Love is Tough

Chapter 14

I woke up really late: 1:34. I guess I had a lot of sleep in me. The boys were all playing Halo, mom was cooking lunch, dad was watching the game in the family room, and Daisy was on the phone.

"Oh, someone's finally awake. If you want breakfast, you're gonna have to make it yourself." mom said.

And that's what I did. I told mom about the drama class trip, she said I could go. I sat down in the living room and watched the boys playing.

"Stef! Why is Dan calling me on my phone?" Daisy asked.

I took the phone from her.

"I just woke up."

"it's Phillip. He's a wreck."

"Wa- What happened?"

"It's more of a Some-tragic-thing-happened look. Can you come down to his house."

"Dan, when did you notice this."

"Well after last night, neither of you talked to me or Mary. I thought you guys got into a fight, so I didn't bother getting into it. But I came over to his house anyway. And his sisters are so sad, trying to cheer him up."

"His parents?"

"He didn't tell you? His mom is in jail. She was doing drugs, pretty illegally. And his dad... His dad died... Look I don't want to be the one who tells you all this."

"Oh, Phillip. Uh, Where does he live?"

I stood outside of pure dull whitish- grayish house. I knocked and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened, but only a crack.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

"I'm Steffani. Can I come in? I'm here to see Phillip."

The girl was about to say something when she turned around.

A guy mumbled something. His voice was really familiar. It was Danny.

"Hey Danny. How is Phillip?" I asked still standing outside

"Come in. This is Phillip's older sister, Mandy."

I walked in. Mandy was the girl that I talked on the phone that other day, and I borrowed some clothes from her. She's really pretty.

I waved and she did the same and went out the living room.

"He's upstairs. Stef, he's not eating. He's not getting out of his room. I thought if you came, he would cheer up."

"Well, Danny. You didn't tell me what's wrong."

"Like I said. He's not doing anything. He's not talking to me, or his sisters. His sisters woke up today, and he hasn't come out through that room. They thought he was just going through some thinking... about you. But when Mandy went to check up on him... He was a mess. His stomach was on the bed, his head was stuffed on his pillow. There were papers all crumbled up around the room. Probably still is. Stef..."

I looked up the stairs. I nodded to Danny and walked up.

When I opened the door to his room, his head was in his pillow, and he had headphones in his ears. His hands were in tight fists. I walked up to his bed. I looked at the back of his head. I took his hand and made it loose. He moved his hand away and turned the other way. He took his head phones off.

"Mandy. Please get out. I don't need comfort."

"Phillip? It's not Mandy. It's Stef."

The second after I finished he leaped up, looking out a window.

"What are you doing here? I don't need you. I don't need comfort!" He said brushing his hair back. I walked around his bed, so I can see his face. But he turned around and face the wall.

"I don't want you here. I'm alright. Please leave."

He wiped his face with his hands and finally looked at me. His eyes were so red and watery. His nose was red and I could tell it was stuffy because he was breathing from his mouth. He hasn't shaved. I walked up to him.

"Phillip. I'm not-"

He moved away, and walked to the door. He opened it.

"Please get out. I don't need your sympathy."

"Phillip. I'm not leaving. I'm here for you no matter what the case may be."

"Stef-"

"Don't say it. I'm staying, you can't do anything about it."

He was going to object again, but released out the breath instead. He closed the door and sat down next to the window.

You know those little small benches that is built in the wall, and you can see out the window, he had that.

He looked out the window. He face reaction changed. It was from tried to thinking to pissed and confused. He looked away from the window and put his hands in his face.

I sat next to him. I put my hand over his shoulder.

"Phillip. I, I know you probably won't say anything. But we should get to know each other better for this friendship or whatever- ship to go on."

He took down his hands and looked at me.

"So what's on your mind?"

Phillip sat up straight and shifted in his seat.

"Re-remember when we went to that rooftop? I told you me and my friend made that swing there, and that we used to hang out all the time. Well, uh..."

He got up and rubbed his hand on his thigh. He combed his hair back with his hand.

"He died. 2 years ago."

I got up and put a hand over his shoulder.

"That's not all of it. I found out that, that building is going to be destroyed. They are making people get out. I heard they might destroy it sometime the end of this week."

He sat back down near the window.

"See that tree over there. Me and Jeremy, that was his name. We would climb that tree all the time. Cars would come by and honk telling us to get off, and that we could get hurt." He said looking out the window so serious.

"Phillip, you gotta get your mind off of this."

"I didn't tell you how Jeremy died."

"You don't."

"No, I do. Like you said, we have to get to know each other better."

I sat down next to him.

"It was a car crash. His dad was drunk driving. Jeremy asked if he could drive, but his dad said no. They were on the highway, and it was pretty empty. He started driving faster and faster. There was sharp curve, his dad lost control and the car flipped."

Phillip stopped to wipe his tears away.

"I saw this the next morning on the news on TV."

"Jeremy Donald? I remember that. His dad committed suicide a few weeks later for thinking that he killed his own son... I'm so sorry Phillip."

Phillip then put his hands over his face.

"My dad, uh, he's a business man. Maybe I can ask him to tell the people to not destroy the building."

"Thank you, but you don't have to."

"I don't want you to act like this. We will go through this together."

Non of us said anything for a while.

••••••••••••

Author's Note:

A little to much to take in? I know. I'm so sorry. I was editing this, and I started crying a little bit too. There is still a lot more to all this, so STAY TUNED! :)

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PS: I did change the title of my story! Don't worry. The other one was just too long. This title might be better!