A Shade of Cool

XL: Final Goodbye

The days went by like a speed of light.

Overtime the exhausting presence of the press had called to a simmer and it was only now and then when we found Kathy's face on the news or Eric's mugshot printed on the papers under the bold word; Rapist. But we rarely bothered to put the TV on anymore nor purchase another paper. The media had caught their villain and gotten over it faster than the printing of new stories. But we hadn't fully gotten over Kathy. Not sure what to do with her things, we had packed them up and put them away in the garage where they stayed safe, though every time I looked through them, I found myself noticing more things vanishing. I knew Noah had a harder time letting go so I turned a blind eye.

Kathy had left the world let as she intended to leave it; better than it was before. But it never made up for the endless nights of nightmares. Her there, bloody in my arms. It didn't help waking up everyday happy until you have that shattering realisation that there was no Kathy and that it wasn't just a nightmare.

The stock family fell harder than ever. Their house repossessed, each one in prison and the money stripped from them. Eric Stock was now parents threats to their partying kids and an example of a student gone rogue. Ana, Stacey and the other girls were called survivors and each interviewed for the papers - a fame which Ana widely enjoyed. But none of it felt any better than before when I remember the sacrifice Kathy had to make for it. It never had to come to that, but it did.

So here was another day, waking up to the smell of Mom's cooking and the distant chatter downstairs as everyone dug in. I sighed and headed down to join them, every bone in my body aching from the tossing and turning. After hearing about news, Marissa decided to come home from now and miss graduation so it was nice to have her back in the house. Just a shame about the circumstances as to why she had to come back for. "Morning," I said as I entered the kitchen.

"Morning!" They all called back, Noah pulling out the chair beside him for me to sit with him. Our relationship had been stronger this Kathy died. The long midnight talks we had, the times we held each other as we cried or had those nightmares. It was a shit situation but Noah was the only thing that kept me going through it.

"Nice sleep?" Mom asked as she filled my plate with some pancakes and bacon. I smiled at her in a silent thank you as I wondered how to answer that. Shrugging I replied, "Relatively," The answer I usually gave to people when they asked me that question as I walked through the hallways of the school, "I have some medicine if you want it-"

"No, no, I'm fine," I politely refused as I pure syrup on my pancakes.

"God, Mom, trying to get your own son on drugs too?" Avery joked, Mom smirked and nudged her quickly as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Maybe it's best you went to see someone?" Marissa suggested, "Like a counsellor, you know?" She was right but I didn't like to think about that. Plus it didn't seem fair, me sucking up all this drama when it wasn't even my sister who died, it was Noah's. But Noah nodded along with Melissa's idea, "We all need a little help."

"Well I'm fine, so," I dismissed the attention and focused my own attention back on my food. I felt bad being so sharp but they wouldn't listen otherwise.

"Oh, Avery you got yourself some mail here!" Mom called from the kitchen, Avery suddenly sitting up and reaching over as Mom headed in, passing it to her, "What's that?" Marissa asked, looking over her shoulder as she tore it open excitedly. Curiously, I looked up at her as she quietly read over the words. A minute or two passed before Avery clapped her and loudly and shrieked, "YES!"

"What?" Marissa repeated impatiently.

"I got an interview for the college in LA! They want to let me in... I didn't think that I would get it, you know, because I wasn't in school much but..." Avery beamed widely, Marissa pulled her into a tight side hug, Avery quickly shoving her away with a side eye (not one for the whole huggy thing). "I'm so proud of you!" Mom gasped as she ran in.