Adam - A Novella

19

School's almost out.

Two weeks have passed, but not quickly in any regard. How people do long distance boggles my mind. It's not even that I can't be with my boyfriend, but that I don't really have any other friends anymore. Just like I feared, there's no one after school to help me in my dark moments. But that's alright. I can last for a little while longer.

Only nine more days of school are displayed on every class's board; even the teachers are ready to get out of school. I looked over my grade check, trembling in my hands in my homeroom. Every class was a fail, like normal, yet it didn't make me any less nervous to come home tonight.

When I opened the trailer's screen door, I expected yelling or arguing or even cheering at the TV. But it was just... silent. I glanced around for signs of life, but I was alone. I looked behind me, and sure enough, the blue pick-up and Honda are gone. Father has been gone for at least a day, who knows where he'd gone, and Mavia was probably off with mother somewhere, so it didn't seem too particular. I tromped to my room to go check my phone for new texts from Caleb, but it was completely blank. Nothing but more push notifications I still haven't turned off. I shot him a text and settled into bed for a nap, not bothering to change out of my hoodie or stiff, dirty jeans.

A call from Amaya woke me, which is weird, because Amaya never calls me. I answered it happily, expecting a positive tone to burst into my ear. But it was silent for quite a few moments.

"Hello? Ms. Abott?"

"Hey."

She sounded tormented. Empty. My heart began to thump. What if they can't come back to Louisiana?

"Is something the matter?"

"I don't know how to tell you this. And if we were any closer, I'd tell you in person." A loud sob came from behind her, and I swear I could hear police sirens for a minute.

"What's going on?" I had no choice but to ask.

"Caleb." That was all she could say before she burst into tears. I could no longer hear her straight because my phone began trembling in my hand. I had become dizzy on my feet, and I think I fell on the ground, but if I did, I couldn't feel it. I could only feel my heart vibrating around my rib cage like a Wii controller with low battery. Hot, stinging tears ran from my waterline and down my pale cheeks.

"What happened?" I snuffled and she cried louder.

"They're saying he killed himself, but it's impossible. He was finally happy again. And I just... I don't believe it. Oh, Adam." I heard Agatha screaming to someone in the background, likely to the police, who were now definitely there, because the sirens had become overwhelmingly loud.

I dropped my phone, and fell to my knees to look for it, but couldn't see anything through my own void of tears and torment.

He's gone. He's really gone. Just when we'd fallen in love, started dating, began to make promises, he was stolen away from the world.

I agree with Amaya. There was no way he'd kill himself. Not now. Not after we'd finally gotten together. Did he hate me? Did he hate Indiana that much?

I felt my tears dissipate as the world seemed to zoom out. Caleb broke his promise. He promised he'd come back and see me, and we'd never leave each other's sides when we did. But that last touch, me running my hands along his sides and feeling his skin at such a sharp temperature difference, would truly be the last time I'd ever touch him again. I can't even be at his side now because he was nine hundred and thirty miles away, in another state, another time zone. I'd never receive another pretty sky picture from him; Another warm, comfortably sloppy kiss; Another chance to ruffle or style his hair in the way I wished I always could but never had the chance; Another chance to gently tug on his piercing, which wouldn't hurt but would send a playful chill down his spine; Another constructive criticism that helped greatly, in a way only another creative visionary could provide; Another time to make jokes we wouldn't want our family hearing; another time to grieve Ariel together.

Did he really commit suicide?