IAN

Chapter Nineteen

Renee

Tears flowed from Renee's eyes uncontrollably, she didn't show any emotion, she didn't make any sound, she just cried, she looked at Jose until she couldn't stand the sight of his face.

"You did what?" Renee still couldn't look at him, Jose kept quiet, he looked humbled for the first time in his life "Jose don't let me repeat myself"

"Ian liked the drugs, I liked the drugs it was just a-"

"Let me ask you simpler questions, maybe your tiny brain will be able to answer them, seeing as your conscience isn't pure enough to answer that one basic question. Do you like drugs the same way Ian liked drugs?" She paused and turned to look at him "Yes or no, were you there when Ian started overdosing? I don't mean injecting or ingesting or snorting or whatever the fuck it is they were doing. I mean overdosing . where you fucking aware ?". Jose still couldn't speak

"Okay last one. Did you follow us to the hospital with your dads when Ian had their first mental outburst at the age of nine, did you?" Renee was so angry but it was so difficult to show any emotion when you're trying your best to suppress every physical urge you have, she wanted to throw a fist but she couldn't move "yes I do and after all that I still didn't abandon them like you did, now did I?" Jose was obviously shaking as he said that

"No Jose you didn't abandon them, you stayed and what did you do when you stayed? You kept indulging and indulging until they finally died. How does it feel to murder your best friend?"

Everyone was quiet. Jose bowed his head, he was too scared to look up, he was too scared to speak and honestly Renee wasn't interested to hear what he had to say.

She turned to Claudia "explain yourself". Something about Renee was different. She wasn't necessarily quiet or timid but she was never loud like Claudia, she was never as confident as Jose, she wasn't as opinionated as Ian but at the same time she wasn't at the sidelines watching like Lucia, but now she was fierce, she started to look and become more like her mother everyday since Ian died. She changed, not so much that she completely scared people away but just enough so people stay intimidated.

"I can't" Claudia started to cry "I honestly can't"

"I do not have your time or any patience" her tears had dried, she had no expression on her face. "Use your words"

Claudia took a long pause, Lucia was staring at her and Renee noticed how uncomfortable it made her but she could care less.

"Ian needed to do drugs and-"

"Ian needed to do drugs and they called you? Not Jose, not Lucia. You ?" Renee scoffed "start again"

"I needed to do drugs" Claudia was so ashamed of herself and it was so obvious, she was red all over but she managed to stop the tears "I- I asked them for some and we went to the bathroom"

"Then?" Renee was so impatient

"They were convulsing and they kept begging for help, but I don't know why I just kept staring I'm sorry"

"Is that why Ian's hand was stretched out to you when I finally got in ?" Lu said, holding back tears, Claudia nodded.

"So Ian was dying and begged you for help and you just sat there and did nothing? You didn't call for Lucia or Jose ?" Renee was stunned "let me understand this properly" she sat up straight "You were in the bathroom as one of your best friends was dying, they begged you for help, you watched them die. You watched Ian draw their last breath, refusing to open the door knowing fully well that if there was a slight chance that Ian was still alive, they would get help. You proceeded to lie that Ian died completely alone, just to cover up that you basically let them die then kept going by avoiding me and everyone else for over a month." Renee took a long pause before speaking "okay".

Renee had nothing else to say, she picked up her bag and signalled to the driver, she turned to Lucia "are you coming?" and walked away, she heard Jose call out her name but she couldn't turn back, if she did she would've lost her mind and it took everything in her to keep herself composed. She just needed to reach the door of the car, "why did it seem so far away?" she kept asking herself, she felt Lucia's hands hold hers as they left the building, she felt less anxious.