Sunsets Over Suicideville (BoyxBoy)

Introduction

One Year Later

      "There's been another suicide."

      The room, once alive with voices ranging from high squeaks to low rumbles, was suddenly dead. Not one single intake of air in order to breathe could be heard as the hush completely overtook the classroom of sophomores. It was like the news deemed to everyone that breathing was too disrespectful in the face of the freshly deceased's spirit. The room was almost scarily quiet as the teacher shut her dismal eyes, eyes that were consumed by sadness and continued to grow darker and bleaker with each announcement she had to make of yet another student taking their own life.

      The students who had been turned around to converse with the others did not turn back to face the teacher. They stayed that way, staring into each others' eyes as they silently asked one another that one terribly unavoidable question. That one question that scared the living daylights out of them all. The question that decided whether or not they still had all of their friends alive and well, or if they were one less companion to talk to during class periods.

      "Well, who was it?" a boy from the front row finally asked, speaking the question everyone else was thinking. His voice had quivered when he'd spoken; now his fingers were beginning to tremble as well while he awaited Ms. Lennigen's answer. He chewed on his nails to still his fingers as the silence once again echoed throughout the classroom, everyone fearing her response. They all were terrified of finding out who had killed him or herself, thinking it may be one of their closest friends.

      I hadn't seen so-and-so at the bus stop today, nor had I heard so-and-so's loud, hilarious donkey laugh echoing throughout the hallway in the morning, everyone thought. They had told themselves that perhaps their friends were just sick, or maybe their alarm clocks hadn't gone off at the right time and they ended up sleeping in. They had told themselves those things, whether they were tiny white lies or the cold, blatant truth, just to keep their imaginations at bay from the worst possible outcome.

      Everyone's fears were finally put at rest when the teacher parted her thin, pale wrinkled lips. "Allison Sheriff," Ms. Lennigen stated, voice firm, emotionless, but her eyes were open, and they said it all. The boy and a few others looked away, silently grateful that it hadn't been someone they'd known. One girl in the classroom weren't so lucky, though, and she let out a loud, heart wrenching sob at her desk before bolting out of her seat and running out of the classroom.

      Tears due to these type of sorrowful early-morning announcements were dreadfully common at Ravenview.

      "She was found dead earlier this morning in the swamp the next town over. Her funeral will be sometime this week at the Ravenwing Funeral Home for those who are interested in attending. Please carry on with your day as you would normally. Just know that she is in a better place now, and please, continue to reach out to anyone you think may need just a touch of kindness added to their lives," Ms. Lennigen murmured disconsolately, folding her hands over the front of her faded pine green dress. Her black kitten heel shoes didn't even click against the tiles of the floor as she timidly made her way to her gray metal desk. She stared down at it for several moments, taking in the site of nothing but an empty stapler she had forgotten to refill and former stacks of ungraded papers that were now strewn completely over the face of her desk. Then she exited the classroom, off to find the girl who had been affected by the news.

       It was kind of unsettling, Ms. Lennigen's desk. Unlike every other teacher's desk like in stories or movies, nothing on it could ever prove that Ms. Lennigen was the one who inhabited the chunk of metal. And that was rather scary, the idea of not being able to prove that you once existed someplace. It stood as a reminder that you were never there, and if you were never there, then nobody would remember you. And if nobody remembers you, then you're just as good as dead.

      And if Ms. Lennigen were to die, who knew how the homeroom would react to their most beloved teacher's irreversible absence.

      Sure, teachers have also died while working at Ravenview, although not nearly as frequently as the students. But Ms. Lennigen had always brought so much comfort to the students during their times of crisis--especially to Frank and his friends, always keeping extra snacks and cookies under her desk on hand in case they were hungry throughout the day. Frank couldn't bear it if he had to see her go in one of the most terrible ways to leave the earth. Death by her own hand--a hand that was known for giving grieving students the warmest embraces, and microwaved chocolate chip cookies.

      The bell rang, ending homeroom and cuing students to move onto first period. Everyone except the friends of poor Allison Sheriff were safe for today, but tomorrow they may not be so lucky. Hell, I might not be so lucky, Frank thought, a twinge of fear pulling at his heartstrings. Despite him only attending the school for almost a year, he had only accumulated several close friendships, but each one was to a person he loved and cared tremendously for. And if one of Frank's most closest friends that he wouldn't even trade the world for was to die, then surely he felt that he, too, wouldn't ever be able to live with himself knowing that he had failed him.

      And Frank had promised himself, as well as many others who claimed to value his life and presence on that Earth, nearly one year ago that he would not end up like the other victims of Suicideville. He would not be buried six feet under at barely eighteen years of age due to the own hatchet in his hands.