[Vic]
I snapped awake from the most awful of dreams and stared at my popcorn white-painted ceiling in my blue walled bedroom. That was Erin, and she needed me. I was shaking and sweating as I made my way to the kitchen where Dad insisted I leave my phone on school nights.
5:57
I stole away quickly down the stairs and rapped on Mike’s door, the purpose being to wake him, but a light shone already through the crack between the wood floor and his blue carpet. He opened and gasped at my probably shaken appearance.
“Remember that girl I told you about?” I said in a whisper.
“The one with problems?” He says air-quoting problems, and arching an eyebrow.
“I think she’s in trouble, you have a phone book, right?” I said, my eyes probably pleading him to tell me he did. He walked away but did not shut the door, I was aware Mike did not like me in his room, and no way did I feel particularly like starting a conflict at the moment, so I waited for a second or two, he chucked a big Yellow Pages book at me and closed his door with tired eyes. I flipped and I flipped through the book until I came upon,
Gregory; Allison
Gregory; James K.
Gregory; Melinda T.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I muttered, bouncing on the balls of my feet outside Mikes door, I decided on calling each number until someone picked up.
“Hello, is Erin there?”
No.
“Hello is Erin there, please?”
*Click*
“Hello is Erin there?”
“Why are you calling so early?” Said a groggy voice of a teenage girl.
“Erin?!” I scream whispered into my cell.
“No this is her sister, Maria.” The voice said, coated in sleep. Well I guess it wasn’t simply “the voice,” because that voice had a name, Erin’s sister, Maria Gregory.
“I think she is still asleep, let me check for you.” Maria said.
The receiver was set down and I could hear the sound of bare feet slapping hard wood, what kind of long fucking hallway is in this house? I thought to myself.
Suddenly, the same slapping noises came back, running, frantic even.
“I-I she isn’t in her room and the door to the bathroom is locked, t-there’s no one answering.” Maria breathed the once sleep coated voice now littered with panic.
“Is there any reason you have to be worried about her at all?” I said quickly, and as loud as I dared without waking my parents so early, as I slowly climbed the stairs back to my own bedroom.
“She was crying when she came home last night and-and-her um…” She stopped, as if thinking over whether I should know the next of what she had to say.
“I don’t care what it is you need to tell me Maria. Now!” I pleaded.
“Her razor and screwdriver were on the floor, like they were thrown. I-I am really worried.” And she started sobbing. I told her not to worry, I was on my way, through on a hoodie and my easiest-to-get-on-vans and dashed out my front door.
_ _ _
I knocked on the bathroom door in Erin’s huge mansion of a house as it occurred to me, where are her parents? Maria pulled out her cell phone, shaking as she did, and tapped a message to a contact named, Melinda. The same name in the phone book, their mom?
I was crying, and I didn’t care and Maria pretended to not notice either because she was crying to as I yelled her name for another minute and glanced solemnly at the door, before I kicked as hard as I could and the wood cracked and splintered. I pried open the rest with my hands to see a lifeless Erin lying on the bathroom rug, a few sleeping pills around her, an empty bottle chucked in the garbage can. I knelt next to the crumpled corpse and felt her neck for a pulse, oh!-so slight but oh so there.
“Stay with me.” I whispered into her small, perfect ears and as I lifted her up and brought her out, I swear her cold little barely alive finger tips squeezed into my side.
