How to Save a Life

Chapter 2

~ 3rd December, 07:16, 20 Days before Death ~

The sun. I hate it.

It seeps beneath my eyelids, forcing me awake. I burrow beneath the folds of the blanket, but still it reaches me there. I try to ignore it, to hide from it, but it's still there, haunting me, taunting me. Just like my soul.

Monday. School. Seven hours of torment. Homework provides me extra torture. I don't even have a lot of friends to share my pain with.

It makes me sick.

I force myself to leave behind my cocoon of blankets. I ditch breakfast today; I'm not hungry. Just the fact that it's Monday is enough to put me off my food. The same with Tuesdays. And Wednesdays. Thursdays, Fridays. At least Saturdays and Sundays are bearable.

I miss my bus, today. It was stopping at the bus stop just as I was running up the street. I waved my arms madly to show that I wanted to catch it, and it waited. As soon as I was metres away, the doors closed and it speed off, showering me with gravel. Maybe the driver didn't see me, but it sure feels like they were just taunting me. Unbelievable.

I take my cell phone, flip it open and dial mum's number.

'Mum, I'm sorry, but you won't belive this - '

'What is it, honey?'

'I sort of missed the bus. Well, it was more like it sort of missed me. I'm really sorry, but can you pick me up?'

'Jasper...' She sounds mildly annoyed.

'Mum, please?'

'Okay, but you'll be late.'

'I'll be later if I walk.'

'Okay. Be there in five. Bye.'

'Bye.'

I sit down in the bus shelter and glance at my watch.I have fifteen minutes until my first class, History.

Seven minutes later, I see mum's car. We drive to school in silence. Occasionally I see her glance at me as if to check I'm okay, but my body language hopefully shows that I don't want to talk. Finally, we reach the car park. I exit the car.

'Hey. Jasper.'

I turn back to glance at her. 'Yeah?'

She smiles, but it looks forced. 'Have fun, okay? I love you.'

Yeah, the last thing I'm going to do is have fun, I think.

'I love you too.'

The day passes by in a blur of history, maths, language, english, art and physics. Most of the time I just keep writing in my books. It takes my mind of things. Like the present.

At recess and lunch breaks, I spend time with my best friend, Hunter. We sit on the steps by the lockers together, making small talk. The day, in short, is just like any other typical day.

It's my free period, the last period of the day, when it happens.