Somebody Else ✔

The Salvatore brothers plus one.

TW - suicide.

Alex.

Edited.

There was an ache in my chest. I was sure I was dying. There was no air in the room, and my knees were weak.

I watched everyone rush around me, straightening ties and fixing their black robes. My heart hurt, sending shooting pains out through my ribcage.

As our parents fussed over us, taking photos and making us pose, the shooting pain grew into a dull ache. I was in my best clothes, and I was sweating through the black dress pants and white shirt.

We had watched the girls graduate from Yorkie the night before. They had had to press their uniforms and shine their shoes, the white graduation sash standing out against their green uniforms. I had taken photos for the girls in front of their lockers, as they wrote their locker numbers on their wrists and smiled.

They graduated in the large gymnasium of Yorkie, which had added a podium and stage for the occasion. Everything gleamed. I could feel sick rising up my throat.

Easts couldn't fit everyone in their gym, so they rented out Eastwood Performing Arts Center. And even then, we were all crammed in. In our robes it was hot and sticky - I rubbed my head.

We were hanging around in the lobby, the girls fixing their makeup and the boys holding their mirrors. The students mingled with the teachers and families as we waited for the Mrs Collins to say it was okay for us to go through.

Cole's phone began ringing, and we pushed through the crowd until we were huddled in the corner, and he picked it up.

"Cole! Cole, it's Brett. He's sitting in front of me," Mr Enders muffled voice came through Cole's phone, and every teenager around turned their head to glance sympathetically at Cole.

Cole hung up quickly, and shoved it into his robes. He rubbed his arm and gave us a smile, but his eyes darted to the large windows that over looked the estuary and the water front restuarants. Cole breathed hard, laughing.

He took off then, I don't think I would've moved to follow him, had Jace not dragged me along. We ended up in the disabled bathroom of the Eastwood Performing Arts Centre. Cole was holding the sink, having thrown his robes to the floor.

"I'm gonna fucking die."

"Shut up Cole," Jace hissed, with a glance at me. I stepped forward and rubbed Cole's back.

Someone knocked on the door, opening it a crack. Keira slipped her head through.

"My parents turned up, as well." Keira smiled, entering. She bumped Cole with her hip. Cole wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You know, I thought I wanted them to come. I really, really thought I did."

I remembered what Corey had said, about relationships with parents. "Keira, if the relationship you have with your parents is harmful. If it's toxic. If it hurts you, then you have every right to walk away from it."

Keira glanced at me, with tears in her eyes. She burst out crying. "I do love them it's just all messed up." She wiped her eyes. "I'm just still so angry at them."