to Lana, too. It seemed like she wanted to help you out as much as I wanted too."
"Yes, definitely, but I was more surprised when you tried to help me."
"What do you mean?" I asked while taking out my physics books. "He was bothering you, so it made sense to stop him."
Pursing her lips, she nodded quickly. "You're right. It was the right thing to do but nobody ever does the right thing here. I guess I was just really surprised."
When her gaze dropped to my physics book, her jaw dropped followed by her face jerking up instantly. "No way! Do you have physics? Nobody at this school has physics expect for me, Lana and Ali. You'll be the fourth one."
"I-"
"-Wait, do you have advanced math too?"
I nodded.
"-Omg! Yay! That's awesome. We'll be sharing that class too. So we have physics now. Let's head to class together?"
Even though the intensity of her cheerfulness was stinging my ears, I shoved my books into my backpack and closed my locker before nodding. "Sure."
"You know, physics and maths are my favorite subjects because it's just the three of us-now four and it's really nice to just sit together and solve problems and actually learn instead of listening to people shout over the teacher, throw things at each other and annoy the ones who actually show up to learn," she kept on saying, her legs picking up a faster speed for every time the excitement on her face grew.
"Yeah. Absolutely," I said, but barely half of her rant processed through my mind.
"You're going to love physics and advanced math. The other subjects are problematic because of all the noise-" Lily's voice was suddenly cut off, which brought me out of my mind in a blink.
If I remembered correctly, Jada, the leader of The Sirens, strode towards us with the rest of the girls following her. The crowd parted in two for them and a wave of silence poured over the whole hallway.
Carmen's red lipstick was almost as black as her hair but her creamy white skin was in sharp contrast. She was tall with black ripped jeans, and a black top with some band name on it, revealing her silver belly button piercing.
Isha was the short one of all four, casually pulling off black jeans, a blue hoodie, and a black beanie. Possessing long brown hair and rich light brown skin, she passed me a toothy grin when our eyes met.
Lana had the flattest and emptiest expression on her pale-skinned face, her coal-black eyes dull, and her movements wre awkward and jerky when she limped on her injured foot. Much like yesterday, she had the same grey hoodie, blue jeans, and brown Uggs on, except now the flannel she had on over the hoodie was black and red.
For a moment, her crow-black eyes meet mine, but my gaze was rapidly torn off her when I heard the sound of choking. Jada's hand was curled around a white guy's collar. It took me a moment to realize who he was. He was the short, blonde, junior who showed me the way to my locker when I looked like a lost idiot yesterday.
Meanwhile, Isha was sucking on a lollipop and stretching her arms over her head. Carmen rolled her eyes after a small smirk appeared on her face. Meanwhile, Lana yawned and stayed quiet.
His eyes were wide and pooled with terror. Jada's fist curled tightly around the collar of his shirt, almost lifting the guy off the greasy floor. "You wanna repeat what you said?-"
Within ticking seconds, I had become a wall between him and Jada, rapidly jerked her fist off his collar before my voice came off harsher than intended. "What the hell are you doing?"
***
Author's note: So Everett totally loves to interfere in fights apparently. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think will happen in the next one?
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