This Can't Be Love

Chapter 8: Certain Uncertainty

"...Someone died tonight."

"What?! Are you--"

"Let's go inside. I'll tell you all about it."

Samantha and her mother, Bethany, walk into Bethany's house. Samantha hangs up a mens jacket, which previously covered her head, up on the coat rack. The two sit next to one another on a couch in the loving room.

"Did you say 'someone died'?!"

"Yeah... Michael hung himself in the mens room."

"Oh my lord, Sammy are you serious?"

Samantha's eyes well up and her lips tremble. Bethany holds Samantha and hugs her close, with Samantha sniffling in between whimpers.

"It was horrifying, mom. I've never seen such a thing."

"Oh it's okay, doll, it's ok..."

"Why would he do this to himself? So stupid!"

"You never know what hardships or traumas are going through other people's head, doll. It's almost impossible to know why anyone would do such a thing."

The doorbell rings. Samantha and Bethany look at each other. Bethany gets up from the couch and goes to the window as Samantha remains seated wiping her tears.

"Do you see who it is?"

"It's some woman."

Bethany now opens the front door.

"May I help you?"

"Carrie Sosa, Thurston County Police. May I have a word with Samantha?"

"Sammy, it's..."

"I know, mom. Let her in."

Sosa walks into the house, looking around at every decoration and piece of furniture as Bethany closes the door after her. Samantha looks at her with a disappointed squint of her eyes.

"Did you follow me here?"

"Yes, I did. I actually wanted a word with you alone, so I had to lose Aaron."

"You're making this night more stressful than it ought to be. Can you please just get to the point and tell me what the hell you want?"

"Easy there, kid. I'll get to the point, there were signs of struggle around your friend's neck so he might not have died willingly."

"What? So, you're... You're..."

Bethany walks over and holds Samantha in her arms while looking at Sosa and cuts Samantha's sentence off.

"So it wasn't suicide?"

"Hard to tell, ma'am. You know the phrase 'easier said than done'? Well that's the case with most failed suicide attempts. The victim is determined to end his or her own life, but when the reality of actually dying sets in, they change their minds and try to fight out of it."

"It is easy to mock the devil until you have him face to face."

"Exactly."

Samantha shakes her head with squinted eyes as her mom and Sosa trade words and decides to interject.

"Whoa, wait a minute... So why exactly did you need me away from Aaron to tell me this?"

"No easy way to say it, kid, but--"

"And stop calling me 'kid'."

"My apologies... Sam?"

"Samantha."